Four out of Four County Leaders Choose Danny Carroll
Nathan Greene
51 Comments
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Last night, Deace had several guests who represent GOP county leadership from Polk’s surrounding counties. They had a roundtable discussion about several issues facing the Republican Party and what direction the party should go.
The part of the conversation I found most interesting was when Deace asked each of the four panel members if they had any ideas for who should be the next state party chair. While one or two of them listed more than one name, all of them mentioned Danny Carroll as being a good choice.
As you may know, Danny Carroll is a former state legislator from Grinnell who was targeted by out-of-state gay activist Tim Gill, likely because of Danny’s role in supporting and pushing the marriage amendment through the Iowa House a few years back. Thanks to Gill’s money, Danny was defeated by Eric Palmer, an Oskaloosa attorney who seems totally fine with having his legislative seat bought and paid for by gay activists. But he’s got cute kids to do his commercials for him, so I guess that makes him A-OK.
I’ve seen Danny Carroll’s name mentioned as a possible candidate for state chair on other blogs, and there’s always a few commenters who say that Danny lost twice, and that should disqualify him.
I seem to remember some Republicans who were pretty excited that the new DNC chair was a loser by the name of Howard Dean. Turns out, Dean was probably one of the best DNC chairs in history.
I don’t think losing two very tough races should eliminate Danny from the running for state chair. Danny has good relationships with a lot of legislators. He’s been in the trenches and knows all the tricks the Dems have up their sleeves.
Most of all, he’s going to be personally motivated to work hard and take it to the Dems given the way he was targeted by them.
But on top of all of that, Danny has a reputation as an even-tempered, thoughtful, well-spoken and respected individual. He is both fiscally and socially conservative and could work to bring these warring factions back together. I think he would be a great choice for state chair.
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Response: Join IDA and save RIP (Oops! RPI)What has surprised me the most about getting involved in politics is it's either all or nothing. One second its calm and the next thing you know, the damn breaks. I think you could apply this to the race for...
Reader Comments (51)
I agree, It should not disqualify him, but considering a vastly more qualified and proven leader at all levels of government in Iowa is running in Paul Pate, why not support him instead? Or did you not know he was running?
The Cedar Rapids Gazette just endorsed gay marriage on Sunday. This is kind of climate we are dealing with in Cedar Rapids. Paul Pate stepped up and challenged a moderate republican mayor of Cedar Rapids who passed a gay rights provision into the city's civl rights charter. He defeated her soundly.
We need a leader who is capable of taking on and WINNING against the pro-gay agenda movement.
For those keeping score:
State Senator (Linn County)
Iowa Secretary of State (Statewide)
Mayor of Cedar Rapids (2nd largest city in Iowa)
President of the Iowa League of Cities (940 municpalities)
Chairman of the Linn County central committee
Chairman of the Linn Eagles
Never, REPEAT, never lost to a democrat.
You cannot have a serious conversation about winning if you have no frame of reference. He's been there. He's done that.
Why should we go with Danny Carroll..when it TWO straight elections, he's failed to grasp one of the major reasons why we're losing elections... absentee and early voting.
The Democrats have set up well run early and absentee voting programs on college campuses and in the larger counties.
You would think that Carroll would have recognized that and placed even MORE emphasis on this during his campaign this year...once again, he failed to do so.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing that doesn't work over and over again.
The Democrats would hammer us for putting someone who lost not once..but TWO elections in a row. They'd hit us over the head that "Republicans Just Don't Get It"....and we'd waste a lot of time and effort defending ourselves, time that would be better spent fighting the Democrats.
Good point. Danny has been in the House through all kinds of chicanery from Democrats regarding election law. Republicans have repeatedly tried to bring confidence to our voting process but Democrats have consistently beat it back.
Republicans have fought for the need to provide photo IDs to vote but the Democrats need to make it easier to vote multiple times so we can't do that.
Now they have advanced the need for voter fraud even more with same-day registration and the ever increasing encouragement to vote absentee. All this makes it easier to vote multiple times.
The Democrat's goal is to get an election close enough to ask for recounts. Then they'll recount until they have enough vote to declare themselves the winner.
Notice that it is rare for a Republican to ever win a close election.
Until we get prosecutions this fraud will continue and escalate.
They have their crooked groups like ACORN registering illegals and fictional people to vote. Why not? They certainly aren't guided by a sense of guilt and nothing is ever done to stop them.
Good point Darren. I offer the suggestion that its difficlut to imagine someone better suited to tackle the rampart voter fraud and abuse we have seen lately than the former state commissioner of elections. Being a secretary of state gives alot of street cred to anybody who wants to deliver the republican party message to the media and public that we are not going to take it anymore.
Ok I just missed Eastern Iowa Conservative's post when I was reading this thread earlier. I second what he said.
Do we know if he voted for or against Mary Lundby's bill to study the lives of gays in Iowa? Or was that after he left the senate?
It would have to have been after he already became secretary of state because Lundby filled Pate's vacant seat in the senate. Given that Lundby supported Lee clancy over Pate for Mayor, I'm guessing he would have voted against that pro-gay funding as well.
