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From his refusal to criticize Planned Parenthood when it endorsed his opponent to his running mate voicing support for civil unions, Terry Branstad has repeatedly alienated the Republican Party’s base, Christian radio host Steve Deace said Wednesday on his drive-time show on WHO-AM.
The discussion began with Deace pointing to comments Branstad made at a campaign stop in Atlantic Monday, where he indicated that when the economic recession is over, he’d be open to considering a gas tax increase in order to pay for transportation projects.
Deace said one month after the primary, Branstad has done nothing to soothe concerns of those who voted for his rival for the nomination, Bob Vander Plaats. Deace was one of those Vander Plaats supporters.
“We’re a month after the primary, and here is what we’ve seen so far. We’re not going to take a shot a Planned Parenthood, which basically underwrites my political opponent’s party, even though they make it easy for me and give me an excuse to do it. So we’re not going to reach out to our base at all,” Deace said. “Then we’re going to alienate our base because my [lieutenant governor nominee], who I put on there to reach out to them, she’s going to give them the reach around with civil unions instead. And then, we’re gonna raise gas taxes. How ya like me now? ”
If this is the direction of the campaign only one month in, Deace said he doesn’t want to know what could come next.
“We’re not gonna take on Planned Parenthood, we’re gonna give handouts to the homos and we’re gonna raise taxes. Where to we go from here?” Deace said.
Wes Enos, another former Vander Plaats supporter who sits on the Republican Party of Iowa’s Central Committee, was Deace’s guest during the discussion of Branstad’s position on the gas tax. He said the problem could be that with polls showing Branstad with a 20-percentage-point lead over Democratic incumbent Chet Culver, his campaign appears to be taking its base for granted.
“Twenty points in July, doesn’t mean that much,” Enos said, later adding: “Once we get into September and October, and Culver starts unleashing the money that he’s got, that he will be able to raise and that he will be able to throw into this race, it’s going to get tight. That’s when all this stuff that we’re talking about is going to hit home.”
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