V22, N43 Thursday, July 27, 2017

HPI Interview: Mishler finance era set Kenley announced his re- Son of a legislator from tirement this month, and Doc’s hometown is just Hershman could be seek- ing the 4th CD once U.S. fourth Republican to hold Rep. Todd Rokita officially joins the Republican U.S. appropriations portfolio Senate race. Mishler is a son in last half century of a legislator, hails from Bremen and was first By BRIAN A. HOWEY elected in 2004. Once on INDIANAPOLIS – State Sen. the fiscal track, he estab- Ryan Mishler becomes just the fourth Re- lished working relation- publican in a half century to take the reins ships with Kenley, Hersh- of the Appropria- man and House Ways tions Committee, and Means Chairman Tim Senate President Brown. Since 1970, only David Long hav- Republicans Larry Borst, ing appointed Robert Meeks and Kenley him to replace have chaired the appro- out-going Appro- priations portfolio in the priations Chairman Luke Kenley. Senate. Long’s sine die speech in April Mishler notes was a precursor to the coming change of that while Kenley and the guard when he suggested Kenley and Tax & Fiscal Policy Chairman Brandt Her- shman may have forged their last budget. Continued on page 3 A procedural Pence win By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – Give Vice President Mike Pence credit for his tenacious pursuit of an Obamacare repeal and replace. When he intoned on Tuesday afternoon, “There are 50 yeas and 50 nays. The Senate being equally divided and the Vice president “We’re in! See you at the picnic votes in the affirmative,” Pence breathed new life in the health on Aug. 12.” reforms that many believed - U.S. Rep. Luke Messer, in a were dead last week. Just hours after the talks Facebook posting Wednesday collapsed, Pence was back on Capitol Hill seeking support for a unveiling his U.S. Senate procedural motion. Some of us campaign logo and website. saw it as the classic definition of insanity (i.e. trying the same He seeks to challenge U.S. thing over and over seeking to Sen. Joe Donnelly in 2018. get a different result). Page 2 But now we’re hearing talk that process. I will continue to work of a “skinney” Obamacare repeal and with my colleagues, on both sides of replace and Majority Leader Mitch Mc- the aisle, to come up with a solution Connell has vowed to accept amend- that provides long-term stability to our ments from all 100 senators, including healthcare system and gives each and the evil Democrats. every Hoosier the opportunity to ac- Pence’s victory on the pro- cess quality and affordable insurance.” cedural vote could be akin to the pro- The real historic flash oc- verbial dog catching the car, or even curred as McConnell and Johnson the billionaire mogul capturing the talked, when U.S. Sen. John McCain Howey Politics Indiana presidency. Once it’s captured, then returned to vote yea, just 11 days WWHowey Media, LLC 405 what? A dog can’t drive, and President after having brain surgery. Massachusetts Ave., Suite Trump seems to be trying to prove on It was McCain, who sported 300 Indianapolis, IN 46204 a daily basis that a scarlet red scar above he doesn’t know his left eye and seemed www.howeypolitics.com how to govern. tired, who stole the At the very show, but in doing so Brian A. Howey, Publisher moment he was upbraided his colleagues Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington beseeching Repub- and President Trump. Jack E. Howey, Editor lican senators to “Right now we aren’t give him a “win,” producing much for Mary Lou Howey, Editor Trump and Pence the American people,” Mark Curry, photography were undermin- McCain said. “We’ve ing “beleaguered” Attorney General all played some role in it. Certainly I Subscriptions Jeff Session, a Senate alum. And as have. Sometimes I make it harder to we’ve reported before, the Pence/ find common ground. Sometimes I HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 Trump political wing is openly seek- wanted to win more for the sake of HPI Weekly, $350 ing primary opponents for recalcitrant winning. We need to learn to trust Ray Volpe, Account Manager Sens. Dean Heller and Jeff Flake. The each other again. Stop listening to the 317.602.3620 Senate is a place which places high bombastic loudmouths on the radio, email: [email protected] capital on decorum and honor. There television and the internet. To hell hasn’t been a physical caning on the with them! They don’t want anything Senate floor since Rep. Preston Brooks done for the public good. Our incapac- Contact HPI battered Sen. Charles Sumner on May ity is their livelihood. [email protected] 22, 1856. “We’ve been spinning our While Republicans lost U.S. wheel on too many important issues Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkow- because we don’t want to work with Washington: 202.256.5822 ski on the procedural vote, Pence and people on the other side of the aisle. Business Office: 317.602.3620 Company were able to lure Heller, Rob We are getting nothing done, my Portman, Mike Lee, Jerry Moran and friends, we are getting nothing done. © 2017, Howey Politics Mary Moore Capito back into the fold. Our health care system is a mess. As the vote headed for a Something has to be done.” Indiana. All rights reserved. tally, the most riveting conversation He lamented how President Photocopying, Internet forward- occurred between McConnell and Wis- Obama and Democrats pushed the ing, faxing or reproducing in consin Sen. Ron Johnson, who finally ACA through in 2010 on a straight any form, whole or part, is a voted yea as Pence looked on from party line vote, and said, “We violation of federal law without the podium. shouldn’t do the same with ours. Why U.S. Sen. Todd Young said, don’t we try the old way of legislating permission from the publisher. “Nearly everyone agrees that doing in the Senate?” nothing is not an option. Insurers He admonished McConnell, have fled the individual market and complaining that such social reen- premiums continue to rise without gineering should include committee any indication the law’s death spiral hearings, testimony from experts and will stop. Ultimately, it is imperative interested parties, describing a pro- that we fundamentally reform our cess that would normally take months, healthcare system and my vote to saying Senate leadership came up proceed to debate allows us to begin “with a proposal behind closed doors Page 3 in consultation with the administration, then the process he was criticizing, so don’t put springing it on skeptical members, trying to him in the ‘firm no’ column.” convince them that it was better than nothing. That column could be reserved I don’t think that’s going to work in the end, for Capito, Johnson, Susan Collins, Lisa and it probably shouldn’t.” Murkowski, Mike Lee, Jerry Moran and And that is exactly what will unfold Portman. today. What will happen in the Trump/ As for Trump and Pence, McCain Pence quest for a victory? “We’re hours blasted the president who once said he didn’t away from a series of votes that will respect POWs. “Whether or not we are of the culminate, we think, with a brand-new bill same party, we are not the president’s subor- to repeal part of the Affordable Care Act,” dinates,” he said. “We are his equal! Nather writes this morning. “Of course, “I voted for the motion to proceed to no one’s seen it. Senate Republicans don’t allow debate to continue,” he said. “I will not know where they’re headed, but they’re vote for this bill as it is today. It’s a shell of a putting the pedal to the metal to get there. bill right now.” Here’s where things stand this morning: But just to show how surreal every- McConnell is still working on the latest ACA thing is in Washington, McCain did vote for the unsuccess- repeal bill, after two other versions have already failed. ful repeal and replace later that evening. As David Nather Like its predecessor, this one — “skinny repeal’ — is also of Axios observed, “McCain was hard to read yesterday. On being written in secret with little to no outside input. This the one hand, he excoriated the Senate’s process, calling could all be over — somehow or another — in about 24 instead for a return to bipartisanship and regular order — hours. Not because Republicans agree on any one policy, and in that part of his speech, he didn’t sound like a guy or even on the broadest set of principles about what’s too inclined to support a bill in the end. But he gave that good or bad in the health care system, but because they’ll speech just a few minutes after voting to go ahead with run out of time."v

