Mears Wins Prosecutor 500

Ryan Mears is the Marion County Prosecutor.

Earlier today, the man serving as Interim Prosecutor won the right to serve in that capacity through at least 2022 in a narrow vote over Timothy Moriarty, an advisor for Mayor Joe Hogsett. Politically and morally, I think Mears won this election on the first full day he was on the job as Interim Prosecutor.

The day after former Prosecutor Terry Curry announced he was exiting, Mears immediately made news by announcing that Marion County would no longer be prosecuting marijuana cases for amounts under one ounce. This made sense in a number of ways, but it also signaled that Mears didn't care about the GOP's or the FOP's reaction...that he was going to make his own call and stand on his own principles about these cases. Politically, I'm sure it caught Moriarty and probably everyone fairly flatfooted, and suddenly, he had to react to something his opponent in the race was proposing.

The last few weeks have not been, on the surface, a good show for the Marion County Democratic Party. Major names backed Moriarty. Joe Hogsett and André Carson were chief among them, and Mears had his own backers too...namely his former boss Terry Curry and Senator JD Ford.Mears had his own backers too...namely his former boss Terry Curry and Senator JD Ford. There was also this perception that the deck was being stacked in favor of one candidate. Local pundits like Abdul-Hakim Shabazz have written about it on his Indy Politics site. I've seen the sentiment, though, from grassroots Democrats, too. In the end, Mears' message carried the day.

I think the General Assembly needs to take a look at these countywide offices and perhaps make a change to allow all the voters to participate in a special election. It could be done in May or November along with regular elections to keep costs down. The only complicating factor would be that one year where there aren't elections, but that could be rectified too.

Regardless, I think Marion County got itself a good Prosecutor today. I wish him the best of luck. I also wish my friend Tim Moriarty the best. I think the day will come for him to serve our city and county in an elected capacity, too.

Post First Four Debate Thoughts...

A few thoughts after the Dems debates...

1.) If you want the candidates to hug, sing "Kumbaya", and have Marianne Williamson to bless them with crystals, I'd say you don't understand a primary. This is the battle to beat a very formidable incumbent. Say what you want about Trump, but he knows how to make people look at him and control the debate.

2.) The moderators have no responsibility to ask favorable or softball questions. They are challenging the candidates and their positions. If that means playing the opposite side to do it, they will.


3.) If you believe Joe Biden is the answer to Donald Trump, I'd love to offer you my beachhouse near Area 51 in Nevada.

4.) Howard Dean was the frontrunner now in the 2004 cycle. Hillary Clinton was the frontrunner now in the 2008 cycle. This thing is not over. No votes have been cast. We're mostly grading candidates on national polls when the early caucus in Iowa and the primaries will determine who faces the Resident.

5.) I'll be glad to reduce the number of candidates in the debates. I'm telling you...if you have a flaw in your record, it will be exploited. You'd better have an answer like Cory Booker did. We talked more about Kool-Aid than Biden's "Stop and Frisk" attack, right?

6.) The party has moved left of Obama. Even Obama realizes that.

My advice? Get yourself a message that doesn't involve Donald Trump. Ignore him unless he directly attacks and then deflect. Do not engage him directly unless you have the metaphorical shutdown line because he can wiggle out of any rhetorical wrestling hold.

Forget Impeachment Democrats

Sit down please. Let's have some real talk, fellow Democrats.

Let's chat about impeachment. I'm going to tell how this plays out if you turn down Impeachment Avenue.

The process in the House will take time. Hearings, drawing up the Articles of Impeachment, etc. I'm sure this process will take us into early 2020. Let's say the House votes along party lines and Donald Trump is impeached. He leaves office and Mike Pence takes over, right?

WRONG.

Even if Donald Trump is impeached by a wide majority in the House, the proceedings move to the Senate. There, the circus continues. After let's say a month of trial, debate, histrionics and other fun presided over by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Senate votes.

