How Bosma created his power base - Howey Politics€¦ · here,” Bosma said at the end of a...
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ursday, March 12, 2020 V25, N25 speaker for an unprecedented decade. His first stint as speaker lasted a mere two years, “I think there’s a good chance this will prove manageable, that it won’t be a cataclysmic global event. We can’t be sure of that yet. It may not quite be of the Y2K variety, but it may not be 1918, either.” - Purdue President Mitch Daniels, to HPI on the coronavirus How Bosma created his power base In his farewell, he urged colleagues to think a decade in advance, which is what he did in 2010 By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – Speaking in the well of the Indiana House just after he had passed the gavel to Speaker Todd Huston, Brian Bosma reflected on one of the key elements of his record tenure. “We have to have a long-term vision here,” Bosma said at the end of a historic 12 years as speaker, including the last 10. “We each need to think a decade away.” He was speaking from experi- ence. While Republicans have held the Indiana Senate for all but two years (1974-76) in the past half century, the Indiana House had swung back and forth between Republicans and Democrats regularly (along with two 50/50 splits), until 2010. Bosma was instrumental in the creation of the super majority House, and he held it as Trumpian whiplash By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS — This has become the whiplash era of American politics. The punditry class was chastened in 2016. Howey Politics Indiana put out a “blue tsunami warning” that June, only to see it swing wildly the other way resulting in Donald Trump’s stunning upset of Hillary Clinton. But Political Science 101 teaches us that no two election cycles are the same, particularly in consecutive fashion. Now think about where the 2020 presidential race was a month ago: President Trump was acquitted in the Senate impeach- ment trial and his approval ap- proached the 50% mark that had eluded him for most of his first Continued on page 3 House Minority Leader Brian Bosma on Election Night 2010, when the GOP recaptured the Indiana House, igniting the reforms of Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Transcript of How Bosma created his power base - Howey Politics€¦ · here,” Bosma said at the end of a...
Thursday, March 12, 2020V25, N25
speaker for an unprecedented decade. Hisfirststintasspeakerlastedameretwoyears,
“I think there’s a good chance this will prove manageable, that it won’t be a cataclysmic global event. We can’t be sure of that yet. It may not quite be of the Y2K variety, but it may not be 1918, either.” - Purdue President Mitch Daniels, to HPI on the coronavirus
How Bosma created his power baseIn his farewell, he urgedcolleagues to think a decade in advance, whichis what he did in 2010By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – Speaking in thewelloftheIndianaHousejustafterhehadpassedthegaveltoSpeakerToddHuston,BrianBosmareflectedononeofthekeyelementsofhisrecordtenure.“Wehavetohavealong-termvisionhere,”Bosmasaidattheendofahistoric12yearsasspeaker,includingthelast10.“Weeachneedtothinkadecadeaway.” Hewasspeakingfromexperi-ence.WhileRepublicanshaveheldtheIndianaSenateforallbuttwoyears(1974-76)inthepasthalfcentury,theIndianaHousehadswungbackandforthbetweenRepublicansandDemocratsregularly(alongwithtwo50/50splits),until2010.BosmawasinstrumentalinthecreationofthesupermajorityHouse,andhehelditas
Trumpian whiplashBy BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS—ThishasbecomethewhiplasheraofAmericanpolitics. Thepunditryclasswaschastenedin2016.HoweyPoliticsIndianaputouta“bluetsunamiwarning”thatJune,onlytoseeitswingwildlytheotherwayresultinginDonaldTrump’sstunningupsetofHillaryClinton.But
PoliticalScience101teachesusthatnotwoelectioncyclesarethesame,particularlyinconsecutivefashion. Nowthinkaboutwherethe2020presidentialracewasamonthago:PresidentTrumpwasacquittedintheSenateimpeach-menttrialandhisapprovalap-proachedthe50%markthathadeludedhimformostofhisfirst
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House Minority Leader Brian Bosma on Election Night 2010, when the GOP recaptured the Indiana House, igniting the reforms of Gov. Mitch Daniels.
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term.Hisreelectionchancesweregreatlyenhanced.PeteButtigiegwontheIowadelegatebattle,andcamewithinawhiskerofupsettingBernieSandersinNewHampshire.ButBer-nie’swinthereignitedthenotionthatTrump’sriskofimpeachmenttoslimeJoeBidenhadhandsomelypaidoff,settinguphisdreamNovembershow-downwithanavowedSocialist.WithJoeBiden’sapparentdemise,Trumpv.Sandersappearedtobeafaitaccom-pli. Sincethen,we’vewatchedthecoronavirusswarmacrosstheglobeandintotheAmericanpsyche.PresidentTrump’sresponsehasbeenabysmal,crystalizedinhisvisitlatelastweektotheCenterforDiseaseControlwhereheasked,“Whowouldhavethought?Whowouldhavethoughtwewouldevenbehavingthesubject?” AskIndianaHealthCom-missionerKristinaBoxorGov.EricHolcombiftheyhadeverponderedamicrobe-inducedpandemichere. The day beforehisCDCtriptoAtlanta,PresidentTrumpsaidofthepandemic,“It’sgoingtodisap-pear.Onedayit’slikeamiracle,itwilldisappear.We’llseewhathappens.Nobodyreallyknows.” ByMonday,TomBossert,whohandledthepandemicportfoliofortheNationalSecurityCouncilbeforePresi-dentTrumpfiredanddidn’treplace
him,describeda“tipoftheiceberg”scenarioinaWashingtonPostop-ed:“Themostusefulcomparisonnowistoafirethatthreatenstoburnoutofcontrol.Itisonewecanstillcontain,evenextinguish–ifweact.Schoolclosures,isolationofthesick,homequarantinesofthosewhohavecomeintocontactwiththesick,socialdis-tancing,teleworkandlarge-gatheringcancellationsmustbeimplementedbeforethespreadofthediseaseinanycommunityreaches1%.Afterthat,sciencetellsus,theseinterven-tionsbecomefarlesseffective.Ifwefailtotakeaction,wewillwatchourhealth-caresystembeoverwhelmed.” Faced with aTrumpv.Sandersshoutingmatch,votersre-sponded.AfterRep.JamesClyburn’sclarionendorsementandthepresi-dentialfieldmoderatesofButtigieg,KlobucharandBloombergcoalescingaroundJoeBiden,anunprecedentedturnofeventsoccurred.ThoughBiden’s“NoMalarkey”campaignwasrunningonfinancialfumes,withvirtuallynofieldofficesandatinyadvertisingbudget,heranthetableuptoColoradoandCalifornia,whereathirdofthevotepre-datedthepandemicandveeprevival.HesweptswingstatesVirginiaandNorthCarolina,theDeepSouth,Texas,Minnesota,MassachusettsandnowMissouriandMichigan.Atthiswrit-ingitwasBidenwhopossessedthe
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President Trump at the Centers for Disease Control last Friday, where he wondered how anyone could have anticipated a pandemic.
insurmountabledelegatelead. AndtelltalesareemergingthatBidenv.Trumpwon’tbethenail-biterthatconventionalwisdomen-visioned.IfBidencanavoidahealthemergency,keephismalapropismstoacuteminimum,andchoosearunningmatethatenhanceshiselect-ability,Trumpcontinueshisunempa-theticapproachtothepandemic,theNovembershowdownmaynotevenbeclose. In Tuesday’s Missouri pri-mary,whitemenwithcollegedegreesswung55%awayfromSanders.AccordingtoCNNexitpolls,SandersdefeatedHillaryClinton64%-36%in2016.OnTuesday,Bidenwonthatdemographic60%to33%.AsthePoliticalWire’sTaeganGoddardobserved,“That’sprettysolidevi-dencethatasignificantamountofBernieSanders’supportfouryearsagowasmoreanti-Hillarythanpro-Bernie.” AsI’vebeenstatingsince2016,SandersandTrumparefueledbythesamesetofgrievances.AndasI’vestatedatthebeginningofthe2020cycle,Trumpwon’thaveHillaryClintontokickaroundanymore. TimAlbertareportedforPolitico:“Twothingshap-penedonTuesdayinMichigan.First,Democraticturnoutexploded.Second,Bidenperformedfarbetterwithkeyde-mographicgroupsthanClintondidfouryearsago.IfeitheroneofthosethingshappensinNovember,Trumpwillhaveadifficulttimewinningthestateagain.Ifboththingshap-pen,thepresidentcankissMichigan’s16electoralvotesgoodbye–andwiththem,morethanlikely,theelectoralvotesofWisconsinandPennsylvania.” “Thebigtakeawayfromtheday’sbigprize,Michi-gan,isn’tthatBidenisaspectacularcandidate,”Albertaexplained.“Thebigtakeawayisthathedoesn’tneedto
be.” Anothercaseinpoint:Sand-ersupsetHillaryinMichiganin2016;Tuesday,hedidn’tcarryasinglecountyagainstBiden.TurnoutintheTexasDemocraticprimarywasdescribedas“staggeringlyhigh”withlonglinesatpolls. Anecdotally,IandpeopleIknowhavebeenapproachedby2016Trumpvoters.Theconversationoftengoeslikethis:“IvotedforDonaldTrumpbecauseIjustcouldn’tvoteforHillaryClinton.Annnnnd I thought that voting for TrumpwouldbegoodfordrainingtheWashingtonswamp.NowI’mhaving
buyer’sremorse.Whatdoyouthink?” Sadly,wenowfaceanengulfingpandemic.TheTrumpadministration’sdecisionnottoaccepttheWorldHealthOrganization’scoronavirustesthasmystifiedandinfuriatedAmericangovernors.TestsremainelusivehereinIndiana.Universities,schools,basketballtournaments,theNBAschedulesuspension,andpoliticalralliesarebeingcancelled.ThebearshavemovedintoWallStreet,stok-ingrecessionanxietyafteran11-yearbullrunandwerenotreassuredbyPresidentTrump’sprimetimespeechlastnightthatfocusedonkeepingtheforeigncontagionout,asopposedtowidespreadtestingwithin. Fear, once Trump’s tool of choice, isnowinducedwithinthepopulationinawaypoliooncedidmorethanahalfcenturyago. WhathasbecomepainfullyevidentisthatPresi-dentTrumpiswoefullyunpreparedforhisfirstnon-self-inflictedcrisis.Thisisnottosaythatincredibleeventsandfatewon’twhip-lashthebodypoliticonceagainbeforethiscyclerunsitscourse.Butwefindourselvesinavastlydifferentplacethanwewereamonthago.v
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Joe Biden campaigning in Michigan this past week. He carried all 88 counties in a state Bernie Sanders carried against Hillary Clinton
Bosma, from page 1