I’ve known Doc Bowen from a young age. When I decided Mishler Interview, from page 1 to run, that was one of the first places I went. He had Brown were retired from their private careers, he is a these index cards and he told about things to do as a can- single dad and president of Mishler Funeral Homes and didate. His No. 1 rule was, “Never use your own money.” Bremen Monument Company. I sat there and I jotted When Gov. Otis “Doc” Bowen down notes as he went over died, Mishler announced the all these things. He knew passing and conducted the everybody in town. And then legendary governor’s funeral. I handled his funeral. He was So Mishler will be in a unique great influence on my father. position of juggling father- HPI: Did you consult with hood, a career and one of the him on issues once you were most important fiscal posts in in the General Assembly? the state. Mishler: Not too much. As we do with all key It was more behind the General Assembly leaders, we scenes on when I ran, what conducted this HPI Interview to expect, things like that. I with Mishler on Wednesday remember one conversation morning via phone. He was about the conditions of roads in Virginia where his son was in the area. That was really in an AAU basketball tourna- the only political conversation ment. we had. HPI: You’re from HPI: You look at Doc’s Bremen. I’m assuming you knew Doc Bowen? What kind career as governor and Health and Human Services secre- of influence did he have on your political career? tary under President Reagan, and the two key issues were Mishler: Yes. I sure did. My dad was in the House taxation and health care. years ago and he was the one who really convinced my Mishler: When people hear I’m from Bremen, dad to run for the House. He ran for the first time in 1980. that’s the first thing that comes up. Doc Bowen. He never Page 4 forgot about his community. That was the most important HPI: What are your general philosophies? thing we had. He delivered what we called “Bowen babies” Mishler: Obviously I want to keep a balanced and that was important to him. When I was in college on budget and strong reserves. As a business owner, that’s a the West Coast (Southern Cal) I met his grandson, who general philosophy every day. Indiana is a fiscal leader in was at Southern Cal. It’s a small world. the country and I want it to continue to be. I want to keep HPI: When this change occurred, I noted that you our bond rating and remain the fiscal envy of the country. were only the third Republican to hold the Senate Appro- HPI: What do you see as the biggest challenges priations portfolio. between now and the next biennial budget? Mishler: Bob Meeks had it for four years, too. Mishler: Health care is going to be the No. 1 is- When I got elected, it was two to four years with Meeks sue in the coming years. Whether we remain in the ACA and then it was Kenley. or it’s changed, it’s going to affect us one way or another. HPI: Did you spend That’s probably going to be our any time with Larry Borst? biggest issue. Mishler: No, unfor- HPI: There was a provi- tunately. I met him one time sion in HEA1002 that allows for after I got elected, but I never the transfer of funding from roads had an opportunity to get to and infrastructure to areas like know Sen. Borst. health care and potentially prop- HPI: One of my fa- ping up HIP 2.0. Did you play a vorite stories is Borst having a role in that? putting green in his office and Mishler: The House he used to dare lobbyists to wanted to use all the sales tax putt for funding. on fuel for roads. The Senate Mishler: (Laughs) So elected to do that. I was one of that’s why everyone golfs. those people because I felt if we HPI: But no one will had a downturn in the economy, say who’s the best golfer in the Chairmen Brandt Hershman and Mishler. it would really tie our hands. We General Assembly. wouldn’t have any flexibility. That Mishler: Probably Wolkins. was my biggest concern. So the compromise was: It all HPI: In his sine die speech, President David Long goes to roads, however, if there is a downturn, it can be suggested that both Chairmen Luke Kenley and Brandt used for three things, education, health care and child ser- Hershman may have crafted their last budget. You are vices. Those are probably the three most important issues. replacing Kenley. How’s your relationship with Sen. Hersh- HPI: And some of the most challenging issues we man and do you expect his departure soon? face. Mishler: When I first got elected, Hershman was Mishler: Correct. Correct. my assigned mentor. I’ve always had a great relationship HPI: We’re probably closer to the next recession with Brandt. He’s always been helpful. Years ago Sen. than from the last one. Any thoughts on what you may be Long told me to learn everything I could from Luke Kenley. facing in the next couple of years? So when I went down the fiscal path, it was like following Mishler: That’s why we have a strong cash re- a legend around. He’s obviously the best we’ve ever had. serve; the prime example of why we need to keep a strong What a mentor to have on the budget in Luke Kenley. I’m cash balance to offset any downturn in the economy. You just honored to have an opportunity to replace someone can’t plan on that. You have to plan ahead. By keeping like that. I think that’s a once-in-lifetime opportunity. I feel a strong cash balance you’re playing ahead for the next fortunate to keep a work relationship with Brandt. It was downturn. helpful to have both of them. HPI: The state reserves are currently $1.7 billion. HPI: And how would you describe your relation- Would you like to see that in the $2 billion range? ship with Chairman Tim Brown over on House Ways & Mishler: Yeah. I know people flinch when we say Means? that. Mishler: He reached out to me as soon as Sen. HPI: Beyond fiscal issues, what have been your Long appointed me. He said, “Hey, call me if you need key issue areas? anything.” That’s the thing, too, I’ve worked with these Mishler: One has been school funding. I’ve been people over the last five or six years. So that’s a good doing that for several years. That is a great challenge. As a comfort zone to know. I’ve been in the room with them all parent of a child in sixth grade, I thought it was important. this time. We’ve had a great working relationship. I like to When I was asked to do that, I did. I really enjoyed travel- tell the story of how we’re in a hotel with the Budget Com- ing to different schools and learning about communities mittee and he got a napkin out and started putting school through school funding, which I think will help me with the funding together on a napkin. budget. Fifty percent of our budget goes to schools and Page 5

K-12. I’ve spent probably 90% of my time on school fund- younger. ing over the last six or seven years. HPI: A Washington Post article this month cited HPI: Would you like to see universal pre-K? the workforce shortage in the Warsaw area orthopedic Mishler: I’m not a big supporter of pre-K. I did belt, and it suggested that companies like ZimmerBiomet support it when Gov. Pence wanted that program, but with or DePuy might move. the idea it was to get data. I didn’t want to expand the Mishler: Some of the work may go elsewhere. pilot program because we didn’t have the data yet. For me Some of it went overseas and they’re coming back be- personally, I have never been real supporter of expansion cause they can’t find the workforce. Sourcing that out, of the pre-K. HPI: I spent time with Gov. Holcomb this past month and he is signaling an all-out war on the opioid epi- demic and will use po- litical capital to fund it. What are your thoughts on that? Mishler: It will be a funding issue. I think on the next budget he’ll have to bring the data back. We’ll have the flexibility to deal with this opioid crisis and I think by the next budget cycle the admin- istration will have data for what we need to do. I don’t think a lot of people know what direc- tion to go. HPI: Are there other fiscal issues you’d like to talk about? Sen. Ryan Mishler and out-going Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley. Mishler: Road funding will be ongoing because we just started that. If we’re talking long term didn’t work out. I think that’s a problem everywhere. The that’s something that we have to stay on top of. Back in orthopedic industries in Warsaw are in my district and 2003 they raised the gas tax and then just kind of let it go. I’ve watched that for years. They are having a hard time So that’s an on-going issue. Education is always impor- finding workers; they’re going out of state. It’s a recruit- tant. In my area, it’s the No. 1 issue. The roads were ing game. Recruiters from other states are offering better pretty popular, but education is still going to be an issue. benefits. We’re seeing a lot more education reimburse- HPI: Do you believe we’re seeing progress on ments and things like that. Gov. Pence’s Regional Work Councils? HPI: What is the future of Regional Cities? Gov. Mishler: I was pretty active in technical education Holcomb wants it to continue but wasn’t sure where the this year. We got aggressive. Sen. Eckerty and I worked funding would come from. with the work programs. The demand isn’t meeting the Mishler: I think Regional Cities was a great needs; it’s the categories that we have. This year we opportunity for areas. Two of the regions were in my tried to pad those categories with larger grants. In north district. I think it’s helped these regions. The issue is central Indiana we had more kids getting into hospitality going to be, where does the funding come from. The tax and culinary which wasn’t matching the area need, so we amnesty program was great, but you can’t have a tax changed the grants to fill that need for manufacturing. We amnesty program every year. So the issue is where do we made a lot of changes this year. We did the eighth grade find the funding? In my home area I’ve seen the improve- reach out, trying to get kids at a younger age to focus on ments from that money. We’re seeing the benefits of it, a career – how they get trained, where the jobs are in that but for other areas, we have to figure out the ability to field, where the money is going. We need to start them raise it. Does the state raise it? v Page 6

