Eric Morris’s Letter to the Editor Regarding Campaign Finance Issues in Carmel

IR has received the following Letter To The Editor from Eric Morris a reader of the blog whom IR was proud to make a Welsh Saint last year. Eric discusses campaign finance reporting issues in Carmel in his letter. It is our hope that reprinting this letter leads to more discussion about what is going on in Carmel.

Eric Morris’s Letter:

Dear Editors:

Spring 2003:   Jim Brainard announces he will file campaign finance reports weekly in lead-up to Republican mayoral primary.  “This is being done in the spirit of openness and the public’s interest in—and right to know—who is exactly supporting these campaigns.”  The pre-primary report was “too late in the campaign.”   “[T]he people I’ve talked to are very concerned about the money being spent and where it’s coming from.”

October 2005:  Speaking of his and other campaign supporters fundraising for a Kokomo mayoral candidate, Brainard says “It may not be the best system, but it's the system we have.  There are safeguards, and everything is publicly recorded."

Prior to 2015 Republican primary:  Brainard and Woody Rider, Jeff Worrell, Keith Griffin, Sue Finkam, Bruce Kimball, Ron Carter, and Christine Pauley agree to support each other financially in primary.

April 17, 2015:  Pre-primary campaign finance reports due for the eight above.  No indications of financial support for each other.

May 5, 2015:  Primary election where all but Keith Griffin win.

October 16, 2015:  All eight above report supporting each other for over $22,000 each on the date of the primary itself.

April 20, 2018 Election Board meeting:  Tammy Baitz, Hamilton County Clerk of Court and Election Board member:  “Tammy also stated she had contacted Mayor Brainard on Wednesday (April 18, 2018) of this week and that his campaign had since filed corrected [2015] CFAs.”

May 18, 2018 Election Board:   Greg [Purvis] moved, and Bob [Becker] seconded, to have Tammy prepare letters to all the candidates listed in Mr. Morris’ letter, advising them that their [2015] reports would need to be amended.  It was approved unanimously.  Tammy will prepare letters for each candidate and submit to both Bob and Greg for their review before sending out to the candidates.

June 28, 2018 Election Board:  Republican Party Chairwoman, Laura Campbell, appointed Ray Adler as the new Republican member of the Board. Tammy nominated Ray as Chairman, Greg seconded, and it was approved.

October 12, 2018 Election Board Meeting:  Brainard’s lawyer admits the recently re-filed 2015 reports were still incorrect.  Board unanimously approves requiring new (fourth) reports from Brainard by midnight, October 19, and the other seven by October 29.

November 6, 2018:  Mr. Adler moved to dismiss the complaint as it appears that no violation had occurred with the original Brainard report filing and to declare the subsequent amended report filing moot. Seconded by Tammy Baitz.  After much discussion, the consensus of the board was to encourage the mayor to be more thorough in any future reporting but the amendment was rejected. The Motion to dismiss the complaint carried.

Also, on this date I wrote Lee Buckingham, Prosecutor, asking him to look into this issue and determine if the Board failed in its statutory duty to investigate expeditiously and thoroughly.  No response yet.

November 15, 2018:  Ray Adler writes to Hamilton County Reporter:  “Finally, anyone with grievances can obtain a [newly created] form from the Hamilton County Clerk, complete the information requested and return to the Clerk so that complaints may be dealt with expeditiously.”

I ask you, fellow engaged citizens, does it look like Ray Adler, Greg Purvis, and Tammy Baitz performed their duties well?  I call on Joe Weingarten to replace Greg Purvis with me on this Board.  I call on Lee Buckingham to review this.  I call on Ray Adler to determine whether focusing on creating a new grievance form is absurd when he thinks that the campaign finance forms required by the state legislature essentially carry no legal weight, much less legal repercussions, for filing incorrectly!  Mr. Purvis correctly saw that as a "novel theory".  This tale reads like a novel.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Eric S. Morris

Carmel

Why Governor Eric Holcomb Deserves Re-election Next Year

INDY REPUBLICAN has decided to switch gears before we get back to our regularly scheduled programming. We wanted to talk seriously with you all and in the interest of intellectual honesty. After having undertaken an exhaustive review of all that we know about Governor Eric Holcomb and will outline every reason in existence that is an iron clad argument for his reelection as Governor next year. WARNING: The remainder of this post is long and voluminous in detailing why Holcomb should be re-elected. Please take your time and read at your own leisure. 

