The Return of the Mitch?

 

Mitch Daniels
Photo: Purdue University

Purdue President Mitch Daniels has been in the news a lot lately. 

First came the somewhat surprising news that he would be retiring from his post as President of Purdue University. Then, nearly immediately, the speculation began about what the former Indiana Governor and Federal Budget Director under George W. Bush might do in his retirement.

Hint: the speculation is that he's not moving to the Villages in Florida.

Politico's Adam Wren, one of Indiana's finest political reporters, has reported that friends of Daniels say he is "fascinated" by the idea of returning to the Governor's Mansion that he never lived in when he was Governor of Indiana from 2005-2013. Daniels defeated incumbent Governor Joe Kernan in 2004, and he easily won reelection over former U.S. Representative Jill Long Thompson in 2008. The term-limited Daniels left office and quickly was named the President of Purdue University in 2013. Since then, he's been the head Boilermaker.

Wren also floated the possibility on Twitter that some Republicans are trying to convince Daniels to challenge Joe Hogsett for Mayor of Indianapolis in 2023. Hogsett, a former U.S. Attorney, is also a possible Gubernatorial candidate in 2024. Many forget that Hogsett was once Indiana's Secretary of State back in 1989. He won election to his own term by beating Bill Hudnut in 1990. He also lost statewide races in 1994 for U.S. Senate and in 2004 for Attorney General. Hogsett definitely has been around the block a time or two of Indiana's 92 counties and is also a former Indiana Democratic Party Chair.

Whatever Daniels decides to do, it should be an interesting time as the statewide GOP becomes more and more another agent of Donald J. Trump's hostile takeover of the party. Trump loyalist Diego Morales bounced Secretary of State Holli Sullivan at the Republican Convention on Saturday. He'll be their statewide ticket leader in November. The GOP also passed a very far right platform on Saturday signaling the continued movement away from a guy like Daniels and his former Chief of Staff and curent Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. There's not a guarantee that Daniels, who by most accounts would be far more to the center than to where his party now sits politically, would win a primary against a Trumper like Jim Banks or Mike Braun or Todd Rokita.

Personally, I think Mitch is enjoying the attention having been out of the political spotlight for a while. It must be nice to still be wanted by some in the party. The next few months will reveal much about Daniels' future plans as well as those who might run against him. 

Please, Not Again

I am hearing rumblings that Joe Donnelly wants to be your Senator again. I plead with the Indiana Democratic Party not to do this again.

Yeah, I know that Joe once won a statewide race against a truly off-kilter Republican who wrote his own ending weeks before the General Election, but Joe Donnelly won't beat Todd Young or Mike Braun or whoever he runs against next for whatever statewide office he wants. He doesn't have a shot. He connected himself with Donald Trump in 2018. That's not what a Democrat does.

In my view, the 2022 election cycle for U.S. Senate is an uphill battle. Running the same strategy Democrats have run in almost every U.S. Senate in my adult life is not going to work in 2022 or 2024. You won't beat Republican Todd Young by being slightly less Republican. You won't beat Republican Mike Braun by calling out his Trumpiness...when you touted your own Trumpiness in 2018.

To me, the wiser strategy is to give us a candidate who brings something more to the table. More Democrat. Yeah, let's run and support someone who espouses Democratic Party values which consistently poll in the positive. I'm not talking about those fake wedge issues that Republicans try to throw over our necks like albatrosses. I'm talking about those bread and butter issues that carried Democrats in Georgia across the finish line in that Senate race. 

If Georgia can have two Democrats in the Senate...if Arizona can have one Democrat and one who ran as a Democrat in the Senate, Indiana can. Don't tell me we have to keep running Evan Bayh clones or Joe Donnelly each time. There was a time when Diet Republican worked as a strategy here. My mom voted for Evan Bayh. She wouldn't vote for Democrats much, but she could vote for Bayh because he was just a little left of Richard Lugar. 

To win in 2022 or 2024, it's going to take every darn Democrat in the state to get out plus a lot of those Republicans who voted for Joe Biden because they were tired of Donald Trump and who believe things like the environment are important. That healthcare needs to be fixed. That guns should be legal but controlled more. That immigration is essential to our country's future. That democracy is worth saving. That Joe Biden won the 2020 election...and much more.

Laying down with the Republicans to try to pull over votes rather than making a case that our ideas are better is, in my view, a losing strategy. Even if the strategy of making your case loses, you win in the end because you were advancing our party's goals. Every small step makes that difference.

That's just my opinion. Joe Donnelly's better than Todd Young or Mike Braun, but I just fear getting in this never ending cycle of a strategy that doesn't work and won't work again.

