V24, N38 Thursday, July 11, 2019

Myers enters; Holcomb has $7.2M Gubernatorial race begins to form this week; Holcomb job approval at 61% By BRIAN A. HOWEY – Four days before Gov. kicks off his reelection campaign in Knight- stown, he now has a challenger, had “one party rule” for after Dr. the past 15 years. “I’m Woody Myers running for governor announced because has he will seek the Democratic nomi- too many preexisting nation. It is the latest launch of a conditions that typi- major party gubernatorial campaign cal politicians just can’t in modern Indiana history and it treat. And treating tough problems is what I do,” comes as Holcomb is exhibiting Dr. Woody Myers with wife Stacy and former congressman Myers said in front of the historic strength. Wednesday outside Wishard Hospital. He becomes Myers staked his candidacy the first Democrat to enter the 2020 gubernatorial race. (HPI Continued on page 3 on the notion that the state has Photo by Brian A. Howey) Recalling the moon shot By CRAIG DUNN KOKOMO – The poet Robert Browning once wrote, “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” The same could be said about a na- tion’s reach. “He’s a bad man and he needs to The 50th anniversary of mankind’s first steps on the moon on July 20, 1969 is fast be put away.’’ approaching. Let’s hope that our - U.S. Labor Sec. Alex Acosta nation will not use the occasion to focus on how great an achieve- at a Wednesday presser where ment it was, but rather to reflect on the many great things that we he defended a plea deal he might be able to achieve in the made with convicted future. The year 1969 was a time pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who not terribly unlike that of today. now faces similar charges in There was massive domestic tur- moil, bordering on open revolt and New York. Page 2 numerous conflicts around the world. for Teflon, communication satellites, There seemed to be nothing which breathing apparatuses for firefighters, could stop all Americans in their tracks heart pumps, software, circuitry and and provide us a moment of inspira- alloys, NASA has pioneered a wealth tion, pride and absolute awe. Since of significant technologies that has the first humanoid could tilt their made life better and increased our head upwards, we have marveled at productivity. the existence of the faraway moon. Just about any person in Poets, composers and philosophers any part of the world can put a round have pondered eloquently about the peg in a round hole. Every place in Howey Politics Indiana moon for centuries. But then on that the world can do that cheaper than WWWHowey Media, LLC amazing early morning in 1969, the we can in the . Our 405 Massachusetts Ave., moon ceased to be the distant myste- continued superiority as an economic Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN rious celestial rock and came tantaliz- powerhouse relies on our techno- ingly into our grasp. What seemed an logical edge over the competition. 46204 impossibility at one time, was now a We won’t keep that edge by following www.howeypolitics.com reality. the Kardashians or by pumping out a Some memories of events plethora of liberal art majors/baristas Brian A. Howey, Publisher in your life are burned into your mind in training. We will find our competi- Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington forever. My parents and I sat glued tive edge maintained by engineering to the television Cam Carter, copy editor screen throughout Joel Weyrauch, copy editor the evening of Mary Lou Howey, Editor July 19 and into Jack Howey, editor emeritus the wee hours of July 20 to soak in one of the great- Subscriptions est accomplish- HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 ments of man in HPI Weekly, $350 recorded history. The drama of the Ray Volpe, Account Manager lunar descent, the 317.602.3620 touchdown and email: [email protected] Neil Armstrong’s first small steps on the surface of the moon are impos- and technology. The space program Contact HPI sible to convey to those who did not offered us this edge in the sixties and [email protected] experience it. Not many things can seventies and it could do it again. Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 reduce a boy of 14 to tears, but the There are cynics who believe Washington: 202.256.5822 tears welled up in me from the pride that everything worth discovering has that America put the first man on the been discovered. There are fiscal con- Business Office: 317.602.3620 moon. We cheered and celebrated as servatives who challenge any expen- if we had each had a hand in man- ditures on space exploration. There © 2019, Howey Politics kind’s and America’s success. There are liberals who want money given to Indiana. All rights reserved. were no talks of riots, no talk of Viet- the poor instead of blasted into outer Photocopying, Internet forward- nam and no discussion of tax rates or space. Add to the financial challenges, the economy. In the wee hours of July the significant social upheavals and ing, faxing or reproducing in 20, there was only pride. political discord of today and uniting any form, whole or part, is a The United States space as a nation to accomplish some great violation of federal law without program fostered more technological feat seems quaintly impossible. Why permission from the publisher. innovations than could ever have been even try? conceived at the time President John The greatest minds in the F. Kennedy challenged our nation to United States used to aspire to careers put a man on the moon. NASA-devel- in science, medicine and engineering. oped technologies provided advances Today, our best minds struggle to find in science, medicine, engineering and algorithms that will fatten the wallets other disciplines. From unique uses of Goldman Sachs, Facebook, Google Page 3 and Amazon. Making money and Just as Rev. Martin Luther King becoming market dominant are knew, any goal worth achieving wonderful goals, but what do they starts with a dream, a shared do for the long march of society? dream. The United States Why can’t Don, Nancy, needs a dream that achieves Chuck and Mitch sit down over a some great dream, unites us as good pizza and brainstorm a few a people and benefits mankind. ideas for challenges that just might My personal dream is that unite us as a nation and achieve sometime during my lifetime great things. Leave the K Street the United States put humans lobbyists out of the room. Keep on the planet Mars. I would be the political handlers away. And, willing to pay more in taxes to for God’s sake, keep the media as achieve that dream. Everyone far from the meeting as possible. would benefit from the techno- What might we achieve from such logical advances of a renewed a meeting as this? Can we make space program and a united it to Mars? Can we cure cancer, Al- dream just might result in a zheimer’s or heart disease? Can we more united United States. achieve the lowest infant mortality, As July 20 rolls around the highest levels of education or and we remember the dar- the lowest poverty rates? ing deeds of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, let’s not Who knows what we might achieve if we would just commemorate, but let’s dedicate ourselves to a new make our reach exceed our grasp as a nation? American dream. History tells us not only how great we When I think of the unique American experience, were, but rather how great we can be. I think of two words, freedom and dreams. This great na- tion of ours has been so successful because of the dreams Dunn is the former Howard County Republican of its people and the freedom to pursue those dreams. chairman. v

where he was chief health officer, and then as an invest- Governor, from page 1 ment manager with Myers Ventures LLC. He has been CEO old Wishard Hospital Emergency Room where he treated of Corizon Health and was chief health care strategist for patients and taught. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. He was also chairman of The former Indiana and New York quality assurance at San Francisco Gen- City health commissioner vowed to focus eral Hospital. on education, health care and job creation. Knowing that residency issues “I learned very early in my career that have risen in an array of campaigns, My- the people with the best health were the ers was asked about his connections to people who got the best health care. The the state. “I never disconnected with Hoo- people with the best insurance are the siers,” he said. “Home base is here. My people with the best jobs. And the people family is still here. I was born and raised with the best jobs are the people with the here.” best education. All Hoosiers deserve the Indiana Republican spokes- best schools, the best health care and a man Pete Seat reacted, saying,“I know state that is creating jobs and opportuni- Woody has spent a limited amount of ties for workers and their families faster time in Indiana over most of the last than wages are rising. two decades, and it showed in remarks “I think it’s time for a change. It’s today. Coming off of back-to-back years been 15 years of one-party rule,” he said of record job commitments, $1 billion in told the Journal Gazette. “It’s time for an new investment in K-12 education and the overhaul in the leadership of our state only fully funded infrastructure program and time for new ideas to be given a shot. in the country, Indiana is on a roll. On What we’re doing now isn’t working like it should.” the ground, Hoosiers see that Gov. Holcomb is positively Myers’ career has taken him from Shortridge HS, impacting lives every day. It may be hard to see from his to Stanford and Harvard universities, Ford Motor Company $4.5 million penthouse in the Conrad, but it’s what Woody will find as he travels across Indiana.” Page 4

