99counties.org

Well-placed sources tell TheIowaRepublican.com that Sarah Palin is slated to be the keynote speaker at the Republican Party of Iowa’s Ronald Reagan Dinner on Friday, September 17^th. The state party is slated to release more details about the event tomorrow.

From the WaPo:

Randy Millam, 52, traveled from his home in Lowden to Iowa City to have his voice heard.

“The president just about declared war against the American people last weekend,” he said. And it is a war Millam intends to fight.

He walked to the front of the protest crowd and lifted the megaphone to his mouth.

“Fellow patriots,” he bellowed. “We are standing outside the arena right now because the president controls the crowd, controls the message, controls the people of this country. That is not freedom! That is not democracy! That is not the America I grew up in!”

The demonstrators cheered and began to gather around Millam, and two police officers came to stand nearby. “If you’re going to deny me my constitutional rights, you can arrest me,” Millam told the officers. Then he leaned into the megaphone and started shouting again.

“I got news for you, Barack,” Millam said. “You can’t blame everything on Bush anymore. You either are the president, or you’re not. We’ve got 17 percent real unemployment. Home sales are at historic lows. . . . And now the most pro-choice president this nation has ever elected is forcing us to have health care. Every single person’s body in this whole country belongs to the government now.”

The US Census Bureau’s annual population estimate predict that Iowa will be among the handful of states to likely lose a congressional seat after the 2010 decennial census.

Of the states losing seats, only Ohio would suffer multiple losses, with two. The remaining states that are projected to have downsized House delegations include four in the Northeast (Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania), four in the Midwest (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota), plus Louisiana.

The biggest likely winners of the census are Texas, with a likely gain of four, and seven states — four in the West (Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Washington) and three in the South (Florida, Georgia and South Carolina) each likely to gain one.

Based on recent historical experience, these projections will likely be close to the final results when the actual House reapportionment is officially announced in December 2010.

Using the complex formula for apportioning the House, Missouri would be on the cusp with the 435th seat and Minnesota is listed for the mythical 436th seat — by a margin of roughly 10,000 persons each. Those states, consequently, will be among those states with the most at stake to assure a full count of their residents.

Sarah Palin could expect a lot of support in Iowa’s Republican caucuses if she launched a campaign for the 2012 presidential nomination, according to The Des Moines Register’s Iowa Poll.

But the rising national figure, who is scheduled to stop in Iowa next month on her national book tour, would also have to contend with a lot of doubts about her — unlike her potential rivals, the poll found.

The first public poll to test Palin’s favorabilty in the leadoff nominating state found 55
percent of all Iowans hold an unfavorable opinion of Palin a little more than a year after the last election. Only 37 percent feel favorably about her.

And those feelings are intense: The percentage of Iowans who view Palin very unfavorably is more than twice as large as the percentage who view her very favorably.

But more than two-thirds of Republicans like what they see, making her a credible candidate for the 2012 caucuses should she decide to run for president, strategists say.

Palin fares well against possible rivals

Sixty-eight percent of Iowa Republicans view Palin favorably. That’s close to the 70 percent who hold favorable views of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the 2008 caucuses, and it’s higher than the 66 percent who view former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich favorably. Palin’s number is also higher than that of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, runner-up in the 2008 caucuses, who is viewed favorably by 58 percent of the state’s Republicans.

Huckabee, Romney and Gingrich are considered 2012 presidential prospects.

“With those kind of numbers, if she were to become a candidate, while it’s not a sure thing, she would be starting out in a very good position,” said veteran Iowa GOP strategist David Roederer, who ran McCain’s 2008 Iowa campaign.

Tags: 2012, iowa, palin

UPDATE: No can do.  And manufactured controversy put to rest.

She’s not coming, but would like to in the future. She’d also come for free.

We extended our invitation knowing she would be in the middle of her book tour and the chances of her being able to accept any invitations were extremely slim.

From TeamSarah.org:

We have an opportunity to support Sarah Palin DIRECTLY and to promote the values she represents.

