V 15, N22 Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010 A Senate donnybrook in the wings Bayh surrogates lash out Former U.S. Sen. Dan at Coats; GOP promises Coats Dan Coats met full disclosure on lobbying with HPI in Indianapolis By BRIAN A. HOWEY on Wednes- INDIANAPOLIS - Late on the day to make afternoon of Groundhog Day, U.S. Sen. the case for Evan Bayh was meeting with a group of his challenge Hoosiers in his Washington office discuss - to Sen. Evan ing the green economy. As the meeting Bayh and broke up, Bayh quipped, “Now I’ve got to supply some go deal with a German ambassador.” answers. No one in the room but the sena- (HPI Photo by tor knew that all hell was about to break Steve Dicker- loose. By 10 that evening, Howey Politics son) Indiana broke the story that former sena- tor Dan Coats was preparing a challenge to Bayh. A quick phone call to Indiana Democratic Chairman Dan Parker as the news was breaking brought a response, “You’re going to make me work this late at night?” followed by the chairman not - cratic Senatorial Committee unleashed a withering array ing a few minutes later that Coats had lobbied for Bank of of information attacking Coats. He is a registered federal America. That was curious attention to what would have lobbyist. He represented Yemen, a terrorist redoubt. He been obscure detail only hours earlier. helped Bank of American land $15 billion in TARP funds. He In the next several days, Bayh surrogates from Parker - who is Bayh’s campaign manager - to the Demo - Continued on Page 3 Paranoia in the House ‘‘Paranoia will destroy ya.’’ - The Assembly By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS - The Democratic Party is often described as “one big happy dysfunc - tional family.” Many would cite the ‘Right now, I’m leaning toward Washington triumvirate of President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Sen. running. I never said I wouldn’t Harry Reid as exhibit A. Exhibit B resides in the Indiana run.” Statehouse, Lower Cave of Winds, to - Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, the right of the podium, looking east. A committee report on the Illiana on 2012 gubernatorial race Expressway stalled on a 49-49 vote, HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010 with State Rep. Chet Dobis joining the the speaker’s fragile mental state, call - Republican minority do what was best ing him “paranoid” about Gov. Daniels. for his gridlocked, road raged constitu - Dobis told the Times of ents, not his party caucus. That led Northwest Indiana, “I think he must Speaker Bauer to pull Dobis’s Speaker see him in his dreams because he’s Pro Tempore post. always lurking in the shadows even “It’s a tradition that leader- when he’s not even around. You don’t ship support the committee chair on a get positive things done that way. vote,” Bauer told the Times of North - He’s evolved into this paranoid politi- Howey Politics west Indiana’s Dan Carden. “He knew cian. That’s all he thinks about. I often Indiana that when he made that vote, so I wonder if his first waking thought know it’s not a surprise.” every morning isn’t, ‘How am I going is a nonpartisan newsletter The intriguing aspect to this to screw Mitch Daniels today?’” based in Indianapolis and fallout is that Bauer - perhaps the Bauer did install State Rep. published by NewsLink Inc. It most powerful speaker in history - ap- Earl Harris of East Chicago in the tem - was founded in 1994 in Fort pears to be losing control pore position, which could be Wayne. of his caucus. State Rep. Dennie Oxley is missing salve for the sore in action. Highly cred - feelings with the Brian A. Howey, publisher ible sources tell HPI that House Black Cau - Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington after Oxley’s heart attack cus, which is the Jack E. Howey, Editor last November, he’s now underpinnings of Bauer’s apparent Beverly Phillips, Associate in a coma. And, the story goes, Oxley has not tenuous hold on Editor designated anyone as his power. Subscriptions: power of attorney. This all comes $350 annually HPI Weekly But no one around Bauer at a time when a tidal wave of Re - $550 annually HPI Weekly & will confirm this. They say they don’t publican talent is taking direct aim at somewhere between 25 and 30 Demo - HPI Daily Wire know. Apparently they haven’t sent an emissary to former Rep. Dennie Oxley cratic incumbents. These challengers Call 317-627-6746 II, now working at an Indiana prison, are raising copious amounts of money to help the family deal with this trag- with the help of that governor lurk- Contact Us edy. ing in the shadows. At one point, one Howey