Archive for October 31st, 2008

This question arose today on FriendFeed, and the comments are piling on.  On the one hand appears to be Democrats suggesting him to make one last appeal that Obama is a moderate and would reach out to a Republican for his cabinet.  On the other hand, I have asked why our senior Senator is so quiet these days, with almost nothing to say for John McCain.

Here’s the friendfeed conversation so far, love for some of you to jump in there or here:

Rick Powell posted a message

“Richard Lugar. Obama’s Secretary of State. Discuss.”

Who? - Roberto Bonini

Roberto: The Secretary of State is the cabinet level position that gives the Pres… Oh… you meant Dick Lugar. - tehEvil that is Kenny

Yeah. Never heard of him. - Roberto Bonini

haha. Obama’s favorite Republican. Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R… He’s the Republican leader of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A press release where he basically, tactfully endorses Obama’s active diplomacy approach to foreign policy: http://lugar.senate.gov/press/… - Rick Powell

I predict a cabinet position and I would like to get credit for it if it happens. They are pals. When asked if he would ever run for Prez again, Lugar said - and this was a few years ago - “I will leave that to Barack.” - Rick Powell

Ah. Thanks for that info. Will read over it. - Roberto Bonini

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There is a very interesting read over at ABC (really!) regarding the media bias. There is, of course, a disclaimer at the end of the article stating that it is not the view of ABC News. It is worthy of a read. But it is the chilling conclusion that I want to bring to your attention. Michael Malone blames Editors for the bias. Why?

Picture yourself in your 50s in a job where you’ve spent 30 years working your way to the top, to the cockpit of power … only to discover that you’re presiding over a dying industry. The Internet and alternative media are stealing your readers, your advertisers and your top young talent. Many of your peers shrewdly took golden parachutes and disappeared. Your job doesn’t have anywhere near the power and influence it did when your started your climb. The Newspaper Guild is too weak to protect you any more, and there is a very good chance you’ll lose your job before you cross that finish line, 10 years hence, of retirement and a pension.

Then comes Obama with the possibility of the Democrats holding all three branches with massive majorities in Congress.

With luck, this monolithic, single-party government will crush the alternative media via a revived fairness doctrine, re-invigorate unions by getting rid of secret votes, and just maybe be beholden to people like you in the traditional media for getting it there.

And besides, you tell yourself, it’s all for the good of the country …

From the Journal Gazette Yesterday -

Zoeller knows best how to be Attorney General

The recent political advertisements on behalf of Democratic attorney general candidate Linda Pence leave voters with an inaccurate impression of the job duties of the attorney general.

If voters are to make an informed decision with regard to the candidates they choose, it is vitally important to understand what the job duties consist of for the positions that they are voting for.

It is easy to claim that you want to protect children and pursue predators, but the office of attorney general is not an office of a prosecuting attorney. With the exception of environmental crimes, the attorney general has no ability to go into individual counties to prosecute criminal cases, whether those criminal cases include children victimized by violence or any other criminal offense. The office of attorney general is not a “super prosecutor.”

The attorney general has no statutory authority to initiate these criminal cases. The office of attorney general instead represents the state of Indiana in the following way: When a local prosecutor achieves a conviction in a criminal case, that conviction may be appealed by the defendant. It is then up to the attorney general’s office to represent the state and the local prosecution at the appellate level to preserve the conviction.

I wholeheartedly endorse Greg Zoeller for the office of attorney general because of his experience with the attorney general’s office. Steve Carter has been an exemplary attorney general. His chief deputy has been Greg Zoeller, who is well aware of how the office functions and how to best serve Hoosiers.

The fact that Pence continues to run an ad that allows Hoosier voters to reach an inaccurate conclusion as to the job duties that she seeks to fill, especially her inaccurate focus on protection of children from predators when she has no statutory authority to file or try these types of criminal cases, makes the choice for attorney general and the vote for Zoeller even more important.

Zoeller’s statement that local prosecutors put defendants in jail, and it’s his office’s duty to keep them there is an accurate description of what the office of attorney general is supposed to do, and his clear understanding of his mission merits our support.

KAREN E. RICHARDS Prosecuting Attorney 38th Judicial Circuit State of Indiana

The South Bend Tribune has announced their endorsement of Greg Zoeller for Attorney General today.  They join a long list of newspapers around the state that have endorsed Zoeller including -

Indy Star

Fort Wayne News Sentinel

Northwest Indiana Times

The Franklin Online

Evansville Courier-Press

On the other hand, Linda Pence has received the endorsement of one newspaper - the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.

