Rethinking Republican Redistricting: Republican Gerrymandering
December 18, 2009 · Leave a Comment
If you are like too many folks in the state you haven’t paid enough attention to the upcoming redistricting process our state will be going through in 2011 following the 2010 census.
If you have relied on The Indianapolis Star to feed you information on the topic, you are sorely undernourished. Last Sunday’s editorial page offered both sides of the issue: Republican Secretary of State Todd Rokita’s and the Republican President Pro Temp of the Senate, David Long’s. It’s like that scene in The Blues Brothers.
“What kinda music you usually play in here?”
“Oh we got both kinds: country and western.”
Thanks for the in-depth coverage Star. No wonder newspapers are going the way of the dodo and ash trees.
Basically, the difference between these two warring camps is that Senate Republican Mensheviks just want to pass legislation to gerrymander the state in favor of multi-decade Republican hegemony while the Bolsheviks in Rokita’s camp must have an amendment to the state constitution tying the hands of the legislature and creating an even more entrenched Republican oligarchy, all in the name of fairness.
Don’t get ALO wrong, this is not an argument against any and all forms of redistricting reform. There have been all sorts of positive redistricting proposals submitted over the years in our state, very rarely are they supported by Republicans unless it means they will receive an advantage.
That being the case and since there is a dearth of balanced information coming out about this and, we might add, nary a word being spoken from the Democrat side on this issue, ALO has decided to launch, in homage to Ball State’s own David Letterman, what else, a top ten list, as part of an ongoing series about redistricting entitled Rethinking Republican Redistricting.
It starts here:
10. Rokita and Republican Redistricting Proposals will Result in More Competitive Districts
In Mr. Rokita’s proposals he claims that in 2004 “47 percent of all races and 60 percent of state Senate races had no opponent.” We’ll take him at his word on this one. Yet, we see nothing in his proposal that would address this.
By simply saying you will “keep communities of interest together, following known community boundaries, compactness and eliminating the use of partisan data for gain” you do not increase competitiveness. In fact, you are more likely to exacerbate the situation.
First of all, what exactly are “communities of interest?” No one really knows. But this type of an effort will call on our state to define them.
According to noted NYU political scientist Justin Levitt in a paper for the Brennan Center for Justice, there are seventeen states that have defined a community of interest and each varies greatly.
While we are certain that Mr. Rokita knows what he thinks a community of interest is, it would certainly be interesting and perhaps terrifying to ask the Indiana General Assembly to create such a definition.
Another noted NYU professor Elizabeth OuYang explains that a “community of interest” exists where “residents share substantial cultural, economic, political,and social ties.”
Even if you like that definition, Ms. OuYang is not a member of the Indiana General Assembly and therefore is unlikely to have a hand in writing the definition for the state.
When he talks about following recognized community boundaries we will give Mr. Rokita the benefit of a doubt that he means township and county lines and city and town boundaries, but we know that many redistricters like to use for instance rail lines and the like. Ever heard the term, “from the wrong side of the tracks?”
But most importantly, these limits are likely to tie hands when attempting to create more competitive districts. Especially if you do not have past voting records to go by. NYU’s Mr. Levitt admits that, “it is very unlikely that you will create more districts that are competitive without analyzing political data.”
What does a community do ten years after they have been redistricted in this Rokita manner and they still have never seen the vote totals move. They still have seen no increase in competition. We hear no remedy being put forth by the Secretary or anyone else for that matter to remonstrate against a new district that is less fairly drawn. Except filing suit in court.
Simply saying your proposal is fairer, don’t, as the song says, necessarily make it so.
If Mr. Rokita is so alarmed at the fact that 60 percent of Senate districts were without a competitor, then why does he want the Senate districts to be the nests into which he will cram two House districts a piece into?
We will talk more about his beloved concept of “nesting” in a later installment, but suffice it to say, he isn’t really that concerned with creating more competitive districts as much as he is concerned with creating more districts that are competitive for Republicans. Why? So he can become a hero of the party and become the next gubernatorial standard bearer for the Republicans. Why else trot out a proposal you wont be around to see come to fruition except to stump it to every Lincoln Day Dinner you can?
It’s a racket and he is already known for those.
