Jim "Shill" Shella to Retire! Thank You God!

Hello everyone out there in cyberspace! Hope you are all having a great day. INDY REPULICAN sure as hell is! Earlier this week in article by Anthony Schoetle writing in the Indianapolis Business Journal announced that after spinning reporting on Statehouse matters since 1982. Good old Jim "Shill" Shella has decided to run like hell retire from WISH-TV. Also Shella will be leaving Indiana Week in Review aka "Pravda Week in Review" on November 18th. He has been the political establishment's propaganda minister on IWIR for 21 years now. Here are some highlights of Anthony Schoetle's article we would like to share with you as well as INDY REPULICAN'S thoughts as well about the story:


Shella is departing WISH as its parent company, Media General Inc., is about to be acquired by Nexstar Broadcasting Group Inc. But Shella said he is not being forced out. In fact, he said he was offered another contract.


Shella told IBJ that “family considerations” are a factor in his retirement decision and he looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Connie, and their 38-year-old daughter, Katherine.


Our response to Shella saying he is not being forced out is: Bulls--t! If he wasn't being forced out then he had no reason to bring it up. And as far as "family considerations" go. Everyone who has any experience with people in public life know to often when someone is forced to leave or step down from a position against there will they always site family reasons as one of the main cover stories. Also very popular are health reasons. So if it is hard for all of us here to believe Shella it is mostly due to the fact that he is a hack reporter who spends his time sucking up to those in power rather than being a real journalist. We will get more in depth with that here shortly. Many of us remember Jim Shella's complete lack of professionalism and his out-and-out hit piece on the Revolt at the Statehouse back in 2009 put on by Paul Ogden, Mark Small, the late Gary Welsh and several others. For those of you who do not remember, or never heard of what transpired back in 2009 we refer you to Paul Ogden's account of the event here, as well as Gary Welsh's excellent post in which he refers to Jim Shella as a "washed up hack".


Schoetle goes onto share what some of Shella's colleagues at Pravda Indiana Week in Review say about Jim Shella.:


“If there was an Indiana political reporters’ hall of fame, Jim Shella would be going in immediately on the first ballot,” said Mike McDaniel, a former Republican state chairman and a regular on "Indiana Week in Review" for 21 years. “He’s among the best—and I’m not just talking about TV reporters—of any political reporters.”
Former Indiana Democratic Chairwoman Ann DeLaney said Shella was known for a wicked sense of humor, booming laughter and an irreverence that made him unafraid to ask difficult questions.
“He has the memory, institutional knowledge and lack of reverence to be an effective Statehouse reporter—the dean of Statehouse reporters,” said DeLaney, who has been a regular on "Indiana Week in Review" since Shella started with the show. “He has a healthy dose of skepticism. He’s not afraid to let that show. So he asks better questions and as a consequence, gets better stories.”


DeLaney said there isn’t a state lawmaker that doesn’t know—and respect—Shella. But his appeal goes beyond that, she added.
“He will be missed far beyond the Statehouse,” DeLaney said. “I get comments from the grocery clerk and the mailman about the topics we discuss on 'Indiana Week in Review.' Those are the people that Jim has helped bring the issues to.
“Through his reporting on [WISH] and his role with 'Indiana Week in Review,' he helps to drive the discussion on important topics across the state,” she added. “He’s been able to frame the discussion for 25 years. That’s a pretty significant impact.”


No doubt McDaniel and DeLaney are extremely grateful to Shella for not doing any actual investigate reporting! McDaniel is grateful that Shella bent over backwards in an unsuccessful attempt to try to save former U.S. Senator Richard Lugar's worthless butt, when it was revealed back in 2011-2012 that Lugar had not lived in Indiana since 1977!


Anne DeLaney is glad that Shella has always sucked up to her boss Evan "I am not a lobbyist" Bayh". She is also no doubt very pleased that Shella never delved into the circumstances surrounding the incident in late 2009 where her husband State Rep. Ed Delaney was attacked by Gus Mendehall. That incident is to complicated to go into in this post. Instead we will gladly direct your attention to REAL Investigative Work involving the Mendenhall-DeLaney row here:


Gary Welsh's Post's:


DeLaney Vs. Mendenhall: http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2009/11/delaney-versus-mendenhall.html




Ed DeLaney's Twisting & Turning!: http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2009/11/another-odd-twist-in-delaney-versus.html




Common Sense to Ed DeLaney Shut the Hell up!: http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2009/11/shouldnt-someone-tell-ed-delaney-to.html


Paul Ogden has provided information about what occurred from Mendenhall's point of view.


