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Friday, July 22, 2016

Hoosier Republican Chaos! Mitch Daniels passes on Governors Race, Mike Pence is Trump's VP Pick! Madness! It's Madness we say!

It is great to be back and to be blogging about the political scene and bringing you perspectives that the Indianapolis Press and Pundits will not! The staff at INDY REPUBLICAN would like to thank fellow bloggers Paul Ogden and Jon Easter for kindly linking to this blog on their blog homepages. Gentleman it is indeed a pleasure for all of us here to be in your company! As most of you probably know by now last week Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump chose our very own Governor Mike "Pampered" Pence to be his Vice Presidential Candidate. As previously reported on this blog here and here. Since Governor Pence has agreed to run for Vice President. He has as required by Indiana Law withdrawn his name as a candidate for Governor in the fall. The 22 Member Indiana Republican State Central Committee will have to convene and pick a replacement candidate to put on the ballot in Pence's place. The candidates who have submitted their names are Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb, Congresswoman Susan Brooks, Congressmen and former Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita and State Sen. Jim Tomes. Former Governor Mitch Daniels was considered by some this blog's staff included as a possible candidate to appear on the ballot instead of Mike Pence. Last Thursday WISH-TV reported on their website that Mitch Daniels would not seek a new term as Governor.  Here is the text of Mitch Daniels statement to the press about his decision not to seek the Governor's office. As well as our commentary highlighted in bold in between the sections of Daniels statement:

“Ordinarily, it’s neither necessary nor good practice to comment on hypothetical questions.  But this year and the current political situation in Indiana is extraordinary to say the least. So I think it is appropriate that I make plain today that, should there be a sudden need to name a new nominee for governor, I will not present myself as a candidate nor would I accept the nomination if offered.

Over the last few days, I have been importuned to do so by a large number and wide variety of people I respect deeply.  They include those now on the Indiana Republican ticket, those responsible nationally for supporting both gubernatorial and Senatorial campaigns, and a host of Hoosier citizens, many of whom I know and many more I was hearing from for the first time.  An apparent majority of the Republican State Committee has offered its support, as have several of the good people who will now become candidates if the vacancy does in fact occur.


I told each such person that I was highly unlikely to return to elective politics, but that out of respect for them I would take a couple days to reflect on their appeal. We had all been led to believe that we would know by now if a new nominee would actually be needed, but as that has not happened I think it best to make my decision known now.


I told the people of our state repeatedly that I believe in citizen service, and that if hired as governor I would give the job my full attention and best effort and then return to private life. I told the people of Purdue that I would fulfill wholeheartedly the duties of this post, a commitment I reaffirmed in accepting an extended contract just a year ago. I was raised to live up to commitments and not to leave tasks incomplete.


My reasons for this decision are entirely positive. I love Purdue, its students, staff, and alumni. I believe that good things are occurring at our university and am enthusiastic about pursuing them further.  It does matter immensely to me that Indiana’s strong progress over the last decade continue. Just this week, CNBC named ours the #1 infrastructure in the nation, and reaffirmed our top status for economic investment.  I hope that whoever leads us for the next four years will succeed in extending these and so many other gains, and in building our new reputation as an innovative, vanguard state.  I’ll try to see that Purdue, and I personally if asked to do so, play a role in that success.”






Here are our thoughts. Does Daniels honestly expect us to believe that the reason he chose to take a few days to reflect on if he would change his mind to run for Governor was out of respect for the GOP Elites before firmly saying no? Why? Was he afraid he would hurt their feelings? Why would he intentionally keep an already tense situation for the State GOP even more stressful?

Dave Bangert in an article posted on The Indianapolis Star's website on July 14th goes into a little more detail about Daniels decision not to seek his old job back. Mr. Bangert pointed out that: "Daniels said he was committed to Purdue, which a year ago offered him a contract extension that runs into 2020. Daniels stands to make a combined $1 million in retention bonuses if he stays at Purdue through then, according to that contract." Could the retention bonuses be a factor in Daniels decision not to seek the Governor's Office?


Mike Berghoff, chairman of the Purdue Board of Trustees, said he spent time with Daniels this week for long-standing business “while all the chatter was going on.” Berghoff said he trusted that Daniels understood that trustees believed he was doing good work at the university. Of Course Mike Berghoff is going to say that Daniels is doing a good job as Purdue University President seeing as Daniels appointed him to the Purdue Board of Trustee's!


As for the fate of the "Draft Mitch" website that had been launched by Enterprise Republicans a Phoney Republican group started by former CEO and Daniels 2004 Campaign Manager Bill Oesterle and Megan Robertson. Bangert had this to say:
By lunchtime Thursday (July 14th), the “Draft Mitch” site had been stripped of its petition and fundraising links that had been there a day earlier.
Oesterle did not immediately respond to calls Thursday. But Megan Robertson, executive director of Enterprise Republicans, said the organization wanted to reinforce the idea that Daniels would have solid support for an encore in the governor’s office.
“We obviously respect his decision, but we still have a lot of admiration and respect for what he did as governor and would like to see him serve our state or our country at a different time, when he’s ready,” Robertson said. “And when he’s ready, we’ll be here, ready to draft him again.”

INDY REPUBLICAN will return shortly to the subject of the Mitch Daniels nonexistent 2016 campaign for Governor in a minute. All of us here felt that some background information about Bill Oesterle and Megan Robertson of Enterprise Republicans was in order. In light of the role they played in the "Draft Mitch" movement. Once again our readers since the Indianapolis Press seem unable and unwilling to do any real investigative work into the powers that be in Indiana we will again turn to the pen of the Master himself Gary Welsh.


Regarding Ms. Robertson Mr. Welsh wrote on his blog in January 2015 about how Robertson was busted for OWI on Christmas Eve 2014. Gary Welsh also pointed out another fact that should anger all real Hoosier Republicans in that "Robertson managed Mayor Greg Ballard's re-election campaign". Her association with Greg Ballard is enough to make any honest Hoosier leery of anything that Megan Robertson is involved with!


