This past weekend, Don Bates Jr. was interviewed by Pat Miller on Ft. Wayne’s big talker, AM1190 WOWO.  Don’s working hard around the state earning support and talking about what needs to happen in Washington.  If you’ve been interested in the Republican U.S. Senate candidates, and been wanting to learn more about who Don is, what he is all about, and what he wants to do on Capitol Hill for Hoosiers, take a minute and listen to the interview.

For your enjoyment all of the commercials have been edited out.  Full disclosure: I’m a hack for Don in this race, and I’m looking forward to seeing him earn a primary victory in May.  It’s time for Republicans to take back this seat!

If you want to learn more, head over to the Bates Blog.

I am hearing rumors that Indianapolis City-County Councilman, local businessman, and community leader Jeff Cardwell is looking at jumping into the 4^th Congressional District race.  Cardwell was first elected to represent District 23 on the City-County Council in 2007, and he has been active in Republican politics for some time.  In 2000 and 2004 he went to the Republican National Convention as an alternate delegate, and in 2002 and 2004 he was a delegate to the Indiana State Republican Convention.

Cardwell currently runs Cardwell Do-It-Best Home Center, a family owned business that he practically grew up in.  Apparently in the late ‘90s Cardwell was the first to prototype the Do-It-Best hardware store model which has since become a pretty common model for local hardware stores.

If he jumps into the race, Cardwell should have a pretty decent network to start off with due to his business ties, political involvement, and numerous charitable efforts in and around Indianapolis.  One thing is for sure, from the 4^th District race to the US Senate race, a lot has been happening that only a few months ago most would never have expected to happen.

Although the US Senate race has been interesting for Indiana Republicans as candidates have stepped into the race and others speculated about, nothing really matters unless each of the candidates get on the ballot.  Sources have told me that the Don Bates campaign has all but wrapped up its ballot access effort, and will be guaranteed an appearance on the May primary ballot by late next week. 

The Coats team, or what will have to become the Coats team, is facing a deadline in two weeks that the other campaigns have been working towards for several months.  This is not to say that their job is impossible, because if you pay enough people you can get enough folks to gather signatures. 

Some homeschool groups are working to get John Hostettler past the magic threshold of 4,500 signatures.  The former Congressman appears to not be deviating from his tried and true (until 2006) tactic of mobilizing SoCos and libertarians to make up for in manpower what he has always lacked in money.

Although she’s not a formally declared candidate yet, State Rep. Jackie Walorski (R) is preparing to mount a formidable campaign against incumbent blue dog Congressman Joe Donnelly (D) in the 2^nd District.  For months the rumors have circulated around the northern part of the district that if there was one Republican Donnelly did not want to face, it was Walorski.  A proven and tough fighter, Jackie can rouse a crowd, impress donors, earn media attention, and carry legislation forward like someone who should be in Congress.  Maybe that’s one of the reasons why she’s running.

At the end of last October, a detailed open records information request on Rep. Walorski’s official affairs was sent to the Clerk of the Indiana House of Representatives.  The request originated with a Kevin McKeon in Washington D.C. with the highly original e-mail address of kevin.mckeon+walorskirequest@gmail.com.  With an address like that you’ve got to wonder how long this guy’s been planning to make a request, or if he’s just really, really interested in what an Indiana State Representative is doing.

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In November the three Republican state Senate candidates in District 17 completed questionnaires from the Allen County Right to Life seeking information about their individual positions on a number of critical pro-life issues.  The questions asked were straightforward and two of the candidates did a solid job of providing clear answers.  Reviewing the final essay question, however, one would probably have to conclude that Jim Banks, an experienced pro-family and pro-life advocate with national experience, provided the most thorough and persuasive explanation of his pro-life philosophy.*

Candidate Tom Wall, currently a Huntington County Commissioner, checked “unsure” in responding to two of the questions on his questionnaire.  Each of the questions he marked this way were very simple questions dealing with two common pro-life issues faced by legislators around the country.  Anyone familiar with the cursory elements of the pro-life position and philosophy would have been able to make a final judgment about his or her support of the position stated in the question.

The first area of uncertainty for Wall was the matter of conscience clause legislation that protects pharmacists from being legally liable for refusing to fill out prescriptions for abortion inducing products.  This issue has come up in several states, including neighboring Illinois, and pharmacists have had to face a choice between violating their conscience and assuming serious liability for their refusal to comply with a consumer’s request.  In Indiana legislation has been introduced in recent sessions of the General Assembly to protect pro-life Hoosier pharmacists from this morally and professionally difficult choice.

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As most Americans focus their thoughts on family, friends and the nearing Christmas holiday, the U.S. Senate is in the final stage of debating and passing President Obama’s healthcare reform bill. On Monday, December 21st at 1:00am in the morning, the Senate voted to close debate and prepare for a vote on the final passage of an expansive and expensive government takeover of our nation’s healthcare system. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has scheduled the final vote for tomorrow morning, Christmas Eve.

Throughout the writing and debating of this bill the normal legislative process was marred by heavy-handed, Chicago-style tactics. Senators have been bribed with legislative favors and berated into supporting a proposal that will align our nation’s healthcare system with the very worst of policies found in Western Europe and Canada. A few weeks ago Senator Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) was given a special $300 million earmark for her state in exchange for her support of the bill. Recently, Senator Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) secured millions of dollars in permanent subsidies for his state’s share of the new Medicaid entitlement mandates contained in the legislation. The fact that such dishonorable and despicable tactics had to be used illustrates the stakes involved and the utter lack of credible policy that this bill contains.