17% support the Senate GOP plan with 55% opposing. In 9th CD drawing in the NPR/Marist Poll, 17% favored keeping Obamacare as is, while 46% want changes “so it does more.” Watson said she has dedicated her legal career to activist candidates the most important fights for working families, including By BRIAN A. HOWEY legislative efforts to raise the minimum wage, strengthen INDIANAPOLIS – Activist Democratic candidates protections for people to negotiate for their fair share, and are lining up for the opportunity to challenge freshman create good-paying jobs. She is also a committed advocate U.S. Rep. Trey Hollingsworth. The latest is Bloomington at- for fairness for women in the workplace. She is teaching torney Liz Watson, self-described courses in law and policy at Indiana University. as a national advocate for working “I’m running for Congress because I believe that families. if you work hard and play by the rules you should be able She joins New Albany to get ahead. But today, too many hardworking families civil rights attorney Dan Canon, across Indiana’s 9th Congressional District struggle to keep Bedford businessman Tod Curtis, their heads above water,” Watson said. “I want to repre- and Indiana University associate sent the people in our district by fighting for better health instructor Tom Pappas. These candidacies are forming care, good jobs and the best public education we can as President Trump and Capitol Hill provide for our children. It’s time to get to Republicans are trying to reform health work for Hoosiers, and stop only serving care laws, with the Congressional the interests of a privileged, wealthy few.” Budget Office saying the House-passed Watson served as the labor policy plan would end health coverage for 22 director and chief labor counsel for the million Americans and the Senate plan, Democrats on the Committee on Educa- 33 million. The so called “skinney” tion and the Workforce in the United plan would leave 16 million uninsured. States House of Representatives. She also There have also been steep proposed ran the workplace justice program at the cuts to Medicaid to the tune of $880 National Women’s Law Center. Previously, billion over the next 10 years. she was the executive director of the These issues could resonate if Georgetown Center on Poverty, Inequality a passed Republican health plan guts and Public Policy. the Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0 or crimps “We all want the freedom to be the Holcomb administration’s coming able to care for our families. This starts battle against the opioid pandemic jar- with good-paying jobs, affordable health ring the state. care, high-quality child care, predictable Hollingsworth voted for the schedules, and paid sick days and family American Health Care Act in May, say- leave,” Watson stated. “Special interests ing, “The American people have lived have been manipulating the rules of the with the burden of broken promises economy in favor of the one percent for that Obamacare has left in its wake: too long. If we work together, we can Higher premiums than promised, fewer restore the American Dream for Indiana choices than promised, and less access families. I will fight every single day I am than promised. The passage of the in Congress for the people in our district.” American Health Care Act brings relief After graduating from Blooming- as that burden is lifted and Obam- ton South HS and earning degrees from acare begins to unravel and fall away. Carleton College and Georgetown Univer- The American Health Care Act is built sity Law Center, Watson clerked for a fed- upon the foundation of conservative eral judge. She also served as legislative principles, such as free-market solu- counsel for Workplace Flexibility 2010 at tions, returning power to the states, Georgetown Law and she was an employ- and protecting those Americans with ment lawyer in private practice. pre-existing conditions. Today, the Canon lives in New Albany and American people’s goal of repealing practices law in Louisville. In announcing Obamacare took physical form.” his candidacy earlier this month, he men- But a recent Quinnipiac Uni- tioned similar issues that Watson raised. versity poll found only 20% of voters Canon listed ”good-paying jobs, a safe Liz Watson and Dan Canon are two Demo- nationwide approve of the AHCA. An place to live, quality, affordable education cratic 9th CD candidates. NPR/Marist Poll in late June found and healthcare that doesn’t leave us bank- Page 7 rupt.” his back on the very people he promised to cham- “These are things that pion. Unfortunately, the president isn’t alone. Many matter most to regular people. But in Washington have forgotten why they were sent our current representative isn’t there in the first place, probably because they’re too working on those issues,” Canon busy engaging in politics as usual and advancing said in the release. “He’s an op- personal agendas. Whatever the reason, this isn’t portunistic multi-millionaire who how we’ll solve problems and address issues that came to Indiana just to buy a seat everyday Hoosiers care about: Healthcare, infra- in Congress.” structure, growing the middle class, and ensuring Curtis, a Bedford ortho- that our communities are safe. Hoosiers, and all dontist, said in announcing his Americans, deserve more. We cannot afford to wait candidacy, ”Washington isn’t work- around and watch Washington descend further and ing for regular people. I am not a further into gridlock. We cannot afford for America politician, but I am a leader who to be led by out-of-touch politicians who, a mere six believes in standing up for Hoosier months into governing, have already forgotten who families. I want to build a strong they’re in this for.” middle class, provide world-class Bedford orthodontist Tod Curtis Pappas, a Notre Dame graduate, said, “The United education opportunities for our States is the wealthiest country in the world, but kids, invest in our infrastructure and foster innovation that this wealth is not enjoyed broadly. When the top 0.1% of will spur job growth. Most importantly, I want to make families own as much wealth as the bottom 90%, there sure that Indiana families, seniors, and those with pre- is something drastically wrong with that statistic. If that existing conditions can afford quality care. I’m determined is not appalling enough, almost one third of all American and willing to ignore party politics and special interests children live in poverty. This is not acceptable. We need to and make the right decisions that are best for South Cen- do better by our children and by their families.” tral Indiana, and our country.” Pappas added, “Increasing the minimum wage to Last week, Curtis noted, “Instead, in the six $15 an hour is a step in the right direction. No American months since taking office, President Trump has turned worker should put in a 40-hour work week and still live Page 8 in poverty. We also need to your hard work and support has arrived. make sure that each stage of Exciting times are ahead!” the economic ladder is able U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly’s campaign to support everyone. Teenag- manager Peter Hanscom reacted, saying, ers and young adults need ”Joe Donnelly has been an independent employment opportunities voice for Indiana in the U.S. Senate. to step onto the economic Hoosiers know that Joe will always put ladder, and investing in in- them first, not party bosses, corporate frastructure will put at least lobbyists, or special interests in Wash- 13 million American adults ington. Despite Congressman Messer’s to work repairing our roads, entry into the Republican primary, bridges, and other needs. there’s still only one person on next The rungs on the economic year’s Senate ballot who is deeply con- ladder that made the Great- I.U. instructor Tom Pappas with his sons. nected to the Hoosier electorate and has est Generation and Baby a proven track record of working across Boomers successful are today party lines to deliver for Hoosiers, and missing or need reinforcement.” it’s Joe Donnelly.” Pappas took aim at the Republican incumbent, saying, “Rep. Hollingsworth III epitomizes what is wrong Rokita poll shows small lead with the current political situation. The wealthiest Ameri- The Rokita campaign released a GS Strategy cans can move to any district in the country, spend over Group Poll conducted July 16-18 of 500 likely Indiana $3 million of their own money, and buy themselves power Republican voters and in a head-to-head with Rep. Messer, to advance their own interests. That is not democracy. showed Rokita ahead 28.2 to 20.4% It showed Rokita’s We need to have a system that promotes small donations favorable/unfavorable stood at 34.4/8% while Messer over corporate interests. We need a system that limits all stood at 27.8% to 7.2%. Some 55.6% don’t know Rokita donations, even by candidates to their own campaigns, and 62.8% don’t know Messer. In a second sample that in- to $2,700 per election season. Representatives should be cluded Attorney General Curtis Hill, State Sen. Mike Delph, beholden to their constituents, not to their own interests State Rep. Mike Braun, Andrew Takami, Mark Hurt and or their rich friends, and our current system does very little Terry Henderson, Rokita had a 20.6 to 13.6% lead over to promote democracy.” Messer, with 10.8% going to other candidates and 55% undecided. U.S. Senate Health reforms stand to dominate Messer says he’s in Health reform will likely be a key issue in the “We’re in! See you at the picnic on Aug. 12.” U.S. emerging Senate race. After the Senate voted on a mo- Rep. Luke Messer said on Facebook at noon Wednesday, tion to proceed Tuesday, Indiana Democrats blasted U.S. ending any speculation that he might pass on the Re- Reps. Luke Messer and Todd Rokita and their stance on publican U.S. Senate race. He also unveiled a new U.S. healthcare. Both had voted for the AHCA in May, “While Senate campaign logo. The campaign also launched a “I Senate Republicans have managed to find a path forward Like Luke” website at www.lukemesser.com which is now on their own health care bill, Congressmen Messer and signing up campaign volunteers. He is expected to make Rokita haven’t changed their position an inch: They’re a broader pitch at his still staunchly behind the bill House Republicans passed,” annual picnic on Aug. the item began. “While the Senate drags itself, kicking 12 near Morristown. He and screaming, toward a health care overhaul, Congress- joins Terry Henderson, men Messer and Rokita are doubling down on their ‘mean’ Andrew Takami and health care bill,” said Will Baskin-Gerwitz, senior media Mark Hurt as announced strategist for the Indiana Democratic Party. “The sweetspot candidates. U.S. Rep. for a health care bill shouldn’t be one that increases premi- Todd Rokita is expected ums by thousands of dollars, or takes health care away to enter the race soon. from 23 million Americans. Republicans ought to start over Messer campaign and work with Democrats to pass a bill that strengthens finance chairman Greg our health care system instead of gutting it.” Pence had stated in an Hoosiers for Rokita took at swing at Donnelly, say- email obtained by Howey Politics Indiana that there would ing, “Once again, Joe Donnelly has shown he stands with be “big news” on tap today. “Stay tuned for some very Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in defending ObamaCare exciting news from Congressman Messer tomorrow morn- despite how disastrous it’s been for middle class families, ing,” Pence said in an email sent on Tuesday. The day of Page 9 seniors and small businesses in Indiana. Joe Donnelly isn’t as shifted. “How much things can change in three months. moderate, and he isn’t who he says he is. Joe Donnelly is The landscape for the potential Republican Senate primary a Washington liberal who puts ideology ahead of the real- has shifted dramatically,” Edison said. “With the news that world consequences of this failing law. Todd Rokita and Todd Rokita raised over $1 million in Q2 of 2017, beating Republicans are working to repeal ObamaCare, protect the Luke Messer by nearly $500,000 and building a $300,000 most vulnerable, and improve choices and reduce costs for cash-on-hand advantage, the momentum has firmly all Hoosiers.” shifted to Rokita among the potential candidates. Rokita’s Donnelly voted against the procedural vote, number was so big it even surpassed Todd Young’s record explaining, “I have said for years that there is bipartisan setting second quarter of 2015. Money raised in Indiana: support for ideas to improve and strengthen the American Rokita $427,205/Messer $191,296 Money raised from indi- health care system in a way that would reduce costs while viduals: Rokita $790,845/Messer $227,296 of total raised improving access. I’m disappointed that the Senate has from individuals: Rokita 76%, Messer 39%. Total raised decided to make this a partisan process in an attempt to April-June: Rokita $1,041,714/ Messer $578,185. jam through proposals that would threaten the health and Edson continued: “The majority of Luke Messer’s economic well-being of millions of Americans. I am going fundraising was from political action committees. Luke to continue to do everything possible to fight for quality, Messer sits on the Financial Services Committee. Financial affordable health care for Hoosiers, and that is why I will Services is an “A” committee, allowing its members to raise be leading an amendment to protect Medicaid, includ- much larger sums of PAC money than most other mem- ing Indiana’s HIP 2.0 program. I think we can all agree bers of Congress. Serving in House leadership also helps that our health care system can be improved, however Luke Messer on the PAC front. Over 60% of Luke Messer’s that cannot be achieved by taking away health care from second quarter fundraising came from political action com- people or reversing the progress states like Indiana have mittees. Unfortunately for Messer, PACs give to incum- made to provide affordable health care.” bents. Once Messer becomes a challenger to an incumbent senator, his PAC money dries up. Where Messer will get Rokita campaign claims momentum shift the money he needs to be competitive in a primary is a Hoosiers for Rokita consultant Tim Edson released mystery. To distract from a very weak fundraising quarter, this memo claiming that the momentum in the Senate race Messer has lashed out with ugly attacks and even released