Republican Gov. Robert general election voters with D. Orr named Myers the young- a margin of error of +/- 4 est health commissioner and he percent. was reappointed by Democrat The state’s Gov. . He said he right/wrong track stood at oversaw 3,000 employees and 54/34%. “In this polarized a quarter billion dollar budget. political environment, the His tenure came during the be- strength and consistency of ginning of the AIDS epidemic, the governor’s job approval and Myers carved a national rating, and the right direc- reputation when he stepped in tion numbers, are truly as- during the contro- tounding and reflective of a versy in Howard County. With deep appreciation Hoosiers White, Myers said, “We didn’t have for the people-cen- play politics” adding that he tered results Gov. Holcomb worked to “educate” a fright- and Indiana Republicans are ened public and make way for Dr. Myers greets former congressman Baron Hill at Wednesday delivering on their behalf,” White to join a new school. campaign kickoff. (HPI Photo by Brian A. Howey) said Indiana Republican Myers said he will not be Chairman Kyle Hupfer, who a self-funding candidate, saying he intends to raise be- along with his staff is expected to play a major role in the tween $15 million and $20 million. He has been a member Holcomb reelect. Hupfer told HPI, “We’ll end up at $7.23 of the ’s Victory Fund for a num- million, which is $2.23 million more than Pence and Mitch.” ber of years. Holcomb holds wide double-digit leads in hypo- “I want to be your governor,” Myers said. “For too thetical match-ups against a generic Democrat and two- long, we’ve been satisfied with being good enough. Well, time Democrat nominee John Gregg, who lost by 5% to being just good enough is not good enough. Together, you Pence in 2012 and by 7% to Holcomb in 2016. Holcomb and I can lead Indiana into a new era of prosperity.” had a 15% lead over Gregg and a 14% lead over a generic Myers will be facing an incumbent who via Eric Democrat. Gregg is not expected to seek a third nomina- Holcomb for Indiana, Friends of , and the tion. has access to a combined $7.230 Hupfer also left no doubt that Holcomb and million cash-on-hand at the close of the June 30 report- Crouch will run as team once again. “No doubt. Suzanne is ing period. This is $2.223 million above the June 2007 an unbelievable partner,” he said. record established by Gov. enroute to a 58% “The governor as you’ve said before is in as strong landslide win in 2008. Lt. Gov. Crouch transferred a record a position as $1 million from her campaign account into the Eric Hol- he can possibly comb for Indiana account, the first time in Indiana history be heading into a lieutenant governor has both raised and transferred that 2020,” Hupfer much. Team Holcomb with the Indiana Republican Party said. “The one raised $1.2 million in a single night before the June 30 fact that is key is deadline. how well the state By comparison, for Indiana had $4.227 is doing. We’ve million in June 2015, for Lt. Gov. posted had back-to-back $155,697 and the Indiana Republican Party $153,532 for record years of a total $4.536 million. In June 2007, Mitch for Governor job creation, posted $4.146 million, Skillman for Indiana, $153,705 and infant mortality the Indiana Republican Party $707,829 for a total $5.007 is going down, million. opioid issues are being reduced, Holcomb approval at 61% workforce development issues are running on all cylinders, Internal polling for the Holcomb campaign ob- and people across the state are skilling up and finding new tained by Howey Politics Indiana gave Holcomb a 61/23% opportunities. Recidivism for prison inmates is going down, approve/disapprove in surveys from Brice Korengay of BK so there are positive impacts in the corrections sector for Strategies. Holcomb’s approval was 68% in Marion County, getting those folks back in the workforce. 67% in the doughnut counties, 61% in the DMA “The state is firing on all cylinders,” Hupfer contin- and 45% among self-identified Democrats. The poll, ued, “and it’s happening everywhere. You saw the num- conducted June 16-18, 2019, surveyed 600 likely 2020 bers in the Chicago DMA; he’s in The Region making an impact: He’s talking about double-tracking the South Shore Page 5 and ensuring the dollars are there moving forward; he’s There were two notable exceptions. The first dealt with the East Chicago issues head-on and he spends came in the 2004 cycle when Lt. Gov. an- tremendous amounts of time in Northwest Indiana. At nounced in 2002 that he wouldn’t run, assumed the the same time, all across the state he is focused on rural governorship in September 2003 after the death of Gov. development. He’s found dollars to ensure they’re there to O’Bannon, then announced he would seek the nomination bring broadband to places that have been unserved and after a donnybrook race between State Sen. Vi Simpson vitally need that service. Arguably, when you get past elec- and former state and DNC Chairman . Once tricity and water, the most necessary service is broadband. Kernan re-entered, Simpson and Andrew withdrew. “He’s looking across the state and making sure The other was the 2008 slugfest between former that all Hoosiers are being impacted by his policies,” Hup- congresswoman and Jim Schellinger. fer said. JLT won the primary by less than 1%, but then lost in a “He’s strong and getting stronger,” said GOP Com- landslide to Gov. Mitch Daniels without much funding. munications Director Pete Seat. “He’s consistent and grow- Third, both Macer and Melton would have to give ing stronger by the day.” up their General Assembly seats to run. Melton is a lock for his Gary seat and the Dems would retain it if he runs Will there be a Democratic race? for governor. Macer has defended her Speedway seat, While Myers has officially entered the race, State but if it opens up, Republicans would have a shot. Super- Rep. Karlee Macer and State Sen. are still minority Dems can’t afford to lose any more legislative weighing bids. Macer appears to be waiting on a final deci- seats. sion until the second of her children is married in August. For Melton and Macer, floating a bid this cycle is Melton is doing a multi-city education listening tour with good politics. One or both still could get in, but neither Republican Supt. Jennifer McCormick, but his exploratory has any statewide name ID and Myers will almost cer- committee is coy when talking about timelines for an offi- tainly have a big money advantage after spending years cial candidacy. As Melton “listens,” Gov. Holcomb is adding on the party’s fundraising Victory Committee. Flirting with to his unprecedented $7 million fundraising advantage. a run this cycle puts their names out in the gubernatorial Don’t be surprised if Myers is the only Democrat in context, setting up potential runs in 2024 when the seat the race by the time of the IDEA confab at French Lick in will likely be open. late August. Indiana Democratic Chairman told HPI Why? First, Myers could self-fund to an extent on Wednesday that the party is content to let a multi- (his Conrad Hotel condo is worth a reported $4.5 million), candidate race take shape. “I’m here today to support though he told the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette that he will a Democratic andidate for governor,” Zody said. “We’re actively be raising funds. Myers going to let this play out.” put $1 million of his own money into a 2008 congressional caucus It’s tough to beat an race that was ultimately won incumbent governor by U.S. Rep. Andre Carson. At The other dynamic in play is how hard Wednesday’s campaign kickoff, it is to defeat an incumbent governor. Kernan Myers said, “I’m not worried was defeated for two reasons: He lost almost 18 about the money.” His initial months when he decided he’d rather return to goal is raising $15 million, with South Bend than run. And Mitch Daniels was the an eye toward $20 million. “I’m most gifted and transformative politician of the going to do my best to convince era, whether it was fundraising, orchestrating his the people in the state and the own media, writing his own speeches, executing people I have known for years asset management issues, unleashing innovative and years to invest in this cam- policy and easily interacting with everyone from paign,” Myers told the Journal nuclear physicists to organized labor officials, may- Gazette. ors, evangelicals, farmers and Joe Sixpacks. Second, Hoosier Demo- Holcomb conveys an affable, happy crats have a historic aversion to warrior persona. He’s had the benefit of General contested gubernatorial pri- Assembly super majorities during his entire first maries. Since governors could term (something no other modern governor has run for two terms beginning in experienced), coming at a time when the Indi- 1972, Matt Welsh, Larry Conrad, Secretary of State Evan Bayh and State ana Democratic Party has retreated to the state’s John Hillenbrand III, Wayne Sen. Frank O’Bannon. Both would be major metropolitan areas and college towns. He Townsend, Evan Bayh, Frank shoo-in nominees, as have been most sits on a huge war chest, gets to name his own O’Bannon and John Gregg were modern Democratic gubernatorial superintendent of public instruction, and has Vice all nomination shoo-ins. nominees. Page 6

