Follow the WPU CR’s on Facebook and Twitter! July 16, 2009
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Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=18317978008&ref=ts
Twitter:
New Video from the Republican National Committee July 16, 2009
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Eggs and Issues: McKinley, Rielly, and Palmer Discuss Same-Sex Marriage in Oskaloosa April 12, 2009
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Oskaloosa, Iowa was the site of a lengthy discussion on the recent court ruling that will potentially allow same sex marriage in Iowa. Over 200 people packed the Smokey Row Coffee House to voice their concern and ask their legislative representatives for a vote on the issue.
Below is a little bit of what they had to say:
Senator Tom Rielly (D), Oskaloosa – “This ruling goes against my Catholic values, the values that I was raised with and the values I raise my two daughters with… but in the end I uphold the court’s decision. I decided this was an issue of civil rights and we must all read the decision.”
Rielly brought a copy of the court’s ruling and mentioned that he read and interpreted the case throughout the whole week. He said that he would make sure anyone that wanted a copy would receive a copy from him.
A majority of the crowd was wearing “Let us Vote” stickers and they directed their questioning toward Representative Eric Palmer (D), Oskaloosa and Grinnell. Palmer is on many accounts one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the Iowa house. Here is a little bit of what he had to say:
“My own personal faith beliefs are not what the Constitution is about… I took an oath to represent this district and I take that oath seriously… My oath is to uphold the Constitution and I take that oath seriously as well.”
Palmer made it clear that his religious beliefs cannot dominate his political beliefs and accepts the ruling from a Constitutional standpoint. However, an interesting question was asked from an opponent in the crowd which addressed Representative Palmer’s acceptance of campaign funds from out of state gay activists (for background on this issue here is a link http://iowaindependent.com/tag/eric-palmer). The question was stated simply, “will you stand up for family values like your constituents believe or continue to take money from gay activist donations, and you can’t have it both ways?”
Representative Palmer tried to answer the question but there were interruptions from some in the crowd and he couldn’t provide an explanation because of that. However he did say, “I want a civil discussion, you talk and I’ll talk that’s important for us to remember… Iowans have the right to ask for a Constitutional Convention in two years.” He went onto explain that Iowa is not a referendum state and this is the way it can be addressed but cautioned the crowd that if you do that once you open up the Constitution for a convention, “you don’t know what will come out.”
Reilly again chimed in and explained to the crowd that this issue will not come up for debate on Senator Gronstal’s watch, “it’s just not going to happen.”
Senator McKinley wasn’t satisfied with Rielly or Palmers assessment stating, “There is a mechanism to bring it up in the Senate, we need 26 signatures for a discharge, which would allow for debate on the floor.” However he explained Democrats won’t sign. Out of the three McKinley was the only one that told the crowd that there needs to be a vote.
The Democrats are uniting the Republican Party throughout the state and Mahaska County is no exception. With the issue of Federal Deductibility (which we will have another post about in the near future) and same-sex marriage a Republican Party that was unenthusiastic just a year ago is now awake.
I think Senator Rielly summed it up best, “we (the Democrats) will likely face” repercussions.
– Nik Rule
Up Next for President Obama: Amnesty April 10, 2009
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Many have said President Obama has too much on his plate right now. America is still involved in the “War on Terror,” even though the Obama Administration won’t call it that anymore. Not only that but we are in an economic crisis! Obama also had made a vow to pass Universal Healthcare, implement a system of redistribution of wealth, and fulfill many other left wing campaign promises.
However, Iowans are extremely concerned about the issue on our southern border. We have well over 15 million illegal immigrants in our country, at the lowest of estimates. So with that problem in mind Obama has vowed to take on the issue of illegal immigration this summer and what does the President want to do?
Implement a system of amnesty.
