Rep. Steve Buyer seems to be having problems with his usual modus operandi, as the Republican congressman's bi-annual refusal to debate in front of the 4th District is being met with some strong push-back from Democratic candidate Nels Ackerson. This story in the Bedford Times-Mail includes some great quotes from our great candidate.
"We have accepted every debate proposal, and I think there have been six of them," Ackerson said Wednesday morning. "My opponent has declined, not responded, or indicated he has time conflicts."
But Ackerson is confident Buyer will eventually accept an invitation to debate.
"I don't believe he wants the people of this district to think he's afraid to face me or afraid to face his record," he explained.
Ackerson was in Bedford Wednesday to appear on WBIW's "Talk of the Town." While he conceded the incumbent has the advantage of name recognition, he notes his campaign is building momentum.
"It's been fabulous," he said of his multiple visits to Lawrence County. "I'm having a good time, and now I'm seeing a lot of people for the second and third time. I think they appreciate the fact I've been around a lot."
It's another agonizingly slow news day, but luckily the afternoon doldrums are set to give way to remarks by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in Germany.
There are tens of thousands in the streets already, and the expected crowd is rumored to be near one million, but Obama himself was quick to downplay the media's hyping of the event.
Mr. Obama met for about an hour with Chancellor Merkel at the Federal Chancellery before holding an afternoon session with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Mr. Obama, who acknowledged on Thursday that he was lacking sleep from his weeklong trip, said he also hoped to take an afternoon break before delivering his evening speech.
Aides to the Obama campaign have suggested that the speech in Berlin was neither a campaign nor a political event. When a reporter asked the senator if he considered the address a campaign event, he said with a puzzled look: "As opposed to?"
"It's not a political rally," he added. "Hopefully, it will be viewed as a substantive, articulation of the relationship I'd like to see between the United States and Europe. I'm hoping to communicate across the Atlantic the value of that relationship and how we need to build on it."
Regardless of what it is or isn't, I certainly will be tuning in this afternoon. I recommend you do the same.
Yesterday saw Washington Post blogger extraordinaire Chris Cillizza post his "Case for Evan Bayh" as part of a series looking at the accepted leaders in the Democratic veepstakes. Love him or hate him, the argument is a strong one, and I think the Cillizzard's main point warrants repeating.
If you believe, as The Fix does, that Obama faces a stark choice between a fresh face and a elder statesman in his vice presidential pick, then the only candidate being seriously considered who could bridge that gap is Bayh.
Today brought the other side of the punditocracy's coin, with a "Case against Evan Bayh."
The argument is threefold: Bayh lacks support in the progressive netroots, he was a vocal Clinton supporter throughout the primary process and, surprisingly, he is "too safe."
Although certain bloggers do have a tendency to overstate their significance, I'm not one to diminish the power of the 'roots. That being said, I simply don't buy the idea that Bayh's centrist history would in any way keep the highly motivated progressive voting bloc away from the polls come November. Barack Obama is too strong a candidate, McCain is too reactionary, and at the end of the day, I believe any uproar would be limited to a flash in the pan, rather than anything more problematic. In my mind, the pros definitely outweigh the cons on this one.
Regarding Bayh's support of Hillary Clinton throughout the primary process, I don't think this should really be held against any Democrat. People picked their horse, the race was run, and at the end of the day, the Democratic Party emerged stronger than ever. But don't take my word for it, because Sen. Bayh himself put out the same message last week. It's compelling, if for no other reason than it's true.
Finally, I think the most entertaining section of the piece is the assessment of Bayh as "too safe" for Obama's ticket.
Bayh is widely seen as the safest pick Obama can make. He brings relatively little baggage (or potential baggage) to the ticket and is so on message that it's hard to see him making any big mistake while out campaigning in the fall.
But, the very safety that recommends Bayh to many Democrats is seen as a potential problem by others. The theory goes that Obama has generated so much excitement and interest from all sorts of people -- traditional Democratic constituencies and even those who have never been interested in politics before -- that picking a standard-issue Washington politician would drain some of the excitement and sense of "candidacy as movement" from Obama.
In other words: Evan Bayh's biggest negative is his lack of apparent negatives.
I'll give Chris an 'A' for effort, but if I were the Obama campaign, the last thing I would want in a running mate is someone who is creating stories on their own.
At the end of the day, after re-reading Cillizza's previous "Case for / Case against" pieces, I'm convinced that our friend over at the Post has convinced himself that, in the least, Evan Bayh stands a serious chance in the veepstakes. And, more importantly, he would be a legitimate asset to the ticket if selected.
Agree with me? Disagree completely? Let's hear it.
Am I the only one hearing a few whispers today that everyone's favorite Arctic YouTuber, GOP goofball Luke Puckett, may have some brewing, bubbling issues to deal with in his nonsensical congressional bid?
