V25, N4 Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019

A history of Hoosier bolts out of blue In sports and politics, a stunning decision can inextricably alter the landscape By BRIAN A. HOWEY NASHVILLE, Ind. – The shocker. The gut punch. The thun- derbolt out of the blue. Colts QB Andrew Luck announces That’s what Hoosiers his retirement at age 29 on Sat- went through on Saturday night urday; Sen. Evan Bayh stuns the and into Sunday morning when political world in February 2010 by Colts quarterback Andrew Luck not seeking a third term. announced he was retiring – at age 29. It came just after he was a body blow to fans and sup- honored as “Comeback Player porters. In the sporting con- of the Year” in 2018 following a text, Hoosiers have had four miserable three-year stretch that such blows in modern times. In included wounded shoulders and the political realm, since Howey lacerated kidneys. Politics Indiana began publish- In the world of competi- tion, the sudden retirement be it by an athlete or a politician can be Continued on page 3 Do we accept massacres? By BRIAN A. HOWEY FRENCH LICK – U.S. Senators take this oath: “I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Con- stitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to “I’m open to any conversation the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reserva- that prevents – OK – let’s talk tion or purpose of evasion; and that about how we prevent harm with I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am weapons. If you read the second about to enter: So help me God.” part of the 2nd Amendment, it’s Following the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Congress and President to protect us from the govern- George W. Bush took an array of security steps to defend Americans ment.” from foreign terrorists. The Depart- - U.S. Rep. Greg Pence, talking ment of Homeland Security was in Muncie on Monday. Page 2

created, along with the Director of licensed dealer without getting a National Intelligence. We experience background check. You can’t buy one a number of security protocols every from a dealer on the internet or at a time we fly or go into a security-sensi- gun show without getting one. The tive area. These measures have been only way you can legally purchase a largely successful, as terror attacks gun without a background check is from foreign sources like al-Qaeda are through a private sale... And to be exceptionally rare. clear, none of these shootings would In 2019, Americans are have changed if the background Howey Politics Indiana facing a virtual guerrilla war from checks were any different.” domestic sources, ranging from white Bucshon added, with Mode- WWWHowey Media, LLC supremacists to nihilists and anar- sitt reporting, “much to the chagrin 405 Massachusetts Ave., chists. Attacks just this year have of many in attendance,” that nothing Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN claimed 246 deaths and 979 46204 wounded, culminating in that www.howeypolitics.com weekend earlier this month with massacres in Dayton and El Paso which took 30 lives and injured Brian A. Howey, Publisher dozens of others. The gunman Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington in Dayton killed nine people and Cam Carter, copy editor injured 27 others with an assault Joel Weyrauch, copy editor rifle and high-capacity magazine in just 30 seconds before heroic Mary Lou Howey, Editor cops took him out. That’s a total of 1,325 Subscriptions victims, about a third of the HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 9/11 total. There is now palpa- ble panic. In this bloody wake, HPI Weekly, $350 Americans are so insecure that Ray Volpe, Account Manager they stampede at the sound of 317.602.3620 a motorcycle backfiring in Times email: [email protected] Square or a mall sign falling. How are Indiana con- gressional “leaders” responding? Contact HPI House Minority Whip [email protected] Steve Scalise spoke at a fund- Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 raiser for U.S. Rep. Jim Banks in Columbia City, saying, “What Washington: 202.256.5822 I would like to see is us to continue short of repealing the 2nd Amend- Business Office: 317.602.3620 to focus on making the existing laws ment and sending federal agents actually work.” This is fascinating be- door-to-door to collect guns would be © 2019, Howey Politics cause Scalise was critically wounded enough to keep guns out of the hands Indiana. All rights reserved. in an assault on the GOP congres- of criminals. “Everybody wants these sional baseball team. “In many cases shootings to stop,” Bucshon said. “But Photocopying, Internet forward- with mass shootings, we’ve seen look at the shooting we just had in ing, faxing or reproducing in people falling through the cracks that Philadelphia where the guy who used any form, whole or part, is a shouldn’t have been able to legally an AR-15 had a 30-page-long rap violation of federal law without buy a gun.” sheet. He didn’t go to the gun shop to permission from the publisher. And Banks? “As Steve says, buy that AR-15.” we need to enforce the laws that we So, are we left just to throw have.” our hands up in the air and accept this Jack E. Howey U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon held growing risk? editor emeritus a town hall in Terre Haute this week, U.S. Sen. Mike Braun added, 1926-2019 and the Terre Haute Tribune-Star’s “We’ve got to do some common-sense Alex Modesitt reported Bucshon say- stuff that prevents this in the future.” ing, “First of all, you cannot legally What might constitute “com- buy a firearm from any federally mon-sense stuff?” Page 3

A Fox News Poll revealed 67% support a ban on this is a persistent threat. “assault weapons.” That’s up from 60% in 2018. Most The survivors of the Parkland, Fla., school massa- Democrats (88%) and Republicans (75%) favor “red flag” cre and their organization, March for Our Lives, proposed laws, as do voters in gun households (77%). Universal “A Peace Plan for a Safer America.” Key components: It background checks are favored by Democrats at 92%, would create a national licensing and gun registry; ban Republicans (89%), and gun households (93%). An NBC/ assault weapons and high-capacity magazines; implement Wall Street Journal Poll showed 75% support expanded a mandatory gun buyback program; and install a “national background checks and a similar number back the “red director of gun violence prevention” who would report flag” laws that allow police and courts to remove weapons directly to the president; raise the gun purchase age from from unstable people. But “red flag” laws have more of an 18 to 21, and create a federal “multi-step” gun licensing impact preventing suicides than mass shootings. system that would include in-person interviews and a 10- U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks told me earlier this day wait before gun purchases are approved. The license month, “I’d like to think we’re at the tipping point because would be renewed annually. of the hundreds of mass shootings we’ve had this past March for Our Lives has more than 100 chapters year. Young people are demanding it, are demanding we and has spent the past year registering new voters. And change some of our laws relative to guns. I think there will that’s what really will have to happen if anything is to be some changes.” change. Since Dayton and El Paso, more than two dozen President Trump and most Republicans in Con- people have been arrested nationally for threatening a gress appear to be willing to accept the status quo. Or vot- mass shooting, including a Florida man in Indianapolis. ers can make a change and elect people who will confront Just this month three students have been arrested for these atrocities in a different way. v bringing guns to school in Muncie and Indianapolis. So,

In 2012, the Indianapolis Colts found themselves Out of the blue, from page 1 unsure about the health of legendary quarterback Peyton ing 25 years ago in August 1994, there have been a hand- Manning after a series of neck surgeries, and that March ful of stunning decisions made by Dan Coats, Joe Kernan, they let him go. I found out about the decision based on Evan Bayh and Mitch Daniels that rendered supporters “circumstances” while on stage with pollsters Fred Yang speechless while dramatically altering the landscape. and Christine Matthews at DePauw University. It was the There are similarities between sports and politics, proverbial punch in the gut. In hindsight, it was a fateful ranging from the concept of self-pres- ervation to whether the “fire in the belly” is still applicable. First, let’s examine the wide world of sports. In May 2000, Indi- ana University fired basketball coach Bob Knight after he had been put on double-secret probation by President Myles Brand for explosive and insen- sitive conduct unbecoming to the university. It began a three-decade estrangement that may only just beginning to soften this past year with Knight purchasing a home in Bloom- ington this summer. There was Michael Jordan’s abrupt retirement from the Chicago Bulls following three NBA titles when he decided to pursue a Major League Baseball career with the Chicago White Sox. He never decision. The Colts cut Manning, receiving no compen- made it out of the Sox farm system, returned to the Bulls sation (imagine if they had picked up a handful of draft in March 1995 in a game against the Pacers in Indianapo- choices which could have been used to protect their next lis, and then added three more titles in 1996, 1997 and franchise QB), and allowing him to sign with the Denver (most painfully) in 1998 after a thrilling semi-final series Broncos, where he went to two Super Bowls in four years, against Larry Bird’s Pacers. winning one. Page 4