FUELING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND PROSPERITY STATEWIDE

www.indianachamber.com/2025 Page 10 a phony poll downplaying his dangerous vulnerabilities. It show all three lawmakers received contributions from PACs is becoming clear that Todd Rokita is not only best posi- representing medical companies Roche, Batesville-based tioned to win a potential Republican primary, but he is the Hill-Rom Holdings and Warsaw-based Zimmer Biomet, best candidate to defeat Joe Donnelly.” and defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Corp., which has a plant in Fort Wayne. Other common Messer’s Wikipedia page tampered with contributors included PACs for Delta Air Lines, State Farm The IndyStar reported on Tuesday: “A slew of Insurance, Navient, the American Soybean Association, recent edits to Rep. Luke Messer’s Wikipedia page closely the National Apartment Association, the Advanced Medi- align with his likely primary opponent Todd Rokita’s cam- cal Technology Association and the National Association of paign attacks, setting off a new round of finger-pointing Realtors. in what is expected to be one of the most hotly contested U.S. Senate races in the country. Over the past month, Presidential Messer’s page has been edited to emphasize his work as Gallup released approve/disapprove numbers for a lobbyist, his decision to move his family to Washington, President Trump in all 50 states, and he stood at 47% ap- D.C., and a controversy prove, 48% disapprove in Indi- involving his wife’s lucra- ana. Trump, who has averaged tive part-time legal work 40% job approval since his for the city of Fishers. The inauguration, received approval edits were made under user ratings of 50% or higher in 17 names that make it difficult states in the first half of 2017. to identify the person be- Residents in an equal number hind the changes. But Wiki- of states gave him approval rat- pedia editing logs show that ings below 40%. In 16 states, Messer’s page is the only his ratings ranged between one they’ve edited, suggest- 40% and 49%. ing they are more interested in influencing Messer’s im- Congress age than providing objec- tive information. The Rokita 6th CD: Siekman to run campaign has routinely Ohio County Democrat criticized Messer in recent Lane Siekman announced he months as a ‘lobbyist turned will seek the now open 6th CD politician’ who left Indiana for ‘one of the wealthiest sub- as U.S. Rep. Messer runs for the U.S. Senate. “I am run- urbs of Washington, D.C.’ Messer’s campaign, meanwhile, ning for Congress in 2018,” Siekman said. “I have spent has shot back, accusing Rokita of peddling negative stories the past several months talking to voters, community and attacking Messer’s family. At one point, an official leaders, party officials, and the voters of the 6th District with the Messer campaign told the Fort Wayne Journal and it’s time for a change. I don’t have all the answers Gazette that ‘Rokita has a history of making unhinged but I am willing to listen and work for the residents of this comments.’ ‘Joe Donnelly and his allies are clearly good at district. I believe that we can do better for America.” editing websites...’ Rokita campaign spokesman Tim Edson said. ‘That said, most of what they’ve posted about Luke Messer’s record seems accurate.’” 8th CD: Bucshon holds town hall Donnelly campaign manager Peter Hanscom U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon on Friday faced a packed laughed at the assertion that Donnelly’s campaign was room of constituents, many of whom noisily took is- behind the edits (IndyStar). “We have absolutely nothing sue with the four-term Republican congressman’s views to do with it,” he said. “It’s childish behavior. This is not on health care, climate change and other issues (Mar- the way you win a United States Senate seat.” tin, Evansville Courier & Press). But Bucshon also had his share of backers in the crowd of about 350, and the 90-minute town hall session, while volatile, never became PAC money flows in unhinged as law enforcement officers watched from every The three main rivals for a U.S. Senate seat from corner. “This was the most turnout (for a town hall ses- Indiana are collecting campaign funds from some of the sion) I’ve ever had,” Bucshon said afterward. “It was a same sources (Francisco, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette). At little bit of a rambunctious discussion, but that’s all right. least a dozen political action committees each contributed … I believe in the process, and we had a good discus- money to the campaigns of Donnelly, Messer and Rokita sion tonight.” The divided crowd in the Southern Indiana during the second quarter of this year. The campaign Career & Technical Center seemed a microcosm of a split finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission country. Bucshon was placed on the defensive about his Page 11 vote for the House version of legislation to replace former bridges. Ninth District Democratic Party Chairman Adam President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Question- Dickey said Murray is the only Democrat to announce ers pointed to Medicaid cuts and projections that millions plans to run for the District 46 seat to this point. would lose care if the bill became law. Bucshon said the increase of Medicaid participation in recent years is due SD 20 caucus Sept. 6 to high costs of private insurance, and he questioned the Indiana Republican Party State Chairman Kyle accuracy of Congressional Budget Office scoring of those Hupfer officially called a caucus of eligible precinct com- who would be uninsured. “The Medicaid growth at the mittee members to fill a scheduled vacancy in the office federal level is astronomical,” he said. “The hope is that of Senate District 20, the seat currently held by Sen. Luke people will have an alternative to Medicaid, to take shack- Kenley. The caucus will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, les off insurance companies to offer more affordable pric- Sept. 6, at the Ivy Tech Auditorium located at 300 North es.” Bucshon has said he doesn’t support repealing ACA 17th Street, Noblesville. On Wednesday, July 12, Chairman without a replacement. “It’s a work in progress,” Bucshon Hupfer received official communication from Senate Presi- said. The congressman drew jeers by saying it’s inaccurate dent Pro Tempore David Long that Senate Luke Kenley that people are dying in the U.S. due to not having health plans to resign his seat in the Indiana State Senate effec- care, because physicians by law must treat people regard- tive Sept. 30. The individual chosen at the Sept. 6 caucus less of their ability to pay. He also solicited reactions with will fill the remainder of Senator Kenley’s term. Individu- his argument against a single-payer health care system. als interested in running in the caucus should contact the “I think it’s a really bad idea to turn the system of health state party secretary at [email protected] to ensure care over to the U.S. government,” he said. they file the proper forms prior to the deadline.

