America Can’t Wait for this Congress to Act

Barack Obama performed a well-choreographed bit of political theater yesterday. Days before he and rival Mitt Romney are scheduled to appear before Hispanic officials in Florida, President Obama took executive action removing the fear of deportation for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

The policy makes sense – many of the immigrants impacted by the action are hard-working people who are contributing and will continue to contribute to the strength of our country.

Politically, the Obama move was brilliant.

Mitt Romney whose stance on immigration has been evolving since January when he said immigrants should “return home, apply and get in line with everyone else,” now finds it difficult in the general election to oppose the merits of a plan such as the one Obama initiated. Romney and friends know winning support from Hispanic voters will dim significantly if Republicans are seen as advocates for the forcible removal of children, college students and young adults who are law-abiding members of the American community.

But, of course, the often-silly game of modern American politics makes it impossible for opponents to applaud the other, even if they agree.

Fear not, team Romney found something to indignantly huff about. They say the President’s action, which is not an executive order but a memo from the Department of Homeland Security to its agencies, is an overreach of executive authority – actions like these should be left to Congress.

Yes, they are suggesting we wait for Congress to act – a Congress so overwhelmingly dominated by out-of-touch partisans from both parties, little of what happens in the marble edifice on the hill these days rises above puerile political sniping.

When asked in 2010 to define the Republicans’ main job in Congress, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”

Outrageous and destructive statements are made by Democrats, too. A disquieting chorus of “to Hell with making America better or doing something productive – we only care about winning elections” echoes through the Capitol these days.

Sorry, Mr. Romney, we can’t wait for Congress to lead. This group of self-interested political hacks is inept and disinterested in working for our country.

Today’s political campaign trail is chock full of candidates vying to score political points with tough sounding sound bites and jabs meant to weaken the opposition. Americans long for candidates who stand for something greater than election. We want leaders committed to building a better America. Sometimes, this will mean agreeing with the guy from the other party. If Congress needs to act, pressure them to do so. If the President’s actions are correct, praise him and explain how you intend to build upon his progress should you come to office. “Yeah, but…” needs to become, “Yes, I agree and I promise to do even better.”

We Americans need to think long and hard about whom we elect to Congress. The current Congress is a failure. Their inability to address the immigration issue is just the tip of the iceberg. There was a positive step taken on immigration yesterday. Let’s work together to take a few more.

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Graham Gillette can be reached at grahamgillette@gmail.com 
This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register online essay.

My American Pledge

Today, Congressional Republicans released a Pledge to America, a series of guiding principles intended to show how Republicans will lead if they take control of the House.  Among other promises in the twenty one page document, those signing “pledge to honor families, traditional marriage, life, and the private and faith-based organizations that form the core of our American values.”  I will ignore the political code words in that and applaud them for at least saying something about what they will do.  It is a switch from a campaign based on complaining about what others have done and scaring people about what these others might do.

The 1994 Contract with America, devised by former Speaker Newt Gingrich, was simple and, as such, served as an outstanding election tool.  Like much in politics today, this new document is convoluted.  The Contract was clear-cut and linked to specific legislation.  Incidentally, Congress passed 60% of those bills in the first few months of taking power.  Perhaps the Pledge will offer a similar roadmap.  Time will tell.

In the meantime, I drew up my own pledge to guide me in this and all future elections.

I, pledge to:

1. Pay less attention to the Party label/single issue/tagline a candidate chooses and more attention to her values, experience and ability to do the job she seeks.
2. Stop allowing those who seek power/money/influence/self aggrandizement to cloud my thinking.  It may be fun to listen to the media talking heads make a game out of politics, but their talk can be destructive.  I am interested in making the world a better place.  To do so, I will seek information to help me decide what is best for my country, my state, my community and my family and I will discard meaningless rhetoric.
3. Listen to others (real people, not the talking heads mentioned above).  I accept I do not know everything.  By learning from others, even those with whom I disagree, I will become a better, more informed voter and citizen.
4. Participate.  It is my duty to become informed on issues affecting me, my family, my neighbors and my countrymen.  I may not know what it is to be gay/minority/rich/poor/disabled/fill-in-the-blank, but it is my patriotic responsibility to help those in need, those discriminated against and all of my fellow Americans.  We all have a right to pursue the promise of freedom, the American dream.  I must act and not wait for others to do so.
5. Remember elections are not sporting events.  I do not seek wins for the red or blue column, having more R’s than D’s in a diagram, or a conquest of one party over another.  An election does not end in triumph; it only decides who will next enter the arena.  A victory is achieved when our country takes another step toward assuring freedom, equality and justice for all.  This happens with collective action, not vote counting.
6. Vote for candidates who will honestly evaluate each bill, situation and issue before them and who will base decisions on what is right for the people they wish to serve, not on what is best for the candidate or his Party.
7. Vote for candidates who understand our Constitution – the whole document – and who will not play favorites with the sections expedient to advancing the cause du jour.[i]
8. To be strengthened, not limited, by history.  Like my own, America’s past is filled with successes and mistakes.  I will not rest on the achievements of yesterday or dwell on its errors.  I will build on what has been learned.
9. To be fair.  Freedom dies without justice.  I will fight for fairness and justice and will support only those candidates for office who will do the same.
10. To take advantage of all America provides.  The best way to spread freedom at home and abroad is to treat others as we wish to be treated.  If my fellow Americans and I thrive and we remain true to protecting freedom here and, when we can, elsewhere; more will join us and freedom will blossom in every corner of our country and in the most distant, hostile parts of the world.