RIP The United States Constitution (1789-2021)

The United States Constitution died today in Washington, D.C. Donald Trump and his loyalists killed it.

The founding document took a fatal blow today when 43 of Donald Trump's nearest and dearest friends voted to acquit him of inciting the January 6 riots at the Capitol. That's 43 Senators who raised their hands and took an oath to defend the United States Constitution who chose to look the other way while Donald Trump was allowed to trample it.

Well, I guess Donald Trump did something that even the strongest militaries have yet to do. He beat the Constitution. For all the high and mighty talk about how the GOP values the "rule of law" the only ones standing up for our founding ideas were moderate conservatives, independents and Democrats. There were 57 patriots who did their duty. The other 43 did Trump's bidding.

I mean, inciting an insurrection is about as bad as it gets. Next time, if Trump or someone of his ilk is in office, why leave your fate in the hands of an angry mob? Next time, he'd might as well put tanks on Pennsylvania Avenue Roll them right up there. After all, would the vote really change? Could we get 67 Senators to agree that's inappropriate?

While I'm being a bit hyperbolic here, I just have to wonder. Maybe it's not too late to save this thing. Maybe the Constitution is on life support and we can bring it back.

For now, I'm disgusted, and I'm honestly ready to pack it in on politics. If the most sacred of our founding documents is allowed to be open to the whim of one man, what good is any of this?

Braun Disgraces Great Indiana Senate Legacy by Supporting Election Protest

Senator Stereotypical Modern Republican

We all knew that Mike Braun was an empty shirt. He was "stereotypical modern Republican" in central casting.

Today, it was confirmed that he is "stereotypical modern Republican" as he has chosen to join the certain-to-be fruitless and patriotically-bankrupt challenge of the clear victory of Joe Biden over Donald Trump. 

To quote Barack Obama, "Let me be clear," Joe Biden won the election on November 3. Months of challenges haven't changed the election results, and whatever Lin Wood and the rest of the so-called "Dream Team" of Trump lackeys can dream up for January 6 won't change them either.

On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden will raise his right hand and be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. "Stereotypical modern Republicans" have had the chance to do what traditional Republicans and Democrats and anyone else who cares about this country have done for years: rally, at least ceremonially, behind the new President because that's what we bank on here. The United States doesn't do drama when it comes to the peaceful transition to power. We have had bumpy roads, but, for the most part, it's gone down this way for the entire history of our country. I hope it will go this way for the future, but I'm worried.

What's disturbing is that Indiana has had some impressive Senators when you look at modern history. Vance Hartke and Dan Coats were both respected voices. Joe Donnelly did great work in his six years. Birch Bayh authored multiple amendments to the United States Constitution and redefined gender equality with Title IX. Richard Lugar put country and state over himself and his Republican Party many times. Mike Braun has sadly not lived up to any of these legacies. Not even close. 

Mike Braun must be sent home by voters in 2024. Braun has chosen himself and his perceived future political future over this country's long tradition of a peaceful transition of power. He's given air to the ridiculous fire of conspiracy theories and discord dividing our country. Worst of all, he's doing it in MY NAME because he represents ME in the Senate.

Remember this day when you're not sure about who the Democrats put up in 2024 even if you have to hold your nose to vote for Braun's opponent. I love my country more than I love my party. I am a Hoosier, but I am an American first. 

Mike Braun must be defeated in 2024. The empty blue shirt must be retired to his Southern Indiana home where he can do no more damage to our democracy.

Keep Working Until Biden Wins

So, here we are just a few weeks before the election, and it appears that Joe Biden is doing about as well as can be expected in the polls. I don't think this thing is over yet.

While my prediction based upon the statewide polls puts Joe Biden at a 375 electoral vote mark when everything is said and done, the polls are still too tight to just coast across the finish line...even with Donald Trump continuing to implode.

The biggest thing you can do right now is keep advocating to those persuadable voters you know. Maybe those old-time Republicans that you've met over the years might just be fed up enough with the state of their party to flip over and vote for Biden this year. If that can happen, perhaps we can even turn Indiana blue.

Personally, the only person who could turn Indiana blue is Barack Obama, and he did it with hard work. His 50-state strategy with boots on the ground everywhere in the United States paid off. In the age of COVID-19, Biden can't do that. I think he's running a much better campaign than I expected him to run. He may even have some coattails as the Senate looks more and more likely to flip to Democrat.

Still, nothing will surprise me in 2020 short of aliens coming to Earth. Of course, we'd have to hear endless news conferences of Donald Trump telling everyone to go out and look directly up at the alien craft while Dr. Fauci, the CDC and the Space Force all advise against it. Imagine all of the gun owners firing their weapons up at the ship. Well, yeah, that's hopefully not going to happen.