Paul Ogden's Post's:


The Mendenhall Chronicles:


Prologue: http://www.ogdenonpolitics.com/2011/01/mendenhall-chronicles-prologue.html




Part One: http://www.ogdenonpolitics.com/2011/01/mendenhall-chronicles-part-i.html




Part Two: http://www.ogdenonpolitics.com/2011/01/mendenhall-chronicles-part-ii.html


Part Three: http://www.ogdenonpolitics.com/2011/01/mendenhall-chronicles-part-iii.html


Part Four: http://www.ogdenonpolitics.com/2011/01/mendenhall-chronicles-part-iv.html


Part Five: http://www.ogdenonpolitics.com/2011/03/mendenhall-chronicles-part-v-trial.html






Also be sure to checkout Dick Cady's memoir "Deadline Indianapolis" for a look at how a real journalist would cover the DeLaney's. Needless to say Ed, Anne, Bayh, & Lugar do not come out looking that good in Cady's book.


Turns out that even though "Shill" Shella is leaving his positions at WISH-TV and IWIR we may not be hearing the last of him. The IBJ article ends with these words about Shella's life after television:


Shella said while he’s retiring from full-time work, he’s leaving the door open to other opportunities.
Shella said there’s a possibility he could make special appearances on WISH “to make commentary on political events.”
Shella also said he’s been approached about taking other positions.
“I’ve had overtures,” he said. “I haven’t pursued anything. I won’t say I won’t try something else, maybe on a part-time basis. I just think it’s time to pursue a new chapter.”


We would like to close this post with some parting thoughts all of us here share. If Shella thinks just because of the unfortunate demise of Gary Welsh. That he is going to get away with his endless spin doctoring of the news for the powers that be. He is sorely mistaken! Not going to happen Jim! To many of us are onto you! But in the spirit of honesty a regular reader of our blog asked us to share something special that they have to say to you. Are you ready Jim? Here it is:










On a lighter note in the immortal words of Kool & The Gang: Celebrate Everybody! This is the staff at INDY REPUBLICAN saying good night and God bless! If anyone is interested our some members of the staff also perform as entertainment at weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs!


Celebrate:

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!

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!

Hallelujah! Ogden on Politics is Back!

Everyone if we can have your attention! We have just received word that Ogden on Politics is back up and running! Our prayers have been answered! For more information read it straight from the source himself right here. Congratulations on getting your blog back Paul! You have resumed your place along with Jon Easter, the late great Gary Welsh, and Charlie White as being the undisputed kings of Indiana Political Commentators!

Help Paul Ogden Get His Blog Back!

INDY REPUBLICAN implores everyone who reads this blog to render assistance to Paul Ogden whose blog Ogden on Politics was for some reason not auto renewed as it should have been! If any of you happen to be or know anyone who is an IT specialist help Mr. Ogden restore his blog! Paul Ogden's voice is desperately needed especially now in Indiana! Do not let Paul's blog go down! Help him in anyway you can!


Thank you for your attention!

State GOP Chariman Jeff Cardwell under fire for using his position to promote his hardware store!

In today's Behind Closed Door column on Indystar Tony Cook has once again wrote another great piece of work. Tony Cook writes:


Several prominent Republicans told IndyStar they've been bombarded with emails hawking factory direct roofing, aluminum ladders, key cutting and Weber grills. One email even encourages recipients to "Join Our Team!!" — not as a campaign canvasser or political donor, but as a part-time cashier at Cardwell Home Center on the south side.
What bothers some of those Republicans is that it appears Cardwell is using the party's political email lists for his personal business and for a nonprofit he runs called People Helping People.


What bothers us at INDY REPUBLICAN is Cardwell's Home Center so hard up for workers that he feels the need to use his political emails as want ads?