Now for information about the Big "O" himself. Bill Oesterle the man behind the "Draft Mitch" movement. In sharp contrast to how the Star and other Indianapolis media outlet's portray Angie's List and Bill Oesterle's business skills. Mr. Welsh shared some of what he heard about Bill on his blog back in April 2015:


I'll give you a taste of what I hear about the Bill Oesterle-run Angie's List. Here's the latest from Advance Indiana's mailbag:
How about the Angie's List company bus trip to Cincinnati for a Reds game? The place shuts down and everyone goes along for the beer-infused trip down, the game, and the return home. Part of the ritual forces females walking down the bus aisle to be groped and fondled by any and all. Yes, even company officials participated.
Then there was the "soap box derby" races in the parking lot.
All the while [Company Official] is carrying one with a very, very young employee. So young that other notices how hard she has fitting in with all the carrying on. After the divorce and remarriage, [Company Official] steps aside from Angie's sexual harassment committee . . . 
Just a fun place to work. No wonder it is filled with unemployable and unemployed Republicans. 
Which is more accurate? Tully's press releases masquerading as serious political columns or the Advance Indiana mailbag?


Mr. Welsh was of course referring to another in what to this day continues to be a never-ending chain of press releases for Bill Oesterle and Mitch Daniels spewing out of the Langley Dominated Indianapolis Star! Now returning to the subject of Mitch Daniels and the campaign that never was. Their are some questions that should be asked. Such as: Why didn't Daniels specifically ask Oesterle not to start a "Draft Mitch" campaign. If he knew he most likely wasn't going to run? Or are we supposed to believe that Daniels was just being a dick to his fellow Republicans all so he could hype himself? Even though doing so would merely serve to undermine Republicans chances at holding onto the Governor's office? Also why is nobody in the press asking any questions about why so many troublesome characters are associated with Mitch Daniels? If we were in his position we would run as far away from Bill and Megan as we could!


The Indianapolis Business Journal's Max Gabovitch & Hayleigh Colombo writing after the Pence pick talked about the GOP ballot confusion that has now occurred because Pence will be withdrawing from the Governor's race:


Complicating the process: A noon Friday deadline for all candidates to voluntarily withdraw from the races they’re now in. Without doing so, they won’t be eligible to be appointed to the ballot in any other race, said Dale Simmons, co-legal counsel for Indiana Election Division.


Gabovitch & Colombo quote Bill Oesterle when asked about how this affects the Governor's race now that Pence has withdrawn and Daniels will not run for reelection for Governor:


The Friday deadline “is going to make it really complicated for everybody,” said Bill Oesterle, the former Angie’s List CEO who had hoped Gov. Mitch Daniels, now the Purdue University president, would run if Pence was selected.
Daniels said Thursday morning he would not run.
“Decisions are going to be made very quickly,” Oesterle said. “We’re just hoping everybody’s aware of that. It’s going to be a mess.”


The process for replacing Mike Pence is even more confusing because: "Following Pence's withdrawal, the 22-member Republican State Central Committee would have 30 days to choose who would run for governor in his place. They are also required to give 10 days notice of that caucus.
But the more time that process takes, the less time their chosen candidate has to run a full-fledged campaign against Democrat John Gregg."


Also cited is well know Indiana political commentator Ed Feigenbaum:
 “There are going to be 22-people making the decision,” Feigenbaum said. “It’s not the party staff or Mike Pence or the congressional delegation.”


Picking Pence's Ballot Replacement is not just a problem for the Republican State Central Commitee but also an issue for current office holders who wish to run for Governor:


Daniels would likely have cleared the field if he had jumped in the race. That’s why he made clear Thursday he’s out.
Regardless, other candidates will have to make decisions within hours.
Oesterle said the process is particularly stressful for sitting members of Congress and state elected officials who would like the state’s top job.
Those potential replacements would have to withdraw from their current re-election bids by the noon deadline on Friday in order to be eligible to run for governor, creating more turmoil down the ballot.
“By noon Friday they’re going to give up a seat in order to be considered, which is just complicated,” Oesterle said. “That’s just risky.”
The vacancies that they would then leave on the ballot would be filled by the Republican precinct committee people in their districts. Those not chosen by the Central Committee could then be re-appointed to the ballots in their original races. But it all must happen in a 30-day window of the withdrawals.


So the long and the short of it folks is that we will have to wait at least another week or more until we know who the Republicans will even have running for Governor! As life-long Republicans ourselves at this blog this whole process is utter nonsense! Every vote cast in the GOP Primary for Governor has just been declared null and void! If the Indiana Republican Party wishes to live up to the true principles of Republicanism such as free speech, limited government, and decentralization of political power this year in Indiana they are doing a lousy job of it!


UPDATE:


This just in IBJ and the Associated Press are reporting that Governor Mike Pence has endorsed his Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb to succeed him as Governor on the November ballot.
In a statement to the members of the Indiana Republican State Central Committee Governor Pence has this to say about his endorsement of Eric Holcomb:
July 22, 2016

Members of the Indiana Republican State Committee:

Today concludes a truly unforgettable week for my family and for the Indiana Republican Party. Karen and I are humbled by your prayers and well wishes; my selection as nominee for Vice President is a reflection of the hard work and success of the Hoosier State, and specifically twelve years of strong Republican leadership at the state level. You all have played a vital role in supporting that movement, and are owed a debt of gratitude.

I am honored to serve as your Governor, and taking on this challenge results in making a difficult decision not to run for re-election. Together we have achieved a great deal in improving the lives of Hoosiers, and I am confident that we will be leaving this office with our state as prosperous as any time in our state’s history.

To continue our momentum, it is imperative that we build upon twelve years of progress, innovation and success by selecting a proven leader and dedicated public servant. Fortunately, you are blessed to have several fine choices to continue our proud legacy.