Here it goes:

Hope you are all feeling enlightened after having now just read why Eric Holcomb should have a second term. 

Live Blogging the 2018 Mid Terms

7:52 PM Looks like our prediction that Congressman Barbara Comstock will lose in Virginia has come true.  So far State Senator Mike Delph has a narrow lead over his Democratic Challenger J D Ford. Mike Braun is currently leading Joe Donnelly for the U.S. Senate 57 to 38. Still early and with the problems in Johnson County and extended voting hours in Monroe County some results may not be in for sometime. Democrats are leading in the Governors races in Ohio and Florida. Senator Bill Nelson is currently leading Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott. Will blog as we get more information.

8:12 PM The Republicans have just moved into narrow lead for Governor and Senate races. With very preliminary results in from Texas Beto O’Rourke has a lead over Senator Ted Cruz. Texas Republican Congressman Will Hurd is behind his Democratic Challenger. Here in Indiana Mike Braun is still ahead of Joe Donnelly 55-40. State Senator Mike Delph is ahead 54-46. Overall indications would lend credence to the Democrats taking control of the U.S. House and the Republicans holding on in the Senate.

8:24 PM Democrat JD Ford has taken the lead over incumbent Republican State Senator 55-45. Delph might lose this one. Buckle Up! This is going to be a rough night!

8:40 PM With 46% of the vote in Texas reporting Democrat Beto O’Rourke is leading Incumbent Republican Rafael Cruz 52-47. Still a considerable amount of votes outstanding in Texas. But if we were Cruz we would be very concerned. Even if Cruz holds on it appears O’Rourke is driving up Democratic turnout in the Lone Star State.

9:19 PM Mike Braun has defeated Joe Donnelly and will be Indiana’s newest Senator. Mike Delph still trailing his Democratic Challenger looking bad for Delph. Democrats have taken the Governors Offices in Michigan and Ohio. And very tight races for Governor in Ohio and Florida. Florida Senate race still a nail biter. With 66% of the vote in O’Rourke still leading Cruz 50-48. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has won his reelection bid. 

9:58 PM Looks like Senator Bob Menedez-D has held on in New Jersey. With 75% of the vote in Texas Ted Cruz is narrowly leading O’Rourke 50-49. In Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker-R is going back and forth with his Democratic Opponent Tony Evers. Although some have not called Florida we are going to call Florida’s Governors and US Senate race for the Republicans. With 18% of the vote reported in Minnesota Keith Ellison is leading Doug Wardlow 57-38. Still need more of the vote in but IR will stick with our gut feeling and say that unfortunately Keith Ellison will win this race.

10:21 PM In Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has fallen behind Tony Evers. Democrats may pickup that seat. In Utah Congressman Mia Love-R is losing to her bid for re-election. Her race has not really been on the radar due to her being a popular Republican Congresswoman in Utah. The fact she is losing in one of the reddest states is a bad sign for we Republicans.

11:41 PM Mike Delph has lost his State Senate seat to JD Ford. Wisconsin Governors race still to close to call. But Evers is holding onto a lead against Walker. 

We are going to sign off for now and have a more in depth look at the midterm results soon. Good night and thank you all for your attention.

