Posted on 12/17/2014 4:28:14 AM PST by iowamark
WEST DES MOINES – By almost every measure, 2014 was a banner year for the Polk County Republican Party. Although Democrats held an active voter registration edge of more than 20,000 in the state’s largest county on Election Day, several Republican candidates overcame that deficit. The Polk GOP invested significant resources and effort to make that happen.
“We stayed the course, knocked the doors, chased the absentee ballots, registered new voters and at the end of the day, it was all worth it when we saw Joni Ernst, David Young and all of our Republican candidates that won on the ballot,” said Polk GOP Chairman Will Rogers.
Polk County Republican officials say 2014 was their most successful fundraising year in the party’s history. They raised more than $200,000. A portion of those resources was used to hire a team of field organizers. They spent countless hours doorknocking on behalf of GOP candidates.
The group, consisting of MacKenzie Dreeszen, Alex Etgeton, Jeremy Freeman and Matt Pierick, were honored at the Polk GOP’s Holiday Party, and led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was the headliner for the Polk GOP’s event. Jindal’s 37-minute speech was well received, but also one that many attendees said they had heard before. It was nearly identical to the speech Jindal delivered at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition dinner in late September.
Jindal touched on his upbringing and family life. Mixing amusing anecdotes with his stories, Jindal kept the crowd laughing throughout. The potential 2016 presidential hopeful also spent significant time discussing religious liberty.
“The United States of American didn’t create religious liberty. Religious liberty created the United States of America,” Jindal said.
He also spoke out on the value of school choice, railed against Common Core, and ripped President Obama repeatedly. Jindal said he ponders whether Obama is the most liberal, ideologically extreme president we have seen in our lifetime or if he is the most incompetent. “I’ve struggled between ideological extremism and incompetence and the only answer that has satisfied me is to quote Secretary Clinton: ‘What difference does it make?’”
Interestingly, the Louisiana governor spent almost no time discussing the two political hot topics of the moment: the Cromnibus bill and a Pennsylvania judge’s ruling that Obama’s executive amnesty orders are unconstitutional.
TheIowaRepublican.com did ask Jindal about those topics prior to the event.
Jindal spent significant time after the event mingling with attendees and posing for pictures. Overall, his visit made a positive impact on the Republican activists on hand.
“I like that guy. He is good, isn’t he,” said Marilyn Wirtz of Urbandale.
“He’s a solid conservative and we need more like him,” said activist Paul Waddell.
Several attendees told TheIowaRepublican.com that Jindal is among the candidates they are considering supporting in the 2016 Iowa Caucus, but most added that it is way too early to make a decision on which candidate they will back.
Congressman-elect David Young’s speech was another highlight of the evening. Young was more animated and at ease than usual. Young’s five-minute speech was filled with humor. He provided a Christmas wish list, and a list of things he did not want. Both were filled with conservative red meat...
Cedar Rapids Gazette: “Jindal: Americans expect big changes in Washington”
http://thegazette.com/subject/news/jindal-americans-expect-big-change-in-washington-20141216
Des Moines Register:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2014/12/16/bobby-jindal-iowa-polk-county-gop/20515287/
PUKE!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.