President Mike Pence and President Donald because I knew what the people think Trump in place to help rally the GOP base in Gary may not be what folks are next year. thinking in New Albany or Boonville. If there are ointment flies, it has So I encourage all of our elected of- been his falling out with Attorney General ficials to travel and listen across the Curtis Hill over sexual harassment allega- state. No one exemplifies this better tions, and Supt. McCormick bolting the fold. than our own governor. If this was an Holcomb called for Hill to resign after the official action, if she was out with Sen. allegations surfaced in July 2018. Hill has re- Melton or with any other Republican sisted and is seeking a second term, though or Democrat in a bipartisan nature, he remains ostracized by the institutional I would be all for it. But this is not wing of the party. Team Holcomb is not actively opposing an official listening tour. These are campaign-funded and Hill for the nomination, learning from Gov. Daniels 2008 campaign-organized, and campaign-related functions, so convention when he backed Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas they are political. They are not official actions. So, some over Greg Zoeller, who easily won the nomination. of the statements she’s put out have sort of characterized As for Supt. McCormick, Hupfer said that both he these as official actions of her office and I just think that’s and Gov. Holcomb were unaware of her plans not to seek an inaccuracy.” reelection last fall. “Nobody did,” he said. Her teaming up Has Hupfer talked with McCormick? “I’ve left her a with Sen. Melton is an overt political act which contradicts message,” he said. “My phone call was not returned.” her reason for not seeking reelection, which was that edu- For the record, HPI asked DOE spokesman Adam cation was becoming too political. Baker if McCormick was still a Republican. Baker respond- “Jennifer has, perhaps, mischaracterized exactly ed, “She hasn’t said otherwise.” Is she open to a Melton/ what the activities she’s involved in,” Hupfer said. “I ran McCormick ticket? “That’s premature,” Baker said. “That’s the Department of Natural Resources. I traveled the state not even in the discussion.” v Page 7

ardy (WRTV). An independent or minor party candidate must get a number of signatures equal to 2% of the votes AG Hill raises $220k; cast for secretary of state in the 2018 general election, so Schmitz needs 6,106. He said he has more than enough Hackett running in 2nd — more than 8,000. But as he’s presented them to the Marion County Board of Voter Registration for verification, By BRIAN A. HOWEY many have been thrown out. He calls it an “unwinnable INDIANAPOLIS — Facing a Republican convention situation.” “I feel like we’ve done the work,” Schmitz said. challenge from John Westercamp, Attorney General Curtis “I feel like the people we’ve talked to want us on the bal- Hill’s reelection campaign an- lot.” nounced he has raised $220,000

in the past two months. That in- Congress cludes $100,000 from the Republi- can Attorney Generals Association, according to informed and reliable 2nd CD: Hackett announces sources. South Bend attorney and Notre Dame adjunct law The Hill campaign believes that is a record for an professor Pat Hackett announced her candidacy against Indiana attorney general. “From challenging the consti- Rep. Jackie Walorski. Hackett tutionality of Obamacare to fighting illegal immigration to brings decades of experience in defending the district as an attorney, teach- the right to er and small business owner and life, I have is running to reclaim the people’s taken on the voice in Congress. “I will always tough fights fight for dignity and justice for as attorney all, and I believe we deserve a general,” Hill representative who listens and said “It’s represents our interests. Jackie been one of Walorski is a career politician the high- who refuses to hold town -halls, est honors caters to the special interests of my life who give millions of dollars to her to serve campaigns, and is out of touch with the people in this dis- and I am trict,” Hackett said. “I will be an advocate for health care just getting for all, the workers who live paycheck-to-paycheck, the started,” Hill seniors who depend on Social Security and , and said. “I look the farmers who are struggling with the growing catas- forward to continuing to work to defend the rule of law, trophe of climate change and challenge of reckless tariffs. our conservative values and our way of life. We deserve an advocate and leader who will represent The campaign added, “This fundraising success is the people of this district and not engage in pay-to-play a testament to Attorney General Hill’s record of delivering politics in Congress.” results and following through on the campaign promises made in 2016.” 5th CD

Mayors Hale to seek Democrat nomination Democratic Party insiders have been tossing Indpendent to run in Richmond former state Rep. Christina Hale’s name around for dif- Thomas Owens will run as an independent against ferent elected positions since her failed bid for lieutenant Democrat incumbent Dave Snow and Republican chal- governor in 2016. Now she’s officially in: She’ll be running lenger Jamie Lopeman in November (Richmond Palladium- in an attempt to replace retiring U.S Rep. Susan Brooks. “I Item). think people are ready for someone who really cares about these practical issues, someone who really cares about Hoosier families, and will be focused on things that make Schmitz may not qualify for Indy ballot the difference to everyday people, like healthcare, like John Schmitz, an independent candidate running education opportunity,” Hale told IndyStar on Wednesday. for mayor of Indianapolis, has more than enough signa- tures to be allowed on the ballot. But many of those have not counted as signatures for him by the Marion County Beckwith files for GOP nod Board of Voter Registration, putting his candidacy in jeop- Only one person who has filed for the Republican Page 8 nomination for this open seat. Rep. Micah Beckwith has Americans. Our generation can and must right the wrongs. set up an FEC campaign committee. “No one else has said By reforming broken health, education, and criminal justice they are definitively running,” said Indiana Republican systems; strengthening access to credit, and injecting Chairman Kyle Hupfer, who has ruled a bid out. Names capital into Black enterprises and neighborhoods, we can we continue to hear making moves to run include Fish- take aggressive steps toward fulfilling long-broken prom- ers Deputy Mayor Leah McGrath, former State Rep. Steve ises of true equality. I believe this is our last, best chance Braun, Treasurer Kelly Mitchell, former U.S. Senate can- at a more perfect union for all. The ultimate well-being of didate Terry Henderson, State Sens. John Ruckelshaus millions of people — not distant descendants but children and Victoria Spartz, and former state senator Mike Delph. alive today — depends on whether we can resolve these Other names that have surfaced include former Indianapo- inequalities in our time. lis mayor Greg Ballard. Mayor Pete’s black support fell in 2015 Presidential 2020 As Mayor contends with the fallout from the shooting of a black man by a white officer Trump/Pence MAGA rally in Cincy in his city, a PO- Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. announced LITICO analysis that President Trump and Vice President Pence will host of data from his a Keep America Great rally at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1 at earlier mayoral U.S. Bank Arena in . This is the 29th rally that elections shows President Trump has held in Ohio and the fourth rally in he struggled to Cincinnati since he first began his race for president in win the confi- June, 2015. “President Trump looks forward to celebrating dence of the his achievements with the great men and women of Ohio,” city’s black vot- said Michael Glassner, Chief Operating Officer of Donald J. ers following a Trump for President, Inc. “With a stunning 224,000 jobs series of contro- created in June, 3.1% wage growth over the last year, and versies in his first unemployment at its lowest point since 1969, President term (Politico). Trump continues to reach new economic heights and cre- Detailed precinct ate opportunity for Americans across the nation.” results from South Bend’s 2011 and 2015 mayoral races show Buttigieg Buttigieg unveils ‘Douglass Plan’ repeatedly lagging behind black primary challengers in Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s attempt to attract black many of western South Bend’s predominantly black neigh- voters takes shape today with his unveiling of the “Doug- borhoods. And while Buttigieg still managed to win those las Plan.” Buttigieg explains, “Black Americans continue to precincts in two general elections against white Republican lisve in the shadow of systemic racism. This is a fact, and opponents, his support in these areas fell after his first one that requires bold action to reverse. To see equity in term. In the 2011 general election, Buttigieg had some of our time, it will not be enough to simply replace centuries his highest margins of victory in these neighborhoods, a of racism with non-racist policies. We must intentionally typical result for a Democrat facing a Republican opponent put anti-racist policies in place to close the gaps those in South Bend. But by 2015, western South Bend gave him centuries of policy created. Today, I’m proud to share with you The Douglass Plan, named after Ameri- can hero Frederick Dou- glass, and comparable in scale to the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe after World War II.” Buttigieg describes it as a “compre- hensive and intentional effort to dismantle racist structures and systems, combined with an invest- ment of unprecedented scale in the freedom and self-determination of Black Page 9 his weakest results after his support plunged by more than Biden has 15% lead in Emerson Poll 20 points in some precincts. The first Democratic debate has shaken up the race for the Democratic nomination. Compared to June’s Buttigieg faces homophobia in SC national poll, former Vice President Joe Biden extended Mayor Pete Buttigieg remains a top-five candidate, his lead, Sen. Bernie Sanders lost ground, Sen. Kamala buoyed by prodigious fundraising, crisp communication, Harris doubled her support, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren and a desire for generational change. But a question held steady. Despite Biden losing foru points of his support hangs over the campaign: Will his momentum stop at from 34% to 30%, he extended his lead in the Democratic the doors of the socially conservative black churches of primary from seven points in June to 15 points, as his South Carolina? (Vice.com). Buttigieg is already starting main rival, Sanders dropped 12 points to 15% from his at a disadvantage: 17% of Democrats said they would not June number of 27%. Harris saw her numbers improve back a gay candidate for president, according to a Gallup eight points to 15%, and Warren ticked up one point from survey released in April. Nationally, support for the LG- June to 15% of the vote, creating a three-way tie for sec- BTQ community among African-American Democrats lags ond. behind their white counterparts, with just 68% favoring laws protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination in jobs, Biden earned $15 million public accommodations and housing, compared to eight Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in 10 white Democrats, according to poll results released earned $15.6 million in the two years after he left the earlier this year by the Public Religion Research Institute. Obama administration, according to newly released fi- An ongoing Pew Research Center poll registered similar nancial documents (Wall Street Journal). The former vice findings: Just four in 10 black Protestants — a group that president, who has built his nearly five-decade political includes roughly 70% of all black South Carolinians — sup- career as an advocate for middle-class families, made mil- port same-sex marriage. lions of dollars through paid speaking engagements, sales of his 2017 book and his role as a professor at the Univer- Buttigieg ramping up in Iowa, NH sity of Pennsylvania. Buttigieg is now rapidly expanding his campaign’s footprint to try and build on his financial gains in the first Biden to lay out foreign policy plan half of the year (Politico). In Iowa, Buttigieg’s campaign Biden will lay out his foreign-policy vision in a added 30 organizers at the end of June, filling out what Thursday speech in which he will vow to hold a summit had previously been a four-person skeleton crew. A dozen of the world’s leading democracies during his first year staffers are now on board in New Hampshire. And by the in office (Wall Street Journal). In his foreign-policy ad- end of the summer, there will be many more. The cam- dress at the Graduate Center of the City University of New paign plans to swell its staff to 300 people by Labor Day, York, the former vice president will assert that President according to multiple people briefed on its plans.“The Trump’s “America first” policies have isolated the U.S., and whole point of all that fundraising is making sure we have he will stress the need to restore U.S. leadership around the organization we need to win,” Buttigieg continued. the globe, a senior Biden campaign official said. Mr. Biden “Obviously, we’ve got great news on that front. Now we’ve plans to say that, if elected, he would convene a summit got to get to work.” of world leaders to “refocus on our common purpose, to strengthen our common resilience and to work more ef- Warren raises $19M fectively together.” v Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign an- nounced Monday she raised $19.1 million in the second quarter of the year, more than tripling her first-quarter total despite holding no fundraisers (Politico). The haul far exceeded expectations, as Warren sur- passed both Bernie Sanders ($18 million) and Kamala Harris ($12 million) and came close to Joe Biden ($21.5 milllion). Her out- pacing of Sanders is particularly notable, given the army of small- dollar donors he amassed in 2016 and their similarly progressive stances. Page 10

