Republicans Would Elect that Indicted Ham Sandwich in Indiana Right Now

WIBC Morning and Midday host Tony Katz blasted former Democratic nominee for Governor, Jennifer McCormick for being out of touch with local issues on one of his shows. He claimed that she is out of touch with Indiana issues and cares more about things like Project 2025 links than what goes on here in the state. 

This comes after McCormick called out Timothy Wesco's ridiculous bill that could conceivably lock someone in a marriage if they have children and cannot produce a witness to testify to the "irretrievable breakdown of the marriage" among other things. It's House Bill 1684 if you're interested. McCormick linked that to parts of Project 2025.

That made Tony Katz apoplectic...as he often is when not smoking a stogie (and don't try to take away his stogies). Katz said, "This is why you lost. You’re uninspiring as as the kids would say, you’re boring. Most importantly, you are interested in national progressive claptrap and not being focused on Hoosiers."

We can talk about McCormick as a candidate. I think she ran a pretty darn good campaign against Micah Beckwi...er...Mike Braun for Governor, but Indiana, specifically the Indiana GOP, has a darn good track record of electing its nominees to state office. That includes a recent run of some real humdingers! Richard Mourdock, Charlie White, Todd Rokita, Diego Morales, Curtis Hill, Micah Beckwith...should I go on? 

It took a "Mourdock Moment" to help elect Joe Donnelly to the U.S. Senate in 2012, and I'm not even sure that would matter anymore in today's political climate. Had Richard Mourdock said that a woman who conceived a child as a result of a sexual assault was something "God  intended" in 2024, he might be a U.S. Senator. I think it certainly sounds like something that might come out of Micah Beckwith's mouth.

Jennifer McCormick didn't lose because she was wrong on the issues. Jennifer McCormick lost because, unlike the previous time she ran and won statewide office, she wasn't a Republican. That's the bottom line. Indiana Republicans would elect a ham sandwich if it ran on a statewide ticket even if that ham sandwich was the proverbial one that was indicted by a grand jury.

That's just where we are right now in Indiana politics.

Opportunity Knocks, Will the Democrats Answer?

The Indiana Republican Party is going to you know where in a handmaid's tale...er...handbasket, and the Indiana Democratic Party stands ready to scoop up the opportunity and dunk it in the basketball ring.

So...um, about that.

Opportunity has not just knocked. It's kicked the door in. As a Democrat, part-time blogger and political observer/hack, I have to wonder if anyone's home.

Yeah, the GOP has nominated self-proclaimed Christian Nationalist Micah Beckwith as its Lieutenant Governor candidate. He pairs with Mike Braun about as well as a tie on Mike's campaign buttondown. Braun is the sensible one on the ticket, which is scary since he once questioned the Supreme Court's ruling on Loving vs. Virginia. The landmark case that prohibited discrimination against interracial couples wanting to marry.

Braun, a U.S. Senator whose main accomplishment in office so far is to get on TV as much as possible, is running on a ticket with the vulnerabilities of a computer still running Windows 95. There's Jim Banks, the crazy U.S. Representative and Trump syncopant who seems to think the WNBA officiating is cause for a Congressional inquiry. There's Todd Rokita who is, well, Todd Rokita. We all know him by this point. That brings us back to Beckwith who is about as qualified to run a state as I am to run a Weightwatchers aka WW franchise. 

This should all be easy, right? Just point out who these people are and tout your superior candidates. 

On the Dem side, there's Jennifer McCormick, the former Republican State Schools Superintendent who lost her position due to the elimination of direct elections for that position. There's Valerie McCray, a clinical psychologist, who wants to be your next U.S. Senator. She's the first Black woman to sit on a statewide ticket in Indiana. 

Then, at the convention, voters will have to choose between attorney Destiny Wells, a combat veteran, and attorney Beth White, the former Marion County Clerk and Deputy Mayor of Indianapolis, to get the candidate for Attorney General to face Rokita.

That also leads us to the Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate to run with McCormick. Uh...well...you see, what happened was...we'll get back to you about that. Bob Kern is running at the convention, and he may actually be the nominee since no one else seems to want to step up and run. Kern, a perennial candidate, has an interesting past that he never hides from but would be no doubt fodder for the GOP's attacks should he get the nomination. 

So, here we are. A golden opportunity to do something in the state of Indiana as Democrats and...uh...the party doesn't have its ducks in a row. It's not surprising. Since the Dems last held state office, and even before that, it's been a struggle. Evan Bayh got pummeled by Todd Young. Joe Donnelly got retired by Braun. Pete Buttigieg left the state for Michigan leaving his former chief of staff, Mike Schmuhl, in charge. There are good people in place, but my fellow Dems just don't have anything together right now.

With the dumpster fire that's happening on the right in the Republican Party at this time, Democrats MUST muster some defense. McCormick is a very good candidate. I just fear that the infrastructure that used to be strong in this state on the Democratic side has been lost to time. Our Democratic Party that used to punch above its weight seems to lost that fighting edge. 

It's time to get it back. We cannot see another election where Todd Rokita, Mike Braun, Jim Banks and now, Micah Beckwith, go unchallenged. Get your house in order, Dems! In the end, the calculus still favors the GOP, but they have to at least know we were here and we're not going to take this lying down.

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.

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.

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!