from2004throughthe2006election,thatservedasareferendumonnotonlytheIraqWarnationally,butonthepassageofDaylightSavingTimeandGov.MitchDaniels’tollroadleaseviahisMajorMovesprogram.In2004,Bosmahelpedcreatethe52-48GOPmajoritythatallowedBosmatoreplaceDemocraticSpeakerB.PatrickBauer,withthedefeatofDemocratsMarktLytle,AlanChowning,JohnFrenzandRonHerrellwhileusingtheKarlRove-inspiredanti-gay-marriageissue. IftherewasapoliticalfailinginGov.Daniels’ten-ure,itwashisinabilitytopullaRepublicanHousemajoritywithhis58%landslidereelectionvictoryoverDemocratJillLongThompsonin2008.ThatwastheyearBarackObamabecamethefirstDemocrattocarryIndiana’s11ElectoralCollegevotessince1964andDemocratswereabletopickoffReps.AndyThomasandJonElrodinadowntown
Indianapolisdistrict Thatsetthestageforwhatbecamethetransfor-mative2010election,whenanucleusofSusanEllsper-mann,MikeKarickhoff,KevinMahan,CindyKirchhofer,MattUbelhor,JimBairdandRebeccaKubackihelpedforgea60-40majority. WhileSenatePresidentsProTemRobertGartonandthenDavidLonghadrulingtenuresmeasuredindecades(Gartonfrom1980to2006;Longfrom2006to2018),Daniels,deputychiefofstaffEricHolcombandBosmacreatedwhatwouldeventuallybecomethesupermajorityHousein2010.Itwassolidifiedbythe2012(in-cludingthearrivalofToddHuston)and2014electionsthatcrossedthesupermajoritythreshold. Actually,Bosmabeganlayingthepoliticalground-workforasystemicapproachafterhebecameHouseminorityleaderbackin2001.“Startingin2002,therewasn’tacyclewherehedidn’thaveanagenda,”explained
MikeGentry,whoheadstheHouseRepublicanCampaignCommitteeandtheMarkItRedconsultinggroup.“Healwayshadanagendathathewouldtakeintothecycleandthenthatwouldbecomethecaucuspolicyagenda.” BosmatraveledtoFlorida,PennsylvaniaandIowawherehepickedthebrainsofRepublicanspeak-ers.Hethentraveledextensivelyacrossthestate,recruitingcandidates,oftenintheirlivingroomsandkitch-ens.Hewouldenlistthehelpofotherlocalelectedofficials,andafterGov.Danielstookoffice,hadhelpfromabove.OnarecenttriptoLakeCounty,Bosmanotedthathehadbeenthereover90times. “Weusedallthatbenchmark-inginformationtocreateasystem,”saidGentry.“Wefocused–withlimitedresourceswiththeDemocrat-drawnmaps–onwherewecouldwin.Wewouldsay,‘Theseareseatswethoughtwecouldwin’,andthenmusteredresources.ItwasbecauseofBriansettingoutearlyontoputtogetherasystem,thenhavinganagendathatpushedIndianaforward.” “Hewasfocused,”Gentrysaid. BosmaworkedevenhardertodevelopthisenduringHouseGOPmajority.Gov.MitchDanielsformedtheAimingHigherPACthatpumpedmorethan$1millionintoHouseracesduringthe2010cycle.Daniels,Bosma,HolcombandtheHoosiersforEco-nomicGrowthPACbeganrecruitingtheclassof2010(whichalsoincludedtheunsuccessfulcampaignsofcur-rentRepublicanChairmanKyleHupfer,andformerDLGFCommissionerCherylMusgrave)in2009. While2010wasthetransformativeyear,itwas2006thatmayhavebeenBosma’smostinfluentialyear.HoosierRepublicanU.S.Reps.ChrisChocola,JohnHostet-tlerandMikeSodrelalllostinthatDemocraticwavethatdevelopednationallyduetotheIraqWar.“Wecouldhavelostacorresponding30Houseseats,”Gentrysaid.In-stead,HouseRepublicanslostoneseatheldbyRep.TroyWoodruff.Notfallingintoadeepholethensetthestagefor2010whenRepublicansretooktheHouseandthedriver’sseatwhenitcametodrawingupthe2011maps.TheRepublicanshaven’tbeenintheminoritysince,withthesemapsthefirstinmoderntimeswhentheIndianaHousehasn’tshiftedcontroltotheDemocrats. PurduePresidentMitchDanielstoldHPIon
WednesdaythattheAimingHigherPACwasactuallyformedtofundthe2004transitionteam.“In2006itwasrevivedasaPACanditraisedsomemoney,”Danielsexplained.“ThatyearthemoneywasgiventoBosma’scommittee,theHouseRepublicanCampaignCommittee.Wesupportedthem,buttheyidentifiedthecandidates.Andthenitsatbecausein2007and2008wewerecampaigningforourselves. “Itwasbroughtbackforthe2010cycle,”Danielscontin-ued.“Thedifferencetherewaswerecruitedthecandidatesourselvesandwechosewhichonestosup-port.Wecoordinated,wetalkedtoBrian’sgroupallthetime,butwedidn’tjustgivethemthemoney.We operated as an independent identity.Wewerelookingforre-form-mindedpeoplewhonotonlywouldwinelections,butwouldhelpusmakereformswehadnotyetmade.Inthatcycle,wesup-portedsomepeopletheythoughtcouldn’twin.Weendedupwinning60seats.Eventheydidn’timaginethat.Wesupportedsomeweretoolongofshotstoback.WebetonsomereallongshotslikeWendyMcNamaradowninthesouthwestcorner,andSueEllspermann.Ourcritieriawerealittledifferent.Wewerelookingforallieswhowouldstandupforchangesandreformswewantedtoadvocate,notjustgetelected.” Danielsadded,“Wewerecertainlygladtoseethatmajority.Wewantedtofinishstrong.There
werethingswewantedtodo.Youheardmesaylameduckscanstillfly.Wewantedtobeasactiveaswecouldberighttotheend.Wewereabletodeliversomeofourbiggestchangesinyearsevenandyeareightwhenyou’resupposedtobeoutofgas.” EricHolcomb,thenDaniels’sdeputychiefofstaff,toldHPIaftertheresultshadcomein,“The2010electionsputonstage,frontandcenterstage,justhowdifferentthetwomajorpoliticalpartiesaretoday.TheDemocratschoseatwo-frontstrategy:One,demonizejobcreatorsbyattackinglocalemployers,andtwo,smeartheiroppo-nents.Evenwhenthegoinggottough,Republicansstayeddisciplinedandstayedonmessagetalkinginsteadaboutjobs,spending,andtaxes.”
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Holcombadded,“TheIndianaRepublicanPartyhasbecomethe‘PartyofPurpose’whiletheDemocrats,bothnationalandstateparties,havedriftedawayfromtheirfoundingprinciples.ThiswillbethesinglebiggestreasonReaganDemocratsdefectindroves.” “Thiswasnotaboutwinninganelection,”BosmasaidonElectionNightinNovember2010.“That’stheeasypart.Now,wearepreparedtomakethetoughdecisionstobringIndianaintothe21stCenturyalltheway,tobal-ancethebudgetwithoutataxincrease,toprioritizetheitemsthatwe’regoingtohavetodealwithineducationandjobcreation. “SomanydifferentareasneedourattentionasRepublicanstobeinnovative,reform-mindedandconser-vative,andthat’swhatthisteampledgestodoandwe’regoingtodoitwithyou,”Bosmacontinued. AfterthemiddlefouryearsofGov.Dan-iels’tenurewithSpeakerBauerintheway,Bosma’selevationignitedthe2011educationreforms.WithHustonasSupt.TonyBen-nett’schiefofstaffandBosmasponsoringlegisla-tionthatexpandedcharterschools,allowedstudentstoenrollinanydistrict,andcreatedthenation’sfirstvoucherprogram,thepent-upRepublicanagendabarreledforth. ItalsocreatedSEA1,theteacherevaluationbillthatDanielsandlegislativeleadersdescribedas“land-mark”andeven“revolutionary.” “Thegovernormadethecommentthatthisisnoordinarymoment,thisisnoordinaryGeneralAssembly,”BennettsaidasDaniels,BosmaandSenatePresidentDavidLonglookedon.“ThisGeneralAssemblyandthisgovernorhaveopenedthedoortohonorIndiana’strulyinspiredandinspiringteachersinnowaylikewe’veeverdonebefore.Thisparticularmeasurehasthemostdi-rectimpactonstudentperformanceinourschools,hasthemostdirectimpactoneconomicdevelopmentforourstate’sfutureandithasthemostdirectimpactonmak-ingsurethatwehaveahumancapitalsystemthatcarriesforwardalegacyofgreatinstructionforthisstate.” Bosma’s final speech BosmadispensedotheradviceduringhisfinalspeechonMondayafterhandingthegaveltoHuston.“Thisisanunbelievablywonderfulinstitution,”Bosmasaid.“Itisliterallythecrucibleofdemocracyinthisstateandyoumustworkhardtoprotectit.” HenotedaweekendWallStreetJournalstory:“Headline,Illinoisracestowarddefault.IwentthroughthedetailsofwhatIllinoishasattemptedtodoandwehaveadoptedtheexactoppositepath:Fullyfundingpensions,
notraisingexpendituresasrevenuesplummet,notmakingpromisestofuturepensionersthatcannotbekeptwithoutfuturetaxincreases,andthelikelihoodofanIllinoisbank-ruptcy.Idon’twishthatonthem.Iwishwehad50healthystates,butwedon’t.Thisisahealthystatebecauseoftheinstitutionofthelegislature.UnderRepublicanleadershipandDemocrats,it’sbeenthekey.” BosmawasextremelyprotectiveofnurturinghisHousemajority.WhenGov.MikePencesoughtanincometaxcutin2013ascheckingoffaboxonafuturepresiden-tialbid,BosmaandLongappliedthebrakes,givingPencejustafractionofwhathehadoriginallysought.Bosmadidn’twanttodefendafuturetaxhikeduringthenextrecession. “IwanttotellyouaboutwhatIwantyoutorememberaboutthisinstitution,”Bosmacontinued.“First
ofall,youyoungerlegislators,youneedtoprepareyourselftolead.Itdoesn’tjusthappen.Youneedtostudy,youneedtoreadbillsandlistentothemoreseniormembersastheydebatethem,andyouneedtolearnyourareaandfindyourareaofexpertise.Asmyteamknows,youhavetohavealong-termvisionhere. “Mynextadmonitionis,becou-rageous,”Bosmasaid.“Stepoutandbebold.IamconfidentinSpeakerHuston’sabilitytotakethereinsandhitthegroundrunning,andIhavenodoubthisstrongleadershipandexcitementforIndiana’s
momentumwillservethischamberandourstatewell.” AclassicexampleofBosma’sleadershipasspeakercameduringthe2016sessionwhenthestatewasrackedbythousandsofclandestinemethamphetaminelabsthatwereinjuringfirstresponders,werehometohundredsofchildren,andwerecontaminatinghundredsofhousesandmotelrooms.ForseveralyearsIndianaledthenationonmethlabs.HealthcommitteechairsMikeYoungintheSen-ateandCindyKirchhoferintheHouseattemptedtoblockthebillsinFebruary2016,sayingtherewasn’tenoughtimeontheschedule.ThisiswhenBosmasteppedin,signalingbehindthescenesthatthelegislationneededtobeheardontheHousefloor. AsHPIreportedin2016:“Hiscloutwasessential.”Withinayear,thenumberofreportedmethlabshadfallenmorethan70%in2017andtheremovalofchildrenfromsuchenvironsdropped80%. AfterhewassworninbySupremeCourtJusticeMarkMassa,Hustonsaid,“Myfamilyhasalwaysstressedtheimportanceofpublicserviceandconservativeleader-ship,andIamhonoredandblessedtobeplacedinthispositiontohelpmakesureIndianastaysontherighttrack.IlookforwardtocontinuingtoworkwithmycolleaguesintheHouseandSenateandGov.EricHolcombtofuelIndi-ana’seconomicengine,andmakeourstateadestinationforall.”v
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Visclosky backs Mrvanbut McDermott claimsendorsement edgeBy BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS—LastSaturday,retiringU.S.Rep.PeteViscloskyendorsedNorthTownshipTrusteeFrankMr-van.“IknowthatFrankMrvanwillfightwitheachbreathandeveryfiberofhisbeingtofurthercollaborateandimplementhisvisionforthenexttransformationalinitia-
tivesthatwillbringthepeopleofNorthwestIndianatogetherinor-dertogrowourregionaleconomy,createmoregood-payingjobs,andimproveourqualityofplace,”Viscloskysaidinapreparedstate-ment.