“Why didn’t you fire the chief?” Swalwell demand- ed. “You’re the mayor.” Time will tell if Pete Buttigieg wisely avoided wrangling with Swalwell over police policies on body cameras and recruiting. He survives his ‘mess’ just stared at Swalwell with what Chris Cillizza of CNN described as a “death stare.” By JACK COLWELL Swalwell and others among the cast of 20 SOUTH BEND – Mayor Pete, though on the defen- debate candidates with little or no chance have nothing to sive over what he called “a mess” in his own city, sur- lose by attacking contenders ahead of them in the polls. vived the first round of Democratic presidential debates. Unfortunately, the Democratic rules for the next He suffered a dip in the polls, a significant dip, but not a round of debates July 30-31 in Detroit provide again for 20 disastrous one for someone who started as a long, long candidates. After that, tougher criteria for participation will longshot. give more time for candidates seriously seeking the White Others fared worse under House and cut those just seeking attention or book sales. the pressure. Look at Beto Most of the national polls after the Miami debates O’Rourke, falling toward the show Buttigieg at 4%, in fifth place. All showed Biden point of elimination, and Joe really slipping and Kamala Harris surging. The respected Biden, plummeting from a Quinnipiac College poll showed these percentages: Biden, huge lead to his new position 22, down eight points. Harris, 20, up 13 points. Then came as a shaky front-runner. Elizabeth Warren, 14; Bernie Sanders, 13; Buttigieg, 4. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg likely could have hit a higher percentage Buttigieg will continue as a if he had been able still to talk of his city as in resurgence significant contender at least rather than defending how he was handling “a mess.” through the first series of Still, at the start of the year, how many pun- primaries next year. That’s dits would have predicted that the mayor of South Bend, guaranteed by his amazing then unknown nationally, would rank higher in the polls fundraising success, with over 400,000 donors big and than the mayor of New York? Higher than the much-hyped small, and $24.8 million raised in the past three months. O’Rourke? Higher than senators such as Amy Klobuchar of He has funding to go on with a national campaign as oth- Minnesota? Way higher than Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New ers drop out with nothing left to finance a realistic effort. York? OK, Mayor Pete stays significant and is sure to It’s too early. Also, too late. Too early to predict a continue as a contender. presidential nominee. Too late already for some who can’t How significant? How far? sustain 1%. v If he is seen in the role of a humble piñata, with political activists taking swings at him as the national news Colwell has covered Indiana politics over five de- media conclude that he really isn’t that popular or effective cades for the . as a mayor, his significance and the length of his race as a serious contender will lessen. But he also needs to be transparent about what did or didn’t happen in a controversial shooting in South Bend as he seeks to increase paltry support from African-Americans in those national polls. It’s a difficult path. Buttigieg could prove to be one of the sharpest debaters if he can get off the defensive. You don’t win debates or nominations playing de- fense. He won praise from many commentators for his quick, direct answer – no excuses or distrac- tions – for why the number of blacks on the South Bend police department dropped to just 6%. Why no improvement? “Because I couldn’t get it done,” he said. The mayor was attacked during the debate by Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, who at age 38 was seeking to knock out another young contender, Buttigieg, 37. Page 11