As members of the Indiana Republican State Committee, you are tasked with a historic duty, one in which I know you are approaching with a discerning heart. Your decision will have a major impact in charting a path for the future of our state and ensuring we continue our momentum as a national leader in job growth, economic development, and sound fiscal management. This decision is yours alone, and I will respect that decision and support the nominee you deem fit to serve.

Over the past week, Hoosiers have had an opportunity to weigh in and offer their recommendations on who they feel is best fit to lead our party on the ballot and in the statehouse. While the choice you face is difficult, it displays the depth of talent the Indiana Republican Party has produced over the past decade, with sterling public servants at the federal and state levels. I have served with these fine Hoosiers and they are the embodiment of servant leadership.

However, as I prayerfully considered the group offering themselves to succeed me, I concluded that I made my choice several months ago. When selecting my Lt. Governor in March, the primary factor was who would be able to best serve the State of Indiana in the event I could no longer perform my duties as Governor. As I concluded before, there is no better individual to lead our State than Eric Holcomb.

When I asked Eric to take on this vitally important constitutional role, once again he answered the call. I’ve known Eric Holcomb for more than twenty years, and I believe he is one of the best prepared individuals in recent memory to take on the job of Governor. His range of service to our State and our Nation makes him uniquely qualified to fill this role.

A lifelong Hoosier, Eric followed his studies at Hanover College by putting on the uniform of the United States Navy. He served a variety of roles for Governor Mitch Daniels as a senior member instrumental in his election in 2004, and running a re-election effort that resulted in a historic landslide victory. As Deputy Chief of Staff, Eric was a key member of a group that transformed state government and set our State on a new course that cut taxes, balanced budgets, and ushered in groundbreaking education reform. Later, he earned the respect and acclaim of this group as Chairman of the Indiana Republican Party, and was a trusted advisor that helped ensure my election in 2012. Senator Dan Coats tapped Eric to lend his considerable talent as Chief of Staff and served with distinction. And, now he serves as my closest confident, partner and friend.

Eric instantly hit the ground running as Lt. Governor, traveling the State and providing value in areas of agriculture, community and rural affairs, and economic development, among many others. He showed a great range of policy expertise and Hoosiers were able to witness firsthand that Eric is ready to govern on Day one.

As Karen and I embark on a mission to restore strong Republican leadership to our nation, I do so with optimism about the boundless future of Indiana, and I wholeheartedly endorse Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb to serve as the Republican nominee for Governor of Indiana in the upcoming election. I would be grateful if you would consider doing the same. Eric will put together a robust campaign utilizing decades of valuable experience in all 92 counties, and I look forward to supporting his efforts in continuing the progress that we all have worked so hard to achieve.

As I serve out the remainder of my term as Governor, please know how grateful Karen and I will always be for your support and prayers throughout our career. While I am deeply humbled to have the opportunity to run as the Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States, our hearts will always be back home again in Indiana.

Thank you for your service to our party and state.

Sincerely,

Michael R. Pence

Governor of Indiana


Congresswoman Susan Brooks another candidate to replace Pence on the ballot for Governor had this to say about Pence's Endorsement of Eric Holcomb: “I appreciate that the Governor is in a tough position knowing how close he and Eric Holcomb have become. I have known the governor for over 30 years and I know him to be very loyal. But this endorsement doesn’t change my focus. It is clear the 22 State Committee members take their responsibility for making this historic decision very seriously, and I appreciate Governor Pence’s acknowledgement that the decision lies alone with them and that he will support the nominee they choose. I am confident I am the strongest candidate to beat John Gregg in the Fall, and I will continue my efforts to demonstrate that to the committee.”




 Bill Oesterle@billo317 Feb 9
Expediency is not a sound strategy.
      









Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Special Thanks to Paul Ogden and Jon Easter

Hello out there in cyberspace! We will be offering some more posts soon. But first all of us at the staff at INDY REPUBLICAN would like to thank all of our readers. We would also like to thank fellow bloggers Paul Ogden and Jon Easter for linking to this site. Jon and Paul you are both outstanding men. Jon your only issue is you are a Democrat. Paul your blogging like Jon's is excellent. You gentleman are a great asset to Indiana and the United States! We all would love to tell you all out there about our upcoming posts. But that would spoil them. Good night and God Bless!

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!

Monday, July 11, 2016

Democrats Pull Bait-and-Switch Baron Hill Out Evan Bayh in for US Senate!

Just when the staff at INDY REPUBLICAN thought politics in good old Indiana could not get any more bizarre. Word was sent to the staff by an avid fan of this blog to us about a little switcheroo that the Indiana Democratic Party has decided to pull. According to an article by Tom LoBianco at CNN.COM former Indiana Governor and former US Senator Evan Bayh has decided to grace the state with his wisdom and greatness and run for his old job as US Senator. According to LoBianco's article:


National Democratic leaders have encouraged Bayh to run for more than a year, ever since incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Coats announced he would not run again. Bayh was dismissive at first, insistent he was done with public life, but Monday's announcement will mark a significant victory for Senate Democratic recruiters.


LoBianco goes onto mention that the previous Democratic Party candidate for US Senate ex-congressman and old Hoosier Democratic Warhorse Baron Hill has announced that he is leaving the race for the Senate on Facebook this morning Hill said of his decision:




Also mentioned is this observation about Bayh's decision to run:


Readers of this blog may recall in our most recent post about the Mike Pence for VP Soap Opera about how we refrained from reading Matt Tully's propaganda piece Column in the Indianapolis Star because we felt no need to induce vomiting amongst ourselves! Well fortunately for good old ass kisser/hack reporter Matt Tully. The news of hearing of Evan Bayh's return to public life made us even more ill than that silly man ever could. So we decided to take a look and see what the latest round of establishment BS reporting Mr. Tully had to offer us about Saint Evan's return. Tully gushes over describes Bayh as: "the man who left politics in 2010 in deep frustration with partisan dysfunction." If that is not enough to make someone lose their lunch. Tully treats to another round of his cult worship of useless humans with this gem of insight: "On the Mount Rushmore of Indiana's modern-day politics, two politicians stand alone: Former Gov. Mitch Daniels and Evan Bayh. Put either name on a ballot, any ballot in Indiana, and you likely have an instant front-runner."

