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.

Biden Camp Releases Great Sit Down Conversation with Obama

Take 15 minutes and watch this important video. This conversation between former President Barack Obama and his Vice President and current Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

It's excellent.

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.

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.

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.

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