Let's say the trial compels two of 53 Republicans to join the Democrats in voting for conviction and removal from office. That's still only 49 votes. It's not even a majority. You need 67 votes, and Donald Trump could pick up Jared Kushner and smack Chief Justice Roberts in the face with him during the proceedings and still the necessary 14 Republicans won't vote him out of office.

So, you have, for the third time in history, a President of the United States who is impeached by the House and acquitted by the Senate.

But, Donald Trump is no ordinary President. He thrives on this crap. This time, there will be no apology in the Rose Garden or a promise to do better. This President will go on a "whistle stop" golfing tour holding rallies in Trump Country drawing out every supporter he can find who will be stronger than ever behind their man. 

Every day, Trump and his loyalists will tweet out "FULL EXONERATION! FULL ACQUITTAL!" in caps on Twitter. He'll blather on about how the Democrats are simply haters and harrassers. His base hardens.

Meanwhile, the Democrats still can't pick a strategy or a candidate. I fear that my party will continue to fumble, stumble, and tumble and rather than come up with a message and an inspiring candidate that can defeat Donald Trump, they'll have their shoestrings tied together and be given a metaphorical wedgie by a man who knows how to do it.

You don't play this game with the master showman. Donald Trump knows how to play something for a spectacle. An impeachment aquittal will give him everything he needs.

And you know who knows all this? The vote counter herself, Nancy Pelosi. You can say what you want about Speaker Pelosi, but the minute she decides to proceed with impeachment is the moment that she knows there are 67 votes in the Senate. Until then, it ain't happenin'. Follow Speaker Pelosi's lead. She knows what she's doing.

The best course of action is to move on. That's right. I said it, Democrats. Move on. 

Donald Trump absolutely deserves to be impeached, but it's not politically possible because the Senate is broken. Our only recourse is to redouble efforts and make sure that we nominate the right Democrat for President.

So, what about the Rule of Law? Well, that's difficult. Trump's a problem for sure, but I swear this is not how he's going to be ousted from office. It's only going to be repudiation at the ballot box that he's out of office, in my opinion anyway. The way to end the Trump Administration is to beat him. There will be time to hold him accountable, but that's when he is out of office in January 2021. I think there's a road map in the Mueller Report for that.

When it comes to President Trump, forget impeachment and focus on November 3, 2020...or, if you like spectacles with no possibility of anything coming out in your favor...by all means, impeach away.

Open Letter to Joe Biden: You're Blowing This But You Can Fix It

Hey, Vice President Biden,
So, you had a bad debate right? You've had a bad couple of weeks, right?

You're still in the lead, so there's time for a time out to learn from your mistakes.

First of all, it's not 1973 or 1985 or whenever anymore. Get out of the mindset. It's 2019, and it's time to wake up. No more "Sleepin' Joe" because Donald Trump is ready to nail you on it. Don't hook your wagon to the past. Acknowledge it, but move on.

You've been out of the game long enough to tell people you've evolved in a major way on many issues. You can also find another way to tout your accomplishments other than saying you worked with segregationists to illustrate that you can work with those you have disagreements.

The biggest thing that you need to focus on is not the past. As the still frontrunner, you need to focus on Donald Trump.

Be disciplined. You're fightin' Joe from Scranton, but resist that urge to be defensive Joe. They're coming after you, but you've been in tougher fights. Remind them that you're Joe Biden in a different way. What's past is past should be your mantra. It's what you're going to do in 2021 when you head into that Oval Office that will win votes.

I know there's an empathetic fighter in there, Joe. I've seen it. Remind people that you have ridden that train home for years. You have the potential to charm, and I'd love to see you show some humility rather than defensiveness and bitterness. It doesn't mean you're weak. On the contrary, with all you've been through, you're stronger than most. Get that swagger back, Mr. Vice President.