ThatpromptedMrvantotelltheNorthwestIn-dianaTimes:“He’snotpassingaway;he’sjustlevitatinghimselftobeabletoadviseandbeabletohelp.” TheViscloskynodcameintandemwiththeUnitedSteelworkersDistrict7endorsement,withPresidentMikeMillsapadding,“WehaveprofoundstrengthinelectingthenextmemberofCongress.Frank,IhopeyouandtheSteelworkerswillbefriendsforaverylongtime.” Thefrontrunnerinthisopen1stCDprimaryisHammondMayorThomasMcDermottJr.,whotoldHoweyPoliticsIndianaonWednesday,“WeknewPetewascomingoutforFrank.You’dthinkthatendorsementwasthebig-gestthing,butI’mclearlyleadingtheendorsementgame.”
McDermott,thefive-termmayorandformerLakeCountyDemocraticchairman,hasanimpressivelistofen-dorsements,includingLakeCountySheriffOscarMartinezJr.;LakeCountyProsecutorBernardCarter;LakeCountyTreasurerPeggyKatona;LakeCountySurveyorBillEm-ersonJr.;LakeCountyAuditorJohnPetalas;LakeCountyCommissionerMikeRepay;LakeCountyCouncilmanDavidHamm;CrownPointMayorDavidUran;HobartMayorBrianSnedecor;HammondCouncilmembersBillEmersonSr.,ScottRakos,BarryTylerJr.,JanetVeneczandDaveWoerpel;HobartCouncilmanDavidVinzant;GaryCouncil-manMichaelBrown;LakeStationCouncilmanRickLong;andEastChicagoClerkAdrianSantos. McDermotthasalsobeenendorsedbytheNorth-westIndianaBuildingandConstructionTrades;HammondFraternalOrderofPoliceLodge51;HammondFirefightersLocal556;PortageFirefightersLocal3151;HobartFire-fightersLocal1641;PaintersandAlliedTradesDistrict91;andRoofers,WaterproofersandAlliedWorkersLocal26. ThemayortoldHPIhe’sabout“60%”tohis$500,000fundraisinggoalandhopestodoadvertisingintheChicagoTVmarket. HewasjustreelectedtoafifthterminHammond,whichmakesupabout10%ofthedistrict.“IfIcomeoutofHammondwithtwo-thirdsofthevote,with10,000votes,it’sgoingtoberealtoughtobeatme,”hesaid.“Ihaveapathtovictory,it’sgoodandit’sreasonable.” McDermottaddedthatTrusteeMrvanisn’twellknowninPorterCounty.“Iwillgetgoodcrossoversupportthere,”McDermottsaid.“I’mgettingatremendousamountofRepublicanvotes.It’sveryencouragingI’mgettingoutofPorterCounty.” TheotherkeyforceintheraceisStateRep.MaraCandaleriaReardon.WiththeGeneralAssembly’ssinedie,
U.S. Rep. Visclosky and United Steelworkers President Mike Millsap endorsed North Township Trustee Frank Mrvan on Saturday. At right at some of Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr.’s list of endorsers, including Lake County Prosecutor Ber-nard Carter, Sheriff Oscar Martinez and Treasurer Peggy Katona.
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ReardonwasexpectedtoskipthepartylastnightinIndianapolisandmoveintofullcampaignmode.ShehasbeenendorsedbytheLatinoVictoryFund,theCongressionalHispanicCaucus’BOLDPACandtheSMART-TDrailworkersunion.HPI Primary Horse Race Status: LikelyMcDermott.
Governor
Holcomb, Myers on the coronavirus Gov.EricHolcombdealtwiththespreadingcoronavirusbydeclaringonMonday,“We’reremark-ablypreparedandyou’reseeingthatplayoutrightnowinourcoordination.Again,thisisallaboutstayinginformedtothefactsonthegroundastheychangeandtheywillcontinuetochange.Weplanto,throughthestatedepartmentofhealth,continuetoputoutup-to-dateinformationonadailybasis.” Atthiswriting,ISDHsaidthat10HoosiershavecontractedthevirusinMarion,Johnson,Boone,Noble,Howard,HendricksandAdamscounties.OnMonday,Avonschoolsclosedbasedononeelementarystudenttestingpositive,“Theymadetherightdecisionforthemandthatshouldunderscorethemainpointthatweallneedtotake
fromthis:Weneedtoadaptto the facts on the ground andthereisno‘onesizefitsall,’”Holcombsaid. DemocraticgubernatorialcandidateDr.WoodyMyerscalledforIndianatotakeadditionalmeasurestoprotectHoo-siersfromthecoronavirus,specificallyCOVID-19.“Stateofficialsmusttakeimmediatestepstofacilitatelaboratorytestingwithinthestate,”Myers,aformerIndianahealthcommis-sioner,said.“Wehaveapublichealthemergency,so
thetestingshouldbefreetothosewhoneeditbecauseofsymptomsorexposure.Thatwilleliminatethedelaysinreceivingconfirmationofpositivecases.” MyersproposedstepsthatIndianashouldtakeim-mediately.Myersurgedthestateto: 1.Createaninventoryandreal-timedatabaseof
Gov. Holcomb and ISDH Commissioner Kristina Box.
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allnegativepressurehospitalroomsinIndianaandmakeitavailable24/7toallIndianaphysicians; 2.Createcontingencyplansnowforthoseindivid-ualsinconfinedsettingsnoteasilymoved–cruiseships,nursinghomes,jailsandprisons; 3.GiveHoosierteachersandschooladministra-torsmoretoolsnow,withweeklywebinarsconductedforallIndianateachersandadministratorswherefactualin-formationispresentedandwherequestionscanbeaskedandansweredbymedicalprofessionals.Weshouldmakenon-invasivethermometers(thatdonottouchthepatient)availableineveryschool; 4.UseallofIndiana’sconsumerprotectionassetstobothreportandpreventpricegouging; 5.Withfederalhelp,determinewhenandhowmajorpublicevents,wherethousandsofpeoplewillgather,shouldbemodifiedorpostponedorcancelled; 6.Advocateforapaid-sick-leavelaw. “IndianamustpulloutallofthestopswhenitcomestopreparednessandnotwaitfordirectionfromWashington,wherecontradictionsbetweenfederalofficialscontinuetofrustrateandconfuse,puttinglivesatrisk,”saidMyers.“It’stimeinthissessionofthelegislaturefordecisiveaction.It’stimeforinformedleadership.”
Libertarians nominate Rainwater TheLibertarianPartyofIndianahasnominated
DonaldRainwaterofWestfieldforgov-ernorandWilliamHenryofPlainfieldforlieutenantgovernor.Rainwaterisa1981graduateofWarrenCentralHighSchool,servedeightyearsintheNavyandhasworkedinsoftwareengineer-ingandinformationtechnologyforthepast20years.Heranunsuccess-fullyforWestfieldmayorin2019.HiscampaignplatformpledgestoreduceorabolishtaxesforIndianaresidents.
Congress
5th CD: Mitchell to host virtual events Inresponsetothepostponementofmultiplepreviouslyscheduledopportunitiesfor5thCDresidents,theKellyMitchellforCongresscampaignannouncedavirtualtownhallseriestoconnectwithvotersamidthecoronaviruspandemic.“ThehealthandsafetyofHoosiersisimportanttome,”Mitchellsaid.“Wearelaunchingthistownhallseriestogive5thDistrictvotersavoice.Ourgoalistoengagevotersandgivethemtheopportunitytoaskquestions,hearmyplatform,andlearnwhyIamthebestcandidatetorepresenttheminCongress.”ThefirstvirtualtownhalldateisWednesday,March18thfrom7:00-8:00pm.Tojoin,dial317-342-8568.Youcansubmitques-tionsinadvanceviaemailtoQuestions@HoosiersForKelly.com.
Statewides
Lake County Dems endorse Weinzapfel DemocraticIndianaattorneygeneralcandidateJonathanWeinzapfelannouncedhehasbeenendorsedbytheLakeCountyDemocraticCentralCommitteecityandtownchairs.“BeingfromEvansville,Iunderstandthefrus-trationsofmanyLakeCountyresidentswhofeelneglectedandignoredbyIndianapolis,”Weinzapfelsaid.“Asattorneygeneral,I’llbeavoiceforthemandforcommonsensere-formsthatimprovethelivesofallHoosiers.”“FromLakeCountytoVanderburghCountyweareputtingtogetherthestatewidecoalitionneededtosecuretheDemocraticParty’snominationthissummerandtodefeatCurtisHillthisfall,”addedWeinzapfel,whofacesStateSen.KarenTallianofOgdenDunes.
