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Iowa Democratic Party: Branstad, Pawlenty have Iowans seeing double
11/9/2009

Contact: Norm Sterzenbach 515-244-7292

DES MOINES, IA – Iowans may find themselves doing a double-take this weekend as the Terry Branstad / Tim Pawlenty show makes its debut. Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Michael Kiernan said the two are “mirror images of each other as insiders who have taken far-right positions and raised taxes on hardworking Midwesterners.”

The two are set to appear onstage at a Republican Party of Iowa fundraising event Saturday in Des Moines.

Kiernan said Governor Pawlenty is an insider who’s embraced all the comforts of Washington as he kicks off his bid for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. Kiernan cited Pawlenty’s very first fundraiser, which was at the home of a mega-lobbyist, as one example. “Pawlenty’s top advisors are the same Bush/McCain/Swift Boat characters voters have rejected,” he said.

The similarities to Terry Branstad could not be clearer, Kiernan said. “Branstad is a puppet of big money, Des Moines insiders including corporate lobbyist Doug Gross.” In 2002, voters rejected Gross as the party’s nominee for Governor.

Other similarities include pandering to the farthest reaches of the right wing in hopes of winning the nomination, Kiernan said. Recently Pawlenty flip flopped on his previous commitment to fighting climate change, appeared with “birthers,” parroted Sarah Palin’s false claims about “death panels,” and worked hard to push moderates out of the GOP, he said.

Branstad, Kiernan said, already has attacked his own Supreme Court appointees, held exclusive private meetings with right-wing evangelical pastors and bloggers and talked up Senator Barry Goldwater as his inspiration to enter politics.

Kiernan cited Pawlenty’s pledge not to raise taxes. “But since becoming Governor, he has increased “fees” by hundreds of millions of dollars while at the same time putting the state in a terrible economic bind,” he said. “Branstad has similar experience, raising the sales tax, gas tax and business taxes while running up a $408 million deficit and throwing the budget out of balance.”

“It almost looks like a family reunion, and not in a good way,” Kiernan said.

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