taking down words

The waiting is the hardest part: Gubernatorial votes continue to trickle in

Jill Long Thompson has declared victory, but with some precincts still out and thousands of provisional ballots still waiting to be counted, this race will likely not be over until it is over, as they say. Jim Schellinger's campaign is promising to let the process work, and that every vote will be counted in a contest they still see as too close to call.

Regardless, there were 1.1 million ballots between the two candidates -- a number that should put this all in perspective in terms of the main objective of this whole democratic exercise.

Jill fought the law and the law won

The Jill Long Thompson for Governor campaign was served with a cease and desist order from the law firm representing Schenkel & Shultz. Inc. for using their copyrighted projects in her television ads.  The letter, (Download jlt_cd.pdf ) delivered yesterday via certified mail to the campaign, reads:

Please be advised that Barrett & McNagny LLP represents Schenkel & Shultz, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “Schenkel & Shultz”). It has recently come to our client's attention that the Jill Long Thompson campaign is using images of Schenkel & Shultz projects in its TV ads without authorization from Schenkel & Shultz. The projects included in the TV ads are the Wayne Township Schools, Ben Davis High School and a Decatur Township School projects. The Jill Long Thompson campaign does not have authorization to use these images. Schenkel & Shultz is the architect of record for these projects and is owner of the images which the Jill Long Thompson campaign has used

in its TV ads.

The fight continues......

Posted by tdwblog@gmail.com

A study in eating one's young...

A very late April Fools?

I am sure that anyone reading the blog yesterday was wondering what in the hell I was thinking, and rightfully so.  I wanted to do an experiment, so I decided I had to play the devil's advocate for the day to remind people of the consequences of us not getting our act together and supporting our party and our candidates.  I also wanted to give people some perspective on the role of state party in this race.

After Charlotte's post from last week that threw everyone into an uproar I wanted to post something so ridiculous that I hoped everyone would stand back and realize how foolish we've all been.  I don't think it had the intended consequence, but now with this explanation hopefully we can all stand back for a moment, assess the situation, and realize that this primary season is bringing out the worst in all of us.

The Republicans are absolutely giddy over all of this primary election attention because they think it is going to split our party into one or more factions, but I see things differently.  I have a hard time believing that with all of this emotion, attention, and hard work that we are all putting into this election, that we will simply turn around and go the other way in November because our candidate didn't make the cut.  We all realize the harm that Bush and Mitch are doing and have done to our country and our state, and I can't imagine any of us allowing it to continue any longer.  I predict sweeping Democrat victories all around the country this year, including Indiana.  We have to step back for a moment and let cooler heads prevail after the primaries.  I am enjoying this high profile primary season because it is giving people a choice, and with that choice they are becoming educated on the political process and also on the candidates.  My bet is that right now the electorate is more educated on the issues facing this country than at any time in recent history, and I couldn't be happier about that.

As for state party and their role in the races, I don't expect anything but full cooperation and support from them for all races this year.  Dan Parker just wants the best candidate to be able to beat Mitch, and he doesn't do anything half assed, so I know he is going to do everything in his power to propel the nominee to victory in November.  I too had long assumed that state party was all for Schellinger, come hell or high water, but upon talking to some friends one day I was pleasantly surprised.  Expecting the answer to be in support of Schellinger, I jokingly asked what they were going to do if Jill screwed things up by getting the nomination.  My friend very seriously told me that they would put in their full effort no matter who the nominee is, it's their job to support the party's nominee and they intend on doing their job.  I never expected that answer, but I was definitely glad to hear it.

So, in summary:  Let's let cooler heads prevail in this primary season.  We haven't experienced anything this exciting and charged in 40 years, so if you aren't out attending the rallies and meeting the candidates, you need to get off this blog and start living history!  Don't let this opportunity pass you by, you will regret later that you didn't take part in the action, and you only have yourself to blame if you go through this entire season without once meeting any of the candidates.  We have 8 days left until we start working to defeat Mitch in the fall.

posted by tdwblog@gmail.com   

Down to the Wire: Dem Gubernatorial candidates meet at first (and only?) debate

I made the trip up to Fort Wayne yesterday to catch the Democratic gubernatorial debate. They had cookies afterward, so I can't exactly think of anything bad to say about the event itself, except to note that they only passed out 150 tickets to a venue that looked to hold over 300, which explains why so many of the reports this morning make note of the "half-full" crowd.