Presidential 2020
Sanders to continue campaigns BernieSandersonWednesdayannouncedhewillcontinuehiscampaignforpresident(Politico).“Lastnight,obviously,wasnotagoodnightforourcampaignfromadelegatepointofview,”Sandersacknowledgedinanad-dressdeliveredfromhiscampaignheadquartersinBur-lington,Vermont.But“whilewearecurrentlylosingthedelegatecount”intheracefortheDemocraticnomination,“wearestronglywinningintwoenormouslyimportantareaswhichwilldeterminethefutureofourcountry.”
Biden has huge lead in Florida TALLAHASSEE—JoeBidenisinlinetodeliveraknockoutpunchtoBernieSandersinFloridainTuesday‘sDemocraticprimary,accordingtoanewpollthatgivestheformervicepresidentastaggering44%lead.Bidenislap-pingSandersinvotersupport,withsupportfrom66%oflikelyDemocraticprimaryvotersto22%Sanders,accord-ingtoaUniversityofNorthFlorida.v
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Mayor Pete’s impactcame Super MondayBy JACK COLWELL SOUTHBEND–SuperMonday,notSuperTuesday,waswhenPeteButtigieghadrealimpactonthepresiden-
tialrace. MayorPete’seloquentendorsementofJoeBidenontheeveofcrucialvotingin14stateswasanimportantfactorinhelpingtobuildmomentumandtoclearawinningpathforwhatwasindeedasuperTuesdayforBiden.Theformervicepresidentwonin10ofthosestates,insomebyland-slides. AndBiden’shighestofpraiseforButtigiegonMonday,
likeninghimtoBiden’slatesonBeauintermsofcharacter,courageandintellect,enabledButtigiegtoendhiscandi-dacyinasuperratherthandishearteningway.Thathighpraisealsosignaledbrightfuturepossibilities;MayorPetecouldbecomeSecretaryPete,holdingakeyCabinetpost,ifBidenwinsthepresidency. MondaywasindeedasuperdayforButtigiegasheclosedouthisimprobablebutimpressivecampaignattherighttime.Heleftamidpraiseandwithpurpose,astrategicallytimedboostforBidenonelectioneve.Hethuswasn’tsubjectedtotheembarrassmentsufferedbyMichaelBloomberg,heofthehalf-billion-dollarcampaign,andElizabethWarren,sheoftheplummetfromearlyfrontrunnertoirrelevancy.Thosetwosufferedhumili-ating defeats. But Tuesday wasn’tsuperfortheBut-tigiegcampaign.Itwasover.Buttigiegwouldhavewonsomeadditionaldelegatesifhehadstayedintherace.Notalot.Notenough.Hewasn’tposi-tionedinstaffingorfundingtocompeteinallofthosestatesTuesday.Hewouldnothavewonanystate.Therewasnopathtothenomination. Thatpath,thoughneverwide,seemedpos-sibleafterearlysuccessinIowaandNewHampshire.
Buteachsuccesswasdiminishedbyadevelopmentbe-yondcontroloftheButtigiegcampaign. IntheIowacaucuses,thefirsttestwithvot-ers,Buttigiegwonthemostdelegates.Thatshouldhavebroughtelectionnightfocusbythenationalnewsme-diaonthestartlingvictorybyayoung,formermayorofSouthBend.ItshouldhavebroughtthebounceinthepollsthatusuallycomesfromIowavictory.Instead,withthemessed-uptabulation,focuswasoninabilityfordaystoaddupthetotals.IttooknearlyamonthfortheIowaDemocraticPartytoconfirmButtigiegasthedelegatewin-ner.Notenoughbounce.MostlyjokesaboutDemocratsnotknowinghowtocount. In New Hampshire,Buttigiegcamewithin1.3%ofamonumentalupsetofBernieSandersinastateSand-erswassupposedtowinbig.ButAmyKlobuchar,downtosingledigitsinpollsalmosteverywhereduringthecampaign,surgedonetime,inNewHampshire,aftershewashermostimpressiveinadebate.TheNewHampshirepercentages:Sanders,25.7;Buttigieg,24.4;Klobuchar,19.8. SinceButtigiegandKlobucharwerecompetinginthesame“moderate”lane,ifshehadnotsuddenlycaughtfiretogetnearly20%ofthevote,headlinescouldhavebeenthatSanderssufferedastingingdefeatandButtigiegwasforrealasatopcontender,thefrontrunner.That’snottosaythatButtigiegwouldhavegoneontosolvehisproblemswithAfrican-Americanvotersandwinthenomination.ButaButtigiegwininNewHampshirecouldhaveshowedweaknessintheSandersefforttoexpandhisbasebeforethatbecameapparentonSuperTuesday,andcouldhaveenabledButtigiegtocompeteinmostofthose14 states. WhatnowforMayorPete,nolongermayor,no
longerapresidentialcandidate?Bidenwillwanthimasasurrogatespeaker throughout thenominationprocessandbeyondifBidenisthenominee.But-tigiegalreadyissendingoutemailstohisownextensivedonorliststourgecontributingnowtothemoney-strappedBidencampaign. AftertheNovem-berelection?Youhavetoguesstheoutcomein order to guess the prospects.v
Colwell has covered Indiana politics over five decades for the South Bend Tribune.
Pete Buttigieg endorsed Joe Biden in Dallas earlier this month.
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Hill bill dies in SenateHowey Politics Indiana INDIANAPOLIS—DespiteapushfromIndianaHouselawmakerstoclarifyinstatecodewhetherAttorneyGeneralCurtisHillcouldremaininofficeifhislawlicenseissuspended,statelegislatorsfailedtopassabillbeforeadjourningthisyear’ssessionWednesdaynight(Erdody,IBJ).TheRepublican-controlledIndianaHouseearlierthis
monthaddedlanguagetoabillthatwouldhaverequiredtheat-torneygeneraltoforfeittheofficeifheorsheweredisbarredfromorsuspendedfrompracticinglawfor30ormoredays.Suchaforfei-turewouldcreateavacancyinthe
office,whichwouldbefilledbythegovernor.Theamend-ment,addedtoSenateBill178,wouldhavealsopreventedanyonewhohadbeendisbarredorhadhisorherlawlicensesuspendedfor30daysormorewithinthepastfiveyearsfromrunningfortheoffice.Gov.EricHolcombsaidhesupportedthemeasure.ButtheRepublican-controlledIndianaSenatedidnotagreewithit.OnWednesday,Re-publicansenatorsofferedacompromisethatwouldhaveonlyaddressedwhethersomeonecouldrunforofficeifhisorherlawlicensewassuspendedwithoutautomaticrein-statement.ButtheoverallSenateGOPcaucusdidnotsup-portthatlanguage,andHouseRepublicansalsorejectedit.SenatePresidentProTemRodricBraysaidhiscaucustalkedatlengthaboutit,but“attheendofthedaytherewasconcernsaboutthetimingofit.”BraysaiditwillbeuptovoterstodecidewhetherHillshouldserveanotherterm.
Session ends with 14-hour kick Ina14-hourfinishingkick,legislatorsvotedtolim-itsurprisemedicalbilling,nullifylocallandlord-tenantor-dinances,andraisetheminimumageforsmokingandforgettingmarried(Berman,WIBC).Theyalsovotedtomakeiteasierforschoolstoseekrelieffromstateregulations,andtorepealaneight-month-oldexternshiprequirementfiercelyopposedbyIndiana’steachers’unions.Legislatorsdidn’tpassanybillsrelatedtothecoronaviruspandemic.HustonandBraybothsaIDGov.Holcombassuredthemthestatehealthdepartmenthasalltheauthorityandcashitneedstofighttheoutbreak.Buttheybothsaythey’llbewatchingtheoutbreak’seffectontheeconomy.TheysayIndiana’sstrongreserveshavethestatewellpositionedtorideoutarecession,asentimentechoedbyGov.EricHolcombinawrittenpost-adjournmentstatement.
IndyGo funding bill dies in House AftertheIndianaSenatepassedacompromiseontheIndyGofundingfeudWednesdaynight,theIndi-anaHousekilledthemeasurebynotvotingonitbeforeadjourningfortheyear(Erdody,IBJ).TheSenatepassed
HouseBill1279,whichwouldhaverequiredthetransitagencytoraise$220,000inprivatedonationsbytheendoftheyear.Thatwasasignificantdropfromthe$6millionIndyGoinitiallyneededtofundraiseinordertocomplywitha2014law.SincetheHousedidnotvoteonthemea-sure,thebilldiedWednesdaynight,whichmeansIndyGoisstillexpectedtoraise$6millionannually.
Governor signs micro-chipping bill t’sofficial—Indianacompaniescannotrequiretheirworkerstobeforciblymicrochippedasaconditionofemployment.RepublicanGov.EricHolcombsignedintolawHouseEnrolledAct1143Wednesday.ThenewstatutetakeseffectJuly1.IndianasenatorsOKbanoncompaniesforciblymicrochippingtheiremployees.Thenewlawwasapproved97-0intheHouseand47-0bytheSenate.
Speaker Huston deems successful session HouseSpeakerToddHustonsaidatsinedie,“Wesuccessfullybroughtthelegislativesessiontoacloseaftertakingourprioritiesacrossthefinishline,includingsup-portingoureducatorsandschools,andtakingimportantstepstoaddressrisinghealthcarecosts(Carden,NWI Times).“Buildingoffourstate’shistoriceducationinvest-mentlastyear,wewereabletodecouplestudenttestscoresfromteacherevaluations,andensureschoolsandeducatorswillnotbenegativelyimpactedbyILEARNscoresduringthetwo-yeartransitionperiod.Ouractiononhealthcarewillallowpatientstorequestgood-faithestimatesontheirmedicalbillsupfront,sotheycanmakemoreinformeddecisionsandshoparoundforbetterpric-es.Wealsoprotectconsumersfromreceivingunexpected,out-of-networkmedicalbillsthatcanunfairlycrushfamilybudgets.”
Holcomb lauds session GovernorEricJ.Holcombofferedthefollowingstatementregardingtheconclusionofthe2020legislativesession.“Thislegislativesession,SenatorBray,SpeakeremeritusBosma,SpeakerHustonandtherestoftheGen-eralAssemblynavigatedaseriesofimportantissuesthatmattertoHoosiers.I’mgratefulforallthelegislativesup-portmyNextLevelAgendaachieved.Whileshortsessionsgofast,wegotsignificantworkdonewhilecontinuingourtrackrecordoffiscalstability,whichpositionsourstatetofaceanyunexpectedchallenges–includingthecurrentcoronavirusoutbreak.”