Indy Republicans 2018 Election Prediction’s

As promised yesterday we will share our predictions such as they are for the midterm elections taking place tomorrow.We have been continuously amazed and at times exasperated over the past two years. The first race that we are predicting is a race that has received little media attention so far the attorney generals race in Minnesota. The contest is between Republican Doug Wardlow and Democratic Congressman and DNC Vice Chair Keith Ellison. Polls have gone back and forth in this race one poll from two weeks ago showed Doug Wardlow ahead of Ellison 43-36. Another poll taken a week ago shows Ellison ahead by four points. The race has been a rollercoaster with Ellison’s ties to Louis Farrakhan, his anti-semitism, and allegations that he abused a former girlfriend in 2016. With polling swinging back and forth in this race so much we will go out on a limb and say pure guess is unfortunately Keith Ellison will win his bid to be Minnesota’s next Attorney General. We hope we are wrong on this one. But it is possible given Donald Trumps unpopularity in Minnesota that Ellison will win despite his many shortcomings.

We mostly agree with the following from our good friend Paul Ogden’s post from this afternoon in which he stated:

What has not gotten the coverage this year, but which, going into redistricting following the 2020 census, is more important than control of the U.S. Congress, are the Governor races.  The Democrats are poised to wrest seize control of Governor mansions in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Florida.  They also have a shot at winning Georgia.  Although those states have Republican legislatures, having a Democrat governor would even the field when it comes to redistricting.

We unlike Paul don’t see the Democrats winning any state senate seats tomorrow and we believe Mike Delph will hold on against J.D. Ford. Look for the Democrats to pickup 1 to 5 seats in the State House. Donnelly we believe will pull out a narrow win over Mike Braun. If Donnelly wins it maybe due in part to the Indiana Democratic Party’s having sent out the below shown mailers encouraging people to vote for the Libertarian Party Candidate Lucy Brenton as reported recently. 

We predict that the Democrats will win a net gain of 25-30 seats in the U.S. House. We predict probably no changes in Indiana’s Congressional Delegation. Trey Hollingsworth and/or Jackie Walorski might lose if the Democrats have a really good night. Otherwise no change in Indiana. Unfortunately many of Indy Republican’s favorite Republican Congressmen will probably be among the first casualties tomorrow night. Barbara Comstock in Virginia looks like they will lose, Congresswoman Mia Love of Utah might lose tomorrow according to some polling out of Utah.

In the U.S. Senate unlike Paul Ogden we think the GOP will net 1 to 3 seats instead of 1 to 2. We haven’t completely ruled out a possible upset in Texas by Beto O’Rourke against Ted Cruz. We also believe there is an outside chance that Bob Hugin will upset incumbent New Jersey Senator Bob Menedez. We wouldn’t be surprised if either race produced an upset. But we wouldn’t be surprised by much of anything tomorrow. If we Republicans lose control of either or both Houses of Congress tomorrow we predict that Trump will simply blame the congressional republicans for the loss. We can picture Donald saying: “Well I tried to save them. They didn’t build the wall fast enough. If they had just went out and grabbed as much p$!^y as I have!” And Trump will revert to being a grievance candidate running against both parties and he will become an angrier more unstable Trump. Well here’s to our predictions being more accurate than our 2016 predictions were. 

UPDATE: It looks like their might be a possible runoff for the U.S. Senate in Mississippi according to a recent poll. We have that and some commentary on the poll here:

MS Senate (n=1003)

Mike Espy 40
Chris McDaniel 28
Cindy Hyde-Smith 27
Tobey Bernard Bartee 1

Mike Espy will almost certainly advance to a runoff election. It's not clear who his opponent will be.

— Change Research (@ChangePolls) November 5, 2018

I don't think any other poll has McDaniel ahead of Hyde-Smith, but if McDaniel runs second, then Espy would probably be favored in the runoff. It would be very 2018 if the Democrats end up controlling the Senate thanks to having Democratic senators from Alabama and Mississippi... https://t.co/BAmQaTMVBw

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) November 5, 2018

IR Will Be Back Momentarily

INDY REPUBLICAN begs our readers forgiveness on not having posted more leading up to the midterm elections this year. The crew all have horrible colds and our day jobs have demanded our attention. We hope to have up our election predictions either today or tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.

