I’ll be sharing my thoughts on Ted Kennedy’s legacy on Daybreak this morning. 

He had few but significant Indiana ties starting with his relationship with the Bayh family.   Former Senator Birch Bayh was a close friend who rescued Kennedy from a small plane crash in 1964.  When Evan Bayh was sworn in as Senator in 1999 one of the highlights of the day was Ted Kennedy’s appearance at a Capitol Hill reception in honor of the new Senator.

Kennedy will be known as a master legislator and one of his major accomplishments was the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982, co-authored by Indiana Senator Dan Quayle.  When Quayle ran for Vice President and his gravitas was questioned, Republicans often made reference to JTPA and his work with Kennedy as evidence of a meaningful record.

Indiana State Democratic Chairman Dan Parker grew up in Boston and served a college internship in Kennedy’s Capitol Hill office.  You might say that Kennedy’s legacy will live on here through Parker.

Finally, on a personal note, I worked in Iowa in 1979 and 1980 and covered Kennedy’s run for President.  His Iowa campaign was marked by large crowds (larger than those attracted by Jimmy Carter even though Carter won Iowa and the nomination) and by constant protests.  I believe that’s how Ted Kennedy will be remembered:  powerful, yet polarizing.

State Democratic HQ gets a new home this fall. 

It is moving from One North Capitol across Washington Street to Merchants Plaza, the building that houses the Hyatt Hotel.

It will be a smaller, nicer space according to Chairman Dan Parker, and should be open by October first. #fb

State Democratic Chairman Dan Parker says he gets frequent inquiries from potential candidates about the possibility of running for U.S. Senate in 2012.  Not 2010.  2012.

That’s the year that Indiana Republican Richard Lugar will be on the ballot, if he chooses to seek another term.  Lugar is now 77 and in his 6th term in the Senate. 

All indications are that Lugar will go for term #7 but there is growing unrest among some Republicans upset with Lugar’s support of Obama moves (including the selection of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court) and his failure to campaign for John McCain last year.

All that put Lugar’s recent statement on health care reform in an interesting light.  When the Senator said this is the wrong time to tackle the President’s pet issue, was that a signal that, indeed, he will run again?  That’s what Parker thinks.

Bob Voorhies is out of the race for state Democratic chairman two days after filing his candidacy.  In an e-mail Voorhies said he got out because he can count votes (and it was clear he would lose.)  He used the e-mail, however, to air his grievances against Chairman Dan Parker, who is now unopposed in his bid for re-election. 

The Voorhies gripe boils down to the way Parker handled the primary for governor last year.  Without saying so directly, Voorhies makes it clear that he thought Jim Schellinger got preferential treatment from party headquarters. 

Jill Long Thompson won, didn’t she?

Indiana State Democratic Chairman Dan Parker is a candidate for re-election.

Parker says both Evan Bayh and Pat Bauer asked him to seek a new term in the election scheduled for March.  That should seal the deal.

Meantime, Linda Pence may get a better job than the Attorney General post she sought last fall.  Label her the front runner for U. S. Attorney.

One week from today Indiana electors will meet at the Statehouse to cast 11 votes for Barack Obama.  State Democratic Chairman (and elector) Dan Parker reports that it will be just the fifth time in state history that Democrats perform the role.

In the meantime, Parker and the others field mail from around the country that encourages them to refrain from voting for Obama.  The letters question Obama’s qualifications to serve based on theories that he was born outside the country.  One such letter came to Parker’s home by certified mail.

Parker shared one letter from a gentleman in Virginia who argues that there is “reasonable doubt” as to whether Obama is a naturalized citizen as the Constitution requires.  The letter contends that Obama will be “vulnerable to blackmail” if he takes office with questions lingering.

Parker ignored it.

On December 15th at 10 in the morning the Indiana members of the Electoral College will meet in the Statehouse to vote for President.  There are 11 Indiana Electors and 11 alternates.

The Electors were chosen at the State Democratic Convention in June and, at the time, there was little interest.  In fact, there was no competition for any of the positions and state Democratic Chairman Dan Parker had to actively recruit someone to fill the final alternate post.

Oh, how things have changed since then.

Here are the lucky 11:

Jeff Chidester – 1st District
Butch Morgan – 2nd District
Michelle Boxell – 3rd District
Charlotte Martin – 4th District
Jerry Lux – 5th District
Connie Southworth – 6th District
Alan Hogan – 7th District
Myrna Brown – 8th District
Clarence Leatherbury – 9th District
Cordelia Lewis Burks – At Large
Dan Parker – At Large

The social scene is a big part of any national political convention and this week’s gathering in Denver is no different.  That’s why some in the Indiana delegation to the Democratic National Convention questioned the reason why Chairman Dan Parker missed this morning’s breakfast meeting.

Parker says he was legitimately ill and says the altitude may be a factor. 

For others in search of a fast cure there is a bar in the corner at the Indiana breakfast meetings stocked with screwdrivers and bloody Marys.  For the record, it doesn’t get much business.

Leftover thoughts from Barack Obama’s appearance at Concord High School:

-This morning’s event started almost a half hour late.  Was it held on Evan Bayh time?

-Obama first mispronounced the name of Mike Montagano (the Democrat challenging Congressman Mark Souder) before getting it right.  Its something Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry did at an earlier event and something I did on Indiana Week in Review.  Its mon-TAG-a-no.

-State Democratic Chairman Dan Parker and House Speaker Pat Bauer didn’t get acknowledged by Obama.

-House Speaker Pat Bauer had a new shorter haircut.

-Just two Chicago television stations made the trip to Elkhart and two from Indianapolis.

-A t-shirt and cap vendor outside said it was a bad day.  He blamed it on a small house (1600) and too many vendors.

Democratic candidates for the state legislature now join their candidate for governor, Jill Long Thompson, in her call for a suspension of the state sales tax on gasoline but, so far, the message is not on TV.  Without TV ads to drive the point home, the calls for action won’t accomplish much.

Which gets us to tomorrow and the reporting deadline for fundraising in the governor’s race.  Jill Long Thompson needs to make a good showing so that she can attract even more money and, therefore, get her message on TV.

Yet Friday on Indiana Week in Review Democratic Chairman Dan Parker did his best to reduce expectations.  He said that any sum over a million dollars would show success for Long Thompson.  You may recall that a previous IWIR discussion put the credibility level at 1.5-to-2 million.

Let’s see what tomorrow brings.