Posted on 06/25/2014 8:03:51 PM PDT by iowamark
Republican First Congressional District nominee Rod Blum exuded confidence as he spoke to the crowd of more than 1,400 delegates at the Iowa GOP state convention earlier this month. The Dubuque businessman faces an uphill fight in November, but Blum believes it’s a fight he can win.
“Is it a great time to be a Republican or what?” Blum asked the crowd upon taking the podium. “We have got a great lineup this year. This is our time. Our energy is high. The crowd turnouts have been tremendous as we’ve travelled around eastern Iowa and we’re going to do it in November. Mark my words.”
Blum emerged triumphant in the June 3 primary with 55 percent of the vote in a three-way race. He faces former Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy, who handily won the six-way Democratic primary. The Dems maintain a registration edge of 26,000 active voters in the First District. The seat is currently held by Bruce Braley, the Democrats’ U.S. Senate nominee. Pulling off the upset in this district would send shockwaves around the country.
When introduced at the state convention, Blum received a raucous ovation from attendees.
“It’s always great to be in a room of 2,000 people who believe in personal responsibility, who believe in constitutionally limited government, who believe in fiscal sanity, believe in free markets and believe in the sanctity of life,” Blum said to applause from the delegates.
Pat Murphy has a long record and some questionable decisions that Blum can exploit. He looks forward to contrasting his stances with the liberal Democrat’s.
“We know what we’re headed into this November. We know what Pat Murphy and the Democrats’ playbook is. We’ve seen it before. It’s tired, it’s old and it’s stale,” Blum said.
Murphy will run on typical Democrat rhetoric of raising the minimum wage and income equality. Blum says he will run on getting this U.S. economy booming so everyone’s income increases.
“I like to think my views are Iowa common sense. It’s common sense to balance your budget. We have record revenues, $3.1 trillion coming into the federal government this year. We do not have a revenue problem in Washington, D.C. We have a spending addiction,” Blum added.
Rod Blum is a lifelong Iowan who grew up in poverty. Both of his parents had 10th grade educations and the house Blum and his three brothers grew up in had dirt floors.
“We didn’t have a lot materially but my parents instilled in me the Iowa values of education, of hard work, of thrift and personal responsibility. I carried those values with me to college and I carried those values with me as a young man in the ‘80s trying to live his version of the American Dream,” Blum said.
Rod Blum achieved that dream. He started a software company that grew from five employees to 325, in just five years. The company went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Blum was rewarded by being named Iowa Entrepreneur of the Year in 1994.
The Dubuque businessman wants to help young people achieve that American Dream, just like he did. Rod Blum says that is why he is running for Congress.
Blum has been on the campaign trail for 14 months and this is his second attempt at a congressional seat. He was a close runner-up to Ben Lange in the 2012 GOP primary.
Blum’s support spans the Republican spectrum. He joined Governor Branstad and the statewide ticket on a handful of stops through the First District earlier this month. He says if Washington, D.C. treated taxpayer money that way Iowa does, this country would be in much better shape.
“Ronald Reagan was right in 1980 and he’s right today when he said no nation can tax and spend its way to prosperity,” Blum said. “We’ve got to balance this budget. We do it on our kitchen table, we do it in the state of Iowa and there’s no reason we cannot be doing it in Washington, D.C.”
Blum also wants to rein in a president who regularly violates his oath to uphold the Constitution.
“This November we need to send a message to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that no one is above the law,” Blum said.
Should we care?
What a tedious remark.
Ping.
IA-1 is the worst district in the state (marginally worse than the IA-2) but Blum is financially competitive.
Mississippi much?
The speech was on June 14.
Great video / campaign speech. Rod Blum for POTUS!!
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