Election financial report bill signed LegislationauthoredbyStateRepresentativeChuckMoseley(D-Portage),whichwillincreasetranspar-encybyallowingcandidatestofilecampaignreportson-line,wassignedintolawbythegovernortoday.PublicLaw24givesallcandidatestheoptiontofiletheircampaignfinancereportsonlinethroughasecurevendor.v
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Young, Yovanovitch,Burns talk about valuesBy BRIAN A. HOWEY BLOOMINGTON—U.S.Sen.ToddYounggavethefirstRichardG.LugarLectureatIndianaUniversitylastFriday,callingfor“threeboldactions”withanAmerica“leadingwithitsvalues,”includingabolsteringofthena-tion’sdiplomaticcapabilities. Butthedaybefore,formerambassadorWilliamJ.Burnstoldtheconferencethatof28StateDepartmentassistantsecretarypositionsintheTrumpadministra-tion,onlyoneisfilled,andtherehasbeena40%dropinForeignServiceapplications.AndlaterthedayofYoung’sspeech,formerU.S.ambassadortoUkraine,MarieYova-novitch,receivedtheLugarAwardandmadeanappealfor“maintainingourprinciples”and“moraltraditions.” ThelateSen.Lugar,inavideobeforeherspeechatI.U.Auditorium,added,“IwouldsaythebestadviceIcouldretrieveistobehonest,maintainyourintegrity.” Youngwasoneof53RepublicansenatorswhoblockedYovanovitch’stestimonyattheSenatetrialthatendedinPresidentTrump’simpeachmentacquittalinFebruarythatstemmed,inpart,fromherdismissallastsummerasTrumptriedtoshakedownUkrainePresidentZelenskyforpoliticaldirtonJoeBiden. HamiltonLugarSchoolDeanLeeFeinsteinaskedYovanovitchwhatitwasliketobeinthespotlightdur-ingTrump’simpeachmenthearingslastfall.Yovanovitchresponded,“Itisimportanttotellthe truth and then hand it over to politicalleaderswhotaketheirownactions.Weareinthistogether,andweneedtofindthesolutiontogether.We can never forget that our foreign policyneedstobeAmericanforeignpolicy.” Sen.YoungsaidattheHamil-tonLugarAmerica’sRoleintheWorldConference,“Americahasnochoicebuttoleadwithourvalues.WithoutthesteadyhandofAmericansup-portandreassurance,newleaderswillemerge.Andthosenewleaderswillseektoremaketheworldinlinewiththeirinterests,nottodefenddemocracyormarketcapitalism,nortoadvancetheuniversalhumanrightsonwhichthisnationwasfounded.” Young added, “Fortunately, Americaislead-ing.IcommendPresidentTrumpandmycolleaguesinCongressforenactingnewtaxandregulatorypolicies.Increasinginvestmentintheskillsrequiredtofuelour21stcenturyworkforce.Andimplementingnewbipartisanfreetradeagreements.Collectively,thesepoliciesarethetablestakesrequiredtocontinuegrowingoureconomy,andthereby,asPaulKennedyremindsus,tostrengthen
America’sglobaleconomicposition,expandandenhanceoursphereofinfluence,andpreserveoursystemofgov-ernmentandcapitalismasthesourceofbothoursharedprosperityandournationalsecurity.” Youngsaidthat“ourworkisfarfromover”andsaidthatAmericanleadershipwillrequireboldactiononthreeadditionalfronts.“First,instrategictechnologicalin-vestment,”Youngsaid.“Second,insmart,flexiblenuclearmodernization.Andthird,inensuringChinaremainsthetoppriorityofourmilitaryandourdiplomats.” On Thursday, Burns told the conference that in additionto27undersecretarypostsgoingunfilled,therearenowa“recordnumberofpoliticalambassadors.”BurnscalledPresidentTrump’sdiplomacy“asanexerciseinnar-cissism”sayingit“hollowsout”theForeignService. AskedaboutTrump’sviewthattheForeignServiceisakintothe“deepstate,”Burnsresponded,“That’sacrock.” BurnspointedtoPresidentTrump’s2018pressconferenceinHelsinkiwithRussianPresidentPutinwhereTrump“essentiallythrewthe17U.S.intelligenceagenciesunderthebus.”HesaidthatPutinwastrainedasaKGBagentandadded,“Iftherehadbeenaquoteballoon”itwouldhavePutinsayingofTrump,“Whataneasymark.” InacceptingtheRichardG.LugarAward,Yova-novitchsaid,“Wealsoneedtosetanexample.SenLugarbeliefsinAmerica’smoraltraditions,ruleoflaw,humanrights,theBillofRightsincludingfreedomofthepress,areallasourceofourinternationalpower.Hebelievedthatexcertingauthorityinthepresentagerequiresoutreachandtheabilitytobuildcoalitions.TheU.S.maintainsrespectthatderivesfrommoraltraditions.Maintainingour
principlesistherightthingtodo.Itisalsothesmartthingtodo.” She added in the age of pandemic,“WeneedastrongandresilientDepartmentofStatethatisfullyfunded,fullystaffedandfullyempoweredtomeetthechallengesofthe21stCentury.” “Sowhatdoweneedtodo to reinvigorate the State De-partment?”sheasked.“Ibelieve
weneedtorecommittoourprinciples,ourruleoflaw,generosityofspiritandunderstandingthatwearestron-gertogether,bothinternallyandexternally...tomaketheworldmoredemocraticandmoreprosperous.Weneedtobeprincipled,consistentandtrustworthy.” “Weneedtore-empowerdiplomatstodotheirjobs.Governmentofficialsshouldnotbeafraidtochal-lengeassumptionsorsharetheirexpertiseandexperience.Workingonthebasisoffactandrigorousanalysisisnottheworkofthedeepstate,itistheworkofthedeeplydedicatedstate,”sheadded,acknowledgingaquotefromformerU.S.ambassadorMichaelMcFaul.v
Federal stimulus andlocal leadership are keyBy MICHAEL HICKS MUNCIE—TheunfoldingresponsetotheCo-vid-19diseaseishelpfulinclarifyingboththelimitstogov-ernmentandthewisdomofourfederalsystem.Whatmostofusarenowlearningisthatourmostusefulgovern-
mentsarelocal.Thefartherawaygovernmentgetsfromus,thelessusefulitbecomesinmattersthatdirectlyaffectourlives.Thisisnotonlyagoodlesson,butafinefactof governance. Manyofuslooktothefederalgovernmentforguidanceinallmattersofpolicy.Inreality,thefederalgovernmentisrespon-sibleforverylittleofthepublicsector’sinfluenceonourlives.Theeventsofthedayshould
makeitclearthatthisisafortunatetruth.WhileitistruethereisaCenterforDiseaseControl,mostoftheworld’sexpertsoncommunicablediseasesworkinuniversitiesaroundthecountry.Thereareeconomistsinthefederalgovernmentwhocanhelpdesignpolicyresponses,butmostofthenewideascomefromuniversitiesandthinktanksdispersedaroundthenation.Ourexpertiseonthesecriticalissuesisbroadanddiffuse. Likewise,wecannotrelyonthemilitaryforbroadassistanceinapandemic.Ourmilitaryforcesaretoofewtotakeonthischallenge.And,andastherecentNorthKoreanmissilelaunchdemonstrated,ourenemiesarelikelytotakeadvantageofanycrisis.Thiswillbeespeciallytrueifdiseasethreatenstheirregime’sstability.Ourmilitaryhasanationalfocusunconnectedtolocalspreadofdisease. The federal governmentreallyonlyhastwoimportantroles;offeringreassuranceandspendingmoney.Ontheformer,therearemixedresults.Onthelatter,theyaremovingtooslowly.Inthecomingweeks,theU.S.economymayneedsignificantstabilization.Thisisanunprecedentedexamplewherefiscalpolicycansupportpublichealth.Thereiscompellingreasontomovequicklytomakeourpreventioneffortsandeconomicstabilizationworktogether. ManyAmericanworkerswillbejustfinewhilewetakeeffortstopreventthespreadofCovid-19.Factoryworkerswillbeprovidedprotectiveclothingandmanyofuscanworkfromhomeforlengthyperiods.But,itismostlythebetterpaidwhowillbeeconomicallyunaffectedbyCovid-19.Folksworkinginrestaurants,retailorparttimepositionsareatgreatestriskofeconomicdisruptionfromthecomingrecession.Theseworkersarealsoleastlikelytohavesickleaveorvacation.Itispreciselythesepeoplewhowillfacethestrongestfinancialpressureto
workwhenill,andironically,willalsobethemostneededtostayhomeiftheyaresick.Fiscalpolicymusttakeintoaccounttheseworkers. Taxcuts,firmbail-outs,monetarypolicyandevenpayrolltaxcutswilldonothingforpeoplewithoutsickleave,orthosewholosetheirjobsinrestaurantsorstores.Theseworkersmostdirectlyneedastimulusplan.Iadmiretheideaofadirectpaymentof$1,000amonthperperson($500perchild),asproposedbyJasonFurman.Thispaymentwillhelpkeepsickpeoplehome,withoutfinanciallydevastatingthemfordecisionsthatbenefitthepublicgood. There are easier programs toimplement,suchasapayrolltaxcut.Thosewouldbebetterthannothing,butdirectaidtolow-incomeworkersandthosemostatriskofjoblossesshouldbetheoverwhelmingpriorityinCongressandtheAdministration.Ironically,withlong-termbondyieldsinnegativeterritory,itishardtoimagineafiscalstimulusthatwouldnothavebenefitsthatexceedits costs. Wealsoneedtohelpsustainsmallbusinessesthroughthis.Animmediatelineofcreditforsmallfirmswhowereincorporatedpriortothelawwouldpreventnumerousbankruptcies.Thisisacomplementarypolicybecauseitwouldalsokeepmoreworkersemployedatacriticaltime.Weshouldalsoofferarebateforsickleave,whichwouldallowsmallbusinessestorecoupthecostofsuchapolicy. Thefederalgovernmentcandothesestimulusplansbecausetheycanprintmoneyandborrowatanegativeinterestrate.Beyondthat,thereislittlewecanexpectfromWashington,D.C.Anyotherhelpwillcomefromstate,andespeciallylocal,leaders.Theexperiencethusfarshouldbeencouraging.HereinIndiana,thegovernor’sannouncementofourfirstcaselastweekwasamodelofcommunications. Thelocalpublicschoolsareprovidingsuperbcommunicationtoparentsandstudents.Mylocalschool,Yorktown,hasreviewedpreventivemeasureswithstu-dentsandaretalkingaboutitinscienceclasses.Throughavarietyofcommunications,familiesareinformedenoughtobereadyforwhateverhappenstomorrow,muchlessweeksfromnow. I’m especially proud ofBallState,whichhasprovidedclearinformationandreviewedtravelandcon-tingencyplansforclassesanddormitories.They’veeveninstalledhandsanitizersineveryhallway,andpreventionpostersacrosscampus.They’vedonethiswithoutpanicoralarm,respectingabroadsetofconcernsbyfaculty,staff,studentsandourfamilies. Anyonewhohasparticipatedincrisismanage-mentknowshowgoodcommunicationinstillsconfidence.Colleges,schoolsandemployerswillmaketoughcallsinthecomingweeksandmonths.Becauseoftheirrespect-fulandclearcommunication,IhavenoreasontosecondguessthedecisionsbyIndianastategovernment,BallStateorYorktownschools.Ihopemanyreadersfeelthe
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sameabouttheirlocalgovernmentsandemployers. The next few weekswillrevealagreatdealabouttheeffectivenessofCongressandtheTrumpAd-ministrationinhandlingCovid-19.Itistooearlytomakeadefinitivejudgementabouteither,butitisclearthatstateandespeciallylocalgovernmentsaredoingjustfine.v
Michael J. Hicks, PhD, is the director of the Cen-ter for Business and Economic Research and the George and Frances Ball distinguished professor of economics in the Miller College of Business at Ball State University.
