Click here to see the original article

By Robin Delaney/MVM News Network

DENMARK - It was a buffet for registered Lee County Republicans - all the GOP candidates on the ballot for Lee County voters in one room, at one time, hoping to rally campaign manpower and boost their campaign coffers.

The Lee County Republican Party held a pork loin dinner Saturday night at the Denmark Celebration and Convention Center and listened to virtually every candidate on the party's ballot for the November election.

One exception was GOP presidential hopeful John McCain who was not in attendance, but was represented in remarks by other candidates and a speech by longtime veteran and Iowa City businessman Peter Vanderhoef.

"One need only look at McCain's Lexington project to see that he merged solutions to the nation's top problems - energy, defense, the environment and economy," Vanderhoef said. "The U.S is to coal what the Middle East is to oil. If we can devise a clean way to use it, or if we get the nuclear plants cranked up, we'll have it made."

And the party's need to embrace McCain surfaced in some way in a majority of the candidates' speeches.

"Some say they're not that fired up about McCain," said Iowa GOP chairman and former state legislator Stewart Iverson. "And I say, 'Okay, are you fired up about the opposition - Sen. Obama?' There are vast differences between two, like night and day."

Lifting the ban on drilling for oil in the U.S. came up almost as much as McCain's name.

"We have enough oil in this country to last 100 or more years, but people like Sen.Obama don't want us to drill for it," Iverson added.

Getting Republican voters to the polls on Election Day, or getting them to vote by absentee ballot, is one of the party's objectives this year. And nobody knows more about the impact absentee voters can have on an election than Doug Abolt who is making a second attempt to oust state Sen. Gene Fraise, D-Fort Madison. Abolt was the victor in the last election - until the absentee ballots were counted.

"We know we have to promote absentee voters and start pushing the vote and message in September rather than November," Abolt said.

Abolt said there are night and day differences between he and the longtime Democratic senator, starting with what he calls anti-business laws and regulations.

"The smoking ban was a huge mistake. It's a business issue and an infringement on business owners' rights," Abolt said. "Or the pickup truck tax they passed, which comes down to contractors paying the expense and passing it on to customers. They never bothered to talk to the businesses affected by it."

The statewide smoking ban, which prohibits smoking in restaurants, private clubs, taverns and most public places, went into effect July 1. The band excluded state-licensed casinos, which has spurred a lawsuit filed by a coalition of Iowa tavern and restaurant owners who claim the law is discriminatory.

"The issue of the casinos will likely come up and then open the door to discuss the issue again," state Rep. Dave Heaton, R-Mount Pleasant, said Saturday night. "It's an issue of private property rights. I really believe if you own property, you should be able to decide what legal activities go on there. To allow or not allow smoking is a choice."

But the state budget will be a critical issue in the near future, Heaton said, particularly in light of the recent flooding and the need for disaster aid.

"We have so much built-in spending, but yet I don't see a lot additional revenue sources," Heaton said. "The majority party has used up all the one-time spending, except the rainy day fund (which is about 10 percent the state's revenue) and I'd have to see a lot more rain before I'd go along with touching that."

State Auditor David Vaudt confirmed Heaton's predictions and cautioned local Republicans to oust Democrats in the House and Senate.

"I warn you, if this doesn't happen, grab your wallets because they will be going after them," Vaudt said. 'We just went through one of the worst natural disasters in the state's history. What we don't need now is another flood - a flood of red ink."

Gary Ramaker of Keokuk, Republican candidate for the district's House seat occupied for several terms by Phil Wise of Keokuk, said his platform was simply, but much like that of his GOP colleagues - no new taxes and no more "feel good," unenforceable and unnecessary laws.

"The smoking ban, the cigarette tax, both of those are feel good laws," Ramaker said. "We all know smoking is bad for you, but I mean, I know of veterans, with Purple Hearts, Bronze Medals, and all those guys in Legislature are now telling these 80-year-old guys at the American Legion that can't smoke."

Other examples are "feel good" laws or programs are initiatives that require police to issue citations during a specific time period for seat belt violations to qualify for a $25,000 grant or doing the same for those failing to have their children in safety restraint seats.

"When was the last time you read or saw somebody charged with that. Talk to any police officer, they don't enforce it," Ramaker said. "If they stop somebody that doesn't have their child in a seat, what are they suppose to do, make them walk home or let them drive off when they are breaking the law? It's not being enforced. Pretty soon they'll pass a law that if your toilet is more than 22 inches high, a child has to wear a helmet to use it. I think cops have better things to do."

The state's smoking ban disappeared in a puff smoke when discussing issues with congressional candidates Chris Reed and Mariannette Miller-Meeks. On the national level, it came down to the war, the economy, health care, the energy/fuel crisis and the taxes.

Reed is taking on longtime incumbent U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, despite the fact that his campaign, much like Miller-Meeks,' has raised only a fraction of the same campaign funds.

"We're going to defeat him with our message," Reed said. "And that is that Washington is broken, and you can't fix it by sending the same man back for a fifth term."

The Marion businessman says Harkin's service is dominated by special interest groups and is a prime example of "politics as usual."

"And unlike my opponent, I actually live in Iowa. I left to serve in the Navy and came back because it's a great place for families and to raise kids. And just like (Sen. Charles) Grassley, I'll continue to come back on weekends to listen to people. My wife will stay here and run the business and I will go back and forth. We've not moving to Washington."

Miller-Meeks also is seeking to push a incumbent out of office, even though U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack is just completing his first term. Ironically, Loebsack was the underdog the last time around and managed to upset longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Leach. This time, Miller-Meeks wants that bit of history to repeat itself, but with her as the victor, despite the fact that Loebsack has raised about $750,000 for his campaign, while Miller-Meeks has about $133,000.

"He may have more money, but I have more shoes and I'm out there hitting the streets, listening to voters, like I will be when in office," Miller-Meeks said.

And it was feeling like she wasn't being listened to that prompted Miller-Meeks to run against Loebsack. "I visited Congress as an advocate of health care several time, wanting accessible health care that is affordable, but not universal health care. He wasn't listening."