Visualize this

By James Q. Lynch – No one could blame Iowa conventioneers if they had trouble following U.S. Rep. Steve King as he described vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin Thursday morning.
First, he talked about how she had “nailed a 10″ and added, “She’s our Shawn Johnson,” referring to the gold medal Olympian from West Des Moines.
Later, [...]

The party of Lincoln, Reagan and Wellstone

By James Q. Lynch – First District Republican candidate David Hartsuch raised a few eyebrows Thursday morning when he told Iowa’s GOP convention delegation that his role model is Paul Wellstone.
Yes, the liberal, college professor who claimed to represent “the Democratic wing of the Democratic party.” Wellstone defeated an incumbent Republican to serve one term [...]

Wednesday at the convention

By Sarah Henderson – Late Tuesday night several delegates and I had the opportunity to attend the AgNite reception, despite the chilly temperatures, it was a great event and we enjoyed the live entertainment of Styx. We were up pretty late, but it was worth no sleep to get up early for the Iowa [...]

Worth getting up for

By Bill Northey – Good thing last night was an early night as this morning was an early morning.
We went to the agriculture breakfast in the Minneapolis Convention Center. It started at 8am. We left at 7am, navigated the I-35W detours and still made it well before it started.
The crowd was sparse, but supportive of [...]

None of the usual

By Bill Northey – The first official day of the National Republican Convention contained only official business and none of the usual speech making and hoopla. They have done a great job of packing folks in on the floor. The chairs are tight together and while that makes for some unplanned coziness, it also allows [...]

Spirits not dampened despite revised convention

By Tim Demuth – The first day of the convention was, as expected due the the weather in the south, shortened. Delegates who traveled from around the country, planned this trip for months, and, for some, may be the only convention they ever attend were disappointed, but understanding. Despite the events (or lack there of), [...]

Don’t eat that

By James Q. Lynch – While Iowa Republicans started their day with eggs, bacon, bagels and french toast, former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson lectured them that in order to fix the health care system they have to take personal responsibility for their health. That means no smoking and ignoring their mothers’ advice [...]