In regards to Branstad’s comments about Iowa’s blind and visually impaired at a meeting of local conservatives, IDP Chair Michael Kiernan said,

“Comments like Branstad’s have no place in Iowa, no matter what party you’re affiliated with. I condemn both the content and the language he used in the strongest possible terms.”

Kiernan was reacting to the disclosure of an audio recording of an invitation-only meeting Branstad held with evangelical leaders on Oct. 28 to try and win their support for his bid for the Republican nomination for Governor. Speaking about budget cuts, Branstad said:

“We went from like 64 agencies to 25 agencies. The one we weren’t able to get done was the Commission for the Blind, because the Legislature just couldn’t take the heat from the tap tap tap of the white canes.”

The quote, as well as the full audio from the meeting, can be found here. The meeting is the same one at which Branstad admitted he had no plan to fix the state budget.

The unscripted Branstad is very revealing, and his comments early in the race are very important for Iowans to pay attention to, Kiernan said Wednesday.

“For most candidates for public office, making a few mistakes early on — when you’re getting used to being on the stump — wouldn’t be surprising,” Kiernan said. “But this is a man who spent the better part of his career in the public eye. He knows exactly what he is saying and how it will be interpreted.”

Kiernan called for Iowans to hold Branstad accountable for what the IowaKnowsBetter website calls “appalling” statements by the former Governor.