September 4, 2008 – 9:56 pm
Tonight’s Hob Nob event attracted a big group from Marian College. They expected 110 people — students, faculty members, and alumni — to be part of the opportunity for politics at a personal level.
A spokesman for the college says the gathering at the Indiana State Museum was a great chance for the students to learn about politics and develop a sense of civic responsibility.
The school also hopes to sway the gubernatorial candidates to accept one more debate. The spokesman says Marian wants to see them discuss science and technology, and explain the role it will play in Indiana’s economy.
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September 4, 2008 – 2:55 pm
I just received an update on the New Orleans Saints’ use of Lucas Oil Stadium. Now, I hear that the Colts gave the Saints two of their days in the building. So, the Saints’ bill will be $24,000 rather than $48,000.
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September 4, 2008 – 2:47 pm
As I write this, I’m watching video of John McCain hugging Sarah Palin. It reminded me of a historian’s example of how times have changed.
I think it was Michael Beschloss who found an unusual difference in the rules for the McCain - Palin ticket compared to the Mondale - Ferraro ticket of 1984. Beschloss said Ferraro was not allowed to hug Mondale. Nothing more than holding hands could signify their political partnership.
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September 3, 2008 – 10:02 pm
Watching the conventions suggests the existence of a huge political divide in the country. One analyst says the most polarized people in the country are the Republican delegates, this week, and the Democratic delegates, last week.
Dick Meyer, who covered politics for CBS and does it now for NPR, wrote a book entitled Why We Hate Us: American Discontent in the New Millennium. He told an interviewer at CBS Radio “there is discontent in our society towards politics and towards the institutions of politics.”
Meyer says he doesn’t believe that dissatisfaction created a red and blue America. “That is a false and essentially mythical portrayal of the American electorate,” he says. “What we have is a mass in the middle that dislikes both parties equally. So their votes get sorted into roughly two equal camps.”
As a result, Meyer says neither side benefits from the public discontent — or not for very long.
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September 2, 2008 – 3:40 pm
We’ve had several stories about the New Orleans Saints spending a few days in Indianapolis. They left Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Gustav. The team’s temporary practice facility is Lucas Oil Stadium.
I wondered whether it was donated — through some sort of cooperative agreement among members of the NFL — or maybe there was a fee involved. So, I asked the question and it sounds like the answer is: it’s a little of both.
A spokesman for the Capital Improvement Board says Mayor Greg Ballard wanted “to extend a helping hand to the New Orleans Saints” and, by extension, to the people of New Orleans. So, the deal sets what sounds like the minimum fee for the use of the new stadium.
The Saints will pay $12,000 a day or $48,000 for four days of practice in Indianapolis.
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September 1, 2008 – 3:11 pm
I caught part of a focus group that studied voter attitudes in advance of the Republican National Convention. (Yes, I was watching C-SPAN, again.)
Pollster Frank Luntz, who led the group, sought the participants’ response to a series of campaign speech excerpts and campaign commercials. He seemed surprised by the favorable reaction to a couple of spots calling for an end to gridlock and petty bickering by our politicians. It’s a lesson for our leaders at all levels of government. In the words of one participant, “working together is the way to go.”
Luntz also questioned the group about the choice of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate. When asked for a brief description of her, the women in the group tended to offer stronger, more positive words than the men did. However, a show of hands revealed those positive assessments of Palin as a person did not automatically mean they support the McCain/Palin ticket.
Several of the participants said they question their support of McCain now — due to their perceptions of Palin’s inexperience.
Over the weekend, I heard one pundit, Mark Shields, say the McCain campaign has concluded that they’ve accomplished all they can with ”experience” as a campaign issue, now. So, they can move to other matters to motivate voters.
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August 29, 2008 – 2:42 pm
Sure, we’d heard the name of Sarah Palin. It surfaced periodically in discussions of potential running mates. But, who really believed John McCain would choose her?
Since the announcement, I’ve heard from several Republicans who are extremely impressed by the selection. One told me she’s no fan of Barack Obama. But, now she feels more comfortable about voting for McCain.
