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"Seriously Sarah, just leave me out of this. I fought hard and I loved those men of the Potomac. I know from strategies that work and strategies that keep you on a goddamned bloody lane years longer than you need to be. You’re on the wrong side of history here, just like me. You’re running against goddamned Abe Lincoln. You can’t win this and you shouldn’t."
Obama's campaign said Friday that Obama would appear at a rally at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
The planned stop _ Obama's second visit to Indiana since the Democratic National Convention and his sixth since May _ was set for one day after Tuesday's second presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.
A commission made up of Indiana House and Senate members plans to hold a hearing at the Statehouse Wednesday to examine gasoline pricing policies in Indiana.
The Commission on State Tax and Financing Policy is inviting representatives of the petroleum industry, local distributors, consumers and the state attorney general, who investigates consumer complaints. The public can also attend the meeting, although the agenda states that testimony will only be taken from those invited.
McCain Indiana campaign co-chairman Luke Messer said the McCain campaign plans to add paid staff around the state next week. He said the campaign would place tens of thousands of yard signs and work to knock on more than 100,000 doors.
‘‘You can never take anybody's vote for granted, and John McCain has known all along that you have to work to win the vote of every Hoosier,'' Messer said.
In an interview with Fox News, Gov. Sarah Palin criticized Sen. John McCain's decision "to pull campaign resources out of Michigan, saying she and her husband Todd would 'be happy' to campaign in the economically distraught battleground state."Its sad to admit, but Palin is right. Had McCain chosen a viable running mate he would have been afforded the more logical move of sending his vice-president stumping across Michigan, effectively saving the cash but not abandoning presence. Nevertheless, his concession is but another in a long line of demonstrations that show what little faith he places in his own vice-presidential selection.
Palin said that when she read the news, she "fired off a quick e-mail and said, 'Oh come on, do we have to?'"
“This bill is not the bill that I or other Republicans would have chosen, but with a Democrat-controlled Congress, any bill must be a compromise. Possible failure of our economy was not an option.” — Rep. Mark Souder, Republican who voted for the bill.
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“Something needs to be done to shore-up our financial markets, but without many substantive changes and $150 billion in additional spending — I don’t think this is the answer.” — Rep. Baron Hill, Democrat who voted against the bill.
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“This crisis is a decade in the making. It is the result of cynical exploitation within an unregulated industry, and it should be addressed conscientiously and equitably. We should have considered all the viable alternatives to the bailout and deliberated the merits of each course of action in order to strengthen the banks’ balance sheets.” — Rep. Pete Visclosky, Democrat who voted against the bill.
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“My number one priority is to protect our jobs and savings back home, and this bill presented us with the best chance of doing that. I did not take pleasure in voting for this legislation, but the choice before us was stark: either pass this rescue package or do nothing. Doing nothing would have cost us more jobs and billions in retirement savings.” — Rep. Joe Donnelly, Democrat who voted for the bill.
Exactly an hour into the debate, Joe Biden began an answer by saying, "Facts matter, Gwen."Maverick he is not:
To him, maybe. To Sarah Palin, maybe not. The pattern, so far, has been one of Biden presenting facts and Palin countering with… saying stuff. Sometimes she throws in a fact, but mostly she seems to be offering a string of approximate policy positions, encomiums to the American spirit, disputed interpretations of Barack Obama's record and anecdotes from Alaska.
“The current proposal is no panacea. More difficult decisions lie ahead. But it is better than doing nothing, and that is the alternative.”Richard Lugar
“The financial rescue legislation will restore credit flow to homeowners, businesses, farmers and all the people who, by the very nature of their businesses, need to borrow money to maintain their activity and keep employees.”I think this is the first time I can truly agree with both of them.
And what about Indiana? The McCain philosophy appears to be, "if we lose Indiana, we've already lost the election elsewhere". But suddenly, that's not necessarily the case. One can easily see Obama winning Indiana while losing Colorado, Florida, and Virginia. Yet thanks to myopic planning, McCain doesn't even have a single field office in the state. He has ceded Indiana to the Obama machine.You have to love republican stubbornness.
The Indiana Republican Party has been the McCain campaign’s voice in the Hoosier state. State GOP Chairman Murray Clark said McCain is building a strong grassroots campaign in Indiana and that the party will “continue working hard for every vote.”Seriously, who are they trying to kid?
With much of Indiana's attention focusing today on Montagano and his placement on the DCCC's Red to Blue list, I feel it necessary to remind readers that an equally important race is taking place in the IN-04. Democratic challenger Nels Ackerson continues to fight the good fight against incumbent Steve Buyer, an eight term republican blowhard with a knack for petty accusations. Thus, considering what's at stake this election cycle, Ackerson's request for a debate would sound like a logical and necessary step for both candidate's campaigns. Well not if Buyer has anything to do with it. Refusing multiple requests, the Buyer campaign has said and done everything possible-- no matter how ridiculous or deceptive-- to discredit the very thought of standing side by side with his opponent addressing the issues that matter to voters. In a press statement released today, Ackerson sets the record straight:In the press release, Buyer resorted to childish name-calling using words like "whining", "hypocrite", "mean", "shallow", and "bitter" and referred to Ackerson's extensive voter outreach program as "parading around the district."Ackerson is right. Voters deserve better. If you live in the fourth district I urge you to give Buyer a call at the number below. Let's let him know his actions are unacceptable and the voters won't stand for it.
