Tuesday News Updates: DART’s Atheists and Branstad’s Flier
- Tuesday, August 25, 2009, 6:40
- Battleground Iowa
- 1,536 views
- 56 comments
By Emily Geiger
DART Loves Atheists who Pay for Ads, but Not its Christian Employees
The Christian DART driver who was suspended for refusing to drive a bus with a pro-atheism ad on the side of it is back at work.
But, it doesn’t seem as if anything has really been resolved.
Last week, DART gave this driver three choices regarding her job.
1. Resign,
2. Drive a paratransit bus (which generally doesn’t have advertising, but could involve more physical strain in helping disabled people get on and off the bus),
3. Go back to the old job and if you ever complain about a bus ad again, you’re fired.
I guess the driver in question chose option 3. I still find this ridiculous, when you consider that only 20 of the 120 busses in the DART fleet have the atheist ad, that DART can’t accommodate this woman on one of the other hundred busses available. I think they just don’t want to.
So, next time this lady shows up to work and they’ve scheduled her to be on another atheist bus, we’re right back at square one.
Branstad Fliers
So, I see that the buzz of the blogosphere in the last few days has been the fliers plastered to the windshields of some cars in Des Moines that highlighted some of the low-lights of the previous Branstad administration.
The local media has been interviewing some Iowa “political insiders” about this, and of course, people on blogs are chiming, and there has been a lot of finger pointing in the direction of a certain very pro-marriage, very pro-life candidate, particularly since the flier specifically bashed Mitt Romney and tries to tie Branstad to the former Massachusetts governor.
But I think that conclusion is just a little too easy.
I find it interesting that so many observers of this situation are so quick to overlook the possibility that it might not be another Republican behind this.
Culver has been dragged through the mud these last several weeks with the budget fiasco and his tanking poll numbers. What better way to get people to ignore that than for someone to create negative headlines for the guy who would kick Culver’s butt by 20% if the election were held today?
I’m not saying Culver personally was involved in this, but I wouldn’t put it past some of his Democrat minions to do his dirty work for him.
And think about it. The Dems would have absolutely mentioned Romney and abortion if they were trying to frame a certain someone. To me, that’s why it’s so obvious that it’s not who everyone thinks it is, because it’s just a little too obvious who the author wants you to think it is.
It would be like someone putting out fliers against Boswell and randomly mentioning how fun it is to play the accordion (in an effort to frame Fallon).
And, it will be interesting to see if and when anyone from the Branstad camp tries to address the accusations made in the flier. That will be tough, because it’s pretty much all true.
About the Author
Battleground Iowa has written 183 stories on this site.
Emily Geiger writes from a conservative perspective on everything from politics to religion to pop culture. Like the original Emily of Revolutionary War era, this Emily is delivering important messages crucial to winning the raging war of the time, but today, this is a culture war rather than a traditional one. And, like the original Emily, sometimes it takes a woman to do (or say) that which lesser men lack the courage and tenacity to do.
56 Comments on “Tuesday News Updates: DART’s Atheists and Branstad’s Flier”
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It is imperative that it is discovered those responsible for this despicable piece of garbage against Branstad. The VP campaign has more incentive than anyone else to find out who is behind it. We all deserve to know.
Deace–I agree with you. It is too bad the battlelines are being drawn so sharp so early. The flier reeks of BVP and the radical right. Nonetheless, Branstad needs to address the issues raised. This nasty fight could end up being a free for all.
Two points catch my attention:
1) “Minions”. I love that word. The other party always has minions but “my” party has concerned dedicated volunteers.
2)” . . . . discover those responsible for this dispicable piece of garbage . . . . ” Hmph, looks to me just like any other campaign piece of garbage as seen on TV or in letters-to-editors, or for that matter in posts to TIR from, coincidentally of all people, DVFO. Only difference I see is that this piece of garbage doesn’t happen to be muckraking a Democratic candidate, or even a rethug candidate who attends a church DVFO dfoesn’t like.
The point of this flier is that IF it was done by a Republican against another Republican, this is more of a serious issue than if it was done by a Dim group. That’s to be expected from Dims and easily dismissed as par for the course and shows how worried they are about a Branstad candidacy.
IF it was done by a Republican group trying to clear the way for a certain R candidate, this is a more serious infraction. The flier is misleading and shows desperation on the part of a Republican candidate. It shows they care more about their own viability as a candidate than they do to make sure a Republican is elected governor.
