Reserve Now for this year’s IDEA Convention in French Lick!

Reserve Now for this year's IDEA Convention in French Lick!

 

The 130th Annual Indiana Democratic Editorial Association (IDEA) Convention is returning to French Lick this summer.

This year's event takes place Thursday, August 26th to Sunday, August 29th.

 

Highlights for this year's event include:

Thursday, August 26

 - State Chairman's Reception

Friday, August 27

 - Larry A. Conrad Memorial Golf Tournament - To RSVP or for more information - contact Jenny Hill Weiser at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

 - IDEA/9th District Hog Roast

 - Orange County JJ Dinner

 - Hospitality Suites

 - Mary Lou Conrad Sing-Along

 

Saturday, August 28

 - IDEA Lunch - with the Indiana Democratic Party and Special Guest DNC Chairman Governor Tim Kaine ($50 per person)

 

Room Reservations

Please call 1.888.936.9360 or go online to http://www.frenchlick.com and use the group code 0810IDE. Reserve by August 5th in order to receive our discounted room rate of $147/night!

Please direct additional questions to Cameron Radford at (800) 233-3387. He can be reached via email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Join us at the IDEA Convention in French Lick!

Baron Hill-backed disaster legislation passes House (Courier-Journal)

INDIANAPOLIS – The U.S. House passed legislation Tuesday that could make it easier for communities to obtain federal emergency assistance when disasters strike along state borders.

The Multi-State Disaster Relief Act now moves to the Senate for consideration.

U.S. Rep. Baron Hill, D-9th District, has been pushing the legislation since the Federal Emergency Management Agency twice denied some aid to flood-ravaged Southern Indiana after storms nearly a year ago.

The Louisville area was hit by the same weather, but individuals and businesses there received assistance because Kentucky emergency officials were able to tally more damage than were Indiana officials.

Hill said FEMA treated the states’ requests as essentially two separate incidents and did not take into consideration the totality of damage in both states.

“We can try to be prepared for natural disasters, but they are ultimately beyond our control,” Hill said during a speech on the House floor about the bill. “However, we do have full control over how our federal government responds and aids individuals following a disaster. And, in this instance, I believe our government missed the mark.”

The legislation would require FEMA to take into account whether contiguous counties in a neighboring state were granted assistance following a major disaster caused by the same storm or other incident. The bill would also require FEMA to review and revise the regulations used to measure the severity and impact of a disaster when determining if individuals should receive assistance.

The provisions are not retroactive, however. So even if the bill becomes law, it won’t help victims of last year’s flooding.

FEMA's threshold for approving disaster aid is to have about 200 houses destroyed. But only 112 homes were destroyed in Southern Indiana after the Aug. 4 flooding, while Louisville — with much more concentrated housing — easily reached the 200 level.

“I believe if this law were in place last year, the result for my constituents would have been different,” Hill said in a statement Tuesday. “This legislation marks the first step to right a wrong that befell Hoosiers last year who, when trying to pick up the pieces after a natural disaster, were left wondering why their federal government was picking favorites.”

 

 

Reserve Now for this year’s IDEA Convention in French Lick!

Reserve Now for this year's IDEA Convention in French Lick!

 

The 130th Annual Indiana Democratic Editorial Association (IDEA) Convention is returning to French Lick this summer.

This year's event takes place Thursday, August 26th to Sunday, August 29th.

 

Highlights for this year's event include:

Thursday, August 26

 - State Chairman's Reception

Friday, August 27

 - Larry A. Conrad Memorial Golf Tournament - To RSVP or for more information - contact Jenny Hill Weiser at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

 - IDEA/9th District Hog Roast

 - Orange County JJ Dinner

 - Hospitality Suites

 - Mary Lou Conrad Sing-Along

 

Saturday, August 28

 - IDEA Lunch - with the Indiana Democratic Party and Special Guest DNC Chairman Governor Tim Kaine ($50 per person)

 

Room Reservations

Please call 1.888.936.9360 or go online to http://www.frenchlick.com and use the group code 0810IDE. Reserve by August 5th in order to receive our discounted room rate of $147/night!

Please direct additional questions to Cameron Radford at (800) 233-3387. He can be reached via email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Ben GiaQuinta dies (Journal Gazette)

FORT WAYNE – Ben GiaQuinta, a former state representative and World War II veteran, died Sunday morning from complications tied to congestive heart failure. He was 87. GiaQuinta died at the home of his son, Mark GiaQuinta, where he had been living for seven months. His six children were with him when he died.

“Most people will think of him as a true gentleman and someone who was very kind and thoughtful,” Mark GiaQuinta said. “But he was also extremely determined in everything he did, that’s what made him an effective legislator. When he wanted to get something through, he was relentless in his approach.”

Ben GiaQuinta, born in Brockton, Mass., served in World War II for three years and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He spent much of the war with the 102nd Infantry in Europe as a rifleman and machine gunner. Before his retirement in 2006, he was the last World War II veteran to serve in the Indiana House. GiaQuinta moved to Fort Wayne in 1946 to work at a friend’s driving school but left Indiana a few years later to start driving schools in Texas. He returned a few years later and married a former driving student. He and wife Helen later moved to Louisiana where GiaQuinta continued in the driving school business and earned a degree from Louisiana State University. The family returned to Fort Wayne in 1953.

GiaQuinta eventually became a real estate agent, often going by the name of “Ben Quinn” to minimize customer confusion over his last name. “Of course I never changed my name,” he recalled in a 1990 interview. “But years ago on the telephone, people had a terrible time with the name GiaQuinta – people couldn’t pronounce it, they’d get it fouled up and they’d forget it. “And I realized I was losing money because people couldn’t remember my name.” In 1986, Mark GiaQuinta, then a city councilman, persuaded his father to seek a seat on the Wayne Township Board, which oversees the township trustee’s office. GiaQuinta won.

He was still a virtual political unknown in May 1989, when he publicly accused Jim Winters, then the Wayne Township trustee, of corruption and misuse of township funds. He made headlines when he agreed to discuss a preliminary audit of township books that showed Winters had to repay the township $21,000 in unauthorized spending. In the months that followed, eight township employees were indicted on charges of participating in a kickback scheme with vendors who dealt with the township. Winters was later indicted on felony charges of forgery, theft and official misconduct. He resigned after pleading guilty to 10 misdemeanor counts of official misconduct. GiaQuinta was first elected to the General Assembly in 1990, at age 70.

He served two terms until his defeat by Republican John Becker in 1994 by a handful of votes. He regained the seat in a 1996 rematch and served until 2006. While serving in the legislature, GiaQuinta earned a reputation as the “gentleman of the House.” Colleagues from both parties described him as kind, respectful, and bipartisan. “He was one of the most sincere people you would ever want to meet, whether with dealing with people or dealing with legislation,” said state Sen. Thomas Wyss, R-Fort Wayne. “I don’t know anybody who dealt with him who didn’t like him, and that’s hard to say in politics.” In addition to being well-liked, GiaQuinta was known for his effectiveness, said former Rep. Randy Borror, R-Fort Wayne. “Ben was one of the true statesmen of the Indiana General Assembly,” Borror said. “He cared about Fort Wayne immensely. I could always go to Ben when there was an issue facing Allen County and Fort Wayne and he would always make things happen.”

Phil GiaQuinta said his father loved interacting with constituents. “There was never an issue too small or too large for him to tackle,” he said. “It didn’t matter who the person was, he would do his best to try and solve the problem.” In February 2006, GiaQuinta announced he would not seek another term and later confirmed he had a non-aggressive form of lymphoma. Phil GiaQuinta later won his father’s seat.During her husband’s House farewell speech, Helen GiaQuinta and several other family members looked on from the visitors’ balcony. Helen GiaQuinta attended sessions over the years and received a standing ovation of her own that day. She died in June 2009, after being married to Ben for 62 years. “I think Dad died as much of a broken heart as he did of a failed heart,” said Mark GiaQuinta, currently president of the Fort Wayne Community Schools board.

Ben GiaQuinta suffered a heart attack in 2002 but continued to be active even as his health declined, even going to church earlier this month. His friends and family described him as athletic and fit. “He was a good man and a gentleman, but he was very strong physically,” said his friend, House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend. “That’s why he lived a long, productive life.” One of GiaQuinta’s more significant honors came in October 2007, when Gov. Mitch Daniels awarded him the Sagamore of the Wabash. “Isn’t that wonderful?” a happy GiaQuinta said. “I never really thought I would get anything as nice as that. I’m just thrilled to no end to have received such a prestigious award.” The honor was requested by an eclectic group of Republicans and Democrats who had worked with GiaQuinta over the years in the Statehouse.

The letter seeking the Sagamore spoke of Ben GiaQuinta’s childhood, his service during World War II, his enduring marriage and his accomplished children. But it also focused on the many projects benefiting Fort Wayne and Allen County that GiaQuinta had a role in through the years. “Ben offered his assistance without regard to political persuasion,” the letter said. “Ben GiaQuinta nominated many who were recipients of the Sagamore of the Wabash award. It is doubtful that a single one of those recipients was more deserving of the honor than he is.”

A fascinating race for state treasurer (Brian Howey)

INDIANAPOLIS - I've been writing this column since 1985 and I don't recall ever talking about the treasurer of state race. The office is that of bureaucratic function and in my mind shouldn't even be elected. It should be part of the governor's appointed cabinet.

But this year we have a fascinating race between the Republican incumbent Richard Mourdock and a 28-year-old Democrat from South Bend named Peter Buttigieg (pronunced Boota-judge). Buttigieg is a Rhodes Scholar and studied economics at Oxford.

Mourdock is best known for his attempts to derail the Chrysler-Fiat merger, a case that was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court during the summer of 2009 when the U.S. auto industry teetered on the brink. When the merger occurred, Mourdock believed that Indiana police and teacher pension funds were getting "ripped off."

"Twenty-nine cents on the dollar for people like that is not ‘just compensation' at all, but the government says they have to abide by it," said Mourdock, spelling out the basis for Indiana's lawsuit. "This is the first time in the history of American bankruptcy law when secured creditors received less than unsecured creditors. And that ain't right!" he said.

Mourdock said he was doing his "fiduciary" duty and spent more than $2 million to pursue the lawsuit that ultimately the Supreme Court said "had not carried the burden" of proof.

Buttigieg is critical of Mourdock's attempts to stop the Chrysler-Fiat merger, which, if it had occurred, would have forced Chrysler into liquidation. He questioned Mourdock's wisdom for investing Hoosier pension funds into Chrysler stock, which was rated "junk" status at the time of purchase. "Indiana's government bought junk bonds for its pensioners" then "acted surprised when they lost value," Buttigieg said.

The Democrat noted that, "If successful, the lawsuit would have shut down Chrysler. Chrysler directly employs about 5,000 people in the city of Kokomo alone, and is responsible for tens of millions of dollars in annual tax revenue for the state, as well as over $3 billion in supplier business. The lawsuit would have destroyed these jobs and this revenue at the worst possible moment: in mid-2009, Howard County unemployment was approaching 20 percent. One think tank estimated that 100,000 jobs in Indiana alone depended on quick and orderly proceedings for GM and Chrysler."

And Buttigieg added, "Had the treasurer won the lawsuit, then Indiana would have actually received less money than in the agreement he was protesting. In the rescue negotiated between the government and the other 99 percent of the bondholders, Indiana pensions were to receive 29 cents on the dollar. The federal court found that in liquidation, the pensions would have recovered far less. Indeed, one likely reason the suit was rejected was that in bankruptcy court, a plaintiff is not entitled to bring a case actually demanding less money than he is already receiving. For this reason, the lawsuit itself would seem to conflict with Mourdock's fiduciary responsibility as treasurer."

When my Franklin College intern Brittany Brownrigg asked Mourdock why he purchased the Chrysler junk bonds, he responded, "We bought those bonds hoping to be a part of their success. Yeah, absolutely I would do it again and I would have no choice but to do it again."

Mourdock acknowledged the case has become a "double-edged sword."  Some of you will admire his stand on principle, even if it could have cost the state tens of thousands of jobs. Others will see him as a political opportunist, taking a swing a President Obama at a time he orchestrated the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies instead of allowing them to slide into oblivion.

"I probably have more name recognition than anyone who has ever served as state treasurer because of my involvement with the Chrysler bankruptcy last year," Mourdock said. "It opened up the topics I get to talk about. It allows me to talk about the big picture of the economy, not just in Indiana or the United States but globally."

Mourdock said that he believes his involvement with the Chrysler case will be a benefit to his campaign. "I think that is very much going to play in our favor. I think most Hoosiers were opposed to seeing our pensioners getting ripped off, which is exactly what happened."

In speech at the Democratic Convention last Saturday, Buttigieg saw the issue playing differently. "For most of us in the Hoosier State, impatience is an unfamiliar mood, because we by nature are patient people," he said. "Our state was built on three great disciplines - the discipline of the farm, the discipline of the factory, and the discipline of the family - each inspiring patience in its own way."

"We have run out of patience for 'get rich quick' schemes, wild speculation and reckless investments," he continued. "No one can explain to me why the incumbent treasurer put our trust money in junk bonds and mortgage-backed securities, as if our state pensions were some kind of Wall Street hedge fund."

So, Hoosier voters, you have an interesting decision to make about who will be our next treasurer.

The columnist publishes at http://www.howeypolitics.com

Some answers for those asking, ‘Brad Ellsworth?’ (Indy Star)

Election Day is less than four months away, but many Indiana voters still don't know much about Brad Ellsworth, the Democratic nominee for Senate.

That could change shortly, as he began airing his first campaign commercial Tuesday. It's none too soon. As a congressman from Evansville, he could walk down the street in many parts of the state without being recognized.

But he's not worried.

Four months is a lifetime in a political campaign, and with a rare open Senate seat at stake, there's little doubt his race against former Sen. Dan Coats ultimately will receive gobs of attention.

"Absolutely not," Ellsworth said Tuesday morning when I asked him if he was a household name. "But when the regular campaign starts up, when the TV ads start and we get out more during the (congressional) recesses, it will pick up."

It's been a strange race in many ways -- from Sen. Evan Bayh's last-minute decision not to run for a third term to Coats' decision to come back to Indiana in the hopes of winning back his old seat. Now, it's a dash to Election Day.

Tuesday, Ellsworth, whose face was sun-splashed from walking in Fourth of July parades, met with me to talk about the campaign.

He has taken on a tough task, running during a year in which Democrats likely will suffer a beating. He faces many voters still angry that he voted for the federal health-care bill, as well as ridiculous charges that he's a liberal lapdog of national Democratic leaders.

In reality, he is probably the only candidate his party could have fielded this year, other than Bayh, who had a chance of winning the election. A moderate Democrat and former sheriff, Ellsworth is preaching a message that used to be common but isn't heard enough in these ultra-partisan days.

"The problems that face this country do not have a D or an R attached to them, and neither party has a corner on the market of good ideas," he said. "Guys like me -- whatever you want to call me: a centrist, a moderate, a conservative Democrat -- we want to be those guys who reach across the aisle."

He continued:

"We can't be head-butting all of the time. On issues like labor, education, the oil spill. Trying to blame a party? Give me a break. Let's fix it."

It's probably fitting that this campaign has been truncated. It's going to be a relatively simple one. Democrats will hammer Coats for being a D.C. lobbyist, and Republicans will attack Ellsworth for supporting health-care reform and other pieces of the Obama agenda.

It won't be pretty.

As I've written before, that's too bad. Because both candidates seem like decent, serious-minded men.

As for Ellsworth, he tells voters who are upset with the new health-care law that "it's not a radical bill" and that, while flawed, it was a "step in the right direction" after decades of inaction. He voted against his party on "cap-and-trade" energy legislation and laughs at those who try to label him a liberal, pointing to positions on guns, abortion and other issues that led Republicans in D.C. to casually raise the prospect of him changing parties.

In recent weeks, Republicans have mocked Ellsworth for downplaying his time in Washington. He no doubt has. He knows his two terms as a sheriff play well. And despite four years in Congress, he insists he still tries to approach issues the way he did during nearly 25 years in law enforcement.

"When we got called, we didn't ask if the person was rich or poor, white or black, or Republican or Democrat," he said. "You just went out and tackled the problem. You looked for the common-sense approach to fix the issue."

It's a great campaign line. But it's also a great philosophy.

 

 

 

 

 

Treasurer candidate says no to bank PAC donations (Northwest Indiana Times)

By Dan Carden

INDIANAPOLIS | The likely Democratic nominee for state treasurer says he won't accept campaign donations from bank political action committees.

Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday it is a conflict of interest for the state's chief investment officer to take campaign donations from bank PACs since the treasurer decides which banks hold the state's money.

"Hoosiers should never have to wonder whether decisions made in the treasurer's office about where to place their money are affected by campaign contributions -- and when I am state treasurer, they won't," Buttigieg said.

The treasurer manages more than $7 billion in state assets and investments.

Besides refusing donations from bank PACs, Buttigieg said he will only accept donations made by bank employees up to $2,300, the maximum individual donation allowed in a federal race. If elected, he said he will work with state legislators to enact a ban on donations by bank PACs to future treasurer candidates.

"If a bank gives money and then gets state business, it can create the appearance of a pay-to-play situation," Buttigieg said. "Until we can pass this long-overdue reform, I am going to lead by example and hold myself to this standard, and I invite my opponent to do the same."

A spokesman for state Treasurer Richard Mourdock's re-election campaign had no comment on the offer Wednesday.

Mourdock was nominated by the Republican Party for a second term last Saturday. Buttigieg is unopposed in the race for the Democratic treasurer nomination to be decided this Saturday.

In 2009, Mourdock raised at least $33,700 from bank PACs, including those of JPMorgan Chase, Fifth Third, M&I, National City, Wells Fargo and Old National. Bank PAC donations were about 19 percent of the $175,880.19 he raised in total.

Neither candidate appears to have received any bank PAC money between January and March, according to campaign finance reports. The next quarterly report is due July 15.

 

Chrysler Bankruptcy Drives Treasurer’s Race (Courier & Press)

INDIANAPOLIS - A year ago, Richard Mourdock placed the Indiana Treasurer's Office prominently on the political radar when he tried to toss a roadblock into the path of bankruptcy proceedings intended to save Chrysler from liquidation.

Friday, Mourdock was in New York for a speaking engagement in front of Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP - the 111th of what he calls the "Chrysler speeches," most of which he has delivered to rotary clubs and chambers of commerce throughout Indiana.

On Friday, a column on which he and Gov. Mitch Daniels collaborated on was published in the Wall Street Journal a year after a federal judge green-lighted the bankruptcy deal favored by President Barack Obama's administration.

It's an unusual amount of publicity for the normally nondescript office to receive, and with Hoosiers set to determine in November whether to keep Mourdock for a second term or replace him with a Democrat, the Chrysler bankruptcy challenge could be the race's defining issue.

The former Vanderburgh County commissioner drives a Dodge Ram and has owned two other Chrysler-made vehicles.

But he points to his lawsuit, filed on behalf of two Indiana pension funds - one for teachers and one for public safety officers - as evidence he has been a careful steward of Hoosiers' dollars.

His opponent, South Bend economist Pete Buttigieg (pronounced "Boota-judge"), also is highlighting that battle against the Chrysler bankruptcy for other reasons. He says Mourdock's move was a reckless one that put auto-industry jobs on the line.

The treasurer sued to stop Chrysler's bankruptcy and conversion into a new company now controlled by Italian automaker Fiat when its debt collapse was restructured in a way that he says reversed years of precedent and gave Indiana's funds an unfair deal.

Unsecured creditors - United Auto Workers retirees, who in exchange agreed to reduce the amount Chrysler owed a union retiree health care account - got a majority stake in the new company.

Meanwhile, secured creditors such as the Indiana pension funds received 29 cents on the dollar - 13 cents less than Chrysler's debt was worth when Indiana bought it.

Supreme Court

The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where Mourdock and a team of attorneys were turned away. But Mourdock seized on a part of the two-page court order, which did not speak to the merits of the challenge. Interpreting the court to have agreed with much of his point of view, Mourdock has continued his bid to get a better deal for Indiana's funds this year with attorneys who are working pro bono.

"I've been accused for being an ideologue for such beliefs, but if it means standing up for secured creditors - if that makes me an ideologue for the Constitution and rule of law - for that I will say guilty as charged," Mourdock said in an interview.

"It was unprecedented, the first time in American history, when the United States government threw away secured credit rights to aid one particular political group." he said. "That's not what government is supposed to be doing. As a fiduciary for other people's money, I have to look after their best interests, and they were getting ripped off in an unprecedented way."

Buttigieg, too, says Mourdock's challenge of Chrysler's bankruptcy proceedings has brought attention to a typically low-key race.

"I don't think it's the only issue, but I think it's an important one. I think it demonstrates what the office looks like when the economy comes first and what the office looks like when politics comes first," he said.

He is pointing at recent job announcements, such as Chrysler's decision to spend $43 million and rehire hundreds of laid-off workers in Kokomo. If Mourdock's challenge had succeeded, Buttigieg said, those jobs would not exist.

"At the peak of a recession, being prepared to destroy that many jobs to prove a point is really disruptive," he said. He accused Mourdock of deflecting blame for an investment his office should not have made in the first place.

"One of the facts that he rarely mentions is that when he originally bought Chrysler debt, Chrysler bonds were rated junk bonds," Buttigieg said. "If we had a safer investment policy to begin with, none of this would have happened."

Even if Mourdock's bid had been successful, since Chrysler called the UAW deal necessary to keep the bankruptcy proceedings moving forward, Buttigieg said Hoosier stakeholders might have received less than 29 cents on the dollar had the company been forced to liquidate.

As for the merits of the challenge, Buttigieg said: "I'm not a lawyer; he's not a lawyer. But this has been rejected at every level of the judicial system."

Souder fallout continues to sting (Indy Star)

Souder fallout continues to sting
Editorial -- Indianapolis Star 

The consequences of the mess that now former U.S. Rep. Mark Souder created by indulging in a sexual affair with a member of his staff continue to hurt the people he was elected to serve.

Last week, Gov. Mitch Daniels announced that he would call a special election to replace Souder, who resigned May 21, on the same day as the general election on Nov. 2.

Daniels' decision is prudent, given that a special election staged by itself would have cost at least $850,000 and by law could not have taken place before late July. Because of various breaks in the congressional schedule, Souder's replacement would have served only about 20 days on the House floor before voters chose a permanent representative of the 3rd District in the general election.

The winner of the special election will take office almost immediately after Nov. 2, giving that representative, assuming he or she also wins that day's general election, an edge in seniority on other freshmen members of Congress, which is an important factor in committee assignments.

So what are the downsides? Residents of the 3rd District will go nearly six months without a representative in the House at a time when Congress may make important decisions that affect the economy, the environment and other key issues. The responsibility for that lack of representation falls directly on Souder, who knew when he decided to engage in the affair that the ethical and moral violations would be enough to force him from office if ever disclosed.

Although Souder's staff will stay on the job for now, ensuring that constituent services will continue at some level, it will be difficult to keep all of those positions filled for the next five months as staff members understandably begin to think of their own future.

In short, the ramifications of Souder's abrupt and embarrassing departure will be strung out for months to come. Daniels' decision to delay the special election for more than three months isn't the cause of that unfortunate situation, however. That blame rests with Mark Souder. 

 

LINK: http://www.indystar.com/article/20100601/OPINION08/6010303/1291/OPINION08/Souder-fallout-continues-to-sting

Double election likely Nov. 2 (Journal Gazette)

GOP, Dems size up chances for seat (Indianapolis Star)

GOP, Dems size up chances for seat

By Maureen Groppe and Bill Ruthhart

 

WASHINGTON -- Northeast Indiana Republicans have to decide in the next month who they hope will succeed Rep. Mark Souder.

They could choose Bob Thomas, the auto dealer who came in second to Souder in this month's primary.

They could back state Sen. Marlin Stutzman, R-Howe, who carried the district in the GOP Senate primary.

Or they could pick one of the many state and local officeholders or other Republicans eager for a shot at what should be a reliably Republican seat.

Democrats, however, insist they can be competitive in the 3rd Congressional District, which voted 56 percent for GOP presidential candidate John McCain.

"This is a very Republican district, but with an open seat you'd have to say it only leans Republican," said Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker.

The Democrats' nominee in the November general election is Tom Hayhurst, a physician and former Fort Wayne city councilman who got 46 percent of the vote against Souder in 2006. National Republicans interceded that year with attack ads and telephone calls to help Souder win.

Andrew Downs, director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, said Democrats could get a boost if Republicans fracture over their nominee.

"It's a Republican district, but the chances that Democrats could pick up this seat improved dramatically today," Downs said.

After Souder makes his resignation official, which he has said he'll do Friday, both parties will have 30 days to choose a candidate for a special election to fill the remainder of Souder's term. Republicans also will choose a candidate to replace Souder on the fall ballot.

Gov. Mitch Daniels will pick the date for the special election. 

LINK: http://www.indystar.com/article/20100519/NEWS05/5190357/GOP-Dems-size-up-chances-for-seat

Ex-sheriff wears independent badge in Senate race (Journal Gazette)

 

Ex-sheriff wears independent badge in Senate race

Sylvia A Smith

 

WASHINGTON – Brad Ellsworth was a popular southern Indiana sheriff who has never lost an election.

In his first attempt to win a congressional seat, he dislodged a five-term Republican incumbent. In Congress, he developed a reputation as one of about a dozen conservative Democrats likely to buck their party one out of every 10 votes or so.

On Saturday, Hoosier Democrats said Ellsworth is their choice to try to keep one of the two Indiana Senate seats in the Democratic column.

Ellsworth will go head-to-head with Dan Coats, the GOP nominee, as Indiana becomes a battleground over what Hoosiers want in a senator for the next six years.

Republicans are counting on the race to give Hoosiers a way to express their frustrations with the Obama administration.

Coats “has a golden opportunity to benefit from the anger people feel toward Washington,” said Terry Holt, a former Republican campaign operative who has worked on numerous Indiana congressional races.

Ellsworth and his backers hope his demeanor as someone who avoids a go-for-the-jugular partisan approach will tame that anger.

Ellsworth said he ran for Congress initially because he thought he was better suited than the Republican incumbent to “cross those divides and to resolve disputes and work on issues on a team-building spirit rather than a divisive spirit.”

Democrats think Ellsworth is the kind of Democrat Hoosiers feel comfortable with. He’s a fiscal conservative, opposes restrictions on guns, opposes abortion and takes a hard line against illegal immigrants.

James McCann, a Purdue University political science professor, put it this way: If you described Ellsworth’s positions to someone standing at a bus stop and asked whether the views are a Democrat’s or a Republican’s, “that person would be hard-pressed to identify what it is.”

For instance, the National Rifle Association backed Ellsworth in his 2008 re-election and went out of its way to praise him during the state’s May 4 Republican primary.

In fact, last month the NRA spent $18,000 to mail letters to Hoosier Republican primary voters to criticize Coats for gun-control votes he cast in 1993. Even though Ellsworth wasn’t running in a primary, the group described Ellsworth as having a “perfect” pro-gun record.

 

Against the flow

From the moment Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., announced he wouldn’t seek a second term and Ellsworth said he wanted to be the nominee, Republicans have been working to define him as an out-of-touch liberal.

“Ever since Brad Ellsworth was elected to Congress, he’s been a reliable vote for Nancy Pelosi and the reckless agenda of Washington Democrats,” Indiana Republican Party Chairman Murray Clark said March 10, more than two months before Ellsworth was officially nominated and before the GOP chose Coats.

In the more than 3,000 roll-call votes the House has taken since Ellsworth entered Congress in 1997, he has voted against the Democratic Party’s position 11 percent of the time. Only a handful of Democrats have a record of opposing their party’s position more frequently.

Ellsworth is more likely to part with the Democratic stance on fiscal issues – he’s voted against dozens of spending bills, for instance – than on other matters. But he has sided with Republicans against tightening restrictions on smoking and tobacco, demanding an ethics investigation into whether colleagues (including a Hoosier) traded favors for campaign contributions, and opposing the inclusion of sexual orientation in the definition of hate crimes.

But he’s not likely to stress those votes as he introduces himself to Hoosiers outside the Evansville area who have never met, or heard of, Ellsworth.

Ellsworth’s early campaign material describes him as the “former Vanderburgh County sheriff,” a position he held for eight years until he ran for Congress in 2007. Neither Ellsworth nor the state Democratic Party refers to his years in Washington.

“Ellsworth is a sheriff, not a career politician,” said Dan Parker, chairman of the state Democratic Party.

Ellsworth said he’s not running from his two terms in Congress, but being a deputy and then sheriff “was 25 years of my life. That was my career. People want to know that.”

 

Making decisions

Republicans will focus on the congressional part of Ellsworth’s political career. He’s likely to come in for GOP criticism for supporting legislation to restructure the health insurance industry, the auto industry loan program, the financial industry bailout and Cash for Clunkers.

Ellsworth, one of the last Democrats to declare a position on health care, said his concerns about abortion coverage first had to be satisfied. When they were, he voted for the bill, saying “it will provide immediate relief on day one to millions of seniors, children, small businesses, young adults and early retirees.”

He described the 2009 Cash for Clunkers program as “a common-sense program that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and help save local jobs.”

Ellsworth said the auto industry is “a cornerstone of our economy” and that the bridge loan “buys the automakers and workers critical time to implement their long-term restructuring plans and prevent millions of middle class Americans from losing their jobs.”

He cast his support of the Bush administration’s Wall Street bailout in terms of Hoosiers:

“Ultimately this is about that worker in Vincennes who is wondering if his pension will be there in the future; the single mother in Greencastle who dreams of sending her children to college; or the small-business owner in Boonville who is trying to meet payroll. These are the Americans that have everything to lose if Congress fails to act,” Ellsworth said in a statement at the time.

In an interview last week, he said he decided on the vote after talking to bank presidents, investment brokers and other financial professionals in his district, all of whom recommended the package.

He said he took the same approach – and got the same kind of recommendation – from automakers on the vote for the car industry loan bill.

Even the president of the Toyota plant in his district recommended a “yes” vote even though Toyota would receive no loans. Ellsworth said Toyota buys parts from the same manufacturers as the U.S. companies, and that if the domestic industry collapsed, so would the parts makers – and that would be bad for Toyota.

Ellsworth said he doesn’t regret those votes.

“We don’t get do-overs,” he said.

Even though the financial industry bailout and auto loans were developed under a Republican president, many of those programs have become unpopular with voters. Polls show a general unhappiness with Congress.

“The atmosphere is bad for Democrats,” said Joe Andrew, former chairman of the Indiana and national Democratic parties. But he said the Democrats who win this year will be like Ellsworth.

“On a whole host of issues that independent voters care about,” Andrew said, “he is every bit as conservative as Dan Coats.”

 

‘Ramp up’ profile

What Ellsworth does not have, but Coats does, is a statewide profile. Ellsworth is well known in southwest Indiana but not elsewhere. Coats was a senator for 10 years and has the remnants of a statewide volunteer-and-donor network he has been trying to reactivate.

It’s tough to run for a statewide office without that, said Paul Helmke, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully against Bayh, a former two-term governor, in 1998 and was in the same boat as Ellsworth is now: well known in one corner of the state and a cipher elsewhere.

Ellsworth got the Democratic nomination without a primary, which would have brought some voter awareness, because by the time Bayh announced he wouldn’t run again, it was too late for any other Democrats to get on the primary ballot.

“He’ll need to ramp up a statewide effort for media and name recognition, organization and money,” said Leonard Williams, political science professor at Manchester College. “Where Coats can rely on a strong and enthusiastic Republican establishment, Ellsworth will need to start almost afresh. If he can find a way to tap the netroots and Obama activists, that would certainly give him a boost of needed energy.”

But Ellsworth’s profile as a fiscal conservative, gun-ownership advocate and abortion opponent may not excite the Democratic voters who pushed Indiana’s presidential vote for Barack Obama in 2008. The GOP so far is trying to paint Ellsworth as anything but a conservative Democrat.

Coats calls Ellsworth an “enabler of the leftist Obama agenda.”

Asked whether he can win the support of the Democratic grass-roots activists who are decidedly more liberal, Ellsworth did not answer directly.

“I am me,” he said. “I’m 51 years old. I was born here, raised here, went to school here, worked here my entire life and come home every weekend since I’ve been in Congress. … Our country’s diverse, our state is diverse. I’m willing to work with all sections of our population.”

 

 

LINK: http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100516/NEWS03/305169861/1006/NEWS

Dan Coats for Senate: Can Insider Play Outsider? (ABC News)

 

Dan Coats for Senate: Can Insider Play Outsider?