What was definitely full? Matt Tully's beard. Scandalous.

Lesley Stedman Weidenbener gives us the rundown on the night's activities:

Schellinger described his ideas about jobs at every turn, sometimes in answer to questions about the economy and sometimes on other topics. He proposed ideas to make health care more affordable, to provide jobs skills to adults and to create an office to provide services to small businesses.

"Indiana can and should be doing better," he said.

Thompson, who repeatedly reminded the audience that she never voted for a tax increase in Congress, said she would take a different approach to the economy, focusing on revamping the state's tax structure to attract and retain companies rather than creating programs.

She said Schellinger and Daniels have economic plans that are "very bureaucracy-oriented."

On the whole, Jill Long Thompson was on the hardcore attack the entire evening, accusing Schellinger of everything from campaign finance violations to actively working to raise property taxes to kicking puppies just because he can.

To his credit, at least in my book, Schellinger said he wanted to debate the issues, and tried to steer the conversation back toward the land of positivity, but I wonder how long that campaign will be able to play nice with the attacks coming fast and furious from his opponent.

I'm working on getting a copy of the thing for online public consumption, but for those of you who caught it last night, what did you think?

Posted by: Thomas

Manic Monday: Bill Clinton in town, David O unveils ads, and Jim Schellinger on education

Talk about a busy day, at least in Indianapolis. Congressional candidate David Orentlicher is set to roll out his first television ads of the season this afternoon, as well as tout some yet-to-be-named endorsements. Gubernatorial hopeful Jim Schellinger has scheduled an afternoon presser to discuss the third portion of his Pick Up Indiana plan, this time dealing with education reform.

Oh, and former President Bill Clinton just happens to be here too:

Former President Bill Clinton will bring his "Solutions for America" tour in support of his wife's presidential campaign to Perry Meridian Middle School today.

The rally at 202 W. Meridian School Road is scheduled for 3:45 to 6:45 p.m.

The former president also will campaign for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton today in Corydon and Decatur, "to share with Hoosiers Hillary's plans to jump-start the economy, create jobs and rebuild the middle class," a news release said.

The first event is at noon at Corydon Central Junior High Gymnasium. After the Indianapolis appearance, Clinton is scheduled to speak at 7:30 p.m. at Belmont Middle School in Decatur.

I'll have more on all of these as the day goes on.

Posted by: Thomas

Picking Up Indiana: Schellinger stumps in Terre Haute, unveils new ad

Gubernatorial candidate Jim Schellinger was in Terre Haute yesterday pushing his Pick Up Indiana plan and earning a few legislative endorsements. This is on the heels of announcing the second portion of the proposal on Tuesday, addressing how he would seek to help Hoosiers deal with the health care crisis in this state.

The Trib-Star covered the visit:

While in Terre Haute on Wednesday, Schellinger received two key legislative endorsements and outlined his economic development and health care policy initiatives, part of “Pick Up Indiana.” He’ll announce his education proposals later this week and he’ll have proposals related to government reform.

He was endorsed by state Sen. Tim Skinner and state Rep. Clyde Kersey. Those attending the announcement included Vigo County elected officials, union leaders and laid-off union workers.

“We deserve better leadership in our state,” said Schellinger, who faces Jill Long Thompson in the May 6 Democratic primary.

“I have never seen us more polarized than we are today” on such issues as the economy, health care, the environment, daylight-saving time and privatization, Schellinger said.

Both candidates have also put out new television spots over the last few days. You can check them out below:

 

Posted by: Thomas

Survey Says: Second poll shows Schellinger surging

Over six months ago, Jill Long Thompson led her opponent Jim Schellinger by as many as thirty-odd points. Last month, she released data that showed her with a twenty-six point advantage, and her campaign declared that she "clearly has the momentum heading into the May primary." Today, however, a second poll shows that the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination has dramatically tightened, confirming Tuesday's SurveyUSA data showing that Schellinger has closed the gap to a virtual tie.

