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.