Your New Motto:
"Listen, what's done is done. I've been in public life for many years, and I no longer hold many of the views I did when I was younger. What's important now is the future of this nation. I've learned from my past that we can make mistakes and still build for a brighter tomorrow. I was honored when Barack Obama chose me to help him make history. Let's continue to say 'Yes We Can'. Focus our sights on a new tomorrow with our eyes open.

I still want to believe in you, but I can't right now. Win me over. If you win the nomination, you'll have my vote. Make me proud to cast it for you.

Good Luck,
Jon

Caveat Emptor: Merritt Wants You To Buy His (VERY VERY RECENT) Evolution on LGBTQ+ Issues

Jim Merritt

After days of controversy over his potential attendance, Jim Merritt announced he will not attend Saturday’s Indy Pride Parade.

Republicans march in the Indy Pride Parade all the time, but Merritt’s problem, according to many LGBTQ+ community members (myself included) was his voting record in the Indiana Senate. Merritt's answer to that...say he's evolved.

Merritt voted for the marriage amendment to the Indiana Constitution and also was a backer of the divisive RFRA legislation. Merritt also actively campaigned against the Indiana Youth Group license plate. IYG serves young LGBTQ+ people. (Full disclosure, I am a donor to this organization.)

Merritt, who earlier in the campaign reportedly said he stood behind every vote he’s cast in the Senate, disavowed his RFRA vote in a news conference telling assembled reporters that he apparently misunderstood the consequences of the legislation. Gotcha Jim. I guess you likely didn’t pay any attention to any of the news coverage around the legislation at the time.

At his presser, Merritt announced that if he’s elected Mayor that he will work with the General Assembly on a tougher hate crimes law and actively seek out LGBTQ+ individuals for city posts. He also said he’d create a “Diversity Department” in the city as well as be an advocate for LGBTQ+ protections in employment, public accommodations, and housing.

Great Jim.

Taking him at face value on his evolution which...cough cough...I find awfully sudden...where have you been for 29 years on these issues? Maybe when you’re back being a Senator in the General Assembly session next year you can deliver on these protections and a tougher hate crimes law. You certainly haven’t done squat in nearly three decades!

Jimmy come lately.

In Memoriam: Richard G. Lugar (1932-2019)

For the second time this year, Indiana mourns the loss of a transformational political figure.

Richard Lugar has died, and I doubt we will never see another man like him in Indiana politics.

For me, it seems like he's always been here. I remember watching his career since I was a child. He was the Mayor of Indianapolis when I was born, and he served on the Senate for most of my adult life.

His accomplishments as Mayor paved the way for the city we know today. He had the vision of Indianapolis as a major player in the Midwest, and he put the chess pieces in place for that to happen. When he became a U.S. Senator, he brought his Hoosier sensibilities to the Upper Chamber of the U.S. Congress, and he served with a record of national and global distinction.

While a reliable vote for the GOP, Lugar was not afraid to put his state and country ahead of his party, and he did that without apology on occasion.

Unlike many before him and after him, Senator Lugar did not gain his power by corruption or through scandal. When you look back at his record, the only whiff of a scandal was that he chose to maintain an address in Indianapolis while living near Washington, D.C. rather than reside in Indianapolis or somewhere in Indiana full time. The Constitution says that one only needs to be an inhabitant of the state they serve, and it was ruled that, while he would spend time in hotels when he was back in the state, maintaining the address was enough to satisfy the Constitution. I always thought it was a silly scandal because Lugar served his constituents so well.

In fact, it was because Senator Lugar did the work that he earned his power. His constituent services were second-to-none. The many times I wrote him on issues, I always received back a personalized letter that sounded as if the Senator executed it on his own computer. He would provide concrete reasons for his positions and would promise to take my views into advisement. They weren't partisan missives written in generality.

He conducted himself in the same way in the international sphere. Few Senators were as respected at home or abroad as Lugar. He was above party and always pro-country. From IPS School Board Member to even his work post-Senate, Senator Lugar was trying to help the city, the state, and the world be a better place.

