Puckett Holds Donnelly Accountable

Luke Puckett, Republican candidate for Congress in Indiana’s 2nd District, called on Joe Donnelly to start being honest with 2nd District Hoosiers. “He has one line for those of us back home and he’s got a different line for those in Washington. He tells us one thing and then he goes to Washington and does another,” Puckett declared.

As a specific example of Donnelly’s inability to be honest with constituents, Puckett points to a letter Donnelly sent to a constituent in March of 2007 regarding the troop surge in Iraq. In the letter, Donnelly declares that he will not support legislation mandating troop withdrawals or de-funding of the War in Iraq. In the weeks that followed that pledge, however, Donnelly voted twice [Roll Calls 186 and 624 cast during the 2007 session] to set mandatory deadlines for withdrawal of all American military personnel from Iraq regardless of conditions on the ground and irrespective of the best judgment of commanders in the field.

“The most important commodity that an elected official has is the public’s trust and when he or she fails that trust by being dishonest and disingenuous about a particular issue, then the official shows that they don’t have what it takes to be a leader,” Puckett stated, “I will be honest with constituents whether it’s popular or not because honest disagreement is better that false and misleading agreement. Honesty will be a priority.”

On the broader issue of national security, Puckett declared “Our national security is strengthened when we build a strong and ready military and put the world on notice that we will use it only as a last resort. The highest duty of any Congressman, Senator or President is to protect this country by making sound national security related decisions. Such decisions involve far more than simply making a judgment call about when to go to war and when to not go to war, they also require an understanding of who our enemies are, why they wish to see our destruction, and what we must do to win the battle of ideas.”