A poll, a party, a fight, lots of names – but no toasters
Quashing a rumor: It is not true that now that West Bank owns the Glen Oaks golf course the eighth hole is becoming a drive-through. …
“The real question for Terry Branstad is will he make it out of the Republican primary?” That was Democratic state chairman Michael Kiernan on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” over the weekend. And he’s right. The news in the latest Rasmussen Poll is not that if the election were held now Branstad would drub Gov. Chet Culver by 20 points — 54 percent to 34 percent — but rather that Bob Vanderplaats would beat the governor by four points, 43 percent to 39 percent. That’s stunning. Branstad is a conservative — he passes all the right’s litmus tests on guns and gays and abortion and marriage, but he just doesn’t talk about it. But Vanderplaats has made those issues the centerpiece of his campaign.
It’s easy to picture a good chunk of Democrats and Independents preferring Branstad to Culver, but not many Democrats are going to choose Vanderplaats over Culver. So If a majority of Iowans — Democrats, Independents and Republicans — think Vanderplaats could beat Culver, that means Vanderplaats has enormous support within the Republican Party. And that means a primary victory is no sure thing for the former governor, who is expected to announce in a couple of weeks that he’s running.
All this assumes the Rasmussen Poll was a true sampling of Iowa voters. The poll queried 500 Iowans and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. That means Vanderplaats might be leading Culver by as much as 47.5 percent to 34.5 percent — or be trailing by 43.5 percent to 38.5 percent. At any rate, the poll is awful news for Culver — and not great news for Branstad, despite his 20-point lead over the governor.
But the good news for Culver is that the three Republicans — Branstad, Vanderplaats and former House Speaker Christopher Rants — will have the long knives out for each other in the primary while the Governor keeps cutting ribbons and talking about how the flood waters have receded. Branstad will scare out the rest of the candidates, but Vanderplaats will have the money as well as the support of the True Believers. And Rants will soldier on, though without the money he had hoped for. But Rants knows the issues better than anyone, and his tongue is as sharp as his mind. It will be fun to watch, especially if you’re a Democrat. …
Quashing a rumor: It is not true that West Bank is removing the ball-washers and installing ATM machines on each tee at Glen Oaks. …
The opening of the incredible Pappajohn sculpture park downtown should assure the lifetime job security of city manager Rick Clark.
Clark, along with council member Christine Hensley, has been the driving government force for the park, which has transformed Des Moines overnight. He worked every lever, pulled every string, and turned every handle to keep the project moving. His knowledge of the bureaucracy was invaluable, say the private movers and shakers who moved and shook to do their parts. Folks who went to the black-tie opening Saturday night said the sustained applause for John and Mary Pappajohn was the longest civic ovation they’ve ever heard. But more than a few noticed that the crowd — which included virtually every business, education and political leader from around the state — was missing two faces: Culver and Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie. ...
Life among the swells: Miles Mills is a man of a certain age who owns a nice house on a nice street, St. Johns Road, in Des Moines. His neighbors for 25 years were Donna and Kayne Robinson. Title to a chunk of the land wasn’t exactly clear, but in 1980 Mills hauled in 11 tons of dirt to level it and began using it. The Robinsons didn’t complain — which was a good thing for Mills, as Robinson was an assistant police chief who went on to head the National Rifle Association. In 2005, the Robinsons sold their house to Kirby and Sherry Small. A disagreement over the land ensued, and one thing led to another and, eventually, to court. The Smalls were temporarily barred from going on the disputed land, and, according to court records, Mills said Kirby Small then “shouted profanities” at him and threatened “bodily harm.”
Small also “willfully cut and damaged trees on Mills’s property,” a court found. At any rate, it all ended up in the Iowa Court of Appeals, which this month rendered a split decision — split more in favor of Mills than Small and Robinson, who also was a party to the lawsuit. The moral: Sometimes, the guy with with the mulch beats the guy with the axe and the guy with the gun. ...
Quashing a final rumor: It is not true that if you join Glen Oaks now you will get a free toaster. CV