By RICK KLEIN

 

A week after surviving a primary challenge where he was tagged as the insider, former Sen. Dan Coats is trying out a new label: outsider.

Coats, R-Indiana, said in an interview with ABC News that his opponent for the Senate seat, Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth, is the real insider in the race.

"Right now, he is," Coats said. "I'm a candidate running for office. Brad Ellsworth is an incumbent sitting in office. People are unhappy with what's happening in Washington under this administration. He was there; I wasn't." 

Coats' attempt to return to Congress, after more than a decade out of office, marks something of a test case for how voters' anger is being directed this year.

Coats has the resume of the consummate insider Democrats contend that he still is. He served 20 years in the House and Senate and took an ambassador's post under President George W. Bush, before making millions as a Washington lobbyist.

The "insider" tag dogged him through the GOP primary. Coats last week prevailed over a tea party favorite, State Sen. Marlin Stutzman, and a former House member, John Hostettler, in a campaign in which his lobbying ties where a major issue.

Now, Indiana Republicans are rallying behind Coats in the hope that he can win the seat held by the retiring Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh.

Coats said he's stronger for the experience of having been through a primary -- and grateful that he's not seeking another Senate term from the perch of the U.S. Senate.

"Had I been an incumbent, I think it would have been a different -- probably a different story" in the primary, Coats said. "People were more willing to say, 'Well, he wasn't part of that.' I was able to share that I was just as disillusioned with some of the things as they were."

Democrats contend that Coats won't be able to shed the baggage he accumulated inside the Beltway.

"The only thing he's an outsider to in this race is Indiana, since he didn't even have a residence in Indiana until he decided he would run for the U.S. Senate," said Adam Elkington, a spokesman for the Indiana Democratic Party.

"Hoosiers have a clear choice in this race for Senate: a Washington, D.C., lobbyist who represents Wall Street banks, foreign nations and corporations that ship Hoosier jobs overseas, or a former sheriff from Evansville, Indiana, who will represent Hoosier families."

Democrats have hammered Coats over his lobbying for, among other clients, major Wall Street interests. His firm has done work for Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and the New York Stock Exchange.

 

LINK: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/2010_Elections/dan-coats-senate-insider-play-outsider/story?id=10618988

President Obama picks Solicitor General Kagan for Supreme Court

President Obama picks Solicitor General Kagan for Supreme Court
By Sam Youngman

 

Solicitor General Elena Kagan is President Barack Obama’s pick to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.

Obama called on the Senate to swiftly confirm Kagan, who he praised as “one of the nation's foremost legal minds.”

Kagan is Obama's second Supreme Court nominee. Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor was nominated and confirmed last summer.

Obama lauded Kagan, the first female solicitor general and the first woman to serve as Dean of Harvard Law School, as a “trail-blazing leader.”

Kagan said she was “honored” and “humbled” by Obama's nomination.

“The court is an extraordinary institution in the work it does and by the work it can do for the American people,” she said.

The president made his decision on Sunday and informed Kagan, who was thought to be the leading candidate from the time Stevens announced his retirement.

Though she has never served as a judge, Kagan is seen as a consensus-builder whose confirmation would go down more smoothly with conservative lawmakers than some other potential high-court picks.

The Senate confirmed her to the solicitor general post last year, though 31 Republicans voted against her nomination.

The Senate confirmed Kagan on a solid 61-31 vote with GOP Sens. Tom Coburn (Okla.), Susan Collins (Maine), Judd Gregg (N.H.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Richard Lugar (Ind.) and Olympia Snowe (Maine) casting votes in her favor.

Hatch said his vote in favor of confirming Kagan as solicitor general does not confirm her qualifications as a Supreme Court justice. He said he would look at her entire record to determine her judicial philosophy.

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Kagan would be treated fairly by Senate Republicans.

“The American people expect judges to apply the Constitution and laws of the United States fairly and impartially—as they are written, not how they could have been written but were not,” he said in a statement.

“Even though the president who nominates them has personal policy preferences, judges must not be a rubberstamp for any administration. Judges must not walk into court with a preconceived idea of who should win,” he said.

The president had also considered and interviewed Dean Martha Minow, Judge Merrick Garland, Judge Diane Wood and Judge Sidney Thomas. Obama called them shortly after he spoke with Kagan. 

 

LINK: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/96915-obama-nominates-kagan-to-supreme-court

Republican candidate endorses Democrat (South Bend Tribune)

Peppers endorses Democrat
After GOP primary loss, he says Grzegorek would make a 'great sheriff.'

By DAVE STEPHENS

 

A day after the primary election for St. Joseph County sheriff, Democratic winner Mike Grzegorek picked up an unusual endorsement from one of his former Republican rivals.

Randy Peppers, who lost the Republican nomination to Jim Fox on Tuesday, sent an e-mail to his campaign supporters Wednesday encouraging them to vote for Grzegorek.

Peppers, a 21-year veteran and a corporal on the county Police Department, wrote that Grzegorek will "make a great officer" because of his experience, intelligence and honesty.

When reached by phone Wednesday, Peppers said his endorsement was not meant to bash Fox or the Republican Party.

"I wish Jim well, but Grzegorek has been my supervisor before and we're good friends," Peppers said. "I think he'll make a great sheriff."But besides his admiration for Grzegorek, Peppers admitted having concerns about Fox.

"He's coming in with no knowledge of what the department does or has done," Peppers said. "He's going to have a hard time getting officers to support him." 

 

LINK: http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20100506/NEWS07/5060311/1130

Buttigieg ready to take on Mourdock (Kokomo Perspective)

State Agencies Expected To Cut Spending 15 Percent (WRTV)

State Agencies Expected To Cut Spending 15 Percent
The Indy Channel

April 21, 2010

INDIANAPOLIS -- Gov. Mitch Daniels is ordering deeper cuts to the state budget.

In an e-mail sent to every state agency this week, Budget Director Christopher Ruhl said the agencies will be expected to cut 15 percent from its spending for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

"We have two options: continue to restrain spending or raise taxes on Hoosiers at a time when they can least afford government impounding more of their income. The choice is clear," the e-mail read.

Agencies already cut 10 percent from spending in the current year.

Department of Education spokeswoman Lauren Auld said the agency is exempt from the cuts, although she said leaders will continue to try and find more savings in light of the current situation.

A representative with the Indiana Department of Transportation said the agency is "looking at the matter closely," while the Family and Social Services Administration said "we are going to be making budget decisions soon and when we do we’ll announce them to the public."

The governor's office said the cuts are necessary because the recession has dramatically reduced state tax revenue.

LINK: http://www.theindychannel.com/news/23224929/detail.html

Coats’ haul a ‘loser’ to Senate watchers (Courier & Press)

College of Ed goes Bayh (Indiana Statesman)

College of Ed goes Bayh
Nick Hedrick

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) never attended ISU. But his family’s roots run deep with the university and Terre Haute.Bayh represented his family on campus Friday for the dedication of University Hall as the Bayh College of Education, formerly just the College of Education. The ISU Board of Trustees approved the name change last fall.

“I’m touched to be here today,” Bayh said during the dedication ceremony in the building’s theater. In attendance were some members of the ISU Board of Trustees, General Assembly members and other dignitaries.

The Bayh connection with ISU goes back four generations, beginning with Evan Bayh’s great grandmother, Mary Katherine Ward. Ward attended what was then Indiana State Normal School in the 1800s. Birch Evans Bayh, Evan Bayh’s grandfather, was the school’s first athletic director.Evan Bayh’s father Birch, a U.S. senator from 1963-1981, and his mother, Marvella, attended Indiana State Teachers College in the ’50s.

The current senator, who is retiring at the end of his second term this year, emphasized the importance of schools in helping Americans make informed decisions about political issues.“It comes back to the quality of education,” he said.Sen. Bayh said creating the 21st Century Scholars Program while he was Indiana governor was his greatest political achievement.

The program provides eligible low-income middle school students a full ride scholarship to participating four-year state colleges or universities. Recipients must agree to be good citizens and avoid drugs or alcohol.ISU has the most 21st Century scholars of any other institution in the state, with 658 currently enrolled.

LINK: http://www.indianastatesman.com/news/college-of-ed-goes-bayh-1.1348355

Dan Coats in hiding

Blaming the "Democrat political machine" for what he claims are inaccurate news reports about his lucrative DC lobbying career, Dan Coats has vowed to be "fully transparent" with the true nature of his work in Washington. Yet two months into his campaign, Coats still can't figure out exactly who he worked for, what he did for them, or even how much money he made doing it. Now, The Hill reports, he's missed the legal deadline to disclose that information.

Coats has repeatedly pledged to voluntarily disclose the details of his lobbying work.

• Coats: "The Democrats didn't do their homework and due diligence. Because when all the facts come out, and we're gonna make it fully transparent - we're in that process now, except Washington's shut down - they'll be embarrassed, because they're way off the mark." [WTHR-TV, 2/10/10, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4agxvlh5dsw]

• Coats: "I would be happy to forward directly to you the facts, and you can have your people analyze and check those and you'll realize this is not accurate." [Fox Business Network, 3/31/10, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrJh44fc0iU]

• Coats: "We would be happy to send you the exact, honest, factual details of Cerberus, of Bank of America, of the other things that have been suggested toward me. It was designed to knock me out of this race before I got started. It is 180 percent factually wrong, we have made that record clear to as many people as we could and I'd be happy to send it to you." Host: His office has not sent us those records. We did ask for them, they didn't send them to us." [Fox Business Network, 4/2/10, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQAqBSGrjtw]

• Reporter: Coats says he intends to respond to charges that he worked for foreign governments and the Bank of America. Coats: "I want to lay all that out in front of the American people and I'd like them to judge me on that basis, as opposed the basis on which the Democrat political machine wants to judge me." Host: He says he is still gathering the records. [WISH-TV, 2/10/10, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNnlB6hET4M&NR=1]

• Coats: "Unfortunately - well, it comes with the territory - the Democrat National Committee and the political operatives threw out a bunch of stuff that is inaccurate... we've corrected the record, unfortunately, a lot of people haven't read the corrections. It's just the opposite of what they said, of the three things that they mentioned. It's 180 degrees different. And we've sent that out, I can give you all the details. I'm gonna be totally transparent - what I've done, people are gonna look at that and determine whether or not that's the right thing to do. I think it has been." [Indiana's NewsCenter, 2/22/10, http://myinc.tv/scorevideo/100222_Dan-Coats-Full-Interview.wmv]

• "[Coats] said he would check his records to know for sure whether he had personally lobbied for Yemen, would make sure all his lobbying records were accurate and then would disclose everything." [AP, 2/10/10]

• "[A]s Coats has started to settle into his Near-Northside rental home, his time has been consumed with a barrage of accusations from Democrats -- and fellow Republicans -- for using his connections as a former lawmaker to establish his lucrative lobbying career. He called the charges unfair and vowed to disclose details of his lobbying labors. But there's no question Coats had plenty of Washington work." [Indianapolis Star, 2/14/10]

Contrary to his claims of transparency, Coats has thus far blocked all efforts to further examine his clients.

• Coats has denied that he lobbied on behalf of TARP funds for Bank of America, insisting that he only worked on patent issues. He has refused to elaborate on which patent issues, however: "Kevin Kellems, a spokesman for Coats, said King & Spalding did not work on the outsourcing patent issue. What's more, he said, Coats did not lobby on any patents for Bank of America despite being listed on the lobby form. When asked which patents Coats' firm did lobby on, Kellems said it was unclear and cited attorney-client privilege." [Indianapolis Star, 2/14/10]

• Talking Points Memo reported that in 2008, "Coats served as a lobbyist on behalf of Cerberus Capital Management, the firm that owned a majority share in Chrysler. The subject matter of the lobbying: The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 -- a.k.a. the TARP bailout." Coats' campaign denied that he played any role in seeking bailout funds, claiming that he "advocated for small businesses." Spokesman Pete Seat "declined to identify which small businesses benefited from Coats lobbying effort, and would not say how or if Cerberus benefited as well: 'The provision related to small businesses in a broad sense and was not targeted at any specific business.' A representative for Coats's former lobbying firm, King & Spalding, told us that the company does not discuss the work they do for their clients. A representative for Cerberus has not returned our request for comment." [Talking Points Memo, 3/12/10]

Coats doesn't know how much money he made lobbying. Host: How much money did you make as a lobbyist in DC after you were Senator? Coats: "I can't begin to tell you what that number was, all I know is that was part of my income." [Fox Business Network, 3/31/10, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrJh44fc0iU]

Opponents accuse Coats of trying to hide lobbyist ties (WISH)

Tom Hayhurst kicks off his campaign (WANE)

Congressman Brad Ellsworth reports $1 million in the bank

Ellsworth tops $1 million after first quarter
By Sean J. Miller 

Rep. Brad Ellsworth's (D-Ind.) Senate campaign has raised $625,000 in the last six weeks, according to a release. The Ellsworth camp noted that 80 percent of the contributions were from in-state donors. It now boasts more than $1 million cash on hand. 

Ellsworth will also benefit from the $1 million that retiring Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) transferred to the Indiana Democratic Party in March. Bayh spent close to $2.3 million on his 2004 reelection.

Former Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.), the leading contender for the GOP nod, has not yet released his first quarter fundraising numbers.  

LINK: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/91421-ellsworth-tops-1-million-after-first-quarter-

South Bend economist seeks state treasurer nomination (Indy Star)

South Bend economist seeks state treasurer nomination 

By Mary Beth Schneider

Pete Buttigieg, a 28-year-old South Bend economist, is running for the Democrat nomination for state treasurer.

Democrats will choose their nominee at their state party convention on June 26, and so far Buttigieg is the only candidate. The nominee will take on Republican Richard Mourdock, who is seeking re-election to the office, in the November general election.

Buttigieg — pronounced “Boota-judge” -- is a graduate of Harvard University and studied economics at Oxford University in England as a Rhodes Scholar. Until recently he was employed at the Chicago office of McKinsey & Company consulting firm, specializing in economic development, energy, and logistics, until resigning to launch his campaign.

 

“To me, being state treasurer is all about responsible management, innovative solutions and helping to put people back to work,” he said. “During this economic emergency, we deserve leaders focused on the needs of working families, not national politics or ideology.”

 

Buttigieg said that if elected he would reinvest state funds in assets issued by Indiana-based companies so long as it was consistent with getting a good return on investment; encourage banks that have state deposits to make loans to Indiana businesses and treat consumers fairly; order a review of the state’s investments to reduce Indiana’s exposure to risky debt; and work with the legislature to pass ethics standards to ensure no investments are influenced by corporate campaign contributions.

Join us at this year’s Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner!

Once again, we're happy to announce the details of Jefferson Jackson Day Dinner that will bring together Hoosiers from across the state for an exciting evening in Indianapolis.

Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota will be our keynote speaker, and if her recently won title of "Funniest Senator" is any indication, this will no doubt go down as yet another night to remember in Indiana Democratic Party history.

Below is your personal invitation to this year's event, which will provide a great opportunity to kick off the election season in style. Tickets will sell fast, so be sure to reserve your seat today using our simple, fast online sign-up. 

For more information, contact Kelly Norton at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 317-231-7106.

Open Your Personal Invitation

 

 

Dem Senate hopeful talks jobs with union workers (Post-Trib)

Disputed welfare practices don’t hold up in court (Indy Star)

Ellsworth campaign brochure paints him as lawman (Courier&Press)

By Thomas Langhorne -- Evansville Courier & Press  

It's been a while since Vanderburgh County voters saw Brad Ellsworth standing next to a sheriff's patrol car. But now that the hometown congressman is running for a U.S. Senate seat, he's doing it again.

Ellsworth's first piece of Senate campaign literature shows him leaning against a patrol car wearing a tie and rolled up shirt sleeves. The two-sided brochure features a brown bar with gold badge — similar to the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office colors — and text about Ellsworth's eight years as Vanderburgh County sheriff before his election to Congress in 2006.

The brochure does not mention the Democratic congressman's party affiliation.

"In Congress, Brad is independent and always puts Indiana first," according to the campaign flier. Other language in the brochure portrays Ellsworth as a tax-cutter and opponent of wasteful government spending who "will bring Hoosier values and common sense to the U.S. Senate."

Brian Vargus, a political science professor at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, said the brochure is the first indication that self-described "conservative Democrat" Ellsworth would present himself the same way to voters in a statewide campaign. 

"He's got the phrase, 'Hoosier values.' If you can define it, I'd be glad to buy you dinner someplace, because everybody uses it," Vargus said with a chuckle.