Fellow Blogger Paul Ogden wrote on his blog today about Bayh's abandoning his 2010 Senate Re Election bid and asked questions about Bayh and pointed out facts that the Indianapolis Lame Stream Media including Matt Tully's Circle Jerk Club will not about our state's newest Senate Candidate:

"At the time of his 2010 decision, Bayh said he was leaving because Congress was dysfunctional and he lost interest in serving:
After all these years, my passion for service to our fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so by serving in Congress has waned,  For some time, I've had a growing conviction that Congress is not operating as it should. There is much too much partisanship and not enough progress. ... Even at a time of enormous national challenge, the people's business is not getting done.
One has to wonder what Bayh saw about how Congress has operated in the last six years to cause him to have renewed faith in the institution.   Further, Evan Bayh does not even live in Indiana.  He is a Washington, D.C. lobbyist who lives in the Georgetown section of that city.  The Washington Business Journal published a story on the Bayh's purchase of a home four-bedroom home on N Street Northwest in March of 2015:
The former Democratic senator from Indiana, now a partner at the K Street office of McGuireWoods, said he would have been just as happy staying in Spring Valley. But with their two kids off to college, the big six-bedroom, Georgia-style brick home was more than the couple needed.
Susan Bayh, her husband said, "just liked the idea of being in the middle of things," including plenty of shopping options. After the sacrifices she made for his political career, the senator figured he could sacrifice for her by moving to Georgetown.
"It's really simple. We have twin sons who went off to college last fall, my wife really wanted to downsize, and we didn't need as much space," Bayh told me in a phone interview. "It's the age-old story. The wife wanted to move. The husband didn't. So we moved."
The couple, which celebrated their 30th anniversary last month, settled on an 1820 Federal that was completely renovated with modern amenities, an old-meets-new "best of both worlds" setup, Bayh said. The home is assessed at $1.4 million, according to the District, and initially hit the market through Washington Fine Properties at nearly $3.2 million. McEnearney Associates represented the Bayhs.
The constitutional requirement for Senate is only that a person running be a resident of the state at the time of the election. So Bayh could move back to Indiana to run for the Senate.  But the problem is that while clearly residing in Washington D.C. and working as a lobbyist in that city, Evan Bayh and his wife has for years (even after Bayh left the Senate) continued to vote in Indiana, claiming that a very modest downtown condo is the family's residence.  Former Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White was prosecuted successfully for a felony based on the allegation that he didn't live at the address he used for voting.  Yet more popular political figures like Democrat Bayh and former Senator Richard Lugar continue to do the exactly same thing without even the slightest concern of being prosecuted.

My guess is that many Democrats will be quite displeased with today's turn of events.  Hill's donors, who could now see their donations transferred to Evan Bayh for use on his campaign, also have an even more particular reason to be angry at these turn of events."   

It is insightful of Paul Ogden to mention how many Democrats will not be pleased by Hill's decision to quit. Since the news broke this morning the INDY REPUBLICAN staff has been hearing of many angry Hill supporters who are extremely irritated at the eleventh hour move by Baron Hill to allow Evan Bayh to run in his place for Senate. Although at this blog we are mostly Republicans having had our share of ups and downs with various politicians throughout our combined 241.297 years of experience in the political arena. We can honestly say that we understand and share the frustration of people who thought they were helping out one candidate only to be gut kicked at the last second to help someone who is repulsive to them! Baron Hill should immediately refund all campaign contributions given to his US Senate Campaign! God knows Bayh doesn't need it! He has only been sitting on a $10 Million war chest forever! Paul Odgen also wrote back in 2010 about Bayh's sudden departure from the political scene.

Forgive us for being more than a little skeptical about the timing of all this. We have heard of suspension of disbelief but for the Indiana Democratic Party elites to ask us to believe that this is all a spur of the moment decision on Bayh's part to run for his old job. They are asking us to suspend insanity as well! We would much easier believe that the spirit of Frank O'Bannon appeared and told him to run than to buy this nonsense!

Paul Ogden also briefly mentions if Bayh even still lives in Indiana. If we are to use the standards applied to Charlie White than we would be compelled to say that Bayh in ineligible to be elected to the Senate from Indiana. But the laws that apply to us mere mortals do not apply to Evan Bayh or "Tricky Dick" Lugar! For an more in depth view of Evan Bayh's problems with Voter Residency we refer our readers to these two exceptional posts written by the master himself the Late Great Gary Welsh and to a Master's Thesis by Bayh's Former Campaign Manager Current Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogssett:








Wednesday, July 6, 2016

To Be VP or not? The Ongoing Soap Opera Called Mike Pence

Hello Everyone! The staff here at INDY REPUBLICAN hopes you all had a safe and happy Fourth of July! The staff wanted to write this post yesterday. But then  decided to wait till today to see if anything unfolded on the possibility of Mike Pence running for the hills becoming Donald Trump's Vice Presidential Candidate. Brian Eason wrote a column in the Indianapolis Star yesterday that says that Pence would have to abandon his race for Governor as State law does not allow him to run for both Vice President and Governor in the same election. Eason also points out that the Indiana Republican Party only has until July 15th to pick a replacement for Pence on the November ballot for governor. Governor Pence met with Donald Trump in New Jersey over the weekend. WISH TV's website has a page where Jim "Shill" Shella says the two most likely candidates to replace Pence would be Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb and Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma. Eason claims in his article that Pence would help Trump out with social conservatives who have not been warming up so far to Trump's impending presidential nomination. This has the staff here asking the question "What Planet Does Brian Eason Live On?" Is Eason seriously unaware of how unpopular Pence has become with voters all over the political spectrum in Indiana! According to Marc Lotter a spokesman for the Pence campaign Eason quotes Lotter as saying: "They (Pence and Trump) talked about policies that are working in Indiana and the future of this country." Lotter also added at the meeting that "Nothing was offered during the meeting, and nothing was accepted."


