Thune Endorses McCain

Our neighbor to the Northwest, Senator John Thune, from South Dakota has formally endorsed McCain's Presidential bid. Being familiar with Northwest Iowa, STIS has had it's eyes on this relationship for a while. Months ago we speculated that Thune might be on McCain's short list of Veep choices.

And while it is unlikely that two sitting Senators would be on the ticket, McCain refused to distance himself from that line of speculation. In fact, McCain mentioned Thune as a possible running mate. (While this is premature speculation, STIS thinks it is good bet that McCain will pick someone from the Midwest or Northeast, Pawlenty or Guiliani, etc...).

Thune's support for McCain is a huge "get." Thune, long considered a shining star in the GOP, became a dragon slayer after beating Tom Daschle in 2004. The only other Republican to beat a sitting United States Senate Minority Leader was Barry Goldwater. Thune, who as a Congressman, was quick to endorse George W. Bush for the Presidency in 1999. If memory serves us right Thune was the very first or one of the first five to endorse Bush. Thune's strategy of quickly endorsing Presidential nominees seems to have paid off during his career.

This endorsement is particularly important for several reasons:

First, according to WAPO, Thune, "extracted a promise from the Arizonan on judicial nominations. Thune said McCain told him he would appoint "guys like Roberts and Alito". That's a reference to Chief Justice John Roberts and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, both of whom were nominated by President Bush and were popular selections among Christian conservatives.

Thune's endorsement is important not only for Social Conservatives, but for the Republican base as a whole. President Bush's largest applause line during the 2000 election was when he promised to appoint judges to the federal bench that would interpret the Constitution and not re-write it. Moreover, the American people tend to support the Conservative movement's viewpoint regarding judges.

Secondly, Thune's South Dakota media market overlaps into Sioux, Lyon, Osceola and O'Brien counties. These four counties are the "Conservative Quadrant" of Northwest Iowa. Hardly every electing Democrats to office, these four counties are ripe with Straw Poll and Caucus votes.

Iowa TV watchers in these four counties, including some in Dickinson and Clay, are used to seeing John Thune on their TV sets and hearing him on their radios. Thune's endorsement will help in these key counties in the run up to the Straw Poll and the Caucus.

Third, Thune's endorsement is key to Social Conservatives in general. Thune, who is not a Social Conservative in the sense of Brownback or Huckabee, is respected by Social Conservatives around the country for taking out Daschle and standing firm on social issues in the Senate.

We are going to venture out and make the prediction that having Thune on board is just as good as having Steve King on board when addressing the issues that matter to Northwest Iowans. Thune is well know to farmers and conservatives in Northwest Iowa and STIS believes that Thune will play a direct role in the run up to the Straw Poll and Caucus.

McCain Townhall: Live Webcast 10 AM Saturday

If you can't make it to Des Moines on Saturday to see John McCain don't worry.

At 10:00 a.m. McCain will stream his webcast live from Des Moines.

His townhall meeting will be broadcast live on his newly designed website: johnmccain.com

McCain will be here Saturday

The staff at STIS in an effort to keep you as informed as possible, even if it is only once a week, has received assurances that the foolish cowardice of Senate Democrats will not keep John McCain from hearing out the good people of Iowa.

Here are the details for the McCain events this weekend:

Des Moines Town Hall Meeting
Hotel Fort Des Moines
1000 Walnut Street
Des Moines, IA 50309
Saturday, 9:45 a.m.

Cedar Rapids Town Hall Meeting
Crowne Plaza Hotel
350 First Avenue NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Saturday, 1:15 p.m.

Davenport Chili Dinner
The Radisson Hotel
111 E 2nd Street
Davenport, IA 52801
Saturday, 5:00 p.m.

McCain to Visit Iowa

Reagan Tribute

McCain Reagan Tribute


This ad is a wonderful tribute to Ronald Reagan. It also helps us to better understand John McCain and his philosophy.

De Byerly Boards the Straight Talk Express

De Byerly, a veteran social conservative grassroots activist in Iowa has boarded the Straight Talk Express. Over the last decade De has been an influential voice in Iowa Republican politics, and has worked for a wide variety of candidates and conservative causes.

“After fully researching Senator McCain’s conservative credentials, I determined that he was the right person to lead our country at this critical time,” Byerly said. “Grassroots Republicans will enthusiastically support Senator McCain because of his consistent commitment to life, traditional marriage, fiscal discipline, and a strong national defense.”

Byerly is no stranger to Iowa grassroots politics and has been extremely active in advancing social conservative causes. She has been an important grassroots activist for Iowa Right to Life, Iowa Christian Alliance, and the National Rifle Association (NRA). In addition, she serves on the board of the Caring Pregnancy Center in Cerro Gordo County.

“De is a tremendous addition to our growing Iowa grassroots organization,” Senator McCain said. “I’m proud to be joined in this campaign by someone who has worked so hard to promote our shared conservative values.”