"In my view, he's trying to get his name out with an image of a proven crime-fighter, aware of what Hoosiers want and a mention that he's fought in Washington. It doesn't say how (he fought) or how he's voted or anything because he expects that to come out."

Robert Dion, a political scientist at the University of Evansville, said the brochure is as important for what it does not include as for what it does.

While the text speaks of Ellsworth's work in Congress, the other four pictures feature a casually dressed Ellsworth chatting with voters and posing with his family.

"There's no imagery of the Capitol building or him with congressional leaders or anything," Dion said. "He soft pedals that. It's an anti-incumbent year. It's an anti-Washington year.

"Even veteran congressmen do that. They may have been in for 20 years, but they don't say, 'Vote for me, I've been in office for 20 years.'"

The campaign

Ellsworth's Senate campaign will be based in Indianapolis. The campaign is keeping the Downtown Evansville office that Ellsworth's House re-election campaign established before Sen. Evan Bayh's surprise announcement that he would not run again. That space is being shared with the campaign of Democratic 8th District House candidate Rep. Trent Van Haaften, D-Mount Vernon.

Ellsworth's former congressional press secretary, Liz Farrar, has transitioned to his Senate campaign in Indianapolis. Farrar said the campaign has four full-time staffers to date, including a finance director and a political director.

Ellsworth entered the Senate campaign Feb. 19 with $519,642 on hand from his former House re-election campaign.

Although most political analysts believe U.S. Senate candidates in Indiana need a minimum of $4 million to supplement outside spending, expectations for Ellsworth are tempered by the fact he would have just eight-plus months until Election Day and no primary campaign to wage.

The first clues about Ellsworth's progress raising money for a statewide campaign likely will not be evident until the next Federal Election Commission reports are due April 22.

Those reports will cover fundraising for Jan. 1 through April 14.

On July 15, second quarter reports are due. Those reports cover April 15 through June 30.

An introduction

Farrar said Ellsworth is not available to discuss his campaign brochure, but she said the piece is being distributed to groups and at campaign functions. Printed in mid-March, the brochure is not being mailed.

Farrar said it presents Ellsworth as he really is.

"He's a Southwest Indiana kind of guy — the kind of guy that worked his way through college and married his college sweetheart and joined the force and worked his way up," she said. "His work in the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office is an important part not only of his resume, but also of who he is and the kind of senator that he would be."

Dion said the brochure is "tame" by Senate campaign standards.

"It doesn't reach out and grab you by the throat or anything, although the aim of this flier would seem to be just introducing him, which is obviously job one," Dion said.

Bayh gives $1 million to state Democrats

Bayh gives $1 million to state Democrats
Infusion of cash will help party back Ellsworth in race for senator's seat

By Mary Beth Schneider
Indianapolis Star

 

Indiana's Democrats scored a million-dollar boost Tuesday from Sen. Evan Bayh.

Bayh, who in February surprised his party by saying he would not seek a third term, salved some of the sting with a $1 million infusion of cash. The money will help the party back U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth, the all-but-official Democratic candidate for Bayh's seat.

But it begs the question: What will Bayh do with the rest of his cash?

At the end of 2009, Bayh had about $13 million, considerably more than any other lawmaker who is leaving office.

Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker said Bayh has refunded about $1 million since deciding not to seek re-election, but that means Bayh still has about $11 million left over. He could dole out more to the party, give some to charity or horde it -- just in case he decides to jump back into politics.

Brian Weiss, a spokesman for Bayh, said that the senator has not decided what he'll do with the money, but that in general he would help support "like-minded Democrats -- people who want to get things done, who want to reach out and forge principled compromises."

In a statement, Bayh called Tuesday's check "a million dollar vote of confidence in Brad Ellsworth and Indiana Democrats." 

LINK: http://www.indystar.com/article/20100324/NEWS05/3240337/Bayh-gives-1-million-to-state-Democrats

Thousands of teachers losing jobs, union says (AP)

Thousands of teachers losing jobs, union says
Associated Press

 

School districts across Indiana are laying off thousands of teachers in the wake of state education funding cuts.

Indiana State Teachers Association spokesman Mark Shoup said Friday the union forecasts up to 5,000 teachers may lose their jobs. That's about 8 percent of public school teachers statewide.

State schools Superintendent Tony Bennett said he believed districts would be able to reduce spending without layoffs when he and Gov. Mitch Daniels announced the $300 million funding cut in December.

But Shoup said that wasn't realistic because salaries and benefits make up the largest chunk of the school budget.

Bennett questioned whether all school districts have fully explored budget-cutting alternatives.

 

LINK: http://www.ibj.com/article?articleId=18807

Van Haaften backs reform, backs away from pending reform bill (Courier & Press)

By Thomas Langhorne -- Evansville Courier & Press

He's not sure he would vote for health care reform legislation now in Congress, but state Rep. Trent Van Haaften, D-Mount Vernon, told a friendly audience Tuesday night that insurance companies should be reined in.

"How can we allow a simple middle-class family that can't buy health insurance, or get health insurance because insurance companies raise premiums beyond the cost?" said Van Haaften, the presumptive 8th District Democratic congressional nominee this year.

"... How can we stifle small business by not making sure health insurance is affordable? So we have to do things basically to make sure it's affordable, make sure insurance companies don't control (medical decisions between) the doctor and the patient, make sure those that are getting care — the seniors in particular, that Medicare is not cut."

Van Haaften, who hopes to succeed Senate candidate Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., was speaking at a public meet-and-greet event offered by University of Southern Indiana's College Democrats club.

He also declared that families shopping for insurance should not be "bound by a line on a map, meaning the borders of their state."

Afterward, Van Haaften said he doesn't know whether he would vote in favor of the 2,000-plus page health care reform bill in the House.

"It's still kind of in flux to a certain degree what is actually going to be put on the table," he said. " ... I think it's appropriate that we do something about not denying coverage to someone for pre-existing conditions."

Van Haaften also said he opposes spending federal dollars to fund abortion through the legislation.

"That's not health care," he said.

During a union-sponsored rally for health care reform last year, Van Haaften cited a sign that said "In America, no one should go without health care."

"And that says it all for me," he told the labor group.

"Next time a neighbor or friend talks to you and says, 'I'm not sure about this health care situation,' ask them if they believe as an American that each of us should be entitled to health care, no matter who we are, no matter where we come from," Van Haaften said.

Of the eight Republican 8th District candidates, all who have addressed the health care reform legislation now in Congress say they oppose it in favor of alternative ideas.

Other candidates

Tuesday night's candidates event also featured remarks by a handful of other Democratic candidates.

"Here in Southwestern Indiana, salaries don't match the cost of housing," said state Senate District 49 candidate Patty Avery. "That's why we have so many homeless families.

"So because of that I'm looking at how do we raise incomes? How do we effectively educate and equip people so they can earn the salaries that will keep them from continually living on the brink of homelessness?"

Rep. Gail Riecken, seeking re-election in House District 77, said she has learned something since being elected unopposed in 2008.

"It's so important to be able to work with the opposite party, to be able to work with others in the Senate and House. I guess that's the one thing that I've learned in this session, that coalition-building is absolutely critical," Riecken said.

Warning on cuts

Sen. Bob Deig, D-Mount Vernon, who is seeking the House seat now held by Van Haaften, said student transfers are a possible result of public education cuts.

"You're going to have kids maybe from Mount Vernon schools go to Evansville, and it's going to segregate the poorer districts from the more wealthy school districts," Deig said.

County watchdogs

Vanderburgh County Commissioner Troy Tornatta said he and Commissioner Steve Melcher, who form the majority of the three-member governing body, have been hard at work.

"We are protectors of the county dollars, we make sure that we are going to be good stewards and are going to try and work with people, so we now have good communication with the County Council, the financial body," Tornatta said.

Sheriff Eric Williams, who has no opposition, got the night's biggest laugh with a reference to the shuffling of Democratic candidates triggered by Sen. Evan Bayh's unexpected retirement announcement.

"I'm not part of the domino effect in the Democratic Party," Williams joked.

Mayor Weinzapfel touts success, vision for merger (Courier & Press)

Thomas B. Langhorne - Evansville Courier & Press

Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel rhapsodized in his State of the City speech Tuesday about Evansville's planned Downtown arena and trumpeted government cost-cutting and economic development victories.

Much of it the mayor had said before. What was not as widely known was the vision he articulated for a finely detailed proposal for consolidated Evansville-Vanderburgh County government.

A new 12-member committee has begun meeting to craft a proposal as a result of the League of Women Voters of Southwestern Indiana's signature campaign that kicked off a drive toward a ballot referendum on consolidation. The committee held its second meeting Tuesday night.

Speaking to the Rotary Club of Evansville, Weinzapfel made it clear he prefers not to follow the 2005 City-County Unification Study Committee's vision of creating a framework for government with details of public safety to be decided by an elected body.

"If you consolidate public safety services, whose pay scale do we use: the Sheriff's Department or the Police Department?" he said. "What will the impact be on taxpayers in the county versus taxpayers in the city?

"... I believe it is vitally important that the reorganization committee develop a detailed proposal that people can clearly understand."

State lawmakers who declined to advance the 2005 study committee's proposal wanted elected officials to have significant input on the structuring of a consolidated government. But the study committee's citizen-volunteers said those decisions should be made by the new government's elected representatives.

"When we looked at issues such as fire protection, police protection, we did not think radical change was necessary, but that, over time, as areas developed and become urbanized and industrialized and commercialized, the need for government services is going to need to change," Phil Fisher, the study committee coordinator, told a public forum in October 2005.

"We wanted to give (the governing body) the powers to make those changes as time goes on."

But Weinzapfel told reporters after his State of the City address that the 2005 committee did not give policymakers and the public enough details of how a consolidated government would be structured.

"The advice that I have given the (new) reorganization committee is they have to get into those details," he said.

" ... Do you have a county sheriff that runs everything? Do you have a county sheriff that does his constitutional duties, running the jail, serving warrants and then, alongside it, you have a police chief that reports to the mayor?"

The mayor also said elected officials should play a significant role.

"As mayor, County Commissioners, County Council members, City Council members, they understand how local government works better — works or doesn't work — better than anybody else in this community," he said.

The 2006 legislation that creates a framework for local governments to merge does call for "a comprehensive plan of reorganization for the reorganizing political subdivisions," but it does not appear to require a specific and detailed proposal for public safety.

Nevertheless, members of the new committee said they are open to the possibility of formulating one.

Weinzapfel, who has acknowledged he is considering running for governor in 2012, also deflected questions about his political future Tuesday.

"There's a lot of great projects ongoing, a lot of difficult challenges ahead of us, and that's where my focus is," he said.

"I haven't made any decisions about a third term."

Outsider vibe driving the “Draft Mellencamp” Facebook group (CNN)

Thom Patterson - CNN

To hear leaders of the "Draft John Mellencamp for Senate!" Facebook group tell it, this is a story about "insider" politicians, "street-level voters" and whether a likeable rock star with strong grass-roots appeal will run for the U.S. Senate.

The "movement," as the group calls it, was born less than three weeks ago with Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh's stunning announcement he would not not run for re-election. The next morning, Gabrial Canada, 21, was at home watching cable news reports about a Facebook page aimed at bringing Mellencamp, 58, into the race.

"After I saw that I went right to the Facebook group," Canada said Wednesday from his home in Indianapolis. "By then it had only been a matter of hours and it had already gotten a thousand members. It was incredibly exciting to see that catching hold." He contacted the group's founder and from then on he was hooked. So far, the group has garnered more than 7,000 members in 16 days.

"There's all this faux populism out there -- people who get paid millions of dollars to generate campaigns that look like they're supporting the people," said Canada, a self-described community ambassador for a local PBS TV station. "When you have the prospect of somebody as genuine as Mellencamp campaigning as someone people can relate to, it's unique, it's something you can't replace."

But there's another turn in this twisted tale. Because Bayh waited until February 15 to announce his decision, he essentially forced the party to choose its candidate instead of leaving it up to voters in the state's May 4 primary. According to party rules, Indiana's 32-member Democratic Central Committee will vote by secret ballot to decide who will run. The committee chairman said members won't consider anyone who hasn't officially declared themselves a candidate.

"I don't think [Mellencamp's] going to declare," said chairman Dan Parker.

For his part, Mellencamp continues to issue nothing but a terse "no comment," through a spokesman.

The idea that Indiana Democrats would not hold a primary to choose their Senate candidate felt like a "punch in the face" said Canada. It's "anti-democratic."

"I don't think that the decisions of insiders are necessarily reflective of the popular political will," he said. Through meetup.com, Canada is organizing the first of a statewide series of planned rallies set for Friday at a 1950s-era hangout on Indianapolis' folksy South Side.

At Edwards Drive-In, home of the "Jumbo Tenderloin" and 99-cent root beer floats, Canada hopes to attract a dozen Mellencamp supporters, whom he'll ask to sign a petition to be submitted to Indiana newspaper editors. In the coming days, Canada plans a much larger rally in the Democratic stronghold of Bloomington -- right in the small-town rocker's own backyard.

The fact that his Facebook campaign comes during an election cycle influenced by a larger, grass-roots Tea Party movement -- with polar opposite political views -- isn't lost on the Facebook page founder John Patterson. "The end result of moving out the status quo in favor of new faces is probably the same goal," he said with a laugh.

The Draft Mellencamp campaign is racing against a deadline. The state's Democratic committee will hold its vote as early as May 15, and any candidate, including Mellencamp, must officially declare 72 hours prior, according to Parker -- that would be noon May 12.

As for Mellencamp himself, he's "never expressed overt interest in running for anything," said the musician's longtime publicist, Bob Merlis, by phone from his California office.

Much has been written in the past few weeks about Mellencamp's 2008 campaign performances for presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, as well as his years of public support for family farmers and his opposition to the Iraq war.

"I don't think it's a crazy idea," Merlis said about the draft campaign. "I mean that from the point of view of someone who knows him and knows his intellect and knows that he is an aware person. But he's not a very politicked person -- meaning he is not prone to pull his punches."

Pundits and party officials say they're stymied by this question: Instead of, "No comment," why doesn't Mellencamp just say, "No thank you?" Why doesn't he declare that he's just not interested to reduce political confusion and streamline the nomination process?

"I've said something along the same lines," said Merlis.

Indianapolis Star political columnist Matthew Tully, who has been covering Hoosier politics since 1992, offered his theory: "Why not just allow the buzz to go out there? He's a businessman, like a politician he knows it doesn't hurt him to have people talking about it. So it is kind of interesting that he hasn't officially said anything either way. My guess is he's just enjoying the moment."

However unlikely, a Mellencamp campaign could be formidable, said pundits, despite Indiana's strong Republican establishment. "A lot of Hoosiers think that he speaks for them," said Brian Howey of the daily online brief Howey Politics Indiana. "He's pretty well tapped into the Indiana soul."

In the short time since Bayh's announcement, two Democrats who were considering running have decided not to. Most of the Democratic establishment, said Tully, has coalesced strongly around moderate Rep. Brad Ellsworth, a former county sheriff.

"I was with a friend of Mellencamp's in Bloomington last week," said Howey. "His comment was, 'There's no way John could last in the U.S. Senate. It would be absolutely stifling for him. He wouldn't be able to say exactly what's on his mind.'"

"It's one thing to be [ex-Saturday Night Live comedian and Minnesota Sen.] Al Franken, Harvard grad, who has some seriousness about him -- not that Mellencamp doesn't -- I'm just not sure the Senate's an appropriate forum for him."

Apparently, the Senate was becoming unpalatable for Bayh, who announced he was leaving because an overly partisan "Congress is not operating as it should." "The people's business is not getting done," he said.

Patterson, the Facebook page founder, blames political "insiders" for congressional gridlock and "all the obstruction to progress we're having right now."

He sees the Internet as a way to break what he called an insiders' stranglehold on the nomination process. "We need someone like Mellencamp, who's much more tuned to street-level voters."

Seven-year Statehouse run ending for Van Haaften (Courier & Press)

 

Seven-year Statehouse run ending for Van Haaften
By Eric Bradner

 

INDIANAPOLIS — As he prepares a run for Indiana's 8th District seat in the U.S. House, state Rep. Trent Van Haaften will close out his seven-year Indiana General Assembly career when the current legislative session wraps up this week.

 

It's a career that started in 2004, when Van Haaften, then the Posey County prosecutor, was appointed to complete the two-year term of Jonathan Weinzapfel, who had just been elected mayor of Evansville.