We will be get back to the speculating about Pence and Trump shortly. The staff felt obligated to share information about Pence's spokesman Marc Lotter that was sent to us by one of our readers. Longtime readers of Gary Welsh's Blog Advance Indiana may remember this post that he did on Marc Lotter back in 2014. In the post Gary Welsh said of Marc Lotter that whenever he "opens his mouth there's a good chance he is lying since the ability to lie seems to be the principle attribute of most spokespersons for politicians." Our reader direct our attention to Lotter's LinkedIn profile. His profile lists among his past positions having been Indiana Communications Director for John McCain's 2008 Presidential Campaign. Which went onto be the first Republican Presidential Campaign to lose Indiana since 1964. He is also listed as having been Communications Director for Indianapolis's Former Fake Republican Mayor Greg Ballard from 2010 to 2015. And he has been employed as Deputy Campaign Manager for Mike Pence since May of this year.


Several things come to mind in light of the above mentioned facts about Marc Lotter. Such as Why in the world would Pence hire a man to run his reelection campaign when he totally screwed up royal with the only other campaign he has had any high profile position with? Also if you want to shore up your support among Indiana Republicans why pick a man who served as a Spin Doctor for Greg Ballard who is not very well liked by many Republicans?  And as for Pence's campaign management why didn't Lotter tell Pence not to meet with Trump at all? As Jon Easter points out in a very well written post Pence in no way benefits from any association with Donald Trump at all! Paul Ogden also has written well of the pitfalls that Pence has when dealing with Donald Trump.


Since Trump is supposed to be coming back to Indiana on July 12th for a campaign fundraiser that may very well turn out to be zero hour for Donald Trump and Mike Pence to make whatever decisions they are going to make. July 12th also would be a good day for decision making on Trump and Pence's part since according to Astrologer Leah Whitehorse's Forecast for this month:


The First Quarter Moon in Libra on the 12th July is the first test since the New Moon. After leaving the safety of the Sun in Cancer, it’s now necessary to work closely with others to find your balance. Maybe you’re negotiating for a better deal or trying to smooth out problems. With the Moon now square to Pluto and opposing Uranus, it might not feel easy to hold your own when placed under pressure but it is possible. Thankfully, the mood lifts with Venus skipping into Leo also on the 12th July where we’re now more willing to risk our hearts. This creative transit eases tensions and encourages you to express your feelings. We are generous with our love under this sign but tend to call it quits quickly if our heart’s just not in it. We all need to feel treated like royalty sometimes so a lack of attention now can really hurt.

So if Leah is correct and none of the staff here believes in astrology. With Venus's skipping into Leo on July 12th both men might be willing to take some risks. But she warns a lack of attention to either person at that time may really hurt. Just some helpful ideas for Mike and Donald to ponder over. We had thought of checking to see what the Star's Matt Tully had to say about all this. But decided their was no need to induce vomiting in ourselves at this time by reading the drivel that man puts to paper!


To wrap things up Eric Holcomb and Brian "Candyman" Bosma having been thrown out as potential replacements for Pence. The staff felt like throwing out both our least favorite candidates to replace Mike Pence. None of us want's to see either former Governor Mitch Daniels, former Angie's List CEO Bill Oesterle get picked.  INDY REPUBLICAN would be absolutely giddy if either Paul Ogden, Charlie White or Christine Scales was chosen to run for Governor in Pence's place. That's all for now. If anyone out there has any tips, suggestions, or items of interest please contact us via our comments section. That's a wrap!


UPDATE: Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst has withdrawn as a potential candidate for Vice President according to this article by Politico.com. Senator Ernst appears to have endorsed Mike Pence for VP! Let the Games Begin!

UPDATE: It appears John Gregg the Democratic Candidate for Governor has chimed in about Pampered Pence's meeting with Donald Trump. Another INDY REPUBLICAN reader has alerted us to a fundraising email that the Gregg campaign has sent out seeking to make hay over the whole Pence Soap Opera: "Once again, Pence is putting his own ideology and ambition ahead of his commitment to Hoosier families -- all for a shot at joining a sideshow act like Donald Trump's campaign.
We don't yet know if he'll get the nod from Trump, but one thing is clearer than ever: We have to fire Governor Pence. 
Hoosier families are struggling to make ends meet. Jobs are being shipped out of the country, incomes are lagging behind the rest of the country, and our kids aren't getting the education they deserve.
But instead of hunkering down and trying to fix the problems we face, Governor Pence is too busy interviewing for his next job.
Hoosiers deserve better than a part-time governor -- and we certainly don't need Donald Trump's next apprentice in the governor's mansion.

Thanks for your support,
Tim Henderson
Campaign Manager
Gregg for Governor"
This just goes to further point out just how inept Mike Pence's reelection campaign is being run. He gained nothing by agreeing to meet with Donald Trump. Anti-Trump Republicans in Indiana will become even more angry at Pence for even speaking to Trump. Many will rightfully question his sincerity behind his feeble endorsement of Ted Cruz in the May Primary. Pro-Trump Republicans will not warm to Pence either and view him as a simple opportunist. The only side that has gained by all this is the Gregg Campaign which is making good use of this PR fumble by Pence and his team. Again why didn't Marc Lotter simply tell Pence not to agree to this obviously stupid meeting with Donald Trump? We hear rumors that even the Gregg Campaign is surprised by Pence's lack of Campaign Skills! There is almost no sport in running against Pence this time around! To reiterate INDY REPUBLICAN refuses to support any of the Gubernatorial Candidates this year in Indiana. In fact as far as the Governor's Race goes we suggest that everyone leave that spot blank on their ballot! We stand by this unless Pence is replaced on the ticket by either Indiana's Favorite Son Paul Ogden or by the only real person of merit to serve as Indiana Secretary of State this Century Charlie White!

