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| Indianapolis Star Columnist Matthew Tully |
I don't like that term "negative" campaigning. It implies you're doing something wrong when you're doing what you're supposed to do as a candidate. The question is whether the attacks are accurate and whether personal issues are avoided. For the most part, I think the overwhelming answer as to Kennedy's campaign is "yes." It's not like she pulled the stunt that was pulled on behalf of Kostas Poulakidas against Councilor Christine Scales, the fake postcard from Florida. Now that is gutter politics.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised about Tully. He has not uttered one words against the pay-to-play culture of Indianapolis politics and decries anyone who even raises the subject. In his column he talks about how great deputy Mayor Mike Huber is. Huber was the architect of one of the most lopsided deals in Indianapolis history, the parking meter contract which will result in the giving away of 70% of our parking revenue for the next 50 years. Just because Huber is good at convincing councilors to sign off on sweetheart, corporate welfare deals that screw over taxpayers and mortgage the future of this City does not mean he warrants praise. After all, wasn't Al Capone good at his job too?
If Kennedy loses it won't be because she went "negative" (like Ballard hasn't been negative?) but because she failed to be aggressive enough in pointing out how Ballard turned his back on the people and the populist values he campaigned on in 2007.
6 comments:
It's not Kennedy's job to point out how Ballard turned his back on his populist supporters.
That's the job of the populist who elected him who have done that on the blogs since the first year he was in office.
That said, between the two, I think I'm better off with Ballard for another four years.
The thing that put me over the edge to vote for Ballard again is that quote from Lincoln Plowman. Plowman told the undercover FBI agent posing as a strip club developer that there was no use in going to Ballard to grease the wheel because Ballard wasn't a "political guy" like that.
And as far as the Libertarian is concerned, he's a sweet and honorable guy, but he's not ready for that job.
Melyssa, You are taking that quote from Plowman completely out of context. I take it you are going by what I wrote on my blog. It was difficult what to surmise from what Plowman said of other people because he clearly impugned the reputations of others in those recorded conversations who the government never charged with criminal wrongdoing and who the government insisted had not engaged in criminal wrongdoing. Plowman didn't need the help of the mayor in the scheme he had devised with the undercover agent; he claimed to personally control people on the zoning boards to grease the wheels. I know of another case where a member of the MDC participated in a telephone conversation with Plowman and another person helping another party obtain a rezoning where there was an appearance that the MDC member was aiding Plowman in a shakedown. The FBI never pursued that case against Plowman or the MDC member. You can neither surmise that other people mentioned in the recorded conversations had engaged in criminal wrongdoing nor that they were innocent of criminal wrongdoing based on the case that was presented to the jury in Plowman's criminal case. I think the FBI and the federal prosecutors chose to leave a lot on the table when it comes to prosecution public corruption in Indianapolis unless there are cases that are pursued sometime in the near future that have not been divulged yet. Frankly, their efforts to date are a total joke compared to what has been accomplished by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Chicago and elsewhere. Plowman was low-hanging fruit that they couldn't pass up based on the information furnished to them by informants. I'm not at all impressed.
Melina Kennedy’s job is to advance the interests of Melina Kennedy.
Bowen is a “LINO” (Libertarian in name only). He is on the Libertarian ballot, but he talks nonsense.
Thanks Gary...
But it did sound like Plowman said he didn't have the mayor in a position where he could control him and it would be a waste of resources to try.
When is Plowman's sentencing anyway? Did I miss it somehow?
Populist values are also not those of Melina Kennedy. I plan to vote straight Libertarian over at the firehouse.
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