Cook continues:


"I've heard numerous complaints," said Republican strategist Megan Robertson. "It's not his list to use. Campaign workers, candidates and donors across the state put in countless hours and dollars to advocate for the Republican Party, not a hardware store."
The email lists have distinctly political titles. The list to which some of the emails were sent was titled "Marion County WC VWC PC" — presumably abbreviations for ward chairmen, vice ward chairmen and precinct committeemen. Other lists were titled "Indiana State Convention Delegates" and "Precinct Committeemen."


Although INDY REPUBLICAN has no particular fondness for Megan Robertson as we have stated before concerning her OWI arrest and her past work on behalf of Mayor Greg "Boss Hogg" Ballard! For once Megan has a valid point about something. The State GOP Chairman should not be using party resources to promote his private business ventures! It's interesting to us though that she would be the one to criticize Cardwell seeing as when he was on the Indianapolis City-County Council he was one of Ballard's top lackeys!




Tony Cook then brings the article on home with this screenshot from an email of Cardwell's and some follow up information on the blurry lines between Cardwell's political and business activities:

Screenshot of Cardwell Home Center email. (Photo: Tony Cook)

The mixture of Cardwell's personal business and political responsibilities was also evident on a state party email soliciting donations ahead of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. While that email was political in nature, the disclaimer at the bottom attributed it to "Cardwell Home Center."
Cardwell didn't return messages from IndyStar seeking comment.


We all wish we could say we are surprised by Cardwell's shenanigans sorry to say that we are not! INDY REPUBLICAN tips our hats to Tony Cook for reporting this story and for doing what a responsible journalist should do by informing the public about people in position of political power in our society. This makes us think just how badly Eric Holcomb and Tim Berry were at chairing the Indiana Republican Party if Governor Mike Pence decided to replace them with this loser! Also for years real Hoosiers like Gary Welsh, Paul Ogden and Pat Andrews have been raising alarm bells about what kind of person Jeff Cardwell is! We will close this post by providing links to two posts about Cardwell. If you want to see Cardwell get his butt chewed on take a look at this story by Gary Welsh that has a link to a video of the great citizen activist Pat Andrews chiding Cardwell for his promotion of endless tax hikes! Also take a look at Ms. Andrews blog Had Enough Indy? 


And for Paul Ogden's take on Cardwell checkout this classic post entitled: "Did Jeff Cardwell Sell his Political Soul for a Spot on the Council?" The answer is Yes he did Paul! Once again we would like to thank all of you out there for reading what we all post here. This is INDY REPUBLICAN saying to everyone out there have a good rest of the week and always stand up for yourselves!

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!

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!

Eric Holcomb to Mike Pence: "SHOW ME THE MONEY! MY CAMPAIGN IS DYING ON THE VINE!"

We at INDY REPUBLICAN hope all of you reading this post had a great weekend. Most of the staff here did. As promised we are continuing to look into the melodrama surrounding the issue of Governor Mike Pence's $7.4 Million war chest. And to the extent that the funds can be used to help Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb's floundering gubernatorial campaign to replace Mike Pence. Before we get into that we would like to direct our readers attention to a couple of great posts written by fellow blogger Jon Easter at Indy Democrat. The posts cover matters relating to the Governor's race and can be found here and here. Now let's get down to business and explore the demonic world that is Indiana Politics! To guide us in our holy quest we shall start with an article written by Brian Howey of Howey Political Report fame. Howey's article written on August 12th, 2016 is titled The elusive Pence money Eric Holcomb needs. Howey recounts that on July 19th at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland that Lt. Gov Holcomb gave the vice presidential nominating speech for Mike Pence the man that Holcomb wishes to succeed as Governor. Holcomb is quoted as saying:

"“Tonight I have the privilege to nominate a man I have known for decades and a man America is just getting to know. In Indiana some know Mike Pence as congressman. Others know him as governor. But back home most know him as Mike.”
In addition to Mike Pence being nominated for Vice President there was then a serious chance affected in regards to what could legally be done with the funds that Mike Pence had raised in his aborted reelection campaign for Governor. Howey writes:

"The gubernatorial campaign of Pence which had reported $7.4 million on June 30, came under Federal Election Commission guidelines. Had Pence and his campaign finance director Marty Obst transferred a good chunk of that money not already committed to the Indiana Republican Party, the Republican Governors Association, or Holcomb, who Pence would endorse to replace him as gubernatorial nominee on July 22, Holcomb would be running TV ads these days introducing himself to voters, most who don’t have any idea who he is."