Deace–the bullet points are probably correct. Branstad will need to address them. However, I think that he has developed a vast resevoir of trust with the electorate that will overcome things that happened 15 years ago.
Nice attempt at deflection Emily. I didn’t know you were in the tank for BVP too, but I guess that’s a prerequisite on this blog. It was him. I guarantee you it was BVP and/or people connected to him.
This is the kind of shady crap Vander Plaats & Huckster do. They’ve done it in every campaign. Why would they stop now?
It is imperative that we find out who was responsible for this hit-and-run attack. VP has more to gain by getting to the bottom of this than others as fingers are being pointed at him.
BUT regardless of who is responsible, it shows this person to be more interested in promoting themselves than doing what is best for their state. If a R did this, it is a very selfish move and they need to be exposed and shunned. That person has zero chance of getting my support.
I’m not sold on BVP, or any candidate yet for that matter (although there may be one or two I’ve ruled out). But I agree that it seems like something right out of the Democrats’ playbook to do something like this to cause a whole bunch of infighting amongst Republicans in an effort to deflect attention away from the real problem, Culver.
I really do think the whole Romney thing is a red herring. It comes out of nowhere – a non sequitur – the only reason for it to be there is make people jump to the conclusion they are jumping to.
Further, isn’t BVP’s campaign chair/Lt. Gov pick Jodi Tymeson? And wasn’t Jodi a big Romney supporter? I highly doubt she would let this happen.
And, while I’m sure there are many VP bashers who will disagree, I don’t think there is any candidate in the race dumb enough to put something like this out there and have it contain a clue that would so clearly point the finger back at themselves.
“The flier is misleading and shows desperation on the part of a Republican candidate.” -DVFO
“This is the kind of shady crap Vander Plaats & Huckster do.” -red247
“BUT regardless of who is responsible, it shows this person to be more interested in promoting themselves than doing what is best for their state. If a R did this, it is a very selfish move and they need to be exposed and shunned.” -DVFO
But what if all of it’s true? Shouldn’t we as Iowans take this into consideration when choosing a governor? Are we not allowed to reflect on a politician’s record?
The threatening reactions to this flier are worrisome to me…it’s a free country with free speech rights.
As I see it, there are only two options: let it go or counterattack, but the whining is useless.
Peggy, it is imperative to find out who did this. It is a reflection of their character and their motives. Why would you even think of letting it go. Counter attack against whom?
Peggy: Your points are well taken. Branstad needs to address the bullet points. Politics is a full contact sport.
“it is imperative to find out who did this. It is a reflection of their character and their motives” – DVFO
DVFO, I’ll ask again…what if everything on the flier is true? Do the accusations made concern you at all or are you just pissed because somebody decided to play hardball?
Frankly, I think it makes our Party look weak that we have so many candidates who can’t even decide if they’re going to run or not. And the grovelling at Branstad’s feet is quickly becoming a turnoff as well.
Let’s quit playing popularity contest and get to the issues. Who’s got the best ideas for Iowans???
BRAVO! Peggy is correctly saying, ” The threatening reactions to this flier are worrisome to me…it’s a free country with free speech rights.”
Gimminy Peg, I hope my agreement with you doesn’t ruin your day or cause you to change your mind about this.
And the few of you who’re so wound up about this really ought to just let it go; its’ politics for crying out loud.
And DVFO, neither party is one bit cleaner than the other one.
Con Dem, Not ruined at all! ( :
But I disagree that neither party is cleaner than the other. Liberals (Democrats mostly, but not always) live by the lie, and the Dems’ longstanding relationship with unions and their historical record of political shenanigans, which continues to this day, is proof.
I’m not saying all Republicans are fine, upstanding citizens but as a whole the Parties are worlds apart. Read the platforms and ask yourself which one, in the long run, is better for the country.
I was against the atheist ad before I was for it…
Peggy, do you want a weaselly governor who does this sort of thing anonymously, or one who is man enough to attack from the front?j
The issues matter, but so do principles. The hack (BVP) behind this obviously has none.
Vander Plaats’ responses to WHO-TV were very telling. He was warning Branstad that politics are much different than 1994 & this campaign will be nasty. That should tell you a lot about who the culprit is.
No one is trying to deny anyone’s free speech. But don’t be a coward and hide behind an anonymous flier.
That bus driver has probably driven 100 buses with gambling ads. DART can’t get in the business of trying to accommodate every driver’s personal opinions. In election season, it would be a nightmare to try to figure out which driver refused to drive buses with Democratic or Republican ads.
