I took a little break from blogging because I’ve been following up on something that just didn’t seem to make a lot of sense to me.  And the more I chased down the information, the more bizarre stuff I discovered.   Let me know what you think.

We all know the big news of this week was the release of the new legislative maps. Republicans have the majority in both chambers and so they drew the maps that will likely pass, with some tinkering around the edges.

A lot of us in the Indianapolis area have been looking at the new shape of the 7th Congressional District and the consensus is that is a lot more competitive than it used to be and under the right circumstances a Republican could have a decent shot at capturing the seat sense it includes the southern portions of Marion County that used to be in other Congressional districts and takes out the northern 25% of the County which was trending Democratic.    This assessment was also originally shared by Adam Kirsch, the Executive Director of the Marion County Democratic Party.

What left me scratching my head though, was the recent statement Kirsch and the Democrats put out saying the new 7th Congressional District is now even more Democratic than it used to be.  If everything is fine, why put out a statement?  If you’re not concerned about the new maps, why go out of your way to say you’re not?  Even Carson’s political hanger-on Wilson Allen, admitted the District is somewhat more competitive. There’s a Shakespeare line in here somewhere about someone protesting too much.

Like I said, I’ve been spending time trying to get a read on Kirsch’s thought process, since I am not one of his favorite people, and as crazy as this sounds this is what it keeps coming back to, Chairman Ed Treacy and Andre Carson hate each other and Treacy would like to see nothing more than Carson gone and someone he picks occupy that chair. I know, it sounds crazy.  But from the Democrats I’ve spoken to (and quite a few of them speak with me) Treacy’s logic is that saying the 7th will be a cakewalk, Andre and his supporters won’t work as hard and an energized GOP with new maps will sweep him out and then two years later, he will take the seat back.

Hey, I wasn’t ready to buy this one either.  But I did confirm the lack of love between these two individuals to the point where my very reliable sources have told me Treacy has referred to Carson with some not so nice epiteths that I won’t print on a family blog and Carson is just waiting to find someone with the political acumen to replace Treacy.

I know this all sounds totally insane.  And to my detractors, I can hear you right now “Abdul is just making stuff again”.  And I would be more than willing to agree with you.  However, I wasn’t expecting the Marion County Democrats to put out a news release stating the obvious unless there wasn’t something going on.  And I really wasn’t expecting to find out just how deep-seated the hatred and distrust is reportedly between the Marion County Democratic Chairman and the Congressman from the 7^th Congressional District.  Of course if that fight ever went public,  I’m putting my money on Andre to win that one.

Enjoy your weekend.

Indianapolis Public Schools say declining enrollment and state budget cuts are forcing them to layoff more than 370 teachers in order to save nearly $20 million.  While this may seem tragic, there’s something here that just doesn’t quite add up.

First of all, the total injustice and fundamental unfairness of teachers losing their jobs based on seniority and not experience is a crime in itself.  However what’s more bizarre is the fact while IPS is touting layoffs on one hand on the hand it’s advertising for jobs.

I’ve embedded the listings here on the blog so you can see them for yourself.  There are about 225 of  them.  What I can’t quite understand is that if IPS is laying off staff to save money, why is it advertising for openings?  Now this isn’t to say that every laid off teacher is qualified for every opening, but you would think that someone would be a little more honest when speaking to the public about the true state of its financial situation.

For example, IPS says it’s laying off five social workers, which will save about $354,000 in salaries and benefits.  However, in one of their most recent internal job postings, the school district has openings for three full-time social workers and two part-time social workers, that would cost about $284,000.  So in reality, the cut is only about $70,000.

If you are going to paint a picture of gloom and doom, make sure you use colors that match, because right now, it just doesn’t look right.

Indiana lawmakers are expected to take up the new legislative maps today, however House Democrats are asking for more time to review them.   In a letter to House Speaker Brian Bosma and Elections Committee Chairman State Representative Eric Koch, Democratic leader Pat Bauer and Ranking Member John Bartlett say today’s committee hearing and vote should be postponed so there can be more analysis of the new maps.

They also say there hasn’t been enough transparency in the process and they say the maps raise serious legal issues and they also point to what they claim are errors in public statements regarding the number of impacted lawmakers.  For example, it was originally stated the State Representatives Ed DeLaney and Greg Porter were drawn into the same district.  It was later discovered that State Representative John Day also lives in the district.    Republicans say they did not take incumbent addresses into account when they drew the maps and they don’t plan to take those addresses into account in any revisions.

No offense, but Democrats wouldn’t need more time if they hadn’t left the state for 30+ days.  Because of the walkout, the legislature came to a virtual standstill and now lawmakers are pressed for time to get everything done, including drawing new maps.  Asking for more time to review proposals is like the kid who killed his parents and is now asking for leniency because he’s an orphan.

Had Democrats not walked out or come back sooner (like when right to work was taken off the table) there would have been ample time to have these discussions about maps and lines.   And for that matter, I thought Democrats were working while they away, so you would have thought someone would have been keeping an eye on this issues.  Unfortunately, when you’re not at the table, there can’t be a discussion and there are only 16 days of  lawmaking left, so it is what it is.  Next time, stay put.   We’ll do this again in 10 years.

