Ryan Binkley maintains economy messaging, grassroots campaigning before caucuses
Jan. 4—Ryan Binkley needs a miracle.
The Republican presidential candidate is not making nearly as many headlines as his opponents, most of which have also been able to secure a slot in the debates. With a few weeks left until the Iowa caucuses, he's depending on consistent messaging and good ol' grassroots campaigning.
Which meant, in the case of his Dec. 28 stop at Murph & Mary's Pub in Newton, a complementary bar tab and free pizza for his guests. Although the Texas pastor and businessman sipped a pop instead of a beer, he still helped himself to a slice and sat down with locals face-to-face before engaging in any political speech.
"The RNC has counted me out and the media has, but Iowa hasn't," Binkley told Newton News in an interview. "I'm in this because I believe in the fairness of Iowa. I believe in this process. And I feel called to. I see some things that are not being spoken about. No candidate is addressing the real issue of our economy."
Other candidates either breeze past the issue or sprinkle in familiar buzzwords like "inflation" or "Bidenomics" like they're secret ingredients to their political stew. For Binkley, the economy is the meat of the matter, and he spent a great deal of time talking about it in Newton, letting it marinate with his audience.
"Nobody is really addressing the true cause of inflation and how to really balance the budget. They're not addressing, I think, a real plan for the border. They're not addressing a true plan for healthcare. And we have one," Binkley said. "We've got detailed plans on these and Iowa has been listening."
But how many Iowans have been listening? When pressed about whether people truly care about the intricate and complicated issue of America's economy, Binkley said "oftentimes Americans doesn't look up until we have to." History shows folks many only pay attention after a crisis, like the Great Recession.
It was a result of bad policy, Binkley said. It is those same bad policies and deficit spending that he said is ruining the wealth of the poor and lower middle class.
"Inflationary spending doesn't hurt me ... You know who it hurts? Whoever doesn't own real estate. Whoever doesn't own a house. Whoever doesn't own a second home. Whoever doesn't own a business or shares of stock. The bottom 40 percent of Americans and young people," Binkley said.
Ryan Binkley, a Republican presidential candidate, speaks to guests during a Dec. 28 campaign stop at Murph & Mary's Pub in Newton.
Young people — especially those graduating colleges — are "getting destroyed" and are entering an economy where job offers are slim and earnings are low. Even worse, some are experiencing underemployment and thereby putting their degree to waste, Binkley said, and they're not financially independent.
"That wasn't the dream of going to college to come home and live with mom and dad," he said. "Sometimes you have to. Sometimes it's OK. I've got a child living with me who is getting his MBA and working full-time ... At the end of the day, the reason is inflation is outpacing wages."
Putting together a balanced budget for the United States government, Binkley claimed, will corral inflation, create a healthy job market and stabilize banks to be able to loan out money and grow businesses. Binkley urged young people to pay attention to the economy, money and the spending of the federal government.
"All you've known — especially everybody that came out of college since COVID — is high inflation, a broken economy, a broken political system," Binkley said. "It hasn't always been this way. It doesn't have to be this way. It's not supposed to be this way. We can fix this."
Binkley said young people should be able to have gainful employment and a job that pays rent and after three or four years afford a down payment on a house.
"These are unreachable things today for so many young people," he said. "We need to bring that back. And we can. We can. If there's any time you need to march on Washington, it's now, and say, 'Quit spending my future away!' Because that's what they're doing now."
Perhaps he isn't the only one who needs a miracle.
Ryan Binkley, a Republican presidential candidate, speaks to guests during a Dec. 28 campaign stop at Murph & Mary's Pub in Newton.
