Politics Indiana V15 N3
By MARK SCHOEFF JR. WASHINGTON-Sen.BarackObamamadehistoryThursdaynightbyacceptingtheDemocraticnominationforpresident.Onthe45thanniversaryofDr.MartinLuther
King’s“IHaveaDream”speech,Obamabecame the first African American to havehisnameplacedatthetopoftheballot. AsexpectedinanObamaspeech,thereweremomentsofsoaringrhetoric.It’snosurprisethatsuchagiftedoratorwouldhithighpointsanddelivermemo-rablelines.Mostofthemcameattheend,withreferencestoKing’sspeechby the man who was fulfilling the dream
“Hillary contributed 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling. It turns out that the women of America aren’tfinished.” - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin
Friday, Aug. 29, 2008
Obama opts for apolitical entreatybeyond DemocratsBy BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS-BarackObama’srhetoricsoaredtotherimofastadiumamilehighThursdaynight,butthecentralmessageandtheimpressivesetweregroundedintherealitiesofthecomingslugfestwithJohnMcCain.Obamaoptedforanac-ceptancespeechwithadistinctpoliticalnature,mentioningMc-Cainadozentimes.Foracandi-datewhohadlongsoldhimselfasbeingabovetraditionalpartisanpolitics,Obamawasontheattackmodebeforemillions of Americans who tuned in for the first time. Obama obviously didn’twanttorepeatthemistakesof2004andJohnKerry,whoattemptedtotakethehighroadandwas“Swift-boated”toanarrowdefeatdespitetheincreasinglyunpopularIraqWar.“Therecord’sclear:JohnMcCainhasvotedwithGeorgeBush90percent See Page 4
Conventional Obama
ofthetime,”Obamasaidabout10minutesintothespeech.“Sen.McCainlikestotalkaboutjudgment,butreally,whatdoesitsayaboutyourjudgmentwhenyouthinkGeorgeBushhasbeenrightmorethan90percentofthetime?Idon’tknowaboutyou,butI’mnotreadytotakea10per-centchanceonchange.” Obamacontinued,“Thetruthis,onissueafter
Aggressive Obama aims at McCain
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beforeoureyes. Forthemostpart,though,Obamabecameaconventionalpoliticianoncehebegantalking.Theamountoftimehedevotedtoattack-ingSen.JohnMcCain,hisRepublicanopponent,wasremarkable. In spite ofthemostfavor-ablepoliticalclimateimaginableforDemocrats,theirstandardbearerfeltcompelledtoconcentratehisspeechonMcCain.Yes,Obamawasdemon-stratingthathecanpunchback.Butheactedasifhewasontheropes. BythetimeObamaconcluded,itwasclearthatMcCainisframingthe fight. One has towonderhowMcCain,whoisrep-resentingadividedpartyweigheddownbyanenor-mouslyunpopularpresident,canbetheonedictatingthetermsofthisrace. ObamawillsurelygetasolidbounceoutofhismasterfullyproducedInvescoFieldconcert.Butwhatmaybringhimbackdowntoearthisthatthemessagevoterstookawayfromtheextrava-ganzaisthatMcCainistheguytobeat. Why would theythinkthat?BecauseObamaseemedtomakethatverypoint.Hegavemuchmorecre-dencetoMcCain’sattacksbyelevatingtheminthemostimportantspeechofhiscampaign.IfObamaisthatworriedaboutMcCain‘sdigs,maybevoterswillplacehighvalueonthemaswell--andbelievethatMcCainhasraisedlegitimatemisgivings. Obamadidn’tsethimselfapartasaonce-in-generation(orlife-time)politicianonThursdaynight.Hesanktothepoliticalnorm,recitingalitanyofgauzy,orthodoxliberalgoalsandshopwornpromiseslikeparsing
thebudgetline-by-linetoeliminatewastefulprograms. He sounded more like a first-termsenatorthanheeverhasduringthecampaign.McCaincan’tbeataphenomenoninaterribleRepublicanyear like this one. But he definitely can competewithajuniorsenatorwhoistotheleftofacenter-right-leaningcountry. Iftheelectioniswagedatgroundlevel,ratherthaninamoreetherealrealm,McCainwillbeinhiselement. He’s the scrapy fighter who is
athisbestgrindingawayintownhallmeetingswhereissuesareparamount. Insuchanatmosphere,Mc-Cainactuallyhasachanceofconvinc-ingvotershecanwin.Suchapercep-tionishisonlyhopeforprevailinginNovember.AsBobDoleknows,ifpeopleneverthinkyoucanwin,youwon’t. OnThursdaynight,ObamacertainlyindicatedthathethinksMc-Caincanwin.Indoingso,heallowedMcCaintolandpuncheswithoutevenenteringthering. But we’re stillintheearlyrounds,andObamahasthecapabilityofthrowingadevastatinghaymakerby rising above the street fight. Mc-CainhadbetterputuphisdukesnextweekinSt.Paul.v Schoeff reports for HPI from Washington.
HOWEY Politics Indiana Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Friday, Aug. 29, 2008Page 2
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McCain-Palin ticketa big GOP surpriseBy BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS-JohnMcCaintookthebiggestrolloftheveepstakesdicetodaysinceDanQuaylewhenhetabbedAlaskaGov.SarahPalinashisvicepresidentialnominee. TheformermayorofWasilla,sheisthemotherof five with one of her sons preparing for a tour of duty inIraq.SheisanNRAmemberandisapro-life,givingbirthrecentlytoachildwithDownsSyndrome.Sheisamaverickandare-formerwhoreferstoherhusbandToddasthe“FirstDude”whoisaamemberoftheUnitedSteelworkers. “IknowitwilldemandthebestIcangiveandIpromisenothingless,”PalintoldavigorouscrowdinDaytonatmid-daytoday.Shesaidsheranformayorto“cutwastefulspendingandtaxes.” Inhisintroduction,McCainsaid,“SheisexactlywhatweneedinWashingtontoday.She’sexactlywhoIneed,whothiscountryneeds.” McCainnotedthatinthe2006gubernatorialrace,“Shebeatthelongoddstowinatoughelectionontheissuesofreformandpublicintegrity.” TheselectioncomesasMcCaincelebrateshis72ndbirthday.Shouldhewintheelection,hewouldbetheold-est president to take office. At that age andafteraboutwithmelanoma,hischoiceofvicepresi-dentwasseenasacrucial. “Youcouldknockmeoverwithafeather,”saidlongtimeWhiteHouseaideDavidGergenonCNN.“JohnMcCainlovesboldgamblesandthisisthebiggestgamble.” McCain unveiled Palin atanoontimerallyinDayton.At44,Palinisyoungerthanthe47-year-oldObamaand,likeMcCain,shecallsherselfamaverick(As-sociatedPress). TheObamacampaignexultedinthePalinselection,sayingittakesthe“experience”argu-ment“offthetable.”TheObamacampaignalsonotedthatshe is under investigation for the firing of a former state police official who was divorcing the governor’s sister. ButMcCainforcesbelievethatPalin-comingfromasfarofftheDCBeltwayasyoucan-willhelpthecam-paignmoveintothe“change”turfthatObamahasdomi-natedtodate.TheMcCaincampaignnotesthatPalinhasmore“executive”experiencethaneitherBarackObamaor
Sen.JoeBiden. JillHazelbaker,McCain’scommunicationsdirec-tor,onontheCBSTheEarlyShow,“JohnMcCainisgoingtomakethechoicefromhisheart.He’sgoingtochoosesomeonewhocanbeapartneringoverning.He’sgoingtochoosesomeonewhobringscharacterandprincipletothetable and who shares his priorities. And I’m confident that he’sgoingtomakeagreatpick.” The choice gives theRepublicansaWesternticketatatimewhenDemocratsweretakingaimatstateslikeColorado,NewMexicoandNevada-statesthatPresi-dentGeorgeW.Bushcommandedinhis2004re-electionbid.Palin’sselectionaccentuatesageographicaltwistaway
