SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
August 7, 2015
Sullivan’s
Salvos 8/11/15
In this edition:
*Happy Birthday Melissa!
*Happy Birthday BJ!
*Minimum Wage Forum
*Lone Tree Fall Festival
*Cosgrove Pork Day
*Shuffling at Juvenile Court
*Handicapping the GOP Field
*Did You Know?
*Happy Birthday, Melissa!
My
wife Melissa celebrates her birthday on August 17th. Those of you
who know her know that I am a very lucky man!
Happy
Birthday, Honey! I love you!
*Happy Birthday BJ!
Son BJ turns 19 on
August 22. He is off to Des Moines, starting college at DMACC. Happy Birthday,
BJ! I love you!
*Minimum Wage Forum
Johnson
County is hosting a forum on the proposal to increase the minimum wage. The
forum will begin at 6PM on Wednesday, August 12 in Room 203B&C of the
Health and Human Services Building. Please come by and tell us what you think!
*Lone Tree Fall Festival
The
Lone Tree Fall Festival is August 21 and 22 in Lone Tree. The event is a
different week this year, but you can expect the same good times!
*Cosgrove Pork Day
I
urge you to check out St. Peter’s Pork Day in Cosgrove on Sunday, August 23.
Cosgrove
is a small, unincorporated village about 8 miles west of Iowa City, and 7 miles
south of Oxford. It is home to St. Peter’s Catholic Church, the Cosgrove
Institute, and lots of cool people! I urge you to join them for fellowship,
food, beer, and fun!
*Shuffling at Juvenile Court
Chris
Wyatt has served long and well as the Supervisor of the Johnson County Office
of the Sixth Judicial District Juvenile Court Services. Now Chris will be
taking over the top spot for the whole Sixth Judicial, and Erin Altheide will
be stepping in as Chris’ replacement.
Juvenile
Court is tough work. These are two outstanding individuals, and we are blessed
to have them living and working in our community.
Congratulations
Chris and Erin!
*Handicapping the GOP Field
My
Republican friends get angry when I delve into their internal politics, but
here I go! Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, or something else
altogether, you must admit that the 2016 GOP race is unlike any other.
As
I looked at this field, I found that pretty much every candidate except Ron
Paul fell squarely into one of five categories. So I gave Paul his own, and
came up with the following groups:
Race to be the biggest a-hole: These
candidates remind me of the kid who tried too hard in school. Jumping up and
down with his hand in the air, he may have the right answer, but he pisses off
everyone else. In a GOP primary, this can take the shape of a race to see who
can say the most outrageous things. And if you are participating in that race,
you are not going to sit at the adult table when the smoke clears. Candidates
who fit this profile: Cruz, Jindal, Carson, Trump
Running to remind folks they exist:
Let’s face it, people in politics have larger-than-average egos, or they would
never run for office. Sometimes, those egos have gone unstroked for too long.
Solution? Run for President, of course!
Candidates who
fit this profile: Pataki, Gilmore, Fiorina
If only God voted: While there is
clearly a strong evangelical faction in the Iowa GOP, that alone does not win
elections – ask Governor VanderPlaats. The business of America is taking care
of big business. Talk too much about God, and some “love thy neighbor” might
creep into the mix!
Candidates who
fit this profile: Huckabee, Santorum
Libertarian, not Republican: Rand Paul
has never fit neatly into any GOP group, and he doesn’t fit in neatly here. Why?
Because at his core, Paul is a Libertarian. That is OK by me – it’s just not OK
with the majority of GOP caucus goers.
Candidates who
fit this profile: Paul
Should be contenders, but aren’t: I
think this is the most interesting category of all. Certain candidates look
good on paper, but simply never get any traction. The interesting part is -
why? In the case of Christie, I think scandals took a toll (pun intended). And
policy-wise, he is Bush without the money connections. Kasich seems to simply
not “want it” as much as other candidates, and that shows. Graham? I think
everyone (except perhaps Graham) knows Graham is gay. But since he is still in
the closet, they need to find another reason to dismiss him.
Candidates who
fit this profile: Christie, Kasich, Graham
Serious Contenders: I can see a path
for each of the remaining four candidates. Bush is a no-brainer – he has the
name and the money. While this may help in terms of securing the nomination, I
think it is a liability for the GOP in a general election. Walker has the
resume. Do not overlook Perry, whose resume is very similar to Walker’s. A
Walker scandal or slip up (both could happen) might set things up nicely for
Perry. Perry himself is going to need to overcome the notion that he is not
intellectually up to the task. Then there is Rubio, who probably offers more
positives (Hispanic, young, handsome, no long voting record) and fewer
negatives than any other GOP candidate.
Candidates who
fit this profile: Bush, Walker, Perry, Rubio
Ultimately,
I think you end up with three final candidates on the GOP side: Trump, Bush,
and “not Bush”. Once the field is down to those three candidates, Trump’s
support will fall away, and the GOP will need to decide if they want Jeb or
not. That is my take on things. What do you think?
*DID YOU KNOW?
There are actually 36 declared Republican Presidential candidates, not
the 17 you hear mentioned. (There are 17 on the Democratic side.)
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 3:07 PM
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