Culver tour drops the ball in Iowa City

If a Governor Falls on an Empty Campus, Does He Make a Sound?

Governor Chet Culver will be doing an "Announcement Tour" next week. It's a Good Thing that The Guv is getting out and about, especially while the three wannabees in the Republican primary are all over the place.

But if you're going to do it, do it right. Not to be parochial, but my first move was to check the local stop on the 41 county tour:

WHAT: Johnson County "Choosing a Better Iowa" Event
WHO: Governor Chet Culver, First Lady Mari Culver
WHEN: 3:00 PM
WHERE: IMU River Terrace
125 N. Madison St.
Iowa City, IA

A campus event the week after finals? At 3:00 in the afternoon? Do they even WANT people there?

The students and faculty who'd usually show up are gone, and the seniors who are free at 3 in the afternoon won't want to walk the block and a half or so from the nearest parking ramp. Heck, it's even on the river side of the IMU, so you can't even drop people off then go park. (At least the ramp will be empty.) There's no way to get a moving vehicle within a touchdown of the site, unless you're a State Trooper.

I reluctantly admit that the state does not revolve around Iowa City (except on football game days) so the timing of the tour, during the three deadest weeks of the year for my town, is what it is. And with 41 stops in a week, someone's gonna be stuck with the middle of the workday.

But even assuming your slot is 3:00 in the afternoon the week after finals, you'd think Team Culver would have come up with something else. Do a hospital thing. Do a Coralville thing. Do an Oaknoll thing. Do anything but a freakin' campus event.

I hate to embarrass anyone, but the small crowd will be more embarrassing.

While I'm grumbling, and this isn't Culver specific because everyone is guilty: call it something other than an "announcement." As the guy who diligently tracked the 125 legislative races, I'm a stickler: any "announcement" that comes after the nomination papers are filed is superfluous. Glad you're "announcing" your candidacy, Governor, but I voted last week and saw your name on my ballot so I kind of figured it out already.

I hate "exploratory committees" too. And people who say "I'm not a politician." If you're seeking an office, you are by definition.