I’m putting up this thread early because of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, which starts at sundown Friday evening. While I’m in services, a large crowd will attend the Republican Party of Iowa’s Reagan Dinner in Des Moines. Representatives Steve “10 Worst” King, Tom Latham, gubernatorial nominee Terry Branstad, Senator Chuck Grassley, and Iowa GOP Chairman Matt Strawn will speak before the keynote address by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

C-SPAN will televise the event. Political junkies will watch to see how Palin addresses the activists whose support she’ll need if she runs for president in 2012, as expected. An early poll commissioned by The Iowa Republican blog found Palin in fourth place among Iowa Republicans this summer, behind Mike Hucakbee, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Some supporters of Bob Vander Plaats for governor have hard feelings about her substance-free endorsement of Branstad shortly before the June primary. Will she placate them tonight by enthusiastically backing the effort to remove Iowa Supreme Court judges from office this November?

I encourage Bleeding Heartland readers who watch the Reagan Dinner to post your impressions here. Please refrain from sexist insults when talking about Palin.

My only prediction is that no speaker will acknowledge how much Ronald Reagan raised taxes as president and as governor of California.

This is an open thread, so share anything on your mind this weekend.

UPDATE: Apparently Palin praised Terry Branstad’s record on supporting special education. The Iowa Democratic Party set the record straight in a statement I’ve posted after the jump.

Ben Smith summarized Palin’s message as defending the Republican insurgency. She still hasn’t explained why Iowa is one of the few places where she backed the establishment candidate (Branstad) over the more conservative alternative.

Jonathan Martin wondered why Grassley talked about Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi so much. He’s been doing that for a while–for example, during his joint appearance with Roxanne Conlin on Iowa Public Television.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

DES MOINES – While Sarah Palin’s speech failed to focus on a single issue, one of the oddest portions of her speech was her praise for Terry Branstad’s record on supporting special education programs for Iowa’s children.

“Terry Branstad’s record of cutting special education programs and aid for mentally and physically disabled children is quite clear and hardly deserving of praise,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky, who recently retired after 30-years of teaching special education. “I, along with many Iowans, witnessed first hand as Terry Branstad dismantled programs and put special education in danger across the state.”

Highlights of Branstad’s record on special education include:

Branstad Proposed Cutting Special Education Budget by $3 Million:  The Des Moines Register reported in March 1993 that, “Branstad, a Republican, recommended doing away with the system that Iowa has used for 17 years to finance education programs for physically and mentally disabled children. The system gives extra weight to disabled students in figuring state aid to school districts.  The governor instead proposed that the money districts receive for special education be based on a percentage of their regular program budgets. Some districts would get more money, some less, than they do now. The percentage would be based on an average of special education costs across the state.”  [Des Moines Register, 3/20/93]

Branstad Cut $10 Million in School Aid for Handicapped Students:  The Des Moines Register also reported in January 1984 that, “A state agency cut $10 million in new funding for handicapped school children on Monday, reversing an earlier decision.  The change was urged by Gov. Terry Branstad as a budget balancing move after he forgot to include money for it in his 1984-85 budget.”  [Des Moines Register, 1/24/84]

Branstad’s Cuts Resulted in a Rise in Property Taxes:  The Des Moines Register reported in January 1984 that, “The result, said committee members, is that many schools will have to increase property taxes, borrow money, curb spending or take money from other programs to pay for special education.”  [Des Moines Register, 1/13/84]