The Colts’ decision came with the next genera- Dan Coats in 1997 tional quarterback, Andrew Luck, poised as the No. 1 draft One of the biggest showdowns in Indiana U.S. pick. Past and present met in a Colts vs. Broncos game in Senate history loomed in 1998. There was Republican Sen. 2015, with Luck prevailing over Manning 27-24. But it was Dan Coats, preparing for his third election in a decade the classic Pyrrhic victory, as Luck would suffer a lacerated (he’d been selected by Gov. Robert Orr to finish Vice Presi- kidney that contributed to his mounting history of medical dent Dan Quayle’s term in 1988, won a special election malady that eventually wore him down. in 1990 against Baron Hill and won once more in 1992, Luck explained his decision Saturday night after defeating Joe Hogsett). And there was freshly retired Gov. the crowd found out about his retirement from a tweet Evan Bayh, poised to reclaim the seat Rep. Dan Quayle from ESPN’s Adam Shefter during a pre-season game at had “taken” from his father, Sen. Birch Bayh, in 1980. Lucas Oil Stadium against the Chicago Bears. Luck left the But in late 1997, Coats stunned the Hoosier estab- field with some in the crowd booing him. lishment. He abruptly dropped out, saying that 18 years of “For the last four years or so, I’ve been in this constant fundraising had jaded him. He also was sensitive cycle of injury, pain, rehab, injury, pain, rehab, and it’s to the notion of term limits and said that 18 years were been unceasing, unrelenting, both in-season and offsea- enough. Following that decision, Coats appeared at my son, and I felt stuck in it,” Luck explained in an emotional NUVO office to go over the highlights of his congressio- post-game press conference. “The only way I see out is nal career. At the conclusion, he disappeared through the to no longer play football. I’ve come to the proverbial fork door, then returned moments later, saying, “I could have in the road, and I made a vow to myself that if I ever did beat Evan Bayh.” again, I’d choose me, in a sense. It’s very difficult; I love this team, I love my teammates, the folks in our building, Joe Kernan in 2002 the folks in this building, the fans. It’s sad, but I have a lot In December 2002, popular Lt. Gov. Joe Kernan of clarity in this.” announced he would not seek the governorship in 2004. There tends to be gloom and doom when the leg- It was a decision that shocked the pundits and left his endary figure passes from the scene. While Bob Knight’s supporters incredulous. Modern LGs up to that point, successor, Mike Davis, took the Hoosiers to an NCAA Finals from Robert Rock to Robert Orr to Frank O’Bannon always game a couple years after the transition, it’s been a barren yearned to move to the top office. I will never forget the three decades for a university that had won five NCAA titles in the previous four decades. But teams can sur- vive the passing of greatness. The Chicago White Sox won a World Series title in 2005 after one of its greatest players, Hall of Famer Frank Thomas, played just a couple of months early that summer before missing the rest of the sea- son. And many forget that the Tennessee Volunteers won a NCAA football title in 1998, the season after Peyton Manning A grim Lt. Gov. Joe Kernan shocked Hoosier Democrats when he announced in December 2002 he graduated and was drafted by would not run for governor. (HPI Photo by Brian A. Howey) the Colts. In a political context, career decisions made by a look on the face of Kernan supporters like Kip Tew when powerful figure can reverberate for years. In the television that announcement came down. age, the most explosive came on March 31, 1968, when Howey Politics reported in its Dec. 12, 2002, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would not edition: The strange case of Joe Kernan took shape on seek a second, full term due to the horrific Vietnam War. Monday when he told the press and glum supporters that It continued to set in motion a decade of riots, anti-war “it’s just time.” A day later, Kernan told another gathering protests, scandal and, along with economic and energy of the press that he feared that in serving as LG and run- shocks, malaise. The nation didn’t get back on an even ning for governor, he would do neither well. “If you’ve got keel until the 1980 election of President Ronald Reagan. two full-time jobs, you’re not going to be able to do either For Hoosiers, there have been at least five Luck- well,” he said. “And if I can’t do something well, I’m not type decisions that were impactful: going to enjoy it.” Page 5

Kernan also dismissed as speculation the idea that Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama rising, along with Sen. he feared running on the record of Gov. Frank O’Bannon, John Edwards (the 2004 vice presidential nominee), Bayh or that his relationship with the governor or governor’s didn’t see a viable path to victory. staff had soured. “They will say whatever they’re gonna “After talking with family and friends over the say,” he said of critics. Credible sources had told HPI that past several days, I have decided that this is not the year Kernan became upset with Gov. O’Bannon after he named for me to run for president,” Bayh said in a statement Peter Manous as Democratic chairman in blind-sided that dropped jaws across Indiana. “The odds were always fashion earlier that year. Kernan believed that as the next going to be very long for a relatively unknown candidate nominee, he deserved to make that selection. like myself, a little bit like David and Goliath. And whether HPI reported further: In analyzing Kernan’s bowing there were too many Goliaths or whether I’m just not the out statements, there is a major lack of logic. The “it’s just right David ... the odds were longer than I felt I could time” statement was interpreted by one prominent Demo- responsibly pursue. This path – and these long odds – crat as, “He just didn’t have the fire in his belly.” would have required me to be essentially absent from the Fate played a role in Kernan’s future when Gov. Senate for the next year instead of working to help the O’Bannon died after a stroke in September 2003. Kernan people of my state and the nation.” re-entered the race in late 2003 following a donnybrook Bayh remained on the national radar for another primary showdown between former Democratic National couple of years, making Barack Obama’s veep short list, Chairman Joe Andrew and State Sen. Vi Simpson. But he before the nominee opted for Sen. Joe Biden in August had lost 18 months of organizing and fundraising, and 2008. But the real closure to his presidential ambitions former White House Budget Director Mitch Daniels con- came in 2006. ducted one of the best statewide campaigns in history, ending 16 consecutive years of Democratic gubernatorial Evan Bayh in 2010 rule, and beginning a 16-year era of GOP governors that The penultimate political act of Evan Bayh began could extend to 20 years if Gov. Eric Holcomb is reelected in September 2009 seated in the Oval Office. “Are you in 2020. The Kernan decision was one of two in the past 100% sure?” President Obama asked. 20 years that has helped relegate Indiana Democrats into “I’m 98% sure,” Sen. Evan Bayh responded. super minority status. The news Bayh delivered to President Obama was that he probably wouldn’t seek reelection in 2010. This had Evan Bayh in 2006 profound national and Indiana implications. Bayh’s hold Ever since Bayh arrived on the political scene in on the Senate seat once held by his father was seen as his own right in 1984 campaigning for Democratic guber- “safe” in his hands. natorial nominee Wayne Townsend, he was viewed as a Still, the pending decision was a secret. It rising star with a national ceiling. In short order, Bayh won wouldn’t be until President’s Day, Feb. 15, 2010, that secretary of state and gubernato- Bayh would drop his bombshell. rial races in 1986 and 1988, was It came just hours before Indi- reelected by a landslide in 1992, and ana’s primary filing deadline. By keynoted the Democratic National then, former senator Dan Coats Convention in 1996. A presidential bid had opted out of retirement and and a future address of 1600 Penn- into the race, setting up the sylvania Avenue or at the National showdown that many of us had Observatory seemed to be in the expected in 1998. cards. Bayh had given only a The 1996 keynote was illus- tiny clue a few weeks before, trative of the bare-knuckled caliber of ending a meeting with a group of national politics. Bayh was expected Hoosier constituents on energy to deliver his address in primetime. issues by saying, “Now I’ve got But behind the scenes, operatives of to go deal with a German ambas- First Lady Hillary Clinton appeared to work to delay the sador.” That would be Coats, who had been envoy to address and were successful. Bayh wouldn’t take the stage Germany. On Feb. 15, current GOP national committee- until after the 11 p.m. newscasts in the Eastern Time zone woman Anne Hathaway heard the report and called up began, depriving him of the kind of primetime exposure Coats with the news. Coats responded, “Anne, welcome that launched the national careers of Bill Clinton in 1988 to the age of bloggers.” When she called back 20 minutes and Barack Obama 20 years later. later with an “It’s true!” message, a pregnant pause fol- After two terms of President George W. Bush, and lowed before Coats said, “I can’t believe it.” two terms in the U.S. Senate, the year 2008 appeared to Bayh acknowledged he had procrastinated in re- be Bayh’s time. He declared for president in early Decem- vealing his decision, then began predicting a catastrophe ber 2006, but on Dec. 16 came the shocker. With Hillary for the Democratic Party in the wake of Scott Brown’s Tea Page 6