This has been the longest, strangest year I can remember, so I wouldn't expect the last three months to finish in any other way but nasty. 

Biden winning this election would be a start, but we'll still have a long way to go. Keep working.

Harris Should Reignite Voters in Battleground States

Kamala Harris
Official Photo

I've been busy these last two weeks with the day job, so I haven't had much time or blogging. I did want to react to Joe Biden's pick of U.S. Senator Kamala Harris to be his running mate.

While I wanted Susan Rice, I have zero issues with Harris joining the ticket. I believe she brings a lot of punch to a campaign whose fortunes continue to be good for November.

That said, Harris, who hails from solid blue California, can help Biden with voter enthusiasm around the margins in the key battleground states where things will be close. 

It's those places where people sat at home in 2016 and didn't get out to vote...states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Those were all states Al Gore, John Kerry and Barack Obama carried. Donald Trump carried them in 2016. Harris reignites those voters.

We all know that this is not a popularity contest. It's a strategic one. On my scorecard, I already have Biden with enough electoral votes to win this thing, but that is far from official. It's going to take a strong convention and a continued strong performance by both candidates to get past a well-funded incumbent who has strong support within his own circle.

Independents and "Never Trumpers" who may have held their nose and voted for Trump in 2016 are

Joe Biden
Official Photo

going to have to come over and vote for Biden and Harris.

I think Joe Biden found himself the candidate who can best help him do it..even more than my choice in Susan Rice. 

Biden's going to have to do better though. He can't get content to hang in Wilmington. He also is going to have to tighten up his performance on the stump and in interviews. He still gaffes way too often. Harris, who is very media-friendly, can help him by taking this role in the campaign. Biden, however, has to do it too.

As we get closer to November 3, more and more Americans get switched on. With a number of controversies to hit Trump on, Biden has to be judicious and hit the ones that can hurt Trump the most. He and Harris have to have laser focus in keeping the campaign simple. 

For me, I'd hit Trump every darn day on his undercutting of the United States Post Office and his pandemic response. Those two issues are things we all can feel. They're also among the umpteen failures of this administration.

So, with Harris aboard the USS Biden, we head into the convention season. This thing isn't over no matter what the polls say. It's just beginning.

Bray Threatens School Funding Over School Safety Decisions

Rod Bray
Official State Photo

To say being a school teacher or administrator right now is a tough job is an understatement…let alone being a student, parent or guardian.

As the school year begins, schools find themselves trying to weave their ways through scores of potential landmines that could have devastating effects on a community and Hoosier families. 

In general, a lack of guidance from state officials and a lack of anyone wishing to make a decision has created a vacuum where local schools have to cobble together the best information they can and make decisions based on those facts as the COVID-19 pandemic slogs on.

In short, these critical decisions rely on consistent and clear communication from the state. It's no time for amateur hour.

Some counties like Marion County have had an involved local health department. While Dr. Virginia Caine and Mayor Joe Hogsett have made some moves that have not been well-communicated ahead of time, they have been pretty rock solid in their guidance that when it becomes unsafe to keep schools open that they won’t hesitate to close them. They did it in March, and they have clear guidance for Marion County Schools that's based on science and data. This is the kind of guidance that local school boards and superintendents need to make good decisions. 

Most of all, they need to know that decision makers in government have their backs in no uncertain terms. The last thing they need are mixed messages or unclear guidance.

School leaders were shuddering to think what might happen to funding this summer as the state announced major budget cuts to deal with the budget shortfall. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb alleviated concerns by saying that schools would receive 100 percent funding as planned for the 2020/2021 school year. With that guidance, schools have moved forward in good faith. 

Late last night, the Governor's guidance was muddied as a powerful General Assembly voice decided to weigh in.

Senate President Pro Tempore Rod Bray announced in a letter that public schools not beginning the school year with an in person option would see a funding cut of 15 percent per student. With schools already rolling in many communities and some deciding to go 100 percent virtual, Bray's letter drew broad criticism. The ISTA, AFT, Senate Democrats, State School Superintendent Jennifer McCormick, Woody Myers and others were quick to criticize the move. 

One person has been silent: Governor Holcomb.

This is not the kind of guidance our schools need right now. Bray wants to punish schools who make decisions based on health and safety. When approached by the Indy Star on what all this meant for schools, Bray could not provide any details.

Senator Bray clearly did not think out this position, and he clearly does not understand how his proposed funding cuts will affect districts that are already in session or may be closed by health orders. 

I bet he doesn’t care, either. 

Bray's letter is essentially that “OPEN THE SCHOOLS” tweet President Trump mindlessly tweets in the form of a poorly thought out policy, and Governor Holcomb seems good with it.