Okay, we’ve had a few hours to soak in the new legislative maps and like I stated in yesterday’s post, most Republicans are pretty content, Democrats, not so much.   Here’s a quick breakdown of who ended up in the same district.

Democrats

• Ed DeLaney and Greg Porter*
• Jeb Bardon and Vanessa Summers
• Chet Dobis and Vernon Smith

*DeLaney told my colleagues at RTV 6 that John Day is also in the District with he and Porter.  State Representative Eric Koch says incumbent addresses weren’t taken into account when the maps were drawn and they won’t be taken into account when revisions are made.

Republicans

• Jeff Espich and Dan Leonard
• Jud McMillin and Tom Knollman
• Don Lehe and Richard McClain

Democrats and Republicans

• Bruce Borders and Kreg Battles
• Bob Cherry and Scott Reske
• Tom Dermody and Nancy Dembowski
• Ralph Foley and Matt Pierce

There are eight new open seats.  By my estimate, six are in Republican–leaning areas while two are in more Democratic areas.

Two other interesting bits of news to come out of this was Indiana Democratic Chairman Dan Parker saying  in a radio interview that the party was keeping their options open, including a voting rights lawsuit, which would argue the new maps harm minority representation, something Republicans dispute.

In addition, Marion County Democratic Executive Director Adam Kirch said the 7^th Congressional District just got a lot more difficult for Democrats to hold on to since the entire district lies in Marion County and the top fourth of it, which includes the Democratic stronghold of Pike Township is now in the 5^th Congressional District.

Committee votes are expected this week.

When it comes to the new legislative maps unveiled in the Indiana General Assembly, the adage of where you sit depends on where you stand could not be truer statement.

Republicans say the maps are fair, compact and respect communities of interest.  Democrats say the maps are an overreach and designed to keep the GOP in power.   Regardless, the new maps are getting a lot of attention under the Statehouse.

On the Congressional level, the rorschach test shaped districts have given way to something more compact, although the north quarter of Marion County is now in the 5th District and the rest of the county is in the 7th.  Fourth District Congressman Todd Rokita, who lives in Marion County, will have to move a few blocks west since the 4th District is no longer in Indianapolis.  Rokita says he plans to run for re-election and has more than $375,000 in the bank to help make it happen.

A number of Indiana House members will find themselves running against each other.  Three Democratic and three Republican districts have incumbents running against each other.  Four will have an incumbent Republican and Democrat  running against each other.  And eight new districts will be created with no incumbent; which by the way as long as you were a resident for at least a year you can run for the Statehouse.  The GOP also says the new maps will withstand a voting rights challenge.   They may actually need it because Democratic Party chairman Dan Parker says he is leaving the option of filing suit to block the new maps on the table.

If you want to view the maps for yourself they are linked below.

Current Indiana Congressional Map.

Proposed Indiana Congressional Map.

Current Indiana State Senate Map.

Proposed Indiana State Senate Map.

Current Indiana House Map.

Proposed Indiana House Map.

To their credit, Indiana Senate Democrats put out their own map proposal.

There are lots of items to be on the lookout for this week.  Here are a few of the more interesting ones.

Expect new legislative maps to be unveiled, possibly as early as later this morning.  Both the Indiana House and Senate have put their maps together based on new census data.  Expect a new district or two in the Carmel-Fishers area which has grown like crazy, while consolidation in the Gary area due to population loss.  Frankly, I’ll be checking to see if two Democratic lawmakers from the South Bend area who reportedly live within three miles of each other end up having to run against each other in a primary next year.

Don’t be surprised if there are some major changes done to Republican State Senator Mike Delph’s illegal immigration bill.   A number of lawmakers have privately expressed concerns about a number of the provisions.  Delph has responded by softening it a bit.  Frankly, I think Indiana should go the Utah route and have tough provisions for illegal aliens who commit felonies, but also create a state worker permit program for those who are here and staying out of trouble and doing the work I have no intention of doing.

This will also be a big week for campaign finance disclosure reports.   The two races I’m keeping the closet eye on are the races for the U.S. Senate and Indianapolis Mayor.   Incumbent Dick Lugar has reportedly been a fundraising machine and challenger Richard Mourdock is expected to have a decent showing out of the gate and has been picking up some support from national tea partyesque groups.  In  the race for Mayor, it will be interesting to see which candidate gets closest to the $2 million mark.   Remember, it was a couple weeks ago Melina Kennedy reportedly told her fellow Democrats in a private meeting that the fundraising was going well.

And expect some interesting news to break regarding Marion County Judge Louis Rosenberg’s decision to order the Indiana Recount Commission to rehear the Democratic challenge to Charlie White’s eligibility to be Secretary of State.   I’ve picked up some  information bout some other things that went into the judge’s decision making process that should prove to be quite entertaining.  Definitely stay tuned for that one.