 

Van Haaften now will launch a campaign casting himself as a moderate consensus-builder. It's the kind of campaign Democrats have to run in the 8th District, where voters chose Republican John McCain for president in 2008 even though Barack Obama carried Indiana as a whole.

 

But as he leaves behind a Statehouse in which his star was on the rise among Democratic leaders, the question is, will such a campaign resonate?

 

The House Public Policy Committee, which Van Haaften chairs, is assigned bills related to the regulation of drugs, gambling and alcohol, as well as crime and sentencing. He won praise from fellow committee members for his handling of those issues.

 

"I think Trent's been a phenomenal committee chairman," said Rep. Matt Bell of Avilla, the top-ranking Republican on the committee.

 

Bell said on that legislative panel, "we are able to work in a bipartisan fashion. These are not issues that fall on party lines. And he's promoted that culture of exchange."

 

 

LINK: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/mar/07/seven-year-statehouse-run-ending/

Where are the jobs? (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)

Where are the jobs?
Editorial -- Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

 

It will come as no surprise to northeast Indiana residents that the thousands of new jobs touted by the Daniels administration have not come to fruition. But an Indianapolis TV news report on inflated economic development success figures should prompt more honest reporting from the state.

WTHR-TV examined the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s claim that the state gained more than 100,000 jobs and found it came up far short.

“There are empty fields and deserted factories where the state claims there are supposed to be thousands of jobs,” the report intones, over video that includes shots from a LaGrange County cornfield. “As many as 40 percent of statewide jobs listed as so-called economic successes have not happened, and most of them never will.”

The practice of staging VIP-packed news conferences and groundbreaking events certainly didn’t begin with Gov. Mitch Daniels. Elected officials from both parties always are eager to announce jobs and not-so-eager to acknowledge when they fall through. Central Indiana residents, with jobless rates as much as 3 percentage points lower than those in northeast Indiana, might be startled to learn that the job promises never materialized, but most Hoosiers were more skeptical of the initial announcements.

Still, the Daniels administration has been unusually bold in proclaiming economic success where none exists.

From the campaign commercial scrolling scores of new job sites to the State of the State jabs at neighboring states, the governor has offered up a rosy view. The IEDC’s annual report, labeled “Indiana’s Economic Successes,” was ripe for review. When questioned about it, the development corporation’s Chairman Mitch Roob tried to dismiss the label.

“I don’t know that we call it ‘success’ … what we call it is a ‘job commitment,’ ” he told reporter Bob Segall. When the reporter showed him a copy of the development corporations’ own report, Roob admitted that perhaps it should have been called, “the first step toward the path of successes” instead of “successes.”

Hoosier economist Morton Marcus calls it more clearly: “A commitment is not a reality,” Marcus said. “We need to be founded in reality. That’s the issue – where are the jobs?” 

LINK: http://journalgazette.com/article/20100305/EDIT07/303059999/1021/EDIT

McDermott Out, Washington Back In for Senate Seat

By Jane Huh - Post Tribune

As one Lake County Democrat bowed out of seeking Evan Bayh's U.S. Senate seat on Saturday, another jumped back in.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. will no longer seek the state Democratic Party's nomination for the congressional seat after Bayh retires, said Keith Clock, chairman of the 5th District Central Committee, who spoke with McDermott on Saturday morning.

McDermott, also the chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party, could not be reached for comment as of press time.

However, Darren Washington could emerge as a candidate from the region.

"Northwest Indiana cannot afford to not fight for the opportunity to have representation in Washington, D.C., and represent the state of Indiana in the U.S. Senate," Washington said.

The Gary School Board member decided to again seek the party's nomination only after Highland Clerk-Treasurer Michael Griffin passed up on the idea of seeking the congressional seat.

Washington said he had hoped Griffin, who is "more than well-qualified to be U.S. senator," would seek the party's nomination.

On Friday, Washington had taken himself out of the running and declined a chance to speak as a Senate candidate on Saturday before the Fifth District Central Committee in Noblesville out of respect for Griffin's possible Senate seat interest.

"I really believe Mike Griffin would be an excellent choice," Washington said.

Although the suggestion is "gratifying, humbling and heartening," Griffin said he is occupied with other priorities.

"It is profoundly flattering to have your name mentioned in that special league," Griffin said. "But, presently, the league I need to be focused on is being a new dad (to an 8-month-old daughter) and being a good public servant for the people of Highland."

After hearing that Griffin wasn't interested, Washington decided to "take up the mantle."

"I'll have to have serious conversations with the party leadership," he said. "I just may have to step out in faith."

The Central Committee cannot meet to vote on a candidate until after the May 4 primary and has until June 30 to chose a nominee.

Ellsworth looks for outsider status in Senate race

Ellsworth looks for outsider status in Senate race
Kevin Rader/Eyewitness News

 

Indianapolis - Indiana Congressman Brad Ellsworth has hit the ground running for the US Senate being vacated by Evan Bayh. The Democrat spent part of the day touring an Indianapolis factory.

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, touring Thomas & Skinner of Indianapolis makes perfect sense for Congressman Brad Ellsworth. The magnets made at the company go into the Hellfire and Sidewinder missiles used by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thomas & Skinner employees had plenty of questions for the US Senate candidate.

"American made products are very important," said an employee.

"Magnets are going into our fighting machines are being built in other countries. I don't want that to go there," said Ellsworth. 

LINK: http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?s=12065268&clienttype=printable

Reality Check: Indiana job numbers don’t add up (WTHR)

Reality Check: Indiana job numbers don't add up 
WTHR Special Report 

When Mitch Daniels promised Hoosiers more jobs during a heated 2004 election, some voters were understandably skeptical.

After all, when's the last time you heard a candidate for public office – let alone the state's top office – say jobs were not a priority?

But as a newly-elected governor, Daniels quickly showed he meant business.

In February 2005 -- just one month into his administration – Gov. Daniels created the Indiana Economic Development Corporation to attract new business and more jobs to Indiana.

It got immediate results.

Honda, Nestle, WellPoint, and Toyota announced plans to bring the state new factories and thousands of new jobs, and many other companies followed.

IEDC began tallying all the job announcements, and the agency developed an impressive list.

That list, published each year in IEDC's annual reports, is simply titled "Indiana Economic Successes." It includes the name of each company that committed new Indiana jobs through relocation or expansion, and it shows the specific number of jobs promised.

Since its creation, IEDC boasts more than 100,000 new jobs on its success list, and when the agency and the governor talk about job numbers, the "Indiana Economic Successes" list is what they are talking about.

But 13 Investigates discovered many of the state's "economic successes" aren't really successes at all.

They are empty fields and deserted factories where the state claims there are supposed to be thousands of jobs. 

LINK: http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=12066021

U.S Rep. Baron Hill won’t run for Senate, endorses Ellsworth

 

U.S Rep. Baron Hill won’t run for Senate, endorses Ellsworth
By Lesley Stedman Weidenbener

INDIANAPOLIS — U.S. Rep. Baron Hill, D-9th District, said Saturday he will not run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Evan Bayh and endorsed fellow congressman Brad Ellsworth of the 8th District for the Democratic nomination.

“My focus has been, and will remain, on fulfilling my job as the congressman from Southern Indiana and continuing to address the most pressing issues our nation and great state face, like deficit reduction, health care reform, energy independence and entitlement spending,” Hill said in a statement.

[...]

The Democratic nominee will face the winner of a five-way Republican race that includes former U.S. Sen. Dan Coats, state Sen. Marlin Stutzman of Howe and former U.S. Rep. John Hostettler.

Bayh stunned Democrats and Republicans earlier this month with the announcement that he won’t seek a third term. And because he announced his retirement just one day before a crucial filing deadline, no Democratic candidates qualified for the ballot. That leaves the central committee to make the decision.

Ellsworth took just a few days to decide he would seek the nomination and even pulled his name off the congressional ballot to focus on the Senate race. Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott has also said he intends to seek the Senate seat.

But Hill was visiting troops in Afghanistan and was unable to respond immediately to the opportunity. He has spent the past week talking with central committee members and constituents about whether to run.

Hill said in his statement he needed that time “to thoughtfully reflect upon what had transpired.”

“While seeking such input, however, I kept my focus on working for the people of the 9th District of Indiana, evidenced by my meetings with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood regarding local infrastructure projects,” Hill said.

 

LINK: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100227/NEWS02/2270339/1025/U.S+Rep.+Baron+Hill+won+t+run+for+Senate++endorses+Ellsworth

McDermott out, Washington back in race for Senate seat (Post-Tribune)

McDermott out, Washington back in race for Senate seat
By Jane Huh

As one Lake County Democrat bowed out of seeking Evan Bayh's U.S. Senate seat on Saturday, another jumped back in.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. will no longer seek the state Democratic Party's nomination for the congressional seat after Bayh retires, said Keith Clock, chairman of the 5th District Central Committee, who spoke with McDermott on Saturday morning.

McDermott, also the chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party, could not be reached for comment as of press time.

However, Darren Washington could emerge as a candidate from the region.

"Northwest Indiana cannot afford to not fight for the opportunity to have representation in Washington, D.C., and represent the state of Indiana in the U.S. Senate," Washington said.

The Gary School Board member decided to again seek the party's nomination only after Highland Clerk-Treasurer Michael Griffin passed up on the idea of seeking the congressional seat.

Washington said he had hoped Griffin, who is "more than well-qualified to be U.S. senator," would seek the party's nomination.

LINK: http://www.post-trib.com/news/2074412,senate-dem-0228.article

Senate rejects Rokita bid for ad exemption

Senate rejects Rokita bid for ad exemption
By Ken Kusmer -- Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS— Don't look for Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita to hand out birth announcements on the floor of the state Senate anytime soon.

As Rokita and his wife, Kathy, celebrated the birth of their second son, Ryan, on Wednesday, the Senate went out of its way to skewer the Republican for using more than $1.5 million from an investment fraud enforcement fund to pay for TV and radio ads in which he appears.

The Senate voted 50-0 in a highly unusual roll call vote to reject a bid by Rokita's office to rewrite a banking bill to remove language that bars a state officeholder from using the fund to buy advertising that identifies the official.

Some lawmakers felt Rokita is using the fund he controls to build name recognition as he pursues another elective office. He's seeking the Republican nomination in the 4th District congressional race against 12 other candidates — including state Sens. Brandt Hershman of Lafayette and Mike Young of Indianapolis.

Hershman and Young joined the parade of senators from both parties to speak against the amendment that author Sen. Richard Bray, R-Martinsville, said was sought by a lobbyist for Rokita's office.

“We should not use the public's dime to let people advertise on TV, whether running for public office or not,” Young said.

Hershman said Rokita was seeking a pass at a time when the state, to balance its budget, is making “painful cuts” to necessary programs.

Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson, D-Bloomington, noted the investment fraud fund had a balance of $5.3 million last June that now stands at $3.8 million. It's funded from securities fraud settlements. 

LINK: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100225/NEWS02/2250323/1025/Senate+rejects+Rokita+bid+for+ad+exemption

Congressional Budget Office says Stimulus Boosted Economy by up to 3.5 Percent

Reuters - Reporting by Andy Sullivan, editing by Eric Beech

The massive stimulus package passed last year to blunt the impact of the worst U.S. recession in 70 years created up to 2.1 million jobs in the last three months of 2009, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday.

The package boosted the economy by up to 3.5 percent and lowered the unemployment rate by up to 2.1 percent during that period, CBO said.

The report comes as President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats are pushing further measures to bring down the 9.7 percent unemployment rate before the November congressional elections.

The $787 billion price tag of the package, officially called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, has prompted a growing backlash from voters worried about record budget deficits. Republicans have labeled the package a failure, though economists on the left and right say it helped ward off a depression.

CBO's new report closely resembles its initial estimates from March 2009, shortly after Obama signed the bill into law.

Though the economy performed more poorly than predicted, that was not due to the ineffectiveness of the stimulus package, CBO said.

"In CBO's judgment, that outcome reflects greater-than-projected weakness in the underlying economy rather than lower-than-expected effects" of the stimulus, the research office said.

The package is likely to have the greatest impact this year, according to CBO. It is expected to boost GDP by between 1.4 percent and 4 percent and bring down the unemployment rate by between 0.7 percent and 1.8 percent in 2010, higher figures than last year when many of its programs were being set up. The impact is expected to trail off over the next two years.

Direct purchasing of goods and services by the federal government and states have been the most effective provision of the act, CBO said. Among the least effective: a tax credit for first-time homebuyers and a tax cut for the wealthy.

Since the start of the recession in December 2007, 8.4 million jobs have been lost. Though the economy started growing again last year, CBO chief Doug Elmendorf said at a congressional hearing that any recovery was likely to be slow

Hill Is Open To Run For Senate

Hill Is Open To Run For Senate

By Marcus Green and Lesley Stedman Weidenbener / Louisville Courier-Journal

U.S. Rep. Baron Hill said Monday that he isn't ruling out a run for the U.S. Senate now that Evan Bayh has said he won't seek re-election and will retire at the end of his term.

The 9th District Democrat, in his first public event since Bayh's announcement a week ago, said he needed time to speak with the senator and others about the possibility before making a final decision.

I'm open to the idea," said Hill. "It doesn't mean that I'm going to do it."

Because Bayh announced his retirement just one day before a crucial filing deadline, no Democratic candidates qualified for the ballot. That means the Indiana Democratic Party's 32-member central committee will choose a nominee.

Hill was out of the country visiting troops on a military-sponsored trip until this past weekend and had been unavailable to comment about the Senate seat.

While Hill was away, U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth, the Democrat who represents the 8th District, announced he would seek the Democratic nomination. Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott and Gary School Board member Darren Washington also told party officials they would run.

Hill said he was scheduled to speak with Bayh on Monday and wanted to talk with others as well.

"Let me have those conversations first, and then we'll see where this goes," Hill said.

Hill spoke to reporters after a roundtable meeting with Ray LaHood, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, about the Ohio River bridges project.

The group was headed to Madison for a meeting about the Madison-Milton bridge project.

Stimulus funds a boon to region nonprofits, businesses

Stimulus funds a boon to region nonprofits, businesses
By Marisa Kwiatkowski

HealthLinc's "miracle" came not a moment too soon, CEO Beth Wrobel said.

The nonprofit organization, which operates community health centers in Valparaiso, Michigan City and Knox, struggled to accommodate a 50 percent increase in patients between 2008 and 2009.

Its savior came in the form of $735,904 in stimulus funds, Wrobel said. HealthLinc used the money to hire another pediatrician and several behavioral health consultants -- and to increase its number of exam rooms in Michigan City.

"Not only is it a lifesaver for HealthLinc, it's a lifesaver for patients," she said. "I don't know what we would've done if we didn't have that money."

HealthLinc was one of at least 25 private agencies in Lake and Porter counties to receive stimulus cash in 2009, according to federal data. The federal government funneled at least $21.5 million in stimulus money to region nonprofits and private businesses last year, a Times analysis of data from the federal government's Recovery.gov Web site shows.

Last Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law Feb. 17, 2009.

Another $4.26 million came to local businesses via contracts from local housing authorities or municipalities. 

LINK: http://nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_ddad93c2-ed54-56c2-9a71-e6d17305ba9c.html

Ex-Gov. Kernan, former POW, returns to Vietnam

Ex-Gov. Kernan, former POW, returns to Vietnam
Associated Press

Former Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan is making an emotional return to Vietnam, where he spent 11 months as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.

WSBT-TV reports that Kernan and his wife Maggie on Monday visited the sites of two Hanoi prisons where he was held after his Navy reconnaissance plane was shot down in 1972.

Kernan spent most of his time as a POW in a prison once dubbed "The Zoo."

He became emotional during a visit to the site of that prison as he recalled the moment when he realized his family knew he was still alive after his plane was shot down. 

LINK: http://journalgazette.com/article/20100223/NEWS07/100229857/1067/NEWS07

Hammond mayor to seek Senate seat

Evan Bayh will not seek re-election

Evan Bayh will not seek re-election
By Mary Beth Schneider

Sen. Evan Bayh will not run for re-election, a decision that will shock Democrats and Republicans alike in Indiana.

In prepared remarks, Bayh, 54, cited excessive partisanship that makes progress on public policy difficult to achieve as the motivation for his decision.

“After all these years, my passion for service to my fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so in Congress has waned,” he said.

“My decision was not motivated by political concern,” he added. “Even in the current challenging environment, I am confident in my prospects for re-election.”

