Polis Politics

Polis Politics Post-Mortem on the GOP AG Nomination

Monday, nearly 2000 Hoosier Republicans gathered here in Indianapolis, and a fair majority chose Deputy Attorney General Greg Zoeller as the nominee for Attorney General. Congrats to him.

Hoosier Access and the Hoosierpundit, both of whom backed Mr. Zoeller, have a mostly objective analysis of how the votes fell.

Why did they fall the way they did? Two main factors: familiarity and delivering votes (making an endorsement mean something).

Familiarity
Roaming the Convention Center Monday, we heard pretty much the same complaint about both Jon Costas and Greg Zoeller: they were both too much of establishment candidates. Mr. Zoeller was considered a bureaucrat while Mr. Costas was pushed by the Governor. Greg Zoeller was the more known entity, having been on the 2007 Lincoln Day circuit and a recognizable member of the Quayle regime, Mr. Costas was the newcomer in this race, and his late start in campaigning certainly did not help. Mr. Zoeller had participated in a Convention race for AG before; Mr. Costas had not. With all things being equal, more delegates were more comfortable backing someone they knew in Mr. Zoeller than a new entity backed by the Governor.

Delivering Votes
The most maligned person in this entire AG race was Marion County GOP Chairman Tom John. Funny thing is, talking to a variety of folks in Marion County Monday, it seems clear that the strong-arming charges that were made daily against the folks in Marion County were trumped up to say the least. The majority of elected delegates in Marion County went for Zoeller, and none we have heard were ever threatened as elected delegates to vote a certain way. The County's appointed delegates were selected to back their endorsed candidate, Mr. Costas. Some called that "strong-arming"; we call it making your endorsement mean something. And no one is obviously going to threaten someone they already know is going to vote with them.

It seems, though, very few Indiana political entities, whether counties, cities, or congressional districts who endorsed Mr. Costas delivered their votes. Whether it was that they were lukewarm to Mr. Costas or afraid to be unfairly dragged through the mud of the blogosphere like Mr. John, many of these people who endorsed Mr. Costas gave their delegates speeches akin to, "I like this guy, but vote how you want." At the end of they day they will be well liked by those who disagreed with them, but it didn't help Mr. Costas get the votes from the places that endorsed him.

Summary
The morning of the convention, both Greg Zoeller and Jon Costas felt they had the delegates to win, and if they voted they way they were told, they would win. Mr. Zoeller obviously had the better handle on his numbers. He should be commended on his winning race, and now is the healing process will begin. Regardless of who won, there were those unhappy with how both candidates entered this race, how their campaigns were ran, and the "trail of tears" left behind.

Congrats to Greg Zoeller. Let all of us Hoosier Republicans work for a GOP Victory this November.

Dems take glee in GOP infighting on AG race

To our fellow bloggers: Now you've done it! You've gone and given comfort to the enemy! From Thomas Cook at Blue Indiana:

We're just a few days away from the Republican state convention, an event that has in recent weeks transformed itself from an opportunity for some free, feel-good press for the Governor into a snarling ball of discontent. With a floor fight looming over the nomination of their candidate for attorney general, it is worth noting that the presumptive nominee on our side of the fence is spending her time raising cash and solidifying an already impressive base of support...

The GOP, meanwhile, is busy signing loyalty oaths and the whatnot, a sign that the My Man Mitch machine may not be as powerful as they would like us to believe.

The "whatnot" that Mr. Cook refers to are the many unverified and unsourced rumors posted on blogs by bloggers working on behalf of one GOP candidate over the other GOP candidate.

We firmly believe in President Ronald Reagan's 11th commandment: Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican. Many of our fellow bloggers do not agree.

We may have commentary on that a future time, granted that their candidate is not the nominee. In any case, it is our sincere hope that any GOP blogger whose pony does not win this AG's race works as hard for every member of the GOP ticket this November with the same zeal as they besmirched fellow Republicans this May.