General Assembly Schmidt announces for SD20 caucus Long-time Hamilton County resident Dan Schmidt Murray to challenge Sen. Grooms announced today that he will run in the Republican caucus After the 2016 election, Anna Murray decided to succeed retiring Sen. Luke Kenley in Indiana SD20. to stop talking, and to do something about her politi- Schmidt, who served in Gov. Pence’s administration as a cal frustration. policy adviser on key areas in- And Thursday cluding transportation, energy, afternoon, she and the environment, is a lawyer made it official and a public sector strategy and (News & Tri- management consultant. Schmidt bune). Murray, works as a public sector strat- a Jeffersonville- egy and management consultant based attorney serving public schools, state and who operates local governments, and non-profit Anna K. Mur- organizations. “My experience in ray & Associates law, business, and government P.C., announced has prepared me to effectively her plans to run represent the interests of Carmel, for the Demo- Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield, and cratic nomina- the surrounding communities in tion for SD46, Democrat Anna Murray kicks off her campaign in Jeffersonville against District 20,” said Schmidt. “I have the seat currently State Sen. Ron Grooms. managed my own business, I have held by Republi- served in state government, and I can Ron Grooms. She wants to improve the state’s infra- know how to get things done.” structure, including expanding broadband; promote and encourage renewable energy use; increase the minimum Franke seeks rematch with Lucas in HD69 wage to make it a livable wage; and make the state more A Seymour resident who currently serves on the welcoming to all faiths and ethnicities. “We need a diverse local school board is running again for a state legislative workforce,” she said. “I want people to want to come to seat in 2018 (Seymour Tribune). Nancy Franke is seeking Indiana. We need to learn to accept people for what they to unseat current District 69 State Rep. Jim Lucas, also of are.” She criticized Grooms for not supporting a minimum- Seymour. This will be her second attempt to win the Re- wage increase, voting for right to work legislation and to publican nomination for the seat. She lost to Lucas in the repeal the common construction wage, and for not doing primary election in May 2016. Lucas was unopposed in the more to combat the state’s growing drug problem. She November general election. v also criticized the Republican super majority in the state legislature for raising the gasoline tax and placing tolls on Page 12

be heated if the two congressmen both reject “sure bet” Donnelly will face a reelection to the House and battle for the Senate nomina- tion, with the possibility of the Senate for one, oblivion for the other. torrent of attacks Both Republican congressmen are reported to By JACK COLWELL have high approval in their own districts, where they are SOUTH BEND – You know Joe. known best. Either would be a formidable challenger to Most folks in this part of Indiana know Joe Don- Donnelly. Either of course also would have higher disap- nelly. But millions of dollars will be spent to tell them that, proval ratings after suffering the slings and arrows of a fall really, they don’t. That’s the nature of political campaigns. campaign. And Donnelly is regarded as one of the most vulnerable While Donnelly is well known in this part of the Democratic senators up for reelection next year, providing state, having served in Congress here before going on to extra incentive for Republi- the Senate, even those who have followed his consistent cans to concentrate all out on moderate Democratic voting record, will hear messages – defeating him. loud, louder and then even louder – that they really don’t The main reason national know him. Negative works. Sometimes a lot. political analysts list Don- One statement already from the National nelly as so vulnerable is that Republican Senatorial Committee says that “Joe Donnelly President Trump won Indi- and Elizabeth Warren are two peas in a pod.” He also is ana by nearly 20 percentage denounced for voting against confirmation of some of points. Trump turned Indiana Trump’s nominations. into one of the reddest of It’s ironic that progressive Democrats, some of red states, with Democratic whom may show up in the “disapproval” category in that candidates running statewide poll, wish that Donnelly really was more like Warren and having no chance. Bernie Sanders, less moderate, less willing to reach across Donnelly would have had the aisle. They aren’t impressed that the Lugar Center no chance if running in 2016. rates him as second most bipartisan senator. That’s not He has a chance in 2018, with no presidential race over- what they want. And while he has opposed some Trump shadowing all else and in view of a high approval rating. nominees, they are distressed that he voted to confirm A recent poll by Morning Consult, a polling partner with Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. Bloomberg and other major media, found Donnelly with Health care will be a key issue. Donnelly voted 53% approval, just 25% dis- for the Affordable Health approval. Not bad, especially Care Act, Obamacare. He when compared with what the calls for fixing its flaws pollsters found in Kentucky rather than sabotaging for Republican Senate Leader and repealing it. He has Mitch McConnell, 41% ap- ridiculed both House and proval, 48% disapproval. Senate Trumpcare propos- But Donnelly’s dis- als for replacement. Messer approval rating will go up and Rokita both voted for substantially. Attacks on him, Trumpcare in the House. already begun and to be They say health care is blasted next year with big a mess because of the spending on TV, will accom- Obamacare that Donnelly plish that. Republicans and voted for. PACs that back them must Donnelly calls for drive up disapproval of Don- a bipartisan solution. More nelly if they are to win a seat of that moderate approach. they count on to keep control By election day, however, of the Senate. what percentage of Hoosiers will identify him with and Now, don’t get the idea that Democrats and approve that moderate image? And how many will see PACs that back them won’t also resort to negative TV. Donnelly instead as really a wild-eyed liberal? v They will. In fact, they already are drawing attention to the nasty things the two frontrunners for the Republican Colwell has covered Indiana politics over five de- nomination, Congressmen Luke Messer and Todd Rokita, cades for the South Bend Tribune. are saying about each other. Negative impressions from a heated Republican primary could help Donnelly. And it will Page 13

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R, FL-27) -- but defeating all of Democrats need a them is unrealistic. Hence, the necessity of expanding the map. The early returns for Democrats in that regard are big House field favorable. Earlier this week, the Campaign Finance Insti- By KYLE KONDIK tute’s Michael Malbin, writing for the Brookings Institu- Sabato’s Crystal Ball tion, chronicled how many Democratic challengers have CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - If Democrats do have emerged so far. The numbers, particularly compared to a chance to win the House next year, it might be because recent cycles, are eye-popping. See Chart 1, which is they translated a currently big field of announced can- reprinted with permission from Malbin’s piece and uses didates into credible opportunities to flip not just some Campaign Finance Institute data. of the top seats on their list of targets, but also some At this point in the cycle, Democrats have more seats that, on paper, might not seem like they should be than 200 filed House challengers who have raised at least competitive. If that’s what happens, a big if at such an a small amount of money ($5,000 or more). That’s more early point in the cycle despite President Trump’s unpopu- than the combined total of Democratic challengers at this larity and the usual midterm trends that favor the party point of the cycle in the last four cycles, and way more that does not hold the White House, it would mirror what than either party has had in midsummer of the off year happened when the Democrats last won the House from over the last decade and a half. Republican control in 2006. Granted, $5,000 raised and being registered with That year, Democrats ended up netting 31 seats, the Federal Election Commission isn’t a tremendously high but they were not exactly the 31 seats that many might bar, but the early wave of candidates is striking compared have thought would flip going into the election. with previous cycles. Additionally, as Malbin writes, the Several embattled GOP incumbents from districts candidates are not necessarily clustered in the same dis- that Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry had won or came very close to winning in 2004 ended up eking out close victories in 2006, includ- ing Reps. Chris Shays (R, CT-4), Heather Wilson (R, NM-1), Deborah Pryce (R, OH-15), and Jim Gerlach (R, PA-6). Had one known before the election that all four of these Republican incumbents would have won, it would have been reasonable to question the Democrats’ ability to net the 16 seats they needed to win the majority. And yet, Democrats ended up gaining dou- ble what they needed, in large part because while they didn’t win all of the most obviously competitive races, they won some upsets through good perfor- mances by unheralded challengers. For instance, then-college professor Dave Loebsack (D) surprising- ly knocked off Rep. Jim Leach (R, IA-2) and social worker tricts: “So far, 105 different Republican incumbents have Carol Shea-Porter (D), who defeated a candidate backed Democratic challengers with $5,000. At this same time by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in in 2009, only 50 of the Democratic incumbents were up her party’s primary, upset Rep. Jeb Bradley (R, NH-1). against challengers with $5,000.” As we unveil our latest House ratings changes However, there are some packed fields already, this week, we’ve been thinking about 2006 and the too. importance, to Democrats, of fielding as many credible The Democratic Congressional Campaign Com- challengers as they can. That’s because even if there is a mittee reserves the right to get involved in primaries: Will positive environment for Democrats next fall, they are not it do so in a major way next year? And, if the DCCC does, going to knock off every clearly vulnerable GOP incum- will it upset activists who distrust party leadership and bent. Many Republicans who sit in districts that Hillary believe that party bigwigs tilted the scales against Bernie Clinton won last fall are proven vote-getters who ran well Sanders in last year’s presidential primary? If Democrats ahead of President Trump last fall, like Reps. Mike Coff- begin to recoil at party leadership, the Democratic estab- man (R, CO-6), Carlos Curbelo (R, FL-26), Barbara Com- lishment might have to navigate through the same intra- stock (R, VA-10), Dave Reichert (R, WA-8), and others. party battles that sometimes bedeviled Republicans in the Democrats probably will have to beat some of these in- Obama years. v cumbents in 2018 to win the House -- or hope that some decide not to run for another term, like Clinton-district Page 14