When I got into politics and then began to write this blog, he became someone I wanted to meet. It always seemed that I was a step or two behind when trying to accomplish this goal. Finally, I attended an event put on by the Decatur Township Education Foundation in honor of the school system naming the site of the Blue and Gold Academy after Lugar.

He spoke off the top of his head about his diplomatic work. He talked about helping to secure loose nukes in the former Soviet states in Europe and Asia. He also even talked about the trip with then-Senator Barack Obama where they were briefly detained in Russia on a diplomatic trip. After the speech, Senator Lugar greeted everyone who waited for him. He took every picture and signed every autograph. I shook his hand and told him how much I admired him even though I was on the opposite side of the aisle. He smiled and thanked me. I then watched as his staffers tried to pull him away from the others, but he ended up being nearly the last person in the room. He only left when no one else wanted to meet him. That's an enduring image I'll have of the Senator.

In retrospect, it might have been that statesmanship that cost him his seat in the Senate. Richard Mourdock used that diplomatic fact-finding trip Senator Lugar took with then Senator Barack Obama that I referenced earlier as a rallying cry to knock off Lugar. He mocked him as "Obama's favorite Senator" and decried bipartisanship. When Senator Lugar had to say goodbye to the Senate, his farewell speech was memorable.

Lugar's Farewell Speech

So, as we again mourn the death of one of the greatest Indiana politicians, we must also mourn the death of one of the greatest Hoosiers. Like Birch Bayh who passed just weeks ago, individuals like Richard Lugar come along very rarely, and we were all better for having lived in his time. He enriched our world and our society.

Reflections of Concessionaire: The Bus Drivers and Interesting Personalities of IMS

I'm feeling nostalgic tonight, so this post has nothing to do with politics. Please forgive me.

Nearly 25 years ago, I worked at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the concessions department. My mom managed the concessions stand by the museum adjacent to the Louis Chevrolet Memorial, and I worked as her assistant.

For those of you who don't know, the property is open year round for tours of the track and a walk through the museum. Where I worked was the only permanent stand that was open daily to the public on the property. Typically, we opened in early March, and the stand closed in late October.

The concessions stand had a storage area that had a little break room within it, and the tour bus drivers used the area as a staging point. Unless there was a special event, the bus drivers worked in teams of three or four, and, for a fee, they'd take you or your family or your group on a lap around the World's Greatest Race Course.

I didn't think about it at the time, but I was so fortunate to work with each of them. I grew close to them, and they weren't just my co-workers. They were all my friends.

There was Earl Freeland. Earl was a wisecracking World War II veteran who was quick with a story and quicker with a joke. Earl loved to eat canned vienna sausages and sardines. He referred to himself as "The Earl of the Free-land". Earl drew the ire of his bosses for often shutting off the tour bus tape and giving his own personal narrative of the track tour. "The Earl" always brought a smile to my face with his never quite straight hat and his slacks that just weren't long enough. His stories kept 20 year old me captivated for hours.

There was Kenny Rhea. Kenny liked to wear bright colored pants and loved to talk. One of his favorite stories was that he was the first man to take Juan Pablo Montoya around the track as he had given him his inaugural tour around IMS in the tour bus. Kenny was incredibly kind, generous, and, like Earl could tell stories that just kept you interested. The other drivers would get annoyed sometimes at Kenny because he liked to give a long intro before he started on the tour. Like Earl, Kenny was a veteran.

There was Travis Jones. Travis looked like he could take you down even at his age, and he probably could. He was a little moody, and he could sometimes be very difficult to get along with, but, when he liked you, he had that proverbial heart of gold. Like the others I've profiled, Travis was a veteran and an autoworker. He was proud to have worked for Chrysler. He was proud of his service. He was proud of his country and was very proud to have grown up south of Washington Street in "the Valley".

