The earthquake from the Massachusetts senate race yesterday won’t rumble through Indiana’s own race this year,
predicts IUPUI political scientist Brian Vargus.
In Massachusetts, Republican upstart Scott Brown knocked off Democrat
Martha Coakley for the seat held by the late Ted Kennedy because she didn’t campaign well and was viewed as aloof, Vargus
says. By contrast, Evan Bayh, also a Democrat, is entrenched and would be extremely difficult to beat.
The
only candidate to announce a run for Bayh’s seat, John Hostettler, a Republican, isn’t raising enough money to
compete with Bayh’s substantial war chest, Vargus says. Hostettler also doesn’t have a large profile outside the
8th Congressional district in southwestern Indiana where he served from 1995 through 2006. “You can’t beat somebody
with nobody,” Vargus contends.
Secondly, he adds, Democrats will support Bayh even though the base is disgusted
with his relatively conservative voting record.
On a scale of zero to 10, with zero being dead in the water and
10 being invincible, Vargus puts the Bayh’s chances at a seven.
The best shot at defeating Bayh would be
to run a populist campaign and paint him as an elitist, Vargus says. Play up his Virginia law degree, his Georgetown home
away from home, his wife’s corporate board seats. And even then, it probably wouldn’t be enough.
Those
are Vargus’ thoughts. What are yours? About Bayh? Massachusetts?
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Welcome to the archives for NewsTalk, an IBJ blog published from November 2007 through December 2010.
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You guys have some "interesting" comments to say the least. I hope you will call in and share those opinions starting June 1. I'm looking forward to having you on the air.
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For those who let this information strike a nerve, remember that this is still the America that allows the freedom to achieve dreams and goals. Should you really chastise those who are given a perk on a deal that is supported by the consumer (that is until they don't like the deal anymore due to envy) or should the dream of rewards for working be looked at a little closer? I say lets stick to the deal, go to work,earn our keep, shoot for dreams, change our jobs to have that dream or shut up about others achievements ..............while we are still afforded this liberty of America !
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Three Magi
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Cats out of the bag. The object of the game is to get acquired. That means the company has no idea how to grow beyond a certain point. Email is a 1990s technology. I have laughed at this company since day one. Such a small bit player. If it was anywhere but here, it wouldn't be newsworthy.
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Esther, Indy has passed Chicago in the local government corruption arena. Don't downgrade us. We're No. 1 in the Midwest.
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Thus voters turn to anything that looks like it might be something different for a change...
Apparently our own Evan Bayh is just as clueless as the rest congress about why most of the public are fed up and rejecting them so robustly.
What most of congress, Evan Bayh included, do not seem to realize is that it's not the right or left politics that are such a turn off or source of extreme frustration for most of the public but it's the congress' largess in its corporate agenda that is preventing successful governance and solutions to the real problems people in our country face!
Corporations need to stick to making money with their core businesses and keep their money out of our political system. Our founding fathers never intended for corporations to have the same rights as living persons or even be involved in politics and that's why our constitution defines the rights people have and never mentions a corporation's rights... The whole system has been turned upon its head!
Under our political system our elected officials are suppose to serve us -- the people and our country, not the big money interests that have made sure that we now have the best politics that money can buy!
We need to get big money out of politics and restore our republic's intended democracy -- so-called "clean money" or public funded election systems have proven track records in states like Mane, Arizona, and others and have shown what successfully can be done. Google it for yourself and see... ;)
Stutzman; Don Bates Jr., a Richmond financial advisor; and Richard Behney, a Fishers businessman--all
Republicans. My oversight, not Dr. Vargus.'