2020. So who’s really Most of the national media and the Democrat Party want us to think that the president and his adminis- tration are stumbling, bumbling and beleaguered. This is ‘beleaguered’? why we get fake news and coverage from the media that By TONY SAMUEL is way far out of proportion with what really matters to INDIANAPOLIS – So who’s really beleaguered, Americans. According to the Wall Street Journal, the top Attorney General Jeff Sessions or the whole Trump admin- issues for Americans are health care (35%), jobs (13%), istration? The President’s tweet calling Sessions “belea- immigration (10%), climate change (10%) and Russia guered” was funny because nobody really thought of (6%). The top issues by percentage of coverage by the Sessions as beleaguered until the President tweeted that media are health care (4%), jobs (1%), immigration (0%), he was. He had survived his day in front of the Senate climate change (10%) and Russia (75%). This is astonish- Intelligence Committee and from ing if you really think about it. all indications is performing admi- The national media and national Democrats rably in his role as AG. Or maybe could actually get away with this if Republicans don’t Sessions was beleaguered and we remember what got them control of the White House, Sen- just didn’t know it, so President ate and House of Representatives. It was Donald Trump Trump wanted to make sure that and his supporters. Folks we saw in Youngstown this week we did. and folks we saw all around Indiana and the country last The endless stream of year. CNN panelists make the case Republicans in Washington need to get behind this every night that it’s the Trump President and stop jumping on and off the Trump Train like administration that’s beleaguered. so many did during the campaign for their own political Does the President himself feel expediency. beleaguered and should he? This is why the President is concerned and feels It didn’t really look like it at his Youngstown, Ohio the need to let everyone know. He does not have the MAGA Rally this week. He didn’t seem stressed during backup he needs except from his great Vice President Mike his appearances for the administration’s American He- Pence and a handful of folks that were with him from the roes Week. Nor did he struggle during the Foxxconn jobs start like Rex Early here in Indiana. Happy Birthday Rex! announcement to build a state-of-the-art manufacturing I think like most true Trump supporters, I get him. facility in Wisconsin to produce LCD panel products with I don’t think he feels beleaguered, but I’m pretty sure that an initial investment of $10 billion that will create between he thinks if others think so it’s because the Russia “inves- 3,000 and 13,000 jobs. Donating his second quarter salary tigation” has been allowed to metastasize when it should to the U.S. Department of Education seems like a very have never even been born. thoughtful act, not coming from someone besieged. And that brings us back to Jeff Sessions. The Time and time again, we’ve seen this President President probably feels that if Sessions had nothing to carry the full burden on his shoulders, during the cam- hide, which he testified that he didn’t, and because he paign, the transition and the first six months of his Presi- knew from participating in the campaign that there was no dency. He did it again by himself announcing, again by collusion, then why should he have had to recuse himself? tweet, after consultation with his generals, that the U.S. I agree that if Sessions was so sure that he did nothing military will end transgender service in the military. wrong, then why recuse. This opened the door to a full six I think the real issue here is the perception of be- months of Russia coverage overshadowing any successes, ing beleaguered and maybe that’s why the word came to like the ones from just this week mentioned above. The the President’s mind and then his tweet. numbers from the WSJ prove this out. This goes to the heart of So the President is upset my primary concern as a Trump at Jeff Sessions and probably others supporter – that the perception and I don’t blame him. I think in the created by the media and intensi- end, they will work things out and fied by Democrat attacks plus the we will all move on. As President lack of support from Republicans, Trump himself said, “time will tell.” has created a false reality that v could feed on itself and cause real problems for Republicans, Presi- Samuel is president of Samuel dent Trump and all Americans. It Solutions and was vice chair- could give Democrats the opening man of the Trump Indiana they need and may be able to take presidential campaign in 2016. advantage of in both 2018 and Page 15

bers, voter history, military status and records of convic- Trump commission tions. Fourteen states and D.C. have refused to comply with the request altogether while another 30 or more, including Indiana, have indicated a willingness to provide puts Lawson in a bind some information to the commission. By CHRIS SAUTTER Meanwhile, the commission has been sued mul- WASHINGTON – Indiana’s Secretary of State Con- tiple times by a variety of public interest and civil liberties nie Lawson is in a bind. As a Republican member of the organizations claiming the request for voter information president’s election commission led by Vice President Mike violates, among other things, federal law and voters’ Pence, she will be expected to constitutional privacy rights. However, a federal judge on toe the conservative line that vot- Monday ruled the commission is free, for now, to collect er fraud is a national epidemic. the voter data, though states may still refuse the request. But as Indiana’s top election offi- Although Pence has stated that “this com- cer and a candidate for reelection mission has no preconceived notions or preordained next year, she will need to take a results,” neither Kobach nor Trump is countenancing such much more measured approach, impartiality. Kobach, when asked by NBC’s Katy Tur about if not one that is openly skeptical Trump’s claim of millions of fraudulent votes, responded of Republican efforts to restrict that “we will probably never know” who actually won the voting rights. 2016 popular vote in the presidential election. President President Trump estab- Trump when addressing the commission at their inaugural lished the Presidential Advisory meeting last week repeated claims of voting irregularities Commission on Election Integrity involving “large numbers of people in certain states.” in May after repeatedly asserting The Trump election commission is, in a sense, a without proof that illegal voting by millions of immigrants culmination of Republican efforts that began in the early and others cost him the popular vote against Democratic 1980’s to undermine voting rights for minorities. Many presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. According to certified legal observers have characterized the current debates totals, Clinton won the popular vote by 2,864,974. Studies over voting lists, voter identification requirements, and and state officials of both parties have found no evidence early voting as a Republican ploy to reduce the number of widespread voter fraud. of Democratic votes by making it more difficult for eligible Unsurprisingly, Trump has stacked the 12-mem- Democratic-leaning voters to vote. ber commission with conservatives who have long track Indiana’s Connie Lawson has her own history of records of advocating controversial voter restriction laws. supporting laws that restrict voting. As a state senator in Four in particular – Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, 2005, she co-sponsored the nation’s first strict photo ID former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, former law. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the Bush administration Justice Department official Hans von law in the 2008 case Crawford v. Marion County Election Spakovsky, and counsel to the conservative Public Inter- Board. However, 7th Circuit Judge Richard Posner and est Legal Foundation J. Christian Adams – are polarizing retired Associate Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens figures known for their fanatical work limiting voting. have both since repudiated the majority opinions they Tuesday Kobach was slapped by a federal judge for a “pat- authored in the case. In a famous 2006 incident, the late tern” of misleading statements. Kobach was sanctioned Congresswoman Julia Carson was initially denied a primary by a magistrate in June for “deceptive conduct and lack of ballot under Indiana’s ID law when she presented her candor” in the case brought against him by the ACLU over congressional ID rather than a state-approved one. the secretary of state’s push for proof-of-citizenship voter Last summer, Lawson’s hyperbolic assertion registration in Kansas. that “nefarious actors are operating here in Indiana” trig- In theory, Trump’s Election Integrity Commis- gered raids by state police of the offices of a voter regis- sion exists to study policies and voting rules that either tration group working to mobilize low income and minority enhance or reduce public confidence in elections. A related voters. The massive investigation led to indictments of 12 purpose is to examine allegations of improper voting and workers not for fraudulent voting, but for submitting false faulty voter registration. Critics argue that the commission registration forms, a common situation when such work- is actually an attempt to justify Trump’s baseless claims ers are required to meet quotas. Marion County Prosecu- about voter fraud and, given the composition of the com- tor Terry Curry made clear when announcing the charges mission, its real mission is to push policies that further that “these are not allegations of voter fraud nor is there restrict access to the ballot. any evidence to suggest that voter fraud was the alleged Kobach, the co-chair of the commission, created a motivation.” Many observers called the raid a pretext to firestorm recently when he sent a request to all 50 states disenfranchise new voters likely to cast their ballots for and the District of Columbia asking them to provide a list Democrats and theorize that Pence encouraged Lawson to of voters’ names, addresses, partial Social Security num- initiate the episode. Page 16

Critics of the commission have pointed to Ko- of Trump, Kobach and the other right-wingers on the com- bach’s recommendation to Trump that the National Voting mission, it could cost her. Registration Act of 1993 be amended to, among other Lawson’s loyalty to Republican leaders like for- things, compel documentary proof of citizenship to support mer governors Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence is responsible allegations that the commission has an anti-voting rights for her rise in politics. And, Indiana Republicans benefited agenda. in 2016 by the end-of-the-campaign wave that resulted Other recommendations are likely to include legis- in the surprising election of Donald Trump, who won the lation mandating aggressive purges to remove voters from state by 19%. But now Trump’s approval/disapproval rat- registration lists and national voter ID laws. While touted ings in Indiana are underwater – 47%/48% – according to as anti-fraud measures, numerous studies have shown a Gallup poll released this week. The mid-term elections voter impersonation fraud is rare and that such laws would seem headed for a big Democratic year. Continuing her likely make it more difficult for eligible citizens, particularly unswerving loyalty to party by allowing herself to be tied minorities and students, to vote. to President Trump’s more controversial positions in 2018 If Hoosier Democrats make Indiana’s secre- could very well be a losing strategy for Lawson. v tary of state race a priority, Lawson’s participation in the commission is likely to become an issue. So far, Lawson Sautter is a Democratic media consultant based in is trying to maintain a public posture of evenhandedness. Washington. But if she ends up supporting the anti-voting rights agenda