That's a sad state of affairs, folks.

UPDATE: Per the Fort Wayne Journal Courier's Niki Kelly, the Governor has finally commented reiterating his support for 100 percent funding for schools.

Braun Tells Schools "Take a Little Risk" in Reopening

Mike Braun
Official Senate Photo

Mike Braun wants teachers, students, parents and school leaders to, "Take a little risk," and reopen schools for full in-person instruction. 

Anything less, Braun apparently thinks, is a "head in the sand" approach.

Citing Notre Dame and Purdue University as examples, Braun criticized Arizona education leaders casting doubt on the August 17 mandated start. Ironically, he also encouraged schools to mitigate risks and, "Be safe." Braun made his comments on Stuart Varney's program on Fox Business.

That's your Senator, Indiana. 

Braun, of course, loves nothing more than attempting to please Donald Trump at all times. He showed a little independence earlier this year in pushing qualified immunity reform, but he snapped back into line when he received a little pushback. 

This seat is the same seat once occupied by Richard Lugar and Joe Donnelly. Can you imagine either of them telling parents to risk the lives of their students? Can you imagine them asking teachers to risk their lives so brazenly?

All of these comments come as the CDC and the United States Government have provided confusing and constantly changing guidance for schools on how to open safely. At first, the CDC provided clear guidelines, but Vice President Mike Pence and President Trump pushed back and undermined the agency who revised the plan making the guidance less strict.

I guess the question for Senator Braun is to define what a "little risk" is. After he defines it, he needs to tell us if he's prepared for the possibility that opening schools for in-person full instruction could add to the nearly 3,000 Hoosiers who have already died and all the horrible scenarios that come with that.

Indiana schools lack any guidance from Governor Holcomb on what to do right now in day-to-day operation. He's pushed that off on local communities. On the surface, that makes a lot of sense. What's appropriate in Benton County may not be the same as what's appropriate in Marion County. In practice, it's created a lot of confusion among administrators and school boards about whether to open fully in person, use some hybrid of in person and online learning or moving totally online. 

In the absence of any guidance from the state, Marion County created an easy-to-follow protocol and communicated it last week. It remains to be seen as to why the state can't copy Virginia Caine's homework on this. I predict that eventually, Governor Holcomb and the Indiana State Department of Health will follow Marion County's lead because that is essentially what has happened often since March.

But, back to Mike Braun. Using a higher education model to somehow shame local school boards is ridiculous. Purdue, Notre Dame and Indiana are all requiring COVID-19 tests for students returning to campus in some form. There is no such requirement or funding for K-12 students and staff as schools reopen. I'd argue that with a rising statewide positivity rate in testing that it's impossible to know what exactly we're risking.

Arizona's Hayden-Winkleman Unified District Superintendent Jeff Gregorich was more blunt about what's at risk in talking about his rural Arizona district. He told the Washington Post that he's been working hard to open, but he sees no way that his district can safely provide in-person instruction. Gregorich wrote, "Kids will get sick, or worse. Family members will die. Teachers will die."

Hopefully Hoosier voters will remember Braun's callous position on this when he stands for reelection. For a former member of a school board, Braun seems ready to put Hoosier students, teachers, administrators and school staff in danger so he can look good in President Trump's eyes.

In the leadership vacuum that exists in Indiana, Braun should be empowering each local school board to make the best decision for their local district based on the guidance and information they are receiving from local health officials. He shouldn't be telling them to essentially head to the COVID-19 Casino and keep the rabbit's foot nearby for luck.

Obama Says "Hale Yes!"

Barack Obama
Official Photo

President Barack Obama has weighed in on the 5th Congressional District race in Indiana, and he's saying, "Hale Yes!"

While it's no surprise that POTUS 44 is endorsing Christina Hale, it's quite the commentary on the quality of Hale as a candidate and where we are in Election 2020.

The 5th District rates as a Republican +9 on the Cook Partisan Voting Index. The district extends from the Northside of Indianapolis to the northern boundary of Grant County. While it includes many rural areas, it also includes Anderson, Carmel, Fishers, the western suburbs of Kokomo, Marion, Noblesville and Zionsville among other hamlets such as Hartford City, Tipton and Gas City. 

When initially drawn after the 2010 census, the 5th CD was represented by Dan Burton, the man who once set up a cantaloupe experiment to prove somehow Clinton aide Vince Foster could not have committed suicide. Susan Brooks, who has represented District 5 since 2013, has built a rock-ribbed conservative voting record, but she's avoided some of the hyper-partisan rhetoric other Indiana Republican pols have used in that time. That's why it was a surprise when she decided to take a pass on running for another two-year term. 

