So apparently the Indiana Democratic Party is waving the white flag of defeat before it even tries. They aren’t going to put ANYONE up against Lugar for his Senate seat.
That isn’t how the Republicans gained a majority in this country. They did it by putting someone on the ballot almost anyplace they could - especially in a year when the American people are as dissatisfied with the incumbents like they are now.
And you never know what will happen. You never know if some crazy skeleton will come out of the closet of an incumbent you think is rock solid. As I like to say, you never know when you’ll catch them snorting coke off a stripper’s ass.
But no, Instead the Indiana Democratic Party decides it’s better to run no one. It’s better prop up a few statewide candidates but not really put the resources into them.
Thanks for the hard work guys. We’re sure to turn this state around now! :\
/disengage cynical pessimism
Update: Apparently someone needs to tell the Indiana Democratic Party that The Onion is fake.
Remember Drinking Liberally is tonight! Hope to see you all there.
# 7:00-10:00 pm
# Spencer’s Stadium Tavern, 802 S West St
# map: http://tinyurl.com/ann6t
Anyone know any free tools (preferrably scriptable) that can combine multiple jpg files into a movie file of some sort? I have an idea….
I’m hankerin’ for a redesign. It hit me suddenly. I’ve been using the current design for awhile and I just feel the need for a change. That, and I want to redesign my theme to support WordPress Widgets. No idea what I want the theme to look like. I should probably go simple and clean, but I never seem to be able to do that. 
If you’re so motivated, a few things this week you can go to.
- Tonight is the June General Membership Meeting of the Indiana Democratic Club. The speaker will be Dr. Chris Stack of Healthcare-Now talkign abotu healthcare reform and single-payer healthcare.
7:30pm
Julia Carson Government Center in Indianapolis
300 E. Fall Creek Parkway
2nd Floor
- Tomorrow: Wednesday, 6/28
A fundraiser for Indiana State Rep District 89 candidate John Barnes.
(diclosure: my and a few friends did web development for the Barnes campaign)
Spencer’s Stadium Tavern
802 S West St, Indianapolis (SW corner of West & McCarty streets)
4:30pm-6:30pm
Donations: $35, $50, $100
- And of course every Thursday is Drinking Liberally: Indianapolis
Thursday, 6/29
7pm-whenever
Spencer’s Stadium Tavern
802 S West St, Indianapolis (SW corner of West & McCarty streets)
Look for the tall redhead with glasses, a beer and a pint.
I’ll be at, at least, #1 and #3. I’m going to try and make the fundraiser as well depending on how the Day Job goes tomorrow.
There’s way way way more to this excellent article on the costs (and opportunity costs) of the war in Iraq. But one thought came to mind full formed within two paragraphs:
Dear Governor Mitch Daniels,
When you said (as White House Budget Director) that the $100 to $200 billion cost estimate for the war (made in September 2002) was “very, very high” were you outright lieing to us, or just incompetent?
Read the rest of the story to find out more about a war that could end up costing us over one and a quarter trillion dollars. But Hoosiers really have to wonder about Daniels’ competence with money (and/or his honesty) when considering this with his comments from 2002.
Link via CJ in IM.
Indy landmark deli Shapiro’s to be displaced by Centex for more downtown residential development? Could be.
A national home builder is negotiating to purchase an entire downtown block for a retailand-residential development—a project that could temporarily displace the landmark Shapiro’s Deli.
Dallas-based Centex Corp. says the block southeast of the planned Lucas Oil Stadium is among several downtown-area locations it is reviewing for its first local foray into urban residential development.
Brian Shapiro, owner of Shapiro’s Deli, 808 S. Meridian St., said he has not reached a final agreement to sell his property. But he hinted that a new Shapiro’s would be part of the Centex project if he did.
“Under whatever scenario, Shapiro’s will be here. Whatever happens down here, that is a true statement,” Shapiro said. He referred questions to his attorney, who did not return calls.
Just what downtown needs, MORE overpriced condos. And on top of that, more overpriced condos displacing local businesses (see: The Abbey’s old location now topped with an oversized condo building that doesn’t really fit in to the architecture.)
Sure, Shaprio’s will be there in some form - but I have a feeling that a shiny new Shaprio’s in some shiny condo complex will lose some of the charm and flavor of its current space. Development is great for Indy, but we also need to preserve some of the roots of Indy and its small businesses and the buildings they inhabit at the same time.
Thanks to Nicole for the link and the inspiration for the title.
I’m really loving some of the stories they do on ESPN’s E-Ticket. Like this one about the new sport of Chessboxing.
One of the great mysteries of our time - what did he say? (YouTube video)
I just had to pass this on (a week late). Now, this is third hand information so take it for what you will. But it has a ring of truth and seems right given the way the Democratic Party operates in this state.
Someone I know in one of the political entities I am involved in passed on an anecdote about State Democratic Party Chair Dan Parker
“He said ‘I’m just here for my boss.’”
His boss meaning his former boss, Senator Evan Bayh.
This seems right, given how it took us until the week of the state convention to find candidates for State Auditor, Secretary of State and Treasurer and we still don’t have a candidate to take on Lugar for the other Senate seat. And now that we have candidates for statewide office, is the state party going to invest significant money in them to get them elected?
Survey says….. NO! Talking with someone else who is working closely with the Pearson campaign (Joe Pearson is running for Secretary of State), it sounds like the party is going to put very little money into that race.
Makes you wonder if Dan Parker is just saving up money to dump into Bayh’s Presidential campaign coffers at the expense of the State of Indiana***. Maybe I’m just being overly cynical, though. I’d love to be proven wrong. Here’s hoping I am….
*** Update: Thanks to Stan in the comments for clearing up my boneheaded mistake here. I don’t mean to insuate he would violate any federal campaign law. I assumed a state party could make donations to a presidential campaign at least when it reaches the ‘official’ stage. SOrry for that. BUT… could the state party use money for other support for a Bayh for President campaign even if it can’t give directly to the campaign? Is there anything a State Party can do for a Presidential campaign money-wise? I don’t know the answer to this, so if anyone out there knows I’d LOVE to be enlightened.