Party-propelled capture of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy’s Sen- and 89% of county commission seats. Counties like Clark, ate seat in Massachusetts. “If you lose Massachusetts, and Floyd, and Posey have turned into GOP courthouse bas- that’s not a wake-up call, there’s no hope for waking up,” tions. There are no Democratic state senators south of Bayh told ABC News. U.S. 50. It has bolstered three consecutive cycles of GOP In Indiana, the Bayh dominoes began to fall, with super-majority rule in the Indiana General Assembly. U.S. Rep. Brad Ells- Bayh would try a Senate comeback in 2016, but worth hurriedly shifting the campaign of Republican Todd Young eviscerated his to the Senate race, political brand in Indiana, and it’s quite doubtful Evan State Rep. Trent Van Bayh will ever run again in Indiana, let alone nationally. Haaften transitioning to Ellsworth’s 8th CD, Mitch Daniels in 2011 and State Sen. Bob While Sen. Evan Bayh’s fateful 2010 decision Dieg opting for the Van inextricably altered the Indiana political landscape to the Haaften House seat. All point where it’s now close to being a one-party state, it would end up losing. was Gov. Mitch Daniels’ May 2011 bombshell that may Coats taking have had the greatest impact nationally. Bayh’s U.S. Senate Daniels flirted with a 2012 presidential run, but seat helped the GOP he did it in reverse. Most presidential-caliber politicians take the majority. But more importantly, it signaled a shift get the imprimatur of their family first, then seek outside in southern and rural Indiana. The 2010 cycle – followed by political support. There had been a steady drumbeat for similarly devastating cycles in 2012, 2014 and 2016 – es- him to challenge President Obama. Daniels was success- sentially routed Democrats out of congressional, General ful in steering potential GOP presidential rival Rep. Mike Assembly and county seats, as well as rural Indiana, where Pence into the 2012 gubernatorial race. But then came Republicans now hold 80% of county courthouse offices Page 7 the Daniels family decision. Washington to address them in meaningful and timely It all ended on a Sunday morning when he an- ways is uncertain at best and not evident at all in recent nounced in the IndyStar he wasn’t running. “Over the last presidential election cycles. Under President Trump and in year and a half, a large and diverse group of people have a booming, pre-recession economy, the federal debt and suggested to me an idea that I never otherwise would deficits are mushrooming into multi-trillion dollar liabilities have considered, that I run for that will be shouldered by coming generations. president,” Daniels explained. A few days after Daniels bowed out, he cautioned “I’ve asked for time to think it the nation. “I’m moved to say this: I wish folks over carefully, but these good would pay more attention to the second half of the people have been very patient statement as opposed to the first. What I decided and I owe them an answer. means very little. What happens to me means noth- The answer is that I will not be ing. What America decides and what happens to a candidate. What could have the nation in the next few years means everything. been a complicated decision was I would just urge everybody – now that you know in the end very simple: On mat- the decision – to spend a little time if you would ters affecting us all, our family to reflect on the real reasons that motivated me to constitution gives a veto to the think about maybe doing it in the first place.” women’s caucus, and there is no In the second part of his statement, Daniels had override provision. Simply put, I said, “I am deeply concerned, for the first time in find myself caught between two my life, about the future of our Republic. In the duties. I love my country; I love next few years Americans will decide two basic sets my family more.” of questions: Who’s in charge here? Should the pub- Daniels believed he lic sector protect and promote the private sector or could have won the 2012 Repub- dominate and direct it? Does the government work lican nomination that eventually went to Mitt Romney. for the people or vice versa? And, are we Americans still Daniels thrived in retail politics and connected with the the kind of people who can successfully govern ourselves, common man, something Romney lacked. In retrospect, discipline ourselves financially, put the future and our Daniels has told HPI on several occasions he wasn’t sure children’s interests ahead of the present and our own? I he could have defeated Obama (something with which I am confident that the answers will reaffirm the liberty and disagree). vitality of our nation, and hope to play some small part in Obama won reelection with a number of economic proving that view true.” telltales working against an incumbent president. What Today, with President Trump waging a unilat- Obama did have was a state-of-the-art digital communica- eral trade war with China that doesn’t appear to be well tions and fundraising network that allowed him to prevail. thought out or competently waged, with mushrooming There are profound hypotheticals to this: What debt and an ever-growing income disparity, the emer- if Gov. Daniels had defeated President Obama? It takes gence of job-sapping artificial intelligence, along with the on vivid meaning in the context of today: Had there been twin evils of opioid and mass shooting epidemics, the a “President Daniels,” would there have been a political questions Daniels raised in his book, “Keeping the Re- opening to be exploited by public,” are as vital as Donald Trump in 2016? ever. You can make Little wonder that a case either way. A so many key Daniels President Daniels certainly supporters still qui- would have moved to solve etly ponder the “what the intractable entitle- ifs” of a 2012 Daniels ment quandaries that will presidential run, and explode into American their desire to see politics in the coming de- him step back into the cade. As Daniels predicted political game during in his 2011 CPAC speech, what appears to be there’s the “red menace” an unfolding crisis for of the debt crisis facing both the Republican our nation. The looming Party and the nation. insolvency of Social Secu- And that’s the na- rity, Medicare and Medicaid ture of the gut punch, are mathematical certain- the body blow, and the ties; the political will of bolt out of the blue. v Page 8

or similar delay, “The e-pollbooks can restart and reset Could ransomware securely, usually in a matter of minutes. Electronic voting machines have their own failsafe, a paper record within the machine that can be audited in the event of an out- attacks cripple the age.” Hauer added, “Finally, Indiana has introduced nation’s election system? risk-limiting audits to the voting process, which allows the By BRIAN A. HOWEY non-partisan Voting System and Technical Oversight Pro- INDIANAPOLIS – Twice this summer Indiana coun- gram to verify the results of an election and check for any ties have faced cybersecurity assaults, with LaPorte County anomalies. We continue to work with our partners at every actually paying $132,000 in ransom to sophisticated hack- level of government to ensure the integrity of Hoosier ers. LaPorte County Commissioner Vidya Kora said the elections.” payment was made with the virtual currency Bitcoin after On Monday, Reuters reported that the U.S. FBI experts weren’t able to unlock the county’s data. government plans to launch a program in roughly one In Vigo County, a ransomware attack targeted a month that narrowly focuses on protecting voter registra- software vulnerability in 129 of the county’s 489 comput- tion databases and systems ahead of the 2020 presidential ers, according to Government Technology. By the end of election. These systems, which are widely used to vali- the month, 95% of the county computers were running date the eligibility of voters before they cast ballots, were again. compromised in 2016 by Russian hackers GT reported: “The county’s seeking to collect information. Intelligence information technology personnel officials are concerned that foreign hackers are now sending analytical informa- in 2020 not only will target the databases tion to the FBI to help it discover but attempt to manipulate, disrupt or patterns in the ransomware attack, destroy the data, according to current and said Jeremy Snowden, director of former U.S. officials. the county’s information technology “We assess these systems as high department. ‘[The FBI] are putting risk,” said a senior U.S. official, because together information in the back end they are one of the few pieces of elec- to see if it relates to similar attacks tion technology regularly connected to the internet, according to Reuters. The Cyber- of this nature,’ Snowden said, adding Secretary of State Connie Lawson at the it is standard protocol to contact the security Infrastructure Security Agency, or 2018 Republican Convention in Evansville. CISA, a division of the Homeland Security FBI and others, including the Indiana (HPI Photo by Mark Curry) Secretary of State’s office, after such Department, fears the databases could be an attack.” targeted by ransomware, a type of virus But it begs the question, what if randsomware hit that has crippled city computer networks across the United counties during an election? It is Russian President Putin’s States, including recently in Texas, Baltimore and Atlanta. dream to disrupt and discredit a U.S. election. Targeting a “Recent history has shown that state and county handful of counties in several critical states could do that. governments and those who support them are targets Howey Politics Indiana asked Secretary of State for ransomware attacks,” Christopher Krebs, CISA’s direc- Connie Lawson’s office about this potential vulnerability, tor, told Reuters. “That is why we are working alongside particularly after 22 Texas municipalities were hacked for election officials and their private sector partners to help ransom this past week. Sophisticated hackers are targeting protect their databases and respond to possible ransom- counties and cities, many operating on tight, shoestring ware attacks.” budgets. “Our thought is we don’t want the states to have “Cybersecurity is something our office takes to be in that situation,” said a Homeland Security official. very seriously, and we are continuing to equip counties “We’re focused on preventing it from happening.” with updated security techniques and train staff in the That attack, dubbed “NotPetya,” went on to dam- latest cyber trends,” said Ian Hauer, spokesman for Sec. age global corporations, including FedEx and Maersk, Lawson. “The good news is that our election systems are which had offices in Ukraine where the malware first not connected to the Internet or a county-wide network spread. The threat is concerning because of its potential on Election Day, and therefore cannot be hacked remotely. impact on voting results, experts say. Poll workers monitor machines closely, and e-pollbooks, “A pre-election undetected attack could tam- which contain voter information, are working from a mir- per with voter lists, creating huge confusion and delays, ror system and are not connected to the Statewide Voter disenfranchisement, and at large enough scale could Registration System.” compromise the validity of the election,” John Sebes, chief Hauer said that in the event of a power outage technology officer of the ESET Institute, an election tech- nology policy think tank, told Reuters. v Page 9

