My name is Matt Wells. I live in little old Washington, Iowa. The only reason I live in Iowa is that God used a confluence of political events to put me on the path to meet multiple Iowans during the 2015-2016 caucus cycle. I found a church that has become my home and I haven’t left. Since I’ve chosen to stay in the area unless God moves me away, I’ve also chosen to get involved with local conservative activism. I know a whole huge group of activists and we talk daily about where Iowa needs to go from here.
I said all of that to say this: We will not see marked improvements to the social well-being of younger Iowans until we end the cabal of Republican Party of Iowa (RPI) leadership. We’ve seen huge gains in the numbers of Republicans elected across the state, mainly because of a sorting that is occurring nationally. Rural states with big activist bases like ours have essentially ended the Democrat Party’s influence in state government, but to what end?
The RPI is a cabal of big agricultural and big business-influenced hacks. We’ve seen some positive action like tax reform, constitutional carry, etc., but only because extreme political pressure was exerted on progressive RPI members to heed the voter sentiment. They would never tackle these issues if left to their own devices.
What has changed is that they aren’t the only elected voices in the party now. We’ve seen a crop of newly elected Republicans come into the state House. Men and women like Mark Cisneros, Jeff Shipley, Brad Sherman, Helena Hayes, and several others, have shown light on the rank corruption of the cabal populated by shills for the Grassley/Ernst/Branstad wing of Iowa politics. Our whole federal delegation is part of this cabal.
Sadly, the whole of House Leadership, elected in a rushed and planned out meeting less than 48 hours after polls closed and before at least one recount was finished, is also at odds with the new direction of Iowa conservatives.
The grassroots is concerned for the well-being of Iowa children and the individual rights to free speech and freedom from an encroaching federal leviathan. We have smut being peddled by some union-backed teachers in Iowa government schools. We have University of Iowa education professors offering extra credit for reading LGBTQ/Alphabet mafia literature to children in grade schools and after-school programs. We have drag queens showing young boys how to wear dresses and put on makeup in taxpayer-funded libraries in places like Iowa City.
The selected leadership of the Iowa House threatens members who actually work for the citizens. They don’t want to take up the righteous fight of protecting children from the Rainbow Jihad. They don’t want to take up the fight against the insane and discriminatory ESG and DEI policies so many corporate entities use to discriminate against qualified job applicants, qualified contractors, and qualified loan candidates.
Men like representatives Pat Grassley, Matt Windschitl, and Steve Holt talk a good game at events where grassroots conservatives happen to be in attendance, but the Speaker of the Iowa House uses underhanded intimidation tactics and threats of pulled campaign funds, committee assignments, and primary challenges to get people to “see things his way.” From inside sources I have talked to, Pat’s upset that his friends, like the easily controlled Dustin Hite and Joe Mitchell, were ousted by highly superior candidates who actually listen to constituents. He should take that up with the governor.
The RPI leadership is run like an organized crime family. They use threats and intimidation to get good people to shut up. It’s high time that people who care about the direction of Iowa put the screws on RPI leadership. Mark men like Pat Grassley, Matt Windschitl, Steve Holt and Bobby Kaufmann for the impediments to the cultural change so needed in the Iowa legislature.
I’m currently working on organizing hundreds of pastors to exert a huge amount of constituent pressure on these people and to provide air cover, so to speak, for the good side of the legislature. Democrats in Iowa have exactly zero power, so that can’t be used as an excuse.
To that end, I think there are essentially four legislative priorities that MUST be accomplished in the 2023 session.
*We must have a universal school choice bill with individual accounts so homeschoolers and private school families don’t pay double.
*We must have bills, like the ones that will be passed in Tennessee, addressing and prohibiting child gender modification quackery and prohibiting adult-themed drag shows and public lewdness of all sorts from being seen in places where children could be present. *Lastly, we need to break the cabal’s power by ending the campaign dollar slush fund controlled by the Speaker. Any candidate for office in Iowa should be able to give unused campaign funds to any other campaign for Iowa office they wish to. Currently, the RPI launders those donations through the Speaker and the House Majority Fund and that money is wasted on getting progressive Republicrats elected. That has to end.
It’s time for Iowa grassroots patriots to get involved.
Matt Wells
Washington, Iowa
I concur with Mr. Wells assessment. Not even before the ink is dry on the election, a power-hungry RINO establishment rushes all the newly elected freshmen into a caucus without so much as having a course on procedure to elect leadership. Many were forced to go along with hustlers like Pat Grassley et al. What is he afraid of? Why not put this power grab into the trash can and fully instruct and advise the freshmen class on how to nominate and select a speaker? I understand there is a new member orientation for the next caucus in December. Pat Grassley, why wasn’t a new member orientation offered before you usurped your position this time? Step aside and start over!
Matt Wells, you said that perfectly. There are many of us that agree whole heartedly. We will help. Show us how to help you.
Matt,
Leadership in the legislature and the Republican Party of Iowa are not the same thing. Your letter conflates the two. Pat Grassley, Matt Windschittel and others named, do not control the Republican Party of Iowa.
All donations into the funds and expenditures therefrom are subject to reporting to the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. Anyone can look them up online at any time. The funds are also subject to an annual audit by a major CPA firm. ‘Laundering’ money through these funds implies a criminal activity which, without evidence, is reckless at best.
You have a few points worth consideration, but they get lost in the inflammatory hyperbole.
I hope you are successful in organizing folks to promote the constructive part of your agenda. Hopefully, you can find a few who will also pitch in. It is difficult to win elections on hopes and dreams alone.
All Iowa politicians are owned by the ethanol/corn lobby. I’m sure Pat will be set up to take over his grandfather’s place in the senate the next time that seat is up in an election. If Chuck should pass on before then, I bet the governor will have her arm twisted to appoint Pat to the seat. Most Iowa Republicans are RINOs.