This pandemic exposesneed for family leaveBy ERIN MACEY INDIANAPOLIS—It’sinevitable. Fluseasoncomesaround,andsodothestandardrecommendations:Washyourhands,andstayhomeifyoudevelopsymptoms.Thisyear,healthofficialsaredoubling
downonthisadviceascorona-viruscasesemergeintheUnitedStates,includinghereinIndiana. Thatadviceismucheasiertofollowifyouhavepaidsickdays.TheUnitedStatesisanoutlierwhenitcomestopaidleave.Nationally,policymakershavesetnobaselinestandardsforwhatemployersshouldoffer.Andwhilesomeemployersrecognizethatitisnottotheirbenefitforsickemployeestocometoworkforavarietyofreasons–including
thattheyarelessproductiveandcouldinfectfellowem-ployeesandclients–fartoomanystilldonot.AccordingtothemostrecentBureauofLaborStatisticsdata(2019),aboutoneinfourworkersnationally,andasmanyasoneinthreeworkersinIndiana,donotearnpaidsickdays. Diggingdeeper,thestatisticsonwhodoesanddoesnotearnpaidsickdaysbecomesevenmoreprob-lematic.Fewerthanhalfofworkersinthelowestwagequartile–often,thepeoplewhocareforchildrenandtheelderly,preparefood,orhandletransactionsatacashregister–lacktheabilitytoearnpaidsickdays. When workers lack paid sickdays,theyarefarmorelikelytogotoworksick.InoneCenterforDiseaseControlstudy,nearly60%ofworkerswhopreparefoodreportedgoingtoworksick.Parentswithsickkidsandnopaidsickleavearemuchmorelikelytosendthosekidstoschoolwhentheyarecontagious,ortotakethemtoemergencyrooms
ratherthandoctors’officesfortreatment.Theydosoforgoodreason;beyondaninabilitytopaythebillswithoutapaycheck,nearlyoneinfourworkerswithoutpaidsickdayshavereportedeitherlosingajoborbeingthreatenedwithjoblossasaresultofneedingtimeoff. Fortunately, some statesandlocalitiesaresteppinguptotheplate.Currently,33jurisdictions–including11states–requireemployerstoallowwork-erstoaccruepaidsickleave.Often,theselawsrequireaminimumofonehourpaidsickleaveper30hoursworked,althoughvariationsexist.TheonlylawIndianahaspassedconcerningpaidsickdaysispreemption,barringlocalitiesfromrequiringemployerstoprovidethisvitalworkplaceandpublichealthbenefit. Inmyfirstsessionatthelegislature,alawmakeraskedmewhyanemployershouldpaypeopleforthetimewhentheyarenotatwork.Thereareanumberofgoodreasonstoprovidepaidleave.Vacationsmakeworkersmoreproductiveandmorecommittedtotheirjobs.Paidmaternityandpaternityleaveincreasemorale,satisfaction,andretention.Stayinghomewhensickcanreduceinfec-tionandtheriskofworkplaceinjuries.Thelistgoesonand on.Nowwecanadd“reducingtheimpactofaglobalpandemic”tothelist.v
Erin Macey, PhD, is a senior policy analyst for the Indiana Institute for Working Families and the In-diana Community Action Association.
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How Hoosiermetros stack upBy MORTON MARCUS INDIANAPOLIS—Thefirstwarmishdaybroughtforthgreenshootsofnascentflowers.And,lo,FayeoftheForestwasonmydeckrailing,feistyasever.“Youwastea
lotoftime,”sheannounced.Notwaitingformydefensivecounter-thrust,shecontinued,“Everyweekyouturndatasetsintokindlingforyourwritingfire.Youspendhoursonspreadsheetmanipulations.Whatyouwantisalreadyoutthere,donebyothersandavailableforfree.”“Andyouknowthishow?”Iasked.“Ihavemyways,”shesaidcoyly,tossedherhairaswomendo,andflittedoffintotheforest.
Shewasright!Lastweek,theBrookingsInstitutepostedeconomiccomparisonsofthenation’s192largestmetropolitanareas.Indianapoliswasinthegroupof53metroswithoveronemillionpersonsandranked27thingrowthofjobs,GrossMetroProduct(GMP)andchangeinjobsatyoungfirms,from2008-18. That’ssmackinthemiddleofthoseverylargemetros,acomfortableHoosierrockingchair.Yet,that’sbetterthanFortWaynewhichwas45thamong83mid-sizedareas(250,000to500,000).Nonetheless,FortWaynestillout-performedEvansville(58th)andSouthBend(70th)inthesamegroup. Suddenly,Fayereturned.“But,”shesaid,“whatifyou’renotseekinggrowthasmuchasprogressonclosingthegapbetweenwheretherichandthepoorlive?” “Brookings,”Ireplied,“doeslookatthechangeinthegapbetweenthetopandthebottomofneighborhoodmedianhouseholdincomes.” “And?”sheprompted. “And,” I answered,“theIndianapolismetroareasawitsgapwidenby$4,402(12thworstinitsgroupof53metros).FortWayne’sgapwidenedby$1,002(39thworstinitsgroupof83metros).SouthBend’sgapwidenedby$2,227(22ndworstinthatgroup).” “You’renotsaying?”Fayedemanded. “Evansville,”Istuttered,“withagapwidenedby$4,778.Itwasthe10thworstinthatmid-sizegroupof83metros.” “Therearetwothingswronghere,”Fayesaidintutorialmode.“First,”shecontinued,“you’rebottom-surfing.Eachofthosemetroareaswasinthetop10inatleastoneofthe15measuresconsidered.Indianapoliswasseventhinclosingthegapoftherelativepovertyratebetweenwhitesandpersonsofcolor,Evansvillefourthin
changeinmedianincome,FortWayneeighthinchangeofstandardofliving.SouthBendwasfirstinclosingtheem-ploymentrategapbetweenwhitesandpersonsofcolor. “Second,” she continued,“Brookingsisfocusedonchangewithnothingsaidaboutstatus.Littlechangeinsomethingwherethestatusisverygood,isnotbad.Ifyou’remaking$200,000andyougouponly1%that’sa$2,000bump,doublea10%increaseon$10,000.” Shewasright,again!ButgonebeforeIcouldadmitit.v Mr. Marcus is an economist. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow his views and those of John Guy on “Who gets what?” wherever podcasts are available or at mortonjohn.libsyn.com.
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Did gender play a rolein Warren’s defeats?By KELLY HAWESCNHI News Bureau ANDERSON—ItwouldhavebeenfuntowatchElizabethWarrengotoetotoewithDonaldTrumponadebatestage. ShehadmadeclearinherencounterswithfellowDemocratsthatshecouldholdherowninapolicydiscus-
sion. WarrenwasoneofthreewomenIthoughthadachancetowinthe2020Democraticpresiden-tialnomination. Atonepoint,itlookedlikethechoicemightbeKamalaHarris.Shehadkickedoffhercampaigninfrontof20,000supporters,butshewoundupdroppingouttwomonthsaheadoftheIowacaucuses. ThentherewasAmy
Klobuchar,whoparlayedastrongdebateperformanceaheadoftheNewHampshireprimaryintoasurprisethird-placefinish.Hermomentinthesunendedquickly,though,andshesuspendedhercampaignjustaheadofSuperTuesday. Warren, though, seemed toshowthegreatestpromise.Shewonsupportwithhersharpintellectandaseeminglyendlessstreamofpolicyblueprints.Shewasthefrontrunnerinnumerouspolls,andshewasdrawinglargecrowdsatcampaignappearances. Thingsbegantounravel,though,ontheissueofhealthcare.Rivalspointedoutsheseemedtohaveaplanforeverythingexcept“MedicareforAll,”andtheproposal
Democratic votersclosing door on SandersBy KYLE KONDIK and J. MILES COLEMAN CHARLOTTESVILLE,Va.–Tuesdaynight’sDemo-craticpresidentialprimaryresultsweretheequivalentofadinermotioningacrosstherestauranttoawaiterandmouthingtwowords:“Check,please.” WhileasignificantchunkofthepartysupportsBernieSandersinhishead-to-headmatchupwithJoeBiden,aconsiderablylargerpor-tionbacksBiden.ThesizeofthatlargergroupisindicativeofapartythatisreadytomoveontothegeneralelectionagainstDonaldTrump. Biden’ssmashingvictoriesinMichigan,Mississippi,andMissouriweresototalthatSandersdidnotwinasinglecountyinanyofthethreestates. Washingtonstateisbasicallytied,withSandersupacoupletenthsofapercentagepoint,asmail-inballotstricklein.Thereareaboutamillionvotesin,whichwesuspectissubstantiallymorethanhalfofthetotalvotes
evenifturnoutisveryhigh.Theeventualdelegateedgethatthewinningcandidategetswhenit’sallsaidanddonewillendupbeingrelativelynegligible.TheBidencampaignissurelycomfortablewiththatoutcomegiventhatSand-erswonotherwesternstatesCalifornia,Colorado,andUtahlastweek.BidenwonWashington’seasternneighbor,Idaho,whileSanderswonNorthDakota. Inthisnewlyconsolidatedtwo-personrace,BidenappearsstrongerthanHillaryClintonfouryearsago,andSandersweakerthanhispreviousincarnation.InMichiganamidstsignificantlyhigherturnout–closeto1.6millionballotscastthistimeasopposedtojustabout1.2millionlasttime–BidengotmorevotesthanClintoninevery
singlecounty,whileSandersranbehindhisvotetotalin70of83counties,perMichiganreporterJonathanOosting(thesefiguresmaychangeasthevoteisfinal-ized;Michiganisusingahugely-
expandedabsenteeballotingsystemforthiselection). MI-3,aRepublican-leaningcongressionaldistrictrepresentedbyRepublican-turned-independentRep.JustinAmash,coversmostofGrandRapids’KentCountyandotherpartsofwesternMichigan.Thetrendtherehelpstodemonstratewhathappenedstatewide.ThiswasSand-ers’bestdistrictinthestateagainstClintonin2016;Bidenendedupcarryingitthistimeamidstsignificantlyhigher
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shefinallyputforwardleftbothmoderatesandprogres-sives disappointed. AftercomingupshortinthefirstfourstatesandonSuperTuesday,Warrenfinallycalleditquits. “Iwillnotberunningforpresidentin2020,butIguaranteeIwillstayinthefight,”shetoldthecrowdgath-eredoutsideherhomeinCambridge,Massachusetts. The announcement effectivelynarrowedthechoicestoJoeBidenandBernieSanders,twowhitemenintheir70s.ForthosewhohadcelebratedtheDemocraticprimaryfieldasthemostdiverseinAmericanhistory,itwasdisappointing. Warren’sdeparturewouldseemtobegoodnewsforSanders,whotoldreporterstherewas“noquestion”Warren’splatformwasmoreideologicallyalignedwithhispoliciesthanthoseofBiden. “Andso,today,Iwouldsimplysaytohersupport-ersoutthere,ofwhomtherearemillions,weareopeningthedoortoyou,andwe’dloveyoutocomeonboard,”Bidensaid.“Togetherwecanwinthisprimaryprocess.TogetherwecandefeatthemostdangerouspresidentinthehistoryofAmericanpolitics.” Warrenmadeclear,though,thatshewasinnohurrytoendorseanyone. “WhywouldIoweanybodyanendorsement?”shetoldJessBidgood,nationalpoliticalreporterfortheBostonGlobe.“Isthataquestiontheyaskedeverybodyelsewhodroppedoutofthisrace?”
