Oh boy. Our good friends over at theiowarepublican.com have a story up about what took place in the Iowa GOP’s parking lot during the Ames Straw Poll auction today. What follows is what actually happened inside the building.
Attorney and lobbyist Kellie Paschke of Skinner & Paschke, PLLC arrived just before the start of the auction for candidate tent locations. Needless to say a number of campaigns got their panties in a bunch over the fact that they did not know who she was there to represent and Paschke wasn’t telling. The representatives from the various campaigns immediately began to panic that Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Jon Huntsman, George Pataki or Rudy Guiliani were using an anonymous bidder and they wanted to know what was up and fast.
My sources say as soon as Republican Party of Iowa executive director, Chad Olson opened things up and welcomed everybody for coming, he started to get ready to open the bidding when the representative from the Herman Cain campaign immediately went into a tailspin. She wanted everybody to introduce themselves and state who they were there to represent. Olson then explained that it was not required for bidders to divulge who they were representing. A frenzy ensued.
Everybody began crying foul and questioning the rules of the auction to which Olson defended Paschke and her anonymous client by restating that her client had cleared everything ahead of time and is not violating any rules. State central committee member Monte Shaw was heard stating that if folks did not like the rules, then they should have made an effort to change them, but the rules for this straw poll should stand as they apply to all equally.
Michele Bachmann’s fmr. Chief of Staff, Andy Parrish, who is now calling the shots for her campaign in Iowa was fairly dramatic in his objections to what was transpiring. He threw out a question to the group, “What happens if we all decide not to participate?” To which Shaw replied calling his bluff, “Well then her candidate will get a great location and for a really good price.” A mass exodus soon followed with Parrish and the Cain campaign leading the walkout.
Paschke reportedly explained to those political operatives from Iowa who maintained a level of decorum that as an attorney she may NOT reveal the identity of a client without their expressed permission for which she did not have. She did however volunteer that she was able to say who she did not represent. Sources say she offered up that her client was not Palin, Perry, Huntsman or Romney.
Enter Chad Olson. After having chased after those who stormed out of the meeting and caucused in the parking lot, he reappeared and made it known that he was changing the rules and not allowing Paschke to participate.
Acting as the adult in the room when Olson should have taken control of the meeting himself, but failed to, Paschke is said to have asked the other camps if they would be ok with her participating if she managed to get permission from her client to reveal their name? The response was a fairly unanimous no, it’s too late for that now. To which Paschke was overheard replying, ok, I have that permission now, but if you aren’t interested so be it.
The other camps began to saunter back into the building, with Parrish completing a triple-double in door slamming and the Cain chick starting another round of screaming at Paschke and Olson. Parrish, who was seated next to Paschke, continued his previous griping while Paschke was seen attempting to tell him to sit down and shut up and you will hear who she represents.
Olson then announced that they are indeed going to go around the room and introduce themselves and say who they represent. They really should have started with Paschke as nobody was said to have cared about anyone else in the room. When it was Paschke’s turn, she gave her name and stated that her cleint was Thadeus McCotter of Michigan. Thud. Lots of blinking and puzzled looks around room followed that anti-climatic announcement.
All of this circus-like behavior could and should have been avoided. There are a number of parties to blame for this, starting with Chad Olson who changed the rules of the auction at the last minute to appease the mob mentality of some political operatives who ought not be in charge of a high school class election campaign, much less a First-In-The-Nation Iowa Caucus effort. After hearing how Parrish behaved, I’m much less inclined to cast my straw poll or caucus ballot for Bachmann. How he spoke to and behaved around Paschke baffles me. You would think he knew how to behave around chick politicos who were smarter than him. And the Cain representative needs to dial it down several notches. You never want to be considered the crazy one in a room with Ron Paul staff.
I’m dissapointed in the Iowa GOP today and in particular Chad Olson. Kudos to Monte Shaw though. The party really missed Jim Kurtenbach today.
The state party could use a good dose of consistency. The co-chair resigns to support a candidate so as to not have a glaring conflict of interest in the straw poll and caucuses, but then five of the state central committee members are paid staff for presidential campaigns. And then the chairman of the GOP is the co-chair of an interest group trying to influence the candidates by vowing not to support them if they don’t sign a pledge. And yet republican party officials wonder how the Tea Party got its legs.
Me thinks the Gnome must have been in the room to have such a first hand account. There wasn’t enough time to collect interviews of sources in time to post unless of course he made it all up. Too many people I’ve talked to have similar versions of what happened so I’m guessing he was definitely there when it all went down. The question is whom?
http://www.fairtax.org
WOW. Your source either has a really horrible memory, total distortion of reality, or is a flat out liar.
This blog post is so completely devoid of facts, its laughable. There was a court reporter present at the meeting that transcribed all of it and the actual account will differ greatly from this one.
Facts that you got wrong:
-It was Michelle Bachmann’s campaign that first raised the objections, which were justifiable. At the previous two straw poll meetings, each campaign went around the room and identified who they were and who they represented. We asked it to happen this time, and when Paschke refused, we objected. (Feel free to read the Register story that interviewed Kent Sorenson)
-The next to voice their concern was Tim Pawlenty’s campaign, which again, was justifiable. We even consulted with our campaign manager.
-The campaigns decided to confer privately outside, to discuss the situation. There, it was decided they would not participate unless everyone reveal themselves. The reason for this goes beyond tent spaces. Speaking order is also on the line, and campaigns have the right to know who their candidate would speak before or after at the Straw Poll.
-There was never any screaming or door slamming.
-The “Cain chick” as you call her is not named “Lisa”.
-The campaigns also discovered, on their own and while they were still outside, who Paschke was representing. And it took a good 40 minutes to say she wasn’t with a “first tier candidate”.
-The campaigns, as a whole, agreed to walk out. The decision was unanimous. And they were right.
My source and back up sources are rock solid. You clearly were not there. The reason why the issue over anonymous bidders had not come up at the two previous straw poll meetings is the fact that there weren’t any such candidates yet to test the rule. Said rule was approved by the party for which you no longer have control over. Boo hoo for you. Sounds like you are a little distraut at your candidate’s (Pawlenty) piss poor poll numbers in the Register today. I suggest you cash those paychecks as soon as possible.
NotObama,
Would you care for some cheese with that whine?
http://www.fairtax.org
Politico should be doing stories on this blog and not the IDP’s “Golden Dome”. At least Mr. Gnome calls out republicans in his own party when needed. Nice reporting gnomey.