Governor Chet Culver had an excellent opportunity to score a few points in the fourth quarter of his lopsided election match-up with former Governor Terry Branstad. Culver needs it – Branstad is trouncing him in the polls. As is Culver’s custom, he squandered what should have been an excellent play.
Today was the day Culver and State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald picked to announce the outcome of the budget for the 2010 fiscal year. They had good news. According to the Governor and the Treasurer, the State of Iowa ended a very difficult year with a $335 million surplus. I am not going to wade into the validity of this number. Others will debate this for weeks. Let’s examine how the Culver folks decided to make the announcement.
Most polls, political experts and fifth graders studying social studies will tell you one of Culver’s great deficiencies lies in how voters’ view him as a leader. This was a moment for Culver to show he was in charge, well versed in the complexities of government budgeting and prove to Iowans their Governor had a firm grasp on the reins of government. He could anticipate that Branstad would argue about his numbers, but Culver has the advantage of incumbency which gives him the ability to stand with Iowa’s veteran Treasurer, put political squabbling aside and say Iowa is not as bad off as his opponent says it is.
Culver needed to be in charge, more chief executive than politician. He needed to be seen as the Governor. Seriousness, honesty and statesmanship should have exuded from his official podium. He chose instead to take this announcement out of the Governor’s office to the steps of the Capitol, stand behind a placard with a fuzzy black and white photo of Branstad emblazoned with the words “Tell the Truth, Terry” and whine about Branstad. He traded his gubernatorial moment for one that resembled a mudslinging festival – it kind of sounded like a Tea Party rally for Democrats.
Even the elementary social studies students might have been able to advise the Governor the last thing you want to do is take your positive moment and turn it into one focused on your opponent. They probably would have also let the Governor know that, from a distance, the comma on his sign was hard to see, turning a request for Branstad to tell the truth into something Branstad might like people to call him, Tell the truth Terry.
Interestingly, the Branstad camp seemed to be taken a bit by surprise by Culver and Fitzgerald’s budget numbers. The Branstad campaign spit out a media release and sputtered to reporters’ calls with a peculiar “Tell Iowa property owners that the budget is balanced, when today they are on the hook for the largest increase in school property taxes in 30 years” and “tell the laid-off teachers that his budget is balanced.” Is Branstad saying it doesn’t matter the budget is balanced because property taxes increased? Instead of sticking with their manta that the state is in debt and it needs to cut spending, they went with it doesn’t matter the budget is balanced and the state should have spent more on teacher salaries. Odd.
Culver could have told Iowans the state has money in the bank and things may be looking up after all, but he opted to play political games instead. I would count today as an opportunity lost for both campaigns, which means Branstad will go to bed tonight feeling fairly safe his 19 point lead remains unchanged.
(Contact Graham Gillette at grahamgillette@gmail.com)
This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register blog entry.
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