If she really doesn’t like the ads, she should drive the paratransit bus, although that compromise wouldn’t work if lots of other drivers started complaining about different ads.
red,
You have no proof BVP is behind this.
The flier itself is so amateurish no legitimate candidate would be dumb enough to be associated with it – but that’s not to say an individual candidate’s supporter couldn’t have done this on his own. “Wasn’t 16 Years Enough Terry?????” isn’t even grammatically correct, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the accusations leveled aren’t true.
Branstand either blows it off or answers the charges. It’s just that simple – and it’s really not your battle to fight.
Worry about WHAT the other guy’s saying, not how he’s saying it.
i think the same people who are financially backing Fong’s campaign should have done this. it would be brilliant if they had. they kill the past and lay suspicion on BVP, 2 birds with one stone.
I think Kerry Burt distributed the fliers after he got off his bar stool last weekend. No biggie.
Jaegerbombs and Kinko’s can change the world.
Way to avoid the questions, Peggy. I’ll try again. Do principles matter to you? Would you vote for the candidate that put this garbage out, in such a cowardly, weaselly fashion?
How do you know the content is “garbage,” red?
And I don’t think a candidate DID put it out. It’s either someone acting on his own or it’s a Democrat operative.
Lobo,
The flier itself doesn’t implicate BVP but DVFO and red247 have so I’m putting my money on them. They did it. They’re in the bag for Branstad even though he’s not running for anything.
DVFO and I did it while red held our jackets.
LOL, Con Dem!
Once again, total avoidance, Peggy. Why don’t you just come out and say you condone this sort of political mudslinging and you hope Vander Plods does more of it.
If I thought this flier came from one of the Republican gubernatorial candidates – or the non-candidate, Terry Branstad – I can only say it was a dumb move.
If pointing out someone’s record is “mudslinging” then so be it. And if the charges leveled aren’t accurate then this was a REALLY dumb move – which leads me to believe it came from a Democrat. ( ;
IDP Chair Michael Kiernan is behind the Branstad flier. It’s obvious from the content of this IDP tweet that Mikey is worried about a potential Branstad run: http://iowademocrats.org/2009/08/21/memo/
He’s immature enough to do it and the timing is just too coincidental.
Peggy: I have NEVER accused VP, or anyone connected to his campaign so I expect an apology.
If you’ll go back and check each of my posts, I repeat over and over that we must not jump to conclusions.
I have no idea who did it. That’s why I keep saying we MUST find out who did it.
DVFO, you were the one who first mentioned BVP!
It’s a moot point anyway. Kiernan and the IDP are responsible for the flier.
Can anybody account for the whereabouts of Marshall Clemons at the time these fliers were distributed?
Go SIEU!
Of course you call it a moot point because you know full well I NEVER accused VP. Do you have any solid evidence Kiernan and the IDP are responsible or are you just making it up?
Well, why did you bring up BVP in the first post of this thread? He wasn’t even mentioned in the original article posted by Emily.
From what I’ve read, the fliers started showing up in DM on Saturday and Kiernan sent out a similar memo on Friday. Dave Price at WHO-TV blogged about it at 4 pm on Saturday, mentioning that some fliers were even left on cars in the WHO parking lot (Kiernan’s wife works at WHO). Then, Bleeding Heartland blog posted about both Kiernan’s Friday memo and Dave Price’s Saturday blog post by 10 pm Saturday night.
These events are just too closely timed to be believable.
Can anybody account for the whereabouts of steve deace at the time these fliers were distributed? Or about a hundred other people who have an ax to grind? Point is at this time we don’t know who exactly is behind this and until we do we need to make damn sure before we go too deep into finger-pointing. I still think someone at Team BVP or their sympathisers are the most likely target given BVP has the most to lose from Branstad running.
Con Dem, I thought you and DVFO was supposed to be on the “down low”!!! Just kiddin’, how’ve ya been?
I just took a look at the RAT blog and using Kiernan’s logic, Boswell needs to be long gone.
Boswell makes Branstad look like a kid. Can’t the RATS find anyone else?
Timmy,
Chet Culver and Michael Kiernan have much more to lose than BVP, i.e. their JOBS.
Peggy: Do you have solid evidence it was Kiernan?
Solid evidence? No, but I’m not afraid to point fingers.
Seriously, who reads a television anchor’s blog?
Kiernan’s a dem, but he’s not stupid. He wouldn’t have people put fliers on cars in the WHO parking lot, where his wife works.