Politics Indiana So the 52-48 Democratic ma - challenger - Kyle Hupfer in HD37 - had outraised all the Democratic challeng - 6255 North Evanston Avenue jority dwindled to 51-48, while 67,000 Hoosiers in Oxley’s district have had ers facing House Republicans. Indianapolis, IN 46220 no voice in the Indiana House this ses - There has been a steady www.howeypolitics.com sion, which is simply shoddy leader - stream of GOP challengers filing each [email protected] ship at multiple levels. week. This is cascading bad news for Howey’s Mobile: 317-506-0883 With a Dobis defection on a speaker saddled with an unpopular president, a U.S. senator facing the Indianapolis Fax: 317-254-0535 this report and his subsequent demo- tion making him a self-described “free challenge of his life who will suck up Washington: 202-256-5822 agent,” Bauer’s on the verge of losing as many available dollars as possible, Business Office: 317-627-6746 his majority at a time when he’ll need and the need to defend seats against it on redistricting reform, a com - credible opponents that otherwise ©2010, Howey Politics ing jobs bill, and the Unemployment for years could have been taken for granted. Dobis told the Times, “Come Indiana. All rights reserved. Insurance reforms that will define the final chapters of this session. And November, the speaker may not be the Photocopying, Internet forward - he’s doing strange things, taking over speaker anymore, I’m not sure, but I ing, faxing or reproducing in sponsorship of the Illiana Expressway know the governor will be governor.” any form, in whole or part, is a bill and sharing it with House Minority Deep down, Speaker Bauer violation of federal law without Leader Brian Bosma. Who’d a thunk? knows this. At least he's acting like it. v permission from the publisher. Then came Dobis’ remarks on HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 3 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010 ing others, promising full disclosure in the near future. Coats/Bayh, from page 1 “Washington and Indianapolis Democrat party operatives have made a colossal error in revealing how worked for a company with a partnership with Venezuelan nervous Dan Coats’ candidacy makes them, and by bun - dictator Hugo Chavez. He lives in Virginia, has since 1999 gling the assault against him,” said consultant Kevin Shaw and has voted there for the past decade. He wants to retire Kellems today. “The charges leveled against Dan have no in North Carolina. By Friday, the DSCC was pumping out a foundation in the facts, and Sen. Bayh resides in a big, video clip recording Coats speaking to the North Carolina bright glass house on these themes. He will regret en- delegation at the Republican National Convention in Min - couraging national party operatives to do his bidding. In neapolis, that began with the politics 101, the first rule is to get your facts straight before former Fort Wayne Republican taking a wild swing at your opponent. This is not the kind saying, “Don’t tell the good of thing you would expect from someone like Sen. Bayh people of Indiana ....” who has spent his entire live in politics.” Politico described it as the “nuking of Dan Coats” with a series of “ferocious Rationale for candidacy He also presented the rationale for his candidacy attacks” that was akin to a and it hinged on U.S. Rep. Mike Pence’s decision not to get “freight train.” into the race. Coats said that when Pence “decided not to The Bayh campaign run, I rose to the call. Marsha and I both agreed we can released to Howey Politics polling by Hamilton Campaigns commit ourselves to this call to service and truly make a (Feb. 5-6) that showed 70 percent felt Coats’ role as a lob - difference and be competitive with Sen. Bayh and his presi - byist “who has been paid by banks that took part” in the dential war chest.” TARP program, was a “concern,” including 60 percent of Coats said that the anemic fundraising of the pend - the Republicans and 63 percent of independents. Another ing Republican field that includes Stutzman, Don Bates 75 percent were concerned about his firms ties to Venezu - Jr. (who has qualified for the ballot), former congressman ela. And 66 percent said they were concerned that he had John Hostettler and Richard Behney - under $500,000 not lived in the state for more than a decade, including 56 combined - prodded him to get into the race. “That was percent of Republicans. The campaign did not release any a major factor because I know what it takes. I believed I fav/unfav or head-to-head numbers. was in the best position to get what it takes to make this And the attacks were not confined to Democrats.