fromtheSouth,whichhassuppliedLyndonJohnson,JimmyCarter,thetwoPresidentBushes,BillClinton,AlGore,andLloydBentsentothenationaltickets.Instead,thetwomajorpartiesoptedforthemostuniquediversityinU.S. history with the first African-Ameri-canpresidentialnomineeandnowthefirst Republican female vice president nominee. Palinsaidshe“signedmajorethicsreforms”andappointedbothRepubli-cansandDemocrats.“ItoldCongressthanksbutnothankstothatbridgetonowhere.,”Palinsaid.“Ifourstatewantedthatbridge,we’dbuilditour-selves.”Sheaddedthatshehad“takenonthegoodoldboys.” “ThepeopleofAmericaexpectusto seek public office and serve for therightreasons,”Palinsaid.“Andtherightreasonistochallengethe
statusquoandservethecommongood.” “Thisisamomentwhereprincipleandindepen-dencematterbeyondpartylines,”Palinsaid.“Thisisamomentthatrequiresresolve,toughnessandstrengthofheartintheAmericanpresident.”ShesaidthatMcCainhadshownthequalities“inthedarkestofplacesintheser-viceofhiscountry.I’mgoingtomakesurenooneforgetsthatduringthiscampaign.Thereisonlyonemanwhohasfoughtforthisduringthiscampaignandit’sJohnMcCain.” “As the mother of oneofthosetroopsandascommanderoftheAlaskaNationalGuard,that’sthekindofmanIwantcommandingourtroops.”Palinsaid. And,Palinnoted,herselectioncomes88years“almosttotheday”thatAmericanwomengottherighttovote.ShepaidhomagetoDemocratsGeraldineFerraroandHillaryClinton.“ItwasnotedthatHillarycontributed18millioncracksintheglassceiling.Itturnsoutthatthewomen of America aren’t finished,” she said. v
HOWEY Politics Indiana Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Friday, Aug. 29, 2008Page 4
Obama,from page 1
issuethatwouldmakeadifferenceinyourlives--onhealthcareandeducationandtheeconomy--Sen.Mc-Cainhasbeenanythingbutindependent.Hesaidthatoureconomyhasmade‘greatprogress’underthispresident.Hesaidthatthefundamentalsoftheeconomyarestrong.Andwhenoneofhischiefadvisers--themanwhowrotehiseconomicplan--wastalkingabouttheanxietiesthatAmericansarefeeling,hesaidthatwewerejustsufferingfroma‘mentalrecession,’andthatwe’vebecome,andIquote,‘anationofwhiners.’” ObamatalkedofaHoosier.“We’reabettercountrythanonewhereamaninIndianahastopackuptheequipmenthe’sworkedonfor20yearsandwatchitshippedofftoChina,andthenchokesupasheex-plainshowhefeltlikeafailurewhenhewenthometotellhisfamilythenews.” ObamachallengedMcCaintodebatehimonforeignpolicy,saying,“IfJohnMcCainwantstohaveadebateaboutwhohasthetemperament,andjudgment,toserveasthenextcom-manderinchief,that’sadebateI’mreadytohave.ForwhileSen.McCainwasturninghissightstoIraqjustdaysafter9/11,Istoodupandopposedthiswar,knowingthatitwoulddistractusfromtherealthreatsthatweface.WhenJohnMcCainsaidwecouldjust‘muddlethrough’inAfghanistan,Iarguedformore resources and more troops to finish the fight against theterroristswhoactuallyattackeduson9/11,andmadeclearthatwemusttakeoutOsamabinLadenandhislieutenantsifwehavetheminoursights.Youknow,JohnMcCainlikestosaythathe’llfollowbinLadentotheGatesofHell--buthewon’tevengotothecavewherehelives.
Earthtones & Barack NASCAR WhilemostoftheDemocraticNationalConven-tionhadbeenhuedinblue,andshotsfromabovehadObamawalkingatopabluecarpetinfrontofGreekRe-vivalcolumns,thenetworkcameraangleshadaredhued,earthtonemonochromaticbackdropthatlenttotheheavypayloadofthespeech.WhilemanyexpectedBruceSpring-steen’s“TheRising”tocapoffthenight,thecampaignoptedformoderncountrymusic,andthensubduedstringsastheObamaandBidenfamilieswavedtothecrowd.ThiswasBarackNASCAR.Clearly,withtheClintons’emphaticendorsements,theyouthfulDemocraticbaseunitedwiththeparty’straditionalspecialinterestsnowatarm’slength,thiswasacampaignlookingtoconnecttoindependentand
Republicanvoters. Withintheseearthtones,ObamawantedtoruboffthecelebritysheenofthecampaignthatallowedMcCaintoshaveawayhisleadinthepolls.Pickingupthefamilybiog-raphythatwifeMichellehadarticulatedonMonday,Obamatalkedofhisabsentfather,hiswanderingmotherandhisstaunchgrandparentswhorolledwithPatton’s3rdArmyandbuiltFlyingFortresses,saying,“Now,Idon’tknowwhatkindoflivesJohnMcCainthinksthatcelebritieslead,butthishasbeenmine.Thesearemyheroes.Theirsarethestoriesthatshapedmylife.AnditisonbehalfofthemthatIintendtowinthiselectionandkeepourpromisealiveaspresidentoftheUnitedStates.”
Fleeting reference to King Obama made only fleeting references to Dr. Martin LutherKing,whose“IHaveaDream”speechtookplaceonAug.28,1963.“Anditisthatpromisethat45yearsagotoday,broughtAmericansfromeverycornerofthislandtostandtogetheronamallinWashington,beforeLincoln’sMemorial,andhearayoungpreacherfromGeor-giaspeakofhisdream,”Obamasaidtowardtheendofhisspeech.”Wecannotwalkalone,”thepreachercried.“Andaswewalk,wemustmakethepledgethatweshallalwaysmarchahead.Wecannotturnback.” ItwashereinthepenultimatesectionofthespeechthatObamawovetheaggressiverhetoricintothesettingandcalleduponKing’slegendaryaddressinfrontoftheLincolnMemorial. Instead,Obamainitializedhisspeechwithrecog-nitionofanationonthewrongtrack,asmanypollshaverevealed. “We meet at one of those defining moments --amomentwhenournationisatwar,oureconomyisinturmoil,andtheAmericanpromisehasbeenthreatenedoncemore,”Obamasaid.“Tonight,moreAmericansareout
HOWEY Politics Indiana Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Friday, Aug. 29, 2008Page 5
ofworkandmoreareworkingharderforless.Moreofyouhavelostyourhomesandevenmorearewatchingyourhomevaluesplummet.Moreofyouhavecarsyoucan’taffordtodrive,creditcardbillsyoucan’taffordtopay,andtuitionthat’sbeyondyourreach.Thesechallengesarenotallofgovernment’smaking.ButthefailuretorespondisadirectresultofabrokenpoliticsinWashingtonandthefailedpoliciesofGeorgeW.Bush.America,wearebetterthantheselasteightyears.Weareabettercountrythanthis.”
Details & Energy ManycriticshavetargetedObamaforlackofdetail.Herespondedtothembysayinghewillforgeataxcutfor95percentofthepeople,endthecapitalgainstax,respon-siblyendthewarinIraqwhileissuinga10-yearchallengetobreakAmerica’sdependencyonforeignoil. “Andforthesakeofoureconomy,oursecurityandthefutureofourplanet,Iwillsetacleargoalaspresident:In 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from theMiddleEast.Wewilldothis,”Obamasaidwhileblam-ingintertiaandMcCain.“Washington’sbeentalkingaboutouroiladdictionforthelast30years,andbytheway,JohnMcCain’sbeentherefor26ofthem.Andinthattime,he’ssaidnotohigherfuel-ef-ficiency standards for cars, no toinvestmentsinrenewableenergy,notorenewablefuels.Andtoday,weimporttripletheamountofoilthatwehadonthedaythatSen.McCaintook office.” Specifically, Obama said,“Aspresident,Iwilltapournaturalgasreserves,in-vestincleancoaltechnology,and find ways to safely har-nessnuclearpower.I’llhelpourautocompaniesretool,sothat the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here inAmerica.I’llmakeiteasierfortheAmericanpeopletoaffordthesenewcars.AndI’llinvest$150billionoverthenextdecadeinaffordable,renewablesourcesofenergy--windpowerandsolarpowerandthenextgenerationofbiofuels;aninvestmentthatwillleadtonewindustriesand5millionnewjobsthatpaywellandcan’tbeoutsourced.”
