News
News - 09/15/2010 - Glenn Beck visit ignites state treasurer race (Northwest Indiana Times)
The Democratic challenger to State Treasurer Richard Mourdock is questioning the propriety of Mourdock's scheduled appearance Saturday at an event featuring talk show host Glenn Beck. Pete Buttigieg says Mourdock should cancel his campaign speech to "We the People, the Michiana 9/12 Project" due to Beck's advertisements on behalf of Goldline, a precious metals and gold coin dealer. Beck critics, including U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., have accused the talk show host of excessively fear-mongering on his radio and television programs to get listeners and viewers to buy more gold.
News - 09/14/2010 - Furthermore …What Stutzman just doesn’t get (Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette)
A state legislator for seven years, state Sen. Marlin Stutzman should know better. Yet his campaign is not only clueless about its mistake, it takes umbrage to anyone who would dare criticize its actions. Here’s what’s wrong with sending an e-mail to public school teachers asking them to recruit students to work for Stutzman’s campaign, and broadly hinting the teachers offer the students extra credit: No. 1, by e-mailing teachers on the schools’ e-mail servers, he is using government resources to promote a political campaign. That is not only wrong, it is, in many circumstances, illegal. Had Stutzman sent the e-mail on his state Senate account, he could be in trouble.
News - 09/14/2010 - An issue worth debating (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)
In most election years, the constitutional offices of state auditor, treasurer and secretary of state present voters with the challenge of choosing administrators better suited for appointment than election. This year, however, Indiana voters have a bona fide issue in the state treasurer’s race: Did incumbent Richard Mourdock act responsibly in investing public dollars in Chrysler debt and then in challenging the automaker’s bankruptcy settlement?
News - 09/10/2010 - Joe Donnelly helps city of Kokomo receive $75K grant to promote small business (Kokomo Perspective)
For the second year in a row, the city of Kokomo has received the USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG Grant). This grant is designed to provide an incentive for business expansion and job-retention and -creation, as well as private investment in rural areas of Indiana. On Aug. 27, Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-2nd, presented mayor Greg Goodnight the $75,000 grant at City Hall.
News - 09/09/2010 - State Treasurer Race Heats Up
Pete Buttigieg, the Democrat nominee for state treasurer, today charged Republican incumbent Richard Mourdock with recklessly wasting taxpayer dollars by first investing state funds in junk bonds and then pursuing a costly, and ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit. Buttigieg, in a Statehouse news conference, released state billing records he had obtained that show the state, under Mourdock, spent more than $2 million on the New York law firm Mourdock hired to pursue a lawsuit trying to stop the bankruptcy settlement of Chrysler Corp.
News - 09/09/2010 - Ellsworth: Coats backed amnesty for illegals (Indy Star)
U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth, the Democratic nominee for Senate, today charged his Republican opponent with having supported amnesty for illegal immigrants when he was in Congress in the 1980s. Ellsworth said it is another example of former U.S. Sen. Dan Coats, the GOP nominee for Senate, of acting one way in Washington and talking a different way now that he’s a candidate in Indiana. Coats’ website states he will “work hard to fight against amnesty,” and today could not be immediately reached for comment.
News - 09/09/2010 - Ellsworth: Coats lobbying was “unpatriotic” (WISH TV)
Democrat Brad Ellsworth has failed to gain traction by repeatedly questioning the lobbying background of Republican Dan Coats. Now, he has gone a step farther and says that the lobbying was "unpatriotic." Rep. Ellsworth went to a union hall to make the case that, when Dan Coats was a lobbyist, people in his law firm worked against a bill called the Buy American Act. "I think it's unpatriotic," he said, "and I think that draws the line between what's right for the American people and American jobs and who's lining the pockets."
News - 09/08/2010 - Ellsworth: Coats lobbied against U.S. jobs (Indy Star)
U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth, the Democratic nominee for Senate, took another swipe at his Republican opponent today, saying it is “hypocritical” to back job creation now while having worked for a firm that lobbied against a provision to keep jobs in the U.S. Ellsworth, at an Indianapolis news conference, defended his vote for the federal stimulus package, a vote that has come under attack by former Sen. Dan Coats, the GOP nominee for Senate.
Press Release - 09/08/2010 - Questions Raised About Todd Young’s Resume
Jeffersonville - Today, the Indiana Democratic Party released the results of an examination of Orange County court files, showing that Todd Young has not been paid as a Deputy Prosecutor in nearly three years and that court documents show that Young has appeared in court on only three occasions over the last three years. Despite these facts, Young claims to be a Deputy Prosecutor both on his website, in interviews, campaign literature and in his advertisements.
News - 09/08/2010 - Ellsworth wants his deeds to do the talking (Indy Star)
Unlike most who enter politics, Brad Ellsworth didn't get his first taste studying political science in college, working on a campaign or idolizing presidential heroes. He wanted a bulletproof vest. As a young deputy on the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Department during the mid-1980s, Ellsworth watched as a debate unfolded on the County Council between Democrats who wanted to spend $40,000 to equip officers with vests and Republicans who opposed the idea. "When I got on the department, I had that swear-off-politics attitude," Ellsworth said. "But these councilmen were willing to protect us, and that's how I got involved, supporting them." Since that baptism as a Democrat, Ellsworth has risen quickly through the political ranks. In 1998, he won his first of two terms as Vanderburgh County sheriff before successfully running for Congress in 2006.
Press Release - 09/03/2010 - Dan Coats Refuses to Disclose Tax Returns
Today Indiana Democratic Party Chair Dan Parker called on lobbyist Dan Coats to release his state and federal tax returns to show Hoosiers where his loyalties lie – with Hoosiers or his special interest clients. Parker’s call for Coats to release his returns comes on the heels of Brad Ellsworth’s disclosure of the last four years of tax returns earlier this week. "Ever since Dan Coats decided to run for the Senate, he's been running away from his past; trying to cover up his work as a lobbyist and distract Hoosiers from what he's been doing in Washington for the last decade."