The results, via the South Bend Tribune:

Research 2000
400 likely voters -- MoE 5%
3/31-4/2

42% -- Jill Long Thompson
41% -- Jim Schellinger
17% -- Undecided

The Long Thompson crew points to demographic advantages that will likely help them during a primary season that will see huge turnout. The Schellinger camp says that Hoosiers are finally getting to meet their candidate, and they like what they see.

Those numbers point to the "diversity of support that Jill and her campaign are receiving," said Jeff Harris, communications director for the Long Thompson campaign.

That said, Schellinger's popularity is on the rise, Ali said. A poll he did in September for WISH-TV in Indianapolis had Long Thompson ahead by 30 points.

"Obviously, he's caught some fire," Ali said.

In other gubernatorial news, the Schellinger YouTube account provides us with their latest television spot:

Posted by: Thomas

Joe Kernan endorses Jim Schellinger

News out of South Bend, where former Governor Joe Kernan announced his support of gubernatorial candidate Jim Schellinger's bid for the Democratic nomination.

Schellinger, an Indianapolis architect making his first run for political office, is running in the May 6 primary election against former U.S. Rep. Jill Long Thompson.

Kernan endorsed Schellinger today in South Bend, along with South Bend Mayor Steve Luecke.

Kernan said Schellinger is a long-time friend who "will make a great governor."

WSBT had this news report earlier today:

Jill Long Thompson on suspending the gas sales tax

During a phone interview I had with Jill Long Thompson last year, she hammered Governor Daniels on the gas sales tax, urging him to suspend it during times of high fuel prices. Yesterday, she returned to that subject, holding a press conference in Indianapolis to discuss her plan for dealing with this problem in the future.

Niki Kelly of the Journal Gazette files this report:

Under Thompson’s plan, she would place a trigger in state law that would automatically suspend the sales tax on the portion of sales price exceeding $2.75 a gallon.

She said Hoosiers could see savings of about 3 cents a gallon, according to various models taking into account pricing and consumption. Indiana is one of only eight states that apply the state sales tax to gasoline, including Illinois, Michigan, Hawaii, Georgia and California. The sales tax is calculated before state and federal gas taxes of 36 cents are added to the price. House Democrats proposed a similar bill in the 2007 legislative session though the cap was at a lower price. It passed the Democratic House but never received a hearing in the Republican Senate.

Thompson said the program would not hurt highway construction because the sales tax money goes to the general fund, not roads. She also doesn’t believe the state would lose $100 million in revenue due to consumers spending their savings elsewhere in the economy.

Her opponent, Jim Schellinger, was asked his opinion of the proposal, and released this statement questioning whether the $100 million price tag would really bring about the lasting relief Hoosiers deserve:

"We all agree that the price of gasoline is out of control, but you can't balance the books based on one side of the ledger.

"For the past three years, we've lived under Washington-style budgeting, where Mitch Daniels claimed he was fiscally responsible even though he balanced the 2005 budget on the backs of schools, homeowners and local governments. His brand of piecemeal problem-solving, which he must have learned from George W. Bush, is what helped get us in this mess to begin with.

"Instead of merely addressing the surface issue of the sales tax on gasoline, we need to address the overall issue of rising fuel costs and what we can do to lower that burden on Hoosier working families and businesses.

It's also worth noting that the Long Thompson camp criticized the Schellinger Pick Up Indiana jobs plan last week for its $20-30 million price tag. Looking over the stories, I haven't yet found any real discussion of what a $100 million drop in revenue might mean for the state's coffers.

Posted by: Thomas

New Poll: Schellinger leads Long Thompson in Gubernatorial Race

SurveyUSA has released the results of their most recent statewide polling, and the numbers show a big turnaround from a February poll showing Jill Long Thompson in front.

SurveyUSA
530 Likely Voters -- MoE 4.3%
3/29-3/31

41% -- Jim Schellinger
39% -- Jill Long Thompson
20% -- Undecided

If we trust the Howey poll at face value, there can be no doubt that the big mo' is squarely in Schellinger's corner.