Two weeks ago, the anonymous gossip columnist for Des Moines alternative weekly Cityview had a few choice words for Matt Schultz, a Council Bluffs Republican running for Iowa secretary of state.
After smacking the Republican candidate for Iowa attorney general for saying she would focus on jobs in her campaign — a task beyond the scope of responsibility of the state’s chief law enforcement official — Civic Skinny, never one to mince words, took exception to Schultz saying almost the exact same thing in his campaign to unseat one-term incumbent Democrat Michael Mauro.
Republican Secretary of State hopeful Matt Schultz of Council Bluffs is defending his campaign from criticism that he is erroneously focusing on business development.
What his critics, including incumbent Mike Mauro, fail to realize, the Council Bluffs city councilman said, is that the secretary’s office plays an important role for business in Iowa.
Most recently the writers of the Des Moines Cityview have said that I don’t understand what the Secretary of State does, marginalizing the Secretary of State’s role in business by saying that its only connection is maintaining a database of corporations. Those same writers said that “the Secretary of State has nothing to do with fighting for Iowa jobs…” If the Cityview were actually describing Chet Culver and Michael Mauro, I would agree. When Chet Culver was Secretary of State he did nothing to advocate for business or promote job growth in Iowa and Mauro has followed his lead, practically ignoring his role as an advocate for business.
I’m sure to the surprise of the writers of Cityview, the business role of the Secretary of State is not something I just made up. The current Secretary of State website describes the Secretary of State’s duties to include advocating for business friendly laws. “The office of the Secretary of State is now a service center for businesses in Iowa, the nation and the world and is committed to making sure Iowa remains a gateway for the world by being an advocate for Iowa business and products and making government more business friendly. Each business day the Office receives over 200 telephone calls and emails with business services related questions. In 2008, the Office processed over 175,000 corporate and commercial documents and more than 127,000 UCC filings” (http://www.sos.state.ia.us/office/duties.html).
The truth is I can’t totally fault the Des Moines Cityview for their opinion. It is no wonder that the Cityview does not recognize that the Secretary of State should be an advocate for business when they are looking at the examples of Culver and Mauro over the past 12 years to base their opinions. This year the Secretary of State has proposed legislation for election laws in SF 2196, but Mauro has not proposed any legislation for small business (http://www.senate.iowa.gov/democrats/state-government-week-of-feb-15-2010/). Last year when Iowa’s Right to Work laws were under attack and the Democrats tried to repeal Federal Deductibility the Secretary of State did nothing. The current Secretary of State is not an advocate for business or jobs; instead he tows the line of the Democrats’ attack on business by keeping silent.
Albert Einstein said that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If we want different results then we must look to new leadership, not career politicians looking for retirement jobs or notoriety. It is time that we expect more from our elected leaders, including the Secretary of State. It is time for the next generation who has a vested interest in the future of our children, grandchildren, and our State, to now step up and take the lead. Iowa needs a Secretary of State that understands each of his responsibilities, including advocating for business and jobs. That is why Iowans should elect me, Councilman Matt Schultz, as a “Pro Jobs” Secretary of State, who will stand up and fight for Iowa jobs and fair elections. Visit my website at www.VoteMattSchultz.com to see how you can help.
How many more top campaign aides will Culver lose before Election Day?
Who knows, but it will probably be two or three if he keeps us the current paces of losing one every three months. Yesterday, Jesse Harris, Culver’s Deputy Campaign Manager bolted for a tremendous professional opportunity. I mean who could pass up running Mike Mauro’s reelection campaign for Secretary of State.
This news tells us a couple of things. 1. Democrat operatives see Culver as a sinking ship and they are not about to be the staff that couldn’t get an incumbent governor reelected in Iowa for the first time since the 1960’s. 2. It could also mean that Mauro is very nervous. He might not be worried about his Republican opponents, but I’ll bet you he is worries about the Republican wave that is coming. If Culver gets crushed, guys like Mauro will get caught in the wake.
Speaking of the SOS race, I think I’ll just endorse Matt Schultz today. Since 2006, Eichhorn has lost elections to be the Republican nominee to fill Stu Iverson’s seat, lost his State House reelection to McKinley Bailey, lost a bid to be on the Republican State Central Committee, and lost the US Senate primary to Chris Reed. Folks, I know a trend when I see one. I couldn’t pick Schultz out in a crowd, but we need new faces, not perennial losers.
Watch this panel at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) talk about voter fraud:
John Fund, Wall Street Journal Anita Moncrief, former ACORN employee David Norcross, Republican National Lawyers Association
Moderator: Cleta Mitchell, American Conservative Union Foundation