Lord is opening a door in public life for you.” On the Democratic side, 2018 nominee Dee Thorn- Steve Braun tries again ton, Jennifer Christie, former legislator Christina Hale and Andrew Jacobs III, son of the late Rep. Andrew Jacobs Jr., in 5th CD primary have all filed. Christie filed in June. “It’s time for new leader- By BRIAN A. HOWEY ship and it’s time for a change,” Christie said. “We’re in it FRENCH LICK – Steve Braun is back on the con- for the issues. There are issues we must deal with now,” gressional stage, this time in the 5th CD where he actu- mentioning climate change and health care. ally lives. The former legislator and brother of U.S. Sen. This past week, Christie reacted to the wildfires Mike Braun ran in the neighboring devouring the Amazon forests in Brazil. “My husband and 4th CD in 2018, was considered a I spent years traveling throughout the Amazon region. favorite with a significant money The richness of the Amazon is profound in every way; the advantage as a self-funder, but was Earth is precious and unique,” she posted on Facebook. upset by State Rep. Jim Baird. “The abundant diversity that has evolved over billions of Braun filed his FEC paperwork years is burning before our eyes. Once gone, it can never this week, joining Republican be replaced. I cannot think of anything sadder than a spe- Micah Beckwith in the race, though Indiana Treasurer Kelly cies that would destroy themselves and the entire world Mitchell, businessman Terry Henderson, former senator for greed. That is us burning.” Mike Delph and State Sen. John Ruckelshaus are currently Thornton was at the IDEA convention in French weighing bids. Lick over the weekend and told Braun raised $1,241,320 for his 2018 HPI, “We kicked off our cam- race, which included an $830,000 loan from him- paign in July, we had a great self. But the frontrunner made two mistakes. His turnout and we’re organizing campaign sent out the “arm and a leg” direct mail and mobilizing and getting piece that was controversial because Baird had read.” She noted that her 2018 lost an arm while fighting in the Vietnam War. He campaign didn’t kick off until also underestimated Baird’s support in the 4th January of that year. “After the CD farm community, which the farmer quietly primary we only had about five worked. or six months to get ready, so Baird had less than half the funds Braun we’re starting early this time.” did – $564,244, of which $250,000 came from a She raised only about loan from himself – but used a grassroots cam- $75,000 in her campaign paign to clip Braun by a little under 6,000 votes, against Rep. Susan Brooks or by 36.6% to 29.5%. while drawing 44% of the Beckwith kicked off his campaign on Aug. vote, but said it is a “daily 15. “By God’s grace, America is still the shining Steve Braun is now running in the 5th CD activity” this cycle. “I feel city on a hill,” Beckwith said at his kickoff rally in after an unsuccessful run in the 4th CD in real good about it in terms of Noblesville. “But let us not become complacent, 2018. where we are this year.” She let us not fall asleep. For the future of liberty and did not say how much she has raised. the future of American values rest solely in our hands to Is the 5th a purple district? “I have lived in Ham- protect, to preserve and to pass on to our children and ilton County for 28 years and I’ve seen drastic change. our children’s children. We come together to unite around It’s happening throughout the 5th District. It’s absolutely a common cause. A cause that is just and noble. A cause winnable. My campaign demonstrates a Democrat can get that demands good men and women rise up. We come traction. But at the end of the day, it’s about voter turnout. together to unite around Freedom. I am ready to boldly We have to make sure that women vote.” stand for those freedoms that you and your family hold dear. I am Micah Beckwith and I am running for Con- Governor gress!” In a Good Citizen Podcast, Beckwith talked about being a Millennial pastor. The Hillsdale, Mich., native said Myers recalls the Ryan White saga he studied constitutional issues at Hillsdale College as well Democratic gubernatorial candidate Woody My- as Huntington University. He grew up in an evangelical ers recalled his role in the Ryan White case when he was family and played in a Christian rock band. “They were Indiana health commissioner under Gov. Robert Orr. In very, very intent on the church and morality being the an email to supporters, Myers explained, “Courage. It’s a center of our nation,” Beckwith said of the constitutional trait every leader must have and is what I saw in a boy framers. He said supporters have been telling him, “The I had the privilege to know when I was Indiana State Health Commissioner. His story is still relevant today and Page 10 helped shape the man and leader I am.” He recalled how 8, 1990. “Later this month, exactly 22 years after Ryan White was diagnosed as HIV positive after a blood transfu- was accepted and supported by Hamilton Heights High sion. After his illness became public, the Western School School, a commemorative historical marker will be dedi- Corporation in Howard County sought to keep him from cated in Arcadia, Indiana, a ceremony Jeanne White and I attending class after 117 parents and 50 teachers signed a will attend,” Myers said. “What I knew then and still believe petition. Myers was asked to weigh in. today is that so many of our public health problems, prob- “My answer was ‘yes,’” Myers explained. “I spoke lems with education, and with helping families that strug- with the local county health officer at the time, a physi- gle could be solved if we had leaders with the courage to cian, who knew our public health assessment that Ryan speak out, speak truth to power, run for political office, and was not a threat to his classmates or teachers was correct. serve the public instead of the political extremes.” But he told me he did not want to go against those whose fear overshadowed science and some of the families op- Holcomb reacts to lower test scores posed were his patients, so he would not approve.” Myers Gov. Eric Holcomb reacted to the low test scores continued: “We did not play politics, rather at the State on the first ILearn testing regime that replaced ISTEP. Board of Health we embraced Ryan, physically and pub- Supt. Jennifer McCormick has indicated the test scores will licly, and we used all avenues of communication to make be much lower than ISTEP. “The results of the 2018-19 sure everyone who would listen to the evidence knew that ILearn proficiency test are scheduled to be released next Ryan White was not the threat. The real threat was igno- week. The results will show a decrease compared to the rance, and it was fear.” previously administered ISTEP+ test,” Holcomb said. “Since He said when mother Jeanne White moved the this is the first year of the ILearn assessment, I will ask family to a neighboring county, “Our team educated the Superintendent McCormick to support my request that the teachers, the parents, and the public. Ryan’s new school General Assembly take action to hold schools harmless so system did the right thing; they welcomed welcome him the test scores do not have an adverse impact on teacher with open arms.” Ryan White died of his disease on April evaluations and schools’ letter grades for the 2018-19 Page 11 school year. This action will ease the transition to ILearn, Mayors which is a student assessment that allows Indiana to com- ply with federal ESSA requirements.” Holcomb added, “I Fort Wayne: Firefighters endorse Smith appreciate the dedicated work of Hoosier educators. Bring- The Fort Wayne Professional Firefighters, IAFF ing consistency and continuity to how we measure student Local 124 Political Action Committee will on Thursday progress and preparing students for post-secondary suc- endorse Republican Tim Smith in the upcoming mayoral cess is a shared and important goal.” election (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette). It’s the first time the union PAC has endorsed a mayoral candidate in 16 Statewides years. “As we have gotten to know Tim Smith over the course of this past year, we have come to appreciate his openness and honesty,” the PAC said in a news release. Sen. Tallian to run for AG “We look forward to the opportunity to work with and for State Sen. Karen Tallian said Wednesday she will him in the near future.” Specifically, the union PAC believes seek the Democratic attorney general nomination. “Curtis Smith “will be a visionary for public safety, the community” Hill has not been an advocate for Indiana citizens, and he and will be an effective city leader. has not brought integrity and reason to this office,” Tal- lian said. “While I have been proud to serve in the State Merritt calls for ‘holistic’ infrastructure Senate, a decade of Republi- Republican Indianapolis mayoral nominee Jim Mer- can supermajority across three ritt called for a “holistic” approach to infrastructure. “It’s branches of government has August and there are still hundreds of unfilled potholes made Indiana a state of extreme throughout our neighborhoods,” Merritt said. “You see politics.” The attorney general work that is being done, like the Red Line; however, it has has faced sexual harassment al- been poorly planned and is choking traffic and frustrat- legations, has ignored Gov. Eric ing our drivers. You see bridges that have been closed for Holcomb’s call that he resign, months or years. You see road building, not road mainte- and faces a Supreme Court nance. All of these things demonstrate that our infrastruc- ethics review. Republican Zions- ture is deteriorating, not improving.” According to Merritt, ville attorney John Westercamp the reason for these problems is that the mayor is more announced he will challenge Hill concerned with short-term political gain than long-term in the June 2020 GOP convention, and former congress- care for our city. “Mayor Hogsett has failed in managing man Todd Rokita is exploring a potential challenge. Tallian our streets. He has failed in communication, both to our mounted a brief campaign for governor in 2015. citizens and to stakeholders. He has failed in managing repairs and maintenance to protect and improve our roads. Congress He has simply failed in leadership,” Merritt said. Merritt proposed a “holistic approach” to addressing these prob- 2nd CD: Hackett to launch campaign lems that includes three key components, transparency, Notre Dame adjunct law professor Pat Hackett is sustainable funding, and long-term strategy. holding her formal campaign launch on her candidacy for the Democratic against Rep. Jackie Walorski. The event Presidential will take place Wednesday evening, August 28th at 6pm at the South Bend Civic Theatre. The event is free and the Trump poll disapproval at 62% public is encouraged to attend. About 6 in 10 Americans disapprove of President “I am running to reclaim the people’s voice in Donald Trump’s overall job performance, according to a Congress and to help restore this nation’s core commit- new poll released Thursday by The Associated Press-NORC ment to dignity and justice for all, not the few. This district Center for Public Affairs Research, which finds some sup- deserves an actual representative whose purpose is to port for the president’s handling of the U.S. economy but serve the constituents and not outside financial special gives him weak marks on other major issues. Just 36% of interests. I look forward to engaging voters throughout Americans approve of the way Trump is handling his job the district and addressing the many serious concerns they as president; 62% disapprove. The numbers may be ugly have on issues such as our economy, health care, the cor- for a first-term president facing reelection in 14 months, rupting influence of money in politics, climate change, gun but they are remarkably consistent. Trump’s approval rat- violence prevention, immigration reform, and more. I am ing has never dipped below 32% or risen above 42% in honored by the tremendous early support for our grass- AP-NORC polls since he took office. No other president has roots campaign and encourage people to join us and help stayed within so narrow a band. Since Gallup began mea- restore real representation to the people of this district.” suring presidential approval, Trump is the only president whose rating has never been above 50%. Still, several — Page 12

Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. have claimed to prioritize mental health care while slashing Bush and George W. Bush — logged ratings worse than funding for treatment and ignoring America’s growing ad- Trump’s lowest rating so far at some point during their diction and mental health crisis,” said Buttigieg. “That ne- time in office. glect must end. Our plan breaks down the barriers around mental health and builds up a sense of belonging that Walsh to challenge Trump will help millions of suffering Americans heal.” Pete’s plan Joe Walsh, the ex-suburban Chicago GOP House will result in: Preventing 1 million deaths of despair (to member turned conservative talk show host who once drugs, alcohol, and suicide) by 2028. Ensuring least 75% backed President Donald Trump, on Sunday said he will of people who need mental health or addiction services challenge Trump in the GOP primary (Chicago Sun-Times). receive the care that they need, an increase of more than “I’m going to run for president. I’m going to challenge this 10 million in Pete’s first term. Decreasing the number of guy,” Walsh told ABC “This Week” host George George people incarcerated due to mental illness or substance use Stephanopoulos. His slogan in his very longshot 2020 bid by 75% by the end of his first term. is “Be Brave,” Walsh said. “We’ve got a guy in the White House who is unfit, completely unfit to be president and it Pence, Haley rivalry taking shape stuns me that nobody stepped up,” Walsh said. Walsh, no When top Republicans convened at the St. Regis stranger to controversy and incendiary comments, said he resort in Aspen, Colo., last month for an exclusive donor knows he is “opening up my life” by taking on Trump, run- retreat, several attendees said there was palpable tension ning from the right and making the moral argument that in the room as the gathering’s two headliners prepared Trump is unfit for office. “I’m going to pound Trump every to speak: Vice President Mike Pence and former United single day.” Nations ambassador Nikki Haley (Politico). The assembled group of governors, high-dollar donors, and operatives Buttigieg draws white crowd in Chicago were well aware that the two have big ambitions; to some South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg held a self-de- it seemed as if Pence and Haley, who spoke on back-to- scribed grassroots campaign rally in Bronzeville on Tuesday back days, were vying for their attention. Some in the night, but the overwhelmingly white audience he drew to audience found themselves parsing and comparing the two the event in a historic black neighborhood reinforced the difficulty the Democratic presidential hopeful has had in connecting with African- American voters (Chicago Tribune). Buttigieg did not acknowledge the makeup of the audience in his remarks or in answering questions from the 1,000 people at the sold-out event, but did touch on it briefly as he closed the hourlong rally with a plea for his supporters. ‘Find the people who don’t look like most of you in this room and let them know they have the chance, not just to support this campaign, but to shape it,’ Buttigieg said. speeches and buzzed they were getting a sneak preview of a 2024 Republican primary. Others recalled something pe- Buttigieg unveils opioid plan culiar: Neither Pence nor Haley acknowledged each other Buttigieg laid out his vision to improve men- in their presentations, even though they gave shout-outs to tal health care and battle the opioid and addiction cri- others attending the retreat. The Pence team has recently sis across the country, saying his comprehensive plan asked senior Republicans for updates on Haley’s outreach makes a true commitment to treating the mental health to donors. And with Haley embarking on a national fund- care crisis with the urgency it deserves, and offers a new raising tour, top Pence advisers blame her for persistent approach to meeting our national challenge with commu- rumors that she will replace him on the Trump’s ticket in nity-based solutions. “For years, politicians in Washington 2020. Tensions flared after Haley chose not to publicly re- pudiate a Wall Street Journal column in June urging Trump Page 13 to put her on the ticket. battlegrounds they hope to flip, Axios’ Alayna Treene reports (Axios). The Trump campaign has its sights set Trump approval sags in battlegrounds on four states the president lost in 2016: Minnesota, President Trump’s net approval rating has plunged Nevada, New Hampshire and New Mexico. “We are trying in every battleground state since taking office in January to actively expand the map — aggressively,” one official 2017, according to Morning Consult’s tracking poll (Axios). said. “These four states in particular are all areas [Trump “If this economy falters, then I think he’s a goner,” campaign manager Brad] Parscale is set on winning.” The a top Republican operative with access to well-funded official added that the campaign, which is planning to polling and focus groups told Axios’ Jonathan Swan. “And beef up its communications and rapid response team with I think the Senate will be in trouble.” “We have a growing additional hires before the end of the year, will soon be issue in the suburbs,” the operative continued. “We’re do- flooding these states with stories that don’t get a lot of ing miserably in the suburbs, for Senate races and Re- attention at the national level — such as Trump’s work on publicans. And Trump is doing even worse.” One opening: opioids and the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal. The operative said that a good number of the suburban Dems hope to pick up Florida, North Carolina, Ari- voters say they feel positively about Obamacare, but don’t zona, Texas and Georgia, campaign aides and Democratic like what they’re hearing in the Democratic debates about strategists say. “The midterms were a strong indicator of abolishing private health insurance. the Dem energy in these states, particularly in Arizona, Florida and Texas, and set the groundwork for us to flip Trump approval +5 in Indiana them,” one Democratic strategist said. A Trump campaign adviser conceded that Arizona, in particular, will be tough According to Morning Consult, President Trump for Trump to hold onto. has a +5 approval in Indiana. But that’s down significantly from his 19% plurality in the 2016 election. HPI’s take on Presidential 2020 Think about what has occurred this past week. Both parties seek to flip states Last Wednesday, President Trump talked of his unilateral Both parties are already zeroing in on non-obvious trade war with China and said, “I am the chosen one,” before turning and looking up toward the heavens. He later said he was being “sarcastic.” Later at a Louisville AMVET appearance, President Trump awarded a Medal of Honor to veteran Woody Williams, then said, “Noth- ing like the Medal of Honor. I wanted one, but they told me I don’t qualify, Woody. I said, ‘Can I give it to myself anyway?’ They said, ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’” He hasn’t been able to hold a policy position on gun reform and taxes. This past weekend, he began the G7 weekend threatening China and U.S. corporations who do busi- ness there “ordering” them to come home, called President Xi an “enemy” before saying he had “second thoughts,” and ended in by claiming a phantom phone call saying President Xi wants a deal (psst, Mr. President, Xi can wait you out). Meanwhile, the Chinese are match- ing tariff for tariff, paid for by American consumers. He skipped an environmental meeting on the burning Amazon rainforest crisis. Trump pushed to include Russia in the next G7, this after President Putin has invaded two counties prompting his G8 explusion, and continues to assault U.S. elections (see Page 8). At a bizarre 68 minute press conference, Trump praised Putin and Kim Jong-Un. This emerging dynamic is cautionary after a 2016 blue wave ended up in the Trump election miracle. But at this point, given the whiplash policy, a president who appears unstable, and a reelect based on racial exploita- tion, this is a landslide in the making if ... IF ... Demo- crats can nominate a coherent and credible nominee. v Page 14

