Forms in Indiana
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V23, N22 Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018 The ‘pink wave’ forms in Indiana names like Amie Neiling, MeChelle Callen, Evelyn Brown, Female candidates for Congress, Tonya Pfaff, Penny Githens, Anna Murray, Linda Rog- General Assembly surpass 2016 ers, Jessica Renslow and Dee Moore are filed. They come from both major By BRIAN A. HOWEY political parties, but more from the INDIANAPOLIS – Day by day on the Indiana Democrats. It’s being called the “pink Elections Division website, you see the names: Tobi Beck, wave,” a flood of female candidates em- Dee Thornton, Courtney Tritch (pictured above) and Liz boldened by President Trump, who view everything from Watson at the congressional level, with more on the way. his infamous “Access Hollywood” tape to the crippling of And at the General Assembly level, unknown Continued on page 3 Democrats’ bad weekend By MARK SOUDER FORT WAYNE – Wow! The Senate Democrats re- ally miscalculated their decision to shut down the federal government. It takes quite a bit of incompetence to take a political shellacking when battling an unpopular Congress “Congratulations to Marion and a president who confuses his own allies. They also strain credibil- County on their decision to be- ity when they try to blame the Republicans and the president come a vote center county. There for the shutdown. Anybody inter- are now 37 counties that have ested in politics could watch the voting and listen to the endless adopted the vote center model. droning about needing 60 votes Vote centers save taxpayer mon- in the Senate to move a bill. They know that it is a myth that ey. ” the Republicans can pass what- ever they want. - Secretary of State Connie Senate Minority Leader Lawson Page 2 Chuck Schumer compounded his prob- budget without getting some order lem and further walked on his own in the House, plus either getting 60 message by repeatedly stating that votes or switching to straight majority the Republicans needed Democrat rule in the Senate. While they have votes to pass the bill. If the Republi- become excellent “can-kickers,” bat- cans control everything, why are they tling over a new CR every few weeks forced to deal with you? Well, which is is also taking a significant toll on what it, Chuck? was already dwindling respect for the After years of demanding institution of Congress. While, in fact, clean CRs, and months of stress- it is the voters who resist compromise, Howey Politics Indiana ing the needs of the CHIP program, the appearance nonetheless is that WWHowey Media, LLC 405 Schumer kept threatening to block the institution is governed by spoiled Massachusetts Ave., Suite funding to keep the government open children. Sometimes one must lead. 300 Indianapolis, IN 46204 unless something was done to allow The Founders created a democratic minors brought to America illegally to republic, not a pure democracy, for www.howeypolitics.com remain here. While most Americans logical reasons. are sympathetic to the plight of the Thus, one would think, a Brian A. Howey, Publisher Dreamers, they did not believe that a compromise is possible. But the bal- Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington solution should come at the direct cost ance of power lies clearly with the Jack E. Howey, Editor to vulnerable children and Mary Lou Howey, Editor those helping Mark Curry, photography defend America. No wonder Subscriptions panic set in. Democrats’ pre- HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 election domi- HPI Weekly, $350 nance margin Ray Volpe, Account Manager was cratering. 317.602.3620 When email: [email protected] Vice President Pence got onto that airplane Contact HPI heading to the [email protected] Middle East, Sen. Schumer was obvi- Republicans. Like it or not, the Ameri- ously aware that the Republicans were can people put the Republicans in Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 done negotiating. The Republicans charge of the House and the Senate, Washington: 202.256.5822 believed they had the upper hand with and elected a Republican president. Business Office: 317.602.3620 the general public. President Trump’s They deliberately rejected leadership silence over the weekend was an- by Nancy Pelosi, Schumer and Hillary © 2018, Howey Politics other clue; no bluster, he had made Clinton. The law protecting the illegal his points, and his side had the public immigrants brought here as children Indiana. All rights reserved. edge. It bought only three weeks, but is expiring. To protect them, Congress Photocopying, Internet forward- in politics under this president three must pass a law. ing, faxing or reproducing in weeks needs to be calculated more Americans are open to a new any form, whole or part, is a like dog years. law, but not without much greater violation of federal law without Sen. Joe Donnelly under- border