That ranks 35th in the country, so she could improve her How much are income by moving to Illinois, Idaho, Florida or Tennes- see. Our Hoosier compensation for clergy ranks just above Mississippi and Louisiana, but there you get the bonus clergy paid? of crayfish, if that’s to your taste. Naturally, the highest By MORTON MARCUS compensation is found in the District of Columbia where INDIANAPOLIS – Here we are a few months after the clergy are desperately needed to tend to the spiritual your daughter’s college graduation and she announces she concerns of politicians, favor seekers and lobbyists. There wants to go into the clergy. Were you prepared for that? seems to be a 47% premium for tending to a flock in D.C. Did she prepare for that? Now I understand your girl has a mind of her No doubt you and she are aware of what kind of in- own and must follow her own path. But did she consider come is available for those who serving society as a probation officer? The pay in Indiana have this calling. Nationwide, is a little better by $930 per year and the need is perhaps the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statis- greater. She could have been an elementary school teach- tics found half the persons in the er and earned $47,800 compared to $43,520 in the clergy. clergy made less than $45,740, Think of the value of shaping the minds and behavior of meaning the other half made those sweet little children. As a secondary school teacher more than that. This was the an- she, in time, would enjoy the median of $50,360 in Indi- nual median wage for clergy in ana. Then she would discover how sweet little children’s May 2016 when the survey was minds and behaviors manifest themselves as teenagers. conducted. These, naturally are not starting salaries, but the That’s not bad. It ranks median for all, regardless of length of service, hours of right in the middle of 820 oc- work, and other conditions of the jobs. Special education cupations covered by the survey, and career/vocational teachers do see somewhat higher and just $180 (or a mere 0.004 rewards. percent) below the annual median wage for 140.4 million What’s that? Oh, yes. Your daughter, in joining American workers. There are 49,320 clergy in the survey the clergy, has additional considerations beyond monetary and they are scattered all across the nation, in numerous compensation. But the same is true of teachers and many religions and denominations. Each may have a distinctive occupations. Firefighters and police officers, social workers arrangement regarding housing, pensions and other ben- and substance abuse counselors all understand their con- efits making comparisons difficult. tributions to society. It is society that does not recognize Nonetheless, your daughter surely knew the nor honor those contributions adequately. v 820 Hoosier clergy members would be earning less than their national counterparts. The median for Indiana Mr. Marcus is an economist, writer, and speaker clergy was $43,520 or 4.8% less than the national figure. who may be reached at mortonjmarcus@yahoo. Page 17

least in part. Renewed hope for Methodist Hospitals President and CEO Ray Grady has announced the potential merger with Franciscan Alli- ance, which could be a financial boon for the city of Gary. a Gary hospital Franciscan is contemplating the construction of a $300 By RICH JAMES million hospital off Interstate 80/94 near Indiana University MERRILLVILLE – Scott L. King was mayor of Gary Northwest. Grady said it would provide a substantial finan- when the University Park East project surfaced more cial lift for the area once designated to be University Park than two decades ago. It was going to be a collaborative East. effort between the city, the Negotiations are expected to continue between school city, Indiana University Franciscan and Methodist through the end of the year. Northwest, the IU School of Grady said that all the services that exist at the Gary hospi- Medicine, Methodist Hospi- tal today would be included in the new facility. The pro- tals, the Boys and Girls Clubs posal also could result in the new hospital being a teaching of Northwest Indiana and Ivy hospital. Tech Community College. The proposal would require modifications to a It would have included 1970s U.S. Office of Civil Rights consent decree that en- single-family housing, ex- sures equal services at the Gary and Merrillville Methodist panded elementary education, Hospital campuses. v after-school facilities and green space from IUN to the east. Rich James has been writing about state and local At the time, it would government and politics for more than 30 years. He have been the most far- is a columnist for The Times of Northwest Indiana. reaching development in the city in decades. And, it was intended to slow the rising crime rate in the Glen Park section of the city. The plans also included construction of a teaching hospital adjacent to the IUN campus. After all, there already was an IU medical school program affiliated with the IUN campus. It was a grand plan that would have pumped life into the Steel City. The only problem was money. None of the planned participants had enough to move forward. And then King left office and hung out his attorney shingle. Thanks in large part to the efforts of state Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, Methodist Hospital Northlake Campus has been desig- nated a Level III trauma center. It’s something Brown had worked on since 1984. And now, there is renewed hope for the Univer- sity Park plan – at Page 18

nance. The loss of faith in n Restoring these values, though, will also re- quire changing the political habits that define this era. The polarization and scorched-earth legislating that have democratic institutions come to reflect divisions in our society are deep-seated By LEE HAMILTON and destructive, and will need determined leadership at BLOOMINGTON – There’s no shortage of threats the highest levels to undo. This should be met at a variety to our democracy. Russian meddling in elections, the of levels, including meaningful civic education that helps vulnerability of state voting systems to hacking, politicians’ citizens understand their crucial responsibilities and that assaults on the media, and political leaders’ growing fond- lays bare the system’s limitations and sets realistic expec- ness for policy-making in secret – all of these pose a real tations. challenge to our system’s viability. n Finally, we should undertake a set of structural As worrisome as these are, there’s one problem reforms to restore Americans’ faith that government is that may be the greatest threat of all: Americans’ loss of constructed fairly and is focused on the general welfare. faith in politics and democratic institutions. This has been Gerrymandering, which gives one party legislative and building for decades, dating congressional seats out of all proportion to its actual popu- back to the Vietnam War and larity, must end. The machinery of our elections – outdat- Watergate, and the long-term ed, fragile, lacking a paper trail, vulnerable to cyberattacks economic challenges – recession, – needs investment. The outsized influence of money in inflation, widening inequality, the politics continues to feed cynicism and public disengage- shifting nature of work, a series ment. of financial crises – that grew What I find perhaps most distressing is that many out of that era. It’s rooted in our of these are deep-seated, longstanding problems that are system’s apparent inability to evident to many Americans, yet we don’t see them being overcome deep divisions in the addressed. A voice or two might be raised from time to country: Urban and rural, liberal time in Washington, but no one maintains the effort. and conservative, the mass of Yes, the times make it tough. We have a ordinary Americans and the elite, struggling president, a Congress fractured by infighting, divides over race and ethnicity and gender politics and... and political parties incapable of forging consensus among well, you know the list as well as I do. their diverse members. The to-do list I’ve laid out is long The truth is, in the face of this teeming, com- and daunting. plicated, diverse society, our political institutions have Sure, restoring faith in our system will take a sus- performed inadequately. But if we’re not just to throw in tained effort on the part both of our political leaders and the towel and declare representative democracy a noble our citizens, but I’m not saying it all needs to be tackled failure, then we have to restore Americans’ faith in the at once. What I am saying is that until Americans see that processes of government. To do this, we have to pursue our political leaders recognize the erosion of faith in our a range of reforms and goals, some of which will require political institutions that is undermining our system and years of concerted effort to achieve. are taking meaningful steps to address it, our distress will n Broad-based economic growth, for instance, will only grow. v be crucial. It may seem odd to start with this when we face so many political and structural problems, but when Lee Hamilton is a Senior Advisor for the Indiana the bulk of people – not just the already-fortunate or the University Center on Representative Government; best-educated – sense that they have a chance to improve a Distinguished Scholar, IU School of Global and their lot and that of their children, that the economy of- International Studies; and a Professor of Practice, fers opportunity to all, this lubricates a society. Economic IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He growth that spreads its benefits to the broad mass of was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives people solves a lot of problems and restores confidence in for 34 years. government. n Winner-take-all in politics is as damaging to society as its economic counterpart, yet over the last generation we’ve lost the ability to use the techniques of democracy: Civility, negotiation, compromise, transpar- ency, respect for minority views and accountability. These are not just values, they’re tools that bring representative democracy to life. They ensure that diverse voices are included in policy-making, give legislation broad legitimacy, and help citizens understand and feel a stake in gover- Page 19