Check out this link below from the San Jose Mercury News:
Levi States Account on the Battle Against Same-Sex Marriage April 10, 2009
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Today was a very interesting day for Republicans and Democrats alike. Many from both sides of the aisle came in colossal numbers to the state capitol today to show their concern on the subject of that potentially will allow same-sex marriage in Iowa! I (Levi State) went with very strong feeling and high hopes of turning Iowa back on course, along with a few other 700 people! Some came today striving to have the House let the people of the land vote on the subject of the marriage amendment; while others came to support the decision made on April 3rd, which was that the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously upheld the District Court’s ruling holding that there was no important governmental interest in denying citizens marriage licenses based on their sexual orientation. Licenses were originally to be available 21 days after the ruling, on April 24, but the date has been pushed back to April 27. So as you can imagine there were mixed thoughts and feelings!
We started the day with the House Speaker stating that this whole display was out of order meaning the representatives couldn’t bring the bill up because the House rules that were already in order, meaning that this was considered “old” news and therefore had no weight or reason for being on the agenda. As a result the two parties went and caucused for a total of three hours. They were basically voting on whether they should be debating on the subject of same-sex marriage. After three long hours the two parties came in and the Speaker of the House stated that no, they will not allow the floor to be open for debate on the “already” closed subject, of same-sex marriage. This initiates an uncontrollable din from the republicans, who start to shout out against their representatives saying “LET US VOTE, LET US VOTE…” The State troopers came in and had to clam down the people after about 20-30minutes a majority of the people left. I stayed however. I stayed to see if anything else would be said.
I’m happy that I did, because at around 3:00 pm the floor was open to the processing of new bills. One bill in particular came out on to the floor, about human services, and that was all it took for Representative Christopher Rants to get up and use this as a platform to bring up the subject of same-sex marriage. He stated the following,
“Let me remind all of us that this House is not here to represent just the small fractions of America, nor is it here to represent an individual’s goal and dream, no rather we are all here to represent the people. For this government is of the people, by the people and for the people. We need to remember the checks and balances that we are immovable to, and try not to supersede them! We need to be men and women of veracity! It is this body’s responsibility to express the will of the people. If the will of the people is to have same-sex marriage than that is what we are to represent, however that must not be the case, or else we would not have had so many passionate protesters this morning. If it is indisputably the will of the people to NOT have same-sex marriage then it is our responsibility to represent their voice, even if it contradicts our own thoughts and feelings.
The day ended with the House speaker stating that this was off the subject of the social services bill and therefore it would not be spoken of until another meeting. So if you are one that feels strongly about this issue, make sure that you let your representatives know! Get loud! Get known! Let’s get things done!! (Remember if you live in Oskaloosa that Rep. Palmer and Sen. Reilly are at Smokey row with eggs and issues on Saturday mornings!)
-Levi State, Executive Director
Iowa College Republican State Central Committee Forms the 2009-10 IFCR Executive Board April 9, 2009
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For Immediate Release
(208) 520-3343
April 8th, 2009
State Central Committee Forms the 2009-10 IFCR Executive Board
Des Moines, Ia. – Newly elected Iowa College Republican Chairman Dane Nealson is proud to announce a flurry of appointments to the IFCR Executive Board after a Central Committee conference call last night. All seven appointments were approved unanimously by the State Central Committee that consists of Chapter Chairs representing various schools throughout the state of Iowa.
The first board member appointed was Corey Becker who will serve as Executive Director. Becker, a junior at Iowa State, will be serving on the IFCR Executive Board for the first time and was recently re-elected as Executive Director for the Iowa State College Republicans. Previously he has served as the State Chair for Senator Fred Thompsons Student Coalition in Iowa, along with being the Chief Justice of the GSB Supreme Court and a member of the Iowa Students for McCain.
William Penn Senior Nik Rule was appointed as Public Relations Director; it will be his second time serving on the board. In 2007, he served as Central Region Coordinator and is the current Chair and one of the founders of the William Penn College Republicans. Rule previously worked for Senator Fred Thompson’s Presidential campaign as a Field Director and also served as State Chair for Senator John McCain’s Student Coalition in early 2007.
Two regional coordinators were also appointed for the Eastern and Central parts of the state. Hillary Block, a freshman at the University of Iowa, will serve as Eastern Region Coordinator. Block is currently serving as the Secretary for the University of Iowa College Republicans. Evan Clark, a junior at Drake University, will manage the Central part of the state. Clark is currently serving as the Co-Chairman for the Drake College Republicans.