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[i] The first “pledge” in the Republican Pledge to America is to pay more attention to the 10^th Amendment than to the rest of Constitution.  Sorry, guys, the whole thing is important.  You don’t get to pick your favorite part as an excuse to overlook the rest. They also say they will honor the “original intent” of the Framers.  Unless you were actually one of the original framers, there is no way for you to know for sure what they intended.  It is better to stick to the document and make a case for what you believe than to pretend like you know what you want to do was intended by the Founders and what the opposition says was not.  The text from the Pledge reads: “We pledge to honor the Constitution as constructed by its framers and honor the original intent of those precepts that have been consistently ignored – particularly the Tenth Amendment, which grants that all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”


(Contact Graham Gillette at grahamgillette@gmail.com)

This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register blog entry.

Vander Plaats may not be done, Conlin may be on a trip to nowhere

I love Election Day, but it is well known that I am a nerd. I was the 9th person to vote at my precinct. Like any election, today’s primary brings to close a season of posturing. There will be winners and there will be losers. Some candidates will try to claim they have a mandate and others will retreat to consider their next move.

This brings us to Bob Vander Plaats, the Republican Primary for Governor and my first prediction. If Vander Plaats gets close to 40% of the vote in today’s race, he will seriously consider an independent run for the office.

In many ways, the Vander Plaats folks would prefer a Culver victory over one for Branstad. They do not like Culver, but Branstad’s victory in November would limit options for them in years to come. The heart of the battle in Iowa is not about winning an office, but for who controls of the Republican/conservative/Tea Party cause. Vander Plaats is not ready to go into that good night and Branstad puts a significant dent into the aspirations of many who support Vander Plaats.

The most interesting field on this year’s ballot is the Republican primary to select a challenger for Leonard Boswell. My prediction number two is that Brad Zaun will do better than many expect. It may not be enough for him to snatch victory tonight without going to convention, but Zaun will be in a strong position. I cannot say if he will be able to garner the votes he needs to win at convention, but I give Zaun the edge in a convention match-up. He is a bulldog when it comes grassroots, one-on-one campaigning. Dave Funk has impressed many in this campaign and he has won the right to play a significant role in Party activities going forward, but this will not be his race. Jim Gibbons may be the victor in the end. He has raised a ton of money and played the game pretty well. He lacks the fire many conservatives would like to see in 2010, but do not count him out yet.

The Democratic race to challenge Chuck Grassley is unremarkable. Roxanne Conlin will prevail today, but she is going to lose to Grassley in November unless she significantly ups her game. She is capable of doing so, but her campaign is going to have to significantly improve from the snoozefest that was her primary effort.

That’s it for now. Go vote today and let the general election fun begin!

This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register blog entry.

Three in Third District Improve Republican Hopes in Iowa

Sometimes it feels good to be proven wrong.

I have said many times that both political parties in Iowa lack solid candidates. My favorite sports analogy was to say neither has a deep bench. However, it looks like the Republicans had a few star players hiding in the locker room I did not know about. I watched the Republican debate for the Third Congressional District this morning. The GOP has three well spoken, thoughtful and prepared candidates vying to face Rep. Leonard Boswell in November. Dave Funk, Brad Zaun and Jim Gibbons are all capable of putting together a strong general election effort. Too bad Republican Party officials didn’t talk them into running for different jobs instead of facing each other.

I have known Brad Zaun for many years and have always liked his style. He is confident and comes off as sincere. He is a proven hard worker who understands how to win elections. Zaun did well in today’s debate and scored a few points that play to Republican voters. He also showed his every guy style that will win over some independents and others, should he have the chance.

Jim Gibbons has the support of many powerful people and appears up to the job. He has impressed many with his fundraising prowess. He did not stumble today, but he did not win any new voters either (if there is any chance they were actually watching). He seems comfortable playing the moderate in this field of seven candidates, but he failed to give a compelling argument for why somebody should vote for him. He walks away from this debate unscathed and has the persona and ability to be a contender now or in a future contest, but he is going to need to up his game a bit.

The real surprise for me was Dave Funk. He was the clear winner of the debate. Funk knows how to take command in such a format and is very good at making his case. His no-nonsense and well articulated style allowed him to position himself as well read and prepared. He would provide an interesting contrast to Boswell who generally seems unfocused in a debate.

Gibbons, Funk and Zaun are three good examples that the Republican bench is improving. The smart leaders in the Party need to make sure that regardless of who wins the District 3 primary in a few weeks, this is not the last Iowans hear from this trio.

This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register blog entry.