Wednesday Wire
Here are some little things to report this morning. I’ll be at the Statehouse later with more updates…
- City officials say they may be able to save a couple million in interest payments on Lucas Oil Stadium due to refinancing which can help them get a little closer to plugging the $43 million operational deficit.
- Ed Coleman’s defection to the Libertarian party is drawing a muted public response from the Marion County GOP, however some Councilors are saying privately that Coleman is not telling the entire story about his defection and it was more about his ego than his political philosophy. There is no Republican consensus yet on how to deal with Coleman. Some members of the GOP say he should be stripped of his committee assignments. Others say he should be left alone and ignored and an additional GOP member added to those committees.
- If the Smoke Free Indy people are trying to play the intimidation game, they are doing it horribly. One local bar owner told me he received several phone calls yesterday from people asking if his bar was smoke free? He told them “yes” and they told him they would not be patronizing his establishment. However the bar owner’s establishment was in a working class neighborhood and the “callers” were clearly from more upscale parts of town who would be the last people to frequent his establishment regardless of whether it was smoking.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:37 am
More about his ego than his political philosophy?
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That is the funniest statement so far this year.
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One, for local politicians, one could cynically posit that it’s ALWAYS the ego, not the political philosophy.
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Two, the Republican party was always at its strongest when it welcomed different points of view. As the party devolves into a “either you’re with us, or against us” philosophy, it will find itself marginalized (again) over the long term. For those insiders who wield the whip it must seem like everything is fine, but there must be an undercurrent swirling about, enough to cause Councilman Coleman to bolt for the Libertarians.
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Now, the local Libertarians have a chance to show the citizenry that they can be the model of public service, if the Republicans start acting like a four year-old who isn’t winning anymore and picks up his toys and stomps home.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Wouldn’t the Smoke Free Indy people go to smoke free places? This post does not make any sense. Not sure who is making these calls or which bar is claiming they are made but I doubt it’s the Smoke Free Indy people. They are about education not intimidation, not that this supposed intimidation is logical.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Varan,
I couldn’t agree more. The Marion County GOP needs to wake up and stop this notion that everyone has to agree with leadership on every issue or they should be ostracized. Hello. Republicans have a 44% baseline (my estimate)in the county. They can’t afford to be playing this heavy-handed games Republicans played when they were solidly in the majority.
I also agree that Coleman isn’t an isolated example. There is an undercurrent of unhappiness with the direction of the Republican administration and some of the heavy-handed tactics toward Republican councilors who don’t walk in lockstep with everything the Mayor’s people want.
The fact that Republcians would actually strip Coleman of his committee assignments shows arrogance has overtaken common sense. They have a small majority on the council. Do they really want to tick off the guy that could be the deciding vote on many issues?
I think Coleman should have stayed in the Repubican Party and been a leader against the terrible direction the county GOP is currently going in. But I recognize there is an argument that the GOP is never going to change and that being a Libertarian gives him more freedom to do and say the things he should have been able to as a Republican.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:20 am
Abdul: Give it a break? You are so predictable, and you have obviously been purchased!
February 18th, 2009 at 9:21 am
In this new political era of transparency, can’t we find out how much the Smoke Free people are paid? The tactics they use and the way they act makes it seem like there is a lot more than just health as their motivation.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:28 am
I for one don’t care what party someone aligns themselves with, as long as they have the their constituents best interest in mind. IE. Someone needs to expose the CIB/Mayors Office/CCC actions. If it takes stepping out of line, then so be it, just follow through…..the taxpayers deserve answers.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:08 am
I gotta defend my buddy Abdul here… If he were purchased, he wouldn’t be driving that crappy Mitsubishi…
As a former GOPer, and now a libertarian… I can tell you that if you try to have any sort of ego, the media, Democrats, and Republicans strip that of you pretty quickly, lol. As soon as I announced, the taunting, smirking, and joking began.
On another blog, the Smoke Free people were complaining about the competition being funded by BIG Tobacco… Aren’t the Smoke Free Indy people funded by the FORCED big tobacco settlement and local department of healths? I.E. tax dollars? Doesn’t that mean they should be held accountable when they do stupid things like harassing bar owners for earning a living?
February 18th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Yep, and anytime someone steps outside the stupid little box the (controllers benefit by keeping us in), the person who courageous steps out is always immediatlely labeled by the cowards and sheeple inside the box with one or more of the following:
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“insane”
“egomaniac”
“narsicissitic”
“mental disorder”
“malcontent”
…etc.
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I got a lot of experience in this area. There’s a lot more space and freedom when one steps out of the box.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
By the way, I was taught this method of controlling masses in a 101 IUPUI sociology class. It’s what people who HERD do. HERDS don’t lead. They are the cowards.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
And by the way, back when I was INSIDE the box, I did not accomplish squat.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
As long as Coleman represents his constituents’ concerns and votes for what THEY want, that is the most honest thing to do, regardless of political consequences.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
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February 18th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Ed Coleman leading the GOP is the last thing they need. Ed is a bit of a blowhard and I can see this being about his ego. However, I’ll take him at his word and leave it at that.
So how does a republican become a libertarian? Does it start with dispensing of the fight to protect the unborn? Just curious.