October 6, 2022

Iowa Republican Governor Attacked for ‘Racist’ Political Ad

Kim Reynolds’ sin? She put out a political ad, over a week ago, attacking her opponent.

Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, a white female who is running for reelection against a black female opponent, stands accused of … racism. The Iowa Democratic Party chairman, a black man, leveled the charge against her. Reynolds’ sin? She put out a political ad, over a week ago, attacking her opponent for what Reynolds considers bad Democratic policies. In response, the Iowa Democratic Party chair Ross Wilburn tweeted: “We need to call this what it is: a cheap, racist and dangerous stunt using harmful stereotypes to score political points.”

Did Reynolds’ ad denounce her opponent as “a low-IQ individual,” as former President Donald Trump called black Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., a put-down that CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin described as “racist”? Of course, it was not “racist” when Waters, a Cal State sociology major, questioned the intelligence of Dr. Ben Carson, the Yale and University of Michigan Medical School grad and the black former head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins and Trump’s choice for HUD Secretary. About Carson, Waters said, “This guy just doesn’t have the background, the capability, the intelligence to do the job. He doesn’t know what he’s doing.” No, Reynolds did not do that.

Did Reynolds, like Hillary Clinton, characterize “half” of the supporters of her opponent as “irredeemable” and consigned to a “basket of deplorables”? No, Reynolds said nothing of the sort.

Did Reynolds, as did President Joe Biden, denounce her opponent’s supporters as “extreme” adherents of “semi-fascism”? Biden, days later, added: “MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution. They do not believe in the rule of law. They do not recognize the will of the people. …. They promote authoritarian leaders, and they fan the flames of political violence that are a threat to our personal rights.” Never mind the long list of Democratic “election deniers” and “extreme” adherents of “semi-fascism” including former Vice President Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, former Sen. Barbara Boxer, former President Jimmy Carter, Stacey Abrams and Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the Jan. 6 Commission. (See my recent article, “What About Democratic ‘Election Deniers’?”) No, Reynolds’ ad did nothing of the sort.

Oh, by the way, how is Reynolds doing as a governor? In a July 2022 Des Moines Register poll, Reynolds held a 17-point lead over her opponent. The libertarian Cato Institute grades governors, A through F, based on their tax and spending record. In 2020 — the last Cato report card — Reynolds received a A, one of only four governors to score that high.

So, what in the name of Adolf Hitler/fascism/the KKK did the “racist” 30-second ad actually say and depict? Well, it starts out with Rep. Cori Bush, D-Missouri, who is black, saying, “Defunding the police has to happen.” Then it cuts to Reynolds, sitting at a table, who says: “Watching the news, you wonder. Has the rest of the country lost its mind?” Reynolds then says: “Attacks on the police. Open borders. Paying people not to work. Aren’t you glad you live in Iowa?” This was accompanied with three quick visuals: a violent street protest; a video of the southern border being overrun; and a sign that reads “From Work To Welfare.” The last 10 seconds shows Reynolds walking down a Main Street-like sidewalk and passing small business storefronts. She says: “Here we still have common sense. We kept businesses open and kids in school. We cut taxes, support our police. Because in Iowa, America still works.”

That’s it.

No pickup truck dragging a black man chained to the bumper? No cross burning on the suburban lawn of a black Des Moines family? No fist-shaking mob of Aryan brothers waving the Confederate battlefield flag while marching in the middle of the street in a black neighborhood? C'mon, Gov., raise your game!

I promptly challenged Wilburn, via Twitter, to a debate at a time and place of his choosing. I want him to enlighten me on exactly how and why a normal, sentient human being could deem this standard political ad “racist.” So far, no response from the chairman.

COPYRIGHT 2022 LAURENCE A. ELDER

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.