Saturday was an interesting day for political observers and for those of us who are working toward passage of the Iowa Marriage Amendment. First on the docket was the Iowa Tea Party event held at Hy-Vee Hall, and the second was the Iowa GOP event at the Iowa state Fairgrounds. This is the first of two posts reviewing both events:
It was obvious that the organizers of the Tea Party anticipated a much larger crowd than actually showed up, but who could have anticipated that we would get a sunny day with temperatures in the 70’s on November 7th? They were also competing with home games in both Ames and Iowa City. With those dynamics taken into consideration, the crowd that did assemble was a reflection of the drive and dedication of patriots and activists from all across the state. Several folks commented that they were in from quite a distance in order to attend both the Tea Party and the Iowa GOP event later in the evening.
As with past Tea Party events in Des Moines, the speakers were fired-up citizens rather than professional speakers. Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachman was the obvious exception to that rule, but her pre-recorded comments included an outtake that her staff failed to delete. The snafu provided a little comic relief, and actually seemed to help warm the crowd to the idea of watching a pre-recorded message. A former Iowan, Congresswoman Bachman’s message certainly had some in the crowd wondering if maybe we could make a trade with Minnesota for one of our liberal Iowa Members of Congress.
Most of the speeches were consistent with the pro-constitution, pro-liberty, patriotic Tea Party reputation that has developed over the last several months. In addition to the speakers, there were booths around the perimeter of the room hosted by a wide variety of activist groups and candidates. IFPC Action hosted a LUV Iowa Table that saw a steady stream of folks stopping by to volunteer to help pass the Iowa Marriage Amendment.
Several candidates for Governor were also in attendance, and it looked like folks took advantage of the opportunity to connect with a few of them. Christopher Rants, Terry Branstad, Bob Vander Plaats, Rod Roberts, and Christian Fong all had tables. Only Rod Roberts was at his table when I walked by, but I bumped into Bob Vander Plaats who had stopped at the LUV Iowa table while I away, and later Christian Fong stopped by the LUV Iowa table to say hello and give us a little encouragement. One other attendee of note was pro-abortion former Lieutenant Governor Joy Corning.
It is also probably worth noting that the Democrat Party of Iowa had a “Terry Loves Taxes” table. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for the poor folks who had to staff that table to sit there while many of their core convictions and party principles were held up to constitutional scrutiny. Much has been made of late over the rift in the Republican Party between conservatives and moderates, but I also get the impression from some Democrats I talk to that a similar struggle is going on within their party between more traditional centrist Democrats and the liberals that currently set the agenda. (Think of how three more rational Democrats in Congress might have saved us from the healthcare debacle that occurred Saturday night in DC.)
On his way out of the hall, what appeared to be a staffer from the “Terry Loves Taxes” table stopped by the LUV Iowa table to tell us that he thought we were promoting government intrusion by pushing for the Iowa Marriage Amendment. Even as I explained that the Iowa Constitution places political power in the hands of the people, and we are just asking for access to the process the constitution guarantees, he insisted that the courts have the final say. When I reminded him that “We The People” have the constitutional authority to override an out of control court, he was adamant that legal precedent trumps the constitution. He was wrong.
Much of the activity in Hy-Vee Hall had begun to dwindle as the last speaker for the day took to the stage. In fact, a good chunk of the crowd had left before the speeches were complete. The folks who left early missed what was without a doubt the best speech of the day.
Jonathan Narcisse is well known in the Des Moines area as the firebrand school board member who used an overwhelming pile of empirical data, and regular visits to WHO radio, to bring about sweeping reforms in just one term. He is a regular on “The Deace Group,” which airs on WHO radio every Friday afternoon, where he has built a reputation for his willingness to take on the status quo of both the left and the right.
The man who walked to the stage on Saturday was not the firebrand, or the radio personality, but instead appeared to have the quiet determination of someone who is both angry over the current state of affairs, and more than a little concerned that the people of Iowa will not wake up in time.
While his mood and tone were not typical of Jon Narcisse, his calm and measured delivery did not stop him from offering some of the hardest hitting lines of the day. Early in his speech, he said, “Iowans have placed their trust in career bureaucrats, faithless politicians, and party leaders loyal only to their private ambitions.” He followed that up with the stinging observation that, “they have betrayed our trust on issue after issue.”
His speech talked about how both parties have at times been responsible for raising taxes, growing government, ignoring immigration enforcement, and “cowering to a corrupt, privileged and runaway judiciary.” He concluded his bi-partisan indictment by saying, “So fiercely are Republican and Democratic bosses entwined with the same vested interests, championing the same misguided causes, sold out to the same compromised agenda, that only their red or blue garbs of deception distinguish them.”
After addressing the failure of past political leadership in Iowa, he shifted gears to the solutions he is promoting around the state. Narcisse is a publisher, and had with him a paper entitled “An Iowa Worth Fighting For.” The publication outlines ten steps that he claims will restore the greatness of Iowa. In his comments, he said that he has traveled nearly 10,000 miles promoting his plan. Those ten steps are:
1. Reorganizing, reducing and reprioritizing state government
2. Creating efficient, effective, accountable local government
3. Eliminating excessive taxation
4. Restoring a true free market economy
5. Instituting real education reform rooted in accountability and competition
6. Promoting a healthy Iowa
7. Restoring local control, zealously protecting private property and Constitutional liberties such as the right to bear arms
8. Making Iowa safe again, returning beat cops, practicing restitution based justice and waging a winning war on meth
9. Enforcing illegal immigration laws ending Iowa’s sanctuary status for illegals, and
10. Bringing back honest, hard working leadership with integrity to state and local governance
In classic John Narcisse style, he expands on each point in his written publication. A copy of An Iowa Worth Fighting For is available on line.
Narcisse concluded his remarks with a Frederick Douglass quote that maybe should have been used to kick off the event:
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
The Tea Party was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. It was encouraging to see so many people and so many organizations come together to promote liberty and to stand up for the constitution. Unfortunately, those who left early missed out on the best speech of the event.