→ Leave a CommentCategories: 2011 Redistricting · Corruption · Cronyism · Indiana Democrats · Indiana Republican State Committee · Republican Gerrymandering Disguised · State Senator David Long · Todd Rokita
Disingenuous Daniels Gutting Education
December 16, 2009 · 1 Comment
dis·in·gen·u·ous // (d
s
n-j
n
y
-
s)adj.
1. Not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating: “an ambitious, disingenuous, philistine, and hypocritical operator, who … exemplified … the most disagreeable traits of his time” (David Cannadine).2. Pretending to be unaware or unsophisticated; faux-naïf.
A Loyal Opposition has been telling you for weeks that Governor Mitch Daniels intends to cut public education. For months he has dribbled out funding cuts always with the promise that he was doing everything he could to not cut education, but he has always known that he would have to cut education or dip into his surplus.
The governor hasn’t been forthcoming. He hasn’t told Hoosiers this from the start because he wants Hoosiers to think it is his last resort and that he had no intention of ever cutting education. He has put together this slow movement towards what he knew was inevitable so he could make it look like his hands were tied even when he has long been a proponent of getting the state out of the business of schooling.
In today’s Indianapolis Star he continues to pump out his party line:
Schools must slash spending by at least 3 percent — about $300 million statewide — under emergency budget cuts that Gov. Mitch Daniels called a necessary “last resort.”
The State Board of Education will meet Thursday, and Daniels said he wants recommendations on his desk by Friday on how to make the cuts without laying off classroom teachers or increasing class sizes.
The governor said the decision was forced by continued shortfalls in state tax collections and a new revenue forecast, delivered just before his announcement Tuesday, that projects Indiana will take in $1.8 billion less in revenue during the next year than expected only six months ago.
Without spending cuts to match it, that lost revenue will eliminate the state’s surplus, projected to be $1 billion at the end of the two-year $27.6 billion budget passed in June.
“We have already cut state agencies by 20 percent and higher education by 6 percent. We are now forced to our last resort,” Daniels said. “K-12 spending is half the entire state budget, and it will have to contribute something to keeping us in the black.”
He said schools will need to cut a minimum of $300 million, and probably more.
He suggested schools consider joining the state’s health insurance program, procurement contracts for buying supplies — and foregoing teacher pay increases.
Every time there is a crisis, privatization Republicans like Daniels and Superintendent Tony Bennett view it as an opportunity to defund public education and shift public resources toward private schools. At the same time as he is about to cut an enormous amount of funding out of public education, which, contrary to his rhetoric, is not likely without firing teachers, he is still pushing for a tax break for private schools. The blog for the right-wing Heritage Foundation practically drools over the possibility:
Hoosier State Governor Mitch Daniels included a $5 million school choice tax credit program in his budget, which will be considered in the state legislature’s special session. According to The Brazil Times:
Facing a large state budget deficit, some may be wondering why Governor Daniels would be supporting providing a new tax break.
Make no mistake, this governor has always wanted to move state government out of public education. He has always adhered to the philosophy that public education is some type of negative indoctrination in which the state should have no part.
Now he, along with his handpicked anti-teacher Superintendent, is using the economic meltdown to make Indiana schools worse by increasing class sizes and lowering teacher accreditation requirements in order to force more parents to choose a private school and continue the snowballing of our public education system.
He knew this would happen when he took advantage of teabagger rage to cap property taxes and now seeks to permanently tie state governments hands by making it a permanent constitutional provision.
His lapdog Secretary of State Todd Rokita is so extremely enamored with attacking teachers that he will prosecute the Indiana State Teacher’s Association for minor non-criminal misconduct while offering little to no oversight as Republican uber-contributor Tim Durham robs people blind with Ponzi schemes.
This is the anti-teacher, anti-student cabal that has teed Indiana public education up and is now swinging for trees. If they go unchecked they will set-up decades worth of ruined schools in order to promote their radical war on middle and lower-income kids.
And he gets to do it all while saying he doesn’t want to but his hands are tied.
This is a disingenuous man.