Christina Hale
Campaign Photo

The 5th District is changing, and it's been easy to see over the past few elections. Once one of the most red areas in the US, the district battleground is now suburban Hamilton County where traditionally Republican voters have proven open to listening to strong Democrats. 

Both President Obama and Senator Joe Donnelly did very well in Hamilton County. It paved their way to wins in 2008 for Obama and 2012 for Donnelly. For a Democrat running in Indiana, it's crucial to run up the score in Lake, Marion and Monroe Counties and split or win those suburbs of the 5th Congressional District.

Hale, an accomplished former State Representative, is hoping to capitalize on the swing vote nature of those suburban voters. Certainly, her Republican opponent, Victoria Spartz is taking the opposite tack. She's aligned herself as the best friend of Donald Trump and is trying to, no doubt, draw out the strong Republican allies of POTUS 45 in the district. 

With Obama in this race, you can bet you're going to see highest profile D's and R's taking an interest in the Indiana 5th District campaign. That means you're likely going to see the Republican and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committees and all the super PACs weighing in on this one, too.

Yep, if you didn't think it was before, the 5th Congressional District Indiana race is going to be one to watch through November!

Lucas' Controversial Post on Social Media Draws Scrutiny

Stop me if you've heard this one before...

Barely two months after he was demoted from leadership posts by the Republican House caucus for what many considered to be a racially-charged Facebook post, Jim Lucas, the District 69 State Representative, has again posted something controversial.

Lucas, who has been a frequent critic of the state's pandemic response, took to Facebook to express his outrage over the mandate asking Hoosiers to wear a mask. This picture of the post is circulating on social media. 

Lucas met with almost immediate backlash and even some praise on the post. After the outrage began to outweigh the praise with many people seeing the post as a potential threat against Governor Eric Holcomb, Lucas added an addendum to the post:

For those that are blowing this out of proportion (again), this picture IS NOT a threat against anyone! 

It is a picture that I have used countless times for years that best exhibits our FREEDOM and Constitutional rights and IS NOT A THREAT!

History shows that the posts from yesterday were right in character for Lucas.

Lucas once posted a letter he wrote to an Indy Star reporter who had written a story about rape suggesting a follow-up story about women "learning how not to be a victim." Lucas apologized.

Another time, he also shared a meme with a picture of a woman in the trunk of a car with the caption, "Wanna know who loves you more: your wife or your dog? Lock them both in your trunk and see who's happy to see you when you let them out."

On WISH-TV's Facebook page, Lucas once shared a photo of two nooses under a story where a black man had confessed to raping three women in Indiana. Lucas claimed the photo posting had nothing to do with the race of the man who admitted to the rapes.

Then, that post I mentioned earlier in this post from last May that caused him to write this (ahem) apology

In almost every case, Lucas accuses those who take umbrage with his posts as making a mountain out of a molehill. He also has claimed multiple times that the pictures or memes he posts have been used by him in other ways before in trying to excuse the use. You can almost set your watch by it.

One has to truly wonder what Lucas' intentions were in this case. Does he think he can intimidate Governor Holcomb? Holcomb, who has polled strongly since taking office, is a longtime GOP insider and former Indiana Republican Party Chair with inside ties to Dan Coats, Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence. He's Donald Trump's honorary campaign chair in Indiana.

Lucas is a State Representative who has managed to get catty-wompus with his own party.

Holcomb's not intimidated. He's right on masks. He may have taken a little time to get there, but action had to be taken to help slow the spread. Masks don't violate anyone's rights. They protect your health.

One thing's for darn sure, Lucas' history shows that he's clearly not changing the way he goes about his social media activities. Some would say that it's been the minimal consequences that he's faced that emboldens him. He seems to believe he's untouchable politically. Perhaps he's too comfortable in his seat, but it's his seat until someone defeats him at the ballot box.

Just so you know, voters of District 69, Jeffery Prewitt is running against Lucas, and there's also an independent on the ballot named Katrina Hardwick. You have a choice.

For now, I'll mark the tape because I am quite sure there will be a new, controversial Lucas post sometime soon. When it happens, I'll even use the same headline.

Four Indiana GOP Reps Vote to Keep Taney Bust, Confederate Statues in Statuary Hall

Dred Scott
Public Domain Photo

The House of Representatives voted by a wide margin, 305-113, to remove the bust of Roger Taney, the Chief Justice who wrote the infamous Dred Scott decision, from the National Statuary Hall. The body also voted to remove several Confederate statues from the Hall.