the latter. Perot tried to win the presidency as a populist independent. But as the rockers say, “paranoia will destroy Trump learned from ya” and the media got inside Perot’s head. He declared midsummer that the news media was conspiring to ruin Ross Perot’s bids his daughter’s wedding, and the whole thing began to unravel. He exited the race, then stormed back. But the By BRIAN A. HOWEY window to victory had closed. INDIANAPOLIS — Ross Perot famously said, When the votes were counted, Perot carried “Eagles don’t flock. You have to find them one at a time.” 18.9% of the vote nationally, including 19.77% in Vice It was a prescient comment from the first billion- President Dan Quayle’s Indiana. He paved the way for aire to run for president, coming a few years before Steve Clinton to defeat Bush. From this showing, Perot created Forbes and some 34 years before Donald J. Trump. In the Reform Party, used it to run again in 1996, and the late spring 1992, Perot actually led President George H.W. party was a presidential campaign platform that Trump Bush and Democrat briefly dallied with in 2000. in the polls, But as Steve Earle’s folk giving us a glimpse of a hero John Lee Pettimore down populist movement with on Copperhead Road might put widespread traction. it, Donald J. Trump came up Writing then for “with a brand new plan.” Trump the Fort Wayne Journal would speak the populist code to Gazette, I got a ground the regular folks and take over floor view of this move- an entire party, the Grand Old ment. The Perotistas Party. While the Hoosier Repub- had set up an office in lican establishment stuck with a Fort Wayne strip mall. John Kasich and Ted Cruz in the It was an utter beehive, 2016 primary, Trump invoked the with volunteers buzzing coaching trinity (Bobby Knight, about, breaking Allen County into “zippies” (i.e., zip-codes) Gene Keady and Lou Holtz), deemed the state “Important- to organize a political movement. ville” and like another populist (socialist Bernie Sanders) Aided by the fledgling radio talk star Rush Lim- won the Hoosier primary with 53% of the vote. baugh, the Perotistas were pissed off about what they Gov. Mike Pence would see the light and a golden perceived to be bad trade deals like NAFTA, with Perot opportunity, and today Hoosier Republicans have enjoined saying in his Texas nasal twang that the “giant sucking the Trumpian cult of personality. They now eschew bal- sound” we’d be hearing were jobs headed to Mexico. Perot anced budgets and free trade, embrace tariffs and farm favored term limits for Congress. He loathed the special in- bailouts, and don’t sweat a bead if Harley-Davidson is terest money that would later define as “the demonized. swamp.” He once said, “The budget should be balanced, “Ross Perot was certainly the most influential po- the Treasury should be refilled, the public debt should be litical force in the late 20th century from outside the regu- reduced and the arrogance of public officials should be lar party system,” Allan Lichtman, a distinguished professor controlled.” of history at American University, told CNBC. “I think what Perot took on both the Clintons and Bushes explains it is people’s dissatisfaction — this is absolutely three decades before Trump. This came in an era prior relevant to the appeal of Donald Trump — people’s dissat- to the World Wide Web, but Perot communicated with isfaction with business as usual in Washington.” his peeps in his own way. He appeared on CNN’s “Larry Perot once said, “Most people give up just when King Live,” vowing to run for president if the people would they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one- qualify him for the ballot in all 50 states. Working class yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one folks from Fort Wayne to the coasts rose to the challenge, foot from a winning touchdown.” achieving his goal in the ultimate political draft movement. Donald J. Trump took that ball and rammed it up And three decades before Trump declared health the gut, then spiked the ball into the punch bowl. He took reform and trade wars would be “simple” to win, Perot had over a party, beat the Bushes and Clintons, and as Frank his own boasts: “I can solve the problem of the national Sinatra might put it, he’s doing it “my way.” debt without working up a sweat. It’s just that simple.” I couldn’t find any Ross Perot quotes explicitly If there was an enemy at hand, Perot’s approach about Donald Trump, but he did say, “War has rules, mud was curt and concise: “If you see a snake, just kill it. Don’t wrestling has rules, politics has no rules.” appoint a committee on snakes.” Perot also said, “In this country, if you’re eccentric There are many comparisons between Perot and a billionaire you either kill a wrestler or run for presi- and Trump, but the former provided a crucial lesson to dent.” v Page 12

book.” As the two consumed a bottle of Irish whiskey, he was upbraided by O’Hare’s wife, Mary. “She blew her top,” Vonnegut’s epic anti- Vonnegut said, relating, “Why don’t you tell the truth for a change?” war book resonates “We were trying to think up nifty war movie stuff. She said, ‘You were nothing but babies then.’ That was the By BRIAN A. HOWEY key,” Vonnegut said. “Wars were fought by children and NASHVILLE, Ind. — “All this happened, more or not Frank Sinatra or Duke Wayne.” less.” Vonnegut acknowledged that, “The most impres- That was Kurt Vonnegut’s first sentence in his epic sive way to tell a war story is to not tell it.” book “Slaughterhouse-Five or The Children’s Crusade” Thus, Vonnegut headed up the literary “war is published 50 years ago at the height of one of America’s hell” Hoosier vanguard depictions with battlefield partici- stupid wars, this one in Vietnam. pants sometimes escaping into fantasy. Legendary war There’s been much reflection on this 50th anni- correspondent Ernie Pyle’s description of a Normandy bat- versary. It came as President Trump, a vociferous critic of tlefield after the combantants had the last stupid American war (this moved over the horizon included one in Iraq) put the brakes on the finding a British pilot hanging up- bombing of Iran for having the side down in his plane surrounded temerity to attack oil tankers in by craters. He told his rescuers the Strait of Hormuz. With missiles that he had gone elsewhere before ready to cruise in 10 minutes, returning to his predicament. Trump asked about the expected The late Congressman corpse harvest. His military com- Andy Jacobs Jr., who graduated manders told him 150. Fox News from Shortridge HS nine years after analyst Tucker Carlson had the Vonnegut and experienced the foresight to tell him about the Korean War horrors, would indict lost 2020 Electoral College votes, the post-World War II presidents further proof that God works in in his book “1600 Killers.” He told strange, strange ways. me, “Have you ever seen two “Not proportionate to grown men in a bare-knuckle fist shooting down an unmanned fight on a sidewalk? If so, your drone,” Trump wrote. “I am in no reaction would be shock? Disgust? hurry.” For the latter day Billy Pil- Insecurity? Probably all three. Yet, grim, the body counts could wait. multiply those two men by tens of And so it goes. Whether Donald thousands and intensify the vio- J. Trump has read “Slaughter- lence by tons of dynamite, steel house-Five” or realizes the exis- and gunpowder with the resultant tence of the planet Tralfamadore quantums of blood, viscera, stone- is beside the point. Here is an cold rigor mortis and corresponding American leader who has an aver- broken hearts back home.” sion to war, as Kim Jong-Un can Writing “Slaughterhouse-Five” while CBS cor- attest. They write lovely letters and conduct a very public respondent Morley Safer was reporting on American GIs bromance (so what if Kim feeds his envoys to piranhas?) using Zippo lighters to burn down Vietnamese hamlets in Vonnegut, the Indianapolis native, was cap- order to “save them,” Vonnegut said that the American tured during the Battle of the Bulge, transported via box- stupidity in Indochina “not only freed me, but it freed car to Dresden and imprisoned in the city’s underground writers. The was so scruffy and stupid. What slaughterhouses. In February 1945, according to military I had to report made war look so ugly. The truth can be records, 722 heavy bombers of the British Royal Air Force powerful stuff if you’re not expecting it.” and 527 of the United States Army Air Corps dropped an Author Salman Rushdie, writing in The New estimated 3,900 tons of incendiary devices on the city. Yorker, observes, “His predominant tone of voice is melan- The ensuing firestorm killed an estimated 25,000 people. choly, the tone of voice of a man who has been present for Vonnegut resurfaced to find this medieval city destroyed a great horror and lived to tell the tale. To read Vonnegut and reeking of corpses, with Nazi authorities resorting to is to know that he was repeatedly drawn to the investi- “flamethrowers” to dispatch the suffocated. gation of free will, of what it might be and how it might Vonnegut told NPR’s Renee Montagne in 2003 or might not function, and that he came at the subject that years after World War II he looked up a comrade, from many different angles. Many of his ruminations were Bernard O’Hare, to help him recreate his “famous Dresden presented in the form of works by his fictional alter ego, Page 13

Kilgore Trout. The truth is that ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ is a to Mongolia while Trump cavorted with Kim in the DMZ) great realist novel” with Vonnegut reporting, “One guy I told Foreign Policy magazine that he believes that by knew really was shot in Dresden for taking a teapot that holding off on strikes for now President Trump is “creating wasn’t his.” every opportunity for a peaceful resolution.” That we have a president who has decided “This is a president who was elected to get us out not to match nuclear buttons with a Korean despot or of war,” Fleitz said. “He doesn’t want war with Iran.” slam an AGM-114 Hellfire up the ayatollah’s ass could be The POW and author Kurt Vonnegut would ap- seen as progress. Fred Fleitz, a former advisor to resident prove. White House war hawk John Bolton (who was dispatched And so it goes. v