There was Bob Groover. Bob had a distinctive and loud voice. Once you heard it, you could never forget it. One day, I had a headache, and Bob said, "Sit down here in this chair, and I'll take care of it." I sat down, and Bob began to massage my temples. Within moments, my headache was gone. I've tried the method since, but it never works for me. Bob was also a veteran. He was wounded and carried off the battlefield to a field hospital where he nearly died. A few years after returning home from World War II, Bob and his wife attended the Holiday on Ice performance at the Indiana State Fair Coliseum. It was October 31, 1963. Bob's wife was killed in the coliseum explosion that night, and Bob was left again fighting for his life. I'd meet him some 30 years later, and he would still talk about those nights. He'd often comment about how he shouldn't be here, but he was for some reason. Two brushes with death. He'd live to be 94.

There was Harry Kirk or "Dirty Harry" as everyone called him. Harry was a lovable curmudgeon who would often tell jokes that were on the blue side...thus the nickname he embraced. At quitting time one night, Harry emptied his final load of customers and then took the tour bus on a joy ride around the track. Jim Baxter, another driver, said he passed his bus on the Main Straight going very fast. Harry parked his bus, and he went home and died that night.

Jim Baxter was always seemed to be a nervous wreck. He was the epitome of professionalism, and he liked to toe the line. Jim always dressed to the nines with shined shoes, perfectly fitted slacks and an ironed shirt. He was retired from Allison's Transmission. He had a very dry sense of humor, and the best laugh of the bunch. Jim was a good-hearted and good-natured man who, along with Kenny, was my mom's favorite driver of the bunch. Jim died three days before Christmas in 2014 at the age of 91. My mom died on Christmas that same year.

I could go on. I could talk about "Little John" John Schenck. He was one of the nicest people I've ever met. There was his foil "Big John" whose last name I can't remember for the life of me. Big John often preferred to stay on his bus and keep to himself. There was our yellow shirt, Tom Blanford, who was hilarious. I could even talk regular customers like Crocky Wright, the racing journalist and motorcycle stuntman and "Doc" Sloan who grew up in Mooresville in the days of John Dillinger and once faced Dizzy Dean playing minor league baseball.

I guess the point of all this is that all these men I can remember to this date.  They're all gone now. I don't know why I felt the need to document them here tonight. I wanted to memorialize my memories of them and urge you to talk to the people around you. Get to know your coworkers and let their experiences enrich your life. Thanks for indulging me.

America, Meet Pete

Mayor Pete Buttigieg is set to announce his intentions for 2020 tomorrow in South Bend.

Almost everyone with a pulse knows what that announcement will probably be. He's going to say he's running for President of the United States. He's run a sensational campaign thus far, and this will take it to the next level.

He's done almost everything right, in my view, thus far. His campaign's been like a great roast in the crock pot. Its simmered all day long and now it's ready to go. I've been, frankly, shocked at his streaking rise to the top of the deck in the Democratic field. I mean, I always knew Pete was special, but I never thought a small city Mayor could do what he's done at 37 years old. He's a major contender in 2020.

It's the stuff of movies.

I first met him in 2010 at the IDEA Convention in French Lick. Turning the corner off 150 and heading down on 56 into the town, you saw these seemingly hundreds of homemade yard signs that read, "Meet Pete". It reminded me of the "See Rock City" and "See Ruby Falls" signs you see as you travel the South. I remember saying to my friend, Chris Jackson, "Who the hell's this Pete guy?"

After seeing a few friends and chatting around a bit, we finally met Pete in the guilded lobby of the resort. Maybe it's just my mind misremembering things, but I seem to remember getting a sticker that said, "Met Pete" from his campaign after you did meet Buttigieg. Regardless, it was brilliant marketing and a unique way to build conversation.

My friendship with Pete grew after that. He spoke at the Decatur Township Democratic Club that year, and he was a guest a few times on my Indiana Talks show after he was elected Mayor of South Bend. We've exchanged social media messages since. I've seen him and Chasten at party events over the years before and after they were married. I sent Pete condolences after I heard about the death of his father. He responded with a heartfelt thank you. Most recently, I fired off a congratulatory message to Pete after the town hall appearance on CNN which I believe sparked his rise in the polls that continues to this moment. I recieved another personal response from him the next day.