The failure of Pence and finance director Marty Obst to transfer the money to some group that could have given it to Holcomb has been a huge problem for the Holcomb campaign. Especially since Holcomb had only raised about $20,000 to that point while John Gregg had raised over $10 million.

Howey asked Holcomb about the matter and the reply was: "You'll have to ask him." Buckle up this is where this really gets to be a bumpy ride! Howey says that early last week he had been told by

"an informed and reliable Holcomb campaign source speaking on background told me that about $5 million of the Pence funds would eventually shift to the new nominee. “It’s safe to say that somewhere in the ball park of $5 million will come via direct transfers, in-kind or other legally permissible ways,” the source said. “No one really knows the full amount at this point.”

The Holcomb campaign is quoted by Howey as saying that “The folks over at the Pence campaign knew about this possible scenario and they were prepared for this. They were not caught flat-footed. They knew they would have to have a plan” to transfer funds.

INDY REPUBLICAN is skeptical to say the least that the Pence campaign were prepared for this and had a way to deal with this situation. If that is the case why was this plan not implemented immediately to help Holcomb out? Was the Pence campaign deliberately trying to sabotage Eric Holcomb's bid for Governor? If they had a plan it seems they would have just taken care of this issue already instead of allowing it to keep festering, causing a major headache for Holcomb and the Indiana Republican Party, and continuing to be an overall PR nightmare for Hoosier Republicans! Gary Welsh wrote on his blog back in 2012 about some Republicans that were worried about Mike Pence's campaign having hired Marty Obst to work on his campaign since he had formerly worked for indicted real estate businessman John Bales. Welsh went onto write later in 2012 that Obst had left the Pence Campaign and then went to work fundraising for both then Senator Lugar's failed bid for re nomination and Mitt Romney's failed campaign for President.

Given the information about how Obst had strong ties to John Bales and how he also failed miserably in his attempts to help Lugar's Senate Primary bid and Mitt Romney's Presidential Campaign. Why in the world does anyone at Holcomb's campaign have confidence in anything that Obst does or says? We sure do not!

Holcomb and Company better hope that Obst who has now transitioned over to the Trump-Pence ticket has his act more together than he has in the past. According to Howey the situation is dire for Holcomb:

On July 29, the Pence campaign transferred $1.24 million to Holcomb. Thus far at this writing on Aug. 11, with just 89 days before the election, that’s been it. The Pence campaign is essentially shutting down, with key members getting out of Dodge before the door slammed their keisters. No one from the Trump/Pence campaign has returned a phone call, email or text.

The timing is critical. Holcomb’s name ID is under 20 percent, compared to Gregg who stands at 61 percent and has been advertising statewide on TV since May 5. A Gregg campaign internal poll Howey Politics Indiana obtained this week had Gregg leading Holcomb 46-39 percent. If I’m Holcomb, those a decent numbers to build on since Gregg has been campaigning for two years, and Holcomb for less than a month.

But timing is critical. Holcomb has about a six week window to introduce himself to voters, build up name ID and attempt to define Gregg in an unflattering light. By early October, the U.S. Senate race between Evan Bayh and Todd Young will be on a path to eclipse the $50 million spent by and on behalf of Dick Lugar, Richard Mourdock and Joe Donnelly in 2012 and it will be dominating the airwaves, as will the Trump and Clinton campaigns. Holcomb will have to get his message out amid the din of other races. The early arrival of the Pence funds would be critical.





To make matters even worse the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) released a memo on August 10th that the idea of transferring $5 million from the Pence to the Holcomb campaign "appears to be the latest in a long line of legally questionable moves made by Indiana Republicans. When first informed that federal law restricted Pence from transferring his $7.5 million campaign account to Eric Holcomb, the initial response from Indiana Republicans was denial."