And no, I'm not talking about the Politico piece this morning that pointed out he owes a few thousand dollars in back property taxes. I honestly don't give two hoots about that.
There will be more on this in a bit. Until then, consider this an open thread. The floor is yours.
Something tells me that Hoosiers didn't need a study to confirm they are paying a lot at the pump, but the numbers are sobering.
Hoosier drivers spend nearly 6.5 percent of their income on gasoline and live in the seventh-most vulnerable state for rising gas prices, according to a study released Tuesday by the National Resources Defense Council.
Connecticut drivers spend the lowest percentage of their income on gasoline at 3.17 percent, which was about $1,700 for an average driver last year. Indiana's average driver spent about $2,170.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson has hit out on Governor Daniels' reluctance to suspend the sales tax on gasoline, a factor that may have contributed to Indiana moving from 12th to 7th on this year's list.
Indiana is one of only a handful of states that pay state sales taxes on gasoline. Lovaas said the major factors driving the ranking are the amount of driving that residents of a state do to meet daily needs; efficiency of the cars and trucks in the state; and the average income of the drivers.
Thanks to the reader who sent along pictures of this year's "Hoosier Cup" competition, and kudos to the "Bayh Partisans" for not only winning, but also helping to raise nearly $2,500 for the Julian Center.
After naming him the top contender in the Democratic veepstakes, the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza pens a piece on Sen. Evan Bayh this morning as part of his "Case for / Case against" series.
Regardless of how you feel about Bayh, the whole piece is definitely worth a read. I've perused every previous entry in the "Case for..." archive, and the argument for Bayh is certainly compelling. At the heart of the issue for me -- and for Cillizza -- is the unique political skill set that Indiana's own brings to the table. (emphasis mine)
If you believe, as The Fix does, that Obama faces a stark choice between a fresh face and a elder statesman in his vice presidential pick, then the only candidate being seriously considered who could bridge that gap is Bayh.
At 52 (he looks younger), Bayh would allow Obama to cast the choice between the tickets as generational in nature. McCain's age is certain to be an issue for voters in the fall election -- at 72 he would be the oldest person ever elected to a first term as president -- and many Democrats see this election shaping up as a re-run of the 1992 race when the underlying choice was between young and old. For many Democrats, an Obama-Bayh ticket would look a lot like that 1992 Clinton-Gore ticket -- a successful blueprint that led to eight years of Democratic control of the White House.
But, although Bayh is on the young side, he also has a deep and nuanced political resume that would seemingly allow Obama to fight back against the inexperience charge being lobbed at him. Bayh can speak authoritatively on a broad palette of issues ranging from tax cuts to American policy toward China -- the result of his years spent in both state and federal government.
Tomorrow brings the inevitable "Case against Evan Bayh," but I find it hard to believe that a case as strong as this one could be completely overshadowed by any of the negatives.
For those of you who like to keep tabs on movers and shakers in the state, word comes this afternoon on the latest moves and shakes of two familiar faces of the Democratic Party.
CSO Architects, Inc. today announced the election of James A. Schellinger, AIA, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer by its shareholders. Schellinger recently returned to CSO after spending 15 months as a candidate for Governor of Indiana.
"I am extremely proud to be entrusted by my colleagues with this important leadership role," Schellinger said. "As a firm, we are poised to grow and continue offering world class quality and service for our clients."
[...]
CSO also welcomes a new employee, Tim Jeffers of Indianapolis, who has joined the CSO Team as Director of Business Development and Community Affairs. Jeffers will work with Schellinger on business development, strategic planning and community affairs.
"I am very excited about the future of CSO and Tim's potential to help us grow and identify new challenges and opportunities," Schellinger said.
For those who have forgotten, Jeffers joined Schellinger's gubernatorial campaign relatively late in the game, but his leadership and hiring of key staffers (such as friend-of-the-site Jennifer Wagner) generated a lot of credit for the Army veteran in the postmortem reports.
The Star gives a full rundown, for those who might be interested.
With pundits and politicos calling him one of the top choices in the Democratic veepstakes, Evan Bayh took his soaring stock on the road, popping up all weekend with strong advocacy for Barack Obama. On the heels of their joint appearance last week, some are throwing the "audition" card around with great force this morning. Regardless of what it is or isn't, Bayh has proven himself to be a powerful surrogate over the last year or so.
I was out of commission yesterday, so I didn't have an opportunity to post this column by Sylvia A. Smith. Taking a look at the recently launched television spot by Barack Obama -- most notable for its inclusion of our own Richard Lugar -- Smith notes that although the bipartisan nature of the advertisement may be counterintuitive at first glance, a closer look reveals that Obama and Lugar share more in terms of policy than many might realize.
