Dems continue to focus attacks on Branstad

CEDAR RAPIDS — For the past few months, as Terry Branstad has danced around the edges of an official gubernatorial announcement, the Iowa Democratic Party has performed its own retro dance moves in an effort to point out how much has changed since Branstad last led the Hawkeye State. Now that Branstad has officially joined the 2010 race, however, the time for fun and games appears to be coming to an end.

Iowa Democratic Party Michael Kiernan met with supporters in Cedar Rapids and other Iowa cities Tuesday to discuss Terry Branstad's official entry into the 2010 gubernatorial race.

Branstad, who previously served four terms as governor, officially kicked off his fifth campaign Tuesday in Des Moines, billing the event as “a historic comeback” and speaking in front of an old airplane at the State Historical Building to complete the revisiting-the-past theme. Following that first official rally, where Branstad pledged the creation of 200,000 new jobs and increased income for Iowans, the campaign began a multi-city “Comeback Tour” of the state.

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Michael Kiernan launched a tour of his own to coincide with Branstad’s, hoping to counter the former governor’s message with a dose of skepticism.

“This has been a long-awaited announcement — and one that I believe was politically motivated and strategic so that [Branstad] wouldn’t have to talk about his record,” Kiernan said. “I think he now enters the toughest race of his life — candidate Branstad versus Gov. Branstad. He says he wants to run on his record, on his experience and leadership, yet he does everything he can to run away from his record.”

For months since it was first rumored that Branstad might be considering re-entering Iowa politics the IDP has been on his heels, pointing out that while candidate Branstad has criticized current Democratic Gov. Chet Culver for spending, former Gov. Branstad raised sales tax by 67 percent, increased the gasoline tax by five cents per gallon and attempted to tax Social Security benefits.

“When confronted with the differences between his record and what he is now promising, Bradstad says that he made mistakes and has learned from those mistakes,” Kiernan said. “Frankly, Iowans can’t afford any more learning experiences.”

The IDP’s attacks against Branstad, many of which stem from his rivals in the GOP primary, are evidence to some that the former governor is the only Republican challenger Democrats believe could be a serious threat to Culver.

Just this week, when Branstad’s Republican opponent Bob Vander Plaats disclosed that he had raised more than $500,000 in contributions and donated goods and services, the Iowa Democratic Party issued a press release noting that Branstad’s record was pushing Iowa’s social conservative base away from his campaign. While the press release could not be construed as any sort of endorsement of Vander Plaats, it still managed to raise a few eyebrows.

Jeff Angelo, a former Republican state senator from Creston, said the IDP had to be shocked at Branstad’s 24-percentage-point advantage over Culver in a recent poll, a factor that contributes to their focus on only one of the four men seeking the GOP nomination.

“The only way to erase that type of lead is to attack early and often,” Angelo told The Iowa Independent. “One clever way of doing it is to simply use a primary opponent’s message against the target. That way, a spokesman for the opposing party doesn’t look so ‘mean.’ The spokesperson is simply echoing what’s being said within the primary. If Branstad becomes the nominee, the Democratic Party can use these initial attacks to further create doubt in the voters’ minds as the general election campaign continues.”

As evidence of what Angelo was explaining, Kiernan, who met with Linn County Democrats on Tuesday afternoon, pointed to the changing landscape of the Republican Party of Iowa, saying the Terry Branstad of the 1980s and 1990s may no longer garner public support. Although his selection of Joy Corning for lieutenant governor was widely accepted during his previous tenure, even the tenuous connection that remains between the two irks social conservatives in the state who do not find Corning pure enough on issues such as same-sex marriage.

Branstad has been publicly attacked by members of his own party for campaigning on behalf of Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat in the U.S. Senate who ultimately supported a national health reform package. The influential conservative group Iowa Family Policy Center not only gave its endorsement to one of Branstad’s opponents but pledged that it would not support Branstad should he become the party’s nominee.

But as recent polls have shown, Branstad is not alone when it comes to problems with his base. Culver has his own demons to battle when it comes to full-throated support from grassroots Democrats. His 2008 veto of a collective bargaining bill supported by organized labor has led to rifts in long-held friendships and further stress between the governor’s office and the Democratically-controlled Iowa House and Senate. While Culver might have been forgiven for not calling a special session to deal with the massive 2008 floods, few in the gay-rights community have forgotten that he once promised such a special session to “deal with” an Iowa Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. Still others are dismayed by his reaction to bus advertisements purchased by the Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers.

Branstad, Vander Plaats, and Iowa Reps. Chris Rants and Rod Roberts will face each other on June 8 in a Republican gubernatorial primary.