Niki Kelly of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette writing on July 27th in her article "'Complications' on Pence money." States that:


Jim Bopp, a GOP attorney and campaign finance expert, initially told The Journal Gazette that state law has no prohibitions on Pence giving his campaign dollars to other state races, and federal law doesn’t apply. But after reviewing several Federal Election Commission advisory opinions he clarified.
“I still think generally what I said was true but obviously there are complications that I’ll be working through. I’ll do my best to figure it out,” Bopp said.

This seriously calls into question claims that the Pence Campaign had carefully looked at the issue of how their campaign funds could legally be transferred to Holcomb! Jim Bopp is regarded even by his legal adversaries as being a very good lawyer and is know for doing his legal homework. So obviously he wasn't asked to look at this matter until after Pence received the Vice Presidential nod. So if the Pence campaign had this issue looked into before why didn't they just have them speak with Mr. Bopp to clear this up? Which would be the sensible thing to do since Bopp has been asked by the Indiana Republican Party to look into this!

Niki Kelly in another article "Rules impede Pence's donation" written on August 4th mentions a donation that had been sent by Governor Mike Pence to Lt. Gov Holcomb she mentions:



The donation was oddly precise – $1,248,492.04 – which could be related to the additional federal rules complicating the contributions.
It is unclear whether this is the only money that will be given to Holcomb from Pence, whose team did not respond to email and phone calls. Holcomb’s campaign deferred to Pence.
Pence had $7.5 million on hand as of June 30, but several Federal Election Commission rulings suggested he could not transfer a large portion of that – possibly as much as two-thirds, considering the number of large donors Pence had.
Even with the infusion of cash, Holcomb is fighting an uphill battle – trying to raise money and name recognition with less than 100 days until the election.
Democrat John Gregg had $5.8 million on hand as of June 30. Since then, he has collected $824,000 in large donations, but records of his spending during that time aren’t public.

 Addressing the issues of the Holcomb/Crouch ticket seeking to obtain $5 million from direct transfers, in-kind contributions (contributions of goods or services such as lodging, office equipment, etc.) or other means the DGA Memo states:



it appears the Republican’s latest “plan” would violate the law if implemented:

1. Federal law provides that “only donations from permissible sources that comply with the Act’s contribution limits may be used to make [] disbursements … to [] non-Federal candidates.” FEC Adv. Op. 2007-26 (Schock).


Pence appears to have transferred his federally permissible funds to Holcomb’s campaign, after the “oddly precise” initial transfer of $1,248,492.04.


2. The article suggests that the Pence campaign may try to make “in-kind” contributions to get around the restrictions. But in-kind contributions, like monetary contributions, are “subject to the source prohibitions and amount limitations of the Act.” FEC Adv. Op. 2006-4 (Tancredo).


If the Pence campaign purchases a good or service with funds that are not federally permissible, and provides that to Holcomb’s campaign, that violates federal law.

None of the staff at INDY REPUBLICAN are members of the bar. But according to our legal contacts it would appear that the above statement about Pence already having made the above mentioned transfer being all they are allowed to transfer directly to Holcomb by federal law is most likely correct. So it appears likely that avenue has already been exhausted. Also it would appear to be problematic at best for the Pence campaign to try to make in-kind contributions to the Holcomb campaign because purchasing goods or services with funds that are not authorized by Federal law would be a violation of the law. Now if it is unlawful to provide those types of contributions to the Holcomb campaign. It maybe unlawful to receive such contributions. Which would appear to cause another significant issue for both campaigns!

3. The article suggests that there are “legally permissible ways,” other than direct transfers, to move $5 million from Pence’s campaign to Holcomb’s. An unnamed source in an earlier article argued that in the case of individuals who had contributed over the federal limit, funds in excess of the $2,700 limit “could be returned to the donor, who could then donate it back to the Holcomb campaign.”

a. But the FEC addressed that possibility in 2007 and rejected it. In response to Congressman Schock’s request to refund the money to donors, the FEC wrote that “[t]he funds identified to be refunded may not also form the basis to fund another disbursement under the proposals outlined in questions 1, 2, and 3 [which involved proposed contributions to state/local party committees and candidates.” See FEC Adv. Op. 2007-26.  

In other words, refunds cannot be provided to donors with the understanding that those funds will, in turn, be provided to the Holcomb campaign.

b. Violating this rule is not only a problem for the Pence campaign; it is also a liability for donors. Federal law provides that, “[n]o person shall make a contribution in the name of another person or knowingly permit his name to be used to effect such a contribution.” 52 U.S.C. § 30122.  