Guns, God & Gays Inthemostfascinatingsectionofthespeech,Obamatookonguns,Godandgaysinoneparagraph,comingeverclosertotouchingtheculturalrails.“Wemay
notagreeonabortion,butsurelywecanagreeonreduc-ingthenumberofunwantedpregnanciesinthiscountry,”ObamasaidinasectionthatechoedthestanceofformerIndianacongressmanTimRoemer,whoseekstoeliminate90percentofabortionsinadecade. “TherealityofgunownershipmaybedifferentforhuntersinruralOhiothantheyareforthoseplaguedbygang-violenceinCleveland,”Obamasaidofguns.“butdon’ttellmewecan’tupholdtheSecondAmendmentwhilekeepingAK-47soutofthehandsofcriminals.Iknowtherearedifferencesonsame-sexmarriage,butsurelywecanagreethatourgayandlesbianbrothersandsistersdeservetovisitthepersontheyloveinthehospitalandtolivelivesfree of discrimination. You know, passions may fly on im-migration, but I don’t know anyone who benefits when a motherisseparatedfromherinfantchildoranemployerundercutsAmericanwagesbyhiringillegalworkers.”
GOP reaction TheMcCaincampaigncriedfoulonseveralfronts,particularlywhenObamaquestionedhiscommitmentto
trackingdownOsamabinLaden.IndianaRepublicanPartyChair-manMurrayClarkobserved,“Werecognizethisforwhatiswas:awell-deliveredspeechonanhis-toricoccasion.ButBarackObamadidn’twinmyvotetonight,andbasedonthecontentofhisspeech,Ithinkit’sunlikelyhewontheheartsofmanyHoo-siers.However,forfuturegenera-tions,itisimportanttorecognizethattonightwasanimportantmilestoneinournation’shistory.” Thisspeechwasn’tthesmootharcmanyofuswhohaveheardObamaspeakmanytimesexpected.OntheIndianacam-paigntrail,heoftentranscended
thebluntoppositionofHillaryClin-tonandtalkedbeyondthetrenches.OnThursdaynight,Obamaenteredthem.Itwasbyfarthemostaggressivespeechhehasgiven.Thedelegatesinthestadiumweretransfixed by the towering, sprawling setting, it was easy to seehowthetruebelieversandHillaryconvertsmighthavegottensweptupinthemoment. Forthenewviewer,thiswasadifferentObama.HeprowledagainstMcCainandPresidentBushandtookhisglovesoff.Itcreatedsomewhatofajarringcontrasttohisnormalfareandithintsoftheepicpoliticalbattlethatliesjustaroundthecornerandwon’tfullyplayoutuntilNov.4.v
HOWEY Politics Indiana Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Friday, Aug. 29, 2008Page6
Obama’s messageto Hoosiers By JACK COLWELL SOUTHBEND-Amidstirringrhetoriccaptivatingafootballstadiumcrowdof80,000ThursdaynightinaColo-radoRockiessetting,BarackObamaaskedHoosiersback
onthelevelgroundofIndianatovoteforthemselves. No,hewasn’tsuggest-ingthattheywriteintheirownnamesonNov.4ballots.Andhewasn’tspeakingjusttoHoo-siersbutrathertoallintheTVaudienceacrossthenation,theaudiencethatismoreimpor-tantthancheeringpartisansinDenver. “Thiselectionhasneverbeenaboutme,”Obamasaid.“It’saboutyou.” ThiswasanimportantthemeasObamasoughtinhis
nominationacceptancespeechtokeepRepublicansfrommakinghimtheissueandtogetvoterstofocusinsteadonissuessuchastheeconomy,healthcare,breakingdepen-denceonforeignoilandevenontheconductofthewaronterror. Obama promised thatDemocratswoulddoabetterjobonthoseissues,whilecontendingthatJohnMc-CainwouldfollowthecourseofanunpopularBushadmin-istration. PollsshowvotersagreewithDemocraticapproach-esonmostissuesbutthattheyalsoaren’tsureObamaisreadytobepresident,especiallyinservingascommanderinchiefofthemilitaryforces.
Obamahitdirectlyatthat,saying:“IfJohnMcCainwantstohaveadebateaboutwhohasthetemperamentandjudgmenttoserveascommanderinchief,that’sadebateI’mreadytohave.” McCain has had successinridiculingObamaasacelebritywhocandrawacrowd,sameasParisHiltonorBritneySpears,butthatObama,sameasthoseattention-getters,wouldnotbeapresidentwithexperiencetomakesounddecisionsinacrisis. Inhisspeech,ObamadirectedsometoughtalkatMcCain, signaling that he will fight back against any Re-publicanridiculeofthetypethatdoomedthehaplessJohnKerry,the2004Democraticnominee. Hisreferencetotheright“temperament”foracommanderinchiefwasaclearreferencetoquestionsaboutMcCain’stemperorreportedoccasionallossthereof. Obama’s45-minutespeechcoveredissueafteris-sue,offeringablueprintofwhathemeansbychange,evenwithmentionofseekingaccommodationonsuchdivisivesubjectsasabortion,gunownership,immigrationandgaymarriage. Onmostofthemajorissues,ObamalinkedMcCaintothepoliciesofPresidentGeorgeW.BushanddeploredtheresultsofthoseBusheffortsathomeandabroad. If Obama was successfulingettingfolksaroundtheirTVsetsinIndianatolookattheissueshecitedandnottolookathimassomekindofarisk,hecouldputthestateinplayinthepresidentialelection.Hewantsthemtovoteforthemselves,fortheissuesimportanttothem.If voters do, in Indiana and elsewhere, after finding more agreementwithObamathanwithMcCain,theDemocraticnomineecouldwellgoontobeelectedpresident.Iftheylookmoreathimastheissueanddon’tlikewhattheysee,hewon’twin.v
Colwell has covered Indiana politics over five decades for the South Bend Tribune. He is a regular contributor to Howey Politics Indiana.