1993, been a . Of the more than 400,000 people buried there, Lugar, Bayh will be the vast majority meet one of those requirements. It’s true that many prominent political figures are buried within rare Hoosier pols its gates, but with one exception they all still meet the active duty military service requirement. That exception is buried at Arlington William Howard Taft, because U.S. presidents are eligible regardless of military service (though it’s worth noting they By TREVOR FOUGHTY do serve as commander in chief). All other federal elected INDIANAPOLIS — On July 24, the late Sen. Rich- officials, certain federal appointed officials, and Supreme ard Lugar will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Court justices are eligible only if they meet the active duty and at some point in the future Sen. Birch Bayh will be, as requirement. well. So Lugar and Bayh qualify by virtue of having To many Hoosiers, this served on active duty, and later holding office in the U.S. makes sense. Both men were Senate; their long list of achievements has no significance, giants in the U.S. Senate who and even holding the office only meets the secondary re- gave much to the nation and quirement so that their markers will bear only their military world through their leadership. rank. It makes sense that they should But we still aren’t quite ready to answer the ques- be accorded the honor of burial tion. That’s because Arlington didn’t necessarily reach its in a national cemetery. It also current level of prominence until after President John F. begs the question: What other Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. A few months prior, prominent Hoosier politicians are Kennedy took a trip to Arlington House, the former home buried at Arlington? of Robert E. Lee on whose ground the cemetery sits. After But before I answer that admiring the serenity of the cemetery and the view of question, it’s worth considering what makes one eligible Washington, D.C., he remarked to Jackie that he could to be laid to rest in that particular cemetery. Most people probably assume that Lugar and Bayh earned the honor as a result of their widespread recognition as statesmen. But that assumption is false. Consider: The markers for each man will note not the final resting place of a U.S. senator, but rather that of Lieutenant Lugar and Private Bayh. That’s because Arlington is a veterans cemetery, and burial in such cemeteries is reserved for active duty veterans who were discharged honor- ably, their spouses, and their minor children. But of all our national veterans cemeteries, Arlington has the strictest eligibility requirements. In addition to having served active duty, burial there also typically requires that the deceased died while on active duty (often killed in action); earned one of a handful of specific stay there forever. decorations, such as a Medal of Honor, Distinguished Ser- After his fateful trip to Dallas later that year, the vice Cross, or a ; served long enough to earn assumption was that the Kennedys would follow tradition career retirement benefits; or, for those who died after and have JFK buried in his home state of Massachusetts. Page 14 But Jackie, recalling his remark, he qualifies because he served in decided to have him buried at the Army during World War I, and Arlington instead. It’s worth not- later as U.S. ambassador to the ing that Taft, while a proud son of Philippines. Ohio, spent most of his adult life Beyond McNutt, I can in service to the federal govern- find no record of any other promi- ment in Washington. His burial at nent Hoosiers buried in Arlington. Arlington fit that tradition, and he But there are plenty of stories to and Kennedy are the only presi- be found about unknown Hoosier dents buried there. heroes to be found, such as that When announcing her of Carl Mann of Evansville, who decision, Jackie Kennedy famous- was buried at Arlington last month ly proclaimed her reasoning that on the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. “he belongs to the people.” This Mann not only stormed Omaha statement, along with increased Beach, but he was also present at tourism-related visits of those the other four major battle sites in wishing to pay their respects the European Theater. He served to the slain president, began to as one of only 28 forward observ- change the prominence and per- ers doing advanced scouting for ception of Arlington. As a result, General Patton, and was one of requests for burial there began only three to come home. He was to increase, which has occasion- one of the first to arrive at the ally led to a tightening on the requirements (which, in turn, Battle of the Bulge, and was the first American to reach helped raise its prominence even more). the gates of two different Nazi concentration camps and A decade later, President Nixon ended the draft. begin to liberate its prisoners. For those interested in who This has directly led to fewer Americans serving in the is buried at Arlington, I encourage you to look up his story, military, and indirectly to fewer veterans serving in federal and those of the other less-prominent Hoosiers who lie in elected office. So at the same time that burial at Arlington rest there. became seen as one of the highest honors our country And if you’re curious about the final resting place could bestow on the deceased, the number of politicians of other Hoosier politicians? Look no further than Crown who are eligible has been decreasing. That makes the buri- Hill in Indianapolis. While it contains a national veterans als of Lugar and Bayh stand out all the more, and perhaps cemetery with less strict requirements, it’s also where you continuing to feed the misconception. can also find 25% (11 of 44) of deceased Indiana gov- All of that is to say, then, that the list of prominent ernors, 75% (3 of 4) of our deceased Hoosier vice presi- politicians buried at Arlington is not as large as one might dents, and 100% (Benjamin Harrison) of Hoosier presi- guess. The list of Hoosier politicians is even smaller: Gov. dents. In addition, there are dozens of other U.S. senators, Paul McNutt. But there is no provision for service as gover- U.S. representatives, and state legislators buried there. nor, and McNutt wouldn’t even qualify because he served as the national commander of the American Legion. Instead, Foughty publishes at CapitolandWashington.com. Page 15

with which American firms adopted new technologies and automation. Economic research State-level policies appear oblivious to the po- larization of jobs. It is hard to overstate how unmindful points to different Indiana’s policies are to three decades of evidence. As labor markets polarized, wages rose sharply at the top education outcomes and stagnated at the bottom. One very likely reason is that displaced workers flooded low-skilled labor markets, By MICHAEL HICKS while the supply of highly skilled workers remained low. MUNCIE – The past decade has seen a blossoming In response to polarized labor markets and low levels of of research on the geography of employment and the effect college attendance, Indiana cut funding to colleges and of automation on the demand for workers and skills. These universities. This quickly reduced the share of Hoosier studies benefitted from significantly richer data sets on children heading to college at a time when the college people and skills that enabled sub- wage premiums continues to rise. This is puzzling in light stantially more sophisticated labor of abundant evidence that more cognitive skills are in market analysis. I especially admire greater demand. work done by David Autor and En- The third great lesson of labor market re- rico Moretti, whose work is rich and search is uncertainty about the composition of future jobs easily accessible to non-economists. and labor market skills. We know with much certainty Their research was promoted by that automation will replace many skills now prized by real world happenings that could labor markets. History tells us there will be plenty of ultimately inform public policy. But, new jobs, but they will require different, typically more I have become frustrated at how cognitive skills, and will appear in different places. This few insights from the past quarter uncertainty combined with labor market turbulence makes century are understood and applied clear a need for greater focus on durable, transferable, to education and tax policies. highly cognitive skills. In short, we need more of the skills In many states, and certainly here in Indiana, taught almost exclusively in elementary, middle and high public policy towards education, tax incentives and the role schools, than in colleges and universities. of workforce training seem very focused on applying lessons In response to labor market turbulence and from the 1960s and 1970s, while ignoring nearly everything a greater demand for durable cognitive skills, Indiana important from the 1980s through the present. This column has moved in precisely the wrong direction. The state is part of my effort to draw out two or three critical lessons weakened high school graduation requirements and now from the last two or three decades and tie them to state obliges children to substitute academic learning for career policies. familiarization as early as middle school. The first lesson learned is the primacy of human We have shifted funding from schools to work- capital in the success of regions. Nearly the only thing that force training, substituting learning in durable cognitive differs among cities, counties or metro areas is the educa- skills with inherently transient, job-focused training. Good tional attainment of workers. Capital investment, which for schools are probably working around these obstacles, but much of the 19th and early 20th century helped determine taxpayers should ask tough questions of state leaders economic differences between regions, matters very little who send this message to send to students and families. today. Sadly, Indiana seems wedded to a 1960s model of These critiques of Indiana’s human capital policies capital investment. Adjusting for inflation, since 2010, Indi- are not new. The evidence of labor market polarization ana increased tax incentives for capital by $5.025 million. and the importance of human capital in local prosperity Over the same time, our cumulative increase in is not new. Concern over Indiana’s poor levels of educa- education funding to universities and K-12 education was tional attainment are not new. Perhaps the only novelty only $17 million. Indiana’s leaders pay a lot of lip service to here is that since 2010, Indiana has cut spending on K-12 educating and attracting talented workers, but pay a whole from 2.59% to 2.29% of our state’s GDP. We have made lot of money to attract capital. even deeper cuts to the share of GDP supporting higher The second lesson of this new research is the education. growing polarization of labor markets. This means there I admire fiscal restraint, but that is not what has been growth at both the high and low ends of the pay we are observing. State and local incentives to businesses scale. This has come at the expense of middle-skilled jobs have grown by more than $5 billion since 2010. The that pay mid-level wages. The proximal cause of this is shift of tax dollars from investment in human capital to technological change. The skills most susceptible to auto- subsidies for business equipment is most assuredly not a mation and digitization have been those clustered within the conservative principle. More to the point, we hear a great middle class. Foreign trade also influenced these jobs, but deal of political talk about the need for talent, but it is dif- mostly because trade pressure simply hastened the speed ficult to reconcile that rhetoric with spending priorities. If Page 16 today we spent the same share of GDP on education as we taxpayers and voters to help align successful politics with did in 2010, we would have more than $1.56 billion extra smarter economic policy. v this year alone. I am not advocating for a large tax increase, Hicks, PhD, is the director of the Center for Busi- but it is essential that we be honest with ourselves. We ness and Economic Research and the George and are spending far less of our income on human capital, Frances Ball distinguished professor of econom- and more on physical capital, than we did a decade ago. I ics in the Miller College of Business at Ball State suspect there are good political reasons for this shift, but University. it is deeply misguided economic policy. It is now time for