"This type of pettiness and childish rants are unfit for a leader," commented Ackerson.
"Buyer's been increasingly bizarre and belligerent on the campaign trail, making veiled threats to me and members of my staff. He even yelled at one of my high school volunteers at the opening of the Montgomery County Republican office. But this type of language in formal a public statement represents a new low for Buyer," noted Ackerson. "If he weren't our elected representative and we didn't have such serious crises going on these rants would be comical."...
Added Ackerson, "We should be talking about issues that matter to voters instead of these personal attacks. Steve Buyer wants to pretend that we've been skipping debates, and that's laughable. Name the time, Steve. Name the place. We've been waiting. Stop hiding behind half-truths."
Mike Montagano's campaign just got a huge national boost today with the addition of his name to the DCCC's Red to Blue candidate list. Never heard of the Red to Blue program? ActBlue explains:The Red to Blue program highlights top Democratic campaigns across the country, and offers them financial, communications, and strategic support. These candidates earned a spot in the program by surpassing demanding fundraising goals and skillfully demonstrating to voters that they stand for change and will represent new priorities when elected to Congress.Montagano's challenge to incumbent republican Mark Souder is looking better and better each day. Don't live in the third district but want to do your part in helping to throw Souder out of office? Then I urge you to first check out the Montagano for Congress website and then throw some greenbacks Montagano's way. This race has proven to be Indiana's best opportunity of toppling yet another entrenched republican-- so don't hesitate to help, no matter how small your contribution may be. With a combined effort this race is winnable folks.
The candidates for Indiana’s 9th Congressional District seat will debate October 21st in Jasper.Considering Hill and Sodrel's familiarity with each other's candidacy expect the debate to focus on the economy and hopefully by this time the legislation that has been passed by Congress concerning the bailout. While both candidates opposed yesterday's bailout bill, nonsensical reactions from Sodrel should provide plenty of ammunition for Hill to bury his opponent. Take for example this absurdity:
This is the only planned debate between Democratic Representative Baron Hill, Republican Mike Sodrel and Libertarian Eric Schansberg before Election Day.
“Government acquisition of private enterprises when it occurs by ballot is called socialism. ... When it occurs by bullets (it) is called communism. There is little difference in the end result. The former is just less violent than the latter.”
In Northern Indiana, where voters see Chicago television from Obama's home state of Illinois, Obama led by 17 points fourteen weeks ago and by 5 points six weeks ago; today, Obama leads there by 1.
"When many Bethlehem Steel retirees had their pensions cut, did President Bush provide a helping hand? All I know is that when Stan O'Neal retired from Merrill Lynch, his compensation package was worth $161.5 million."Andre Carson IN-07:
"The economic malpractice of the Bush administration is why our financial markets are in turmoil. This administration's fiscal negligence is why Wall Street was rewarded for doing things wrong while Main Street was punished for doing things right. And now this same inept administration is asking the American public to trust them."Baron Hill IN-09:
"I have been rushed to judgment by the Bush administration before. There hasn't been enough time to evaluate the impacts this legislation would have if enacted or to consider alternatives. Congress deserves time to weigh the benefits and the potential pitfalls of borrowing this money."Voting Aye
"When there are serious people discussing the possibility of another economic depression, it is time to act. The rescue plan was not perfect, but it was necessary. And while no one took any pleasure in voting for it, the alternative -- doing nothing -- is potentially disastrous and therefore unacceptable."
This bailout as proposed is the equivalent of taking out a new credit card and filling it with the debt of old credit cards. That doesn't work for people and it doesn't work for governments. I would have voted against the bill as it stood but for different reasons than those of my opponent. Congressman Mike Pence, under his words "limited government", opposes more regulations on Wall Street and wants more tax breaks for the wealthy, and that is why he voted no. I believe we need stricter regulations and a tax break for the 95% of us who are not wealthy, and that is why I would have voted no. There were few explanations as to where the original money went, and where the proposed 700 billion dollars in replacement funds would be directed. All expenditures would be at the Treasury Secretary's discretion, and that is not a good enough explanation of who will benefit for me, or the American people.To read the op-ed in its entirety check out Welsh's post over at Blue Indiana.
"I will continue supporting efforts to pass legislation to restore credit flow to homeowners, businesses, farmers and all the people who, by the very nature of their businesses, need to borrow money to maintain their activity and keep employees," Lugar said Friday. "Failure to pass such legislation would lead to massive unemployment and failure of small business and farming operations in Indiana. That is unacceptable."And just in case anyone needed further proof of the shear absurdity of Pence's position, consider his defense:
"If you came here because you believe in limited government and the freedom of the American marketplace, vote in accordance with those convictions," Pence wrote.Nevermind such a position amounts to yet more tax breaks for big business with no mention of average taxpaying hoosiers. How the rest of the Indiana congressional delegation will vote is still up in the air, but rest assured answers will be forthcoming as congress is set to vote on the bill sometime today.
He had argued that the plan should include tax cuts for capital gains and for corporations that bring home overseas profits. Pence said that would free "trapped capital" to deal with the liquidity crisis.
