Battle lines drawn over budget

The battle lines seem to be clearly drawn over the state budget, and no compromise is in sight. Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs says Democrats aren’t ready to back down. “We don’t know where the road goes from here,” Gronstal says. “We don’t know if we’re going to reach some resolution in two or three days or whether it’s going to be two or three weeks.” “Yes, there is still room for compromise, but we are not going to walk away from the things we hold most dear,” Gronstal says. Republican House Speaker Christopher Rants of Sioux City says the G-O-P isn’t ready to conceded ground either. “Is it worth standing up for the Iowa taxpayer? Absolutely,” Rants says. “We’re $110 million apart.” Rants says it’s “unfortunate” that Democrats haven’t responded to some of the concerns Republicans have raised. Yesterday afternoon, Democrats from the House and Senate met behind closed doors to cheer one another and cheer their fight to spend more than House Republicans want to spend. House Democratic Leader Pat Murphy of Dubuque says the pep rally was an emotional boost. “Democrats in the House will be here as long as it takes. That includes tonight. That includes tomorrow. It includes tomorrow night, includes Thursday, includes Thursday night, includes Friday, Saturday, Sunday,” Murphy said after the rally as his voice broke with emotion. “As long as it takes.”