program: “I’m hoping for a crashing economy so we can get rid of Trump. Bring on the recession!” Recasting the James The hopes expressed by Maher are different from Carville’s desire to take advantage of a bad economy by Carville mantra keeping the reality of a recession on the voter’s mind. By CRAIG DUNN Maher and those like him in the press were actively hop- KOKOMO — There are few Democrat strategists ing that very bad things would happen to very good that I admire, but I do give former Bill Clinton campaign people. Maher and crew want to see American workers lose manager, James Carville, grudging respect for his in- their jobs and suffer the resulting economic pain all in the sight. I attribute Carville’s insight to his closeness to the simple quest to see Donald Trump taken down. I’m sorry, real world of Joe Sixpack. His finger on the pulse of Joe but this is sick and twisted and only slightly better than Sixpack led him in 1992 to tack the three issues up on those who delighted in seeing body bags returning from the campaign walls of Clinton’s Iraq and Afghanistan during George W. Bush’s administra- election headquarters. The three tion. It is nothing but political ambulance-chasing. It is one issues were: Change vs. more sick strategy to chase the ambulance but far sicker to help of the same. Economy, stupid. cause the accident in the first place. Is this really what we Don’t forget health care. History have come to politically? has focused like a laser beam on This “talking down the economy” strategy the second mantra, “economy, worked briefly in late 2018 when the media and Democrats stupid.” This has been morphed tried to tie the trade war with China to dire predictions by politicos and journalists over for economic collapse. Unfortunately for the bad guys but the years to, “It’s the economy, good news for Joe Sixpack, the experts were wrong and stupid.” the economy kept chugging along, creating millions of new James Carville knew that jobs, increasing real wages and reducing unemployment to campaigns can get lost wander- record lows for blacks and Hispanics. Oh well, forget the ing off into the weeds and that they need to keep the economy strategy for now. Let’s beat the drum daily about message simple, limited and constant. A simplistic Demo- the upcoming Mueller Report. crat message coupled with a recession in 1992 took Presi- When Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller failed to dent George H. W. Bush from a 90% job approval rate in give the Trump-haters what they wanted, Democrats once 1991, on the heels of the Iraq War victory, to an approval more pivoted to a different strategy. They brought back the rate of 36%. In short, Bush was blamed for the economic old saw of a failing economy, with recession on the horizon downturn and Bill Clinton started looking for interns. and laid it all at the feet of the president. Interest rates Fast forward to 2018. If I was a conspiracy began a precipitous collapse, a sure sign of tough eco- theorist, I might believe that the Democrat Party, na- nomic times ahead, and media idiots who don’t know the tional media and the usual illuminati of the left had held difference between an inverted yield curve and a baseball a powwow and decided that if natural economic down- pitch started parroting the same mantra, “Awwwk, inverted turns could take down a sitting president, why couldn’t an yield curve. Something bad is happening. Trade war is bad. economy be “talked down” and achieve the same results. Trump is evil!” In other words, there was no Russian collusion, there was The illustrious Bill Maher reappeared with a reprise no obstruction, time for Plan B. of his 2018 hopes in a recent television program. After a In 2018, in the midst of an amazing renais- rant about how much he wanted the economy to tank so sance for the American economy, we periodically wit- that they could get rid of Trump, Maher was reminded that nessed what appeared to be a premeditated talking down in economic downturns “people lose their jobs and their of the economy. It was as if the average worker would be homes.” The heartless but cluelessly transparent Maher deliberately and willfully thrown on the fire of a burn- stated in reply, “I know, but it is worth it!” ing economy if it led to the demise of President Donald Never let this simple truth be forgotten: Many Trump. Every stock market downturn, tiff with our trading leading Democrats, media celebrities, social media gu- partners or employment number that varied slightly from rus and pundits are willing to see you lose your job and the “expert” forecast was a green light for liberal pundits your home so that they can obtain their desired political to predict a coming recession and economic chaos. The result. They are sick, twisted people and they should be more dire the prediction the better. presented with political Armageddon for their duplicity. Occasionally, an unsophisticated political pundit What do I perceive to be the truth about the or celebrity will slip up and be just a little too honest and economy and what are my bona fides? I earned my securi- let the Democrat strategy out of the bag. One such mo- ties license in the summer of 1982. I believe that the Dow ment was in June of 2018 when comedian-turned-Demo- 30 Industrial Average was 796 the week that I started on crat-tool Bill Maher stated the following on his television the job of being a financial consultant. For 37 years now I have witnessed every bad and good outcome on the stock Page 15 and bond markets. I’ve seen a few of the 60-some fore- grow over time, stock prices will follow suit in the long run. casted recessions and none of the three depressions that You have nothing more to gain from analyzing short-term I’ve seen predicted. More importantly, I’ve seen presidents market movements than you do in trying to analyze the come and go along with their economic teams with mini- deductive reasoning of a pirate ship. Markets and pirate mal financial disruption. ships have much in common. What have I learned? No one, not one single The very sad truth is that James Carville’s trilogy person, knows what is going to happen 10 minutes from of campaign focus from 1992 has now been replaced by now, let alone 10 months down the road. Anyone who the new Democrat presidential campaign strategy: Free claims to know the economic future is probably a snake stuff, free stuff, free stuff. Forget Obamacare, Remember oil salesman. The stock and bond markets will go up and Medicare for all. down, sometimes for no good reason other than fear or It’s the economy stupid, only if the economy goes greed. Anyone who tries to read the short-term movement bad. Otherwise, it’s the Russians, stupid. v of the stock market and extrapolate some conclusion is on a fool’s mission. Dunn is the former Howard County Republican The stock market is driven over the long haul by chairman corporate profits, pure and simple. If corporate profits

local level is endangered. “Free” is one of those four-letter f-words, like “fair,” We should be focused which should be used with great caution. Normally, conser- vatives remind us resources are not “free.” Liberals focus on the 2019 election on the benefits and the beneficiaries. Both parties make little reference to the costs and what we must forego to By MORTON MARCUS reap the rewards of their programs. INDIANAPOLIS — Sadly, America is already im- Both ideological groups talk glibly about the mersed in the 2020 national election. It would be better dollar costs of worthwhile objectives. They fail to spell out for our nation, our state, and our communities, if we could who must give up what to achieve their goals. How many focus on the elections of November 2019. fewer submarines, if the military budget is to be cut? How We are neglecting the Indiana municipal elections many trips to the nail parlor will be lost, if consumer ob- upcoming in November 2019. sessions with finger and toe adornments are to be taxed? Those elected this year, as Do we shut down the assembly lines for SUVs while divert- mayors and council members, ing resources to fix the roads on which they drive? will be in office in 2021-22 Most people do not understand price tags in the bil- when new election districts will lions of dollars; we think of things and activities. Vacations be formed on the basis of the in Maine, cruises to the Caribbean, 80-inch TVs, another 2020 Census. pair of shoes, or a large jar of peanut butter are things all Want to stop gerryman- of us can understand. Not every sacrifice need be a luxury. dering? Want to end unwarrant- What if fees were charged explicitly everywhere we ed one-party rule? Then pay park our cars? “Free” parking would disappear. More of us attention to the 2019 election would walk, ride a bike, take a bus, and not go to as many in your city/town/county. Insist places. candidates pledge to oppose I used the “free” valet service at my doctor’s the corrupt gerrymandering office last week. “Free?” I thought. “But the cost will be practices of the past. included in the taxes my neighbor pays for my Medicare With inordinate attention to the 2020 campaigns, and I will pay for his freebies.” vital local public services are ignored. Our education That is the way of an integrated economy. May problems are local and cannot be resolved by “free” tuition Uber Lyft us all. v at all levels. The quantity of education certificates and de- grees will rise, but what will happen to the quality of K-12 Mr. Marcus is an economist. Reach him at mortonj- education? We must insist that rigor replace the current [email protected]. Follow his views and those of rigor mortis. John Guy on “Who gets what?” wherever podcasts Similarly, “free” health care, on the model of are available or at mortonjohn.libsyn.com. Medicare, will go a long way to increase the demand for health practitioners and support services. But without ad- equate funding for health care, the quality of service at the Page 16

as a rising star and the national news media all will keep an eye on the South Bend election. They will watch to How does Mueller run see if Mayor Pete’s hand-picked choice wins impressively, with city voters in effect delivering another win for Pete, a when he’s already ‘won?’ vote of confidence in him and the direction he has led the By JACK COLWELL city. They will watch also for signs of just the opposite, a SOUTH BEND – Mayor Pete won’t be on the ballot Republican doing surprisingly well in such a Democratic- in South Bend this fall. James Mueller will be there as the leaning city, a sign of dissatisfaction with Buttigieg, repu- Democratic nominee for mayor. And Mueller has a problem. diation. How does he run for mayor after he’s already won They will watch particularly the voting in the election? those two districts where Mueller lost big in May – 2nd Mueller, who frequently is asked just that, says he and 6th, both with heavy concentrations of African Ameri- will campaign door-to-door extensively, paying special at- can voters. If the mayor’s choice as successor does poorly tention to the two districts in South Bend where he lost in in predominately black precincts, it will be interpreted as the Democratic primary in May. a sign that Buttigieg, needing to win over black voters He trailed significantly in the in key primary states, isn’t really that popular with those 2nd and 6th districts on the voters in his own home town. city’s West Side but won deci- Mueller, with proposals of his own and aware of sively citywide with pluralities racial discord, is concerned about governing. If he is to in the other four districts. become a mayor with a mandate – as Buttigieg did in “Some people think I’m landslides, first term with 74%, reelection with 80.4% – mayor already,” Mueller says. then he needs to win support all around the town. Not At some of the doors 80%, but sizeable. where he already has knocked, So, has Mueller won the election? Yes. The Dem- Mueller hears things like: ocratic primary election. That doesn’t mean he already is “What are you doing here? You mayor. Almost. But nothing is official until the votes are don’t have to sweat it.” counted. That’s because the elec- The perception of inevitability hurts both nomi- tion that determines who will nees. It’s a two-edged sword. Makes it harder for Mueller be mayor of South Bend long has been the Democratic to convince Democrats to go to the polls. Makes it harder primary. No Republican has been elected mayor since 1967. for Haas to convince Republicans to provide support and No Republican has even provided a serious challenge since votes. 1987. Those who do vote will pick the next mayor and Sean Haas, the Republican nominee, hopes to offer an evaluation of the mayor whose name isn’t on the offer a serious challenge this time. Haas and Mueller are ballot. v contemporaries. In grade school, they played on the same basketball team at St. Anthony School. They’re on rival Colwell has covered Indiana politics over five de- teams now, pro-Pete vs. anti-Pete. cades for the South Bend Tribune. Although Mayor Pete Buttigieg, now a presi- dential candidate, isn’t on the city election ballot, in a way he really is. Mueller is the hand-picked choice of Mayor Pete to be the next mayor and to carry on what But- tigieg hails nationally as South Bend’s recovery finally from doldrums of Studebaker demise and a decades- long can’t-do, defeatist attitude. Haas has a “No Re-Pete” theme on his Face- book postings and disputes that South Bend really has prospered during the two Buttigieg terms. He points particularly to shootings in the city and accuses the mayor of failing to support the police. Haas also ac- cuses Buttigieg of responding inadequately to prob- lems at the South Bend Housing Authority, where the FBI conducted a raid. Democratic rivals for the presidential nomina- tion, Republicans nationally with concern about him Page 17