To me, that means that all this has not gone to his head.

It won't. That's because, as I tell everyone, Pete is exactly the person you see on TV. He's calm, cool, incredibly smart, frank, earnest, and honest. He's humble and contientious. He's exactly the opposite of the current man in the White House.

In a way, we're all turning into French Lick and seeing those signs. "Meet Pete" and it seems America is liking the man they're meeting.

I endorse him not only as an Indiana Democrat and a friend, but I endorse him because he's going to be President of the United States, someday. Given the current occupant, why shouldn't that be now? President Obama said, "We are the ones we've been waiting for," and I think Pete gets that.

Pete, if you read this, good luck. I'm hoping you'll be my President, but I'm glad you'll always be my friend.

Merritt, Indy GOP All Hat and No Cattle on Potholes and Tort Claims

We are one month away from the Primary Election, and we still have no idea what Jim Merritt wants to do if he's elected Mayor of Indianapolis.

He certainly can hold a press conference. We know that! So far, he's held several on potholes and tort claims, but, when pressed for solutions, he comes up empty. Most embarrassingly, the media asked Merritt if he would change the tort claim procedures for Indianapolis (which are largely dictated by state law and not city ordinance), and Merritt became the guy that couldn't find his wallet when it came time to pay the check.

Don't bother to look online for his ideas, either. His website provides no more guidance beyond a promise to roll out his policies during the campaign. Inspiring.

Here's the truth. Jim Merritt, as a state Senator, has been a member of a Indiana General Assembly that has Kathy Bates-in-Misery-style hobbled local governments. Time after time, they've pushed the funding of city governments back to the cities and towns and then cut off the ability for those entities to raise funds. Constitutional tax caps slapped a big governor on the engine of city and local governments.

Years of mismanagement of Republican City-County Councils and Mayors of Indianapolis has also placed us in this situation. Roads were not updated and repaired, and, when they were, they were done so in such a shoddy fashion that many of the improvements have simply fallen apart. Can Joe Hogsett do more? Sure! He has to have the ability to do so, though. In the current funding structure, it's just not feasible.

Indiana has run up is surplus on the backs of local governments, cities, and schools. Jim Merritt won't tell you that at his next press conference. He'll tell you that the General Assembly threw some chump change at the problem when in reality it's going to take a concerted effort and much more political capital to truly fix our problems.

Are the attacks on Joe Hogsett fair? I don't think so unless you're going to do something different than what he's done. Indy's Department of Public Works is doing what it can, and I think Hogsett is, too.

Merritt is all hat and no cattle at this point. His party likes to throw up memes on social media and tag Hogsett as "Pothole Joe", but they ignore their role in getting us here. As for Merritt, he wants your vote without any plan to fix anything in this city, so I've got a nickname for Jim Merritt since he has no plan: "Meritless Merritt".

I think it fits.

Reflecting on Dr. King's Assassination and RFK's Speech 51 Years Later

Fifty-one years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was gunned down by an assassin in Memphis, Tennessee. Most of you probably know the details by now, but he was in Memphis on behalf of the sanitation workers who were striking for better working conditions.

The death threats mounted, and Dr. King went to Memphis anyway. He was taken from us at 39, and we were robbed of whatever he would have done after April 4, 1968. While his journey stopped, others picked up the standard and have continued to push for racial equality in our country.

In Indiana that same day, another young man was campaigning for the office of President of the United States. Robert F. Kennedy was relatively new to the race for President in 1968, and he was fighting for every vote in every primary.

On the way from Muncie to Indianapolis, he was informed of King's assassination and was urged to cancel his rally in Indianapolis. Instead of canceling his rally, Kennedy climbed on the back of a flatbed truck and delivered a speech with very little preparation that not only informed the gathered audience of King's shooting but consoled them and soothed them.

