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Speaking of the unspeakable...

by: Thomas

Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 09:16:25 AM EST

The public silence of those Democrats who have filed to run in the May primary for the 7th District congressional nod has been chalked up to a common understanding that most of the hard campaigning should probably take place after the March 11 special election.

But that doesn't mean that these folks are sitting still.

No, in addition to the Woody Myers for Congress that was unveiled at his campaign launch, we now have online homes for Carolene Mays for Congress and David Orentlicher for Congress. I've been told that the David O site is currently under construction, and a new and permanent version will make an appearance at some point in the near future.

Also of note from that campaign is the familiar face to many in the 7th District who appears to have taken a leadership role in David O's bid. Chad Chitwood is rumored to be the campaign manager working behind the scenes right now, and his name may ring a bell to many due to the fact that until recently he was the official spokesman for Julia Carson's congressional office.

Interesting stuff.

And finally, let this serve as a gentle reminder that any of the 7th District candidates can register and begin posting stories on this site within minutes. I've already promoted to the front page a story from a Woody Myers supporter, and I will gladly give each of the campaigns some face-time as we head toward May.

But most importantly -- Keep your eye on the immediate prize! March 11 is no done deal at this point, and I would urge any of you that are so inclined to make sure you are doing what you can to keep this seat in Democratic hands, no matter who you plant to support in May.

Thomas :: Speaking of the unspeakable...

Tags: IN-7, Carolene Mays, Andre Carson, David Orentlicher, Woody Myers, Election 2008, (All Tags)

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Speaking of the unspeakable... | 33 comments

Tough Road Ahead (0.00 / 0)

Especially with the DCCC propping up Carson after the Special Election.

Hoosier Progressive

by: Vox Populi @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 08:27:04 AM CST

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oh... (4.00 / 1)

And I'm glad I'm not the only one who recognized the similarities between Mike Huckabee and the Campbell's Sea Salt chef. http://youtube.com/watch?v=UbY...

Hoosier Progressive

by: Vox Populi @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 08:33:05 AM CST

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Orentlicher (0.00 / 0)

is already campaigning door-to-door. One of his supporters sent out to a local mailing list an appeal for volunteers to assist Orentlicher's campaign this weekend.

There's a real election coming up on March 11th with a Democratic candidate going up against a Republican and a Libertarian. Sadly, some folk are siphoning off Democratic volunteers from this election in favor of a personal race later on down the road.

It would be hoped Orentlicher would be using his volunteers and resources to help get the Democrat elected March 11th. The Democratic Party worked damn hard several times to get him elected to the Indiana House. His help certainly would be appreciated now in this important Special Election for the Democratic Party on March 11th.

by: Wilson46201 @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 08:34:41 AM CST

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Sorry, Wilson (0.00 / 0)

There are two elections going on here. Andre is a shoe-in for the Special so the Democrats seeking to replace him in the primary need to start now.

Hoosier Progressive

by: Vox Populi @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 08:42:53 AM CST

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The Primary starts March 12 for Democrats (0.00 / 0)

There is a real election immediately coming up. All Democrats should be supporting this Democratic campaign, not draining off volunteers and other resources...

by: Wilson46201 @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 08:50:20 AM CST

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Interesting (0.00 / 0)

Because I thought the Primary started when the candidates filed to run. I don't see the insult, here.

Hoosier Progressive

by: Vox Populi @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 08:52:34 AM CST

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Special Elections (0.00 / 0)

are always complex. This District is not a positively guaranteed Democratic win. Elrod and his wingnut campaigners are deliriously happy to see splitters within the Democratic Party with some individuals going off on their own instead of uniting if only temporarily to ensure the victory all Democrats need on March 11th.

On March 12th, a "free-for-all" for the Primary is cool and proper - but before then: Unity for Democrats!

by: Wilson46201 @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 09:00:09 AM CST

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Perhaps -- (0.00 / 0)

But I think that you're assuming that an engaged Democratic voter who is supporting Orentlicher in May won't go to the ballot box in March for your guy.

I'm not sure that's completely true.

by: Thomas @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 08:43:11 AM CST

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Voters and volunteers (0.00 / 0)

It's not the Democratic voter I'm discussing but the siphoning off from the immediate Special Election of volunteers by other campaigns right now. Those campaign volunteers and phonebankers should be helping the single Democratic candidate up for election on March 11th.

The Primary is two months after that...

by: Wilson46201 @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 09:15:41 AM CST

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Say whaaaat? (4.00 / 1)

Nice try, Wilson. You file for the candidacy and you start campaigning. I realize that you want everyone to elect Andre out of respect for his grandmother, but now you want others not to campaign out of respect for Andre - who hasn't been elected yet?

And from what I hear, Orentlicher is walking his district this weekend. Hasn't he done that all the time - election or no? After all, he has a reputation as a prolific door knocker - whether or not it was election season. David's never been one to hide from the electorate (see the property tax rallies) unlike some...

All I'm hearing here is "Andre deserves to win the special!" and "No one should campaign for the primary either because he might not win it!" This is an election where the public chooses the candidate - not a gimme for the nice lady's grandkid. If Andre that's great, he can win the special and the primary. Let him fight his own fights without going around and whining like a 4th grader "That's not faaaaair!" every time you don't get what you want.

Bil Browning
Founder of The Bilerico Project and Bilerico-Indiana.

by: bilerico @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 16:13:47 PM CST

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This again? (0.00 / 0)

No one's talking about Julia Carson. The March 11th election is not about Julia Carson, it's about keeping our 7th district seat Democratic. You're a little late to the discussion, but we've been over this and over this. If you want to pull this nepotism bullshit, take it to AdvanceIndiana.

ELLSWORTH FOR SENATE 2010

by: Mario Cuomo @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 16:31:02 PM CST

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He has a point. (0.00 / 0)

I think it's absolutely ridiculous to expect the other candidates to sit on their hands for the next couple weeks. Nepotism is an issue and I still don't think Carson is the best we can do. He's just what we're stuck with for the time being because he's better than Elrod.

Hoosier Progressive

by: Vox Populi @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 16:47:35 PM CST

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My point (0.00 / 0)

Wilson was talking about utilizing volunteers for the good of the district. The best interest of our district right now is keeping the 7th's seat Democratic, regardless of who that Democrat is. Wilson had a valid point, and Bilerico tried turn it into partisan whining.

ELLSWORTH FOR SENATE 2010

by: Mario Cuomo @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 17:27:54 PM CST

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C'mon now... (4.00 / 2)

The 7th is going to stay D. Andre will win. Don't fret so, Mario.

That still doesn't make him the best candidate we have to offer from Indianapolis. Kerry wasn't the best we could do in 2004 either; it's okay - we can admit these things amongst ourselves. At least Kerry went out and fought for his nomination though instead of trading on his grandma.

I'm sorry if you're tired of the nepotism claim, Mario. It must be a valid one if it keeps popping up so often. After all, I'm hardly a conservative - I'll be voting FOR Andre in the special. But that doesn't mean I think he deserves that vote. Keeping the seat D is important and will be taken care of, but putting the best person in the seat is even more important. That's what the primary is for. Lieberman would hardly be the Democrat I'd want to vote for - just having a D behind your name doesn't make you the best candidate. That's partisanship to a dangerous level when you think primary candidates aren't in the best interest of a party.

To whine that a sitting state legislator is walking his district on his own time with a couple of volunteers as if hundreds of dollars and people were going to be used to rile up votes against Andre is simply ludicrous. It's typical Wilson-crap to try and make people think something is true by insinuation without fact.

Perhaps Wilson could stay focused on target with his Republican attacks while leaving fellow Democrats alone?

Bil Browning
Founder of The Bilerico Project and Bilerico-Indiana.

by: bilerico @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 22:27:57 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Carson for Congress (0.00 / 0)

The best candidate for the March 11th special election is without a doubt Andre Carson. Who's better? Elrod? The Libertarian? As for the primary, I had remained neutral, however I've now decided that I will support Andre because I'm so put off by supporters of rival campaigns slighting our candidate in the run-up to the special. If you had legitimate concerns about nepotism, for example, you could at least broach them in a respectful way rather than talking about a "gimmme for a nice lady's grand kid", even if you can't keep your mouth shut for another week and a half.

If I have to explain to you why the "D" candidate is always preferable to the "R" or the "L" or the "G", then we're going to need more time, and you'd probably be best served to take a course or read a book about how Congress works. I'm definitely a partisan, but not dangerously so, pragmatically so. I know how Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House, and I understand the significance of it. I always vote straight ticket, and I would not vote at all before I voted Republican. If you're talking about the primary, then they all have Ds after their name, so what's your point?

I'm fed up with these wide-eyed idealist teenager/twenty-something faux-intellectual/indifferent champagne-socialist Obamaniacs who have no appreciation for the faults of our democratic process and no respect for the people that try to navigate and facilitate this process as smoothly as possible. And it's that kind of non-chalant thinking ("The 7th will stay D", everything will work out in the end, etc) that has put Obama at the front of the pack. Ridiculous! Just because you like what he's saying, or just becuase you think the 7th ought to stay Democratic doesn't mean that's the reality. (Last year, lots of people thought Bart Peterson ought to be mayor.) So you c'mon now.

Also I have to mention, it's funny that you mention Kerry as not the best candidate for 2004 (he wasn't, true, Wes Clark was), when apparently your take-home lessons from that election have led you to support another blue-state, effete Senator with the unhelpful distinction of "most liberal." Only Senator Obama has markedly less experience, be it on foreign policy, the economy or even, apparently, campaigning- Kerry may have allowed himself to be Swiftboated, but at least he had the sense to put his hand on his heart every time he saluted the flag (is Obama unaware that with Presidential campaigns come intense media scrutiny? Can we please get this man a crash course, at least, before we bestow upon him the nomination of our party?) And that's not to even mention his biggest fault: making promises about unity and post-partisanship that anyone who knows anything about U.S. government knows he can't deliver.

I see that when you talk about "the best candidate" you're more concerned with the rosiest scenarios you can dream up, undisturbed by any possible inconvenient realities. I, on the other hand, am more concerned with actually getting a preferred candidate into office. Becuase it doesn't matter how great they might be, if you can't even get them there, it's moot. In short, I'm not at all convinced you know what's up when it comes to the politics of elections.

ELLSWORTH FOR SENATE 2010

by: Mario Cuomo @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 01:00:43 AM CST

[ Parent ]

You amuse me. (0.00 / 0)

You come in here to attack those who question Mr. Carson's qualificiations for the job, for "attacking" the Democratic nominee as it were, and then proceed to go into a tirade about how much Obama sucks and the millions of people who have voted for him are stupid. He's the presumptive Democratic nominee. Would you prefer the Republican?

Hoosier Progressive

by: Vox Populi @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 08:18:01 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Technically... (0.00 / 0)

Hillary is still in the contest, so I don't feel all that bad about calling Obama as I see him. And I don't think you're stupid, Vox, just idealist to a fault with an extremely limited understanding of U.S. Government, American political hilstory and possibly reality in general. Additionally, I think I have substantial complaints about Sen. Obama's qualifications and what I see as his telling missteps on the campaign trail, whereas I view chargers of Carson's nepotism as less substantial and more knee-jerk and reactionary. Clear?

ELLSWORTH FOR SENATE 2010

by: Mario Cuomo @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 13:29:24 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Howey's Poll (0.00 / 0)

Well according to the latest poll done by Brian Howey it looks like the Special Election is in the proverbial bag for the Carson Machine. Anyone wishing to upset that apple cart come May should have been out before Valentine's Day campaigning for the Primary. The fact that these folks are just now getting their websites up and running is encouraging and if David O is out knocking doors already and gathering volunteers, busting his chops for doing so is less unifying for Democrats than his campaigning before the Special.

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." - Thomas Jefferson

by: finifinito @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 11:31:17 AM CST

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Polls and victories (0.00 / 0)

The Howey Poll indeed looks good for the Democrats but it's definitely not in the bag. Turnout in Special Elections is tricky and low. Luckily, the DCCC have sent in outside political experts who are experienced in these unusual Special Elections. We have the demographics, the candidate and the resources to make the victory happen but it can't be taken for granted. Not one bit!!!

It'll take a united Democratic Party working together for this March 11th election a success for us all!

by: Wilson46201 @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 12:03:12 PM CST

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I know nothing about any of the on-the-ground stuff... (0.00 / 0)

...but out of curiosity, do you know if any other for-public polls are in the field on the 7th District special election? Is the Star going to stick their neck out again?

by: Thomas @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 15:28:21 PM CST

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Matt Tully (0.00 / 0)

might know. I don't.

by: Wilson46201 @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 16:44:46 PM CST

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Rumor has it... (0.00 / 0)

they'll be in the field next week and release their poll on March 9.

Hoosier Progressive

by: Vox Populi @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 16:48:35 PM CST

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Contrast and compare (0.00 / 0)

There are 3 candidates for this election. What sort of campaigning has anybody seen from Elrod or Shepard? Gotten any mailers or phone calls from them? Anybody from them knocked at your door yet?

The Democratic Party's candidate, André Carson, has been running 3 simultaneous parallel campaigns for weeks now.

What do you really expect the results of a poll 2 days before Election Day March 11th to show?

by: Wilson46201 @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 16:55:16 PM CST

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I know what it will show. (0.00 / 0)

A Carson blowout.

Hoosier Progressive

by: Vox Populi @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 17:14:50 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Inshahallah! (0.00 / 0)

(by the way, I once used this expression on AdvanceIndiana and the freeper wingnuts went hyperballistic batshit crazy over it!)

by: Wilson46201 @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 17:24:48 PM CST

[ Parent ]

The thing I hate about Advance Indiana (0.00 / 0)

is that Mr. Welsh simply doesn't allow comments he doesn't like. He's a coward.

Hoosier Progressive

by: Vox Populi @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 17:26:29 PM CST

[ Parent ]

And (0.00 / 0)

He's a moron because he does allow racist and bigoted comments, insodoing implicitly endorsing then. You'd think he'd be more savvy, being a trained lawyer and all.

ELLSWORTH FOR SENATE 2010

by: Mario Cuomo @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 17:30:17 PM CST

[ Parent ]

"Magna Cum Laude" (0.00 / 0)

at that! The old queen is quite self-righteous.

Hoosier Progressive

by: Vox Populi @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 17:36:06 PM CST

[ Parent ]

"old queen" (0.00 / 0)

may be perfectly for Talbott Twinks but quite inappropriate for a Democratic political blog like this one.

by: Wilson46201 @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 17:41:29 PM CST

[ Parent ]

lol (0.00 / 0)

Wilson, calm down. Why mention "Talbott Twinks"?

Hoosier Progressive

by: Vox Populi @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 17:56:31 PM CST

[ Parent ]

now now (4.00 / 1)

we all know elrod has been sending out mailers... he was filmed signing them on the statehouse floor!

by: stallio @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 18:11:49 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Huzzah! (0.00 / 0)

by: Thomas @ Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 19:31:03 PM CST

[ Parent ]

A bit ignorant (0.00 / 0)

to wish the other candidates to back off and stop "siphoning volunteers" from Andre isn't it? I mean there has to be a reason why these folks are leaving right? If he was doing a good job, or these folks had faith in him, then they wouldn't be going to work on these other campaigns.

If you run a tight ship, speak about the things folks care about and things of that nature you wouldn't have to worry about people jumping onto the other ship before yours has left the harbor.

by: JackGonzo @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 13:38:41 PM CST

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Speaking of the unspeakable... | 33 comments

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