Jon Webb, Evansville Courier & Press: At politi- Bannon, no doubt. But there wasn’t a huge fight, or clear cal events these days, you can categorize some people factions like on the Paris climate decision. Vice President by their t-shirts. The hundreds who swarmed through the Pence had little to no involvement. It wasn’t on the radar doors of the Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center of most of the West Wing’s New York crowd. Defense Sec- for Larry Bucshon’s much-anticipated town hall on Friday retary James Mattis wanted to be deliberative for internal night didn’t disappoint. Here are a few I saw: RESIST reasons, but his process was short-circuited by the tweets. (progressive); “Ban idiots, not guns” (Second Amendment v supporter); “Icky Trump” (anti-Trump; well, maybe. Icky Thump is the worst White Stripes album but it’s not bad Jonathan Last, Weekly Standard: As I write because it is, after all, a White Stripes album. So maybe this, Jeff Sessions still has a job as America’s attorney gen- it’s an homage. Or maybe ...) There were a lot more. eral, though for all I know, he could be gone by the time Progressives from groups such as Indivisible, the Women’s you read this. You can’t label Sessions as some kind of March Continues and others packed the seats. globalist, malcontent, swampy NeverTrumper. He’s But it was a diverse crowed, split along party an anti-establishment immigration hard-liner who lines. The night got louder and louder as the seems to have signed on with Trump’s presidential town hall wore on, but when Bucshon walked bid because he believed that Donald Trump was the out, he was greeted with cheers and a partial one candidate who would build The Wall to protect standing ovation: like the president delivering America’s southern border and put a stop to illegal the state of the union. Among his supporters immigration. Now Sessions’ career is in tatters and, as was a large group of conservative Jim Tomes voters who Ann Coulter points out every day, the total number of Wall showed up dressed alike. Weirdly, they all wore aston- Miles built since Trump’s inauguration stands at a nice, ishingly accurate World War I uniforms. (Kidding! They round zero. Which is where it’s going to stay. Because The all had on red campaign t-shirts.) At one point, Bucshon Wall was just another grift, like Trump University. (I’ve promised that the American Health Care Act, of which he been saying for 18 months that the problem with Trump was a prominent supporter, wouldn’t take away cover- wasn’t that he wanted to build The Wall—the problem age for anyone on Indiana’s HIP 2.0 Plan, which is funded was that it was an obvious scam and there was almost through the Medicaid expansion sparked by Obamacare. no chance he’d do it.) So with Sessions hanging on to his Several studies dispute that, including one from the Center job by his fingernails, can we lay down some markers on for American Progress that says 8,800 Medicaid expansion whether or not it would be bad for Trump to fire Bob Muel- recipients in the 8th District alone would lose coverage ler? Last week my Twitter buddy Allahpundit asked what under the law. the polling split would be on the subject of Trump getting rid of Sessions and/or Mueller. My guess was that, if you Mike Allen, Axios: White House and Pentagon had polled this question three weeks ago, Republicans officials are providing virtually no details about President would have broken somewhere around 80-20 against. But Trump’s decision to ban transgender troops from the mili- now that Trump is publicly flirting with the idea, I’d guess tary for a simple enough reason: There aren’t any. In the that it’s closer to 50-50. And if Trump were to pull the trig- history of presidential decisions, this may have one of the ger tomorrow, I’d bet that by Monday it would be 70-30 in biggest gaps ever between the amount of consequence, favor of the proposition. This is what I mean when I say symbolism and resonance, and the quantity of internal that Trumpism corrupts. deliberation or consideration: Trump jumped the gun with his tweets yesterday morning, surprising the Pentagon and Ross Douthat, New York Times: Donald Trump’s leaving thousands of troops in limbo because there has campaign against his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, in been no guidance on whether the decision is retroactive. which he is seemingly attempting to insult and humiliate The tweets: “After consultation with my Generals and and tweet-shame Sessions into resignation, is an insanely military experts, please be advised that the United States stupid exercise. It is a multitiered tower of political idiocy, Government will not accept or allow ... .Transgender a sublime monument to the moronic, a gaudy, gleaming, individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our Ozymandian folly that leaves many of the president’s prior military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming ... efforts in its shade. So it’s basically madness all the way victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous med- to the top: bad policy, bad strategy, bad politics, bad legal ical costs and disruption that transgender in the military maneuvering, bad optics, a self-defeating venture carried would entail. Thank you.” That was it: No press release, out via deranged-as-usual tweets and public insults. You no white paper, no FAQ. The rule-making and guidance can be as loyal as Jeff Sessions and still suffer the conse- process is just beginning. And this is a policy that admin- quences of that plain and inescapable truth: This president istration officials feel is virtually certain to be challenged in should not be the president, and the sooner he is not, the court on constitutional grounds. Something this big just better.v isn’t done this way. It’s a victory for Chief Strategist Steve Page 20

Committee for consideration while tweets on banning transgender people Skinny repeal striking provisions of the legislation from the military “unacceptable” (Dar- that would reduce or eliminate ben- ling, WIBC). “We have over 15,000 gets traction efits for people eligible for Medicaid, transgendered troops currently serv- prevent states from expanding Med- ing in our military,” Carson said of the INDIANAPOLIS — The Senate icaid or shift federal costs to states to tweets. “The President’s move, which rejected a proposal Wednesday that pay for that care. Donnelly said in a could possibly lead to their discharge, would have repealed major parts of floor speech that the Republicans’ leg- puts politics ahead of national secu- the Affordable Care Act, islation “undermines coverage rity.” “We’ve had transgender broth- but Republican lead- for millions, and we haven’t ers and sisters serving in our military ers were growing more even had a hearing on their for decades now,” Carson continued. confident about their proposal. Committees haven’t “This is nothing new and I think they chances of passing a been able to go through should be allowed to serve.” more modest overhaul regular order to examine the of the health-care law merits of Medicaid and the Pentagon feared later this week (Washington Post). Medicaid expansion and how gutting Republicans appeared to be coalescing­ them would harm millions of people.” Trump war tweet around a “skinny repeal” that would WASHINGTON — Some of- abolish the individual and employer Pence repeats ficials at the Pentagon where report- insurance mandates and perhaps just Trump on Sessions edly concerned Donald Trump was set one tax in an attempt to sustain their to declare war on North Korea when seven-year quest to unwind President he started tweeting about his plans Barack Obama’s health-care law. But WASHINGTON — Vice Presi- for the military (Independent). There even if they succeed — and start dent Mike Pence on Wednesday said were nine long minutes between Mr negotiations with the House — they he stood behind President Donald Trump’s first tweet - announcing he will face significant obstacles in ac- Trump’s “candid” remarks on Attorney had been consulting with his generals complishing anything more substan- General Jeff Sessions, while stress- - and the second, in which he said he tial. Top Republicans such as Sen. ing that he and the president ap- had decided transgender people could John Thune (S.D.) said that although preciate his good work at the Justice not serve in the military. During that leaders have not yet found “the sweet Department. “One of the great things time, some people were apparently spot” between conservatives and cen- about this president is you always worried Mr Trump had Pyongyang in trists, they had picked up support for know where you stand...” Pence told his sights, rather than the rights of a more modest plan because it did not Fox News during an interview airing LBQTQ servicemen and women. “At include deep cuts to Medicaid. Some Wednesday night. “He speaks candid- the Pentagon, the first of the three Republican senators were simply open ly, he speaks openly, he’s expressed tweets raised fears that the presi- to any legislation that could keep alive his disappointment [in Sessions]. dent was getting ready to announce the roller-coaster push for an over- But that doesn’t mean that we don’t strikes on North Korea or some other haul. “We’re edging closer and closer” recognize the good work the Justice military action,” BuzzFeed reported. to getting 50 votes for a bare-bones Department has been doing under “Many said they were left in suspense plan, Thune said. the attorney general’s leadership.” for nine minutes, the time between When asked about Sessions’ future, the first and second tweet. Only after Donnelly Medicaid Pence echoed remarks by Trump, the second tweet did military officials amendment fails who said Tuesday that “time will tell” receive the news the president was what will happen with the attorney announcing a personnel change on general. “We will see what happens in Twitter.” WASHINGTON — The U.S. the future, but at least the American Senate on Wednesday afternoon people know and every member of the Indy makes funds defeated an amendment by Sen. Joe cabinet can know that you will always Donnelly, D-Ind., that would have know where you stand with President for Carrier workers prevented Republican health care Trump,” Pence said. legislation from cutting Medicaid INDIANAPOLIS — Mayor Joe funds (Francisco, Fort Wayne Journal Carson blasts Hogsett said Wednesday the city will Gazette). All 52 Republican senators allocate over $1 million to assist hun- voted against Donnelly’s proposal, and Trump for ban dreds of workers who will lose their all 48 Democrats supported it. Donnel- jobs as Carrier downsizes its Indianap- ly’s amendment would have sent the WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. olis manufacturing plant (IndyStar). health care bill to the Senate Finance Andre Carson is calling the President’s