we need to practice democracy as individuals; getting Why so many are now involved, making ourselves heard, voting, improving our corner of the world. It’s no exaggeration to say the future of our country depends on citizens stepping forward. questioning democracy But we also have to go beyond our actions by By LEE HAMILTON committing ourselves to democracy’s fundamental values. BLOOMINGTON – Democracy’s premise is that As others have noted, democracy is not just a political ordinary citizens can make solid decisions on complex is- system and a set of rules. It’s also a culture — it’s the sues. But this basic principle and the structure of laws and way we live: Respect for the rule of law, fairness to all, practices erected over the centuries to safeguard it are tolerance of differences, equal political rights, and equal being questioned as rarely before. opportunity. These are the fundamental values that un- It’s not just that political leaders in various western dergird our country. It is a culture that encourages each democracies seem to have little of us to become the best we can, and to build a better regard for the norms and proce- neighborhood, community, state, nation, or world. dures they inherited. It’s that pub- Democracy’s gift is that we strengthen it by lic discourse is filled these days practicing it, by getting involved, making ourselves heard, with warnings about democracy’s and engaging with our communities. This means that collapse. As the writer James we also strengthen democracy by pushing to expand the Traub put it not long ago, “You’d vote, not depress it, and by taking to heart the simple no- have to go back more than a cen- tion that we have a government of, by, and for the people tury, to the 15 years before World – not just certain kinds of people. War I, to find another moment In the end, we’re all bound together in the same when so many leading thinkers … society, attached to these shared values and practices. questioned democracy’s future.” It’s why I don’t think the authoritarian models of China or Certainly, there’s reason to Russia or one-man rule hold any attraction for Americans. worry. Participating productively in our democracy has al- We’re not going to go down those paths. ways been a serious challenge. But because of the intense- Democracy may not solve all problems, and it ly polarized environment and the enormous amount of often frustrates us, but it provides us with the best way information, both true and false, that surrounds us, making humankind has found to search for remedies and solu- discriminating judgments has become harder. It’s not just tions that benefit the many. Its future is an educated that we face the challenge as citizens of trying to choose guess. None of us really knows what will happen. What the best path forward in these circumstances. We now also we do know, however, is that the important question has have to discern what information is true and what’s false nothing to do with whether we’re optimistic or pessimis- as we do so. tic. It’s what do we have to do to strengthen it? v Moreover, as citizens we have to be more alert than ever to demagogues and authoritarians, to those who Lee Hamilton is a Senior Advisor for the Indiana degrade and diminish democracy, and to those who want University Center on Representative Government; to exclude our fellow citizens from participating. These a Distinguished Scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar traits can be subtle. Plenty of officials argue, “Trust us, we School of Global and International Studies; and know best” on national security, public finance, and other a Professor of Practice at the IU O’Neill School of issues. Too often, the veil of special expertise is used to Public and Environmental Affairs. He was a mem- hide abuses of power or efforts to restrict the freedom of ber of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 others. years. Yet if we ask, with Lincoln, whether this nation “so conceived and so dedicated can long endure,” we don’t see a democracy in its death throes. Yes, it is under stress. It needs fixing. It cannot be taken for granted. It struggles with corruption, complacency, ineffectiveness, and slow- ness. But its strengths lie where they always have, in a population that embraces democratic values. As voters we have to look for candidates and lead- ers who are committed to making the political institutions of democracy stronger: A Congress that works, a judiciary that is independent of political pressure, an executive branch that’s transparent and accountable, a noisy and robust free press, the rule of law, a sturdy civil society. And Page 18

common sense would have known that. The project was always going to be a disamenity. Lessons from an Even if the factory didn’t emit toxins, a new factory within site and smell of Muncie would simply reduce the attrac- economic debacle tiveness of a struggling city. Manufacturing is a critical industry, but modern factories with emissions don’t belong By MICHAEL HICKS near populated places. That much should’ve been clear MUNCIE — Last weekend’s column criticized three to local economic developers and members of the Muncie economic development deals. By Tuesday, the city can- Redevelopment Commission. celled the project that so enraged Muncie residents. This The 90 new jobs were to pay $45,000 each, was good news, of course, but the project was bad eco- which sounds great, but is about 20% lower than this nomic development policy from the very beginning. The industry averages across the state. No doubt the MRC Muncie Redevelopment Commission should never have knew that when they proposed more than $15 million of brought this plan to city officials. There is a lesson here for tax incentives, and asked the state for a further $4 mil- every Indiana community. lion. In this deal, the MRC asked taxpayers to pony up At first blush, the deal to bring a recycling firm to more than $170,000 per job for an employer that operates Muncie might seem a good idea. The city has several mil- in 45 states and makes hundreds of millions of dollars in lion square feet of excess industrial property, including one revenue each year. I am frankly challenged to describe ac- behemoth factory site that used to house the Borg War- curately this sort of rationale in a family-friendly column. ner plant. The plant would employ 90 or so workers and I should also note that many who spoke about recycle metallic materials into usable products. Like most this plant acknowledged a need for more jobs in Muncie. early 20th century industrial sites, That, folks, is nonsense. Muncie currently has over 5,000 the Borg Warner site is not usable more jobs than it has workers. The city has to import for most activities. This might 5,000 people each day who work, but choose not to live seem to be a good place for both in Muncie. The problem isn’t housing—Muncie has 5,000 tax incentives and a recycling excess homes and high rental vacancies. The problem isn’t plant. the weather, or taxes, or the absence of mountains or sea- Unfortunately, it never shore. Muncie cannot attract people because the quality of was a good idea. Fortunately, public services is dismal. The schools are in receivership, public outrage stopped the while fewer than a third of kids pass their standardized project. This happened follow- tests. Muncie’s streets are cratered, public buildings are in ing revelations that the company disrepair and the Redevelopment Commission is unaware submitted permits to release of all this as they mindlessly divert more tax dollars to stunning levels of mercury and economic development schemes. lead into the air. There is much community outrage at the I’d like to say this was an uncommon problem company, Waelz Sustainable Products, but I am convinced in Indiana; it is not, though Muncie is surely a negative that the Muncie Redevelopment Commission was aware of outlier. When asked whether or not the public outrage sur- this permit. rounding this deal would hurt Muncie’s economic develop- Few successful companies would be naïve enough ment prospects, one city official said that it would. She to hide this sort of information. The Muncie Redevelop- is wholly mistaken. The absolute best thing for this com- ment Commission (MRC) has demonstrated few limits on munity, and for many others around the state, is to stop naiveté. I am sure it is just sloppy recordkeeping, but all of doing stupid economic development deals. this could be cleared up if the MRC can locate the missing Far too much public spending on economic de- economic development agreement made earlier this year. velopment is done with no meaningful analysis. In far The proposal never should have made it to too many places, economic development is simply the the city council because the project was always the wrong process of closing whatever prospect comes to town. It type of project for Muncie. Many communities make this is all tactics and no strategy, and everyone needs to ask mistake, so let me recount why this was bad and what more of their elected officials and economic development made it so. teams. It’s time to study that great strategist Sun Tzu, who To begin, I want to reiterate, I’m a free market said that tactics without strategy is nothing but the noise economist and welcome employers and jobs into any before defeat. v community. I think communities really only need to ask two things of companies. First, are you damaging health Michael J. Hicks, PhD, is the director of the Cen- or property values through pollution or some other disa- ter for Business and Economic Research and the menity, and second, are you going to pay your own way? George and Frances Ball distinguished professor of The answers to both questions were always wrong for economics in the Miller College of Business at Ball this community and any economic developer with a lick of State University. Page 19