Matt Tully Is Dead

We just received word that our old nemesis Matt Tully of the Indianapolis Star has died of cancer. We had no love for Matt Tully and IR won’t lie and say we thought much of him before or now. We still despise his role in attacking Gary Welsh and Charlie White. But we didn’t want this to happen. Tully every once in a good while wrote decent articles. And by all accounts was a good husband and father. Our prayers to his family and friends. Also Matt sorry you suffered the way you did. But you are at peace now. That’s all that matters. Someday we will bury the hatchet and start again. Good or Bad you kept us on our toes.

Rest In Peace Brother Matthew 

The IR Crew

When Will The IBM-FSSA Debacle Ever End?

As many of our readers are undoubtedly aware. For the better part of the last decade now. We Hoosiers have been on the hook for well over a half billion dollar debacle because “Godfather” Governor Mitch Daniels and his stooge Mitch Roob had to enter into a boneheaded contract with IBM/ACS to privatize Indiana’s welfare system. We blogged about this last year and about a month became aware of some new developments in this case.

Rick Callahan writing for the Associated Press reported that Indiana’s Court of Appeals had upheld a previous ruling from August 2017 that IBM owed the state $78 Million. 

Callahan also reported:

The three-judge court also found that IBM is entitled to interest on nearly $50 million in state fees that Welch ruled Indiana owes the company. 

Judge Heather Welch had rejected IBM’s request for interest on those fees, but the appellate court reversed the decision and sent the matter back to Welch to determine the amount of interest IBM is owed. The court specified that the interest be calculated for the more than six years that have elapsed since another Marion County judge found in 2012 that Indiana owed IBM $49.5 million in state fees.

John Maley, one of the private attorneys representing Indiana in the case, called Friday’s ruling “a significant victory for Hoosier taxpayers.” He said the state’s attorneys believe Welch ruled correctly on the interest issue and that they will be conferring with state officials “regarding that narrow legal issue and possible further review.”

IBM spokesman Doug Shelton said the New York-based company is disappointed by the ruling and plans to appeal.

“IBM invested significant resources in its partnership with the state to help turn around a welfare system described at the time by Indiana’s governor as one of the worst in the nation,” he said in a statement.

Indiana and IBM sued each other in 2010 after then-Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican, cancelled the $1.3 billion contract that his administration reached with the company to privatize and automate the processing of Indiana’s welfare applications.

Under that deal, an IBM-led team of vendors worked to process applications for food stamps, Medicaid and other benefits. Residents could apply for the benefits through call centers, the internet and fax machines. But the contract was pulled in late 2009, less than three years into the 10-year deal, following complaints about long wait times, lost documents and improper rejections.

Not mentioned in the article is that former Assistant State House Assistant Leader Eric Turner had owned a building which was then leased by ACS to be used as a welfare call center. IR and the late great Gary Welsh have blogged about Turners legal and ethical issues.

It’s extremely frustrating to the IR crew and those of us on the front lines of fighting the most corrupt state government in the nation that this whole shit show over at FSSA is still going on. But as long as it is we and others like us will continue to report it. Don’t worry Gary. Your crusade will continue and intensify. Until our state is rebuilt. Good night and God Bless!

Beto O’Rourke’s Freaky Campaign Videos

Well it’s 14 days until the midterm election. And there has definitely been no shortage of weirdness this campaign season. Beto O’Rourke might just take the cake for most bizarre political videos of the year. Here’s the incomparable Ben Shapiro and his take on Beto’s videos:

GOP Sends The Money Truck Away From Putin and Mike Pence’s Favorite Congressman Dana Rohrabacher

In what might turn out to be proof of our theory that everything Pence touches dies (or ETPD for short). As well as a ray of hope that the Pro-Sovietization of our Grand Old Party could be starting to wane. RawStory wrote yesterday that Congressman and Communist Tool Dana Rohrabacher would no longer be getting funding from one of the Republican Party’s largest fundraising arms. RawStory writes:

The Republican Party’s top funding group for congressional races will not spend money to support two Orange County Republicans.
The Congressional Leadership Fund is responsible for gathering and dispersing multi-million-dollar checks from the GOP’s biggest donors and will spend $12 million on cable television ads in Southern California.

Rohrabacher is famous for his pro-Russian views and has been called “Putin’s favorite congressman.”