The Iowa Family Policy Action center needs to raise $41,000 in order to have Sarah Palin come to speak on November 21, 2009. They have raised $59,000 already, but they need to know there is enough to coming in to ensure that they can pull this off.

As you know, we at Team Sarah have supported efforts to raise money for Sarah Palin’s PAC and for the Legal Defense Fund, but this effort will actually help her and her family directly and enable her to have resources she directly controls to take care of all the things she needs to do as she launches her national effort to restore the core values of our Conservative movement.

I am appealing to you DIRECTLY to ACT NOW and support raising the remaining $41,000 so ensure that Sarah Palin can come to this event, and to show Sarah Palin that she has no better friend and ally than Team Sarah!

We have set up a donations page you can go to, 100% of this money will towards raising this money to have Sarah Palin come and speak. When she speaks, we will also ask our members to help promote the event and work with our promotions teams to ensure that her message gets out LOUD AND CLEAR throughout the whole internet.

We have 74,000 PLUS members, and are still growing, and I am convinced that there are AT LEAST 8,000 of us who can send in at least $5 to support this effort.

Will you help?

Use this URL to make a donation today! URL: www.sba-list.org/iowa

Thank you all,

Bill Collier
Team Sarah Community Governance

Update IFPC Press Release

10/27/09 Pleasant Hill, IA – In response to media inquiries, Iowa Family Policy Center ACTION President Chuck Hurley responded today to questions concerning a potential appearance by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin at an upcoming IFPC Action event.

According to Hurley, “We have reached out to Governor Palin through both official and informal channels and extended an invitation for her to keynote our annual fundraising event.” He went on to say, “We are not yet ready to confirm the specifics, but are hopeful that all the details can be worked out for her to come.”

IFPC Action began soliciting financial support for the event this week in anticipation of the Governor’s potential visit. Responding to questions raised by preliminary fundraising for the event, Hurley said the event, scheduled for November 21st, would be “on a much larger scale than our banquet last November,” and that “we are preparing now to make sure the Governor’s visit is a huge success should she accept our invitation.”

IFPC Action welcomed Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal on his first trip to Iowa when he spoke at last year’s event. Previous IFPC Action speakers include Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.

Should Palin accept the invitation, her appearance at the IFPC Action event would mark her first trip to Iowa since she traveled the state as the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee.

Tags: ifpc, sarah palin

In an Sioux City Journal interview with Michele Bachmann, the second most hated conservative woman in politics promotes Steve King in 2012.

Additionally, I asked Bachmann if she is being prodded to seek the 2012 presidency, given her growing national profile. She said she has no doubts the GOP will produce a good crop of presidential candidates, and threw out King as a name of interest.

“Steve King is mentioned as a potential nominee. I have a very high opinion of Steve King and his ability, so I would encourage him to consider any position for higher office,” Bachmann said.

As for herself, Bachmann said, “Goodness, I’ve only been in the House for three years, so, no, I’m not considering anything like that.”

Tags: bachman, Steve King

From Cillizza

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) will headline an Iowa Republican party event this fall, a trip that will mark his visit to the politically crucial state since he has made clear his interest in pursuing a presidential bid in 2012.

Pawlenty will be the featured guest at the “Leadership for Iowa” gathering on Nov. 7 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds where he will appear with the party’s candidates for governor — including, presumably, former Gov. Terry Branstad (R), who formed an exploratory committee for the office today.

“Governor Pawlenty is an innovative, conservative leader and, as Iowa Republicans prepare for a robust gubernatorial primary election and nationally-watched general election for governor, his message of balanced budgets, lower taxes, and market-based reforms for health care and education will resonate with all Iowans,” said Matt Strawn, chairman of the Iowa Republican party.

Pawlenty has made no secret of the fact that he is putting together the pieces of a 2012 political operation. Last week, he announced a political inner circle that included Terry Nelson, former campaign manager for Sen. John McCain’s (Ariz.) presidential bid, former Bush White House political director Sara Taylor and former Republican Governors Association executive director Phil Musser.

Tags: 2012, caucus, pawlenty