We’ll learn more about Governor Palin’s readiness in the next few days. I’m thinking back to the Dan Quayle days. I remember reporting on his events in Indiana — when he was only a Senator, not a vice-presidential candidate. He always seemed very capable, confident, and comfortable. After the first few days of the Bush-Quayle campaign, many voters had a different impression of him.
It takes a strong person to withstand the media scrutiny of any major political campaign. Democrats quickly started belittling McCain’s choice. But, she may get a slight break. A history professor at the University of Indianapolis says, at the start of a long holiday weekend, voters are not focused on the campaign.
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August 28, 2008 – 7:44 pm
What qualities do you want to see in the next President of the United States? This week, the Democratic Party is emphasizing what it sees as the strengths of Barack Obama. Next week, it’s John McCain’s turn.
Already, we’ve heard a lot about the value of experience. The Brookings Institution studied it. The think tank’s report, last spring, concluded experience “does not appear to guarantee success”.
Charles O. Jones, the report’s author, said the Brookings research revealed “more about what does not ensure success than what does.” He said ”character, vision, goals, self-confidence, communication, public regard and, above all, leadership” can also predict success in the White House.”
Jones also reviewed C-SPAN and Wall Street Journal rankings of our presidents. In the former, 9 of 10 “had no previous service in either the White House or the cabinet” before they first sought the office. In the latter survey, 10 of 11 “had no previous White House or cabinet service.”
“Mt. Rushmore’s faces include but one president with significant White House experience before serving,” Jones wrote. “That would be the likeness of Thomas Jefferson who ran in 1800 against the president with whom we was serving as vice president — a case of doubtful precedence.”
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August 27, 2008 – 8:52 pm
Senator Evan Bayh is scheduled to speak at the Democratic National Convention, tonight. He had a shot at a better time slot — until Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate.
Had Bayh been selected, he would have added to Indiana’s reputation as “the Mother of Vice-Presidents.” I learned that when Dan Quayle was chosen as the running mate for the elder George Bush.
Indiana’s link to the vice-presidency goes back further than a lot of people realize and reflects a time when the state carried more political influence than we’ve seen in recent history. The Senate Historical Office says in “the thirteen presidential elections from 1868 to 1916, eleven of the national tickets boasted a Hoosier candidate, usually running for vice-president.”
Thomas Marshall served during the Woodrow Wilson administration, although he was not a big fan of the job. He said he could never blame parents for wishing a child becomes President. “But, if I sought a blessing for a boy I would not pray that he become Vice-President.”
While Charles Fairbanks had presidential aspirations, he managed only to reach number two. He served Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt was not a fan of Fairbanks, however. The Senate Historical Office uses the word “scorn” to describe TR’s feelings for Fairbanks. He accepted the Hoosier senator in a partnership of political convenience.
Thomas Hendricks was, briefly, a vice-president for Grover Cleveland. The Senate’s historians say Hendricks’ “constant availability in every presidential election since 1868 had devalued his candidacy … Hendricks was dismissed as a man of “inordinate ambition.” The Cleveland ticket won in 1884. Hendricks died in his sleep in November of the following year.
Schuyler Colfax represented Indiana in Congress, rose to be the Speaker of the House, and then Vice-President for Ulysses Grant. As a result of his personality, he was nicknamed “Smiler”. The Senate Historians also describe Colfax as a man who “could never say no to a gift. He grew indiscreet in his acceptance of everything from sterling silver to free railroad passes.” He was “dumped from the ticket in 1872.”
Click here, if you’d like to read more of these biographies,
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August 26, 2008 – 5:11 pm
Tax policy is one of the issues that separate Barack Obama and John McCain. The latest issue of Barron’s suggests voters should be cautious, if they hear a candidate talk about tax cuts.
The magazine says “true, long term tax reductions don’t exist for society as a whole.” It goes on to say that, in spite of some cuts, local, state, and federal taxes are now at “one of the highest levels in decades.” The Barron’s analysis recalls the principle that tax reductions in one area lead to higher levies in another — or the idea that there’s no tax cut when government spending exceeds the rate of inflation.
“By this standard,” Barron’s concludes, “there have been no real federal tax reductions in over the past half century. And, if past is prologue, the chances of our next president enacting true tax cuts seems rather bleak.”
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