If the Pence campaign provides a refund to the donor with the understanding that those funds will be contributed to the Holcomb campaign, the donor has knowingly permitted his name to effectuate a transfer from the Pence campaign to the Holcomb campaign.

Here again is another problem this time for donors to Pence's original campaign. The donor's might be willing to help Pence out with another candidate if he were to ask. But it is unlikely that any of them are going to risk legal trouble just to help Holcomb out!

4. Federal law also prohibits federal candidates from “financing” an entity that raises or spends non-federal funds. See 11 C.F.R. § 300.60(d). A candidate “finances” another entity when his campaign “provide[s] funds in a significant amount” to that entity. See FEC Adv. Op. 2006-4. In that advisory opinion, the FEC determined that the federal candidate would be “financing” another entity when the candidate’s campaign donated $50,000 to the entity and that $50,000 comprised 25% of the entity’s overall receipts.


So if the funds provided by Pence’s campaign comprise 25% or more of the Holcomb campaign’s funds, then the Pence campaign would be “financing” the Holcomb campaign. And the Holcomb campaign would then be limited to raising federal funds ($2,700 per election).


5. When the Pence campaign refunds money to donors, it must do so on a pro rata basis. I.C. 3-9-1-12(f)(1)(E) provides that campaign funds may be distributed back to “[c]ontributors to the committee, on a pro rata basis” upon dissolution. Because the Pence campaign had already spent a chunk of the money it had raised, it means that Pence may not refund 100 percent of the funds that the RGA contributed to his campaign.


6. Governor Pence (and his agents) may not solicit donors to contribute more than $2,700 to Holcomb’s campaign. The McCain-Feingold law allows federal candidates to solicit funds for nonfederal campaigns only up to the federal limit and only from federally permissible sources. See FEC Adv. Op. 2005-2 (“Pursuant to 2 U.S.C. 441i(e)(1)(B) and 11 CFR 300.62, Senator Corzine and his agents may raise up to $2,100 per election5 from an individual donor for a candidate for State or local office.”).

At this point we here are just fighting the urge to pull our hair out! So to sum up not only does it appear that the Pence Team cannot give anymore in direct donations to the Holcomb Campaign. Trying to help with In-Kind Contributions also appears to be a no go! Refunding the money to the donor's is also unlikely to work very well at all! But now if the funds provided by the Pence campaign were to wind up comprising 25% or more of the Holcomb campaigns funds then the Pence campaign by federal law would be "financing" Holcomb's Campaign. And this would subject the Holcomb campaign to raising federal funds and would significantly limit how much anyone person or group could donate to Holcomb's Campaign. The Pence Campaign apparently cannot refund 100% of the money that the Republican Governor's Association (RGA) gave to them! Also with Governor Pence and anyone acting on his behalf being very limited in what funds they can solicit for Holcomb. It would appear that even if a "fix" is found for getting another $5 million from Pence to Holcomb. This appears to be a case where any "cure" would probably hurt Holcomb worse than the Pence "disease"!

It appears that regardless of how this election turns out that the Democratic Party is not going to just simply let Pence and Holcomb slither around campaign finance laws! Now in far to many cases in the past the Daniels Gang of which Holcomb is a member of could count on the Democrats not pursuing this so relentlessly because of the useless hacks that have been appointed to the US Attorney's Office in Indianapolis since the 1970's! And by the elites of both political parties in Indiana threating to go full bore at each other. But because both Todd Young and Evan Bayh are throwing the kitchen sink at each other in their pursuit of being elected into the Senate. All bets are off! Since neither the Republicans or Democrats are willing to lose the Senate race. Unless Young and Bayh decide to start trying to defeat each other using warm feelings. Holcomb is stuck dealing with Mike Pence's screw-ups!

So word to the wise for all of you aspiring politicians out there. Do not ever rely on Mike Pence or anyone he hires to help your campaign! You will regret it! As for Holcomb and his campaign if you are silly enough to keep up this three ring circus of a campaign than you deserve to lose in the mother of all landslides! Have fun reading the want ads! There certainly has to be a position out there for out of work political hacks!