Carroll is a great guy but has proven that he has no ability to raise money. Why not have a run at co-chair everyone does not have to run for chair. He would be perfectly suited for that position.
How tall is Pate 4"3"?
It would be nice to have a man of small stature as chair.
Geesh... looks like Pate emailed this link to his mailing list over lunch...
Try to be little less obvious guys.
I only know Paul Pate by name and that he worked for Rudy Giuliani in the caucuses. However, I am intrigued that he has a lot of support from folks I'm talking to and seeing online.
I already know other major contenders like Danny, Marlys, and Ted well, but I don't know much about Paul. Could someone who does fill me in or email me at stevedeace@whoradio.com?
Thanks in advance!
I did not support Rudy, but I a few of my conservative friends did. Guys like Pate, Nussle etc. made a strong argument for Rudy as the guy who turned around NYC via conservative policies on welfare, taxes and crime. Both of them are solidly pro-life, but I think they were scared to death as alot of us were about a president Hillary Clinton when they agreed to help him. Pate was a Vander Plaats supporter over Nussle too. And Pate was the only guy endorsed by Steve King when he ran for governer against Lightfoot, Oman and Joy Corning in the '98 primary.
I was pretty critical of Carroll.
Im sure he blames his defeat on "gay activists", and I am sure they funded MANY losing and winning democrats. I know they targeted everybody.
I think he is a good guy, but if he doesnt like facing gay activists... He has no place in Iowa over the coming years, because they are coming, and they arent going to let up.
Pate? Are you kidding? He didn't even get elected to go to the National Convention as a delegate. If he did win you do realize that would mean that he would bring Henderson back to DM with him? YIKES! Go Danny Go!!!!!!
Why are you even talking about what goes on on Deace's show?
It gives him a sense of credibility.
Leon Mosely didn't get elected as a delegate nor did Gopal Krishna and they are the treasurer and co-chair of our party respectively. And then there is Sen. Grassley too.
Exactly Anon..so arguing that Pate would be a bad choice for chair "because he didn't get elected National Delegate" is a pretty poor argument to make.
Pate's got a solid record of leadership and a WINNING track record when it comes to elections. He's served as a county GOP leader, Pate won multiple elections to the State Senate representing Linn County..
Then he won STATEWIDE election as our Secretary of State..helping make the office of Secretary of State one that was intimately involved in economic development and job growth.
Danny Carroll is a good man, but he doesnt have that kind of proven track record behind him..and after losing two straight elections...it wouldn't be a smart move to show GOP activists that RPI is committed to start winning elections--by putting a Chair in who's lost twice because his campaign failed to adapt to new realities on the trail.
For example..Carroll did poorly in Mahaska County..one of the more conservative counties in the state. McCain won Mahaska by nearly 2000 votes...but Carroll lost in Mahaska by 200 votes in 08. He had carried it in 2006.
In Poweshiek County, percentage wise, Carroll nearly duplicated his 2006 effort to what he did this year, with about only 43%.
Carroll's message certainly didn't change..but his tactics did not...and that in a microcosm is WHY we're losing elections.
The Democrats have changed how the game is played...we simply can't rely any longer on our people simply just showing up to the polls on Election Day. The Democrats have taken Election Day..and made it Election Quarter.
Now we can sit and huff and stamp out feet and say that its not fair...or we can adapt and begin to return back to the old fashioned grassroots work that we used to do before.
The times they are a changin..and if we dont change with it..we'll be left in the dust...
If Pate's conservative bona fides are real and unless there are other legit arguments against him I tend at this point to give him the nod over Carroll.
Not only has he won, but won in Democrat territory. The Dem absentee machine is strong there and he's apparently beat it. Down here in Lee co 40+% of our votes are absentee and I know that fight well. Seeing how they are spreading it to every county now I want to see someone at state with a vision of how to win the early vote.
Pate has no chance of winning, zero. At this point the next RPI Chairman will be either Danny Carroll or Gopal Krishna. That is the race. Talking about Pate is like advocating Chuck Baldwin in the last Presidential election. Given those options I say Danny Carroll all the way.
Mosley and Grassley did not campaign for a seat. They were supposed to get one automatically because of their positions. Grassley didn't need one anyway because of being a Senator he was already welcomed by the RNC.
PATE LOST!!!! Honestly, to an old lady and Chung, at least Sarah made it.
Gopaul Krishna will be the next chairperson of the Republican Party of Iowa.
Attention SCC members - if you vote for him - you will be destroyed. Personally.
Anon..
If Gopal Krishna becomes the chair of RPI..you can rest assured that you're going to have multiple counties withdraw their association with RPI all together.
Gopal Krishna does NOT represent the best interests of the Republican Party of Iowa...he represents only the interests of himself and those around him.
Yes, my county will leave the State Party if the assholes on the SCC vote for Gopal. Even if you do not vote for Gopal but you allow others on the SCC to vote for him - you will be personally and politically destroyed.
Gopal is out to destroy the party and if you allow him - prepare for blood.
Deace would vote for Krishna. He loves people with a God complex.
Especially christian socialists!
I don't know who Gopal is, couldn't pick him out a police lineup, and have never met him.