Friday, July 1, 2016

Will Trump Pick Mike Pence to be Vice President? Or how Mitch Daniels might worm his way back to being Governor!

Hello to all of you out there in cyberspace. The staff at Indy Republican wishes all of you out there a Happy Independence Day this coming Monday. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way let's get down to business. An alert reader of Indy Republican was gracious enough to pass on this little tidbit about Governor Mike "Pampered" Pence being under consideration to be running mate for presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump.  The article by NBC News states that Mike Pence is "in play" to be a possible VP pick for Donald Trump. Some readers of this blog may recall Pence's tepid endorsement of Ted Cruz for President back in the Indiana GOP Primary in May. A move that as Gary Welsh in what would be his next to last blog post said would do nothing but alienate even more Indiana Republican's who are already dissatisfied with Pence.


Sources have told the staff here that if Mike Pence is selected they believe that former RINO Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels might be put on the ticket as Governor since current Lt. Governor and former Indiana Republican Party Chairman Eric Holcomb couldn't win election against a trained Monkey! Holcomb was put on the ticket when his predecessor Democrat Sue Ellsperman decided to leave the ticket to become president of Ivy Tech State College. Holcomb was originally running poorly in the Senate GOP Primary and was on track to lose big. When all of a sudden he was offered the post as Lieutenant Governor in a move that has continued to anger many Conservative Hoosier Republicans including the Indy Republican News Desk. Real Hoosier Republicans like Gary Welsh and Paul Ogden also criticized the selection of Holcomb as LG. Gary Welsh went as far as to compare Mike Pence with former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich! Paul Ogden flawlessly pointed out the misgivings that many Hossiers should have about Holcomb. Also Indy Republican wrote about Holcomb in a previous blog post which mostly dealt with Mike Pence's betrayal of conservative principles.




Obviously we will not know for awhile yet if Pence is picked as Trump's running mate. It will be even longer before we will see if Mitch Daniels is put on the ticket in order to run for Governor again. But one thing we can all be certain of is that the Corrupt Indianapolis Talk Heads such as Jennifer Wagner, Jim "Shill" Shella and Matt Tully and his Circle Jerk Club will all ignore the obvious duplicity that such a thing would entail and would just praise the return of their beloved "Godfather" Governor Mitch Daniels! Why so many Indiana Republicans and Democrats worship Mitch Daniels is a mystery to many! There is are the issue's that occurred under him at the IURC, FSSA, the Hoosier Lottery, BMV, DWD, the Major Moves debacle, and also his living in Hamilton County instead of Marion as he was required by law to at under the Indiana Constitution! The best thing that can be done now is that all Hoosiers demand that Mike Pence answer straight out if he is indeed running for Governor this Fall or if he plans to jump ship and be part of the Trump ticket! Governor Pence needs to give the voters of Indiana a straight answer and he needs to do it yesterday! The clock is ticking Governor! What's it going to be try to keep your job as Governor or jump ship and try to be VP?



Note to readers: For further Information on the myriad of scandals and problems caused by Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence during their tenures in Indiana. Please consult both Gary Welsh's blog Advance Indiana, Paul Ogden's blog Ogden on Politics, The Charlie White Show, and last but not least Jon Easter's Blog Indy Democrat and his podcast series The Johnny Stir Show.


Update: Fellow Blogger Jon Easter has written about Mike Pence's possible selection as VP on his blog. We encourage all our readers to check it out!





Thursday, June 9, 2016

Ex-BMV Offical's Ethics Wrist Slap or More Reasons why Indy Republican will not endorse Mike Pence!

In a story reported in today's Propaganda Rag Indianapolis Star by Tony Cook one of the only real reporters left at the Star. It is reported how former Bureau of Motor Vehicles Chief of Staff Shawn Walters and the Indiana State Ethics Commission have reached and agreement for Walters to pay a $500 fine for having violated state ethics law requiring a one year cooling off period for state employees who wish to leave state employment and go to work for a company that does business with the state. Yesterday the Star reported that Shawn Walters had come to a settlement between himself and Indiana Inspector General Cynthia Carrasco. And that the terms of the settlement would be revealed today. This whole sordid tale revolves around Walters having taken a position with Express MVA a company that had a contract with the state to charge "convenience fees" at BMV Express workstations that were double the costs of services usually charged at BMV branches. A class action lawsuit was settled last year for $30 Million after it was discovered that the BMV had been overcharging customers for several years. A news report in the Indianapolis Star back in May  2015 and a posting by Gary Welsh at the same time argued that political patronage was to blame for much of the overcharges.  Many top executives at the BMV were aware of these problems but chose to not do anything about them. Rumors have said that it was because the BMV did not wish to suffer any budget shortfalls. Governor Mike Pence had the state's contract with Express MVA cancelled in August 2015. Inspector General Cynthia Carrasco was asked by Governor Pence to investigate the matter. Today it the $500 settlement was revealed to the public. The staff here at Indy Republican cannot figure out why any fine was levied at all if the only thing Walters is going to get is a $500 wrist slap!


Julia Vaughan with Common Cause Indiana is quoted as saying the fine "amounts to a slap on the wrist. Five Hundred Dollars is not going to put fear into anybody. It's not significant enough punishment to get anybody's attention or to make them take these laws seriously."