Friday, Aug. 29, 2008Page7
Bayh talks of his‘surreal’ veepstakesBy BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS-WeconductedthistelephoneinterviewwithU.S.Sen.EvanBayhlateTuesdayafternoonfromDenverattheDemocraticNationalConvention. HPI: DidyougetthetextmessagefromtheObamacampaignat3a.m? Bayh:I’mhappytoreportIwashappilyasleepat3a.m.becauseBarackandIhadspokenThursdayafternoon.Iwasnotawaitinginanticipation.IalreadyknewwhathisdecisionwasandIsupportitwholeheartedly. HPI: HowdidthephonecallwithSen.Obamago?Didyouknowitwascomingorwasitacalloutoftheblue? Bayh:Hecouldn’thavebeennicer.IknewBarackbutIdidn’tknowhimwellbeforeIwentthroughtheprocess.ButIthinkwegottoknoweachotherwellanddevelopedrespectandappreciationforeachotherthatisgeniune.Brian,hesaidalotofthingsverycomplimentary;thingsyouwouldimagineinacalllikethat.ButIthinkhegenuinelybelievedthem.Iknewthateventhough I was in the final three or two,itwasagoodchance,butitwasn’ta50/50chance.SoIwaspreparedforthat.Andhetoldmeheneededmenotonlyinthecampaignbutforthecountry.Itwillgoinanewdirection.ItoldhimIwoulddowhateverIcoulddotoaccomplishthat.IfIwastheonewhocouldhelphimthemost, fine. If it was somebody elseIwouldbefullysupportive ofthat. He also said, Brian, you made it to the final two or three.You’vegotgreatstrengthsandsoitwasaverygoodconversationandIthinkwe’regoingtohaveaverygoodrelationshipgoingforward. HPI:Atwhatpointthissummerdiditbecomeap-parentthatyouwereontheshortlist? Bayh:Iwaskindofanevolutionarything.AsSusanpointsout,Ihadnoexpectationofbeingconsideredbe-causeIwasastrongsupporterofHillaryClinton.Itstarts
withpublicspeculationbypeoplewhoreallydon’tknowwhat’sgoingon.Andthenhewaskindenoughtocallmeandsaid,“Look,we’regoingtocastawidenet.”HesaidhewouldbehonoredifIwouldbewillingtogothroughtheprocessofbeingconsidered.“We’regoingtocastawidenetandlookatanumberofpeople.ButtherewereonlyahandfulthatmeritseriousconsiderationandIthinkyou’reoneofthem.”SoIsaidthatIwouldbehonoredtobecon-sideredthen.Mytakeonthis,Brian,isthattogettothefinal two or three obviously you’ve got to have some pretty goodthingsthatrecommendyouoryoudon’tgetthere.Andobviouslyyoucan’thavetoomanynegativethingsotherwise you don’t get there. I hope it reflected well on
ourstate.Whenyougettothatpointitjustbecomeswhattheparticulardynamicsofthecampaignhappentobe.Wehadtwoorthreereallygoodpeopleanditwasaques-tion of who happened to fit their needs at that particular timebest.That’sthewayitis.DickLugarhasbeeninthispositionandmyfatherhasbeeninthisposition.Theyperformedgreatpublicserviceforourstate.SoI’mprettyphilosophicalaboutit. HPI: Atwhatpointinthesummerddyouknowyouwouldbevetted? Bayh:Ican’tremembertheexactdatebutifHill-ary dropped out in the first week of June or there abouts, it
Sen. Evan Bayh talks to the press at Concord HS in Elkhart earlier this month after campaigning with Barack Obama. (HPI Photo by Ryan Nees)
HOWEY Politics Indiana Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Friday, Aug. 29, 2008Page 8
wasprobablysometimeinJuly. HPI: DidyouhaveconversationswithSen.Clintononceitbecameclearyouwerebeingvetted? Bayh: Ididnottalktoheraboutthatwholepro-cess. That was confidential. Once it was known, I talked to heraboutitandshewishedmewell.ShecalledmeSatur-daynightaftertheannouncementjusttosaywhatastrongcandidateIwouldhavebeen,butshelikesJoeBiden.Ididnottalktoherindetailabouttheprocess.Theywerequiteadamant that it be kept confidential so I didn’t. HPI: Let’stalkaboutthetwoJulyeventswithSen.Obama.HowwereyouinvolvedinthePurdueUniversityforum?ThatobviouslygotusinthemediagoingsinceyouandSamNunnwerethere. Bayh:TheywantedtocometoIndiana.And,bytheway,allthetalkaboutthemnotbeingseriousinIndiana,well,that’snottrue.They’reseriousaboutit,evennow.Andthat’sgood.Sohecameheretocampaign,theywantedtofocusonnationalsecurityandSamNunnandIwerestrongvoicesonnationalsecurityandsotheyaskedifIwouldcomeandintroducehimandparticipateonthepanel.Ididn’thelpplanitbutIwasmorethanhappytointroducehimandparticipate. HPI: AndElkhart? Bayh:TheElkhartthingthateverybodygotallexcitedaboutitwasreallyjustacampaignevent,thereandPortage.Andonthebusbetweenthetwowespentalotofgoodqualitytimebutwedidnotdiscussonewordaboutthevicepresi-dentialsituation.Wetalkedaboutkidsandwetalkedaboutsports.Whichshouldtellyouhe’saprettyregularperson. HPI:AreyouaSoxfanoraCubsfan? Bayh:I’mnotfromChicago.Ikindofrootfortheunderdog.IknowtheowneroftheWhiteSox,JerryReins-dorf,soIkindofhavesomeallegiancethatway.ButsinceI’maDemocratIkindofrootfortheunderdogandhopetheCubbiesgetthecurseofftheirbacks.Ican’tremember...Baracktoldmewhichoneheis, HPI:He’saSoxfan.SouthSider. Bayh:IlovetalkingtoReggieLovebecausehe’saformerDukebasketballplayersowetalkedalotofsportstoo. HPI: Walkmethroughthislastcrazyweek.Whatwasthatlikewithallthespeculationandthemediaonyour
frontporch? Bayh:Itwassurrealattimes,watchingthefrontofyourhouseonTVinrealtimeandliterallynotbeingabletogooutandgetthemorningnewspaperortakeyourkidstocampwithoutapackofpresscomingaround.Andthenthelastdayoneofthenetworksliterallyhadsomeonefollowingmearoundinacar.Butthat’spartofthething,part of the situation. So we accepted all that. We were fine withit.Thelastcoupleofweekswereabitofanemotionalrollercoaster.Iknewwewereunderseriousconsideration,Iknewitwasasmallgroup,Iknewitwaslessthan50/50butstilladecentchance.Sowewerefollowingtheprocessjustlikeeveryoneelse. HPI:Couldyouhavesnuckoutthebackdoorandgottenawayfromthepressifyouhadto? Bayh:Notthewayourhouseisconstructed...well,IguessIcouldhavescaledthefenceandrunthroughtheneighbor’syard,but,Imighthaveimpaledmyself. HPI:WhatwasitliketoseeSusandragged
throughallofthis,particularlywhentheBloombergstorycameoutinthelastweek? Bayh:Hetoldmewhenhecalledmetoinformmeofthedecisionthathisdecisonhadnothingtodowithme.Ithadtodowithsomeofthethingsinthecampaigntheyweretryingtoaccomplish.Hetoldmethatthatwasnotgoingtomakethede-cision. I knew that first
hand,butlook,I’mnotgoingtocharacterizemyconversa-tions. HPI:What’syourviewofthenewsmediathesedaysaftergoingthroughthisrollercoaster? Bayh:Thenewsmediadoestheirjob.It’sanim-portantjobandItrynottosecondguessthem.(BayhrunsintoCBSanchorKatieCouricatthispointintheinterviewandtheychatforacoupleofminutes).Sorry,Brian,thatwasKatieCouric.ShehadbeenpredictingthatitwouldbemeandMittRomney,soshestillhasachancetobat.500. HPI:ObamadidnotrunwellagainstHillaryinIndiana’srivercorridorandyoualwayshave.Canhewinthereandwillyouhelphim? Bayh: ItoldhimIwoulddoeverythingtohelphimoutwhenitcomestocampaigninginIndiana.Iwilltakemydirectionfromhim.Andtheanswerisyes.Acoupleofthings:SouthernIndianaisnodifferentthantherestofourstateintermsofmiddleclassfamiliesstrugglingeconomi-
HOWEY Politics Indiana Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Friday, Aug. 29, 2008 Page 9
callywiththehighcostofhealthcareandthehighcostofgasoline.Peopleknowwehavetohaveabettereconomicpolicytocreatebetterpayingjobs.Theyaretiredofspend-ing$10billionamonthinIraqwhentheIraqishavea$79billionsurplus.So,Ithinkhecandowell.It’sgoingtotakesomecampaigningbutthat’swhatacampaignisallabout. HPI:WillitbecloseinIndiana?WillwebeseeingyouinOctober? Bayh: Iamgoingtobehome.I’vegotseveralweeksblockedoffwiththreeorfourdaysaweekhome.Ifhe’sgoingtobethere,I’llbewithhim.Iwillbehome;Iwillbecampaigning.Iliterallytoldhim,Brian,ifyoudecideI’mtheone,I’llgiveyoueverythingI’vegot,andifyoudecideonsomebodyelse,I’llstillgiveeverythingI’vegot.IftheyaskmetocampaignwiththemorforthemI’dbedelightedtodothat.