While many other cities erupted in violence that evening, Indianapolis was quiet.

All of this happened before I was born, but I remember my father telling me the story and showing me the text of the speech as a boy. It's something every parent should do because in just a few minutes, Kennedy gave us a great eulogy of Dr. King and a road map for fixing what continues to plague our society.

Going back and looking at the rhetorical structure of the speech, one would wonder if any other person in any other place could have delivered those particular remarks. The words are beautiful, well-chosen and extremely prescient even to today. In particular, the last few lines of the speech flash like a beacon through the fog of history.

What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or they be black. 

So I shall ask you tonight to return home, to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King, that's true, but more importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love--a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke. 

We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times; we've had difficult times in the past; we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; it is not the end of disorder. 

But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings who abide in our land. 

Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. 

Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.

I wonder if we are capable of doing what Kennedy asks. Today, 51 years after these lines were delivered, I wonder if we even trust one another or trust the institutions enough to show that love or that compassion. Are we capable of that?

Tonight, let's honor Dr. King for his sacrifice, his courage and his work. Let's mourn what we lost and let's lift our heads tomorrow and move forward in search of the love and compassion we need to solve our nation's problems.

Incidentally, as you probably know, on June 4, 1968, Senator Kennedy won the California Primary. At the victory party in the wee hours of June 5, Kennedy would also be assassinated.

Begin Again? Indy Democrat is BACK!

Your Host

This is the Indy Democrat Blog. My name is Jon Easter.

For those of you who know me, welcome back, and, if you're just stopping by, welcome.

Many years ago, I wrote a column for a very brief period of time that was published in the Mooresville/Decatur Times called Democratically Speaking in Indy. It was my first foray into real opinion writing since my high school days back at Ben Davis High School, and I loved it. I actually earned a few fans. My time at the Times ended and so did the column.

Indirectly, that column gave birth to the first version of the Indy Democrat Blog. That was my baby for nearly 10 years. At first, I published sporadically. Eventually, I moved into seven-days-a-week posting schedule. I wasn't getting paid for it, and I started to run short on information and ideas. Eventually, I scaled it back to a weekday only schedule. The thing went on life support when I went back to posting only sporadically. Eventually, I mercifully put the pillow over the thing, and I killed it.

Then, I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I deleted the whole thing. I burned it down and bulldozed the remains. Nine years and nine months of work was gone in the click of a mouse.

Recently, I went back, and I actually began to think about my blog and what it accomplished. That little thing that was started for free here on Blogspot generated mentions in national publications. Because of my work, I created a radio talk show that aired on Indiana Talks. Senators, Representatives, Councillors, Mayors, Members of Congress began to ask me what I thought on issues. I couldn't believe, in retrospect, what I had thrown away.

I threw away my voice. I went silent. I thought I'd be happy.

I wasn't. I'm a creature of politics. I love the strategy. I love the analysis, and you probably shouldn't take me too seriously. I didn't go to school for this. Education's my day job, and I am happiest in the classroom. This is something else for me. This is my mental exercise: crafting these words here.

Well, here I am again. I don't know if anyone will listen to my voice or read my words, but I feel the need to opine again. Pardon my self-important tone. I really do not take myself that seriously.

On this blog, I'll give you my opinion on things political or otherwise, but I won't toss red meat. I will practice good journalism when I report, and I'll be like an unbiased baseball umpire. I'll call them like I see them. My loyal readers probably won't notice much of a difference than before.

In short, I want to apologize to Version 1.0 of this blog. I tossed you out. I unceremoniously kicked you to the curb. I pretended not to feel the loss.

Truth is...I did. I need to do this again even if I hate it sometimes. I can't promise I'll be here every day, but I'll try to do this regularly. Writing for me comes easier when I feel really good. I do right now.

So, let's try to make it right this time. So, I begin.