Unfortunately for those backing the removal, that's only one part of the story. Even with the House's vote, the bust of Taney and the Confederate statues are unlikely to be removed, at least this year. The Senate would also have to pass its own measure, and Donald Trump would have to sign off. Even in the unlikely event the Senate does really anything at all, Trump's been on the record as defending statues of Confederates and folks like Taney.

Both of Indiana's Democratic Congressmen, André Carson and Pete Visclosky, along with Republicans Jackie Walorski, Susan Brooks and Trey Hollingsworth voted in the affirmative to remove the statues. Unbelievably or maybe believably, four of Indiana's Republican Congressional House Delegation voted no and in defense of keeping the Confederates and Taney in the Hall.

This dubious "Hall of Shame" includes 3rd District Congressman Jim Banks, 4th District Congressman Jim Baird, 6th District Congressman Greg Pence and 8th District Congressman Larry Buschon. All four of these men served in the United States Armed Forces. Hoosiers need to ask Baird, Buschon, Banks and Pence why they believe Taney and the Confederates deserve to continue to be honored in the Capitol.

John Lewis (1940-2020)

John Lewis has passed tonight.

From Troy, Alabama, Lewis, the son of sharecroppers, rose to the highest levels of our government to serve with distinction in the United States House of Representatives. 

Along the way, he inspired so many, including me.

Representative Lewis packed a lot of life into his 80-plus years. More life than maybe many have in two or three lives. It was a life focused on service and on humility. Lewis led a life of perseverance and hope. He never quit on this country even when it quit on him. 

He marched with Dr. King. He spoke at the March on Washington as one of the organizing members. His skull was fractured on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday.

John Lewis never let the arrests or the beatings or the epithets stop him. He kept fighting for civil rights. 

He didn't stop. Not even close. Not John Lewis. He wasn't done. He kept working, organizing, mobilizing. He kept serving. Moving forward. Making "good trouble" as he called it. He didn't stop when the Civil Rights Act was passed. He kept fighting for equality even as our country continued to demonstrate every reason for him not to be hopeful. John Lewis didn't stop organizing and mobilizing. He kept doing the work. He kept making "good trouble" and pushing forward.

John Lewis was defeated in his first run for Congress, but he didn't stop there. In 1987, John Lewis became a Congressman from Georgia. He never stopped fighting for what was right. John Lewis conducted sit-ins in 2016 on the floor of Congress to protest inaction on gun control.

John Lewis rose one year ago to the date of his death to protest Donald Trump's tweets many deemed to be racist. "I know racism when I see it. I know racism when I feel it. And at the highest level of government, there's no room for racism. It sows the seeds of violence and destroys the hopes and dreams of people. The world is watching. They are shocked and dismayed because it seems we have lost our way as a nation, as a proud and great people."

Just last month, Lewis was still fighting against racism. It was a battle he never stopped. Though very sick with cancer, he showed us what it's like to never stop fighting up to his last breath. 

In many ways, this is the time we need John Lewis the most, but that would be selfish. He's given his blood, his tears, his effort, and everything else...up until his last breath. It's time to rest. He's gone, and we're left to pick up the pieces and keep fighting: just like John Lewis.

"When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something."

--John Lewis

Biden Camp Running Strong, but It's July

Joe Biden

The legendary basketball coach at Ben Davis High School, Steve Witty, always used to say, "The toughest thing to do in sports is exactly what's expected of you."

He didn't know that I'd use that quote here and in this context, but I think that quote could also apply to politics. The toughest thing is sometimes doing what is expected, and Joe Biden is running a much-better-than-expected campaign for President of the United States by simply keeping that metaphorical golf ball right in the fairway. It appears that he's taking some advice to heart.

It all starts with the ads the Biden campaign is releasing, and each ad released has been on message, on point, uplifting and positive. 

A great example is this spectacular ad. Each one plays into Biden's strong suit: his empathy. 

But beyond his ad campaign, Biden is also nailing the other aspects of a modern campaign. In the past week, we've seen where he's talking with Bernie Sanders about platform and Elizabeth Warren  about the economy and is listening to them. He's held events with Pete Buttigieg. He's keeping his chief rivals for the nomination more than just involved as supporters. 

Barack Obama allegedly advised Biden to keep his speeches and interviews short and keep his tweets in a similar vein. That's discipline, and that's what we've seen from the former Senator from Delaware and Vice President. Biden, unlike President Donald Trump, demonstrates this in his public speeches by sticking to the script and staying on message. For someone who at times has been known for his gaffes, this is very important.

All the while, Biden is letting the Super PACs do the dirty work on Trump. The Lincoln Project and Vote Vets both have hit Trump hard. The Lincoln Project's Whispers ad that dropped last week is one of the most powerful ads I've seen, and it's targeted right at what Donald Trump values...loyalty.

