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Showing posts with label John Gregg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Gregg. Show all posts

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Why John Gregg Lost

As promised earlier this month. INDY REPUBLICAN is giving it's own postmortem view as to why we all got the Governors race here in Indiana wrong. As we have stated here previously we had outlined Eric Holcomb's many weaknesses as a candidate. We stand by every word in those posts. But  as with all elections the Governors race did not occur in a vacuum. Outside events played a role in shaping the outcome of the race. Overall we feel that John Gregg ran a good campaign and Eric Holcomb didn't run the best campaign. However that being said there are several areas where the Indiana Democratic Party messed up with other races and that along with other factors is what allowed Gregg to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Gregg ran a good attack ad against Holcomb arguing about how Holcomb was selected by the State Republican apparatchiks and not by the voters. Which is a criticism of Holcomb we have made as well. But the fact that as we pointed out this summer is how democrats did the same thing when they dumped Baron Hill and replaced him with Evan Bayh to run for the Senate. So attacking the backroom deal way in which Holcomb was selected probably was diluted by the fact Democrats had done the same with the race for the Senate. Hence the attacks on Holcomb didn't land the punches they otherwise would have. Gregg did phenomenally well at fundraising. He raised almost as much as Mitch Daniels did in his 2004 race. We can understand Gregg's campaign being proud of this. However bragging about having raised this near record haul was not a good idea. Gregg's whole campaign was being pitched to the voters that he was a different kind of candidate, one who would bring together both parties, a candidate who was not a typical politician. That seemed to be working. When his campaign decided to boast of his fundraising this sent a message that he was just another politician interested only in raising money and also made him appear somewhat less than squeaky clean. Gregg did make mention briefly of Eric Holcomb's very nasty 2000 race for state representative. But did not elaborate or go in depth as to the details of that race. If he had pointed out how Holcomb had accused his opponent of promoting perversion. That would have seriously undermined old Eric. Since the voters were not given that information simply saying that Holcomb had engaged in one of the nastiest campaigns in state history did not give undecided voters any reason to either vote against Holcomb or to board the John Gregg express. Gregg was good at rebutting attacks on himself which is something most candidates are terrible at. He was not however as skilled at attacking Holcomb. Not that his attacks were bad it's just they should have been better. A experienced candidate like Gregg should have been aware of this. The first mention in campaign ads that Holcomb was the new candidate for Governor actually came from the Gregg campaign. Bad move. They should have let Holcomb be the one to make his first move. With Gregg in the unique position for a Indiana Democrat of having both more money and higher name recognition than his republican opponent. Gregg should have spent his time building himself up, campaigning non stop throughout the state, and until Holcomb was able to actually get his name out there, keep the race about why Gregg should be Governor. So that by the time that Holcomb would have been able to scrape enough money together to run ads. Gregg would have solidified his position even further and Holcomb would have had an even bigger problem. By mentioning Holcomb in an attack ad Gregg simply gave Holcomb free advertising and made Holcomb's name recognition go up. Yes it was bad publicity for Holcomb. But it got Holcomb's name out there and gave him a boost he desperately needed. Gregg should have not mentioned Holcomb period unless or until Holcomb had gotten his name out. Free piece of advice to all you aspiring candidates out there: Do not help your opponent in anyway! Don't attack them unless they give you reason to.

As to why we all felt so strongly that Gregg would win. Simply put given Gregg's skill at fundraising, his having campaigned for Governor for over a year versus Holcomb's three and a half months, combined with the fact that all polling up to that point had shown that Gregg was ahead. With the exception of a last minute Howey Politics poll that showed Gregg and Holcomb tied (more on that in a minute). The trend seemed to be breaking Gregg's way. Even Larry Sabato the great political scientist and publisher of The Crystal Ball thought Gregg would win. What all of us and Dr. Sabato missed is the last minute poll that showed Holcomb and Gregg tied 42-42 and the number of undecided voters having grown. This should have told us that Holcomb was improving his position, that Gregg was not, and with more undecideds that clearly signaled the race was tightening. Hillary Clinton certainly was a drag on Democrats and Trump's margin certainly helped some down ballot Republicans but at the end of the day. Gregg lost because he did not use his resources as well as he should have. If we were Indiana Democrats we would get rid of the dead weight at the top of the state party and work on winning races at the local and state legislative level. Also they need to start calling out the Republican Establishment and their many shortcomings rather than doing things like voting en mass with them to gut the State Board of Accounts! Yes they don't have enough votes now to do much but they can start to earn them by taking principled stands for good government! If they don't even complain about the RINO Establishment of Daniels-Holcomb and their shortcomings than they will not give voters any reason to vote for them. Hopefully we all have learned something valuable here. Mainly how not to fuck up a campaign!

Monday, November 7, 2016

INDY REPUBLICAN's Final predictions for Election 2016

Good evening ladies and gentlemen! You all may recall recently we gave you our prediction that John Gregg will win the Governors race. We still stand by that prediction. We are ready to give our predictions in the Presidential, U.S Senate, and US House races here in old Eerie, IN. We predict that Saint Evan will be defeated by Congressman Todd Young in his bid to regain his Senate seat. Donald Trump will carry the state and Hillary Clinton will become our next president. The Democrats will pickup the 9th district seat when Shelli Yoder defeats "Tennessee Trey" Hollingsworth. Otherwise Indiana's congressional delegation remains unchanged. In the state legislative races Republicans will easily keep control of both houses but will lose super majority status in the State House. Nationally the Republicans will easily keep control of the US House of Representatives with a diminished majority. And we give the Democratcs a 50-50 chance at taking the Senate. If Hillary wins the Democratic Governor and former DNC Chairman Terry McCauliffe will appoint Vice President elect Tim Kaine's replacement and the GOP has a shot of winning that seat in 2018. Okay Indiana don't fail us now! We all have high quality dinners riding on the accuracy of our predictions! So if we mess up to bad in our predictions we are out some serious coinage and unlike "Pampered Pence" and "Bagman Holcomb" we have to pay our own way!

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Evan Bayh's residency, Scott Tibbs advocates for merit employment, and INDY REPUBLICAN Predicts Governors Race

Hello fellow malcontents! INDY REPUBLICAN is proud to once again have your attention. Hopefully you have all managed to keep your sanity during this madcap election year! Now for news and views that the powers that be don't want you to have!

First item deals with where Evan Bayh lives. Three days ago the establishment run propaganda rag The Indianapolis Star. Breaking with their longstanding tradition of covering Evan Bayh's worthless ass. Ran a column that details according to Bayh's schedule he didn't once stay at his Indianapolis condo in 2010. The column states:

Evan Bayh says that his Indianapolis condominium has long been his home, and that he has spent “lots and lots” of time there since deciding to run for his old Senate seat. But a copy of his schedule shows Bayh did not stay overnight there once during his last year in office in 2010.