News - 08/30/2010 - Daniels takes new hit on aid (Courier&Press)
INDIANAPOLIS — There was never any doubt Gov. Mitch Daniels would ensure Indiana got its share of the latest round of federal dollars intended to help states pay for Medicaid. The Republican has said he believes the $26 billion in state aid Congress passed this month is unwise, but has also maintained if the federal government is making that money available, he will not allow Indiana to become a donor state by refusing it. But his decision to request the money formally Friday did not stop a barrage of Democratic criticism. Tim Kaine, the Democratic National Committee chairman and former Virginia governor, was in town over the weekend for the Indiana Democratic Editorial Association conference in French Lick, Ind. He took several shots at Daniels.
News - 08/25/2010 - State treasurer candidate talks jobs (Herald Argus)
Something Pete Buttigieg learned at Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar that has stuck with him is the tendency of unemployment to “get locked in if you let it get too high,” he said. Buttigieg, pronounced (Boota-judge), who is running for Indiana state treasurer as a Democrat, said the good news is “you can make a difference.” Buttigieg met early Monday with members of the Building and Construction Trades Council in La Porte. “Those guys are held accountable for how many of their guys are working,” Buttigieg said. Buttigieg said Hoosiers all over the state are concerned with job creation more than any other issue.
News - 08/24/2010 - Donnelly distances self from Dems (South Bend Tribune)
South Bend - U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly has drawn national attention in recent weeks for his efforts to distance himself from Democratic Party leaders. Reporters, bloggers and commentators have picked up on Donnelly's two televised campaign advertisements in which he says he doesn't work for "the Washington crowd," referring to fellow party members President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and calls cap-and-trade legislation "Nancy Pelosi's energy tax on Hoosier families."
Press Release - 08/24/2010 - The Indiana Democratic Party launches new website, therealtoddyoung.com
Indianapolis - The Indiana Democratic Party launched a new website today, therealtoddyoung.com. The new website reveals the truths behind the radical Republican candidate Todd Young and further illustrates just how out of touch Young is with traditional Hoosier values. Party Chairman Dan Parker said the site was created after Young's continued failure to tell voters where he stands on the issues. "Todd Young has spent his summer avoiding the issues," Parker said. "Instead of telling people where he stands, Young has tried to distract the voters with scare tactics and Washington talking points. He has had two months to tell the voters where he stands on Social Security and still won't pledge to protect it from privatization. If he won't tell the voters where he stands, we will."
News - 08/11/2010 - Daniels Flip-Flops on Stimulus Money (IndyStar)
Gov. Mitch Daniels says he is opposed to more federal stimulus money for Indiana, but six months ago he asked for just that. On a national television show Sunday, Daniels denounced a new $26 billion stimulus bill shortly after the program's host introduced him as a "prime contender" for president. But in February, Daniels signed onto a letter seeking additional stimulus funds to run the state's Medicaid program, which is the bulk of the money in the new stimulus bill Congress is expected to pass today. The contrast in those two positions has ignited a political firestorm from Democrats, who argue Daniels is more interested in his national appearance and potential bid for president than taking care of Hoosiers.
News - 07/28/2010 - 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.
Press Release - 07/21/2010 - IDP Chair Dan Parker’s Statement On President Obama’s Signing of Wall Street Reform
INDIANAPOLIS -Today, President Obama held a signing ceremony for the recently-passed Wall Street reform legislation. Following that ceremony, Indiana Democratic Party Chair Dan Parker issued the following statement: "Wall Street reform is a tremendous victory for every Hoosier who has ever struggled with the fine print on a mortgage or credit card offer and every Hoosier whose retirement savings were impacted by the financial crisis. It is a victory for every taxpayer and every honest business. "Wall Street reform will end abusive lending practices, bring Wall Street's financial dealings into the light and under regulation, guarantee that American taxpayers are never again left holding the bag for big banks' risky trades, and secure the foundation for stable economic growth. These are critical common-sense reforms, but nonetheless, the vast majority of Republicans in Congress voted against them. Now, Republicans are calling for the repeal of this vital legislation. "Republicans have made it clear - they're going to stand up for big banks and other powerful special interests no matter the cost to middle-class Americans. If they have the opportunity, they'll repeal all the progress enacted by President Obama and return to the failed policies of the Bush era - the same policies that led to the financial crisis and recession in the first place. "That's why, this year, it is so important that people here in Indiana and all across America support strong Democratic candidates who will stand with the President to overcome Republican obstructionism and continue to move America forward."
Press Release - 07/19/2010 - Carson Urges Senate Action On Unemployment Benefits, Job Creation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an effort to spur action by Senate Republicans, Congressman André Carson today posted on his website a counter showing the running tally of unemployed Americans losing their benefits. He called for Republicans in the Senate to stop blocking important pieces of legislation that would extend unemployment benefits and create jobs for Americans. “Thousands of Hoosiers have lost their economic lifeline because of partisan posturing,” said Congressman Carson. “While Republicans continue to call for hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, those in dire need are being pushed to the side. This delay is hurting families as well as our economy. The Congressional Budget Office has found extending these benefits to be one of the most cost-effective and fast-acting ways to stimulate the economy.” The nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute (EPI) recently released a report on the economic benefits of unemployment insurance. The report concluded that expanded unemployment benefits have added 1.15 million American jobs since 2007, promoted spending resulting in longer work-hours for the employed and resulted in a 1.7 percent boost in GDP.
News - 07/12/2010 - 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.