→ 1 CommentCategories: Corruption · Cronyism · Defunding Public Education · Education · Indiana Governor · Mitch Daniels · Ponzi Scheme · Privatization & Cronyism · Teabaggers · Tim Durham · Todd Rokita · Tony Bennett
Indiana AFL-CIO Elects Youngest and First Woman President
December 15, 2009 · Leave a Comment
The Indiana AFL-CIO elected new leadership to fill the seat of the retiring labor legend Ken Zeller. Nancy Guyott is a hard-working and smart protector of labor interests and was a labor “go-to” for the Evan Bayh and Frank O’Bannon Administrations. The release is as follows:
NANCY GUYOTT ELECTED PRESIDENT OF INDIANA STATE AFL-CIO;
BREEDLOVE RE-ELECTED SECRETARY TREASURER
Guyott becomes first woman, youngest person to lead organization since the 1960s
INDIANAPOLIS – Today the Indiana State AFL-CIO announced that Nancy Guyott has been elected its new president and Joe Breedlove has been re-elected as its secretary-treasurer.
Guyott makes history by becoming the first women, and, at age 41, the youngest person in nearly fifty years, to lead the labor organization. She was unanimously elected at the AFL-CIO’s state convention to replace retiring president Ken Zeller. Guyott is now one of only the six women in the nation to head a state AFL-CIO.
The Indiana State AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) is a federation of 800 local unions across the state belonging to 50 International Unions. In total, the Indiana State AFL-CIO represents more than 300,000 working Hoosiers
“I am honored to have been elected by my union brothers and sisters to serve in this capacity, and am ready for the many challenges that lay ahead,” said Guyott. “With so many people out of work, with so many families struggling to make it and with so many challenges facing our state and country it’s more important than ever that working Hoosiers have a strong voice in the discussion, and that’s what Joe and I are committed to providing.”
“From the national debate on health care, to the debate in the Indiana Statehouse over unemployment insurance, to discussions in local communities with private business over workplace conditions and fair wages, we will be there to stand up for the working men and women of this state.”
Prior to her election, Guyott served as the AFL-CIO’s counsel for five years. She also spent 12 years working in various capacities within the Indiana Department of Labor including serving as its commissioner from 2003 to 2005. A member of the United Steelworkers (USW) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Guyott is a graduate of Harvard College and earned her law degree from Indiana University Bloomington.
Breedlove, who was first elected secretary-treasurer in 2003, began his career as an apprentice lineman in 1977 for the Boone County REMC, studied as an apprentice with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 481, served as journeyman wireman and foreman and as the business representative and referral agent for that local. Joe is a graduate of Antioch University.
“On behalf of all the men and women of the AFL-CIO, Joe and I also want to thank Ken Zeller for his years of service,” added Guyott. “He has been a real champion of working people and we cannot thank him enough for all he has done for this organization and for working people in Indiana.”
Zeller was first elected as President of the Indiana State AFL-CIO in 1997. Prior to his elected he served from 1989 to 1997 as the Commissioner of the Indiana Department Labor under both Governors Evan Bayh and Frank O’Bannon. Zeller also worked as a member of the Mine Workers and the USW, where he served as president of USW Local 12775.
Guyott and Breedlove assume their positions immediately.
For more information on please visit www.in.aflcio.org or call 1-800-638-1217.
→ Leave a CommentCategories: AFL-CIO · Indiana Democrats · Ken Zeller · Labor Unions · Nancy Guyett
Sign Up to Receive Our Free e-Newsletter
December 11, 2009 · Leave a Comment
A Loyal Opposition offers a free bi-weekly e-newsletter that you can subscribe to right away. To sign-up click here.
Thanks.
→ Leave a CommentCategories: Uncategorized
Voorhies Knows How to Win House Seat 92
December 11, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Brett Voorhies can recite from memory the boundaries of Indiana House District 92. “It encompasses almost the entire town of Speedway, except for the shopping center, and then,” Voorhies relates his home stomping grounds, Morris Street up to High School Road and Lynhurst and then it gerrymanders around and includes The Indianapolis Motor Speedway” It’s apparent he knows the district.
“I grew up there. I’m born and raised in Speedway, Indiana, pretty much all my life.”
“I know the people I know how they think and what they want for their families, especially for their children. That’s what has forced me to run for this seat. My community was so good to me growing up and now I see some of what’s important slipping away and the current representative just isn’t getting the job done.”
That current representative is Phil Hinkle who has held the seat since 2000. Hinkle won the seat in 2008 with 55% of the vote. So why does Voorhies want in this race?
“I’ve always agreed with that phrase, ‘if you don’t vote, don’t bitch’ but I’m taking that a step further. I’m not going to bitch, I’m going to get in there and make things happen.