Bayhcalledbackafewminuteslaterandmadeonefinal point: Bayh:ToamplifywhatIsaidacoupleoftimes:whatultimatelymattersisnotme.WhatmattersisthepeopleofcountryandIndiana.That’swhyI’msupportingBarackObama.IwasaskedthismorningbytheIndianadelegationifIwasdisappointed.Well,Iamdisappointed,butit’snotforthepoliticalreasons.Iamdisappointedincostsofhealthcare.I’mdisappointedwiththewarinIraq,andthestateoftheeconomy.I’mreallygoingtobedisap-pointedifwedon’tdowhatwecantochangethat.Can-didatesareimportant,butpeoplearethemostimportant.Ultimatley,politicsisonlyameanstoanend.Sometimesthatgetslostinalltheactivity.v
HOWEY Politics Indiana Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Friday, Aug. 29, 2008Page 10
Post Obama Polls Trendlines: BarackObama’sgaininsupportamongregisteredvotersfromMondaytoWednesdayofthisweekwasinparttheresultofgainsamongconserva-tiveDemocrats--thegroupamongwhomtheDemocraticnomineehadlostgroundlastweekasheslippedtoanoveralltiewithJohnMcCain.GalluphasObamaleadingMcCain48-42percentinthelatestdailytrackingandheimprovedamongconservativeDemocratsfrom63percentto77percent.
2008 Indiana Governor Governor 2008:Republican:Gov.MitchDaniels,.Democrat:JillLongThompson.1996 Results: O’Bannon(D)1,075,342,Goldsmith(R)997,505,Dillon(L)35,261.2000 Results:O’Bannon(D)1,230,345,McIntosh(R)906,492,Horning(L)38,686.2004 Results: Daniels(R)1,302,912,Kernan(D)1,113,900,Gividen(L)31,644.2008 Forecast:Ifyou’relookingattrendlines,thereislittlegoodnewsforDemocratJillLongThomp-son.Whileshe’suponTV,it’snotastatewidebuy.Itdoens’tincludeSouthBendandFortWaynemarkets.Thompson’sbackerspointoutthatNorthernIndianaisherhomebase,butGov.MitchDaniels’campaignmanagerEricHolcombobserved,“ShelostherlasttwoelectionsinNorthernIndiana.” IndianaRepublicanstookapartthelastThompsonTVad.Init,anIndianapolistestimonialsays:“Propertytaxesareskyhighandhomeforeclosuresarewayup.”FACT:Gov.DanielsledthechargetocutpropertytaxesandmakethecutspermanentbyplacingthemintheConstitu-tion.JillLongThompsonsaysthecapsshouldn’tbemadepermanent.Onaverage,propertytaxesforhomeownersstatewidearedecreasingbyathird.ACambridgeCityTes-timonialsays:“Layoffsaresoaringandourwagesarefall-ing”FACT:JobsarecomingtoCambridgeCityandtherestofthestateinrecordnumbers.InJuly2006,DotFoodsannounced250jobsinCambridgeCity.InAugust2007,ReallyCoolFoodsannounced1,000jobsinthecity.AndaCarmelTestimonialsays:Highschooldropoutratesareup.SATscoresaredown.FACT:InCarmel,SATscoresareup19pointsfromlastyear,andtheir94.2%graduationrateisoneofthebestinthestate. “It’s clear that Jill LongThompsonisspendingallofthatout-of-statecampaigncashonnegativeadver-tising,”IndianaRepublicanPartyChairmanMurrayClark
said.“Whileit’sgoodtoseeotherstates’moneyspentinIndiana,theincorrectnatureofthechargesisdisappoint-ingandstraightoutoftheDemocraticPartyplaybookofallcynicismallthetime.” Therewasa$50,000donationfromEMILY’SListandanother$100,000fromtheISTA,butwhileDanielsispreparingtopurchasehundredsofthousandsofgrossratingpointsbetweenSept.7andNov.4,theThompsoncampaign’sTVbuysareactuallyscalingback. Shegetsnotailwindfromtheveepstakes.Anomi-nationforSen.EvanBayhwouldhavegivenheraccesstoDemocraticSenatorialCommitteemoney.Thatwon’thap-pennow.AndthepollshaveherdownindoubledigitsatatimewhenacampaignhopestogettoLaborDaywithinsingledigits.ASurveyUSApolllastweekhadDanielslead-ing52-38percent. There is evidence that theDemocraticPartyisstillsplintered.CSOArchitectshostedanAug.15fundraiserforGov.Daniels.JimSchellingerwasn’tthere,buthispart-nerswhocontributedheavilytohislosingcampaignwere.DanielscampaignsourcestellHPIthatthegovernorandSchellingerhavehadseveralfriendlyphoneconversations.AnotherprominentDemocrat,AlphaBlackburn,ishavingafundraiser for Daniels. The Professional Firefighters Union ofIndianaendorsedDanielsanddonated$5,000.TheIAFFunanimouslyendorsedBarackObamaforpresident.It’s worth noting that these fire union endorsmenets come asseveralcitiessuchasGary,SouthBend,KokomoandMuncie are poised to lay off firefighters as a result of the governor’staxreforms-HB1001. AndmanyobserversarestillscratchingtheirheadsattheThompson-Oxleycampaign’sdouble-teamingmosteventsthissummer.Normally,theticketsplitsuptohittwiceasmanyareas,butThompsonandDennieOxleyIIhavespentmostofthesummercampaigningtogether.TheywillsplitupforLaborDayparadesthisweekend. Thompson is tryingtofeedoffthefreshspateofplantclosingsaroundthestate.ShewasinRichmondWednesdaycommiseratingwithabout100ofthe275MasterbrandCabinetsemployeeswhoshowedupforworkandfoundtheirjobsgone.“IcameheretodaytolistentofellowHoosiersandsharewiththemmybeliefthatIndianacandobetter,”saidLongThompson.“TheseworkersandtheirfamiliesarevictimsoftheBush-Danielseconomy.Severalyearsagomyownmotherlostherfactoryjobwhentheplantwheresheworkedcloseditsdoors.Businessesarefailingandpeoplearehurting,yetwehaveagovernorwhorefusestoacknowledgethatthereisevenaproblem.Weneedanewapproachandweneednewleadershiptomakethathappen.”AnothersessionoccurredupinElkhart. Butaswe’vereportedinthepast,foreveryplantclosing,thegovernortrotsoutanewbusiness.Inhiscur-rentTVad,Danielsacknowledgesthejoblosses,butsaysthatforeveryonelost,hisadministrationispavingtheway
HOWEY Politics Indiana Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Friday, Aug. 29, 2008Page 11
fortwonewones. Thompsonsimplyhasn’t-todate-comeclosetopinningtheblameonDanielsforthehighgaspricesthathavegreatlyimpactedtheautoandRVindustries. Comingup:thereleaseofthethirdHowey-GaugePollat5p.m.Thurs-daySept.4attheIndianapolisCham-ber’sAnnualHobnob,whichwillincludefreshstatewidenumbersintheguber-natorialandpresidentialraces. Horse Race Status: LeansDaniels v
Congressional 4RD CD:Republican:U.S.Rep.SteveBuyer.Democrat:NelsAckerson.2008 Outlook: AdebatebetweenthetwocandidatesforIndiana’s4thcongres-sionaldistrictThursdaynighttooksev-eralpersonalturnsbutalsohitonawidevarietyoftopics.Inhisopeningremarks,BuyeraccusedAckersonofviolatingarulesetforthedebateandsaidbecauseofthattherewouldbenomoredebatesbetweenthetwo(LafayetteJournal&Courier).Ackersondidn’trespondtotheclaimuntilhisclosingremarks,whenhesaidhehadnoideawhatBuyerwasreferringto.“It’samysterytome,”hesaid.“IapologizeifImadeamistake.”DaveWyeth,amemberofthehostingHendricksCountyFarmBureau,saidBuyerwasreferringtoanewsreleaseAckersonsentoutWednesdayabouttheevent.Wyethsaidtherewasnowrittenruleaboutnotsendingoutreleases,butsaidtheeventwasintendedforonlyFarmBureaumembersandtheleader-ship. Buyersaidhebaseshispolicydecisionsonprinciplesandvalues.HealsodefendedhispartyallegianceafterAckersoncriticizedhimforbeing“100percentpartisan.”“Idon’twanttogotoaCongresswhereit’sclean,simpleandeasy,”BuyersaidafterstatingthatthefoundingfathersintendedtheretobecontentionintheHouseofRepresenta-tives.Ackersonsaidifelectedhewouldworkonabipartisanbasistotacklesolutionstoproblemsheseesincurrenteducationandenergypolicy.Attheclose
Indiana House Horse Race Democrats Republicans 51 49
TossupsHD26(Open)Pollesvs.Truitt HD15Lehevs.SuttonHD63(Open)Messmervs.BurgerHD31Harrisvs.Pearson HD52(Open)Yardevs.Papai HD89(Open)Swattsvs.Barnes HD97Elrodvs.Sullivan
Leans HD5Fryvs.Miller HD20Dermodyvs.CooleyHD17Demobowskivs.MacKillop HD48Neesevs.HardyHD46Tinchervs.Heaton HD35Lutzvs.MengeltHD62Blantonvs.Tarr HD44Thomasvs.Michael HD4Solidayvs.Chubb
LikelyHD36Austinvs.Burrows HD38Clementsvs.SnowHD68Bischolffvs.McMillin HD92Hinklevs.DeKemperHD69Cheathamvs.CoatesHD37Reskevs.GaskillHD70Robertsonvs.Hunt
SafeDemocrats:Lawson,Harris,C.Brown,Bauer,Niezgodski,Dvorak,Pelath,Stevenson,Reardon,Dobis,V.Smith,VanDenburgh,Bardon,Klinker,Her-rell, Tyler, Grubb, Kersey, Pflum, Pierce, Welch, Battles, Goodin, Stemler, Cochran,Oxley,Stilwell,Avery,VanHaaften,Riecken(Open),GiaQuinta,Moses,DeLaney(Open),Pryor(Open),Bartlett,Porter,Crawford,Sum-mers,Day.