Longtime readers may remember last year that we covered Mike Pence’s childish and cowardly manner of turning tail and running like a girl from the Colts game during the Kneelgate controversy  We had made note of the following:

The Vice President is scheduled to be at a fundraiser for Rohrabacher tomorrow. This despite the fact that many political observers have expressed concerns about Rohrabacher's overly friendly views towards Russian tyrant and former KGB Agent Vladimir Putin. If being around a bunch of pampered, self-indulgent, whiners who show disrespect to the national anthem is too much for the Vice President. Then how can he justify fundraising for a congressman whose own patriotism has been rightfully questioned?

Well the patriotism of Pence and Rohrabacher is being rightfully questioned not only by us here at IR. But if the most recent polling out of Rohrabacher’s district is to be trusted those who know him best apparently are liking and trusting him less and less.

World Champion ChessMaster, Human Rights Activist, and Anti-Communist Gary Kasparov had this observation to make about Pence and Rohrabacher last year:

Seriously? Why save the Kremlin the money by fundraising for Rohrabacher? https://t.co/WTUIgyVzTM

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) October 8, 2017

Sadly Rohrabacher is not the only person out there trying to transform the historically anti-communist GOP into a vehicle to promote the legacy of Lenin and Stalin. But that is exactly the path that Rohrabacher is working towards by being pals with former KGB Agent Vladimir Putin. The disgusting harpie Ann Coulter and former Alabama GOP Senate Candidate Roy Moore have both expressed admiration for the murdering dictator Putin.

Earlier this year Grant Gambling wrote this magnificent column detailing Ann Coulter’s praising of Putin and her trashing of US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.

Here is Coulter in his or her own words:

Better Putin than Nikki Haley. https://t.co/aHyCmIEuWj

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) April 17, 2018

Roy Moore last year in an interview with Paul Lewis of the London Guardian offered praise for Vladimir Putin and also tried to gloss over the sins of King David in the Old Testament. Here is a video of that interview. Especially pay attention from 1:18 to 1:50 in the video. In that section Moore in regards to President Ronald Reagan's saying that Russia was the focus of evil in the modern world. Moore goes onto say the same could be said about America. He compares same sex marriage as being an argument against the greatness of the United States. Moore even says that Putin is maybe more closer to Moore's thinking than he realizes. This trying to make the case that the United States and Putin's Russia are morally equally is completely revolting. It goes against the founding principles of our country, is a slap in the face to Reagan who correctly described America as a "Shining City on The Hill", and makes Moore, Coulter and their ilk similar to the pronouncements of the late Osama Bin Laden who called America "The Great Satan".  Here is the interview with Roy Moore:



And speaking of King David. Moore for a man who styles himself as a devout Christian he fails to point out that David repented of his sins. Here is the account taken from the Holy Scriptures detailing the repentance of David (2 Samuel 12:1-13):

Nathan’s Parable and David’s Confession

12 Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. ² The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. ³ But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. ⁴ And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

⁵ So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this ^[a]shall surely die! ⁶ And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”

⁷ Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! ⁹ Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. ¹⁰ Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ ¹¹ Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. ¹² For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ”

¹³ So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 

Here is a look at what ideas that Dana Rohrabacher, Ann Coulter, and Mike Pence actually hold in their hearts:

The fact that Donald Trump has himself said that he has not asked God for forgiveness apparently does not phase Moore or Coulter. Compare Roy Moore's interview with the following from President Reagan below. And ask yourselves if Rohrabacher, Trump, Pence, and Moore can by any stretch of the imagination be said to be following in the tradition of Ronald Reagan.

A City on a Hill:

Russia as "The Evil Empire":

Let us all continue the fight for freedom as articulated and fought by Senator Barry Goldwater, President Ronald Reagan, and others. We must continue to work towards reclaiming the proud mantle of being opponents of communism and defenders of freedom.

For further information on the change in the Republican Party's view on Russia read this article here by Steve Chapman of Reason Magazine. Also we think our readers might find Gary Kasparov's book "Winter is Coming" of interest. Thank you and God Bless you All!