Of course, the best thing for Biden to do right now is stay visible, which he is. Follow the recommendations of the CDC on rallies, which his is, and continue to let Donald Trump be Donald Trump. The amount of lies, distortions and offensive things that come out of Trump's mouth and social media accounts are unprecedented not to mention his corrupt actions.

With this much of a wind behind him, Biden is now expanding the electoral map in response to recent polls showing him very competitive in Texas where a Democrat has not won since 1976. Today, Biden launched an ad in the Lone Star State which never once mentions Donald Trump and focuses on recommendations to stop the spread of COVID-19. This means Trump will now have to play defense in Texas, a state he carried by nine percentage points in 2016. Polls also show Biden with leads in Arizona and Florida.

All of this positive news comes with a healthy dose of caution. We are still some four months from the General Election. In the day and age we live in, anything can happen. It's time to keep working.

Rokita Squeaks Past Hill, Will Face Weinzapfel

Tad Rakouta
U.S. Congress Photo

Indiana Republicans have spoken. Curtis Hill's political career is over, at least for now, and Todd Rokita is back off the dust heap.

Rokita, former Indiana Secretary of State and U.S. Representative, had not had much luck with Republican voters lately. He took a risk and left a safe seat in the 4th Congressional District to run for U.S. Senate against fellow Rep. Luke Messer and State Rep. Mike Braun. He finished a distant second. Rokita also tried to become the Republican's nominee for Governor after Mike Pence left the ticket in 2016. Eric Holcomb obviously won that battle.

Despite all the negative and really creepy things Hill has done in his time as AG, Rokita could only muster 53 percent of the Republican delegate vote in the final round vs. Hill. John Westercamp and Nate Harter also ran for the nomination. The GOP used ranked choice voting in the race which was conducted by mail.

Jonathan Weinzapfel
Campaign Photo

For Hill, it probably could be argued that despite the tacit support of President Donald Trump that the investigation over groping allegations and the resulting loss of his law license for 30 days took him down. Hill's political crash and burn marks a new beginning for Rokita, a man as known for his many wacky statements and disgusting political positions as his ambition. Still, it's a stunning ending to this chapter for Hill. While political comebacks are always a possibility, this seems like a pretty big and certainly final thud for Hill, once the top votegetter of any state officeholder in Indiana history.

Curtis Hill
Official Photo

Hill's loss changes the trajectory of the November race as Democrat Jonathan Weinzapfel, the former Mayor of Evansville, will now face Rokita. On the face of it, it's an easy pivot for the Dems and Weinzapfel. We've already seen sophomoric tactics out of Rokita whose campaign misspelled Weinzapfel's name multiple times in a news release after the former Mayor won the Democratic nod last month over state Senator Karen Tallian. Expect Dems to hit Rokita hard on some of his worst public statements, his ambition and his alleged mistreatment of his congressional staff. It will be an uphill battle for Weinzapfel. A good showing by Joe Biden in Indiana could help Weinzapfel.

What's next for Curtis Hill is anyone's guess. In his spare time, he's an Elvis impersonator. Maybe he can do that. What is clear is that boorish and inappropriate behavior was just not what the GOP wanted this year in their Attorney General nominee.

They didn't want it so much that they chose Todd Rokita.

Vote Vets Ad Claps Back Hard at Tucker Carlson, Trump

Vote Vets has released an ad that hits hard at Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson of Fox News.

They're right. Tammy Duckworth is tough, and she would make a great running mate for Joe Biden. I don't know if he will pick her, but this ad makes a great argument along with this previous ad released back in June by Vote Vets.

Trump Goes Low in Wallace Attack Tweet

Bubba Wallace
Photo: NASCAR

Each morning after I wake up, grab a drink and shake off the drowsiness, I grab my phone and open social media to get my first glance at what's going on.

Lately, I prepare for anything. This morning, the first few tweets I saw were responses to a Trump tweet: a Trump tweet that only shows the President keeps going lower and lower and lower and lower.

Trump decided that today, in the midst of a killer global pandemic he mismanaged, was the perfect time to attack NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace. The personal attack against NASCAR's only Black driver comes just two days after the Independence Day holiday and in the middle of a continued discussion about race in our society. 

Trump's tweet is mean-spirited, incorrect and wrong at every level, and one has to wonder why anyone in the most powerful office in the land would ever resort to such race-baiting. 

For one, Trump needs a distraction as the coronavirus numbers continue to skyrocket in most states. He needs someone to change the subject, and, by attacking the only Black driver in the NASCAR paddock, he gets people talking. Secondly, I'll put it bluntly, Trump needs his base, and that base includes the kind of people that wear tinfoil hats, support the Confederate States of America and the racism that continues to divide our nation.