Republicans: Borror, Wolkins,Walorski,Ruppel,Friend,McClain,J.Thompson,Richardson,Turner,Davis,Torr,Steuerwald,T.Brown,Bor-ders,Foley,Culver(Open),Leonard,Dodge,Cherry,Saunders,Knollman,Eberhart,Burton,M.Smith,Koch,Duncan,Crouch,Lehman(Open),Espich,Bell,Pond,Noe,Bosma,Murphy,Behning,Frizzell.v
ofthedebate,hecriticizedBuyer’spoorattendanceincongressionalvotes-astatementforwhichBuyercalledonAckersontoissueadirectapologytohiswife.Buyersaidakneeinjuryandafamilymember’sterminalillnesshavecausedhimtobeawayfromWashingtonattimes,butdefendedthoseabsencesas“therightjudgmentcall.” Ackersonsaidhewasn’treferringjusttoBuyer’sattendanceinthepast year but throughout his 16 years in office. Ackerson called health care reformoneofthegreatestissuesfacingmanyresidentsofthedistrict,butsaidhedoesn’twanttogoasfarasuniversalhealthcareyetbecauseofconcernsoverthenationaldebt.Status:LIKELYBUYERv
Friday, Aug. 29, 2008Page12
McCain finds the missing ingredient in PalinBy DAVE KITCHELL LOGANSPORT-ForthosewonderinghowfarJohnMcCainwaswillingtosearchforanidealrunningmate,theanswerhasbecome,“AsfarashecouldgointheUnitedStatesaspossible.” WhenheintroducedAlaskaGov.SarahPalinashischoiceforvicepresidentFriday,McCainturnedsometablesonBarackObama.HestolesomemomentumObamaleft
onthetablewhenHillaryClintonmissedthepresidencyandwasoverlookedintheDemocraticvice-presidentialderby.Hefoundafemale,pro-lifecandidatewhois a mother of five. And he found acandidatewhocanclaim,alongwithherhusband,unionmember-ship. Inshort,McCainfoundaningredientthathadbeenmissinginhiscampaign-thefemalevote.Injustadecade,we’vegonefromanelectionthatwasaboutsoccermomstoonethatincludesaself-
proclaimed “hockey mom” for the first time. Palin’sfreshfaceontheballotalsobalancesoutMcCain’sretirementagewithayouthful44whohasanew-bornathometogowithfourotherchildren,oneofwhomwillbedeployedtoIraq. The question manyhavetobeaskingonbothsidesoftheaisleandinthemediais“CouldMcCainhavedonebetter?”Theanswer,tocuttothechase,is“Notmuchbetter.”HeneededtoseizetheopportunityObamaleftforhim,thoughhelefthimselfsomewhatunguardedbychoosingavirtualunknownwithlittleexperience.IfMcCainthinksObamaisn’treadytogovern,whatwillvotersthinkofGov.Palin’sabilitysinceshe’sonlybeeninthegovernor’soffice for two years? In fact, she’s only been in the gover-nor’s office of one of the states with the smallest populaces forthatlong. HowwillshedoinadebatewithJoeBiden?She’lldoaboutaswellasanyNo.2GOPchoicecouldexpecttodo. AsImentionedinapreviouscolumn,theperfectchoiceforMcCainwasformerNewJerseyGov.ChristieToddWhitman.WhitmanisprobablytheonlycandidatewhocouldhavedeliveredmoreforMcCainbecauseshehadcabinet-levelexperienceandmighthaveturnedNewJerseyintoaredstate.ButPalinbringsanarguablybet-terenergyrecordtotheticketbecauseofhersupportfor
anaturalgaspipelineinAlaska.Whitmanwasmoreofahouseholdname,andPalincouldbearguedtobeoutoftouchwithwhat’shappeninginWashingtonwhichisaboutasfarfromAlaskaasanypointintheunion.Somewillsaythat’sagoodthing. Nonetheless, McCain’s choicereachedouttoyoungervotersinawayObamaalreadyhas.ItmaybetoolatetogetsomeofthembackintimeforaNovemberelection,butitwasacalculatedmoveMcCainhadtomake,evenifhepassedovermanyprominentRepublicanstodoit. Ithasbeen24yearssinceWalterMondaletrottedanunknownNewYorkCongresswomannamedGeraldineFerraroashischoicetobearunningmate.FerrarolackedthestatureofaHillaryClinton,aswellasthepizzazzthatmanywomeninpoliticshave.RepublicanshavewaitedalongtimeforaGOPcandidate,andgiventhevariedanddedicatedrolesRepublicanwomenhaveplayedformanyyearsinsuccessfulcampaigns,it’sabouttimethepartyelevatedawomantooneofthetoptwoslotsontheticket.ElizabethDolehasbeentheirbestshotuntilnow. Palinissonewtothestagetherearemoreques-tionsaboutherthananswersasweentertheweekoftheRepublicanNationalConvention.That’sagoodtimetogiveherallthelimelightshe,McCainandtheRepublicanswillneed.Whetherit’senoughfortheRepublicans,McCainandvoterswon’tbeevidencedforanothertwomonths. The challenge for thepartynowistoelevatePalintotheAmericanpeopleinawaythatshowsshecanrelatetotypicalAmericanfamilies,evenifsheisn’tfromthetypicalAmericanstateanddoesn’thavethetypicalAmericanstory. Fornow,McCainhaslivedbytheaxiomthatwhenitcomestochoosingarunningmate,there’snoplacelikeNome.v Dave Kitchell is a veteran columnist who resides in Logansport and teaches at Ball State Uni-
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HOWEY Politics Indiana Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Friday, Aug. 29, 2008Page 13
Bruises for BayhBy RYAN NEES KOKOMO-Oneofthenot-so-secretsecretsofVicePresidentialvettingisthatmuchofitissimple,oldschoolpatronage:forshow,asafavor,tostokeegos.Comethroughwithanearlyendorsement?Representakeyconstituency?Hailfromacriticalswingstate?It’snotgoingtogetyoutheVicePresidency,butyoumightjustearnacosmeticspotontheshortlist.