Brett’s thought about running for this seat before but he has been busy fighting the good fight with the United Steelworkers where he’s worked for 17 years and is presently the region’s Legislative and Political Coordinator. He’s been busy helping make Barack Obama President and fighting for legislative and congressional candidates around the Midwest. But now he has turned to a race that is personal.
“Yeah, I’ve tested it out. I’ve studied it and talked with a lot of the leaders in that community, including Republicans, Democrats and independents who have agreed that it’s time for a change there.”
He got a lot of encouragement and over and over he heard how education is a sticking point for people thinking about this race. People in the district are worried that public education is unimportant to the legislature and Mr. Hinkle.
“Last session the Democrat’s original budget would have increased education funding by 4.5% in 2010 and another 4% in 2011. Hinkle voted against that and worked against that behind the scenes. The final budget held the funding close to unchanged from 2009.
“He hasn’t really stood up for much of anything that is important to that community. It’s a very blue-collar district but time and time again he’s just votes right on the lines with Mitch Daniels. Everything the Governor wants. Whether it be labor issues, or environmental issues, whatever the case is he just votes for what the Governor wants and you just can’t do that.
I’m a Democrat, but I’m an issues person. I vote my conscience. There might be some Democrats that might not like some of my votes, but I’m going to vote my conscience because I like to sleep at night. That’s what people put you in there to do.”
“I’m not your regular state house candidate. I’ve worked in a factory. I’ve worked hard for labor issues. I know what work is and I know how working people are affected by politicians.”
He learned about work and politics from his father Bob Voorhies who served for more than twenty years as the president of the Central Indiana AFL-CIO. Bob taught Brett about the nuts and bolts of campaigns and people and why they were important.
“Dad took me to the first phone bank I ever saw when I was five years old.”
Voorhies enters into some of what will likely be his stump speech as he points out some of Hinkle’s hypocritical rhetoric. “He talks about being anti-tax and tax increase but he works for Wayne Township schools and who pays for that? The taxpayers pay for it. He’s paid to be a representative and who pays for that? The taxpayers pay for that. He talks out of both sides of his mouth.
“He’d rather throw out that anti-tax stump talk and make silly jokes about the Speaker’s hair than talk about real issues and discuss what is of value to taxpayers what they should actually see in return for the taxes they pay.”
This seat is seen as a very Republican seat, but Voorhies sees an opportunity.
“There is no good track record for Democrats in this seat. This was drawn to be a Republican seat. Hinkle’s never had too serious a challenger before.”
But Voorhies sees signs of hope in the district.
“You’ve got Obama who took 54% in the district. Linda Pence (Democrat Attorney General Candidate in ’08) took 48.9% in the district. Richard Wood (Democrat Education Superintendent Candidate in ’08) lost the district by just 600 votes. The numbers are there. It’s just going to take a lot of hard work and money and I’m going to be able to raise the money and have the friends to work it with me. It takes work, that’s why I’m already knocking on doors.”
Voorhies expects to report some pretty substantial fundraising at the beginning of the year and if the turn out for his December fundraiser was any hint of things to come, he has a lot of friends looking to back him.
“I don’t expect the Caucus or labor just to go ahead and throw resources at my campaign because they all know me. They may never get too involved just from the past performance in the district. I hope they do. So I’ve got to perform on my own. I’ve got to move this campaign along on my own before they consider helping. And that’s fine. That’s what we’re doing.”
While he understands the reality of the seat lacking a good Democrat performance record he knows it is a winnable race and is beginning to note some signs of restlessness in the other camp.
“I’ve met with several prominent Republicans in Speedway. There’s a lot of redevelopment going on there but Hinkle has not been much of a help with it. Will he likely do something for them six months before the election? Probably, but you can see some dissatisfaction in that Republican stronghold right now. Some folks are just getting fed-up with him.”
That said Voorhies goes on to discuss, Governor Daniels’ active recruitment of a core group of candidates whose fundraising the Governor intends to match four-to-one.
“The Governor’s going to work hard on these races. He wants a majority so he can act with impunity for the last two years of his tenure and it is a redistricting year. He would like to redraw the districts so it’s nearly impossible for Democrats to win a majority for the next decade.
