Last night, Iowa Democrats held their annual Fall Gala in Des Moines, headlined this year by actor and Saturday Night Live Trump impersonator Alec Baldwin. In response, Gov. Kim Reynolds shot out a fundraising email slamming Democrats for putting “Hollywood values over Iowa values” (read the email in full at the bottom of this post).
“Democrats have shown they learned nothing from this last election, and continue to stand alongside the powerful elite- from Hollywood to their allies in Washington,” read the email, which also indirectly criticized liberals for supporting NFL athletes’ protest against racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem.
The obvious irony in this is that Reynolds was — and remains — an enthusiastic supporter of President Trump, a former reality TV show host who has made appearances in over a dozen Hollywood films and TV shows. Reynolds continued to back Trump before the election after the Washington Post broke the story of the tape from behind the scenes of the TV show Access Hollywood in which Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women by “grab[bing] them by the pussy.”
The Democrats’ annual Fall Gala until recently was called the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner but renamed, in the words of former party chair and current gubernatorial candidate Andy McGuire, “to align with the values of our modern day Democratic Party: inclusiveness, diversity and equality.”
Meanwhile, Reynolds’ 2018 campaign is co-chaired by Congressman Steve King, who has called plans to replace the slave-owning, Native American slaughtering former President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill with the black abolitionist Harriet Tubman “racist” and “sexist.”
And on Monday, hours before Baldwin spoke in Iowa, Trump held an event at the White House intended to honor Native American code talkers during which he spoke in front of a portrait of Jackson and mocked Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas,” a racist gibe he’s used repeatedly to reference the senator’s disputed claim to have Native heritage.
Here’s the full text of Reynolds’ fundraising email:
Friend,
Tonight, Iowa Democrats are gathering in Des Moines for their annual fundraising dinner, flying in their keynote speaker: Hollywood Actor Alec Baldwin.
With this choice, Iowa Democrats have made it clear where they stand: Hollywood values over Iowa values. Help us send a message to Iowa Democrats and the Hollywood Liberals tonight!
With a $15, $25, or $35 contribution from you today, we can share the Governor and Lt. Governor’s vision for building a better Iowa with hardworking Iowans in every corner of the state.
Governor Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg grew up in rural Iowa, they were raised to respect the flag, and the men and women who fight for it. They need your help in this next election. Consider making a contribution NOW.
Democrats have shown they learned nothing from this last election, and continue to stand alongside the powerful elite- from Hollywood to their allies in Washington. Tell us where you stand.
Please consider making a contribution today.
-ReynoldsGregg Team
Correction: This post previously misstated the relationship between Reynolds and King. King serves as a co-chair of Reynolds’ 2018 campaign, not the other way around.
