Dem disappointed in Jindal

OK. So what is a liberal Democrat doing at the rally for Bobby Jindal in Waukee on June 30? I want to see all of the 15-plus candidates in the flesh and evaluate them myself. Also, I’m retired and I can! Bobby Jindal is a first-generation American from the Punjab area of India. He’s the Catholic Governor of America’s most Catholic state. I had high hopes for him. I was greatly disappointed. His stump speech could have been given by Family Leader founder (and three-time failed candidate for governor) Bob Vander Plaats. He espoused nothing new where I was hoping to hear proposals that were progressive and constructive. He just wanted to tear down the Supreme Court, Hillary Clinton and Obama Care. As with all of these Republican rallies, there were no blacks or Hispanics present. Obama won both elections when he received heavy support from those two racial minorities. These conservative fundamentalists just don’t get it. These candidates are unwilling to reach out to voters outside of their comfort level. Jindal has an impressive resumé. He is the youngest candidate at age 44. But he’s not willing to think outside the box and go beyond impressing the fundamentalist conservatives who, by the way, can’t win an election. They can take a primary, but that’s not enough. At age 44, he could be heir presumptive to John F. Kennedy. He chooses, however, to be heir apparent to losers like Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney.

Gary Thelen
-West Des Moines

Red wine and oysters

Here are some thoughts on items reported in Civic Skinny (July 2, 2015): “Meredith chief executive dining with Martha Stewart.” Must be good for business, as that guy knows what he is doing. “A spy said Stewart looked ‘fabulous’ at dinner, in a ‘sexy pantsuit.’ ” Sounds like it was written by a seventh grade boy in parochial school that had seen more than enough of his female classmates in plaid uniform skirts. They were reportedly “drinking red wine and eating oysters.” Red wine with oysters? Scandalous!

Mike Rowley
-Clive

Branstad defies his own party and education stakeholders

Republicans have viciously attacked President Obama in his use of executive authority. They have accused him of exceeding his executive powers. I’m curious about how they feel now that Gov. Terry Branstad has vetoed several bipartisan legislative initiatives. Branstad’s veto cuts funding drastically to K-12 education and guarantees the firing of teachers, larger classes and reductions to programs. Don’t those cuts qualify as Republican’s definition of executive overreach? Branstad is defying his own party, which spent months hammering out a difficult compromise on education funding with the Democrats. The governor’s vetos are an arrogant betrayal to all the stakeholders (Republicans, Democrats, educators and teachers) who negotiated long and hard to find a workable solution. The fallout from these reckless vetoes will mean huge cuts to education districts.

Rick Smith
-Urbandale