“That’s what (Secretary-of-State) Rokita’s whole redistricting push is all about. These guys are looking to make Republicans go unchallenged in this state for years to come at the polls and in the statehouse. Then what can they do to public education? Then what sweetheart privatization contracts can they roll out?”
Voorhies is enjoying the campaign. It is obvious that there is part of him that was born to campaign.
“I’ve been doing this my whole life whether it’s been on the presidential level or the city-council level. And I was raised right by my dad. I know what it takes to be competitive and to win. And after that I know what it takes to be accountable after I get elected. It’s looking after the people’s interests. It’s not just doing your retail politics thing like Hinkle does and being a rubber stamp.”
“I look forward to this. It’s just starting to get interesting.”
Learn more about Brett Voorhies and his campaign at http://brettvoorhies.com.
→ Leave a CommentCategories: Uncategorized
Rokita Pay-to-Play Scam Even Bigger and More Wasteful Than Imagined
December 11, 2009 · 1 Comment
Back in October A Loyal Opposition posted a Fort Wayne Journal Gazette report on Secretary of State Todd Rokita’s use of public funds and contracts to bolster the donations to his campaign, presumably for Governor in 2012.
Now, ALO has found some even larger donations from contributors who hold even larger contracts.
It seems that Rokita has exponentially expanded the statewide voter file project into a nearly $26 million project to two firms Quest Information Systems who handled campaign finance and voter registration data for years for the state and added an oversight firm called Baker Tilly (formerly Virchow Krause) to this ever growing contract.
Baker Tilly is especially interesting here as they seem to be the Dick Cheney of the cabal. Originally they were brought on to the contract in 2003 just to help review the request for proposals. In Cheneyesque style, they wrote themselves in to a permanent role as a partner with Quest in the project.
Thusly, Baker Tilly ballooned their one year/$900,000 contract to eight years and more than $8 million.
Quest Information Systems has grown their part of the project from $9.7 million to $17 million 5 years and 26 amendments later.
It is questionable enough when this project, like Governor Daniels FSSA privatization efforts, just seems to keep getting more expensive with no end in sight. But the fund-raising trail is the really bothersome part.
Between the two vendors the rascally Mr. Rokita has bettered his campaign committee by more than $23,000. Quest Information Systems, has contributed nearly $17,000 to Rokita’s election committee, with another $500 donated by Quest founder, President and CEO Steve McNear who has lots of other state contracts and has contributed more than $10,000 to Governor Daniels.
Mr. John Runte, listed as a Partner and Principal on Baker Tilly’s website has generously rewarded Rokita the Rapscallion’s bloating of their contract with $6,000 in campaign contributions.
The “no-bid” nature of this Baker Tilly contract is also to be questioned. The original contract was to review the RFP. But they were added to the project without becoming a separate bidder and have had this contract renewed 17 times without the state taking it out for further competitive bidding.
The original contract awarded to both firms in 2004 was for a total of $9.7 million. Some 43 amendments later, it totals $26 million dollars.
Rokita continues to use this “Pay-to-Play” scheme to his advantage. But one must ask why he wouldn’t. It has certainly proven itself advantageous to Governor Daniels. He’s just following in those footsteps.
Whatever you think of the campaign loot, one must wonder about the Secretary’s fiscal management skills when this project just continues to cost more and add amendments.
→ 1 CommentCategories: Baker Tilly · Corruption · Cronyism · Fundraising Trail · Indiana Governor · John Runte · Mitch Daniels · Privatization & Cronyism · Quest Information Systems · Steve McNear · Todd Rokita
We Encourage You To Support Reach for Youth
December 8, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Please Vote for Reach For Youth, Inc. aka Southside Youth Council! It just takes a few minutes……..and then recruit all of your friends to vote too!
Reach for Youth is a key resource for families, schools, the Juvenile Justice System, and other community agencies serving youth. We provide counseling, intervention, prevention and volunteer programs that create opportunities for youth in Central Indiana
Reach for Youth, Inc. works with youth under the age of 18 to seek prevention and intervention alternatives to risky behavior through a variety of counseling and Teen Court programs.
This is a great organization and a United Way affiliated charity offering behavioral counseling services for at-risk youth and their families. Thousands of kids have been put on the right track since their founding nearly 30 years ago. We at A Loyal Opposition encourage your support.
→ Leave a CommentCategories: Helping Kids · Reach for Youth
s
n
y
-
s)adj.