Also as a part of Nealson’s plan to start a high school program Jason Covey was appointed as High School Outreach Coordinator. Covey, a junior at Iowa State, interned for the Republican Party of Iowa in the 4th District last year and is currently serving as the Vice Chair for the Iowa State College Republicans.
Melisa Wink, a freshman from William Penn University, and Ingrid Bisenius, a freshman at the University of Iowa were appointed as Assistant High School Coordinators to Covey. Wink is currently serving as Co-Chair of William Penn College Republicans and is a member of the university’s Student Government. Bisenius, a freshman at the University of Iowa, was a major help to the Mariannette Miller-Meeks campaign and is currently serving as the Events Coordinator for the University of Iowa College Republicans.
WPU College Republicans Recieve Chapter of the Year April 9, 2009
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It is hard to believe that three years ago there was no College Republicans Chapter on the William Penn Campus. Since the group’s founding during the fall term of 2006, young people with conservative and patriotic values have been making their mark on this campus and in this state.
This past weekend, the WPU CR’s attended the Iowa Federation of College Republicans Annual Convention for the third consecutive year. Not only was William Penn in attendance but actually had the largest representation there! A school with 800 traditional students bringing a vigorous group of eighteen delegates astounded the other schools, including ISU and U of I which collectively brought fifteen delegates. The group’s tremendous representation along with their technological efforts for political awareness attracted so much attention that they were named “Chapter of the Year” by the IFCR executive board. For such a small school with such a young program to win this award is truly an admirable reflection of its members and supporters.
This is not, however, the only award the WPU CRs walked away with that day. The “Activist of the Year” award was given to senior Nik Rule, who is the chairman of the WPU CR’s and one of the founding members of the chapter. He received this honor as tribute for the incredible job he has done in rallying his fellow statesmen and community members for the Republican cause on countless occasions. The tremendously motivating weekend also included various speakers including the state chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, the President of Iowans for Tax Relief, and several Representatives.
For more information about this dynamic group on campus, 1) visit their Blog a twpucollegepublicans.wordpress.com, 2) follow them on Twitter, searching for WPUCRS 3) or join the official Facebook group. Also, one can contact the executive board if they have any questions or simply want more information. The board is made up of Nik Rule, Melisa Wink, Mayci Rule, Liz Tvedt, Levi State, Zack Shrock, and Rebecca Bartle.
– Liz Tvedt, Press Secretary
IFCR Press Release: Dane Nealson Elected as State Chairman April 6, 2009
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For Immediate Release
April 4th, 2009
College Republicans Elect Dane Nealson as State Chairman
Ames, Ia. – Dane Nealson was elected as the next Chairman of the Iowa Federation of College Republicans on Saturday. Nealson who is a junior at Iowa State, along with his running mate Matt Sexton a freshman at UNI, campaigned for several months outlasting a group of potential challengers while stopping at most of the 22 College Republican chapters throughout the state.
In the end, support for Nealson and Sexton was unanimous and they immediately took over as Chairman and Vice Chairman at the Iowa Federation of College Republican Convention in Ames. Below is the joint statement to supporters released on their campaign website http://nealsonsexton09.wordpress.com/:
“We would like to extend a warm thank you to all of you for your support throughout the last four months. We are honored to serve as the newly elected Chair and Vice-Chair of the Iowa Federation of College Republicans.
Throughout our campaign, the enthusiasm we saw from College Republican members throughout the state was nothing short of inspiring. While our federation faces many challenges over the next year, we feel very confident about the direction of our organization. Many chapters are starting to see increased interest as President Obama, Governor Culver, and legislative Democrats continue to pursue policies which will devastate our state and our country in the months and years to come.
We are excited to get moving with the policy objectives we’ve set forth, and look forward to working with College Republican chapters, our state legislators, and the Republican Party of Iowa as we continue to advance the Republican cause on college campuses throughout the state. Working together, we can establish one of the premier grassroots networks in the nation.