Bayh had never lost an election, from his first win in 1986 as secretary of state, his wins for governor in 1988 and 1992 and his election to the U.S. Senate in 1998 and 2004.

“But running for the sake of winning an election, just to remain in public office, is not good enough,” Bayh said. “And it has never been what motivates me. At this time I simply believe I can best contribute to society in another way: creating jobs by helping grow a business, helping guide an institution of higher learning or helping run a worthy charitable endeavor.” 

LINK: http://www.indystar.com/article/20100215/NEWS05/100215009/Evan-Bayh-will-not-seek-reelection 

Evan Bayh: Progress over Partisanship

 

 

INDIANA GOVERNOR (1988 - 1996):

 

As a successful two-term governor, Bayh met his obligations to the people of Indiana by creating jobs, expanding educational opportunities and improving health care for Hoosier families. He balanced the state budget for eight consecutive years without once raising taxes. He helped build one of the strongest, most financially secure economies in the country, characterized by sound management and fiscal growth that created more than 350,000 new jobs-or 1,000 new jobs every week he was governor.

 

Bayh left office with a 79 percent approval rating, prompting The Indianapolis Star to write: "When Republicans praise a Democratic governor's...achievements in stimulating industrial growth, bringing in new jobs, securing existing jobs, moving ahead in public education, coping with crime, drug abuse and teenage pregnancy, and helping to preserve and strengthen solid, healthy middle-class values, it's good news. Indiana is lucky to have a governor in tune with the times, whose new fatherhood...makes him sharply aware of the things that matter most to families."

 

CUTTING TAXES: Under Bayh, Indiana had one of the lowest tax burdens in the nation, eight years of balanced budgets and a leaner state government. His administration left Indiana with the largest budget surplus in state history-three times the national average. His governorship marked the state's first eight-year period in 40 years without a tax increase. He signed into law the largest single state tax cut in Indiana history when he slashed the state's annual auto excise tax in half, saving tax payers $1.6 billion over six years. In addition, he achieved $1.5 billion in savings by comprehensively restructuring the state Medicaid program to eliminate waste and inefficiencies.

 

CREATING JOBS: His economic development program attracted dozens of new companies to Indiana, bringing in $2.3 billion in new investment and creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs. To protect taxpayers, he utilized tough "clawback" provisions that prevented companies from receiving incentives if job creation promises were not kept. More than a half-million Indiana businesses and citizens benefited when Bayh slashed government regulation by eliminating or reducing two thirds of state fees under his control.

 

CNN's Moneyline noted in February 1996: "Indiana's economy is churning out the jobs at twice the national average." The Economist commented in January 1996: "If anyone doubts the new industrial vitality of America, look to Indiana."

 

THE ‘EDUCATION' GOVERNOR: Bayh raised academic standards and created unprecedented opportunities for students to attend college. His signature educational accomplishment, the21^st Century Scholars program, guarantees free in-state college tuition to underprivileged students who graduate from high school with passing grades, so long as they sign a pledge to be alcohol, drug and crime free. The program continues today, and more than 120,000 Hoosier students have enrolled.

 

Under Bayh’s leadership, Indiana moved from 40^th to 9^thin the nation in college enrollment. He also increased funding for schools in every state budget, increasing funding by $3.1 billion for grades K-12, even during an economic downturn. He oversaw a $30 million grant program to put computers in every Indiana school and expanded remediation programs so that every child who has difficultly meeting high academic standards could receive extra instruction.

 

CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERSHIP: Bayh's tenure as governor was also marked by historic civil rights advances. He appointed the first woman and the first African-American to the Indiana Supreme Court. In 1996, he received the Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award for appointing more talented and qualified women to top executive and judicial positions than any governor in state history, with fully half of top administration jobs filled by women. The Bayh administration also revitalized the Indiana Civil Rights Commission and contracted with the greatest number of minority- and women-owned businesses in state history.

 

REFORMING WELFARE: Bayh played a leading role in utilizing government to ease the burdens confronting families. He advocated common-sense measures to strengthen the lives of our children, from encouraging responsible fatherhood to moving Hoosiers from welfare to work. Under his leadership, Indiana led the nation in reducing the numbers of its citizens on welfare, transitioning more than 1,000 families per month from government dependence to self-sufficiency. He did so while ensuring Hoosiers had the necessary support to maintain self-sufficiency, such as adding 31,000 new child-care positions statewide.

 

SUPPORTING HOOSIER FAMILIES: Bayh championed responsible fatherhood initiatives and adopted policies holding non-custodial parents financially responsible for their children, leading to unprecedented collections to help single moms. The Bayh administration also implemented Project RESPECT, a campaign to reduce teen pregnancy that leveraged millions of dollars of paid television and radio advertising, while distributing grants to schools, social service agencies and religiously affiliated groups to fund educational initiatives for young Hoosiers.

 

PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT: Finally, Indiana made substantial environmental strides under Bayh's gubernatorial tenure. Toxic chemical emissions dropped 82 percent as Indiana adopted some of the toughest water quality standards in the nation. He led a nationally recognized effort to restore environmentally hazardous sites in Indiana for future community use, forging a partnership between government, communities and businesses to clean up contaminated sites in urban centers and return them to economic usefulness. He also oversaw the largest expansion of state parks since the 1930s to ensure that Indiana’s natural wonders would be protected for generations.

 

 

UNITED STATES SENATE (1998-2010)

 

During his two terms in the United States Senate, Evan Bayh has focused his domestic legislative agenda on job creation and helping middle class families.

 

PROTECTING JOBS: He wrote and enacted legislation to create a new federal enforcement network to crack down on foreign competitors that are stealing American innovations through product piracy and counterfeiting. He fought successfully to persuade international entities to crack down on unfair trade practices and strengthen U.S. enforcement when foreign competitors illegally dump their products on American consumers and flood our markets with their cheap and unsafe goods.  He helped revitalize the recreational vehicle industry during tough times in the economic recession, passing a generous new sales tax deduction to help families purchase recreational vehicles, and he pushed the Small Business Administration to free up capital to help dealers maintain inventory supplies and stay in business through the economic recession.

 

LEADING AUTO SECTOR INTO 21st CENTURY: Bayh has also helped retool Indiana's automotive industry to be a leader in making the advanced vehicles of tomorrow, securing more than a half-billion dollars for Hoosier companies making the hi-tech batteries and component parts of the clean-energy vehicles of the future.

 

ASSISTING WORKERS: He also helped to pass and renew Trade Adjustment Assistance legislation to assist workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own when American companies move operations overseas or close due to unfair foreign competition.

 

CHILDREN'S HEALTH: He has been a leader in promoting children's health, writing and passing a bill to improve pediatric health to ensure that every federal dollar authorized for children’s health is a dollar spent on the best care available.

 

RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD: He has been the Senate's foremost leader in promoting responsible fatherhood initiatives, assisting single parents, supporting local organizations that foster family stability, helping fathers reconnect with their children and be the role models their children need them to be.

 

SAYING "NO" TO WASTE: Bayh has waged a sometimes lonely battle to stop wasteful spending before it starts through balancing the federal budget, ending frivolous earmarks, reining in corporate subsidies and closing tax loopholes. He has voted against billions of dollars in pork barrel projects, including the so-called "Bridge to Nowhere," and helped close the "Bermuda tax loophole" that allowed certain companies to set up P.O. boxes overseas and avoid U.S. taxes.

PROPERTY TAXES: When local property tax bills soared in Indiana, Bayh wrote and passed the first ever federal property tax deduction for homeowners who do not itemize, providing a $1,000 deduction to 570,000 eligible Hoosier homeowners. He helped pass legislation to make permanent the income tax deductions to help families afford the rising costs of college.

CREDIT CARD REFORM: Bayh used his position on the Senate Banking Committee to cast the tie-breaking vote to advance credit card reform and crack down on abusive bank practices that keep consumers mired in debt by tucking exploitative clauses in the fine print of credit card agreements.

 

FIGHTING TERRORISM: A member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Armed Services Committee, Bayh is one of Congress' most respected voices on a wide range of security issues. A leader in the fight against international terrorism, Senator Bayh authored a key provision in the Senate's anti-terrorism bill to disrupt terrorist financial networks by requiring international finance groups to register and report suspicious activity. He has cosponsored bipartisan legislation to expand international education programs to encourage civil society in places where government is not responsive to the needs of its people.

 

Bayh is chairman of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on International Trade and Finance, a post he uses to oversee the national security implications of foreign investment. He passed legislation to protect critical U.S. infrastructure and valuable energy assets, requiring the director of national intelligence to review foreign transactions before they are approved.

 

CURBING SPREAD OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS: Bayh wrote and passed the toughest economic sanctions ever approved against Iran in an effort to stop its illicit nuclear weapons program, targeting the regime’s Achilles heel-its reliance on imported petroleum-to stop the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism from obtaining an atomic weapon. Bayh has worked with fellow Indiana Senator Richard Lugar on nuclear non-proliferation issues, authorizing the establishment of an international nuclear fuel bank to provide a safe supply of civilian nuclear energy to developing countries and deter nations seeking atomic weapons under its guise. Bayh has also championed the Nunn-Lugar program to dismantle and safely store "loose nukes" in the former Soviet Union and cosponsored legislation to help our allies detect and interdict nuclear bomb-making components.

 

PROTECTING OUR HOMELAND: He was a lead proponent of legislation calling upon Congress to fully implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, and he pushed legislation to more closely scrutinize cargo at our ports to monitor for explosives and dangerous shipments. He also helped identify old stockpiles of VX nerve gas and worked with U.S. Army officials to increase security at storage facilities to deter any potential terrorist attack.

 

SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS: Bayh has also fought to provide American military personnel with the equipment they need to stay safe. When he discovered U.S. combat troops were being forced to scavenge for "hillbilly armor," Bayh forced the U.S. military to purchase thousands of up-armored Humvees to help protect our combat forces. He passed legislation to improve care for soldiers returning from battle in Iraq and Afghanistan with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). He worked successfully to protect military families from financial difficulties as a result of their service to the country, eliminatingthe "Patriot Penalty" pay cut that many National Guard members and reservists face when they leave their civilian jobs for active duty. He also passed legislation that will save the average active duty service member thousands of dollars on direct student loans.    

Sen. Bayh leads opponents by 20 points (Politico)

Bayh leads Coats by 20 points
By: Jessica Taylor

Former Indiana Sen. Dan Coats starts his campaign against Democrat Evan Bayh at a double-digit disadvantage, according to a Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll released Thursday. 

Bayh is ahead by 20 percentage points in the poll, leading Coats by 55 percent to 35 percent, with 10 percent of respondents undecided. The second-term Democrat holds a 40-point advantage among independent voters, who back him 64 percent to 24 percent. Bayh currently draws a substantial number of Republicans away from Coats, taking 26 percent of GOP votes to Coats's 68 percent.

Only a narrow plurality of voters — 38 percent — say they have a favorable view of Coats, with 34 percent viewing him unfavorably. Bayh, meanwhile, has an approval rating of 61 percent, with just 33 percent holding a negative opinion of him and 6 percent undecided.  

LINK: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32844.html

Democrats rip Coats’ foreign lobbyist ties (Journal Gazette)

Democrats rip Coats’ foreign lobbyist ties
Sylvia A Smith -- Washington editor 

Dan Coats cares more about the interests of foreign governments than of Hoosiers, a Democratic spokeswoman said Monday, citing the work Coats’ former law firm did for India, Yemen and other countries in 2000 and 2001.

Coats, a member of Congress in the 1980s and 1990s, is collecting signatures to get on the Republican primary ballot. The GOP nominee will run against two-term incumbent Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind.

After leaving office in 1998, Coats became a lobbyist and was ambassador to Germany for 3 1/2 years. During 2000 and 2001, the firm he worked for registered as a foreign agent for Ethiopia, Taiwan, India, Montenegro, Cyprus, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. 

LINK: http://journalgazette.com/article/20100209/LOCAL08/302099988/1002/LOCAL

Blue Dogs push to go further than Obama spending freeze (The Hill)

Tom Hayhurst leads money race (FW Daily News)

Souder may have to spend some of his money in a primary fight. He faces opposition from Phil Troyer of Fort Wayne as well as two DeKalb County residents, Rachel Grubb of Auburn and Charles Newman of Garrett.

LINK: http://www.fwdailynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6660:Hayhurst-leads-money-race

Indiana’s top court to hear vote ID law appeal (AP)

Indiana's top court to hear vote ID law appeal

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Supreme Court will decide the fate of the state law requiring government-issued photo identification for voters.

The court announced Monday that it would hear an appeal of a 2009 lower court ruling that overturned the voter ID law because it required those who vote in person to verify their identities but not those who vote by mail.

The League of Women Voters argued the law violated the Indiana Constitution by imposing a new requirement on only some voters. The state appeals court agreed with those arguments in its 3-0 decision.

LINK: http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=indystar&sParam=32622633.story

Lawmakers push for early exit (Journal Gazette)

Eager-to-stump lawmakers push for early exit
Niki Kelly - The Journal Gazette

INDIANAPOLIS – House Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, has his eye on ending the legislative session early.

The scheduled end date is March 14, but Bauer said members of the House are “pressing hard” to be out by the beginning of March.

“I don’t know if we can,” Bauer said.

Leaving early would give all 100 members of the House – who are up for re-election this year – more time to campaign in this critically important campaign cycle.

The party that wins the majority in November’s election gets the right to draw new legislative boundaries in 2011. Those new districts would last for 10 years. 

LINK: http://journalgazette.com/article/20100119/NEWS07/301199996

Sen. Bayh announces Indiana federal court nominees (AP)

Bayh announces Indiana federal court nominees
By Charles Wilson, Associated Press Writer

INDIANAPOLIS — Sen. Evan Bayh announced the nominees for three vacancies on the federal bench in Indiana on Monday, including Marion Superior Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt who could become the state's first black federal judge.

If confirmed, Pratt and federal Magistrate Judge Jane E. Magnus-Stinson would increase the number of female federal judges in the Indianapolis-based Southern District of Indiana from one to three.

U.S. Attorney Jon E. DeGuilio was the third nominee introduced Monday.

Bayh said President Barack Obama had accepted his recommendations for the nominations, which were reached in consultation with fellow Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, a Republican. Obama is expected to nominate the three when the U.S. Senate reconvenes this week following winter recess. The nominees would need to win U.S. Senate approval before taking office.

Bayh said all three nominees were highly qualified and he praised their hard work and commitment to "impartial justice."

He said it was fitting that Pratt's nomination was announced on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"This day is long overdue," Bayh said. 

LINK: http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=indystar&sParam=32560931.story

Bill to reform lobbying sails through House

Bauer’s ethics rules slated for Monday vote in Indiana House

Lugar: Cheney ‘unfair’ to Obama

Bill would ease voting by mail (AP)

Bill would ease voting by mail

Associated Press

Proposed legislation would allow Indiana voters to cast absentee ballots by mail without having an excuse such as being out of town on Election Day.

The bill cleared the Democrat-controlled House elections committee but could face hurdles in the Republican-led Senate. Republicans have opposed previous attempts to expand mail-in absentee ballots, which were in play during widespread Lake County vote fraud in 2003.

Under current Indiana law, anyone voting absentee-by-mail must meet certain provisions, such as being out of the county on Election Day or working through voting hours. Voters do not have to give an excuse if they cast absentee ballots in person.

The bill now moves to the full House for consideration. 

LINK: http://www.indystar.com/article/20100108/NEWS05/1080387/-1/NEWS/Bill-would-ease-voting-by-mail

State Rep. Reardon elected treasurer to national group

Reardon elected treasurer to national group

LOCAL REP WILL SERVE TERM REPRESENTING LATINO LEGISLATORS 

INDIANAPOLIS | State Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon was elected Nov. 21 as the treasurer of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators during the organization's annual meeting in Santa Monica, Calif.

"I am deeply honored to be chosen as one of the six national officers for the NHCSL," Reardon said. "This organization has been extremely effective in positively impacting public policy to improve the quality of life for Latino communities throughout the country.

"Our leadership team is committed to addressing the issues of quality education, access to health care, affordable housing, comprehensive immigration reform, economic development and reciprocity, as well as job training and the creation of good-paying jobs," she added.

The national officers will serve a two-year term and act as the voice for more than 300 Latino state legislators across the country. 

LINK: http://nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_0a900688-0174-5127-b5ae-d70df6e0b38e.html

Senate plan would lower premiums for some, analysis shows (Courier-Journal)

Bayh has said the impact on premiums is a main factor he’ll consider in deciding whether to vote for the bill. The Senate hopes to complete its version of the bill by Christmas.

