What a mess
Posted by Indiana Democratic Party | 07/26/2011
Mourdock v. Lugar.
Wallace v. Pence.
Tea Party v. Establishment.
Businessman v. Partisan Mouthpiece.
No matter how you frame it, next year’s Indiana GOP primary is starting to look more like a pay-per-view wrestling special than a series of well defined political campaigns.
Republicans can’t seem to figure out which direction their party needs to go – or which candidates can effectively lead them there.
In Congress, they’re proposing cuts for the neediest Americans while giving breaks to corporations and Wall Street’s elite.
In Indiana, they've got infighting up and down the ticket.
According to a poll released today, Tea Party challenger Richard Mourdock leads U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, one of our most senior elected officials, in next year’s primary. Last week, Mourdock released a video depicting Lugar as a cartoon.
Mike Pence, the establishment Republican gubernatorial candidate, has proudly proclaimed that he has no intention of talking about policy until after next May. Pence’s opponent, businessman Jim Wallace, has vowed to spend whatever it takes to mount a credible campaign against the policy-challenged Congressman.
The Republican Congressional field is just as cluttered. Longtime incumbent Dan Burton, for example, already has at least three challengers, including a former U.S. Attorney.
Well, we don’t have that problem.
Our candidates know why they’re running, and they understand the values that make our party strong: putting people, not special interests and loud-mouthed activists, first.
While the Republicans bicker, we’re laying the groundwork to elect decisive, proven leaders who will put focus on working Hoosiers and make sure everyone in our state has a voice in the process.
I believe that Hoosiers will become discouraged by the GOP wrestling match. We live in difficult times, and we must make difficult decisions. That means we work together to come up with policy solutions that work for all Hoosiers.
The most important part of that process is you.
In the coming months, we’ll be putting together our 2012 party platform and working with our candidates to develop their policy plans.
I hope you’ll let us know what’s most important to you and what you most want us to focus on. You can send your thoughts to info@indems.org or mail them to us at 115 West Washington Street, Suite 1165, Indianapolis, IN 46204.
Thank you for being part of our great party – and helping move us toward a successful, unified 2012.
Democratically yours,
Daniel J. Parker, Chair