It's interesting that the article points out that the ethics case in question did not address Walters part in the multi million dollar overcharges to Hoosier motorists. Neither Shawn Walters or his attorney Debra Minott (who strangely was Walters employer when she was in charge of FSSA) were present at the hearing today. Some readers may recall that Debra Minott was appointed by Governor Pence to run FSSA shortly after he took office and was then mysteriously removed from her position at FSSA for reasons that are still not clear. Before her 18 month tenure as head of FSSA Minott was in charge of the State Personnel Department (SPD) during the first term of former Governor Mitch Daniels and also left that position for unspecified reasons. Minott's appointment as FSSA Secretary was a move that angered many Indiana Republicans who were left asking ourselves Why in the world is Mike Pence stupid enough to appoint a Mitch Daniels crony to run FSSA after the mess she caused at SPD? Gary Welsh pointed out that Mike Pence did not cause the overcharging problems at the BMV that occurred under the administration of Mitch Daniels. But apparently neither the Indianapolis Star or Matt Tully's Circle Jerk Club as Gary Welsh so affectionately refereed to him and his clique as. Would trouble themselves enough to hold Daniels feet to the fire! They all were probably admiring themselves too much in the mirror or social climbing!


But for all the trouble that "Napoleon Mitch" Daniels caused at the BMV. Mike Pence deserves as much blame for his refusal to fire every Daniels holdover and heed the advice of Real Republicans Gary Welsh, Paul Ogden, and Charlie White. Men who tried to do the right thing and try to root out corruption, sin and vice. But the Uber-Christian Mike Pence seems to be so convinced of his own moral righteousness that he cannot or will not see the corruption going on in front of his face or do anything to root it out! No doubt the scandals at the BMV have been archived away by Indiana Democrats for use against Pence in the upcoming Governor's race where he is being challenged by former Indiana State House Speaker John Gregg. For the simple reason that Mike Pence has repeatedly kept Mitch Daniels hacks and parasites in his administration is enough cause for all of us at Indy Republican to refuse to endorse him for reelection as Governor of for election to any other office whatsoever! The staff will not vote for Pence or Gregg and at this point are probably just going to refuse to vote for any candidate running for Governor! To Governor Mike Pence if there is any awareness left in your brain at all could you please for your own sake and what remains of your reputation start actually doing your job! For those of you who wish to peruse the story that most of the Indianapolis Press will not tell you about the BMV the staff refers you to the following articles, post's and podcasts for the truth! Strangely some of these articles are from the Indianapolis Star and are mostly if not all written by Tony Cook!


Gary Welsh's Postings:


Debra Minott gets the Heave Ho from Pence!:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2014/06/pence-fires-fssa-secretary.html




Pence appoints Mitch Daniels Holdover to run the BMV:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/02/yet-more-bmv-overcharges-brings-new.html




Surprise, Surprise, Surprise! Patronage Alive and Well at the BMV!:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/05/star-bmv-fee-overcharging-problem-may.html




Shawn Walters, BMV, and Shady Deals:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/07/more-bmv-shady-dealings.html




Pence Does Something Right Cancels Bad BMV Contract:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/08/pence-cancels-sweetheart-bmv-contract.html




Former BMV Chief of Staff on Unpaid Leave from New Employer Pending Ethics Investigation:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/08/express-mva-places-former-bmv-employees.html


BMV CFO Demoted:
http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/08/bmvs-unqualified-political-hack-cfo.html




Indystar articles:


Ex BMV Officals fine:
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2016/06/09/former-top-bmv-official-fined-500-ethics-violation/85641756/




Former BMV Offical to face ethics complaint:
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2016/06/07/former-top-bmv-official-faces-ethics-complaint-thursday/85557192/




BMV Offical took Job with Express MVA:
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2015/07/24/bmv-boss-pushed-fee-took-job-company-benefited/30632873/




Overcharges ignored by BMV:
http://www.indystar.com/story/money/2015/03/22/bmv-officials-knew-overcharges-let-ride/25177557/


BMV and Patronage:
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2015/05/23/patronage-lead-bmv-overcharges/27797473/




FSSA Chief's Ouster:
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2014/06/19/concerns-pences-obamacare-alternative-preceded-fssa-chiefs-ouster/11006829/


Paul Ogden's posts:


Pence Cancels BMV Contract:
http://www.ogdenonpolitics.com/2015/08/governor-pence-end-questionable-bmv.html



Charlie White's Podcast:



Charlie White's Discussion of BMV Troubles:

http://indianatalks.com/site/2015/05/the-charlie-white-show-5-26-15-podcast/


Thursday, May 26, 2016

RINO Mike Pence & Indiana Republicans & Democrats Screw the Taxpayers AGAIN!

If you wonder why the staff at INDY REPUBLICAN has come to the conclusion that the statehouse media in this state is a complete joke. And that the elites of both political parties in Indiana are only out to mess over the citizens of Indiana. You need look no further than this article in today's Indianapolis Business Journal:




"Local governments will see fewer audits due to a recent change in Indiana state law.


The State Board of Accounts used to audit cities and counties every year, and audit school corporations every two years. Now those audits will be conducted every four years unless there are red flags."


Todd Caldwell the director of Audit Services for the State Board of Accounts is quoted as saying: "The statute on frequency of audits changed last year from annual or biannual to a risk-based approach."  The article goes on to point out that there are almost 200 Field Examiners that work in all of Indiana's 92 Counties. Caldwell told the Muncie Star Press that "because of budget limitations and the sheer number of entities that require auditing mean's there is too much work and not enough people to do it."


We at INDY REPUBLICAN have found the law that Todd Caldwell is referring to is House Bill 1104 which was passed last year by the Indiana General Assembly. The digest of the bill "Permits the state board of accounts to determine the frequency with which the state board of accounts conducts financial examinations based on risk based criteria approved by the audit and financial reporting subcommittee of the legislative council" Also included in the digest of the bill it "Specifies that certain examinations by the state board of accounts may (rather than must, under current law) be made without notice."


