- Daily Photo: Obama Jokes Around at G-20
- Blackwater gets replaced in Iraq
- Daily Photo: U.S. Marines Look Out for Taliban in Afghanistan
- Hillary Clinton the Tomboy and Her "Ah-Ha" Moment
- Obama Administration Sudan Envoy Headed to Region
- Daily Photo: Potential Flashpoint in Iraq
- Clinton Says New Afghanistan-Pakistan Plan Depends on Diplomacy
- Exclusive: Three Israeli Airstrikes Against Sudan
- Additional 4,000 Troops to Be Ordered to Afghanistan
- Daily Photo: Navy Submarine Trains in the Arctic
- Alarm Over North Korea Missile Prep
- Anti-Terror Stimulus? US Offers Rewards for Top Terrorists
- Daily Photo: Pakistani Women in Refugee Camp
- Condoleezza Rice Appears on "The Tonight Show"
- Diplomat and Aid Group Sound the Alarm on Darfur Camp Situation
- auto industry rescue
- Ballotwatch
- Biden, Joe
- Bush, George W.
- Clinton, Bill
- Clinton, Hillary
- Dodd, Chris
- Edwards, John
- Giuliani, Rudy
- Gravel, Mike
- Huckabee, Mike
- Hunter, Duncan
- Inauguration
- Iraq
- Kucinich, Dennis
- McCain, John
- Obama, Barack
- Palin, Sarah
- Paul, Ron
- Romney, Mitt
- Tancredo, Tom
- Thompson, Fred
- Veepstakes
- Vote 2008: Democrats
- Vote 2008: Republicans
- Washington
- White House
« Previous | Main | Next »
Giuliani Makes Amends With Iowa Farm Family
Email
ShareMay 14, 2007 9:08 PM
ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: The first fracas of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, R-N.Y., has been resolved amicably.
This weekend the VonSpreckens -- self-described "poor farmers" from eastern Iowa -- rocked the political universe that is the Hawkeye State by going public with a complaint about the candidate from New York City.
Deborah VonSprecken told the Des Moines Register that the Giuliani campaign canceled an anti-estate tax event that was to be held on their 80-acre farm outside of Olin.
"They checked our assets, and since we're not considered millionaires, they canceled," the fiesty Mrs. VonSprecken told her local newspaper, which was later picked up by the state's newspaper of record.
"Why would Rudy Giuliani not come speak to the average Americans that live in eastern Iowa, instead of qualifying you as a millionaire before he will show up to your place?" she continued.
Republican nomination rival Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was quick to pounce on the controversy, personally calling the pride-wounded couple to apologize.
Not to be outdone, Giuliani quickly struck back, reaching out to the VonSpreckens on the phone and in person.
Deborah VonSprecken tells ABC News that Mayor Giuliani called Sunday and spoke to her husband, "ask(ing) if he could talk with us and then apologized and asked if he could come see us and when would be a good time."
Giuliani visited the VonSprecken farm Monday.
"It was very small, very relaxed for me, for my benefit," Mrs. VonSprecken reports.
She seems to have found this whole ordeal rather overwhelming.
In addition to the Mayor and the VonSpreckens, one reporter was there from the local weekly newspaper, the Anamosa Journal-Eureaka, which publishes every Thursday, circulation 2,245.
Did the Mayor apologize in person as well? "Absolutely. He explained," VonSprecken told ABC News.
And she says she's back on the Giuliani team, accepting the position of Jones County Chair for the campaign.
Jones County Chair is not a paid position, she says, "It's volunteer."
Did the Giuliani campaign offer to pay for the event she threw and then had to cancel. "That was not an issue, no comment," she says.
"It was a very, very pleasant meeting," VonSprecken says.
"And one-on-one!" shouts Jerry, her husband.
"And one-on-one," she adds. "And we resolved our issues."
And thus we bid adeiu, perhaps forever, to VonSpreckengate.
May 14, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (0)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Post a comment
