Polis Politics

Switched at Birth: Congressional Caucus Edition (Part 2)

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Former Steve Goldsmith aide Tom Rose and SNL's The Coneheads:

Switched at Birth: Congressional Caucus Edition (Part 1)

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Marion County Treasurer Mike Rodman and WTTV horror host Sammy Terry.

Who own's Andre Carson's Website?

We are now back in campaign season, as Democrats have nominated City-County Councillor Andre Carson and Republicans have nominated State Representative Jon Elrod for the 7th Congressional District Special Election in March. Both candidates have their websites up and running, www.jonelrod.com and www.andrecarsonforcongress.com.

Carson's website is pretty boilerplate for a first time congressional candidate and is "Paid for and authorized by the André Carson for Congress Committee. Erin Rosenberg, Treasurer." However, a look at the WHOIS database (the public records arm of who owns and runs Internet domains) is less clear. The domain names "andrecarsonforcongress.com" and "andrecarsonforcongress.org" are registered by Domains by Proxy, Inc., the registrant shield affiliated with GoDaddy. What does that mean? It means 1) we don't know for sure who owns the domains, and 2) who ever does own it, they paid extra money to prevent the public from finding out who owns it.

To the contrary, "andrecarson.com," which redirects to the Carson campaign site, is registered by Wilson Allen, former Julia Carson aide and frequent blog personality. Elrod's site is registered by D3 DataSoultions, an Indianapolis web hosting firm (as you may know, when you pay for someone to run your website, they often buy the domain for you).

Why did those behind Carson's website pay to hide who owns it? What do Andre Carson and his supporters have to hide?

Dem Anti-Ballard site goes dead

Accidental Mayor, a whiny anti-Greg Ballard website ostensibly run by state Democrat officials, is now offline. Is this a permanent white flag or "technical difficulties"?

Joanne Sanders still wants your vote...in 2003!

The Democrat field of nine for the 7th Congressional District Caucus this Saturday is set, and it does include Joanne Sanders, the new Minority Leader of the City-County Council. Sanders does have a website, www.joannesanders.org, from which she has ran her Council campaigns. The site now "under construction," which is good  because as you may notice, the website asks for your vote on November 4th, 2003. Perhaps if she updates her site, Sanders may have a better showing in the Congressional caucus and primary than her 2007 election, where she only kept her countywide office by a mere 1500 votes over a GOP candidate with no money or advertising.

A good laugh at the expense of Dennis Kucinich

Abandoned Housing in National Spotlight

Fixing up abandoned homes is a priority of the Ballard Administration, but the issue is not unique to Indianapolis. MSNBC and BusinessWeek have this report on Abandoned Housing is being dealt with elsewhere in the region, this piece featuring efforts in Buffalo, New York.

Rules haven't stopped him before

Hat tip to Advance Indiana on its scoop that (in a few hours) former City-County Council President Monroe Gray is interested in running in the Democrat Primary to succeed State Representative David Orentlicher in the 86th District. As AI alludes to in the update, Gray does not live in the 86th. His Washington Township address listed on his official Council biography is in State Rep. Vanessa Summers' District (99). But we all know Gray has finagled around rules before, and his track record (see here or below) will certainly attract primary opponents.

Thoughts on the Iowa Caucuses

Here's what we think in the aftermaths of tonight's Iowa caucuses:

• Coming into tonight, our educated guess from what we have been hearing was that we would see victories by Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton. Instead, we saw victories by Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama.
• Huckabee and Romney were polling neck and neck in the pre-caucus scientific polls. Huckabee's victory can be attributed to the fact that the GOP caucus goers did not match the general population. Religious Right/Evangelicals composed 50% more of the GOP caucus-goers than they did in 2000, and they broke heavily for Huckabee.
• While those figures (60% of voters being Evangelicals) will most certainly not duplicate in other states, the key for the rest of his campaign is how he spins this victory. Iowa has had a history of elevating religious conservatives (Pat Robertson finished second there in 1988). Can he make the story of something other than being the man who shares Iowa values?
• During Obama's victory speech, which issue got the most applause from Dems: expanding health care, integrity in government, energy independence, fighting terrorism, or ending the Iraq War? That's right: troop withdrawal in Iraq.
• Obama's victory can be attributed to a reversal of caucus philosophy by Iowa Democrats. In 2004, Democrats wanted the candidate that could win the most. This year, that quality was least important.
• Democrat turnout  and the large number of Evangelicals should tip off Republicans that Dems are energized and moderates may again stay home against the GOP. A lot of work to do for the Republican nominee.
• Best insight: Fox News' Juan Williams noted the historic notes to Obama's win, but was also surprised at how much the liberal constituencies have embraced and supported Obama. We have always contended that Obama's greatest weakness was his liberal record and stances as a State Senator from Chicago. Williams expressed legitimate concerns that Obama being a liberal candidate will be a liability for him in the general election.
• Best cameo: Chuck Norris on stage with Mike Huckabee.

Iowa, Schmiowa

John Fund of the Wall Street Journal has this tidbit on its subscription service (link unavailable):

"After a year of campaigning, some 250,000 Iowans (about a tenth of the state's eligible voters) are expected to cast ballots in tonight's caucuses. That's a small fraction of the vote in next week's New Hampshire primary, in large part because Iowa's caucuses are at a fixed time at night, don't allow for absentee ballots and -- in the case of the Democratic meetings -- force voters to declare their preferences publicly without benefit of a secret ballot.

"Yet somehow this bizarre system has been enshrined by the national news media as the first word on who should be president. The Iowa caucuses were meaningless until Jimmy Carter pulled off a surprise victory in 1976, and ever since candidates have been fearful of avoiding them.

"This year, with a couple of exceptions such as Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, candidates went beyond participation and virtually wallowed in them. The best estimates are that some $50 million will be spent by all the hopefuls on the Iowa caucuses this year, including $30 million in TV ads and salaries and expenses for at least 700 paid staffers.

"That amounts to an eye-opening $200 spent for every voter who walks into a caucus. Of course, the winners in each contest will consider their money well spent. So too will the people of Iowa who will have gotten a healthy injection of cash into their economy, an inordinate amount of attention to their political opinions and pledges of undying devotion to their state's taxpayer-subsidized ethanol industry.

"It's clear that the caucuses have been good for Iowa. I'm just not sure what benefit they have for the rest of the country."

Nonetheless, we will give you our post-mortem analysis tomorrow.