security. Multiple times now stands what Sen. Schumer did not. America has generously granted permission from the publisher. Republicans alone cannot keep the people who entered illegally a path to government open. However, Republi- citizenship. Every time it encouraged cans alone can determine whether the more to come illegally. Some sort of protection for the Dreamers remains a wall, plus more border patrol and in place. It is one thing for the minor- ICE agents and enforcement support ity to block something, but a minority systems – as President Trump has cannot pass something. stated from the beginning – will be a The Republican congressio- fundamental part of any agreement. nal majority cannot pass a long-term That is a given, known to both sides Page 3 (though what type of wall and how many agents is up for sus the field, who divide the anti-establishment vote. All negotiation). the winner needs is a plurality, not a majority. Congress- Chain migration also needs to be linked to the man Rokita has to overcome a Braun drain. Dreamers. While the media keeps quoting polls that favor Rokita scored some valuable points as well. His resolving the Dreamer issue, I am 100% certain that the straw vote win in Harrison County was interesting, espe- majority does not favor granting legal mercy to the chil- cially given that it is at the geographical opposite corner dren brought here illegally in the past, only to be stunned from his base. It shows that his statewide victories as when they learn that this version also allowed them to secretary of state may matter. Rokita’s video ad coordi- bring in potentially millions of others who previously did nated with the most important pro-life week of this cycle, not have the right to enter the U.S. In other words, the plus gave very personal reasons for his position. It played Republicans need to focus on this now or recognize that beneath the radar of the larger public, but to a key core of this issue may be completely lost. Republican voters. During these few weeks, all the major Indiana And even Mike Braun, in spite of appearing more Senate candidates had some successes. Sen. Donnelly as an also-ran in the straw vote, recovered with some high solidified his image as someone open to compromise. It profile endorsements in Cass County and a flood of ads is not just an image. Compared to most in Washington, it featuring substantive issues. His actions were a warning also happens to be true. that Messer and Rokita are not going to be able to just Congressman Messer scored some points among focus on themselves. If Congress dawdles on, the con- Republicans by publicly supporting the “nuclear” option gressmen brawl with each other, and Braun continues to on budgets that need to be passed. His floor speech was pour huge sums of money into this race, it would still be almost fiery. His office supplied the floor footage to local unlikely but not impossible for Braun to emerge victorious. television, plus some explanatory information generated The Democrats had a bad weekend. But actually in the House television studio. It was a well-timed and all the major Indiana Senate candidates did a decent job targeted hit on a hot button issue. Coming off a solid if of advancing their individual strategies amid the chaos. v unspectacular win in the straw vote beauty contest, it was a good stretch for Messer. Souder is a former Republican congressman from The straw vote also clarified that it is Messer ver- Indiana. 22 days away. Pink wave, from page 1 In Indiana, the ceiling has been shattered by both Obamacare, and issues like Dreamers, CHIP or tax reform, parties at the congressional level, with Democrat Rep. as an anathema to the way they believe things should be. Virginia Jenckes becoming the first to win a seat in 1933, According to the Cen- followed by Republican Cecil ter for American Women and Harden in 1949. They’ve been Politics at Rutgers University, followed by Democrat Reps. 389 women are running for Katie Hall, Jill Long and Julia the U.S. House of Repre- Carson. In 2012, Republican sentatives, 49 women are Reps. Jackie Walorski and Susan running for U.S. Senate and Brooks ushered in a new era for 79 women are running for Hoosier Republicans. governor in 2018. In 2016, But on the gender front, five women ran for Congress there is a long way to go for the in Indiana, compared to nine demographic that represents who have filed thus far and 51% of the population. While U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski will Vi Simpson headed the Senate be the 10th since she is ex- Democrats for several cycles, pected to seek reelection but there have been virtually no has yet to file. In the General caucus leaders in the General Assembly, there were 43 Assembly, no speaker or Sen- women who were nominated ate president pro tempore, no for the House and Senate in female Ways and Means or Sen- 2016, compared to 48 who ate Appropriations chair.