Iowa House: Jubilation in Progressive Community as Rants Faces Demotion

by Linda Thieman

It’s been a tough couple of years for Christopher Rants (R-Sioux City).  First, the Republicans lose control of the Iowa House and Rants loses his position as speaker, and now, Rants is facing yet another demotion—this time, from inside his own party.

That’s right, all the way from top gun to nada.  As the Sioux City Journal said, “No assistant leader. No whip. Nothing.”

Blog for Iowa applauds this remarkable decision, for the following reasons gleaned from previous BFIA posts (here is just a partial list from the past several years, but I’m sure if you look it up in the Annals of Hell, you can find the full list in its fiery entirety):


1)  March 13, 2005

State Reps. Rants and Horbach Soft on Meth
by Jon Gaskell, Pointblank Des Moines

Iowa House Speaker Christopher Rants (R-Woodbury) and Rep. Lance Horbach (R-Tama) worry that meth makers' civil liberties will be violated if Iowa requires ID to purchase the main ingredient used to make the devastating drug….

Still we're forced to listen to the likes of State Rep. Lance Horbach [R-Tama], who points out that meth heads will still find pseudoephedrine at pharmacies and on the Internet (essentially making his argument: “Why fight it?”), as well as Speaker of the House Chris Rants [R-Woodbury], an allergy sufferer who also happily picks up checks from pseudoephedrine manufacturers and grocery store and convenience store representatives.


2)  February 16, 2006

Report on Health Care Lobby Day in Des Moines
by Caroline Vernon
contributions by Karen Metcalf

Increase in the cigarette tax:

Research shows that increasing the tax by $1/pack would stop 4700 young people in Iowa from starting. This translates into better health and substantial savings in health care costs from tobacco-related illnesses.

We found broad bi-partisan support for this proposal, particularly if the revenue generated by the tax is allocated specifically to health care. While the Senate last year approved a cigarette tax hike, the effort has been blocked in the House because House Speaker Christopher Rants, (R) – Sioux City, says he won't allow debate.

Rants sponsored a political organization, Iowa Leadership Council, that received more than $60,000 from tobacco companies. The “Rants For Statehouse Committee” also received over $4,000 from big tobacco and yet Rants insists these generous contributions have nothing to do with the fact that he refuses to allow this proposal to come to the floor for debate!


3)  September 20, 2004

Iowa: The Importance of Voting
by Linda Thieman

I find it truly amazing what the GOP will do to win an election.  I suppose my question should be, “What WON’T they do?”

We’ve seen blatant evidence that the GOP intends to prevent people from going to the polls by any means, and now Iowa’s House Speaker Christopher Rants (R-Deep Black Hole) is joining the cause against Democracy, recommending that people stay home this election year and NOT VOTE.

In particular, Rants is against the promotion of the use of absentee ballots, no doubt because in Iowa, Democrats who vote by absentee ballot far outnumber Republicans.  According to the Iowa Democratic Party, Rants has made statements critical of voter education programs being undertaken by the Iowa Secretary of State, including distribution of statewide voter guides.