Whatdidshethinkoftheremainingcandidates? “IthinkIwouldhavemadeabetterpresidentthaneitheroneofthem,”shetoldBidgood.“That’swhyIwasrunning!” Thelosswasharder,shesaid,preciselybecauseshehadsuchdetailedplans. “Thepiecesarefarmorereal,”shesaid.“Itmakeslosingthischancetoleadourgovernmenttomakethosechangesfarmorepainful.” Inspeakingtoreportersabouttheendofhercampaign,Warrenmentioned“allthoselittlegirlswhoaregoingtohavetowaitfourmoreyears.” Shecalledtheissueofgender“atrapquestion.” “Ifyousay,‘yeah,therewassexisminthisrace,’everyonesays‘whiner,’”shesaid.“Andifyousay‘therewasnosexism,’aboutabazillionwomenthink,‘whatplanetdoyouliveon?’” The pundits will argueaboutwhetherfemalecandidatesaretreateddifferentlybecauseoftheirgender,butwhenitcomestopresidentialpolitics,thefactsspeakforthemselves. Thisyearmarks100yearssincewomenearnedtherighttovote.Howlongwillitbebeforewegiveawomanachancetoleadthiscountry?v
Kelly Hawes is a columnist for CNHI News Indiana. He can be reached at [email protected]. Find him on Twitter @Kelly_Hawes.
turnout(closeto110,000totalvotes,upfromabout75,000fouryearsago). ThereweresomebrightspotsforSanders:Itappearsthathedidbetterthanfouryearsago,forin-stance,inboththecityofDetroitandEastLansing(homeofMichiganStateUniversity),butthenegativetrendsfaroutweighedthepositiveones:nosurprisewhenanarrowvictoryfouryearsagoturnsintoa15-pluspointdefeat. ThefocusonMichigantookattentionawayfromMissouri,whichClintononlywonby.25pointsoverSand-ersin2016.Bidenpushedthedecimalpointtwoplacestotheright,winningby25points.Biden’sdominationofthestatewasthorough.HeevencarriedBooneCounty(Columbia),homeoftheUniversityofMissouri,albeitjustbysixpoints(Sanders,thenandnowafavoriteofyoungerandcollegiatevoters,wonthecountyby22pointsfouryearsago). Missouri’sturnoutwasonlyupalittlebitfrom2016,morethan660,000votesthistimecomparedtoabout630,000fouryearsago,amodestchangecomparedtosomeotherstates.ThisisperhapsunsurprisinginastatethathastransitionedfromcompetitivetosafeRe-publicanoverthepastcoupleofdecades.Of114counties,72sawturnoutdrops,withvastswathsofthenorthernandsoutheasternpartsofthestateseeingadrop.ThisisindicativeoftheweakeningDemocraticbrandinruralpartsofthestate,somethingthathasbecomeobviousinrecentstatewidegeneralelections,too.Meanwhile,somecoun-tiesclosetothestate’smajorurbancenters,KansasCityinthewestandSt.Louisintheeast,sawturnoutincreases.ThisissuggestiveofthebroadertrendofincreasedDemo-craticengagementinsuburbanareasacrossthecountry. ThereweresomebrightspotsforSanders.Itappearsthathedidbetterthanfouryearsago,forin-stance,inboththecityofDetroitandEastLansing(homeofMichiganStateUniversity),butthenegativetrendsfaroutweighedthepositiveones,nosurprisewhenanarrowvictoryfouryearsagoturnsintoa15-pluspointdefeat. Mississippiwasverysimilartofouryearsagoover-all.Thestatewiththenation’smostheavilyAfrican-Amer-icanprimaryelectoratevoted82%-17%forClintonand81%-15%forBiden.Technically,themostrecentreportinghasSandersat14.8%inMississippi;thatisimportantfordelegate-counting,becauseifheremainsunder15%,hewon’tgetanystatewidedelegates.Regardless,MississippisuggestsBidenwillenjoylandslidesinthetworemainingDeepSouthstatesthathavenotyetvoted,GeorgiaonMarch24andLouisianaonApril4. TherearenosignsthingswillgetbetterforSand-ersnextweek,whenfourmorelargestatesvote:Arizona,Florida,Illinois,andOhio.SandershasnevershownanystrengthinFlorida,andBidenshouldrouthimthere.SanderslostIllinoisnarrowlyandOhionotsonarrowlyin2016.Biden’ssweepofbothMichiganandMissouri’scoun-tiessuggestsweshouldexpectsomethingsimilarintheirregionalneighbors.SanderscarriedmuchofdownstateIl-linoisandalsosomeoftheChicagocollarcountiesin2016.
Theresultssofarthisyearsuggesthewon’treplicatethat.SandershasdonebetteroutWest,andhehasalsodonewellwithHispanicvoters,whichgiveshimaglimmerofhopeinArizona.ButArizonaalsohasalotofoldervotersandwell-offsuburbanites,high-turnoutgroupsthathavebeenflockingtoBiden. Biden’sdelegateleadisincreasing.AsofMondaynight,hewasup608to532inourCrystalBall/Deci-sionDeskHQcount;thatisnow777to636.SoBiden’sleadhasnearlydoubled,goingfrom76to141.Basedonproportionalallocationrules,theonlywayforSanderstoreallygaingroundistowinlopsidedvictoriesinbigstates.Buttheoppositeseemslikelytooccurnextweek. PerhapsSanderscanholdouttotrytoscoreavictoryinWisconsinonApril7,astatewithaliberalDemocraticelectoratewherehewondecisivelyin2016.Butatthisrate,Bidenisprobablyfavoredtheretoo,giventhathewonMichiganandMinnesota,twostatessimilartoWisconsin,afterSanderscarriedthemin2016.AndevenifSandersweretowinWisconsin,whatwouldthatreallygethim?Sandersalsoisdisadvantagedbythenation’spublichealthcrisis,whichlimitshisabilitytocampaignandholdthebigralliesthathavedefinedhiscampaignboththiscycleandlast. Yes,thereisadebatescheduledforSundaynight.Biden,ashakyperformer,couldfallonhisfaceandgiveDemocratsbuyer’sremorse.ButthecushionBidenhasbuilt,andwilladdto,isgettingsolargethatSanderscan’treasonablyhopetocatchup.OverthepasttwoTuesdays,statesthatpossessmorethan40%ofthetotalpledgeddelegateshavespoken.NextTuesday,fourmorestateswith15%ofthedelegateswillamplify,inalllikelihood,themessagefromthosestates:TheDemocratshaveseenenough,andtheypreferBidentoSanders.