Brits: Gun Control does not stop violent crime

Sometimes the best arguments against liberal Democrat policies like Barack Obama's come from liberals themselves, especially the liberal Europeans who implemented those policies and watched them fail. From the London Guardian's Mark Lawson:

It seems increasingly clear that what we have avoided with fire-arms is now being delivered through another weapon and, terrifyingly, one which is tougher to control. There have been 100 stabbings in London in the first five months of this year - including, in the past six days, the Oxford Street murder of Steven Bigby, 22, and the baker's shop killing of 16-year-old Jimmy Mizen, who now joins Stephen Lawrence and Damilola Taylor among the symbolic martyrs of a despairing era of street-life. Our biggest mistake was to assume guns are the greatest threat to life. Knives are easier to find - they are present in every kitchen - and simpler to use. It is impossible to improvise a gun from stuff found in the gutter or on a supermarket shelf, but a bottle can become a dagger with one smash. Gun control is difficult; knife control is all but impossible.

Read more here.

"Meet Jon Costas"

According to Frugal Hoosiers, this is the first in a series:

From the Source: Indianapolis wins 2012 Super Bowl (Bid)

From Mayor Ballard's Press Release:

INDIANAPOLIS - (May 20, 2008) NFL team owners voted today to award the bid for the 2012 Super Bowl to the City of Indianapolis. 

Today, a five member delegation representing Indianapolis was given a 15 minute opportunity to present the city's bid to NFL team owners.

Following the presentations by Indianapolis, Phoenix, Ariz. and Houston, Tex., team owners met to cast their votes for the winning city.

"This is great news for not only Indianapolis, but for the whole State of Indiana. The decision made by the NFL owners shows their recognition of the hard work of our team and the strength of our community," said Mayor Greg Ballard. "This was truly a community bid. It began with a process of involving anyone interested in being a part of it, and ended with our 8th grade ambassadors flying all over the country to hand-deliver our final bid package."

Studies of past Super Bowl host cities show that Indianapolis can expect 100,000 visitors over the course of one week and over an estimated $120 million direct spend into the local economy.

"We are once again eager to share with the world our incomparable package of convenience and outstanding facilities," said Bob Bedell, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association.

"This decision today stands as a testament to our deliberately designed downtown, which has become the ideal destination for this and many other major events.  I know our thousands of hospitality service providers and community volunteers will once again deliver with excellence." 

Tamara Zahn, President of Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. agreed.

"We are thrilled!  This is a sensational score for Downtown Indianapolis," Zahn said.  "Now it is up to all of us to exceed NFL expectations and deliver what we know Indianapolis can do!"

About Indy's 2012 Bid

Super Bowl Village

A T-shaped pedestrian friendly area stretching from Monument Circle to Georgia Street on Meridian

Will connect the Indiana Convention Center to Conseco Fieldhouse

Will include live entertainment, warm zones, team units and other local flavors

Will connect to a football theme park, part of the NFL Experience at the Indiana Convention Center

Tech High School Athletic Facility

A privately financed $9 million athletic facility located on the campus of Tech High School on the city's near eastside

Used as a training/practice facility for one of the competing teams

Following Super Bowl 2012, the facility will be turned over to the school district for student use

Lucas Oil Stadium

Since the city's bid for the 2011 Super Bowl, Lucas Oil Stadium has made one year of construction progress

The three-deck, seven-level multi-use building with a retractable roof will seat 74,595 fans for the 2012 Super Bowl

Experience

Indianapolis is well versed in hosting large events and the dedication of our volunteers is unwavering

Convenient downtown facilities including the Indiana Convention Center, hotels, and restaurants and shops, etc.

Successfully partnered with the NFL in September 2007 to host the Kick-off Concert on Monument circle for the Colts opener (this will be a similar event to the Saturday night concert staged for up to 100,000 prior to Super Bowl 2012)

Switched at Birth: GOP AG Race Edition

Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas and Baseball Hall of Famer/former Chicago White Sox Shortstop Luke Appling:

Bonus: AG assistant Greg Zoeller and the late actor Bruno Kirby:

    

On a side note, does Mr. Zoeller have any photos that aren't at least 16 years old?!

Jill Long Thompson: If at First You Don't Succeed, Give Up!

From WISH-TV's Jim Shella:

Jill Long Thompson’s search for a running mate is an in-house operation.  The campaign originally reached out to Tom New, former Frank O’Bannon chief of staff, to see if he would head up a search committee.  New declined.

That led the campaign to take up the task on its own.  Campaign manager Travis Lowe and Communications director Jeff Harris will do the legwork.   Harris says New will be a consultant.