Sadly, caught in the middle of this, is Bubba Wallace.

Wallace led the fight to remove the Confederate Battle Flag from NASCAR tracks. He should be praised for his leadership in helping an organization that was berthed in the tradition and history of Southern culture to divorce itself from the symbol some white Southerners hold sacred. He and his race team brought attention to the Black Lives Matter cause by running it on his car in a race. 

As a leader and as a man, Wallace deserves our accolades and not aspersions from a morally bankrupt failure of a President. He deserves the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work, and I hope President Biden will award him one when he's in office. Make no mistake, Trump's low personal attack will cause Wallace to absorb more hate directed at him from the President's most racist supporters. Hate that has caused him already to need more security. 

I proudly stand with Bubba Wallace.

Biden Launches Effective Ad

If you haven't seen this ad from Vice President Joe Biden, take a gander. It's absolutely brilliant.

The ad strikes the perfect tone for the political climate today. It avoids negativity and strikes a completely different tone than the current climate in Washington. It stirs "the feels", and it hearkens back to the themes of the Obama 2008 campaign which became a movement for hope and change.

As the 2020 election season rolls on, it's becoming clear that the political climate is playing into Biden's strength. Joe knows empathy. Joe knows compassion. He's built his career on it. Along the way, he has overcome personal tragedy and professional disappointment. Pardon the cliche, like America, Biden's been down, but he's hard to knock out. He's told that story about his father's advice that when he's gotten knocked down that he hears his dad's voice say, "Joey, get up!"

Biden's already been down and out. He went from a dreadful start to his campaign to the nomination in the blink of a political eye. I admit, I wrote him off many months ago. In fact, I wrote a blog post about it here. In true Biden fashion, the kid from Scranton is kicking, and he's kicking serious tail at the moment.

More ads like this and a campaign strategy that incorporates that "Duty to Care" mentality will go a long way in a campaign season that sees the electorate screaming out for someone to unite us. That's where Joe Biden excels.

Joe Biden has never had this kind of political wind at his back in his two previous runs for President. Still, Biden must run as if he is 20 points behind because Donald J. Trump will lie, cheat and steal if he has to to win. Running up the score is going to be critical. Even at 77, I think that the political gods have delivered us the right person for this moment in time. Now, it's up to America to seal the deal and start to roll back this nightmarish four years we've been experiencing together by electing Joe Biden.

Is Mike Pence Stealing Eric Holcomb's Hot Pockets?

Vice President Mike Pence
Photo: The White House

A few days ago, it came to light that former Indiana Governor Mike Pence has not bothered to update his voter registration.

He's still registered to vote at 4750 N. Meridian, better known as the Indiana Governor's Mansion. While the national news just picked up on this story, local news station WRTV reported on this back in May 2018.

Hoosiers will note that the Vice President moved out of that location and into his new government digs in Washington in January of 2017. That means that the United States' highest-ranking head nodder has voted in the 2018 primary and general elections, the 2019 primary and general elections and the 2020 primary election using that registration.

Pence's refusal to change his registration to One Observatory Circle, Washington DC brings to mind a scandal that almost cost an Indiana legend a chance to vote for himself. in 2012.

Astute political observers will note that the late former Senator Richard Lugar utilized a voting address of an Indy house he had not lived in for decades for many years despite living in Virginia full time. The Senator would hang his hat at the Howard Johnson's (or whatever hotel he booked...it didn't have to be a Ho Jo) when he would come to the state and visit. 

Lugar ended up getting called on the carpet and registered at his Decatur Township tree farm for voting purposes. That meant that he was essentially my neighbor though he never invited me over for tea.

Democrats do it too. Evan Bayh got caught during the campaign for Senate in 2016 using an empty condo he at least owned in Washington Township as his local address for voting purposes. Bayh, like Lugar, lived in Virginia. Of course, he wasn't a sitting Senator at that point. He'd somehow make due staying in hotels when he visited Indy. At least he made the effort, am I right?

Of course, in 2020, Pence and his boss want to rail against mail-in ballots as having the potential of voter fraud, but they both voted by mail in the primary election this year with Pence doing it from his old residence in Indiana. They aren't the only ones, either in the Trump Administration who utilized voted by mailing it in. Yet, to hear Trump tell it, mail-in voting is a sure-fire way for an election to be rigged. 

I do have a suggestion, though. If Indiana election officials ever force Pence to live in Governor Holcomb's basement, that would be a sure fire riot of an SNL skit. Holcomb and Pence bickering over who ate the last Hot Pocket.

If push came to shove, though, maybe Pence could call up Evan and see if he still has that condo.

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.