deficiency, it would be surprising. However, it would be astonishing if they also recognized that 44 (not half of Not all boats rise Indiana’s 92 counties) were in this benighted condition with the numbers employed and the numbers in the labor in Indiana counties market rising while the numbers unemployed fell. In total, 53 counties did see increases in the By MORTON MARCUS number employed. But this left 39 of our counties with a INDIANAPOLIS – It’s been a while since we looked decrease in the number of employed persons. Hardly the at state and county labor market changes. So, I pulled up kind of news that makes it into press releases. the number of persons employed and the number unem- In a simplistic world, growth of employment ployed as reported by the Indiana Department of Workforce would wipe out unemployment. However, many other Development and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. factors can intervene. Strong increases in employment The latest month I found opportunities can provide jobs for the unemployed and was May 2019 for counties, attract workers back into the labor force. Simultaneously, June for states. But I dare not people often move to where jobs are increasing and away use unmatched months for fear from less attractive areas. some partisan critic would say The case of New Jersey is instructive. That state I was cherry-picking the data gained 38,500 employed persons and cut the number by not using the same month. unemployed down by 64,500. The net effect: NJ saw Of course, I’ve been doing this its labor force decline by 26,000. Did they retire and/or long enough to realize it doesn’t move? Probably the latter since Jersey is rarely cited as a matter. Critics will carp regard- retirement mecca. v less of the starting and ending points of any analysis. Mr. Marcus is an economist. Reach him at mortonj- Anyway, from May 2017 [email protected]. Follow his views and those of to the same month in 2019, the John Guy on “Who gets what?” wherever podcasts number of persons employed are available or atmortonjohn.libsyn.com. v rose by 3.7 million (2.4%) in the U.S. During the same time, the number unemployed fell by 1.1 million (a healthy decline of 16.7%). That means the labor force, which is the sum of the employed and the unemployed looking for work, rose by 2.7 million. (Don’t panic; the numbers are rounded, not incorrect.) This is what most folks think is how things should be. More people working reduces the number look- ing for work and also draws into the labor force people who previously did not have jobs nor were job-hunting. Indiana was one of the 34 states in this happy condition. Job holders increased by 33,000 while job- seekers declined by 9,000, with the labor force growing by 24,000. But we trailed the nation in all three measures as our job holders grew by 1.0% (US = 2.4%), our number unemployed declined by 8.0% (US = -16.7%) and our labor force rose by 0.7% (US=1.7%). If any one of the happy-talk Hoosiers noticed this Page 17

The result is the diminished, unproductive Con- gress we now see. Deliberation, openness, the give- Getting Congress and-take of a free society, the process of consulting with experts and those who might be affected by legislation, a back on track Congress that squarely addresses the tough questions that need to be answered if we’re to move forward as a society By LEE HAMILTON — all have fallen victim to Congress’s abandonment of the BLOOMINGTON – The other day, someone regular order. I’ve known for years offered a pointed bit of criticism. And largely because of this, Congress no “It’s easy for people like you to make long lists of things longer plays the role that our founders envisioned and our Congress should do to improve,” he said. “But you know diverse, complex society needs. good and well most of them won’t happen. So if you’re re- Now, I don’t want to give the impression that the ally serious, what’s the one most regular order is flawless. Any process will have its prob- important thing it could do? What lems, and even when it was observed, the regular order does Congress absolutely need to still put too much power in the hands of too few people. start getting itself back on track?” But it was far better than the ad hoc, unpredict- He was right. “People able, and often dysfunctional process we see now. Be- like me” — that is, people who cause once the regular order breaks down, democracy-de- comment publicly about all the fying habits like omnibus bills, sleight-of-hand legislating, things Congress gets wrong — and powerful leadership teams take hold. often have long laundry lists of And the result isn’t just an institution that no fixes, from wringing the influence longer represents the American people. It’s also a bad of special-interest money out of product: legislation that isn’t vetted, doesn’t reflect a the system to members of differ- consensus among members, and often reveals itself to be ent parties spending more time unsustainable once it meets the real world. together. But the most important fix? That takes some In short, if you’ve got a bad process, you’re likely thinking. to create a bad result. A good process doesn’t ensure I’ve spent some time on it and have my answer. good results, but it definitely boosts the chances of getting But you’re not going to like it. What’s critically important to one. for Congress to do? Return to the regular order. We have two centuries of experience on Capi- I know, even a lot of wonks don’t know what that tol Hill that have taught us how to run a legislature so that means. That’s because it’s a little hard to define precisely. the voices of the American people can be reflected in the Drawing on the work of congressional scholars Tom Mann halls of power, multiple viewpoints get fair and respect- and Norm Ornstein, you could think of the regular order ful consideration, and ordinary legislators have a fair shot as the rules, precedents and norms that have evolved over at influencing the results. Until we get back to that, no congressional history to make sure that it treats its mem- amount of tinkering with Congress will add up to much. v bers fairly in the course of its work and that it plays its proper role in our scheme of government. Lee Hamilton is a Senior Advisor for the Indiana In part, this is about process. You may think University Center on Representative Government; of committee hearings, expert testimony, and a fair debate a Distinguished Scholar of the IU Hamilton Lugar and amendments process as eye-glazing details, but they School of Global and International Studies. evolved for a reason: They’re how Congress ensured that a diversity of voices got heard, members got the benefit of the best thinking in the country on difficult issues, and even rank-and-file members had a chance to shape policy. I put those in the past tense because, of course, mostly they no longer happen. Instead, Congress has gotten into some distressing habits — omnibus bills, weakened committees (especially in the budget process), amendment-free legislating — which all add up to a cur- tailed process dominated by the leadership. It has limited floor debate, tends to bypass ordinary members, and gives disproportionate influence to big donors and lobbyists. It often sidesteps dealing with tough issues. And it’s not unusual for important legislative provisions to be added at the last minute by powerful members without discussion or debate. Page 18