We read somewhere that a record number of people voted fro Democrats statewide in the recent primary, and these bozos couldn't even find one of them to head up a search committee for the potentially second-highest ranking Democrat in the state? Or even think of more than one name?

Pathetic, Jill. Simply pathetic.

Jill Long Thompson: If at First You Don't Succeed, Give Up!

From WISH-TV's Jim Shella:

Jill Long Thompson’s search for a running mate is an in-house operation.  The campaign originally reached out to Tom New, former Frank O’Bannon chief of staff, to see if he would head up a search committee.  New declined.

That led the campaign to take up the task on its own.  Campaign manager Travis Lowe and Communications director Jeff Harris will do the legwork.   Harris says New will be a consultant.

We read somewhere that a record number of people voted fro Democrats statewide in the recent primary, and these bozos couldn't even find one of them to head up a search committee for the potentially second-highest ranking Democrat in the state? Or even think of more than one name?

Pathetic, Jill. Simply pathetic.

The Angry Left come to Indiana

James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal refers to portions of the Democratic Party as the "Angry Left." The Angry Left are Democrats, liberals, and other like-minded folk whose enmity towards Republicans and conservative government cloud their public statements and ability for rational thought.

Until four years ago, Democrats had nearly twenty years of rule in the Governor's office. They captured one U.S. Senate seat, and the other GOP Senator (Lugar) is likable (works well with Democrats). Today, the Dems have a 5-4 majority in Congressional Seats and a bare majority in the State House (the Senate Districts far favor the GOP too much to be competitive).

Now, with four years of Governor Mitch Daniels, Indiana Democrats have joined the Angry Left. Daniels is to blame for everything, from a shaky oil market internationally to the state paying for Kelvin Sampson's text messaging/cellular phone service. I'm sure the rain at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend was somehow attributable to Mitch Daniels environmental policies.

Democrats are riding high behind their competitive primary, but remember this: the glitter will fade. Under no scrutiny, thousand may be willing to follow someone because they say "CHANGE!" But eventually, someone will ask what will they change.

Barack Obama has only promised universal health care and green jobs (which should but everyone in private health insurance, private health care, and the current construction industry out of work). Jill Long Thompson was to bring jobs lost to her union backers (those unions who backed her opponent).

That's pretty much all we know. These folks may try and win an election on "change." But what are they going to change? Remember this: even Greg Ballard had proposals. They were laughed at by the Angry Left, but we knew what he was going to do when he got in office.

We have no clue what Obama and Thompson would do. Thompson cannot win Indiana unless she has a better plan for governing than Daniels. Obama will not win competitive states like Ohio, Florida, and others unless he gives them a reason to. Until they do, they should be considered underdogs in November.

Commentary: Beth White did not have a "successful election"...

...unless you use the Chicago Cubs' definition of success (100 years without a title), and not the New York Yankees' (where anything less than a title is not a success).

Beth White received a thumbs up from the Star's Matt Tully for not botching the election. Letters to the editor have come in saying she looked good on CNN.

Have the expectations of competent elections been diminished so much by her 2007 Primary failure that piss-poor elections administrations are considered successful?

Let's run down the facts:

• Once again, polls did not open on time in multiple precincts.
• Precincts opened without ballots to vote on.
• At least 30 precincts ran out of ballots by midday.
• White claims no voter was turned away, despite multiple stories to the contrary. What she meant is no voter who signed in the poll book was turned away.
• White was less than truthful on voter challenges, saying they did not exist because no inspector reported them to her.
• White chose to leave partisan precinct offices off the ballot, which could result in legal challenges by losing candidates at state conventions.

The best example, Abdul Hakim Shabazz and Chris Spangle on WXNT said White was having a great election and that the issues were "normal." Yet, minutes later, Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly called those same normalities "voting problems."

The fact of the matter is outside Indiana, voters don't put up with the types of failures Beth White has given us. If you think the issues we regularly experience are acceptable or normal, SHAME ON YOU! Our right to vote is too precious to accept mediocrity in administering it. And just because White's hand picked inspector's don't inform White of issues doesn't mean they did not happen; shame on the media for taking her at her word.

The rest of our great country does not accept these failures. Just because Beth White screwed up an election in the worst possible way before does not make her repeated mistakes any less horrific.