When Obama entered the Senate in 2005, he sought Lugar's advice about various foreign policy issues, including the Nunn-Lugar program. Lugar invited Obama to join him that summer on an annual trip to inspect former Soviet weapons sites.
No doubt the scariness of flimsy barbed wire being the only thing between weapons of mass destruction and terrorists was as deeply shocking to Obama as it would be to anyone who bothered to contemplate it.
But Obama is one of Lugar's few converts to the view that nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and materiel is far too easily obtained by, as Lugar would say, "bad actors" and that Americans really need to focus on that.
There was a muffled cry when the ad hit the airwaves, with more than a few conservatives questioning the honor of including a political acquaintance from across the aisle against his wishes. I've always been of the mind that these two are decent friends, but Smith offers up an equally compelling argument for the noted silence from Lugar's camp.
Yet because a charismatic presidential candidate decides to highlight loose nukes as part of his campaign, the issue may finally begin to resonate in this country.
Given that possibility, is there the remotest chance that this lifelong Republican would tell Obama's campaign to keep their mitts off his image? Ab-so-tootin'-lutely not.
It's a possibility that the Republicans simply refuse to acknowledge: Maybe, just maybe, Dick Lugar thinks that Barack Obama has the wherewithal to lead this country to safer times.
(Bumped from the user diaries. These are two of our best candidates this cycle, so be sure to keep an eye out in the coming weeks as we bring you some great ways to help them to victory in November. - promoted by Thomas)
John Barnes and Mary Ann Sullivan, the respective Democratic candidates for House Districts 89 and 97, today joined U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh in calling for increased Amtrak funding at the federal level to help protect workers who live and work in their districts.
Friend of the site Chris Cillizza updates his Veepstakes rankings, and Indiana's own takes his first week at the top.
1. Evan Bayh: The Indiana Senator sits atop of the Line this week because he represents the best combination of traits that Obama is looking for in a vice president. Bayh has rich experience both domestically and internationally, having served as two term governor in Indiana and now as a senator from the Hoosier State. But, picking Bayh also allows Obama to re-affirm the generational change argument; Bayh, at 52, would make the ticket look a lot like Clinton-Gore back in 1992. (Previous ranking: 2)
Cillizza also talked up Bayh's chances in an earlier chat on the Washington Post website.Update: A tip o' the hat to the 4President.us blog for pointing out this interesting little historical coincidence. Notice anything about this political poster?
Can we add the campaign slogan connection from Birch Bayh's 1976 presidential campaign to the list of positives working in favor of Evan Bayh?
Rep. Steve Buyer isn't really fond of the 4th District. He spends hardly any time at all there, rarely makes himself available to his constituents, and generally seems to have a distaste for the troublesome parts of being in Congress. (Namely, the 'Representative' part of his House.)
The Times' joint effort to sponsor a debate within Clinton County between U.S. Congressman Steve Buyer (R IN-4) and his Democratic challenger, Nels Ackerson, has one of the candidates ready to participate.
"I am in favor of multiple debates and I know the people are in favor of multiple debates," said Ackerson, during a break from touring the Clinton County and 4-H Fair on Thursday. "There are too many important issues to just allow people to send out press releases and tell their own story.
"That's important, but it's also important to be submitting to questions, and going back-and-forth with persons having differing views."
Buyer, however, has yet to commit to participating in a debate within Clinton County, an area solely represented in U.S. Congress by the eight-term incumbent.
Buyer has done this the last few cycles, but with Ackerson raising eyebrows with his competitive fundraising and campaign efforts, one wonders how long ol' Steve can afford to ignore his constituents.
The Times sent a letter to Buyer's Monticello office in June, requesting his participation in a debate.
After no answer, an e-mail was sent on Wednesday, and a phone call made on Thursday to Buyer's Communication Director, Anjulen Anderson.
"As the Congressman thinks the invitation for a debate is worthy of consideration, the Congressman has always discussed debates amongst the campaigns in the fall," Anderson wrote in an e-mail response to a Times' request to speak to Buyer about a possible debate.
How worthy of consideration? So worthy that Buyer's office then made the claim that he would be unavailable to appear in the district for the entire month of September.
Rep. Steve Buyer to the 4th District: I'll get to you when I get to you.
More bad news on the economic front, courtesy of our friends at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Indiana reported the nation's biggest unemployment rate gain in June, jumping 0.5 percentage points to 5.8 percent.
[...]
June marks the first time in several months Indiana's unemployment rate has exceeded the national rate, which remained unchanged at 5.5 percent. But Indiana's numbers are still better than Midwestern neighbors such as Michigan (8.5 percent), Ohio (6.6 percent), Kentucky (6.3 percent) and Illinois (6.8 percent).
While it's true that many other states in the region are suffering from high unemployment, none have approached the level of downturn that we have in the last few months. Indiana's unemployment rate has jumped a full 1% since April, and is up 1.3% from a year ago.