Virus on the elections In1845,Congressestablishedthe“TuesdaynextafterthefirstMondayinNovember,ineveryfourthyearsucceedingeveryelectionofaPresidentandVicePresi-dent”asthedaytoholdapresidentialelection.In2020,that’sTuesday,Nov.3.ButjustasCongresssetthisdate,Congresscanchangeit.TheUnitedStatesConstitutiongivestheCongresstheauthoritytoregulatepresidentialelectionsandprovidesthattheCongressmaydeterminethe“time”ofchoosingpresidentialelectors.Withanyluck,virusfearswillbewellbehindusbythetimeAmericanscasttheirvotesinthefall.Butjustasthepublicbenefitsfromarenewedfocusoneffortstoreducethespreadofgerms,theCongressandU.S.electionadministratorswillalsobenefitfromthisopportunitytofocusonaddressingtheseissuesinthevotingprocessmanymonthsaheadoftheactualelection.ThecloserthisdiscussioncomestoElectionDay,themorepartisanitwillbecome.SonowisthetimetodiscussfromapublichealthperspectivewhetherandhowtoconductapresidentialelectioninthetimeofCOVID-19.v
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Mark Bennett, Terre Haute Tribune-Star:VigoCountyhasbuiltareputationforbeingamirrorofAmeri-canpresidentialpolitics.It’staken132yearstodevelopthatniche.Itmaytakejustfouryearstoendit.Ironi-cally,Vigocouldloseitsstatusasthenation’sbellwethercountyforthesamereasonitearnedthatdistinc-tion—thecountymirrorstherestofthecountry.Americansgrewmorepolarizedthroughthe21stcentury.Somehow,VigoCountyvotersavoidedsuchheightenedpoliticalrigidity.Until2016.PoliticalflexibilityhadallowedamajorityofVigovoterstofavorthewinningpresidentialcandidateineveryelectiondatingbackto1888,excepttwo.NootherU.S.countycomesclose.“Vigoactuallyisprettyimpressive,”saidDaveLeip,anMIT-trainedengineerwhooperatesthe“AtlasofU.S.Presiden-tialElections”websitefromMassachusetts.Indeed,VigoCountiansbackedRepublicanGeorgeW.Bushtwice,thenDemocratBarackObamatwice,andthenRepubli-canDonaldTrumpin2016.Thatpendu-lumswungjustaswidelythroughoutthelate-19thand20thcenturies,too.Trump’s2016victorybroughtanewtwist.Ofthe40,699peoplecastingballotsinVigoCounty,16,844votedstraight-party—allRepublican,allDemocraticorallLibertar-ian,accordingtoVigoCountyClerk’sOfficefigures.Straight-partyballotsaccountedfor41.5%ofallballotscast.Twoyearslater,in2018’snon-presidentialmidtermelection,analmostidentical41.4%ofVigoresidentsvotedstraight-party.That’sasignificantsurge.Isincreasedpartisanshipthecause?It’shardtoknowforsure.Butstraight-partyvotingnevertopped34%inanymidtermorpresidentialelectionfrom1998through2014.StaunchRepublicansinVigoCountyseemtohavegrowninnumber,too.Straight-partyRepublicanvotersslightlyoutnumberedstraight-partyDemocratsin2016and2018forthefirsttimesinceatleast1998andperhapsever.“InTerreHaute,that[growthinstraight-partyvoting]hasbenefitedRepublicansandwillcontinuetobenefitRepub-licans,”saidJimBopp,aTerreHauteattorneyforTrump’snationalcampaign.Infact,Boppadded,“Ithinkit’sper-fectlyconceivablethatinarelativelyshortamountoftime,TerreHautewillbemoreRepublicanthanthenation.”v
Robert Schlesinger, NBC News:Themiddleofthecoronaviruscrisisisoneoftherarecircumstancesduringwhichthepresidentialbullypulpitcouldreallymakeadifference,thankstoacombinationofaneedforpubliceducationandreasonedcalm.Trumpfailsinbothaspectsofthatcalculus.Hehasoftenbeenafontofdangerousnonsense,ashewasFridayduringhisramblingandoftenmisleadingcommentsattheCentersforDiseaseControlandPreventionortheappearancewhereheseemedtobelievethatthenovelcoronavirusisjustanexoticspe-ciesofflu(it’snot).Andhehasconsistentlydownplayed
thesituation’sseriousness,mixingbothnothing-to-see-hereassurancesaimedatpacifyingthestockmarketandself-congratulationaimedatvoters.Forinstance,“We’vehadtremendoussuccess,tremendoussuccessbeyondwhatmanypeoplewould’vethought,”hesaidinaFeb.26
pressconference,assertingthattherisktoAmeri-cansfromthecoronaviruswas“verylow.”Sincethen,thenumberofconfirmedU.S.coronaviruscaseshasgrownfrom60tomorethan500andthenumberofU.S.deathshasgonefromzeroto22.ButTrump’stunehasnotchanged:“Wehave
aperfectlycoordinatedandfinetunedplanattheWhiteHouseforourattackonCoronaVirus,”hetweetedSunday.(HisNeromemeonSundayanddeaths-happen-but-life-
goes-ontweetMondaydidnotimprovematters.)Meanwhile,thepresidenthasopenlytalkedaboutkeepingU.S.passengersonacruiseshipincoastalwatersbecause“Ilikethenumbers[ofinfections]wheretheyare”andhedidn’twantthemtorise.Optics,inotherwords,aremoreimportanttohimthanreality.Butthecoronavirusisnotamarketingchallengeon“TheAp-prentice”;it’safast-movingpub-lichealthemergency.Andwhile
TrumplongagoshreddedwhateverpersonalcredibilityhehadwithmanyAmericans,hisobsessionwithshort-termperceptionsparticularlyhampersthegovernment’sabilitytodealwiththecrisis.”v
Mitch Daniels, Washington Post: Thecheerywomangrabbedmeonmywaytothestage.Shecouldn’twaittotellmethat,afteralongcareerintheWashingtonarea,shewasmovingtotheMidwest.Aboutthegreathouseshefoundathalfthepriceandafractionofthepropertytax.Thequick,easytripstowork,storesandeverywhereelse.It’sanincreasinglyfamiliarstory.TheeventIwasattendingwasaCNBC-sponsoredprogramtitled“GrowthintheHeartland,”acontradictionintermsformostofthepasthalf-century,butnowarealphenom-enonandapossiblelong-termtrend.StudiesnowdetailtheresurgenceofahostofMidwesterncitiessuchasKan-sasCity,Mo.,andMinneapolis,includingsomeinwhathasbeencalledtheRustBelt,suchasColumbus,Ohio,andMadison,Wis.NetdomesticmigrationfromtheNortheastnowrunsmorethan350,000peryear;Californiaislosingpopulation,andlikelyacongressionaldistrict,forthefirsttimeinitshistory.Thesechangesaremorethanjustapendulumswinging.Someoftheturnaroundistheprod-uctofconscious,thoughtfulpublicpolicy.PlacessuchasWisconsin,Michigan,OhioandmyhomestateofIndianahavebuiltsomeofthecountry’smostbusiness-friendlyclimates.Manyhavereformedandstrengthenedpubliceducationandseenpositiveresults.v
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5 new virus casespushes state to 11 INDIANAPOLIS—FivemorepeopleinIndianahavebeensickenedbythecoronavirus,includ-ingthreeinthesamesuburbanIndianapoliscounty,boostingthestate’stallyofcasesto11,healthofficialssaidWednes-day(IndianaPublicMedia).JohnsonCountyhasthreepresumptiveposi-tivecasesofCOVID-19,thediseasecausedbythevirus,andnorth-centralIndiana’sHowardCountyhasone,thestateDepartmentofHealthsaid.AfifthnewcaseofCOVID-19wasannouncedWednesdayafternoonbyhealthofficialsinnorthernIndiana’sSt.JosephCounty-anadultmalewhoisquarantinedathishometestedpositiveforthecoronavirus,saidDr.MarkFox,thecounty’shealthofficer.Hewastestedoutsideaprivateoutpa-tientclinicin“adrive-throughsitu-ation,”Foxsaid.“Hecametothepark-inglotofanoutpatientfacilityandthehealthcareprovider,inappropriatepersonalprotectivegear,wentouttotheindividual’scarandobtainedthenecessaryspecimensfortesting,”Foxsaid.ThestateDepartmentofHealth’sonlinedashboardforCOVID-19casesstillshowed10casesstatewideasofWednesdayeveningbasedontestsperformedbytheagency’slaboratory,butspokeswomanJeniO’Malleysaidithopes“toexpanditinthefuturetocapturetests”thatprivatelabsreportto the state.
Big 10 bans crowdsfor tournament INDIANAPOLIS—TheBigTenConferenceannouncedWednes-dayeveningthatbeginningThursday,March12,2020,attendanceatallBigTenMen’sBasketballTournamentgameswillbelimitedtostudent-athletes,coaches,eventstaff,es-sentialteamandConferencestaff,TVnetworkpartners,credentialedmedia,
andimmediatefamilymembersoftheparticipatingteams(WLFI-TV).Addi-tionally,allfurtherBigTenConferencewinterandspringsportcompetitions,includingchampionship/tournament
events,willalsobelimitedtostudent-athletes,coaches,eventstaff,essentialteamandConfer-encestaff,TVnetworkpartners,credentialedmedia,andim-mediatefamilymembersoftheparticipatingteams.
NBA suspendsseason due to virus NEWYORK—TheNBAsus-pendeditsseasonafteraUtahJazzplayertestedpositiveWednesdayforthe coronavirus (ESPN).“TheNBAissuspendinggameplayfollowingtheconclusionof[Wednesday’s]sched-uleofgamesuntilfurthernotice,’’theleaguesaidinastatementissuedshortlyafter9:30p.m.ET.“TheNBAwillusethishiatustodeterminenextstepsformovingforwardinregardtothecoronaviruspandemic.’’
Trump announcesEurope travel ban WASHINGTON—PresidentTrumpannounceda30-daybanonsometravelfromEuropeintotheU.S.andsaidhewouldacttoofferfinan-cialassistancetothoseaffectedbythecoronaviruspandemicrapidlyspread-ingacrossthecountryandaroundtheworld(WallStreetJournal).Mr.Trump,inanationaladdressfromtheOvalOfficeonWednesday,saidthetravelsuspensionwouldbeginFridayat11:59p.m.andwouldexcludetheU.K.Hesuggestedtherestrictionswouldalsoapplytocargo,buttheWhiteHouselatersaidtheyappliedonlytopeopleanddeclinedtoanswerotherquestions.“Therestrictionstopspeoplenotgoods,”Mr.Trumplatertweeted.Hoursaftertheaddress,theStateDepartmentadvisedU.S.citizensagainstalltravelabroad,eventocountriesnotyetexperiencinganoutbreak.Thedepartmentwarnedofmandatoryquarantines,travelrestric-
tionsandothermeasuresthatcouldcomplicateinternationaltravel.“Thisisnotafinancialcrisis,”Mr.Trumpsaid.“Thisisjustatemporarymo-mentintimethatwewillovercomeasanation,andasaworld.”U.S.stockfuturesandglobalstockmar-kets dropped after the president announcedthenewtravelrestrictions.
BSU cancelsin-person classes MUNCIE—BallStateUniver-sityonWednesdaycanceledin-personclassesfortherestofspringsemesterinresponsetogrowingconcernwiththecoronavirusthatisnowaglobalpandemic(Muncie Star Press).Presi-dentGeoffreyS.MearnsannouncedonWednesdaynighttheuniversityishaltingface-to-faceinstructionaswellassuspendingfromMarch16untilApril30alluniversity-sponsored/fundedeventsof100peopleormore.Nodecisionhasbeenmadeyetoncommencementthisspring.
Biden cancelsChicago rally CHICAGO—JoeBiden’spresi-dentialcampaignhascanceledeventsplannedforhereonFriday,includingtwohigh-profilefundraisersandapublicrally,inthewakeofgrowingfearsaboutthecoronavirusoutbreakandjustdaysbeforeIllinois’March17primary(Politico).“Thehealthandsafetyofthepublicisournumberonepriority,”Biden’scampaignsaidinastatement.“Wehavebeenandwillcontinuetoconsultwithrelevantofficials,includingourrecentlyan-nouncedPublicHealthAdvisoryCom-mittee,regardingstepsthecampaignshouldtaketominimizehealthrisksforstaffandsupporters.”
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