Applysomemakeup,prim,polish-anddeliverthecontendertothenear-esttelevisionstudio.Alittlenationalprominencegoesalongway. ForSenatorEvanBayhthough,isitpossiblehe’semergednotabeautybutratherbruised?Howmanytimescanawould-beshootingstarbeshotdown? HowmanytimesmustEvanweepthroughChersinging“Thisisasong,
forthelonely,Forthebrokenhearted,battlescarred,”wist-fullylip-syncingtoacruelworld,“Whenyourdreamswon’tcometrue,Canyouhearthisprayer?” Itevidentlyhadn’tbeenheardbeforenow.Obama’schoiceofJoeBidenashisrunningmatemakestoday’snewsBayh’sthirddev-astatingveepstakeslossinarow: rejected by first by Gore, thenbyKerry,nowbyObama. PerhapsBayhwouldhaveaneasiergoofthenewsifheweren’tsogoshdarndoggedlyearnestaboutbolt-ingtheSenate.InJunehetoldAndreaMitchellonMS-NBCthatifofferedtheVPjob,“Theanswertothatis‘Yes,’”amarkofenthusiasmrareforthejockeysusedtodeclaringtheirinterestbydisavowingtheirinterest. He’s joked on the samenetworkthatthebuzzhasbeen“goodfor[his]ego,”butperhapsnot.Thepoten-tialityofhiscandidacywasenoughtothrowDemocraticPartyliberalsintoafuroroverBayh’shawkishsupportofthewarinIraq,focusingonhishonoraryco-chairmanshipofTheCommitteefortheLiberationofIraq,a“neo-congroupthatwasformedtopropagandizethecountryintowar,”asthewebsiteTalkingPointsMemo.computit.AFace-bookgroupwithseveralthousandmemberscroppeduptoopposeBayh.Hometownpapers,includingtheCourierPressandNUVO,deridedhimasa“do-nothingSenator.”
He’sbeencriticizedinthenationalsquareas“ag-gressivelywrong,”“boring,”“stiff,”“wimpy,”“corpse-imper-sonating,”“Kerryesque,”“pathetic,”“cowering,”“whiney,”“undistinguished,”“aslapintheface,”“acharismadrain,”“conventional,”“mediocre,”anda“corporatelackey.”Andthatlistisconsiderablyabridged. Last Tuesday’s BloombergarticleairedperhapsBayh’s dirtiest laundry, slamming a number of conflicts of intereststemmingfromhiswife’smanycorporateboarddirectorships.BayhusedhispositioninCongresstohelpsecuretensofmillionsoffederaldollarsforWellPoint,onwhoseboardSusanBayhsits.She’sontheboardofbankwhichfallsundertheregulatoryjurisdictionoftheSenateBankingCommitteeofwhichhe’samember.Andshe’sonEmmis’sboard,thecompanythatpublishedaBayhmemoirthat’shadlacklustersalesseeminglyasafavor. FortheSenatorwhohasmadecautiontheoverrid-ingprincipleofhiscareer,it’sstrikingthatsuchanethicalcloudwouldeverformatall.LastweekHPIreportedthatObamahadassuredBayhthathiswife’scorporateworkwouldn’tbedispositiveinwhatwashisultimaterejection.Perhaps.Butatveryleast,Bayh’stimeinthespotlightdrewnationalattentiontothedirtbeneaththeSenator’sfingernails - dirt that, if not for rampant Vice Presidential speculation,wouldlikelyhavegoneunnoticedorpassively
castasidebythemedia.ByWashington’sstandards,Bayhremainsprettyclean. Yetlatelyyoumightnotknowit.AllofthiscriticismhasbeenmostlyuniquetoBayh;othercontenders,includingJoeBiden,TimKaine,KathleenSebelius,WesClark,andBillRichardsonfacedcomparativelylittlescorn.Withoutwinningtheveepstakes,andenduringsuchsustaineddisdain,Bayh’splayinthe2008presidentialsandboxmayhavelefthimpermanentlyhandicapped.
Billeda“boring”and“safe”choicethisyear,he’llstruggletoshirkthehas-beenlabelinsubsequentveepstakesrounds,andhisperenniallossesasnumbertwohavesurelyunderminedanyambitionshemayholdfornumberone. On his strut downthisyear’scatwalk,Bayh’strippedandmightnotgetbackup.Instead,he’sstuckintheSenate,wherehedoesn’twanttobe,singingasongforthelonely.v
Nees interned for Howey Politics Indiana. He is now a student at Yale.
HOWEY Politics Indiana Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Friday, Aug. 29, 2008Page 14
Matt Tully, Indianapolis Star:Some-how,Democratspulledoffafour-dayconventionthatwasmeticulouslychoreographedbutalsopackedwithmomentsthat so electrified the crowds here, they actually seemed spontaneous.Theatricallyspeaking,theconventionwasaBroadway-likesmashhit--BarackandtheTechnicolorDemocrats.Forinstance,it’shardtoimagineanyone--Democrat,RepublicanorIndependent--whowasn’tmovedbySen.TedKennedy’sslowwalktotheconventionpodiumMonday.Oranyonewhodidn’tsmileatthesightofSen.BarackObama’syoungdaughtersblowinghimkisseswhenheappearedonajumboscreenthatsamenight.Thegirls’giddyreactiontotheirfatherwaspureandunscripted.Presidentialelectionscanbeasmuchaboutpersonalityaspolitics.v
Mark Bennett,Terre Haute Tribune-Star:ThousandsofWabashValleyresidents could’ve qualified as Barack Obama’s runningmate.Asheconsideredpotentialvicepresidentialcandidateslastweek,Obamasaid,“Iwantsomebodywho’smadrightnowthatpeoplearelosingtheirjobs,andismadrightnowthatpeopleareseeingtheirincomesdecline.”Technically,thatcriteriashouldattractmorefolksthanthelinetoridetheSonofBeastatKing’sIsland.TheTerreHauteMetropolitanStatisticalArea—atitleeconomistsusetodescribethecityandsurroundingcommunities—rep-resentsasnapshotofthosetwodilemmas.ThejoblessrateinVigoCountylastmonthhit6.9percent,upfrom5.2percentoneyearago.That’shigherthanthestaterateof6.1percent,andthenationat6.0.Meanwhile,themedianhouseholdincomeingreaterTerreHauteis$36,659.Outof359metroareasintheUnitedStates,TerreHaute’smedianincomeranks37thfromthebottom.Averagepaychecksherehavegrownjust9.8percentsince2000,andthatin-creaseratesamongthesmallestinthecountryatNo.300,accordingtoresearchbytheKiplingerPersonalFinancemagazine’s“2008BestCitiestoLive,WorkandPlay.”Sonofabeast.“It’sabouthigh-endjobs,andtherearenotalotofthoseinTerreHaute,”saidRobertGuell,aneconomicsprofessoratIndianaStateUniversity.Facedwiththerealityofthenumbers,it’stemptingtocompareourlotwiththosearoundus.GazingoverthatfencecouldleaveHauteansbothenviousandrelieved.Ameretwo-hourdrivesouthonU.S.41willleadtoEvansville,whichwasvotedbyKiplinger.comreaderstheNo.1Americancityinwhichtolive,workandplay,wellaheadofrunner-upGreenBay,Wis.That’snotsuchahead-scratcher,basedontheKiplingerstatistics,compiledbyKevinStolarick,researchdirectorattheMartinProsperityInstituteinToronto.Evansvillehassomeadvan-tagesovercities,suchasTerreHaute.Yes,theEvansvillemetroareapopulation(350,172)isnearlytwiceaslargeasTerreHaute’s(167,676).ButEvansvillealsogrewby2per-
centfrom2000to2006,whileTerreHauteareapopulationdwindledby1.6percent.v
Rich James, Post-Tribune:Hey,Rudy,Iknowyou’vegotaproblemoverthereinGary.Heardyou’vegottoeliminate,like,$13millionincostsbytheendoftheyearorthecitygoesbelly-up.That’satoughnuttocrack.Theproblem,Rudy,isthis:You’vegottoomanypeopleonthecitypayroll.Waytoomany.Youdon’tneed20percentpaycuts.Youneedtocut20percentofthecitywork-
ers.Justtheotherday,Iheardyou’vegot1,300peopleonthepayroll.Talkaboutshockandawe.Man,that’sonecityworkerforevery75residents.Mygosh,Rudy,ittakesacolumnandahalfinthetelephonebooktolistallthecitydepartments. And that’s pretty fine print. Of the totalemployees,thereareabout250policeof-ficers and 280 firefighters. That leaves about 770 workersdoing,well,Ican’treallyimaginewhat.