An local attorney Paul Ogden is looking for a few good school districts to sue the state of Indiana.  After having his claim dismissed in Marion County Court over the state asset forfeiture law, Ogden sent out a letter to the Indiana School Board Association asking if any school boards wanted to file suit to get money he believes should go to the Common School Fund and not to law enforcement.  We should know by the end of the week if anyone wants to take him up on his offer.  I have to give Paul credit, at least this time he’s using someone who potentially has a real dog in the fight and not his law partner as a plaintiff.

There are a few other things on the radar screen for now, but that’s all for now.

The campaign for Democratic Mayoral candidate Melina Kennedy has been forced to pull an Internet ad ad attacking incumbent Greg Ballard on job creation because the footage used violated federal copyright law.

The campaign used clips from an RTV 6 newscast of reporter Kara Kenny questioning the Mayor on job creation numbers and him walking away after a few minutes.   (Full disclosure, I work at 6 as a political analyst.) The campaign used the ad the imply the city’s job creation numbers were not accurate.  The ad appeared on both the campaign’s website and on the Indianapolis Star web’s page.

However, the campaign never got permission from RTV 6 to use the material which is copyrighted intellectual property.   Once notified by station management, the campaign tried to get permission after the fact, but was denied.  Under the “fair use” doctrine, there are times when you can use someone else’s copyrighted material, such as for teaching, research, scholarship, etc.  but not so much on political campaigns.

While the ad did have an effective element to it, I was surprised that no one decided to check the legality of using it before running with it; especially since the candidate is an attorney herself and this would fall under the category of  “things you learn during your first year as an attorney” and the campaign manager has experience with Organizing for America.

What’s also worth noting is that if someone at RTV 6 or the parent company McGraw-Hill really wanted to be a hard-nose about this they could sue the campaign for copyright infringement and also file criminal charges against them.   I’ve worked on a couple intellectual property cases before and if someone has a bug up their rear, it can be a real pain because the penalties are pretty stiff if you lose.

I guess now the campaign will know better for next time.

A Marion County Judge today said a Democratic challenge to Republican Secretary of State Charlie White’s eligibility to serve can go forward, however that challenge must be made with the Indiana Recount Commission.

Democrats say since White voted from his ex-wife’s address and did not live there, he was not a legally registered voter when he filed for Secretary of State and therefore should not have been on the ballot.  They say Vop Osili, the Democrat who lost, should get the position. That argument was dismissed by the Commission.   White has since then been criminally charged with several counts of voter fraud.

What makes all this interesting is that Secretary of State, White is the Chairman of the Recount Commission.  Conventional wisdom says he would recuse himself and a replacement would be picked by Eric Holcomb, the Chairman of the Indiana Republican Party.

There’s no word on how soon the Commission will hear the case, however Judge Rosenberg did say the matter should be resolved as soon as possible.  I’ve embedded the opinion below.

Judge Louis Rosenberg

But I told you so.   Once again, the proponents of a statewide smoking ban have become the poster children for the saying “we have met the enemy and he is us.”  After a decisive loss in the Indiana Senate Public Policy committee by an 8-1 vote Wednesday the Indiana Campaign for Smoke Free Air advocates say they will be back next year pushing for another total ban.

No offense guys, but you my want to try things a little differently next time.  For one thing you might want to try to be a little more reasonable, flexible and while you’re at it, try living in the real world.   I don’t where you actually came up with the idea that with the current ideological make-up of the Indiana General Assembly that you would be able to pass a smoking ban that included bars and taverns.

I know you might like to think that such a measure would pass, but it won’t.  In fact, the only reason that the measure got out of the Indiana House in the first place was with that exemption.  Do you really think that the bill would pass with that exemption taken out?  I know you guys don’t like tobacco, but if that’s the logic you’re using then obviously you’re smoking something else.

Look, being passionate about an issue is one thing, but you can’t let passion and emotion blind you to reality.  If you really want to make a difference, adopt the Marion County model; no smoking in places where you allow minors.  At that point, businesses, particularly restaurants will have to make a decision about whether they want to go smoke free.  For those that don’t go smoke free,  engage them one on one.  You may be surprised how many people you can convince if you put the zealotry on the shelf.

And even if people say no, get some smoke free matchboxes and lighters made advertising a number where people can quit.  Or here’s a thought, spend some money on advertising in the restrooms on the walls, you’ve got a captive audience.  And here’s another one, work with the bar and tavern owners to create a job board of places looking for help that are smoke free.  And put together a guide of all the smoke free establishments in various cities and towns and advertise it with the local media.

And most importantly, never attack the integrity of lawmakers; especially if you have to lobby them.  I spoke to a number of Democrats and Republicans who did not appreciate your attacks against Senator Ron Alting.  The quickest way to unite lawmakers is to go after one of their own.  And believe me, you have successfully done that.

There are a number of things smoke free advocates can do to reduce the number of people exposed to second hand smoke.   Frankly, all I want you people to do is stay away from my cigar bars and I’ll be more than happy to help you.  Remember fanaticism and extremism only work for suicide bombers and in the end, everything just ends up blowing up in their faces.