Supt. Jennifer McCormick, NWI Times: posal to see if it’s as terrifying as she found it to be in that Leadership requires courage to not play politics. Lead- video she posted awhile back. In this completely made-up ership requires courage to reach across the aisle with scenario, I am simply in her home illegally. She knows this genuine intent. Leadership requires courage to ask, to as she comes in. On my blue blazer I’ve pinned a name listen, and to take action. I am proud to work with State tag that says, “Hello my name is John. Hate Has No Home Sen. Eddie Melton to display this type of leadership. Wash- Here” It doesn’t have to be AOC’s home. You might fash- ington’s partisan posturing and reluctance to collaborate ion your own nightmare dream sequence and put yourself and cooperate exhausts many Hoosiers. I, too, in Bernie Sanders’ home, or Joe Biden’s or Kamala have become disenchanted and find this type of Harris’. Or the home of any of the other Demo- representation less than desirable. However, I am cratic presidential candidates who raised their newly optimistic and encouraged. Eddie Melton, hands promising taxpayer-subsidized health care a Democrat from Gary, asked me to join his to those who crossed the border illegally, and also statewide summer Hoosier Community Conver- raised their hands supporting the decriminalization sations, starting in Indianapolis on July 11. As a mother, of illegal crossing, thus endorsing de facto open borders. educator and Indiana’s top education official, I understand So, no criminal penalty for crossing. And if you make it the importance and responsibility associated with these here, you get free stuff at taxpayer expense. Sounds like a opportunities to hear directly from Hoosiers. The chance great deal to me. Does it apply to the kitchen table? “Who to engage with community voices is critical to better serve ARE you,” asks AOC. “WHY are you HERE? Do you belong Indiana students, families, schools, and communities. in my house?” These are simple, reasonable questions any Sen. Melton understands the value in these conversations, homeowner might ask of a stranger at her or his kitchen and I commend his approach. Although our backgrounds table. So why can’t Americans ask it of people in our are different, we share the same commitment to serving country? Why can’t we ask people in this country — on the Indiana’s students. Our students deserve a quality educa- 2020 census — if they are citizens of the United States? v tion and courageous leaders who will provide them with just that. When the Hoosier Community Conversations James Pinkerton, American Conservative: were announced, many people met the idea of a Democrat The legal proceedings against financier Jeffrey Epstein from Northern Indiana and a Republican from East Central are going to be spectacular. The sober-minded New York Indiana working together to better serve students with Times is already running headlines such as “Raid on Ep- great excitement, intrigue and optimism. Overwhelmingly, stein’s Mansion Uncovered Nude Photos of Girls,” describ- we have received supportive statements which expressed ing the victims as “minors, some as young as 14.” So, yes, welcome, congratulations, appreciation and long-overdue this story is going to be, well, lit. Epstein is the pluperfect themes. This bipartisan approach positions Indiana to be- “Great White Defendant,” to borrow the phrase from Tom come a national leader in opposition to an unflattering hy- Wolfe’s 1987 novel The Bonfire of the Vanities. In Epstein’s perpartisan environment. The Hoosier Community Conver- case, even the left, normally indulgent on crime, is go- sations model is a purposeful and positive collaboration in ing to be chanting: lock him up. In fact, the case against the spirit of student success. Sen. Melton understands our Epstein seems so overwhelming that it’s already been state’s educational landscape and the inefficient, expen- reported, albeit not confirmed, that his lawyers are seeking sive governance structure. Thus, he is eager to build on a plea bargain. Yet even if Epstein doesn’t “flip,” it’s a cinch successes and find solutions to the concerns of Hoosiers. that many luminaries—in politics, business, and entertain- He appreciates the Indiana Department of Education’s ag- ment—will at least be named, if not outright inculpated. gressive strategic plan, which explains much of the state’s Which is to say, the Epstein case is shaping up as yet impressive results and national attention. Yet, Sen. Melton another lurid look at the lifestyles of the rich, famous, and is also aware of the challenges our students, educators, powerful, sure to boil the blood of populists on the right schools and employers continue to face. I am eager to join and class warriors on the left. Sen. Melton at his Hoosier Community Conversations to hear directly from Indiana communities. After all, leader- American Greatness: It is easier ship requires courage to lead with a moral compass believ- Conrad Black, to notice the drift of American political public opinion after ing a quality education is not about political parties. It is being away from it in England for six weeks. It is obvi- about kids. v ous that President Trump is steadily gaining ground. The human wave of kooks and retreads seeking the Demo- John Kass, Chicago Tribune: After a long day at cratic nomination have been shooting furiously inside their the resistance, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez comes home 360-degree firing squad and some of the 1 percent group to find me sitting completely alone and uninvited at her will have to be carried out soon to make it a tighter circle. kitchen table. While I wait, I do not raid her fridge for a The Democrats’ major problems are that almost all the sustainable snack of a few celery sticks with spicy hum- president’s policies are working. The collapse of the Rus- mus. And I suppress the urge to turn on her garbage dis- sian collusion fraud has created an eerie silence. v Page 19

our relationship with them.” In Mexico sports editor Bob Hammel in the press SBOE to seek $40M City, the Crouch and members of the box at Bart Kaufman Field to watch delegation met with representatives IU’s baseball team play Penn State. from virtual schools within the Foreign Affairs, Economy, Now the Bloomington Herald-Times is INDIANAPOLIS — Two virtual and Tourism ministries. There, they reporting that Knight is preparing to charter schools and the district over- discussed opportunities to enhance move back to Bloomington. seeing them have to pay back millions cooperation in the areas of agricul- of dollars in state funding, after the ture, economic development and tour- Danks quits as Indiana State Board of ism. Crouch also met with the Mexi- Education voted to get can Undersecretary of North Vanderburg chair America Jesús Seade, who money back from the EVANSVILLE — A caucus to schools at its meeting spoke about the importance of the Indiana-Mexico trade elect new leaders of the Vanderburgh Wednesday (Lindsay, County Democratic Party is set for Indiana Public Media). relationship, valued at just under $10 billion. “Mexico is later this month (WFIE-TV). Scott Indiana Virtual Pathways Danks announced in a press release Academy, Indiana Virtual School, and relationship-driven,” said Bruce Kettler, Indiana State Department of that he is leaving his position as the Daleville Community Schools are on Party Chair, and he hopes the current the hook to pay back about $40 mil- Agriculture Director. “As connected as we are today, there’s still no substitute vice chair will take his place. Danks lion. A state audit found the two vir- says he asked Edie Hardcastle to tual charter schools reported twice as for face-to-face conversation, so these meetings were invaluable to growing take the position in January, but she many students to the state than were wanted more time to learn the job. actually taking courses, and the board our, already strong, agricultural and economic ties.” “Edie is extremely intelligent, energet- voted to retroactively cut the virtual ic, politically savvy, and is genuinely schools’ enrollment counts, meaning Senate confirms a very nice person who gets along they have to pay back half the state with everyone she encounters,” said funding they received. State exam- Judge Leichty Danks. Hardcastle has her PhD in biol- iner Paul Joyce says once the audit is ogy and teaches at USI. She ran for a done, criminal charges could be filed if INDIANAPOLIS — The U.S. State Senate seat in 2018. “Although the findings support it. “We will turn Senate Wednesday confirmed Damon I absolutely love Democratic politics, I it over to the Attorney General for civil Leichty, a South Bend lawyer, to be simply cannot devote the time the po- collection and involve local prosecu- the newest judge on the U.S. District sition of Chair deserves,” said Danks. tors or federal prosecutors for any- Court for northern Indiana (AP). The thing that was criminal,” he says. Senate voted 85-10 to confirm Leichty, ICE mass arrests to who was nominated by President Crouch forges letter Donald Trump in July 2018. U.S. Sens. begin on Sunday Todd Young and Mike Braun voted of intent in Mexico for confirmation. Leichty will take the WASHINGTON — Nationwide raids to arrest thousands of members PACHUCA, Mexico — Business place of retired Judge Robert L. Miller of undocumented families have been roundtables, meetings with senior Jr., for whom he clerked early in his scheduled to begin Sunday, according government officials and the sign- career. A graduate of Wabash College to two current and one former home- ing of a letter of intent have netted a and Maurer School land security officials, moving forward productive first three days in Mexico, of Law, Leichty has been a partner at with a rapidly changing operation, the as part of Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch’s the law firm Barnes & Thornburg and final details of which remain in flux. second agricultural, economic and an adjunct professor at Notre Dame The operation, backed by President tourism development trip. The agri- Law School. Trump, had been postponed, partly culture delegation spent Monday and because of resistance among officials Tuesday in Mexico City, with today’s Knight moving back at his own immigration agency. The business being conducted in the state raids, which will be conducted by Im- of Hidalgo. “The Mexican government to Bloomington migration and Customs Enforcement has shown their support for USMCA BLOOMINGTON — In March over multiple days, will include “col- and it is now up to Congress to seal of 2018, embattled former Indiana lateral” deportations, according to the the deal,” Crouch said. “But in Indi- University basketball coach Bob Knight officials, who spoke on the condition ana, we’re not waiting around. We spoke before an adoring crowd at of anonymity because of the prelimi- want Mexico to know that Indiana is Bloomington High School South. A nary stage of the operation. open for business and that we’re com- year later, he returned to Blooming- mitted to developing and enhancing ton and joined former Herald-Times