You need some folks to pick up the garbage and fill in the potholesandoverseecityswimmingpools,someofwhicharen’tevenopen.Someofthosedepartmentslistedinthephonebookmakeyouwonder.Forinstance,theCommis-sionoftheStatusofWomen?FarasIknow,theyarestillfemale.ThenthereistheCommunicationsandElectronicsDepartment,whichkindofsoundslikeRadioShack.Andthenthere’stheHousingConservationandHumanRelationsDepartment.Whydowewanttoconservehousing?Therealsoarethreeseparatedepartmentsthatsoundliketheydoprettymuchthesamething--PlanningandCommunityDevelopmentDepartment,PlanningandEco-nomicDevelopmentandtheDepartmentofRedevelopment.v
Leslie Stedman Weidenbener, Louisville Courier-Journal:YoucouldalmosthearthecollectivesighofIndianaDemocratsjustbeforemidnightFriday when news organizations confirmed that Indiana Sen.EvanBayhwasnotBarackObama’schoiceforarun-ningmate.Itwasabigdisappointment.It’snotjustthatHoosierDemocratsthoughtBayh--withhis10yearsintheSenateandtwotermsasgovernor--couldmakeagoodrunningmateandvicepresident.TheyalsobelievedBayhwouldhavebeenabighelptootherDemocraticcandi-dates,particularlytheirgubernatorialnominee,JillLongThompson.FormerIndianaDemocraticChairmanRobinWinstonsaidyesterdaythatBayh’snameontheticketis“invaluable.”Winstonwastheparty’spoliticaldirectorin1988, when Bayh first ran for governor. Bayh’s strong run thatyearhelpedgiveDemocratsthemajorityintheIndianaHouse,Winstonsaid.“Scoresofcandidatesrunningforlessvisible offices statewide owe their initial elections to Evan Bayh,”hesaid.v
after the speech and the fireworks ended.“Itwasapowerfulexperience,”Goldnersaid.“It’ssooverwhelmingtohaveyourbetterselfappealedto.Andthat’swhathisspeechandhiscam-paigndoes.”
Brown, Rogers buoyedby Obama speech DENVER-NorthwestIndi-anaDemocratslookedtowardBarackObama’sThursdaynightconventionspeechwithasensetheywereabouttotakepartinatouchstonemomentinAmericanhistory(Byrne,Post-Tri-bune). “It’s difficult to put into words,” saidstateSen.EarlineRogersofGary.“IlookattonightastheculminationofsomuchworkbyalltheAfrican-Ameri-canswhohavebeeninvolvedinpublicserviceovertheyears.”StateRep.CharlieBrownofGarysaidhestrug-glestowraphisheadaroundObama’smeteoricascenttothispoint.“Afewyearsago,hewasjustanIllinoisstatesenator,andnowthis,”Brownsaid.“It’sbeen‘Whoisthisyoungman?’It’shardtoescapetheimpressionthatthisispartofsomelargerplan.”RogersworriedObamawouldnotbeabletoliveuptothehypesurround-inghisInvescoFieldspeechinfrontofmorethan70,000people.“Hehassetthebarsohigh,andwearesofamiliarwith his speeches, that it will be diffi-culttotopwhathehasdonealready,”shesaid.“Whenyou’reanA-plusstudentandyougetanA,itcanbeadisappointment.”ButstateRep.MaraCandelariaReardonofMunstersaidObamacoulddonowrong.“MaybeI’vejustdrunktheKool-Aid,butIloveeverythinghehastosay,”shesaid.Delegatesdidcomplainaboutthelogisticsofgettingtotheout-doorfootballstadiumwhereObamawould officially accept the nomination andgivehiskeynoteaddress.Busesstartedtransportingdelegatestothesiteearlyintheafternoonforaspeechnotscheduledtobeginuntilafter8p.m.inDenver.“That’salotofhours
sittinginthesun,”Brownsaid.
Gary celebrates GARY-SupportersofSen.BarackObamachattedexcitedlywhiletheywaitedforthedoorstoopenattheGenesisCenterat7p.m.ThursdayinGary(Post-Tribune).Theyweren’tgettingapersonalappearancebytheDemocraticpresidentialnominee,butmanyfeltthattheywereget-tingsomethingbetter:achancetowatch the first black accept a major partynominationforpresident.Theyweren’tgettingapersonalappear-ancebytheDemocraticpresidentialnominee,butmanyfeltthattheyweregettingsomethingbetter:achancetowatch the first black accept a major partynominationforpresident.GaryresidentAngelaJonessaidshewantedtosavortheexperience.“Thisisamomentinhistory,”shesaid.“I’mherebecauseIwanttobeabletosharethiswithmygrandchildrenwhenevermykidsdecidetohavechildren.”
180 Obama partiesacross Indiana DENVER-IndianaSen.EvanBayhjokedaboutpoliticsandfootballas he made his first appearance on “TheDailyShowwithJonStewart.”TheDemocratsaidpresidentialnomi-neeBarackObamais“therealdeal”andtoldanincredulousStewartthatIndianareallycouldbeinplayfortheDemocratsintheNovemberelection.BayhgotboosfromtheComedyCen-tralaudienceinDenverwhenhemen-tionedtheIndianapolisColts.Bayhisnotdoneappearingoncomedyshows.His office says Bayh will make a brief appearanceFridayonHBO’s“RealTime”andonABC’s“JimmyKimmelLive.”
180 Obama partiesacross Indiana TERREHAUTE-“I’vebeenallaroundtheworldandI’veneverseenanythinglikethis,”DarrellShouseremarked(TerreHauteTribune-Star).StandingintheparkinglotatFifthStreetandWabashAve-nueThurs-daynight,withacrowdthatswelledfrom80at9:30p.m.tomorethan150by10:20p.m.,theTerreHautenativeandotherswatchedIllinoisSen.BarackObamaaccepttheDemocraticnominationasitscandidatefortheAmericanpresidency.Hoosiersgath-eredatmorethan180conventionwatchpartiesacrossIndianatowatchtheweek-longDemocraticNationalConventionwrapupwithObama’sac-ceptancespeechThursdaynight.
Richard impressedwith Obama speech FORTWAYNE-BarackObamawaseloquentandinspiring,formerFortWayneMayorGrahamRichardsaidThursday,butmostofallhe“gotbeyondthepoliticsofthepast”inhisacceptancespeechtobetheDemocraticpresidentialnominee(FortWayneJournalGazette).Richard,at-tending his first Democratic National Convention,wasexpectingapower-fulperformancebythecandidatehehasbackedformonthsevenasHillaryRodhamClintonledinIndianapollsandwonthestate’sprimary.Hesaidhegotit.“Ihopedhewouldclosewhatsomesawasagapbetweenrhetoricandreality,”Richardsaid,addingthatObamadid.CityCouncil-womanKarenGoldner,likeRicharda convention first-timer, agreed that Obama’sspeechwaspotentandin-spiring.“Wow,”shesaidafewminutes
HOWEY Politics Indiana Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Friday, Aug. 29, 2008Page 15
HOWEY Politics Indiana Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, July 31, 2008Page 7
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