In effect the state legislature and the Governor have stated that instead of counties and schools being audited for waste, fraud, and abuse every year or every two years. That they will only be audited if the audit and financial reporting subcommittee's approved risk based criteria are met. As far as all of us at INDY REPUBLICAN concerned this might as well be a giant sign that it is open season for local city, county and school bureaucrats to commit as much corruption as they want! Since they know they will not be audited very often! Although Caldwell does say that the state does consider various risk factors. Since the bill: "Eliminates the requirement that the state examiner must annually furnish forms and instructions to reporting officers." How in the world will the Field Examiners know what to look for?


The State Board of Accounts has in the past shown itself to be very helpful in finding issues with financial irregularities at the city, county and school level. For those seeking a more in depth look at SBOA's work we refer you to  the late great Gary Welsh of Advance Indiana fame who painstakingly chronicled some of the SBOA's outstanding work on behalf of Indiana taxpayers here, here, and here.


It is true that the Republican Party has a supermajority in both the Indiana State House and State Senate. But keep in mind that the overwhelming number of House and Senate Democrats voted for this bill and it was signed into law by Governor Mike Pence on May 5th, 2015 and is now Public Law 181. The bill passed by 88 to 6 in the House and by 47 to 1 in the State Senate. Here is the breakdown by party of members of both Houses:






Indiana State House:


71 Republicans
29 Democrats


Indiana State Senate:


40 Republican
10 Democrats


So assuming that all the nay votes were cast by democrats that means that around 80 percent of the Democrats in the House and 90 percent of Democrats in the Senate voted for this bill. Interestingly an alert staff member pointed out that one of the co-authors of this bill is Rep. Gail Riecken who represents Evansville is the Assistant Democratic Floor Leader in the State House! The staffer also informed us that back during the 2009 Special Legislative Session that Riecken authored a bill that would require a performance audit of Family and Social Services Administration's (FSSA) welfare privatization debacle. Gary Welsh reported very well on the FSSA disaster here. So the fact that Riecken having authored a bill to audit the failed welfare privatization at FSSA. Then in 2015 co-authors a bill that cripples the very agency designed to help root our local government corruption should give the voters of her district cause to seriously question just how committed she is to making sure that taxpayer money is not wasted! This certainly does not inspire any confidence in Democrats claiming that they will restore accountability to Indiana Government!


Governor Mike Pence also deserves a large amount of the blame for not being a MAN and vetoing this bill when it got to his desk! After seeing how Governor Pence has kept most of the staff from the previous Governor at the state. It isn't a surprise that he would pick Mitch Daniels old crony former State GOP Chairman Eric Holcomb to be his Lt. Governor after Democrat Republican Susan Ellsperman left his administration to become the new head of IVY TECH State College. Holcomb's pick as Lt. Governor should scare the living daylights out of all Indiana Citizens especially Republicans if for no other reason than former Indiana Democratic Party Communications Director Political Hack Jennifer Wagner seems to think it is a great move by Mike Pence to pick Eric Holcomb! That's funny awhile back Wagner spent a huge amount of time and effort on her now defunct Taking Down Words blog tearing up every Republican she could find! Especially striking is that she had not a word of criticism of former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels in her recent article about "Little Man" Holcomb. As she ripped Daniels up constantly on her now defunct blog! (Deservedly so most of the INDY REPUBLICAN staff believes.)






Real Indiana Republicans Gary Welsh, Paul Ogden and Charlie White have chronicled Eric Holcomb's myriad of shortcomings as both a man and as a running mate for Governor Pence. Read here, here, here, and here for the information that the Indiana press will not share with you. So for that reason INDY REPUBLICAN'S staff will because we wish to share the truth and to restore the True Grand Old Party! We will not water down the principles of Republicanism to fit the agenda of any man or any number of men. Regardless of what Party Label they claim as their own!


We urge all Indiana citizens to call your lawmakers and urge them to repeal this horrific law! If anyone has any suggestion, comments, or news tips for the staff please post a comment and someone will get back to you.














Saturday, May 21, 2016

Marion County GOP trades one Democrat Stooge for Another to be their new Chairman

Yesterday the Indianapolis Star wrote an article about how a new Indianapolis Ethics ordinance has moved Marion County Democrat Republican Chairwoman Jennifer Ping to step aside from her position and make way for a new Democrat Republican Indianapolis City County Council Minority Leader Mike McQuillen to assume control of what remains of the crumbling Marion County Republican Party. Lest anyone think that the probable appointment of McQuillen to become the new Marion County GOP Chair will do anything to reverse the GOP's deservedly sagging fortunes we will refer you to the following blog post that show how the Marion County GOP is now a directly controlled subsidiary of the Marion County Democrats and also why Mike McQuillen is the worst possible choice to revive the County Party. If the leadership of the Marion County GOP had any sense they would appoint Paul Ogden or Christine Scales Party Chair yesterday! But they won't because the Party would rather lose with candidates that they can control then win anything with any candidates of merit.


Here are Gary Welsh's Post about Jennifer Ping and Mike McQuillen:




Jennifer Ping:


Governor Mike "Pampered" Pence and State House Speaker Brian "The Weasel" Bosma's selling out the GOP:

http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/12/republican-officials-endorse-turning.html




Fake Republican Ping Slated to be New Marion County GOP Chair:

http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/12/joe-hogsett-and-democrats-poised-to.html


Marion County GOP Bosses Issue the Death Knell to County Republicans:

http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2015/12/marion-co-gop-picks-democrats-choice-to.html




Mike McQuillen:


Mike McQuillen Rebukes Real Republican Christine Scales while lavishing praise to RINO Jose Evans:


http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2013/03/republican-council-leader-rebukes.html

http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2013/03/jose-evans-switches-parties.html

UPDATE: Fellow Blogger Paul Ogden of Ogden on Politics has an in depth look at this story here:
http://www.ogdenonpolitics.com/2016/05/annoited-new-marion-county-gop-chairman.html