With our newly elected board, we plan to take IFCR to new heights, and with your help, we believe we can make it happen. Stay involved, keep your heads high, and keep fighting the good fight! Thank you again for your support; it has inspired us and we will take that enthusiasm with us moving forward.”
Along with Nealson and Sexton, two other positions were voted upon by the various delegations in attendance. Muscatine Community College freshman Emily Lofgren edged out UNI freshman Jared Parker for Secretary and Iowa State junior Paul Vidmar was elected unanimously as Treasurer.
Nelsons’ administration plans on filling the rest of the executive board with appointments throughout the rest of April.
600+ Iowa Taxpayers Kicked Out of Public Forum at the House Chambers by Representative Murphy (D) April 1, 2009
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Last night over 600 Iowans from all ages and backgrounds came out to voice their opposition to the elimination of the Federal Deductibility in Iowa. The issue is as simple as this, if the deductibility is eliminated Iowans will be taxed on top of another tax. In short, the Democrats in the House are looking for a way to generate millions of dollars after wasteful spending in the past two years.
Dozens of Iowans signed up for a chance to speak at the PUBLIC forum and the response was amazing! Applause could be heard for a few seconds after each speaker stated their distaste for the bill and the Chair of the PUBLIC hearing asked the crowd to stop “demonstrating” (many of us are still trying fathom the thought that clapping is a demonstration). However, after Iowa College Republican State Chair Greg Baker had his chance to speak the PUBLIC could not hold back and for good reason. Chairman Baker said everything that nearly every Iowan in the House Chamber had been thinking for years about the Democrats in this state. Check out the video of Greg’s speech:
Soon after House Majority Leader Pat Murphy made a political blunder that will benefit Republicans in this state for years to come:
Yes you saw correctly! Rep. Murphy (D) kicked the PUBLIC out of a once PUBLIC forum. Murphy’s display of disrespect to taxpayers in Iowa who pay for his salary, who pay for the government, and who pay for the Iowa House Chamber was a sign of the true colors within the majority.
Rep. Murphy (D) did exactly what many had hoped he would do, he kicked the people out of the peoples House! Let’s face it, the Democrats walked into this mess!
We were proud to be apart of this historic turning point and would like to thank all the Iowans that supported this important cause last night.
Check out other news on the Democrats kicking the people out of the Iowa House:
KCCI News Segment on Murphy kicking out the 600 Iowan Taxpayers:
http://www.kcci.com/video/19060487/index.html
Audio of the taxpayers getting kicked out:
http://learfield.typepad.com/files/chaos-1.mp3
Ed Failor speaks out against the totalitarian style of Pat Murphy:
http://learfield.typepad.com/files/failormurphy.mp3
Des Moines Register coverage:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090331/NEWS/90331051
RadioIowa’s coverage of the night’s events:
http://learfield.typepad.com/radioiowa/2009/03/meltdown-house-cleared-during-public-hearing.html
Cornfield Conversation Blog’s thoughts:
http://cornfieldconversation.blogspot.com/2009/03/that-government-of-people-by-people-and.html
RPI Chairman Matt Strawn’s response:
http://theiowarepublican.com/home/2009/03/31/strawn-“the-day-you-tried-to-silence-iowans-will-never-be-forgotten”/
Article from The Iowa Republican on the night’s events:
http://theiowarepublican.com/home/2009/03/31/troopers-ordered-to-remove-300-400-citizens-from-public-hearing-on-federal-deductibility/
Weasel Watch Blog’s take:
http://weaselwatch.blogspot.com/2009/04/happenings-at-state-house.html
Five CRs Elected to SGA March 30, 2009
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Election Results
The William Penn Student Government Association (SGA) held their elections this last week and among the elect were five active members of WPU’s College Republicans. Congrats go to the following students on their victories:
Nik Rule- President
Janna Carson-Vice President
Eric Nesbitt- Treasurer
Melisa Wink- Administrative Officer
Mayci Rule- Developmental Officer
This is a very positive representation for the CR’s and it is hoped that their involvement and relm of influence will encourage more contribution and particpation in “The Best Party on Campus!”
-Liz Tvedt, Press Secretary
The William Penn College Republicans 