LINK: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20091130/NEWS02/911300343/1025/NEWS02/Senate+plan+would+lower+premiums+for+some++analysis+shows

GOP senators shun legislative process (Post-Tribune)

GOP senators shun legislative process
Editorial -- Gary Post-Tribune

 

If you want a perfect example of the difference between progress and petulance, look no further than the U.S. Senate's vote to allow debate on the proposed health care bill.

 

Sixty senators voted to bring the bill to the floor for debate, which is generally a procedural matter -- not something of great controversy. But they made a choice of progressing forward with discussion.

 

The bill itself is controversial, particularly the part that includes a public health insurance option.

 

The reason for the bill isn't so controversial; it is quite factual. The United States spends 17 percent of its gross domestic product on health care, two to three times as much as any other industrialized country. Yet for all that money, we lag in life expectancy and infant mortality among many measurements of overall health.

 

That is to say, as a country we're spending Lexus money for a Yugo product.

 

The reason Medicare could go bankrupt in the coming decades is not that it's a bad program -- Medicare recipients prefer the program to private insurance, according to a Commonwealth Fund survey; it's the actual cost of procedures that endangers it.

 

Even in the face of facts, statistics, polls and surveys, not one Republican voted to bring the bill to the floor of the U.S. Senate.

 

Republicans don't even want debate.

 

They chose not to be involved in the formation of the bill. They chose against debating the bill. And they promise not one senator will vote for the bill. That's not legislating. It's ideology, better served for storefront preachers and philosophical fanatics than U.S. senators.

 

In one of the great matters of our time, we have 39 elected leaders who do not believe in being part of the process.

 

It's that kind of playground petulance that voters ought to remember come next election season. 

 

LINK: http://www.post-trib.com/news/opinion/1908055,edit-healthcare.article

Ellsworth to speak at ISU commencement

The former Vanderburgh County sheriff also is a graduate of the FBI Academy.

LINK: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/nov/22/no-headline---23a03ellsworth-brf/

Cash for clunkers rebates spurred local sales (Journal & Courier)

In all, 677,081 vehicles were sold under the program, and rebates to U.S. consumers totaled $2.85 billion.

LINK: http://www.jconline.com/article/20091117/NEWS/911170329/1001/Cash-for-clunkers-rebates-spurred-local-sales

Lawmakers return to Statehouse on Tuesday

The FSSA deals (South Bend Tribune)

What about ACS? As lawmakers who observed developments over the last several weeks have pointed out, ACS came to Indiana with a history of problems delivering on state contracts. Furthermore, the legislature has no clear understanding of ACS' role during the last 30 months — let alone what its role will be in the future. 

LINK: http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20091116/Opinion/911160314/1062/Opinion

Bayh calls for solution to ballooning debt

Bayh calls for solution to ballooning debt
By Sylvia A Smith

WASHINGTON – Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., has aligned himself with a group of senators who say they won’t vote for an increase in the U.S. debt limit unless they also get to vote on a proposal to create a commission to deal with long-term budget problems.

Bayh wants a commission that would come up with ways to cut spending or increase income and then present the package to Congress. Lawmakers would have to vote “yes” or “no” on the full package without the ability to amend it.

At a Budget Committee hearing Tuesday, Bayh said members of Congress who like himself are former governors are “no strangers to having to make difficult decisions and sometimes say no even if it’s not popular because it’s in the long-term interests of our country.”

Bayh said the typical way Congress works “is the path to national weakness.”

Another former governor, Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, also advocated for the commission because “Congress is not willing to take short-term pain for long-term gain. Period.”

In a letter to the Senate leadership last week, a group led by Bayh encouraged a vote on the creation of the commission be tied to the debt-limit vote. Tuesday, Bayh made it clear he won’t support a higher debt limit unless the commission vote is conducted. 

 

LINK: http://journalgazette.com/article/20091111/NEWS03/311119953/1002/LOCAL

Ball State report: Cash for Clunkers sparked auto sales

Budget Monitor Says G.O.P. Bill Leaves Many Uninsured (NY Times)

Bauer details proposed ethics standards (Tribune)

 

Bauer details proposed new ethics standards
By MARGARET FOSMOE Tribune Staff Writer 

SOUTH BEND -- Under proposed new ethics rules for Indiana government, the legislative branch, executive branch and lobbyists all would be held to high new standards, according to Indiana House Speaker B. Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend.

"We want even treatment," Bauer said Monday during a news conference at his South Bend home.

The proposal covers three areas:

 

Legislative branch: Lobbyists would be required to report any gift of more than $50 (the current limit is $100) to a legislator, legislative candidate or legislative employee. Any individual who holds a stated elected office would be prohibited from registering as a lobbyist for a year after leaving office. And lobbyists would be prohibited from representing multiple clients if there is a conflict of interest between those clients.

Executive branch: Any individual appointed to a position in the executive branch by the governor would not be allowed to register as a lobbyist for one year after leaving the post. Committees representing the governor or any candidate for that office would be prohibited from soliciting contributions or conducting fundraisers during the long session of the General Assembly or a time period around the legislature's organizational day.

State contracts and contributions: People who have contracts with state government or bid on contracts would be prohibited from making political contributions to individuals who hold state office or run for state office. People who bid on or receive contracts would be required to register with the Indiana election division, which will make that information available to the public. Violators would face civil and criminal penalties, and the potential loss of their state contracts.

 

 

LINK: http://southbendtribune.com/article/20091103/News01/911039984/1130

Stimulus money funds 18,000-plus jobs in Indiana (AP)

Delphi gets a power boost (Indianapolis Star)

Delphi gets a power boost

$6.7M from feds will help Kokomo employer develop better batteries

By Tom Spalding, Indianapolis Star

 

Delphi will receive a $6.7 million federal grant that the company's Kokomo-based engineers will use to make car batteries more efficient.

The Delphi-led project was one of 37 initiatives selected by the U.S. Department of Energy on Monday for energy sector innovation. It follows on the heels of a separate $89 million matching green car grant that Delphi was awarded during President Barack Obama's trip to Northern Indiana in August.

The latest round of funding is made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Troy, Mich.-based Delphi, a privately held independent company that employs 1,400 in Kokomo, will use the funds to develop new power electronics technology based on a process that can enable up to 50 percent more efficient power delivery by a battery to a vehicle's electric motor.

"This is technology that will improve switch modules that take a battery's DC energy and turn it into AC energy the motor needs to run," said Delphi spokeswoman Linda Ferries. "The module will be smaller, thinner and cheaper, with less energy wasted."

Delphi says the alliance will mean work for an existing handful of engineers.

Delphi will team with California-based International Rectifier, a tech company that works to improve power management in products as varied as cars and laptop computers. And those two will work with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a University of Tennessee-affiliated nonprofit, to bring the power electronics technology from the laboratory to the prototype stage.

About 3,700 qualifying concept papers were submitted to the DOE, including a broad spectrum of application areas and technical disciplines, for the $150 million budgeted for the awards.

The DOE said the product has the potential to be high-impact.

"This funding will enable Delphi to make the kind of high-reward investments in clean energy that are so critical to power our emerging green economy in Indiana," U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., said. "This will not only create middle-class green jobs for Hoosiers, but has the potential to dramatically lower energy use and reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil, as well." 

 

LINK: http://www.indystar.com/article/20091027/BUSINESS/910270315/1003/BUSINESS/Delphi+gets+a+power+boost

ISU to name education school for Bayh family

ISU to name education school for Bayh family

Associated Press 

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Indiana State University is poised to name its education school after U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh's family.

The university's trustees are expected to vote today on naming for the Bayh College of Education. ISU Foundation President Gene Crume says the Bayhs have been associated with ISU for almost 100 years.

Sen. Bayh's grandfather, Birch Bayh Sr., was the first athletic director of what was then the Indiana State Normal School and the elder Bayh's mother attended the school in the 1800s.

Birch Bayh Jr., a former U.S. senator from Indiana, and Evan Bayh both hold honorary degrees from the university. Birch Bayh Jr. and his family lived on a farm near Terre Haute until after his 1962 election to the Senate.

 

LINK: http://www.indystar.com/article/20091023/NEWS05/910230389/-1/NEWS/ISU+to+name+ed+school+for+Bayh+family

Legislators now worry about IBM partner (AP)

Legislators now worry about IBM partner

Some question whether welfare's poor service was due to Texas firm

Associated Press

Indiana welfare subcontractor Affiliated Computer Services will come under closer scrutiny now that Gov. Mitch Daniels has fired IBM from the project, influential lawmakers said Tuesday.

Rep. Peggy Welch, a Bloomington Democrat who sits on the State Budget Committee and the General Assembly's Medicaid Oversight Commission, said some lawmakers wonder whether Dallas-based ACS was responsible for some of the poor service, lost documents and other problems that resulted in Daniels firing IBM on Thursday from a 10-year, $1.34 billion contract to automate intake for food stamps, Medicaid and other welfare benefits.

"We're going to be watching (ACS closely), because there is a perception that they are just as bad an actor as IBM," Welch said after the Medicaid Oversight Commission met.

Rep. Suzanne Crouch, R-Evansville, said lawmakers remain skeptical of ACS because it was brought in by Mitch Roob, a former ACS executive who oversaw the IBM/ACS project as Family and Social Services Administration secretary until January, when he became Indiana's secretary of commerce.

"People are uncomfortable that ACS is still in place and that they were brought on board by former Secretary Roob," said Crouch, one of several Evansville lawmakers who've led legislative criticism of the welfare changes.

Roob's office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The lawmakers' comments provided the first indication since IBM's firing that political pressure also was building against ACS, one of IBM's largest partners in the welfare outsourcing that moved 1,500 caseworkers from the state's payroll to ACS' employment 21/2 years ago. ACS workers compile eligibility data on welfare applicants before state employees decide which benefits to award.  

Link: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009910210344

Daniels, GOP could face welfare deal fallout

Bayh to meet with Obama in Oval Office today

Advocates to propose solutions to welfare ‘crisis’ (AP)

Democrats to host Bayh at rally

Democrats to host Bayh at rally

The Third District Democratic Party will be hosting Indiana Senator Evan Bayh at "Democrats Rally 2009" on Saturday, October 24 at Plumbers and Steamfitters Union Local 166 at 2930 Ludwig Road.  Dr. Tom Hayhurst, candidate for U.S. Congress, and Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry are also scheduled to speak at the event.

Doors open at 5 p.m. for the event. Appetizers and drinks start at 5:30 p.m.  Remarks will begin at 6:30 p.m..

Tickets for this event are $20 each with advance tickets only. Tickets can be purchased by calling the DeKalb County Democratic Party office at (260) 572-0441.

 

Link: http://www.fwdailynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5228:Democrats-to-host-Bayh-at-rally&catid=61:times-online2&Itemid=6 

Conditions placed on welfare rollout (AP)

Too many errors in welfare trial (Indy Star)

Ruling an opportunity to take another look at voter ID law (Star Press)

Program promises jobs, lower utility bills

Program promises jobs, lower utility bills

By Gitte Laasby, Post-Tribune staff writer

 

MERRILLVILLE -- Tired of high utility bills? Some permanent help could be coming your way soon.

 

About 545 homes in Northwest Indiana will be weatherized for free in the next eight months thanks to stimulus funding.

 

The Northwest Indiana Community Action Corp. has received more than $3.4 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009. The money will be spent making houses of low-income residents more energy efficient.

 

Jane Hopkins, director of community services with the Northwest Indiana Community Action Corp., said energy auditors have inspected 30 to 40 homes through the program so far. About 100 to 150 are on a waiting list, but the program will still be able to serve several hundred more people.

 

By the end of May, when the first round of the program ends, about 545 Northwest Indiana homes will have been weatherized at a value of up to $5,000 each. Administrators said they expect the money will create 30 to 40 contractor jobs in the trades.

 

As a contractor of the NWICA, Mike Young, owner of Indiana Spray Foam in Crown Point, is hiring more employees to handle the increased workload.

 

"It really has given six more people jobs I probably wouldn't have hired if we hadn't had the stimulus program," Young said. "I would say we're probably increasing our business by a good 25 (percent) to 30 percent. Currently, we're a total of eight. We're looking to hire two or three more. They're installers or laborers. They're out there in the field actually doing the process."

 

One of the people Young hired was unemployed and got off unemployment assistance.

 

A person has to be certified by the Indiana Housing Community Development Authority to work as an energy auditor.

 

In previous years, NWICA has only had funding to weatherize 200 to 300 homes -- not nearly enough to satisfy demand. The 545 homes funded by stimulus money will be in addition to the usual number.

 

"We're thrilled we can do so many homes this year," Hopkins said. 

 

Link: http://www.post-trib.com/news/1780961,free-weather-0920.article

Hoosier lawyers irked at Daniels

Court knocks out state voter ID law

(http://www.indystar.com/article/20090917/NEWS05/909170487/Court+knocks+out+state+voter+ID+law)

 

Court knocks out state voter ID law

By Jon Murray and Mary Beth Schneider

 

The Indiana Court of Appeals today declared Indiana's voter ID law unconstitutional because it does not apply uniformly to all voters.

 

The three-judge panel unanimously held that the requirement that voters present government-issued photo identification at the polls runs afoul of the Indiana Constitution's "Equal Privileges and Immunities Clause," which provides: "The General Assembly shall not grant to any citizen, or class of citizens, privileges or immunities which, upon the same terms, shall not equally belong to all citizens."

 

Two reasons were cited by the Court of Appeals: the law doesn't require absentee voters to provide an affidavit affirming their identity even while requiring photo identification for in-person voters; and the law exempts residents of state-licensed care facilities from the ID requirement if their facility happens to be a polling place.

 

But the court suggests that the legislature could address those concerns while retaining the voter ID requirement. 

 

READ THE DECISION: http://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/09170901par.pdf 

A Better Way Forward on National Security

A Better Way Forward on National Security

By Evan Bayh -- Published in US News & World Report, September 11

 

For the first time inalmost a decade, we have an American president who approaches the securitythreats facing our country from a standpoint of pragmatism, not ideology.Barack Obama’s young presidency has blended realism with fidelity to Americanideals in a way that has not only kept us safe but represents a fundamentallybetter approach than the discredited unilateralism of the recent past.

The United States hasneither the money nor the manpower to police the world, nor should we try. Ourpresident does not seek out countries to invade, but he is unafraid to use ourmilitary when and where it is needed to protect our vital interests.

During last fall’scampaign, critics argued that enhanced dialogue and diplomacy undercut muscularAmerican leadership. They were wrong. President Obama has continued to playoffense in the fight against global extremism while stepping up efforts torebuild relationships key to solving our most pressing security challenges.

Eight years ago, Osamabin Laden launched the 9/11 attacks from a lawless sanctuary provided by theTaliban. Today, the president understands that our combined efforts inAfghanistan and Pakistan are necessary to ensure that al Qaeda never again hasa safe haven from which to plot against us.

Sometimes, wemust use military power to take the fight to the enemy, and President Obama haswisely increased resources and forces to help the Afghans build up their ownsecurity forces. He has intensified targeted strikes on al Qaeda terroristcamps along the Afghan border and demanded more accountability from Pakistan,whose leaders have started to take the al Qaeda and Taliban threats moreseriously.

The UnitedStates must never be afraid to act unilaterally in our defense, nor can we everrely solely on the United Nations—an imperfect institution.  However, we have witnessed the perils of “goingit alone.” Policies that left America more isolated in the world in turnleft the American people less secure.

Upon takingthe oath, President Obama moved to quickly install a seasoned cabinet of national security realistsincluding Bob Gates at the Department of Defense and Hillary Clinton at theState Department. They offer steady leadership in the face of an alarminglitany of inherited problems: two wars, an imploding economy, and hostileregimes in Iran and North Korea that are moving closer to deliverable nuclear weapons.

In Iraq, thepresident has pursued a policy of responsible disengagement, gradually drawingdown troops as Iraqi security forces have begun to demonstrate more competence. This plan has givenour military commanders on the ground the flexibility to respond to spikes inviolence while ultimately recognizing that the Iraqis need to solve their ownproblems.

Our commanderin chief seeks to leave behind a stable and democratic Iraq, but his strategyappropriately asks what is in our country’s best interests. To protect our country,our soldiers must be battle-ready, with intervals of rest between deployments. A responsible withdrawal will giveour troops an opportunity to rest and recharge after seven wrenching years of counterinsurgencywarfare. The president understands the strategic vulnerability posed by concentratingmost of our armed forces in one place for so long. It constrains our ability todeter and respond to emergencies elsewhere.