Additionally, the Fraternal Order of Police chose to endorse Greg Zoeller for Attorney General.

Click here to watch and participate in the live blog.

We still call it Hoosier Access Radio, because it’s still being put onto iTunes as a podcast but lately we’re moving up in cyberspace with the live webcast with video streamed over UStream.TV. You can join us live on Saturday and participate in the live chat or download us anytime from iTunes. We will be online from 3PM until 6 PM discussing the statewide and national races.

The Guests:

• Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita

• Republican Marion County Circuit Court Judge candidate James Joven

• Vice President of Political Affairs at the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce (and election night webcast co-host )Michael Davis

This morning, I was passed along a letter to the editor of the Indianapolis Star that defending Congressman Burton against the Star’s treatment of him when they decided to endorse Burton’s Democrat challenger.

Listen, I understand the Star can endorse who they want whenever they want, but the reason they endorsed Burton’s opponent was because of a single vote against a piece of the ethics legislation without ever finding out why he voted against it.  Why?  Because that would involve investigative reporting and we all know the Indianapolis Star is above doing their job.

Burton Campaign Manager John Donnelly wrote a letter to the editor explaining the congressman’s vote.  He was called and emailed by the Director of the “Letters” page that John’s letter would indeed run.  Then yesterday, he was told that Director’s “Superior Editors” had pulled the plug on John’s letter.

Since the Star refuses to drop their petty squabbles with the Congressman, we are posting John’s letter here.

Members of the Editorial Board:

In response to the grievances with Congressman Dan Burton you noted in the endorsement of his opponent, I can not, in good conscience, allow your condemnation of his lone vote against Title II of the 2007 House ethics legislation (H. Res. 6, roll call no. 7) to go unanswered.

If you dig deeper than the politically correct name “Ethics Reform” and look at the actual language of Title II in House Resolution 6, you will find a bill easily exploited by loopholes. As the House and Senate Ethics Committees have sought to interpret the broad language of the bill in 2007-08, countless bizarre and confusing parameters for Members of Congress and Congressional staff have been created, and actual reform is nowhere to be seen. Here are a few examples of why the so-called ethics reform has become the joke of Washington, D.C.:

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Zoeller favored:

Of the five open state attorney general seats up for election Tuesday, Democrats are expected to win all of the races but one — the one seat currently held by a Republican, polls indicate.

Democratic candidates for attorney general are expected to win in Missouri, Montana and Ohio. In Oregon, where no Republican ran for the seat being vacated by Attorney General Hardy Myers, the Democratic candidate is all but guaranteed a win.

The one open seat where the Republican candidate is favored to win is in Indiana, where Greg Zoeller, the chief deputy to Attorney General Steve Carter is vying to succeed his boss.

Zoeller is running against Democrat Linda Pence, a high-profile Indianapolis attorney. Zoeller leads Pence 30 percent to 24 percent in a recent Howey-Gauge Poll.

Interestingly, Zoeller leads Pence by six points in a state where Republican presidential nominee John McCain leads Democrat Barack Obama by just two points, according to the same poll.

The Howey-Gauge Poll of 600 likely voters was conducted October 23 and 24, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percent.

Good news, even if the site has an awful photo of Zoeller (his campaign website really needs a downloadable press kit with a good photo in it).

ABATE of Indiana recently sent their monthly magazine. Among the usual articles about helmet laws, lobbying in Washington on rider issues, and pictures of burly bikers at various charity events there was a piece reminding motorcyclists that some candidates support motorcycling, others do not. As a 501c3 they cannot lobby for the election or defeat of a candidate. However they encouraged all members to do their homework and vote accordingly.

ABATE also reminded motorcyclists to ride their motorcycles to the polls to send a statement of “I ride and I vote!”

Checking the weather for Tuesday, here in Indy it’s expected a morning low of 47, and high of 67 and sunny all day. Perfect riding to the polls weather.

Fort Wayne - 47 / 67

South Bend - 46 / 66

Da Region -  49 / 68

Jeffersonville - 50 / 72

Evansville - 50 / 73

Mostly sunny expected throughout Indiana for Election Day.