The schedule provided to The Associated Press shows the Democrat spent taxpayer money, campaign funds or let other people pay for him to stay in Indianapolis hotels on the relatively rare occasions he returned from Washington, D.C.
During the same period, he spent $3,000 in taxpayer money on what appeared to be job hunting trips to New York, despite the assertion of his campaign that the trips were devoted to official media appearances.
The AP obtained Bayh’s schedule from a source who requested anonymity because the information was private. The Bayh campaign did not dispute its authenticity.
Earlier this month, the AP reported that Bayh spent substantial time during his last year in the Senate searching for a private sector job, while voting for or seeking changes to legislation that benefited the corporate and financial world.
Since unexpectedly entering the race in July, Bayh, whose primary residence is in Washington, has struggled to explain whether Indiana is home. During an interview with WLFI-TV in August he tried to put the issue to rest, but gave the wrong address for his condo, which is listed on his drivers’ license and voter registration.
“I’ll always be a Hoosier,” Bayh said last week. “We own our condominium. Period. From time to time I would stay someplace else, but our condo has always been our home.”
Bayh stayed at Indianapolis hotels roughly a dozen times in 2010, though taxpayers paid only a few hundred dollars because campaign funds or other people helped pick up the tab.
When asked last month how often he has stayed at his condo during the campaign, Bayh said: “I haven’t kept track, but lots and lots and lots.” He also accused his opponent, Republican Rep. Todd Young, of “using this as a distraction.”
Bayh’s schedule shows the four taxpayer-funded trips to New York between September and November 2010 revolved largely around meetings with a veritable who’s who of American banking and finance, as well as a job headhunter.
Senate ethics rules forbid the use of public money for personal travel. Bayh’s campaign says the trips to New York were justified because he also conducted official business, including giving interviews to journalists.

This is the point where we all start saying Bullshit! When the Bayh campaign says the trips were justified because apparently to them giving press interviews qualifies as "official business"! The staff here are not constitutional scholars but as far as we can tell a Senator's official duties are simply to vote on legislation! How in the Hell does schmoozing with media airheads have anything to do with that! Many have raised serious questions about just when did Bayh decide to not run for reelection in 2010? Paul Ogden raised the question as to why Bayh was retiring rather than running for another term in 2010 you can read that here. Los Angeles radio host and author Larry Elder also discussed this in an article he wrote in 2010! It is nothing short of journalistic malpractice that other than a few here and there, no one in the local or national press has ever challenged Bayh on why he did a HALO jump out of his Senate seat six years ago!


On a better note an alert IR reader found a wonderful article written by Scott Tibbs the author of the blog Conservatibbs. Although we here at Indy Republican like Mr. Tibbs are republicans, and consider ourselves to be very conservative we don't always see eye-to-eye with Scott. But he is always interesting to read. Especially this article he wrote back in August of this year titled: "Ending at-will employment for government" INDY REPUBLICAN, Paul Ogden, and Scott Tibbs all proudly back the Republican tradition of Civil Service Reform. The IR staff, and Mister's Ogden & Tibbs can scarcely be called "liberal" republicans by any stretch of the imagination. But we all feel that the Grand Old Party needs to return to it's true conservative roots of eliminating patronage in all levels of government! We will quote Mr. Tibbs article below:


The Indiana State legislature needs to add an exception to Indiana's "at-will" employment law to make it illegal for government at all levels (city, county, township and state) to fire employees without cause. This would better serve taxpayers and protect employees who are doing a good job.
Yes, civil service protections can be problematic and a permanent bureaucracy is not the answer. We have all heard the horror stories about government employees who cannot be fired and continue to be paid on the taxpayers' dime despite the fact that they lack the competence, professionalism, integrity and skill set needed to do their work. But because they were hired, it is nearly impossible to remove them.
But the way government operates now is not sustainable, especially as the workload becomes more complex. An elected office changes hands and all of the employees are frightened for their jobs. Employees are terrified to point out wrongdoing because they are afraid to lose their jobs, so outright theft happens without anyone trying to do anything about it or even letting the proper authorities know about the crimes. Elected officials remove qualified employees and replace them with people who cannot do the job through nepotism, cronyism and patronage. This is a system that does not serve the taxpayers at all.
The solution, then, is to professionalize local and state government by implementing basic best practices. If local government cannot be trusted to do this voluntarily, then the state legislature needs to force them to do it. Best practices includes removing bad employees, after progressive discipline and good-faith efforts to bring under-performing employees into line. (Obviously, there are some things that require immediate termination.) Leave the politics to the legislative bodies while focusing administrative offices on actually serving the taxpayers instead of serving their political parties.
Fortunately, we have an opportunity to move in that direction by casting the right votes in the general election. Republican candidates for office - specifically auditor candidate Ann Boehm and treasurer candidate Ann Collins - have pledged to end the "at will" nonsense in their offices and follow basic "best practices" with their staff. Electing Boehm and Collins would help, but that will only help those two offices in one of the state's 92 counties. The rest of the state needs the legislature to intervene.


Well put Scott!


Now INDY REPUBLICAN is going to offer our very first ever election prediction! After many months of careful thought and observation. We at INDY REPUBLICAN predict that Democrat John Gregg will become the next governor of Indiana! We feel confident in this prediction because with the exception of a single poll conducted since Eric Holcomb became the republican candidate for Governor. Every poll taken has given John Gregg anywhere from a 2 to 12 point lead. With most polls putting Gregg on average from 2 to 5 points ahead. According to a story on Eagle Country Online published October 20th, 2016:


A new Ball State University and WISH-TV Hoosier Survey released Wednesday gives Gregg a five-point lead over Republican Eric Holcomb, 48 to 43 percent.
The difference is within the poll’s 4.8 percent margin of error. The poll surveyed 544 likely Indiana voters.


Also reported is that  "Holcomb’s campaign reported raising $7.7 million in the third quarter while Gregg has brought in $4.5 million. Gregg does have more money in his campaign war chest, $4.8 million to $2.8 million."


So given the facts that we are less than two weeks away from election and inspite of Holcomb raising more money in the third quarter of 2016 than Gregg. That Gregg still has $2 million more in his campaign war chest than Holcomb. Coupled with Holcomb's less than inspiring campaign, and the fact that Gregg's campaign is sending out more emails, and pounding the ground more than Holcomb. We are fairly confident in Gregg defeating "Bagman" Holcomb! We are not endorsing any candidate for Governor but we do not want Holcomb to win! And if this keeps up he won't! You have been reading INDY REPUBLICAN here on blogger. This is IR and it's staff wishing you all long life and happiness! And if he is reading this up in heaven Gary Welsh you are still our hero!

Monday, October 17, 2016

Is Eric Holcomb Toast?, "Godfather" Mitch Daniels given $200K for "Good Performance", Purdue's Standards are slipping!

INDY REPUBLICAN wanted to wish all our readers a very blessed Monday. Whether you  spent part of the weekend at your houses of worship, in meditation, or catching up on some much needed rest. We hope you all  had a decent weekend! Now for all the craziness that has been going on here in the Hoosier State!


For our first story we turn to the news that Monmouth University released a poll on Friday Oct 14th, 2016 that shows Democratic Candidate for Governor John Gregg leading his fake Republican opponent Eric "Bagman" Holcomb 50% to 38%. If this is true it means that good old Eric is in serious trouble in his bid to become Indiana's next Governor! Fellow blogger and great guy Paul Ogden has his take on this story on his blog in a post entitled: "New Monmouth Poll Shows Indiana Republican Candidates Trailing in Statewide Races". We urge you all to go check this out. The Indianapolis Business Journal in an article written on Friday October 14th, 2016 had this to say:


A new poll by Monmouth University conducted this week says Democrat John Gregg has built a whopping 12-point lead over Republican Eric Holcomb in the race for governor.
The poll also found Republican Donald Trump with a 4-point lead in Indiana over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the race for president and Democrat Evan Bayh with a 6-point lead over Republican Todd Young in the U.S. Senate contest.
The poll of 402 likely voters was conducted Tuesday through Thursday and has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.
The findings show Gregg leading 50 percent to 38 percent; Bayh ahead 48 percent to 42 percent; and Trump up 45 percent to 41 percent.
The poll results for the gubernatorial and Senate races vary widely from a WTHR/Howey Politics Indiana poll performed just last week and released Oct. 6 that found Gregg with only a 2-point lead and Bayh and Young in a virtual tie.




Holcomb campaign manager Mike O'Brien issued a statement Friday questioning the Monmouth results.


"This poll is a complete outlier and laughably inconsistent with every other public poll released this election season,” he said. “Our internal data shows we are on a winning trajectory in this margin-of-error contest. After only 12 weeks on the campaign trail, compared to our opponent's 282-week campaign, we are in the passing lane headed into the home stretch of this race and remain confident that Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb will be Indiana's next governor."


You may recall that we have previously discussed Mike O'Brien on this blog before and pointed out how he is just simply a water carrier for any flunky wearing the Republican jersey! He especially likes Republicans like Mitch Daniels and Eric Holcomb who hold no ideological or core convictions at all! In other words candidates who are just like him!


We would like to give a little newsflash to Mike O'Brien! Mike while it's true this poll is inconsistent with the size of John Gregg's lead over your candidate Eric Holcomb. Almost every poll that has come out since Eric was picked by 22 party insiders to run for governor back in late July has shown Gregg in the lead from anywhere to 2 to 5 points! So for you to say your team is on a winning trajectory might be a little bit of a stretch to say the least! Now Holcomb may pull of a win but his campaign has been badly run from the start! We will not rehash that here because we have done so elsewhere on this blog.


Now onto the next topic "Bagman" Holcomb's old boss as Charlie White so lovingly refers to him as "Godfather" Governor Mitch Daniels. It appears that the good old "Godfather" Mitch is doing so well in his job as President of Purdue University that he is being given over $200,000 as his performance incentive pay! He is already guaranteed a base salary of $420,000. Nice work if you can get it! Of course it helps that Mitch Daniels appointed the Purdue Board of Trustees that in turn gave him his position as Purdue University President! The Indianapolis Business Journal goes onto report:


Mike Berghoff, chairman of Purdue’s Board of Trustees, said in a statement that “we have an extraordinary institution and an extraordinary president.”


Daniels also will receive an additional $100,000 the trustees pledged to give him last year if he stayed until June 30, 2016, which was part of a retention incentive. The incentive promises Daniels additional pay for every year he stays at the university until 2020.
In the 2014-15 academic year, Daniels received 90 percent of the $126,000 of possible at-risk pay. In addition, Daniels was paid extra for areas in which he exceeded expectations such as donations, which reached $343 million, surpassing the board's $260 million goal.


Back in July we reported on the theory by some that Mitch Daniels decided not to run for Governor so he wouldn't miss out on $1 Million in retention bonuses if he stayed in his position at Purdue till 2020. The theory seems a little more solid to the INDY REPUBLICAN staff now. We also find Mike Berghoff's ass-kissing of Mitch Daniels to be way overboard! At this point we can't tell where Berghoff's head ends and Daniels ass begins! Folks for a so called "fiscal conservative" Mitch Daniels certainly seems to have no problem from enriching himself at the taxpayers trough! Thank God this man isn't running for President! Although depending on how the Governor's race goes. Don't be surprised if Mitch Daniels decides to try to run for Governor again in 2020! Just like the scheming mouse in "Pinky and The Brain". Mitch Daniels always seems to be scheming to take over the world. Not to demean that great classic "Pinky and the Brain". But we can't seem to help but see remarkable similarities between "The Brain" and former Governor Daniels. Both have inflated egos, both are driven by a belief that they are superior than everyone else, and both are insecure due to there lack of height.


Holly Bailey writing on February 28, 2011 for Yahoo News about Daniels and his height problem quotes a Daniels ally as saying of him:


Mark McKinnon, a former Bush adviser and close friend of Daniels, defended his former colleague, saying that after four years of President Obama, Americans might want someone a little "nerdy … balding and pint-sized."

What the Hell! Is this supposed to be some sort of compliment? If this is one of Mitch's friends trying to sell him as a potential presidential candidate then Daniels is screwed nationally!

Bailey continues:

On Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace finally asked Daniels about all of the talk about his height and looks, saying some have suggested that he doesn't "look presidential."
Daniels admitted it could be a problem "with some voters."
"I've never suggested to a voter what they should consider a valid criterion," Daniels replied. "If it comes down to height and hair, I probably wouldn't do very well. But I guess that's just something you weigh in the balance with many other factors."




In layman's terms Daniels is a sad, pathetic man who always needs to try and push others around!





Monday, September 26, 2016

Eric Holcomb sells out Pro Life Voters takes $100,000 from his BFF Pro-Abortion Illinois Governor Rauner!

The staff at INDY REPUBLICAN is sure we all sound like a broken record by now. But "Bagman" Holcomb is such a deserving target! Recently a poll of the upcoming Governors race was released. The poll conducted by WTHR and Howey Political Report surveyed 600 likely voters. The poll shows John Gregg leading Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb 40 to 35. Libertarian Rex Bell gets 6%. 19% either are undecided, refused to answer, or do not plan to vote for Governor. We are certain that Holcomb is displeased with this poll or he should be! Holcomb however is more than eager to accepted $100,000 from Democratic Republican Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. In a story written by the very talented Dan Carden at the Northwest Indiana Times about Governor Rauners donation  Carden writes:
The first-term governor gave $100,000 last week to Indiana Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb’s campaign to succeed Gov. Mike Pence.
The donation is among the largest Holcomb has taken in since July 26 when Hoosier Republicans selected Holcomb to replace Pence on the Nov. 8 ballot after GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump picked Pence as his running mate.
Holcomb spokesman Pete Seat, a Schererville native, said the former Indiana Republican Party chairman is “honored to have support from anyone and everyone who believes in responsible Republican leadership.”
“Eric and Gov. Rauner have known each other for years, going back to when Rauner was exploring a bid and sought out Gov. Mitch Daniels and Eric for advice,” Seat said.

Holcomb appears to be the first Indiana candidate for statewide office to receive a donation directly from Rauner.
Indiana campaign finance records indicate Rauner also gave $50,000 to a national Republican fund supporting Hoosier candidates in 2000 when Holcomb failed to win an Indiana House seat in his only other bid for elected office.
It will be interesting to see if Holcomb and his campaign will continue to say that Rauner "believes in responsible Republican leadership" since Rauner has been heavily criticized by Pro-Life Republicans for signing a bill into law that forces nurses and doctors who oppose abortion to help people in obtaining them! Alert readers of this blog in Illinois made all of us aware of this issue. In an article on Lifenews.com written on August 1, 2016 Jay Hobbs writes:

Abortion is now the official state-preferred choice for Illinois women in unexpected pregnancies, after Gov. Bruce Rauner signed Senate Bill 1564 into law Friday afternoon.
Rauner, a Republican, held veto power over the legislation—which Democrats pushed through on a strictly partly line vote and put on his desk May 31—but he went against the grain of his own party in approving the legislation.
“We are extremely disappointed in Gov. Rauner for siding with pro-abortion Democrats by signing SB 1564 and expanding abortions in Illinois,” Emily Zender, executive director of Illinois Right to Life said in a press release. “This radical bill is a direct assault on the consciences of medical professionals and the missions of community supported pregnancy help centers.
“Science tells us that abortion ends the life of a preborn child, and for Illinoisans to be forced to participate in any way in abortion is a tremendous injustice.”
The bill enacts changes to Illinois’ Health Care Right of Conscience Act, once considered the gold standard of state-level First Amendment protective laws.
Effective Jan. 1, 2017, the law requires medical professionals in all capacities to go against deeply held religious conscience by referring patients for abortions and counseling patients on what the legislation calls the “benefits” of abortion.

Zender’s organization, many others within the state, and national groups such as Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), Americans United for Life, Thomas More Society, Heartbeat International and more have voiced their disapproval of the law.
Illinois Right to Life delivered over 6,000 signatures to the Governor’s desk opposing the bill, while ADF and Thomas More Society are expected to be among the first challenging the bill as unconstitutional in the courts.
“This is sad and tragic news,” Ann Scheidler, vice president of the Illinois-based Pro-Life Action League said in a press release. “The medical professionals in the state of Illinois deserve to practice their healing art within the freedom of conscience. The pro-life pregnancy centers should be protected from giving exactly the advice that goes against everything they stand for. They will not do it.”

Although the bill requires pro-life healthcare providers and organizations to participate in abortion, it does not include stipulations that healthcare professionals, institutions, or organizations counsel patients on alternatives to abortion such as parenting or placing for adoption.

“Women desperately need emotional support and practical resources during an unexpected pregnancy,” Jor-El Godsey, president of Heartbeat International—the world’s largest network of pregnancy centers and medical clinics—said. “This legislation accomplishes none of these goals and only serves to rob women in Illinois of the life-affirming choices they so desperately need during this difficult time.”

All of us here at INDY REPUBLICAN give kudos to Emily Zender of Illinois Right to Life for sticking to her principles and criticizing Governor Rauner for signing legislation she and Illinois Right to Life consider morally wrong. For the record all of us here at INDY REPUBLICAN consider ourselves Pro Life and favor allowing abortion only in case of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger. We feel both from our life-long reflections on this subject and our personal experiences with abortion (some of us have had them and have come to regret that decision) that our above stated position on abortion is the correct one. And we find Rauner's decision to sign the legislation deplorable! Also the fact that Eric Holcomb would take $100,000 from this odious excuse for a Governor just to further his own political ambitions shows he should be rejected by all Pro-Life voters! It will be very interesting to see what if anything Indiana Right to Life has to say about Holcomb's accepting campaign contributions from Rauner! Especially since on Indiana Right to Life's website of which many of us here at the news desk having been donating to for many years has a link to Lifenews.com from which Mr. Hobbs article is posted on! Will Indiana Right to Life stand by it's principles and demand that Holcomb explain why he has taken money from a Pro Abortion politician? Will IRTL insist that Holcomb state what his views on abortion are? If Holcomb answers that he is opposed to abortion will he return the $100,000 to Rauner or will he risk angering a noticeable segment of life-long and dedicated Hoosier Republicans by keeping the money? We urge all of our readers to contact Indiana Right to Life and tell them to demand answers from Holcomb and to do so yesterday! IRTL we here have been allies and supporters of you for many, many, years! We implore you don't abandon your principles! Find out Holcomb's real views on abortion! Make us not regret having supported you for most of our lives!

Indiana Right to Life can be contacted at the following address, phone, and fax numbers:

Indianapolis Office

9465 Counselors Row
Suite 200
Indianapolis, IN 46240
Phone Number:
(317) 632-2242(317) 632-2242(317) 632-2242(317) 632-2242
Fax Number:
(317) 536-3425


Winona Lake Office

1906 Hamilton Blvd.
Winona Lake, IN 46590
Phone Number:
(574) 269-6639(574) 269-6639(574) 269-6639(574) 269-6639
Fax Number:
(574) 269-7834

Or you can contact them directly via their website by clicking here.

Don't just contact Indiana Right to Life get your friends, family, and everyone you know to contact them regarding Eric Holcomb!

Sunday, September 25, 2016

In blow to Eric Holcomb's Campaign Indiana State Police Alliance Endorses John Gregg!

The Indianapolis Star's Chelsea Schneider wrote today that the Indiana State Police Alliance has endorsed Democratic Candidate for Governor John Gregg instead of the insider picked RINO Candidate Eric Holcomb! Ouch! That's got to hit Holcomb hard! Schneider reported in their article:


The political organization representing Indiana state troopers endorsed John Gregg for governor on Friday, the first Democrat the group has ever backed to become the state’s top executive.
Chief to the Indiana State Police Alliance’s support of Gregg is the belief he’ll work to raise compensation for officers, who say they have not received a significant salary increase for years.
“(Gregg has) pledged to us to work tirelessly to improve the equipment and working conditions and most importantly the compensation our troopers receive for the services they provide the citizens of Indiana,” said Wayne Flick, a member of the alliance’s political action committee, as he joined Gregg outside the Indiana Statehouse for the announcement.
The group that represents 1,100 active officers said it based its support of Gregg on the positives involved in working with the Democrat, and not on any perceived weaknesses of Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb, the Republican candidate.
“It wasn’t anything Eric lacked,” Flick said.
Gregg, who was joined by running mate state Rep. Christina Hale, said the group’s support meant a lot. The announcement followed another law enforcement powerhouse, the Indiana Fraternal Order of Police, endorsing Gregg.
“It’s not lost on me the importance of this endorsement. We are committed to public safety and supporting law enforcement in Indiana and want to work with them as partners,” Gregg said.
State troopers received a 2 percent pay increase in 2015. But before then, the last bump had been approved in 2007, said Stephen Buschmann, the alliance's lobbyist. That has led to problems with recruitment and retention, with some officers attending the state police’s academy, but going to work for other agencies.


Officers will push for a “healthy increase” as lawmakers write a new, two-year state budget beginning in January, Flick said. He declined to offer further details Friday but said Gregg has promised to “work diligently to get what we want.” An average salary for a first-year officer is around $40,000.
“It’s not going to put us at the top but it will be close to the top with comparable agencies,” Flick said.
Holcomb's campaign said the Republican remains committed to including a salary increase for troopers in the next state budget. The increase would be "in line with the demands of their work and appropriately equipping them to carry out their daily duties."
The newest endorsement comes as a poll released earlier this month shows Gregg with a five-point lead in the governor’s race over Holcomb. The WTHR/Howey Politics Indiana poll had Gregg leading 40 percent to 35 percent. An earlier Monmouth University poll indicated a tighter race for governor, with Holcomb holding a slight 42 percent to 41 percent lead over Gregg.


Holcomb, who Gov. Mike Pence named as lieutenant governor in March, became the GOP candidate for governor in July when Pence decided to join Donald Trump’s presidential ticket.
The first  gubernatorial debate featuring Gregg, Holcomb and Libertarian candidate Rex Bell is set for Tuesday. It will focus on education policy.


Forgive INDY REPUBLICAN if we are skeptical when Wayne Flick of the Indiana State Police Alliance PAC says they "based its support of Gregg on the positives involved in working with the Democrat, and not on any perceived weaknesses of Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb, the Republican candidate.
“It wasn’t anything Eric lacked.”


If Eric Holcomb didn't lack anything why would the State Police Alliance decide to endorse John Gregg for Governor the only Democrat for that office they have EVER endorsed? Obviously Eric Holcomb's campaign is not pleased to hear this! It's interesting that when "Godfather" Governor Mitch Daniels gutted the state civil service laws that an exemption to the ban on collective bargaining was given to the Indiana State Police and the State Police Alliance!


This is why God invented irony! Mitch Daniels and his cronies carve out an exemption to benefit themselves and the State Police Alliance throws Daniels protégé Eric Holcomb under the bus! Seriously does anybody like Eric Holcomb at all! As Republicans we hope that Holcomb get's creamed in his race for Governor! If more curveball's like this keep getting thrown at his campaign he probably will get defeated!







Monday, September 12, 2016

That's All She Wrote! Pence Campaign to give no more money to Eric Holcomb

If this article by Brian Howey is to be believed the prediction made by this blog that Eric Holcomb had already received all the money he would get from the now defunct Pence for Governor is accurate. Howey writes:




For reasons that remain murky and muted by remnants of Gov. Mike Pence’s reelection campaign, no further direct money will end up in the coffers of Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb for his bid to keep the office in Republican hands.

“You’re not going to see a direct transfer from Mike Pence,” said Holcomb campaign manager Mike O’Brien on Tuesday. But O’Brien was quick to add, “We’ll be fully funded. Normally a candidate for governor spends four years stockpiling funds. We can’t do that. Our cash flow will be raise and spend.”



O’Brien also said that many Pence donors are stepping up in his race against Democrat John Gregg, who has raised north of $10 million. “Their response has been fantastic,” O’Brien said. On Aug. 24 and 25, the Holcomb campaign posted $117,300 in large donations, $50,000 each from Anthony Moravec of Columbus and Ronald Cameron from Little Rock, and $17,300 from John Meredith of Columbus. But O’Brien quashed speculation that the Pence campaign had prepaid production and ad buys that could be transferred to the new nominee.

The campaign manager’s comments end speculation as to how much of Pence’s reported $7.4 million campaign war chest at the June 30 mid-year deadline will be transferred to Holcomb. On July 29, the Pence campaign transferred $1.25 million to Holcomb.

But the unanswered question is why didn’t the Pence campaign take steps prior to July 19 to move a bulk of those funds, perhaps as much as $6 million, to either the Indiana Republican Party or the Republican Governors Association where they could have then been transferred to the new nominee? Did the Pence staff, in all the veepstakes hoopla and as they positioned for jobs in the Trump campaign, simply fail to do the proper research on how his federal candidacy might impact those funds? Or is Pence pulling an Evan Bayh, keeping a big war chest hoarded for future use if the Trump/Pence ticket loses on Nov. 8? Only Pence and his newly converted Trumpkins know.

O’Brien, who took the helm of the Holcomb campaign on Aug. 2, declined to speculate on why the Pence funds weren’t shifted to the new nominee, telling me that this is the scenario he inherited. On Aug. 1, when Holcomb was asked about the Pence funds, he said, “I’ll let Gov. Pence speak for every penny he decides to spend. I am concerned about raising the money I need. I am confident I can do that. We’ll raise the millions it will take to get the message out over the next 100 days.”

Asked whether some of the Pence funds will be refunded to the RGA, O’Brien responded, “Can't comment on what Mike Pence might do. I'll just say the RGA is all in for us and they'll invest. You'll see it soon.” The RGA did put $250,000 into the Holcomb campaign earlier this month, with Holcomb campaign spokesman Pete Seat calling it a “new investment” and not recycled Pence funds 



We are stumped as to just why Howey says that there is some confusion about why the Holcomb campaign will receive no further direct contributions from the Pence reelection campaign. If Mr. Howey had just bothered to read either Niki Kelly's articles here and here, or a widely cited Memo from the Democratic Governor's Association dealing with the Pence money issue, hell if Howey had just bothered to simply do more than five minutes of work looking into this it wouldn't surprise him why Holcomb is not going to get anymore money from Pence! The answer is because the Pence campaign legally cannot give him any! He could have even read this blog and become aware of it that way! Mike O'Brien who is Eric Holcomb's campaign manager is currently listed on Barnes and Thornburg's website as Senior Public Policy Advisor at their Indianapolis office. Before his current position at B&T it appears that O'Brien's job was just to carry water for whatever legislation that "Godfather" Governor Mitch Daniels told him to. He also is the former chairman of the Hendricks County Republican Party. What has always struck us as so interesting is that O'Brien like most Mitch Daniels boot lickers political appointees O'Brien seems extremely young to have been given such heavyweight political positions. But Daniels had a habit as Governor of appointing a lot of extremely young party hacks to senior positions in his administration! Frequent readers of Gary Welsh's blog Advance Indiana and Paul Ogden's Ogden on Politics blog will recognize the law firm of Barnes and Thornburg! They were as Gary Welsh called them part of the "downtown mafia" that just tries to control as much of the Hoosier state as they possibly can!

Howey continues:

Former Pence campaign spokesman Marc Lotter, who along with former Pence campaign finance director Marty Obst took new positions with the Trump presidential campaign, did not respond to questions. Lotter has refused to respond to most Indiana news media requests.

Unanswered at this point is what happens to $5-6 million in Pence funds? Eventual campaign filings will reveal the story, but at this point the fledgling Holcomb campaign could have used that money . . . yesterday.

When Pence officially became a federal candidate, his Indiana campaign funds fell under Federal Election Commission guidelines, which limited the amount of funds that could be transferred to the successor nominee. Holcomb was endorsed by Pence on July 22. He used it with a strong implication that much of the Pence war chest would be transferred to his fledgling campaign. But minutes after winning the nomination, Politico reported that much of the Pence war chest was not transferrable.

In presentations to the Indiana Republican Central Committee members, U.S. Reps. Susan Brooks and Todd Rokita both stressed that they had more than $1.2 million in funds and both laid out strategies for funding their campaigns. One influential observer speaking on background told me, “It is interesting that here it is a month later, and he still only has barely over 10 percent of the Pence funds, especially when you examine the daily finance reports of individuals giving $10,000. Many of those folks are reliable $50,000 or $100,000 donors. So what’s up with that? The silence from the Pence campaign and Holcomb campaigns on this is deafening.”

Republican financier Bob Grand, who turned up in Cleveland on the morning of July 20 during the waning hours of the Republican National Convention, said at the time he would be working on the fund transfer. On July 27, Grand said, “It’s all going to get worked out. It’s not a problem and it’s not going to be a problem. Eric Holcomb is going to have plenty of money to run this race. A fair amount of it will come from the Mike Pence campaign.”

There doesn’t seem to be any public tension between Pence and Holcomb, who campaigned together in Columbus earlier this month. Holcomb is a loyal lieutenant to the vice presidential nominee. But that loyalty, in a financial sense, appears to be a one-way street as Holcomb’s condensed campaign hits a very early homestretch.


Well gee Brian! Why in the world would you think that Mike Pence gives a damn about anyone other than Mike Pence? If the rumors are to be believed that Mitch Daniels forced Mike Pence to appoint Eric Holcomb to be his Lt. Governor that would certainly lend credence to the theory floated by many that Pence and/or members of his team don't care if Holcomb wins the Governor's race or not! As far as we here are concerned the Indiana Fake Republican Party can all crash and burn!


Note to our readers: We have been having issues with blogger in regards to the font size of our posts. We will have this resolved as soon as we can. If any of you have any suggestions let us know!

Monday, August 22, 2016

Gregg Recieves Indiana FOP Endorsement while Holcomb's Campaign still stuck in neutral!

In a move that will be sure to irritate the still stalled gubernatorial campaign of Eric "Bagman" Holcomb. The Indiana Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed the gubernatorial campaign of Democrat John Gregg. OUCH! This combined with Holcomb's p!@s poor fundraising to date has caused us here at Indy Republican to wash our hands of the Holcomb ticket! Indy Republican's staff has convened and we have by overwhelming vote decided to not endorse any candidate for Governor this year! We reached this decision after having examined each candidate and found them wanting. All of us here as life-long Republicans have determined that no candidate now running for Governor is representative of the true principles of Republicanism we hold dear. The principles being free speech, limited government, and government transparency. By pledging to campaign on the record of faux conservative Mike Pence. Eric Holcomb has shown no willingness to make lawmakers emails open to the public. This coupled with his disgraceful conduct in his 2000 run for the state house, his part in costing Congressman John Hostettler his office in 2006, and his bullying ways as state chairman could explain in part why a man who was for several years the Chairman of the Indiana Republican Party is not getting much love on the campaign trail! Our advice to all Republican activists and voters is do not lift a finger to help Holcomb. This man was forced on us as the GOP standard bearer by party insiders. We the people were not consulted about this. Those of us who have worked hard for the Republican Party have been told we are not important. That is reason enough to not assist the party bosses by helping Holcomb become our next Governor!

UPDATE: An alert reader made us aware that the Indiana FOP endorsed John Gregg in 2012 and backed Mitch Daniels in 2008. One would have thought that Holcomb being a close Daniels lackey and sycophant would have been able to get the FOP's support!

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Useless Poser Eric Holcomb Picked As GOP Choice for Governor! Why The Indiana GOP Needs to Shape UP!

Yesterday the State Republican Central Committee voted to place Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb as the Republican Nominee for Governor to replace Governor Mike Pence on the November ballot. Hayleigh Colombo and the Associated Press in an article reporting on the selection of Holcomb delved into the question of who will be Holcomb's running mate on the November ticket:


Holcomb said he would soon seek a lieutenant governor candidate. Both (Susan) Brooks and (Todd) Rokita said they were interested in returning back to their seats in Congress when asked about taking the No. 2 spot on the ballot.


This is interesting that neither Congresswoman Brooks nor Congressman Todd Rokita would consider running for Lt. Governor in light of the fact that they were so publicly trying to run for the Governor's office! And since Susan Brooks is supposedly thought of as a good fundraiser and a good candidate! Apparently Brooks and Rokita are more content to stay in congress then play second fiddle to Holcomb!


Unfortunately we have no idea by how many votes each candidate received on the second and final ballot to fill Pence's ballot seat because as the article goes onto say:


Republican Party Jeff Cardwell refused to release the vote totals. The committee seemed to be pretty evenly split between Holcomb and Brooks. Former Republican State Rep. Mitch Harper tweeted at one point that the voting went to a second ballot, meaning no one got the majority on the first vote. The new nominee was required to earn 12 votes.


Now the INDY REPUBLICAN staff can understand why State GOP Chairman Cardwell wouldn't release the vote totals while the voting was taking place. But Good God! What possible reason is their to not release them after the voting is done and over with? Is Cardwell afraid people will think less of Holcomb if it was close on the second ballot?


The Democratic nominee for Governor John Gregg wasted no time in giving his reaction to the selection of Lt. Gov Holcomb as his new GOP opponent:


“I want to congratulate Eric Holcomb on this latest political appointment," Gregg said in a written statement issued by his campaign. "While there may be a new name on the ballot, the issues remain the same. For too many Hoosier families, wages aren’t keeping up and the good paying jobs we are losing aren’t being replaced. Eric Holcomb wholeheartedly embraced the failed approach that embarrassed our state, cost us jobs and has left the middle class behind. My economic plan sets our state on a new path forward, one that puts jobs and the middle class first.”


Holcomb had spent the better part of a year running for the GOP Nomination to replace retiring Senator Dan Coats. Holcomb had served as Coats Chief of Staff for several years. He lagged behind in fundraising despite having being Coats Chief of Staff and a former Indiana State Republican Chairman. Very telling that even with all that under his belt Holcomb raised so little that he dropped out and accepted the appointment to Lt. Governor after Democrat Republican Lt. Governor Sue Ellsperman ran like the wind accepted her position as President of IVY Tech State College.


As far as plans to how Holcomb plans to campaign for and how he will do the job as Governor assuming he is elected that is Holcomb had this to say:


When questioned what his plan was to increase his name identification across the state since he has never been elected to an office, Holcomb said he planned to travel the state and put out ads and mailers. Holcomb also said he believed the Donald Trump-Mike Pence presidential ticket was a “strong asset” to his campaign.


Regarding what his legislative agenda as Governor would be he said:


"The General Assembly will focus on what the General Assembly wants to focus on,” Holcomb said. “I look forward to working for them across the spectrum."
Holcomb said he wouldn’t “speculate” whether or not he would support legislation next year to add civil rights protections to LGBT Hoosiers.
“We’ll play it as it comes to my desk,” Holcomb said.


We will elaborate on Holcomb's campaign strategy shortly. Our initial reactions are that giving such vague, evasive answers as to what his agenda as Governor will be. It will only play into John Gregg's hands and allow Gregg to portray Holcomb as not being straight forward with the voters.


Not all Indiana Republicans reaction to the news of Eric Holcomb being tapped to run for Governor was positive. Faux Republican and Former Angie's List CEO Bill Oesterle according to a WISH-TV story was a strong backer of Congresswoman Susan Brooks unsuccessful attempt to run for Governor Oesterle's reaction to the Holcomb pick was negative to say the least:


“Between the abortion bill, the Ellsperman axing, and the Brooks passover, 2016 has been debilitating for GOP women. Makes me sick.”


It seems that the passage of time has not patched things up between Oesterle and Holcomb. In a previous post we documented the rift between the two old friends that started back when Holcomb agreed to be Mike Pence's running mate.


Another Republican this time a real one was also less than pleased by the selection of Holcomb. Indianapolis City-County Councilwoman Christine Scales whom is a hero to all of us here at the INDY REPULICAN staff. She also holds the distinction of being the only real Republican on the Indianapolis City-County Council took to Facebook yesterday to share her thoughts on Holcomb:




How electable is Eric Holcomb? How many votes has Eric Holcomb ever received running for office? None-he has never run for elected office. Very disappointed that one of the two other viable candidates-proven winners- weren't selected.
Susan Brooks possesses the resume and appeal needed to garner votes to defeat John Gregg. It's months like the past few that force me to seriously consider forming a new party-"Common Sense Republicans with Integrity".


Councilwoman Scales later made a correction after it was pointed out that Holcomb had run for State Rep in 2000 and lost badly in a race in an otherwise good year for Indiana Republicans. It is a testament to Councilwoman Scales integrity that she will state so openly what so many others in the Indiana Republican Party think but will not discuss. She is in a class with such fine Indiana Republicans like the late Gary Welsh, Paul Ogden, and Charlie White. All of us here at INDY REPUBLICAN wish that someday we will be worthy of being among this August group of men and women!


Tony Cook and Chelsea Schneider were kind enough to update an article they had written earlier this year about Eric Holcomb when he was picked for his current job as Lt. Governor. Mr. Cook and Ms. Schneider provided some details about Holcomb's life before he was Lt. Governor:


Holcomb, 47, earned his political stripes working for former U.S. Rep. John Hostettler, one of the nation’s most conservative congressmen.
The job proved a good training ground for political combat.
The district was known as the “Bloody Eighth” because of the nasty nature of its races. Hostettler made things even tougher because he refused to accept contributions from political action committees, forcing his team to rely on grassroots campaigning.
“He was always handicapped because he was financially the underdog,” said state Sen. Jim Banks, who also worked for Hostettler. “It was a very interesting place to learn about politics. Every two years was a tough fight.”
Hostettler managed to hold the office for 12 consecutive years – longer than anyone since the 1930s.
Banks credited Holcomb for much of Hostettler’s success.
“Eric and I probably drove in a car together for tens of thousands of miles, crisscrossing the rural communities,” he said. “I remember how Eric could talk to anybody. We would stop at diners and truck stops. He could connect with regular people… He was very instrumental to (Hostettler’s) organization.”


If as State Senator now Congressional Candidate Jim Banks says that Holcomb was "very instrumental to Hostettler's organization. Then it would only be fair to say that Holcomb should shoulder a lot of the blame as to why Hostettler lost his 2006 re election bud by 24 points! Seeing as how Holcomb was his campaign manager at the time! But wait there's more! Earlier in this post we mentioned how Holcomb had run and lost a 2000 election for state representative. Well Cook and Schneider cover that as well:


In 2000, while still working for Hostettler, Holcomb took a shot at elected office himself.
In the final days of the campaign for state representative, Holcomb published an ad in several local newspapers accusing his opponent, Democratic incumbent John Frenz, of supporting bestiality and obscene photographs of children. The basis for the accusation: Frenz had voted to fund the Kinsey Institute, which the ad described as “the largest library of pornography of its kind in the world.”
What Frenz had actually supported was merely the state budget bill, which included routine funding for Indiana University, home to the Kinsey Institute, a sex research center.
The ad was so outrageous it got written up in the Wall Street Journal.  Holcomb lost the election.


Here is a link to a Wall Street Journal article about that race it is behind a pay wall though: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB973548981661223018


Although as far as any of us here at the news desk is aware Holcomb has not accused any other candidates of being perverted. It is safe to assume given his abysmal fundraising performance during his ill fated Senate race this year. That apparently he has not learned very much in the way of fundraising or campaign management!


It has been said that Holcomb knows John Greggs record. Well here's a newsflash for Eric! Gregg also knows yours! And if Holcomb thinks the Democrats aren't going to attack his record then he is beyond help!


Last point we want to cover from Cook and Schneider then to move onto other shortcomings about good old Eric. From Cook and Schneider:


“Eric knows a whole lot about John Gregg and is going to be a great campaigner for the governor and the ticket this fall,” he said. “He makes the campaign much more able to respond to John Gregg’s charges and challenges, which we all know are forthcoming… I think he boosts the odds of re-election significantly.”
Oesterle’s response, however, raises some doubts. The former Daniels campaign manager called Holcomb’s decision to team with Pence “the most severe case of professional betrayal that I’ve encountered in my career.”
“Unfortunately, Eric is returning to his roots. In the name of personal gain, Eric has cast his lot with the side of religious zealotry,” he said. “You can’t – in this environment – satisfy those disparate interests and he’s made his choice. I think it’s going to serve to heighten the divides in the party. There was no way this move is going to unite the party. It has the appearance of a gimmick.”
Unsurprisingly, Democrats criticized Holcomb’s nomination. The state party released a statement highlighting Holcomb’s conservatism with the headline, “Who Is Eric Holcomb? Spoiler Alert: A Mike Pence Clone.”
Ultimately, only time will tell what kind of impact Holcomb will have on Pence’s re-election bid, said Laura Albright, a political scientist at University of Indianapolis.
“I think he has the capacity and ability to serve as a uniter. Whether he can fulfill that role, we will have to wait and see.”


There are some questions that Eric Holcomb needs to answer if he wants any chance of becoming our states next Governor. For starters: Why should he be trusted to manage the state when he so badly bungled John Hostettler's 2006 Campaign? Especially since it is claimed that he knew the district so well? Also if he really is so good at brining people together and he was such an outstanding State GOP Chair as is claimed by many why did he do so poorly raising money for his Senate race? Why didn't his Credentials as a former State GOP Chairman and Dan Coats former Chief of Staff fail to sway more people to help his campaign? Lastly if he was really so set on running for the US Senate why did he so readily agree to serve as Lt. Governor? Can he not make up his mind and stick with anything? Gary Welsh rest his soul tried to tell others what kind of man Holcomb is unfortunately nobody bothered to listen! We would also like to point out to our readers that Holcomb even took part in a "Hoosier Hunks on The Right" Calendar in 2010! What is complete silly about this is not only was Holcomb silly enough to wear rose colored pants for his photo! Worst of all they didn't even ask Gary Welsh, Charlie White or Paul Ogden to appear in the calendar!


Well folks that's all we at INDY REPUBLICAN have for now. Goodnight and God Bless!


UPDATE: We have just received word that Mike Pence may not be able to transfer the money he raised for his run for Governor to Holcomb! We will be watching this story and will bring you developments as they happen!



Thursday, July 14, 2016

Tim Swarens and Matt Tully's Puff Pieces for Mike Pence Show Why The Indianapolis Star Cannot be Saved!

The staff has decided to take a break from the Trump Veep Stakes Melodrama. Instead we wanted to take a hard look at how The Indianapolis Star's Propaganda Minister's Leading Political Writer's Tim Swarens and Matt "Ass Kisser" Tully spin report the news. Tim Swarens article in yesterday's Star "It's a win-win-win for Mike Pence". Timmy Boy is referring to all the media attention our fake conservative Governor Mike Pence has received as a result as his being considered a possible Vice Presidential candidate for Donald Trump. Swarens writes:


"One thing that seems certain is that Mike Pence will emerge as a political winner after his weeks-long flirtation with national prominence, regardless of whatever Trump announces in the next 48 hours."


Our initial reactions to this boneheaded statement are varied. Mostly we are wondering if Swarens is from Mars. Secondly, we hope the Star does not allow Timmy to handle any sharp objects! In what way is Pence going to emerge a winner?


Swarens goes onto say: "The fact that Pence is being pitched as the calm counterbalance to Trump--the adult in the room--also doesn't hurt his long-term prospects back home in Indiana and elsewhere."


With all due respect to Tim Swarens a charging rhino would appear more like an adult than Donald Trump! That is a very low hurdle to clear! Pence isn't exactly a saint for managing to act more mature than Donald Trump!


"I the governor is the pick and if Trump does win in November, then Pence naturally steps into the role of ambassador to Congress. Pence is only four years removed from 12 years on Capitol Hill, and he still has many friends in Congress, especially in the Republican caucuses."


So former US House Speaker Newt had more experience and connections in Congress then Pence did why not pick him instead?


Swarens predicts that if Mike Pence is picked to run with Trump and Trump loses that: "The governor still has a good chance to emerge as a winner, as long as Trump isn't trounced in a Walter Mondale-type landslide. In the wake of a Hillary Clinton victory, a bruised GOP establishment would be searching for ways to hold on to the new and disaffected voters that Trump has inspired. Pence could position himself, with Trump's blessing, as the bridge between the old Republican tribe and the new."


If Trump picks Pence and the ticket loses the Presidential Race this year. Both Trump and Pence's political careers are toast! The GOP after losing the White House to Hillary Clinton will run away from Trump. And if Pence is lucky he becomes an answer to a Trivial Pursuit question! Losing VP Candidates almost always fare worse than losing Presidential candidates do. Who remembers who Adlai Stevenson's running mates where in 1952 and 1956 when he ran against Eisenhower? Or how many people remember that Henry Cabot Lodge ran on the ticket with Nixon when he narrowly lost the White House in 1960? Yes it's true Mitt Romney's running mate Congressman Paul Ryan is the Speaker of the House but Ryan ran for both his House seat and VP at the same time and won his House race. If a Trump-Pence ticket loses Pence has no elected office to return to! His old congressional seat is held by another Republican, and he is not well placed to run for either the Senate in 2018 against Joe Donnelly or for Governor again!


"Finally," Swarens writes "if Trump ultimately says, "Sorry, Mike, but I love my Newt," then Pence is still a winner. He's likely helped himself in what's expected to be a close governor's race not only because of all the media attention but also because he was embraced by his party's popular in Indiana nominee before several thousand voters in Hamilton County."


If Trump does not pick Pence the Democrats will attack him relentlessly for trying to ditch his job as Governor to be Vice President!


"John Gregg, meanwhile, fades deeper into the shadows cast not only by Pence's dance in the spotlight but also Evan Bayh's sudden realization that he really does love serving in the U.S. Senate. (What does Poor John have to do to earn a bit of attention around here?)


"So no matter what thoughts about a running mate are ruminating in the mind of Donald Trump, Pence has likely helped himself considerably on the political front by agreeing to audition for a promotion."


"Count it as a rare win-win-win for Mike Pence. A sitting governor struggling to win re-election less than a month ago is on a political roll today."


John Gregg has been out campaigning endlessly for governor! He has been hitting the County Fairs and having frequent ads up. Yes he has received less coverage during the Pence and Bayh incidents this past week or so. But he has hardly been invisible!


For more salivating over Pence here is more mindless rubbish from Ass Kisser Matt Tully. Tully focuses more on Pence's potential as a VP candidate in contrast to Tim Swarens who just lavishes unwarranted praise on Mike Pence for being part of Trump's VP Audition.


Tully talks about Pence's Tuesday night speech in Westfield at a Donald Trump fundraiser. He quotes Pence as saying: "Donald Trump knows that we can make America great again," "Hillary Clinton must never become the president of the United States of America," "It would be extremely careless to elect Hillary Clinton."


What else did Tully think Pence was going to say about Hillary Clinton? It is not that different at all from what other Republicans like Newt Gingrich or Chris Christie have been saying about her! Why does this make Pence any more well suited to be VP than Gingrich or Christie?


Tully next quotes from Donald as saying "Who the hell knows?" Regarding Pence being his VP Choice. More from Tully's pen: "Pence certainly didn't hurt humself and he will be the guy if Trump is looking for a second banana who won't attempt to upstage him, who will seemingly do and say exactly as told, and whose calm demeanor will provide balance to a fiery ticket."


Who does Tully think could possibly be able to upstage Donald Trump at this time? If Houdini rose from the dead on national television tomorrow he wouldn't get as much attention as Trump has! It is highly doubtful that anybody thinks that whoever gets picked Donald's running mate is going to even come close to upstaging him!


"Can Pence perform in the role of running mate? It appears he can. Can he play the attack role of so many running mates past? Well, not as well as some for whom that comes naturally, but he can do it. Does he help the ticket? I'm not sure."


Earth to Tully: After Pence totally bungled the RFRA and Just In issues what is there to show that he would handle the national spotlight better? Especially since he will have reporters prodding him and poking him, and looking into his background unlike anything he has went through before!


" Pence is a key member of the religious and socially conservative political right."


True he was in the past. But Tully obviously has been in a coma for the last decade and has failed to notice religious and social conservatives irritation at Pence over his back tracking on RFRA, his support of Common Core Lite, etc. These issues will come out in a national campaign! The Democratic Party no doubt already has reams of opposition research they are willing to unload on Pence in order to cause the Trump ticket as much trouble as possible!


Tully's last observation that we wish to share with you is: "Funny thing is, even in the middle of Indiana, most of the Trump supporters I (Matt Tully) spoke with Tuesday night said they hoped Trump would pick as his running mate not their home state's governor but rather Gingrich the former Speaker of the U.S. House."


Again Tully if many Hoosier Republicans don't want Pence to run for VP why would the voters throughout the rest of the country see any reason to want Pence on the Trump ticket at all?


As all of you can see after going through all the silliness that passes for thoughtful writing at The Indianapolis Star. It is no surprise that the paper is losing readers and it is only a matter of time until it ceases to exist all together. If Dick Cady happens across this we only hope that he is happy that he is no longer employed by the useless rag his former employer has become!




UPDATE: According to various news reports Donald Trump is expected to announce tomorrow at 11 AM that Governor Mike Pence will be his running mate. WISH-TV has a story about that on it's website at this time click here. Also WISH-TV is reporting that earlier today that former Indiana Governor and current Purdue University President Mitch Daniels has issued a statement saying that he is not going to run for Governor if that job should become open you can read about that here.


The John Gregg for Governor Campaign also chimed in about Pence likely being picked to run for Vice President in a fundraising email sent out earlier this evening by the Gregg Campaign they had this to say:


"The headlines say Governor Pence is Trump's VP pick. But Trump's campaign refuses to confirm.
Either way, we need to be ready.
If Pence isn't chosen, it's up to us to end his time as governor. And if he is chosen, we need to show all potential challengers that we're more than ready to take them on.
These back-and-forth rumors are a distraction from what's really important: We must keep fighting to build a better future for Indiana.
Governor Pence may be in the headlines now, but by chipping in right away, you can make sure that the big news in Indiana is a John Gregg win in November.
Thanks,
Jeff Harris
Communications Director
Gregg for Governor"

INDY REPUBLICAN is still slightly skeptical of Pence having been picked as VP for Trump. Even though he has flown out to New Jersey where Trump is supposed to announce his running mate tomorrow. Trump through out the primaries and to this day has shown himself to be very unpredictable and this may all still be a publicity stunt of some kind. The Gregg campaign is wise to keep the focus on Indiana and the race for Governor. Even if Pence does run for VP it maybe near a month until the voters know who the new Republican Candidate for Governor will be. During that time Gregg can keep his name in the news, promote his plans as Governor and expand his volunteer base. We at the INDY REPUBLICAN news desk wouldn't be surprised if Gregg uses this time to keep building up his profile and Campaign infrastructure. Whoever the Republican Candidate for Governor turns out to be will have to get a state wide campaign up and running very quickly!