Every daybrings us closer to a potential nuclear emergency in Iran. Regrettably, PresidentBush’s policies helped to increase Iranian influence in the Middle East andaccelerate its uranium enrichment program. Nuclear proliferation is a threat to the entire world, andinternational cooperation is necessary to ensure that atomic weapons technologydoes not spread to rogue regimes and terrorists.

PresidentObama’s diplomatic outreach to Iran has put the mullahs on the defensive: Theycan no longer credibly ask their citizens to blame all of Iran’s problems onthe West. Even if the administration’s outreach does not persuade the ayatollahsto rethink their nuclear policy, our diplomatic efforts can help make the caseto China and Russia—the pivotal U.N. Security Council votes—that the time has arrivedto act. In the Senate, 71 lawmakers have cosponsored my bill to give the presidentauthority to impose the toughest economic sanctions to date against Iran forits illicit nuclear pursuits.

In the lastseven months, the president has reintroduced America to the world, restoringour standing with European allies and reaching out to Muslim people everywhere.These steps help undercut the anti-U.S. sentiments that sustain the ideology ofterrorists. Pew Research survey data show that people around the globe nowbelieve that “Obama will do the right thing in foreign affairs,” a stark contrastwith the confidence levels about our foreign policy just one year ago. Thefight against terrorism is a war of ideas; more global confidence in ourpresident means fewer young people in the Middle Eastwill sign up with their local terrorist group.

Foreignpolicy is not a popularity contest, and well-honed speeches get us only so far.Clearly we cannot be everybody’s friend, but when the majority of world publicopinion was against us, it was much more difficult to accomplish our goals ofmaintaining a secure and prosperous America. The president has engaged withallies and adversaries alike to advance our national security interests.

Difficultdecisions remain. Do we increase our involvement in Afghanistan? How do we confront Iran? How do we respondif Iraq’s security situation deteriorates? What steps should we take to dealwith a more powerful China and India? Answering these complex questions willrequire a deft understanding of global realities and an ability to leverage thesystems that have protected us since the end of the Second World War. PresidentObama is working to unite our allies to credibly confront common threats and provethat the United States is back as a global leader.

 

Evan Bayh

Is a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence and Armed Services

 

Ellsworth backs Obama’s speech

(http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/sep/12/ellsworth-backs-obamas-speech/?print=1)

 

Ellsworth backs Obama's speech

Still, not ready to commit to anything

By Thomas B. Langhorne

 

EVANSVILLE — He's seen the president speak about health care at the Capitol, received a record 20,000-plus contacts from constituents and watched a key friend in Congress take a stand.

 

Now Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., is getting closer to staking out his own position on the hot button issue of the day.

 

Noting there is no final proposal to vote on, Ellsworth said Friday that he doesn't disagree with anything President Barack Obama said in an address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.

 

The 8th District congressman also declined to rule out supporting a government-sponsored public health insurance option and expressed faith in the Obama plan's prohibition against illegal immigrants receiving benefits.

 

"I can't think of anything that the president said that I didn't like, but then it's all in the details," Ellsworth said, noting Obama's assurances that his plan would not add to the deficit or sanction abortion.

 

The public option

 

Because the 10-year, $900 billion proposal Obama envisions is likely to undergo numerous changes before any version is voted on, Ellsworth said it is pointless to commit himself now when factors beyond his control could compel him to change his mind later.

 

"People accuse you of being wishy-washy and noncommittal, but if I (commit) and change my mind, then I get accused of changing or lying or flip-flopping or whatever," he said.

 

"It's better to see how it develops."

 

But Ellsworth has seen enough to know that while he opposes a single-payer universal health care system, he doesn't want to close the door on a public option.

 

"I want to make sure a public plan wouldn't have an unfair advantage over the private plans," he said. "If they can show me between now and when we vote that this opens competition, that it doesn't — like the president said — add one penny to the deficit, that it's not something they're going to just keep filling the money coffers if it runs short, then I'd take a look at it and maybe be able to support it.

 

"Again, the devil is going to be in the details." 

Students should hear Obama speak today (Post-Tribune)

(http://www.post-trib.com/news/opinion/1754066,edit-obamatalk.article)

 

Students should hear Obama speak today

September 8, 2009

 

If schoolteachers didn't have enough problems worrying about delivering solid test scores and appeasing picky principals and parents, now they've got a presidential-sized conundrum.

 

President Obama's plan to address schoolchildren today with a back-to-school message has rallied conservatives who say the president is trying to indoctrinate their children with his own political agenda.

 

Most school administrators are punting on whether to allow kids to watch the president. They're leaving it up to the discretion of the teacher.

 

The whole controversy is a sad commentary on the political divide in the United States. While the tone of Obama's campaign seemed to promise a more academic, gentle approach to the Oval Office, the furor from conservatives over his health care plan seems now to infuse itself into every initiative the president undertakes.

 

Of course, it's ridiculous to fret over letting kids listen to the president deliver a message that encourages kids to study hard and stay in school. He's not going to hypnotize students into a pledge of Democratic Party allegiance.

 

It does present a fascinating, teachable moment over just how character is molded and how political views are formed. Hopefully, the kids who do get to watch and listen to Obama will bring his thoughts home and discuss them around the dinner table. Mom and dad can weigh in and offer their own opinions.

 

Certainly, parents have more sway over the hearts and minds of their children than another dad sitting in the White House.

 

It's a good time for the country to take a good look at the ideals and dreams that unite us, not the partisanship that separates us. 

President Obama singles out Hoosiers

(http://www.indystar.com/article/20090906/NEWS05/909060385/Behind+Closed+Doors++Obama+singles+out+Hoosiers)

 

Obama singles out Hoosiers

 

Carson and Lugar get recognition at dinner marking Muslim holiday

 

Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indianapolis, and Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., were guests at Tuesday's White House dinner celebrating the Muslim holiday of Ramadan and were singled out by President Barack Obama.

As the president began his opening remarks, he looked for Carson, the second Muslim to serve in Congress. After the guests applauded, Obama also sought out Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The more than five dozen guests included ambassadors from major Muslim countries, Cabinet members and Muslim Americans.

The mother of an American Muslim soldier who died in Iraq was at the dinner, as was an American Muslim girl who holds Massachusetts' record for the most points scored by a high school basketball player.

"Islam, as we know, is part of America," Obama said.

The guests dined on dates, almonds, salad, chicken, peas, potato and leek puree, kataifi wafers and sorbet.

 

Ind. officials renew Chrysler bankruptcy fight (AP)

(http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-us-indiana-chrysler,0,342836.story)

 

Ind. officials renew Chrysler bankruptcy fight

By DEANNA MARTIN -- Associated Press Writer

 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana officials want the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider their objections to the Chrysler bankruptcy proceedings that resulted in the sale of the bulk of the automaker's assets to Italy's Fiat. 

 

The Supreme Court in June rejected an appeal by a trio of Indiana pension and construction funds that wanted to block the deal. The court at that time did not consider the merits of the opponents' arguments, only whether to hear their full appeal. 

 

Indiana state Treasurer Richard Mourdock claims the sale unfairly favored Chrysler's unsecured stakeholders, such as the United Auto Workers, ahead of secured debtholders like the pension funds. 

 

The petition filed Thursday argues that the Supreme Court should decide whether bankruptcy proceedings similar to Chrysler's should be allowed in the future. 

 

[...]

 

Critics say Mourdock's fight against the Chrysler bankruptcy proceedings is a waste of money that has already cost $2 million in legal fees. The new filing will not cost the state any additional legal fees unless the Supreme Court decides to hear the case. 

 

Indiana Democratic Party Chair Dan Parker slammed Mourdock, a Republican, for filing the petition. 

 

"Richard Mourdock continues to use the retirement funds he's pledged to protect as private slush funds to fight this very personal battle with President Barack Obama," Parker said in a statement Friday. 

 

Mourdock has said all along that he considered the fight one of principle. 

Stimulus money will provide aid to tune of nearly $6 million

Hoosier welfare winners and losers

Congressman Brad Ellsworth weighs in on welfare

(http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/aug/29/ellsworth-weighs-in-on-welfare/)

 

Ellsworth weighs in on welfare

Says Indiana needs a 'Plan B'

 

By Eric Bradner

 

INDIANAPOLIS — U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth has joined the fray over efforts by Gov. Mitch Daniels' administration to modernize Indiana's welfare system.

 

Ellsworth, D-Ind., has advised the governor's office the state should develop an alternative plan in case efforts to correct mistakes in the current system aren't successful.

 

The 8th District congressman's interest is the latest indication of increasing federal scrutiny of the 10-year, $1.34 billion contract with two computer companies to update the way the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration processes applications for benefits such as food stamps and Medicaid.

 

Earlier this month, two other members of Indiana's congressional delegation — Rep. Baron Hill, D-Ind., and Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind. — asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to review the contract.

 

"I have advised the governor's office that they should have a 'Plan B' strategy in place in case their attempted corrections are not successful," Ellsworth said.

 

There is a deadline. State officials have said they expect the team of vendors to show improvements in areas such as timeliness and error rates starting Sept. 25, when the State Budget Committee will hold its first hearing on the matter.

‘The dream lives on’

(http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/aug/26/the-dream-lives-on/)

 

'The dream lives on'

Kennedy called champion of ordinary people

 

By Lydia X. McCoy

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

 

EVANSVILLE — In the late 1990s, Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker was an aide to Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, who died Tuesday night at his home on Cape Cod after a yearlong struggle with brain cancer. Kennedy was 77.

 

Parker recalled Kennedy's speech at the 1980 Democratic National Convention, where the party chose to nominate President Jimmy Carter for a second term rather than Kennedy, who had opposed him in the primary.

 

It was there that Kennedy offered, perhaps, his most famous line, Parker said.

 

Kennedy said: "For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die."

 

Parker described Kennedy as "a constant force of progress in the United States Senate" who helped move the country forward.

 

Weinzapfel heard Kennedy speak

 

Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel recalled seeing Kennedy speak at last year's Democratic National Convention in Denver — an appearance that was uncertain in the days leading up to it because of the senator's health.

 

"I felt like I was witnessing history," Weinzapfel said. "It was thrilling to see and hear him. Sen. Kennedy was passing the torch from one generation of Democrat leaders to the next."

 

Kennedy will be remembered for his work in the areas of education, health care and civil rights.

 

"He was characterized for being pretty liberal, but he was very successful for working across the aisle. That's the sign of a good legislator," Weinzapfel said.

 

Rep. Brad Ellsworth said he never got the opportunity to meet Kennedy, but said Kennedy is known around Washington for his ability to legislate.

 

"He knew when to compromise, and he knew when to stand his ground and could work deals in a good way," Ellsworth said. "I think he'll be remembered for his legislative work."

 

Kennedy won't see outcome

 

Ellsworth said it's a shame that Kennedy won't be able to see the outcome of the current health care reform debate.

 

"Certainly, it's something he's talked about for decades, and we're in the middle of debate on," Ellsworth said. "Who's to say he would've been pleased or not, but he certainly helped push that agenda forward. The fact that it's being debated here and now ... he's partly responsible for."

 

Ellsworth said he also respects Kennedy for his longevity as a senator. He was elected to his first term in 1962.

 

"Most people, when they hear Kennedy, they think of President Kennedy and how revered he was, but with that many years in the legislation, he (Sen. Kennedy) had his hands in a lot of stuff," Ellsworth said. "Certainly there are those that don't agree with his philosophy or his ideology, but most people that were up there working with him would say that he was effective."

 

Anthony Long, chairman of the 8th Congressional District Democratic Party, got the opportunity to see Kennedy multiple times. Though the meetings were brief, Long said, they were memorable.

 

'It's this aura of respect'

 

"There's people who have accomplished so much when you see them, it's this aura of respect and admiration that just seems to circle about them," he said.

 

Kennedy will be remembered for devoting himself to causes that supported the less fortunate members of society, Long said.

 

"He stood up for the people who had a hard time standing up for themselves," he said. "He surely did. The causes he championed — human rights, minimum wage and health care — the primary beneficiaries are those less fortunate economically in our society. That's just an honorable thing."

 

Indiana's senators remembered Kennedy as a master legislator who was committed to his liberal convictions but also had a pragmatic knack for deal-making.

 

Republican Sen. Richard Lugar said he and Kennedy had a "long and productive friendship" in the Senate.

 

'A great life of service'

 

"He lived a great life of service, family strength and enduring friendships. I will miss him very much," Lugar said.

 

Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh said Kennedy eschewed talking points and spoke with a full heart.

 

"We live in an era where everything is tested by focus groups, but Ted was old school," Bayh said. "He spoke authentically, from the heart. At the end of the day, he cared most about the things that matter to ordinary people." 

Statement by State Chair Dan Parker on passing of Sen. Ted Kennedy

For Immediate Release
August 26, 2009

 

 

Statement from Indiana Democratic Party Chair Dan Parker on

the passing of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy

Indianapolis -- Indiana Democratic Party Chair Dan Parker issued the following statement this morning in response to the death of Ted Kennedy after his long fight with brain cancer:

 

"It was with great sadness this morning that I learned of the passing of one of our nation's great leaders.

 

"For nearly fifty years, Ted Kennedy was a constant force of progress in the United States Senate, and his tireless pursuit of reasoned debate helped move our country forward again and again.

 

"Our country has lost one of its great orators, but the voice of our friend will continue to be with us in the decades to come. His legislative accomplishments are too numerous to count, and his legacy will no doubt live on through these invaluable achievements that touch the lives of all Americans.

 

"On this somber occasion, it is worth remembering the words of Senator Kennedy himself, who nearly three decades ago gave this national rallying cry:

 

'For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.'

 

"My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Vicki, his children, and their entire family."

Rep. Hill, AARP discuss health care in conference call

Stimulus helps families get child care after long wait

Ellsworth to host telephonic town hall meeting (Courier & Press)

Ellsworth to host telephonic town hall meeting

By Staff Reports

 

Rep. Brad Ellsworth will be host a telephone town hall to discuss health care reform with 8th District constituents at 9:30 a.m. CDT Saturday. In order to comply with Indiana’s automatic dial laws, constituents who wish to participate must sign-up at the 8th District Online Office: http://www.ellsworth.house.gov.

 

The telephone town hall will operate similarly to a traditional town hall format. Ellsworth will deliver an opening statement and will take questions about reforms to the health care system from participants throughout the 8th District.

 

The telephone town hall is a continuation of Ellsworth’s efforts to seek input from 8th District Hoosiers on health care reform proposals being considered in Congress. The second-term Congressman is holding one-on-one meetings with constituents this month, as well as roundtable discussions will local health care experts.

 

For more information on health care reform, constituents are encouraged to visit the 8th District Online Office at http://www.ellsworth.house.gov and click on Understanding Health Care Reform. The website provides visitors with the full text of the House’s version of the health care reform bill, proposed changes to the legislation, and information debunking common reform myths. Constituents can also take Ellsworth’s online health care survey. 

 

(http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/aug/18/ellsworth-host-telephonic-town-hall-meeting/)

Hayhurst wants re-match with Souder (Journal Gazette)

Bayh seeks inspector general review of toxin complaints

(http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090812/NEWS02/908120386/1025/NEWS02/Bayh+seeks+inspector+general+review+of+toxin+complaints)

 

Bayh seeks inspector general review of toxin complaints

By Maureen Groppe

Gannett News Service

 

WASHINGTON -- Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and four other Democratic senators have asked the Pentagon's inspector general to review the Army's response to the potential exposure of Indiana National Guardsmen to a deadly chemical in Iraq.

 

The senators said they believe the conduct of the Army and military contractor KBR may have caused hundreds of U.S. troops to be exposed to dangerous levels of cancer-causing sodium dichromate.

 

Former KBR employees have said that workers and soldiers, including Indiana Guard members, were exposed to sodium dichromate at an Iraqi water pumping plant that was being repaired in 2003. Sodium dichromate was used at the site as an anti-corrosive.

 

Some of the guardsmen are suing KBR, which has said it acted properly.

 

The senators said the review done by an advisory committee to the secretary of defense and by the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine “may have been deeply flawed.”

 

The issues the senators want the inspector general to review include whether the Army failed to clear sodium dichromate from the facility before authorizing KBR to enter the site and whether the Army responded adequately when soldiers began experience health problems.