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This Thanksgiving week, Congressman Mike Pence delievered the weekly Republican address to the nation.  Pence’s optimism for the future, candid assessment of the present, and respect for those who went before us in this great country come through in this statement, which is one of the better Republican addresses.

Buried deep within the verbosity of the 1,990 page healthcare reform bill meandering to passage on Capitol Hill is a significant provision that has the potential to cost the American people billions of dollars in more bailouts.  The recipients of this bailout will be unions such as the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees Internal Union.  These unions are struggling to sustain the insurance plans they have provided for retired union members.  By seeking to make the federal government the backstop for any insurance insolvency they face, the unions are refusing to acknowledge that they are the ones responsible for the situation they now find themselves in.

Other provisions in the bill give unions standing to advise the Secretary of Health and Human Services on healthcare matters and participate in some policy-making processes.  As programs are developed and contracts awarded as part of the massive reshaping of the nation’s healthcare system, it will be very hard for non-union organizations and businesses to effectively compete for, and win, the new contracts.  If these unions cannot responsibly manage their own insurance programs, nothing makes them qualified to assist in a nationalized health insurance effort.

Writing in the Houston Chronicle, a Texas-based attorney and healthcare expert has effectively sounded the alarm to the wide array of dangers posed by these relatively unknown and obscure provisions.

Only three seats away from having a majority in the state House of Representatives, Republicans have fielded a team of candidates that have some potential in southwest Indiana.  The area is culturally conservative in its makeup and is far from being a hopelessly liberal Democrat region.  Evidence of this can be found by looking at some of the Democrats who currently represent the area in the House.  They are not overtly liberal and on the spectrum of their own party they may be considered somewhat more fiscally responsible than most.

Yet not being terribly bad does not mean you are exactly good, and what Indiana needs is good leadership.  Over time the party of government, even if some members believe in growing it slower than their more progressive party compatriots, will take our state down the wrong road.  Taking the middle ground is not the same as taking the high ground and doing nothing wrong is no substitute for doing what is right.

The Evansville Courier Press, not a favorite of some Republicans in times past, has a good article on the four Republican House candidates who are challenging four incumbent Democrats in southwest Indiana.  With a variety of experience and seniority in the statehouse, all of these incumbents do share one thing in common: their districts have been carried at least once by Mitch Daniels.  It is ironic then that in defending the idea that these legislators are not as vulnerable as some currently estimate them to be, the local Democrat Party chairman takes a direct swipe at Gov. Daniels.

“The governor has his agenda, and he’s upset that he can’t get it passed.  I suppose he has a few more highways he wants to give away, and the Democratic House is stopping him from doing that.”

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On October 1^st Ron Arnold will add the line “Former Campaign Manager, Mike Pence for Congress” to his resume.  That’s because he and 3 other long-time Pence campaign staffers are leaving the Congressman’s campaign and setting up their own shop at Ron Arnold and Associates.  Joining Arnold is Jeff Howe, the campaign’s Technical Director, and Mikah Wilson and Jerry Alexander, both well known operatives in the 6^th Congressional District.

Since first winning election in 2000, Pence’s team has worked hard with him to make his re-election effort one of the best in the state.  It helps that the district they work in is Republican leaning, but it does take work to keep it leaning in that direction.  As a group the team has built a brand-name around running campaigns that focus on Hoosier values, conservative principles, and a common-sense message.  Building on the lessons learned from the earliest Mike Pence campaigns, they have steered clear of the highly negative campaign styles that have come to characterize other races around the state and nation.

What would persuade a team of competent individuals to leave relatively safe jobs working for a well known rising star on the state and national stage?  It is rumored that an announcement will come out next week that they have been retained to manage the US Senate campaign of Don Bates, Jr.  Bates, from Richmond, is said to have a lot of the communications and personal qualities that Pence has, though without the prior campaign experience.  One thing is for sure, if this team ends up running his campaign, he had to be serious about winning to get them on board in the first place, and we should expect to see some interesting things shape up in the Senate race.

Pence has not endorsed any candidates in the Senate race right now and if his past record is any indication, he probably won’t endorse anyone until the general election.

Yet another hard-earned boost comes in for Jim Banks and his bid to win the Republican nomination in Senate District 17.  After getting the endorsements of Congressman Mark Souder and Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold, Senator Dillion is going to endorse Banks as his replacement in the district.  According to one source, the endorsement will come at a hog roast the Senator is planning for October 24^th.

It is a mark of his ability to work with people and advance common sense ideas that Jim Banks has gotten this kind of support this early in the race.  The other candidates working for the nomination will need to step it up a few notches if they hope to catch up and become competitive again.  For his part, Banks needs to keep working like he’s an underdog because in this district, the more you do in the Republican primary, the better it goes for you in the general election.

The past few weeks have seen a rapid series of developments take place with respect to our nation’s foreign policy goals. In the first part of September we saw the President continue his reluctance to speak out forcefully against Iran’s nuclear pursuits. Iran has repeatedly insisted that it is enriching uranium for peaceful and civilian purposes. To believe this line, and assume that Iran is limiting its program to only meeting its energy needs, is overly optimistic at best and terribly naïve at worst.

Former Senators Dan Coats and Charles Robb, and retired General Charles Wald, recently analyzed the Iranian situation and concluded that by 2010 Iran will have enough weapons-grade uranium enriched to fuel a nuclear device. Their conclusion factored in only the enrichment plant at Natanz and was made before the revelation that there is another small enrichment facility built into a mountain at Qom. The addition of this plant could further reduce the time line that Iran is working with on this project. Since the concept of a nuclear armed Iran became a serious possibility, observers, analysts, and other experts have repeatedly updated their projections with shorter and shorter estimates for when Iran will become only the second rogue state with nuclear capabilities.

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