It was Vander Plaats people. I’m positive of it. They did it at WHO so they could point the fingers at the Dems.
Vander Plaats gave it away in his statements to WHO. He’s slime.
We need solid evidence. Is anyone seriously looking for who is responsible?
“Vander Plaats gave it away in his statements to WHO. He’s slime.” –red247
Point out exactly how he “gave it away.”
From a RadioIowa.com story:
“Iowa Democratic Party chairman Michael Kiernan is dismissive of the G.O.P. field. “From the Democratic Party’s perspective, we’re one short of the seven dwarfs,” Kiernan says.”
Nope, he really is stupid, red.
For the third time, at least, BVP warned that politics were much different than 1994, and the campaign would only get nastier.
I don’t have the exact quote because it’s no longer on WHO’s website, but that’s basically what he said.
It was clearly a warning to Branstad to not get in the race. As was the flier BVP’s lemming minions distributed.
Here it is:
http://www.whotv.com/news/who-story-nasty-political-flier,0,2467674.story
Okay, that link’s not working so try this one and look at the stories on the right hand side of the page. http://www.whotv.com/news/who-story-boswell-health-insurance-082409,0,1921489.story
Why has that story been taken off the website???
“lemming minions” now, we’re sophisticating.
I doubt this flyer came directly from any rival campaign. Probably some freelancer who sympathizes with one of the other Republican candidates and wants to keep Branstad out of the race.
Aside from having poor grammar, whoever produced this flyer forgot to mention how Branstad used to keep two sets of books in order to run illegal deficits.
dmd,
Don’t you find the timing of the release of Michael Kiernan’s memo about Branstad last Friday and these similar-in-content fliers surfacing on Saturday suspicious?
Are the things on the flier true? Honestly, that is the biggest question. We can’t really be mad at someone for telling the truth can we? Maybe we can argue the methods, but not for telling the truth. Branstad’s record has to stand as is… both good and bad.
No serious candidate for governor is going to put flyers on cars in a parking lot. Maybe local school board or county supervisor, but not someone for governor. That doesn’t mean than some “supporter” wouldn’t do it trying to “help” their guy.
A few anti-BVP people here are just a bit anxious to exaggerate what a “slime” he is. BVP doesn’t really have all that much to lose here. He’s not a lifelong politician. He loses, he goes back to what he’s been doing for the last 20 years. Culver and the Democrats have a lot more to lose than him.
Tyler, you are a real genius, ain’t ya? Half-truths are ok with you? It’s a classic political hit piece. Are you against Gov’t healthcare? Then you hate poor people and children and want them to die! You are anti abortion? Well then you hate women, freedom of choice, and want them to die in a back alley somewhere!
Timmy, all political parties do exactly that Samo-samo. The only thing different is how each partisan (uhnn, that means EVERY ONE of us, the readers and posters here) spins what he/she reads.
Craig Robinson apparently does that for a living (at least it sounds as if that’s his day-job) and I can’t imagine he wouldn’t probably agree. Timmy, the “half-truths” you seem appalled ove are the stock-in-trade of both parties and the people who operate them..
ConDim: Here’s your problem. If you really believe that both political parties participate in the same slimey politics on an equal basis, you are delusional.
They don’t. To Dims, the end justifies the means and lying and deceiving and taking out of context is an admirable thing to do to win an election.
Heck, it’s even justifiable to cheat to win elections if you’re a Dim.
The truth is irrelevant to a Dim. NEVER believe a thing a Dim says.
Some good observations by American 007 regarding the veracity of the Branstad flier over at the Bleeding Heartland blog:
http://www.bleedingheartland.com/diary/2986/branstad-gets-a-shot-across-the-bow-from-the-right
DV, I am willing to allow that you are totally sincere in what you write and I will thus accept you at the face value of your words. That said, I can only conclude that I am more honest with myself than you are with yourself.
Peggy, it’s obvious that both Kiernan and whoever produced this flyer were reacting to the release of the Iowa First Foundation poll numbers, which are likely to increase the chance of Branstad entering the race. There’s nothing “suspicious” about multiple groups of people reacting to the same news.
Con Dem, I’m not necessarily appalled, just wanted to tweak those that think they have the “truth” market cornered. They want a “perfect” candidate and are willing to do whatever to keep the Rep. from winning if their guy doesn’t get the nomination. They claim they want “conservative” principles, but will in essence help the liberal side win if they don’t get it exactly their way. That’s hypocracy in my book and I’m not willing to give them a pass.
Ok Tyler & Peggy, flame away!