That may not seem like much at first glance, but when you realize that these figures translate into an additional 44,000 unemployed Hoosiers, it's quick to see why this jump would raise some red flags.
Except, you know, in the consultant-fueled version of Indiana that Mitch Daniels would have us live in. The one with economic hot streaks galore and a chicken in every pot.
Deanna Martin of the Associated Press this morning makes note of the surprisingly strong position that Indiana's Democratic congressional candidates find themselves in, especially compared to their Republican counterparts.
Freshman congressmen are often vulnerable to challengers since they do not have as much name recognition, experience or money as long-serving representatives. But Democratic Reps. Joe Donnelly and Brad Ellsworth are sitting on top of piles of cash this year, according to the latest campaign finance reports from the Federal Election Commission.
Incumbents nearly always hold a fundraising advantage over their challengers, but that's not the case in northeastern Indiana's 3rd District. Democrat Mark Montagano, a political newcomer, has more money on hand than Republican Mark Souder, who has been in Congress for more than a decade.
Brian Vargus, a political science professor at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, said things are looking up for Democrats these days nationally and in Indiana.
"All the signs right now point to the Democrats being in very good shape," Vargus said. "Money's going to follow them."
The Republican challengers in the 2nd District and 8th District have quickly proven to be mere placeholders. The big stories of the quarter were the horrid performance of the Bush-loving Mike Sodrel in the 9th District and the outperformance of Democratic challenger Mike Montagano against Mark Souder in the 3rd. With the RNCC having trouble keeping the lights on, it's not likely these guys will see much in the way of national help.
News from the front, courtesy of our friends at the recently formed "Indiana for Change" campaign effort.
Indiana for Change will open local offices in New Albany, Merrillville, Lafayette, Indianapolis, Hammond and Gary this Saturday, July 19th, significantly expanding outreach and organizing efforts on behalf of Barack Obama and other Democratic candidates across the Hoosier State.
This will bring the total number of offices across the state to 12. Local offices will have regular office hours and serve as the hub in the community for a variety of campaign activities and the central organizing point for grassroots outreach in the area. They will also be a place where Hoosiers who are committed to change can get engaged in volunteer opportunities, as well as where voters can learn more about Senator Obama's agenda for change.
For those of you keeping score at home, that's twelve offices for the forces of good, one telephone for the forces of yesteryear.
You can find additional logistical information on the events below the fold.
Remember RV 1? It was the vehicle donated by the Monaco Coach Corporation to a recently-elected Mitch Daniels, and it quickly became go the Guv's preferred form of public transportation.
There was even a biographical page on the state website dedicated to RV 1, which was described as "a great example of Hoosiers coming together to help the state." The multi-wheeled symbol of the feel-good rhetoric of recovery that Daniels and his lackeys have been peddling for the last three years.
Monaco Coach Corp., which makes motor homes and travel trailers, today said it will close operations in three Indiana towns, cutting 1,400 jobs.
Monaco cites declining sales.
It will relocate operations currently performed in Wakarusa, Elkhart and Nappanee as of Sept. 17.
Another 1,400 feeling the burn of Mitch's economic hot streak.
For the record, 2008 has seen the number of mass layoffs reported in Indiana increase every single month. Today's announcement doesn't exactly raise hope that things will be any different for the last six months of the year.
As I said yesterday, the big surprise to come out of the second quarter campaign finance reports -- other than Mike Sodrel's growing irrelevancy in the 9th District -- was Democratic challenger Mike Montagano in the Fightin' Third District. He outraised incumbent Mark Souder, turning heads far beyond the borders of the Hoosier state.
Sylvia A. Smith of the Journal Gazettechimes in this morning on the subject.
As the election season cranks up, Montagano's campaign has $28,000 more on hand than Souder, making him one of the few candidates in the country with a healthier campaign bank account than the incumbent.
[...]
Souder, 57, won re-election in 2006 with 54 percent of the vote, which is considered in political circles evidence that the incumbent is not on solid political footing. He has said he ramped up his fundraising effort earlier during this two-year cycle.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democratic House members, recently added Montagano to its list of up-and-comers. He and 19 other candidates trying to unseat a GOP opponent are on the committee's third tier of candidates, behind Democrats in seats where no incumbent is running and Democrats the committee thinks have a good chance of beating a Republican officeholder.
This is one of the most solidly Republican districts in the country, and Mark Souder can't raise a dime to save his life. Montagano, on the other hand, is turning an otherwise lost cause into a must-watch race.
With national observers such as Charlie Cook moving this district into ever more competitive territory, it's becoming increasingly lear that this seat is definitely in play.
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Cillizza also talked up Bayh's chances in an earlier chat on the Washington Post website.Update: A tip o' the hat to the 
