Checkbook Journalism With A Twist

Apparently the leadership of the Republican Party of Iowa is so busy worrying about the 2nd Amendment that they're having some issues with the 1st - and from their own side of the aisle.

Kevin Hall of TheIowaRepublican writes that Republican Party of Iowa leadership attempted to charge 's leadership to charge TheIowaRepublican $50 to cover a Republican legislative breakfast today, while other news outlets were not charged.

Hall said he refused to pay and instead walked out.

TheIowaRepublican has often been critical of current RPI chair A.J. Spiker and the current staff and leadership at RPI, dominated by supporters of Ron Paul.

"Because you deemed it necessary to charge TheIowaRepublican.com, and no other media members, it is obvious this decision was purely in retaliation for the things we have written, and nothing more," Hall wrote in an open message to RPI leadership posted on Facebook.  

I thought you were "constitutional conservatives". What happened to the First Amendment and freedom of the press? In RPI's mind, does the Constitution only apply to the press as long as they doesn't write negative things about you? What would "Mr. Constitution" Ron Paul say? I doubt Dr. Paul believes the First Amendment applies to only selected media. 

 It's interesting that the State of Iowa recognizes TheIowaRepublican as legitimate media, but the leadership of the Republican Party of Iowa does not. 

"Is this really how you're going to bring 'unity' to the Republican Party," asked Hall, "like you promised one week ago" at the state central committee meeting that re-elected Spiker and a Paul-dominated executive board.

Hall's had "legitimacy" issues before, getting tossed from a Leonard Boswell event last August. But it's more shocking when it comes from his own team.

For my money, TIR is one of the best sites in the state, an every-morning must read. True, the editorial stance isn't my taste, but there isn't a better source for the inside scoop in internal Republican politics in the state, and Kevin and partner in crime Craig Robinson always make for good reading.

And Republicans have almost always been accommodating when I show up, even though I stand out a bit in their crowd. I get just the right amount of a hard time and then I'm always more or less welcomed.

Now that I think about it, only one campaign ever threw me out... Ron Paul. Word to the wise campaign: when you throw a writer out, that becomes the story.