Hoosier Lottery Contractor Finally Meets it's Goals after three years! Or More Pain for the Taxpayers from former Govenor Mitch "Little Man Hack" Daniels

In an article that appeared on the Indianapolis Business Journal's website in June. Hayleigh Colombo wrote how for the first time IGT Indiana (formerly GTECH Indiana) will meet its contractually obligated goals at managing the Indiana Lottery. Colombo goes onto say that it is "largely because the goals are lower than they used to be." In June 2015 the Hoosier Lottery Commission changed it's contract with IGT which reduced the revenue goals the company set when it originally bid to takeover management of the state lottery in 2012. As originally agreed IGT would have had to meet a revenue goal of $365 Million as opposed to the $270 Million target they have to reach now. We here at INDY REPUBLICAN are asking the question if IGT has not been able to meet their revenue targets from 2013 to 2015. And the company has had to keep making penalty payments to the state for the years they failed to meet the target. Why renegotiate the contract to make it easier for IGT to hit their target? Why not just fire them altogether? Remember folks when IGT signed the deal in 2012 to take over management of the Hoosier Lottery they agreed to make $365 Million in net income for the state or make penalty payments to the state. So one would think that IGT should have thought they were capable of making those original obligations. If IGT didn't think so then they should have either negotiated a better deal in 2012 or better yet not sign the contract at all! Isn't it interesting that this deal was inked during the time of Governor "Godfather" Mitch Daniels! Of course you won't hear or see any of the Indianapolis Press calling Mitch out on this! Like Matt Tully and the rest of the Circle Jerk Club they are to busy selling their souls to do their jobs! Let's all just keep ratcheting the pressure up until the Republicrat Establishment is smashed in Indianapolis!

Pence Team Drop's the Ball Potentially Derailing Holcomb's Campaign for Governor!

As stated in our last post. It appears Eric Holcomb the Republican nominee for Governor, may not be able to get much financial aid from Mike Pence's abandoned gubernatorial campaign.  In an article for the Indianapolis Star by Tony Cook written on July 26, 2016. Mr. Cook discusses how Eric Holcomb might be barred by federal law from being able to use most of Governor Mike Pence's campaign funds that Pence has left over from his 2016 Governor's campaign. Cook writes:


The bulk of the $7.4 million in campaign cash that Pence had in the bank at the end of last month would not be available to Holcomb in his run for governor, said Larry Noble, a former general counsel to the Federal Election Commission.
"Someone running for federal office cannot use contributions from their state account that would exceed the federal contribution limit," he explained.
Noble, who now works for the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, said Pence could give the restricted campaign money to charity or return it to donors.
Holcomb had only $20,000 in his own campaign account at the end of June, and he raised significantly less than his two primary opponents during an abandoned run for Senate earlier this year.
His top two competitors for the nomination for governor, U.S. Reps. Susan Brooks and Todd Rokita, boasted more money and better fundraising track records.
With about 100 days left before the Nov. 8 election, Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg has $5.8 million in his campaign coffers, according to the most recent campaign finance filings.
Holcomb banked heavily on Pence's endorsement — and the campaign cash that could come with it — in his pitch to the state Republican central committee, which voted to nominate him Tuesday.
"That unambiguous demonstration of confidence by our Governor is significant," Holcomb wrote to the 22-member committee last week. "I know from speaking directly with him that his support is not symbolic, but rather it is a commitment to the financial backing, staffing, and resources available through the Mike Pence for Indiana Campaign Committee. That is something no other candidate in this race can boast, and Gov. Pence has made it crystal clear that he will assist me in maintaining control of the Governor’s office."
A spokesman for Holcomb's campaign declined to comment, referring questions to Pence's campaign.


All of us here at Indy Republican find this situation to be nothing less than a complete blunder on the part of the Pence campaign. As much as we would all like to blame Eric Holcomb for this. In all honesty and fairness this was a matter for Mike Pence and his campaign staff to handle and they all failed miserably! We all here know that if we were in Holcomb's place we would be extremely irritated at Governor Pence and his campaign staff. Especially in light of the fact that Holcomb only has a little more than $20,000 in his campaign account. While John Gregg reported $5.8 million in his campaign account! Also the Republican State Central Committee has good cause to be frustrated since no doubt. One of the main reasons they picked Holcomb was because of Governor Pence's endorsement of Holcomb and the committee and Holcomb understandably being led to believe that a noticeable amount of financial and campaign assistance would be available to Holcomb via the Pence Campaign!