Leigh Morris, NWI Times: The other day, I was Trump administration policies have done many good things driving down a road that was recently repaved but had for agriculture, to throw farmers under the bus especially not yet had striping to designate traffic lanes. It occurred during a time of low prices and falling farm income is to me that the signs cautioning drivers could well apply to inexcusable. Undersecretary for Trade at USDA Ted McKin- voters as well: As a political centrist, I’m beginning to think ney has made several trips to Japan trying to work on a of myself as a part of an endangered species. It seems to trade agreement that would boost U.S.-Japanese trade. me that the political center — the middle of the political Perhaps Mr. Trump thought he was putting pressure on road — has been shrinking rapidly, allowing the Japan by saber-rattling on autos, but to do so by far left and the far right to increasingly dominate bashing farmers was insensitive and in extremely the political scene. Nowhere is that more evident poor taste. Speaking of poor taste, Ag Secretary than in the U.S. Congress where there’s been Perdue showed some poor judgement when he such deterioration in the capacity to carry out its told a joke at a farm meeting in Minnesota that important role in dealing with scores of major referred to farmers as “whiners.” This on the heels issues. No Labels, a group that advocates rising above of a USDA report that many growers feel is grossly inac- partisanship, has evaluated our current political climate curate and responsible for pushing market prices even this way: The far right and far left are holding America lower. Most in agriculture understand that our leaders hostage — becoming ever more strident, uncompromising and elected officials are out of touch with the reality of and making governance impossible. Former New Jersey running a farm. We really don’t expect them to know a Gov. Christine Todd Whitman feels that one of the reasons lot, but you would think they might try to look informed that extremists are dominating so much of the political and at least caring. Indiana Sen. Braun, a member of the process is that the major political parties have become Senate Ag Committee, admitted to a group of corn and more ideological and fewer and fewer people are voting. soybean farmers this week that he had not seen nor was She observed that political parties “used to be like umbrel- even aware of the August crop report and its impact on las, where you had a central handle, which was the shared the market or implications for farm income. This year has core beliefs, and then you had all the spokes that held up been challenging enough without this kind of twaddle from the canopy, and those were different ways of interpreting elected officials. v those beliefs. But you could still have that central core.” I’m a student of history, and I’ve been looking increasingly Sports Illustrated: at the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower. Ike was a cen- Michael Rosenberg, There are two things you need to understand about An- trist. He called his political philosophy “The Middle Way.” drew Luck today. One is that he is not like other players. He referred to the political spectrum as a bowling alley and He is an unapologetic geek who started a book club and the extremes as the “gutters.” v has never defined his self-worth by his salary or celebrity. In the weeks leading up to the 2011 Orange Bowl, when Gary Truitt, Hoosier Ag Today: This was not the he was a junior at Stanford, people understood that his commentary I was going to write this week. I had one all impending NFL decision was not much of a decision at all. planned. It was a light-hearted look at the smells of the He loved school, his teammates, and his girlfriend. Why Indiana State Fair. Some smells make people happy, while would he leave? The other thing you need to understand others make people retch; some smells make people hun- about Andrew Luck is that he is like every other football gry, while some foster feelings of nostalgia. But I scrapped player. A bad day at the office ends with an injury; a good all that as a situation that smells much worse made the day merely ends with pain. Most people who watch foot- headlines. Over my nearly 40 years as a journalist, I have ball every week don’t really understand the level of vio- seen a lot of political leaders say some really stupid things. lence involved. We see the nastiest collisions and dirtiest This past week, however, may have been a new low. Most hits and we wince, but if you stand on the sideline for a of the time I let these incidents roll by without comment; few plays, you realize quickly: They are all dirty hits. They but, when it involves disrespecting the American farmer, may be legal. The technique might be proper. But if most it really gets my dander up. First President Trump, who is of us got hit like that once, we would remember it for the in the White House in no small part because of the sup- rest of our lives — unless, of course, we didn’t remember port of farmers, made fun of wheat producers and be- it at all. Now put those two things together, and ask this, littled wheat exports to Japan, “They send thousands and about Andrew Luck: Why would he stay? He didn’t need thousands — millions — of cars. We send them wheat. the NFL eight years ago and he doesn’t need it today. The Wheat. That’s not a good deal. And they don’t even want fans in Indy booed him as he left the field Saturday night our wheat.” Mr. Trump went on to say, “They do it because because they need him – not to survive, obviously, but they want us to at least feel that we’re okay. You know, probably to win the Super Bowl. (To be fair to Indy fans: they do it to make us feel good.” Like most Americans, they were shocked and disappointed. Give it two days and I have become accustomed to his outlandish quotes and put Luck on Meridian Street, and I bet people line up to bold statements, but this one is just indefensible. While thank him.) v Page 20

R-Martinsville; and Sen. Jeff Raatz, Holcomb seeks to R-Richmond — released statements Pence sees ‘slippery supportive of delaying the impacts of nullify ILearn test ILEARN scoring. “This is certainly not slope’ on guns MUNCIE — As Congress wraps reflective of the hardworking school up an August recess and gets ready scores after results staff or the efforts of students in the for a debate on gun safety, U.S. Rep. learning process,” said Raatz, who INDIANAPOLIS – With the Greg Pence (R-District 6) says he’s chairs the Senate education commit- results of student ILearn testing to worried about a “slippery slope” for tee. “In the coming months, we be made public next gun owners (Indiana Public Media). will look to provide relief from the week, Indiana officials Pence calls himself a “staunch Second effects of the new ILEARN as- are calling on lawmak- Amendment defendant,” but says he’s sessment for school districts for ers to place a delay open to compromise. “I’m open to any one year so schools, teachers and on the impact of this conversation that prevents – okay – students can adjust to the new year’s standardized let’s talk about how we prevent harm exam.” test scores (Lanich, with weapons.” The Republican spoke NWI Times). Gov. Eric Holcomb led in Muncie, several blocks from the the charge Monday morning in a Landske murder city’s high school, where a 15-year- statement saying schools and their trial underway old student was arrested across the educators should not be held respon- street with a loaded handgun earlier sible for the expected decrease in CROWN POINT — Defense this month. Pence mentioned some performance results as compared to attorney Scott King said Monday that Democratic presidential candidates those of last year’s ISTEP+ exam. William Landske “snapped” and shot have suggested people “turn in weap- Superintendent of Pub- a longtime friend to death over tax ons,” which he says is a “terrible idea.” lic Instruction Jennifer McCormick preparation delays, but predicted “If you read the second part of the confirmed Monday the return of low jurors would not find enough evi- Second Amendment, it’s to protect us scores in this year’s English/language dence to convict the 83-year-old of from the government.” arts and mathematics assessments. murder (Reese, NWI Times). Lake She echoed the governor’s calls to County Supervisory Deputy Prosecu- Hill gets access hold educators harmless, saying the tor Michael Toth urged the jury to Indiana Department of Education return a guilty verdict, saying Landske to groping records plans to propose legislative action ad- intentionally drew in prominent local INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana dressing the negative effect educators attorney T. Edward Page to make sure Attorney General Curtis Hill’s lawyers and their districts could feel as a result he could “put that bullet in his chest.” have won their fight for records of of this year’s exam performance. “The Landske’s trial began Monday before the state inspector general’s inves- combination of the rigors associated Special Judge Rex W. Kepner, who tigation into allegations that Hill with this newly aligned college and was appointed to hear the case by the drunkenly groped four women (AP). career readiness assessment, national Indiana Supreme Court. Page, former Hill’s attorneys sought the records as normative data, and the defined es- deputy prosecutor, public defender they defend him in attorney disciplin- tablished performance cuts all contrib- and special judge, had many friends ary proceedings he faces that could uted to the lower performance levels,” among local court officials. Landske lead to his disbarment as a lawyer. McCormick said in a prepared state- was charged with murder days after Former state Supreme Court Justice ment. “While frustrating, performance he fatally shot Page on Aug. 15, 2018, Myra Selby is the hearing officer for dips at some level were expected, as outside Page’s home in the 1200 Hill’s case. She ruled that Hill’s law- previously experience in 2014-2015 block of West Fourth Street in Hobart. yers had shown they couldn’t obtain with the onset of the then newly Months after Landske’s wife, State from another source the information implemented ISTEP+.” Sen. Sue Landske, died in February contained in the inspector general’s Over the last two weeks, 2015, William Landske and daughter report. Inspector General Lori Torres districts across the state have re- Cheryl Lynn Boisson took the couple’s had argued against the release, but ceived embargoed scores for the tax documents to Page, who for many said she accepted the ruling. The 2018-2019 ILearn exam administered years had volunteered to prepare the inspector general’s report cited eye- between April 22 and May 17. Scores couple’s taxes, Boisson said. Page and witnesses who called Hill’s behavior will be released to the public at the Sue Landske became friends while she at an Indianapolis bar inappropriate Indiana State Board of Education’s served in the state Senate, attend- and “creepy” but said he didn’t break Sept. 4 meeting. A number of state ing Republican National Conventions state ethics rules. Hill has denied Republican leaders — including House together. Page eulogized her at her wrongdoing. Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis; funeral. Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray,