No word yet about Blue Indiana or Tyrion himself. Keep trying guys, they're handing threats out like candy now; you'll get one soon!
I have now been advised by counsel for Dr. Meyers that the Doctor considers my original post "libelous," and that failure to correct the record will be grounds for an immediate lawsuit.
I got an unexpected letter in the mail on Saturday. It was from the Marion County Democratic Party; they were writing me as a precinct committee person. Of course when it came time to choose a candidate for the special election, they decided that I wasn't a committee person and refused to let me vote against Andre Carson. Now, apparently, I'm back in but who can be sure?
The letter seriously irritated me for it's sheer idiocy and threatening posture. County Party Chair Michael O'Conner's note to party insiders insists that Congressional candidates David Orentlicher and Carolene Mays can only hand out literature at the polls that asks people to vote against them. It also asks for poll workers to rat out any other lower level volunteer who hands out literature for any Democratic candidate other than Andre Carson and threatens an unspecified punishment. Keep in mind that O'Conner has maxed out his allowable contributions to the Carson campaign.
For those who don't know, "slating" is a process designed to make money for the party. Candidates pay a fee that varies depending on the race in question and generally runs in the thousands of dollars. After you've paid your non-refundable fee, party insiders pick which candidate the party is going to be on the "slate" at a slating convention. Slated candidates get the official backing of the party and get party resources, campaign materials, and from the sounds of this letter, a goon-squad to make sure no one strays from the script.
So much for democracy in action. Why in the hell do we even need a primary? Why don't we just allow candidates to pay the Party their money and allow the insiders to pick our candidates for us so those silly voters won't have to get involved at all! For the Marion County Democratic Party to threaten sanctions against those who participate in one of the most basic functions of democracy is beyond outrageous; it's treasonous.
Copy of the letter and my analysis at Bilerico-Indiana. Just for the record, my calls to the Marion County Democratic Party about this story were not returned.
We at Myers 2008 would like to invite you and all your friends and family to join us this Friday evening at Mugshots, 6525 N. College Avenue in Broad Ripple for a fundraising event for Dr. Woody Myers featuring Governor Davis and the Blues Ambassadors!
DETAILS:
WHAT: Dr. Myers to Host BLUES AT BROAD RIPPLE concert and rally featuring local legends Gov Davis and the Blues Ambassadors
WHEN: Friday, April 4, 6 pm
WHERE: MugShots
6525 N. College Ave
Indianapolis, IN
DETAILS: $10 at the door
21 and over please
To RSVP, call 317-687-0707
Come on out and join us for good music and good times and a chance to meet Dr. Myers in person! I'll be there too so be sure to say hi to me if you come out. Look for the big guy with the Bush's Last Day ballcap.
I just got off a conference call with the DCCC netroots outreach folks discussing the Special Election in IN-07 March 11th. I had an opportunity to ask a couple of questions and received some rather enlightening answers.
When asked if the DCCC would be supporting Andre Carson in the May Primary after the Special Election, the DCCC said that they would indeed be staffing and funding the Carson campaign against the other contenders in the crowded Primary field. The Primary includes candidates such as State Reps. David Orentlicher and Carolene Mays, as well as Dr. Woody Myers and Frances Nelson among other rumored but not yet official candidates.
The fact that the DCCC will be monkeying around in such a contentious primary is a slap in the face to the voters in the Special Election March 11th. Should Carson lose the Special to GOP nominee State Rep. Jon Elrod on March 11th, his campaign essentially is getting a do-over in the May Primary. This is truly an astounding turn of events, as prior to today the DCCC had been non committal about supporting Carson in the May Primary.
Abdul from Indiana Barrister is live blogging from the Democratic caucus this morning at Shortridge Middle School in Indianapolis where the party is slating its candidate for the Special Election being held March 11th to fill the vacant Congressional seat caused by the death of Rep. Julia Carson in December. This thread will be for updates on the action taking place at Shortridge this morning.
UPDATE #1 - 10:20am
The first round of voting has begun, Andre Carson,
Carolene Mays, Stephanie McCabe, David Orenlichter, Randle Pollard, Mike Rodman, Joanne Sanders and Jeffrey White are the candidates on the ballot. Andre Carson and Carolene Mays received the most applause when introduced according to Abdul.
UPDATE #2 - 11:00am
First round voting continues, several more rows of delegates left to vote. According to Abdul, rumors are floating that Andre Carson will make it on the second round of voting, but he also adds he saw Randle Pollard supporters convince a delegate not to vote for Carson.
UPDATE #3 - 11:45am
After one round of voting, delegates have chosen Andre Carson as the nominee for the special election on March 11th. Of 599 eligible precinct committeemen, 440 registered to vote in today's caucus. With 223 votes, 3 votes more than 50%, Andre Carson has been nominated to represent Democrats in the special election. The other candidates and their totals are as follows:
Carolene Mays -26
Stephanie McCabe - 1
David Orenlichter - 123
Randle Pollard - 6
Mike Rodman -27
Joanne Sanders - 21
Jeffrey White -8
I'd like to thank Abdul Hakim-Shabazz from Indiana Barrister for covering the event live. Congratulations to Andre Carson for winning the nomination, and I'd also like to thank the other candidates for participating in our democracy by standing for the nomination.
(Bumped from the user diaries. Great to see you back, Joh! - promoted by Thomas)
This week NUVO has a very interesting profile of 7th District Congressional candidate David Orentlicher which I would urge readers of this site to check out. The profile by David Hoppe is a good introduction to the man who would replace Julia Carson in Congress.
David O, as his 86th District Indiana House constituents refer to him, is probably one of the most intelligent members of the General Assembly and has been an effective advocate for property tax reform. The article points out that he holds degrees from both Harvard Medical and Harvard Law schools, a fairly impressive educational resume.
The article also delves into David O's stint with the American Medical Association as their director of medical ethics before moving to Indianapolis to accept a teaching position at IUPUI where he is employed to this day.
The article goes on to detail his efforts to bring meaningful property tax reform to this year's legislative agenda, with Hoppe interviewing Orentlicher on Organizing Day back in November. Overall, it was a very positive article and a good backgrounder on a great candidate to replace Julia Carson.
Indiana's lone female and lone African American member of Congress will announce today that she will not run for reelection.
Carson has been ill for years, and has been on leave from Congress since September due to a leg infection. This past Saturday, she made an announcement that shocked many people. From the Star:
Carson put an end this weekend to long-standing questions about her health when she issued a statement saying she has terminal lung cancer. She had taken a leave of absence from Congress in September because of a leg infection. She said she had battled cancer before and it had gone into remission, but that it had returned with "a terminal vengeance."
We've all read the recent stories about Julia Carson's increasingly troublesome health issues. Congresswoman Carson has done a wonderful job, but it's clear she should not run again.
Is anyone interested in starting up a draft effort to try to get Melina Kennedy into the race?
I know I have been an outspoken critic of IN07 Democratic Representative Julia Carson in the past. I don't hide the fact that I think her leadership in the Marion County Democratic Party has been troubling to me, but I speak now as a constituent, as a fellow Democrat and as a concerned brother human being to Miss Julia as her friends call her. Julia Carson needs to retire due to health problems.
I actually have quite a bit of experience with the particular health issue she is having as has been reported by local media since yesterday afternoon. Carson is in Methodist Hospital where she is being treated for an infection in her leg according to her spokesperson from her office. As someone who has dealt with repeated cellulitis infections in my legs related to a blood clotting disorder that I suffer from, I can share some insight on this condition that not many people can share.
The kind of pain and suffering that Ms. Carson is dealing with at this time is nothing short of physical torture and in my opinion will severely limit her ability to make proper decisions for several months to come due to the heavy pain medication that she will be forced to take during her recovery.
(Bumped from the user diaries. - promoted by Thomas)
With all this activity in the 2008 elections recently there has been a rather noticeable hole in the discussions which I mean to shine a light onto with this post. There are a number of campaigns which have announced their formation recently or are anticipated to launch in the near future for several Congressional races around Indiana. Noticeably absent from these discussions is the fact that Julia Carson has not made clear what her plans are for 2008 in the key Democratic stronghold of the 7th District.
There have been rumors of health issues preventing her from running since before her reelection last year and those rumors have persisted. Today, the Swing State Project released its 2008 House Open Seat Watch and Carson's 7th district seat was included on that list with health issues cited as the reasoning for inclusion on the list. A quick Google search of news about Julia Carson results in very few links, mostly quick quotes from her regarding how she voted or intends to vote on a handful of issues, but no substantive discussions of the 08 campaign or her plans for the future.
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