Marc Lotter, a spokesman for Pence's vice presidential campaign, did not dispute Noble's analysis, which is based on two FEC advisory opinions from 2003 and 2007.
"Our legal team is looking into all the relevant statutes that may apply in this situation, and the governor has always said he will adhere to the letter of the law," Lotter said.
"One thing I can guarantee you is that Eric Holcomb will have all the resources he needs to become the next governor of Indiana," Lotter added. "There are a number of avenues and ways we can be supportive."
He declined to elaborate.


Ah once again Marc Lotter shows why this man should not be hired to run anything! Our readers might recall that we discussed Marc Lotter's many shortcomings as a campaign and government worker in a previous posting here. It seems odd that Lotter didn't have the campaign's lawyer's look into this matter before Pence had dropped out of the Governor's race! Why didn't Lotter just have Pence donate his $7.4 Million to the Indiana Republican Party before he withdrew and ran for Vice President? It would have given the Republicans a chance to give much of the money to whoever they would wind up picking to take his place on the ballot. And hence avoid being in a situation where the Democrats would have a financial leg up over them in the race if only a temporary one! As far as saying they can "guarantee" Holcomb will get all the help he needs in his race. How is anyone supposed to take Lotter seriously? Surely he could at least say something as to how Pence and his campaign plan on helping Holcomb avoid losing in a possible landslide because Holcomb didn't have enough money to keep the lights on at his campaign HQ!

Lotter is also said to have denied any mistakes were made by the Pence staff. Does Lotter seriously think we the people are so stupid as to think that no mistakes were made by him and/or the Pence staff? The only way that would be true is if they were only planning on endorsing Holcomb but not offer him financial support. Which seems to be at variance with accounts suggesting otherwise. Two other high profile candidates who were competing for the Governor's office have more money and potentially better campaign infrastructures in place already. Congresswoman Susan Brooks has $1.4 million ready to spend. The other major contender Congressman Todd Rokita has $1.3 million on hand! Since both Brooks and Rokita represent decent size congressional districts and Rokita has twice been elected statewide as Indiana's Secretary of State. They already had some functioning campaign in place. True Holcomb is Lt. Governor but he has only held that post since April. And only took it after he failed to raise very much money for his bid for the Senate earlier this year. He is also hardly a house hold name. If the committee had know in advance about most of Pence's campaign funds now being off limits to the state party. They very well might have picked either Brooks or Rokita. A candidate that actually had some money, had some experience winning elections, and actually has a track record of being able to win an election! Instead of someone who lost badly the only race they ever stayed in all the way!


On Friday WRTV reported that former State Representative and current State Auditor Suzanne Crouch was the new candidate for Lt. Governor. If the rumor mill is to be believed this mess up by the Pence staff even resulted in a change as to who Eric Holcomb picked to be his running mate. Sources originally indicated that State Treasurer Kelly Mitchell was going to be tapped to run for LG. But due to the sudden need to raise vast amounts of money on short notice the State Auditor Suzanne Crouch was picked instead. We here at INDY REPUBLICAN would like to acknowledge that several years back that then State Rep Suzanne Crouch and State Senator Vanetta Becker both Republicans had the resolve to stand up for the voters and look into the bungled privatization of FSSA. The smart money says that if the Holcomb-Crouch ticket does win in November that Holcomb will try to cut Crouch out of his inner circle. On account of the fact that Crouch is not a party hack. That maybe easier said then done! Mrs. Crouch has shown tenacity and resilience that has been sorely lacking in Indiana lawmakers of both parties. And is unlikely to just roll over for anyone and she should not! The staff here at INDY REPUBLICAN must hand it to Governor Pence and his people they accomplished the impossible they actually make all of us here feel some sympathy for Eric Holcomb! Arrivederci Mike!

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:

Christine Scales

Yesterday at 3:08pm ·

Indianapolis Star

·

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!