Sen. Evan Bayh and Iowa Senate challenger Becky Schmitz
The plans changed: my daughter rescheduled her birthday get together so I made it to Evan Bayh. I saw two wifi signals but they were too weak to connect so we’re pseudo-live.
Beautiful beautiful afternoon. Summer temperatures, fall colors. A couple TV crews and the Vikings and Bills on the big screen. Go Buffalo! I’m even going to catch my Packers on Monday night this week.
Everyone seemed to have seen my Not Gonna Be Here email. Almost as many people asked me about that as were asking, “what happened to your face” last week. Mari Culver says hi and that she’s a reader – OOPS. Also present: “the Yoda of Voting Equipment,” Doug Jones, the supervisor slate of Meyers and Stutsman, Lyness, most of the legislators, and the official guests of honor (the ones who get the $$$), the challengers with chances and without.
Too much yummy dessert and I have cake scheduled for later today too. Good thing I have a bike again and rode out there!
Sue Dvorsky was in charge of getting everyone Culverized; it was very green and gold which warmed my heart.
Got into some sidebar conversations – it’s hard to write and BE at the same time – but now Bayh is here and the festivities shall begin. I just shoved a camera in Mari’s face – OOPS.
Dave Loebsack plugged the forums with his opponent, did the two-minute rap.
My rep, Vicki Lensing, intro-ed the challengers. Becky Schmitz notes that’s she’s got one of the Bayh-funded staffers (interesting). Plays the “Johnson County should be all blue” card to some applause (she and Nolte have Hills and Lone Tree plus the SW rural part of the county).
Nolte talks about the joy of knocking on challenging doors (“Nussle signs and W stickers”).
Dems have complained more than offered solutions, and afraid to talk about faith and what we believe. For example - stand up for civil unions as a START to equality. We need not be afraid of our faith, love thy neighbor, helping others – those things make me a Dem. Heart, not issues, decides votes. And Republicans are ready to cross over, ready for a change.
Really nice speech – brought back a lot of memories from my own race, getting outside the urban parts of the People’s Republic and into those small towns. Hard to applaud with one hand and type with the other.
One of those moments: Only one person picks up on a Dave Jacoby applause line – everyone laughs, then everyone applauded.
Mari Culver started with stories about kids and yardsigns: the 5 year old is refusing to trick or treat at houses with Nussle signs. (Missed the opportunity to make a joke about paper bags.)
Sticks to the talking points: health care… minimum wage… talks about Chet as Teacher… Says, “other than tax cuts, Nussle is trying to sound like a Democrat”
Good bullet points on Nussle’s negative ads re IPERS:
1) won’t jeopardize IPERS
2) We’ve invested in venture capital since `85 – only difference is we want to keep more $ in state
3) Nussle himself says investment in venture capital is “a prudent strategy.”
And the Wife Joke: “Good news is Chet took me out to dinner last week for our anniversary. Bad news: it was a chili supper at the Waterloo AFL-CIO.”
Overall: not bad but soft spoken. (The speech teacher in me again)
Mary Mascher largely reads the official bio to intro Bayh, which may be new stuff for a lot of us. Elected sec of state at 30 and governor at 32. Pretty damn impressive – but the legacy of the name helps. Big applause for “outrunning Bush in Indiana” – remember that map from the steak fry? Talks about death of his mother from breast cancer.
Bayh starts with jokes about his relative youth when elected – he still looks pretty damn young. In going through the obligatory introductions, he hits a couple themes: “we’re not doing nearly enough” and “Washington is too partisan, too gridlocked, and too corrupt.” He personally distributes the checks from his PAC – interesting touch.
Makes a joke about having a tied legislature and “stereo speakers.”
Now on to the meat:
“We’re not here because we seek power – we’re here because of the tangible things we can accomplish together to make a difference in people’s lives.”
We import more oil than on 9/11 – we need to break free from oil addiction.
Health care – Washington is stuck and powers that be don’t seem to care. It won’t be easy but we have to make choices. Care for kids, 50-50 match for business, re-insurance… We can do it - we have to afford it. “If the choice for me is health care or more tax cuts…” didn’t hear the end for the applause.
Higher education costs: in Indiana “21st century scholars” program. 8th grade pledge to graduate and no-drug, then a full college scholarship to Indiana state colleges. We’ve moved Indiana from 40th to 9th in college education.
We increased school funding every year, did many progressive things – and without raising taxes. Socially progressive, fiscally responsible. NO fiscal responsibility in DC today. Immoral to choose to take out trillions in debt and ask grandkids to repay with interest. I had to veto a whole budget one year – “that’s what you have to do when you’re a leader.’
National security: “Vote Republican or you may die.” Gets chuckles. Events and Republicans won’t let us change subject. In a very firm voice he says: “Bush has undermined our security, and We Will Do Better.”
Minor peeve: he’s saying “nuculer” “Republicans better at national security politics than national security policy.”
We need to provide a better type of leadership: polarization id damaging and wrong. We need to all work on building a better world together. Our strength is those things we have in common.
Quotes unnamed civil rights leader, “We may have arrived on these shores in different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” And we can do that. We don’t need to sell out to win elections, but we need to reach out. I know we can do this.
And he shows the red and blue Indiana maps from 2004 (Bush won Indiana by 21% in 2004, and at the same time Bayh won by 24) to illustrate his “we can work together” point. Along with polarization and division, GOP message is “fear and greed.” That’s not good enough to build a great nation. “We’ve got to do better” (that’s a recurring line.) We need to expand people's view of self-interest to include neighborhood and community. People in America are willing to make sacrifices for more than just themselves.
Talks of visit to Walter Reed hospital. “We can be proud of a country that produces young people like that.” Visits are heartbreaking, but when I leave – “what am I doing to be worthy of their sacrifice? What can I give of my ease and comfort to build a more kind and just America?”
A couple interesting Bayh moments after the speech: I asked him who the Bayh-Bush voters were and he responded with the fiscal responsibility and social progressive angle.
Doug Jones is laughing but Bayh is worrying as he watches the last seconds - actually, time had expired - of the Colts' win
And we watched the concern and elation on his face as the Colts-Jets game ended on a bizarre play:
"With 8 seconds left, the Jets got off one last, desperate circus play, a never-ending lateral-fest that almost worked. Chad Pennington threw a short pass to Leon Washington , who ran for a 33-yard gain and lateraled the ball to Brad Smith .
That was just the beginning.
A series of at least five laterals followed - including one back to Pennington, who then threw a crosswise pass to keep the chaos rolling - all over the field, with center Nick Mangold finally fumbling the ball at the Colts 35 and Indianapolis (4-0) recovering to end the game."
Colts win 31-28 and Bayh was one Happy Hoosier. It was a nice human being moment.
A couple anonymous after the fact reviews:
“I liked him – I like them all at this point.”
“Not a bad speech but any one of 45 Democratic senators could have given it.”
I’d say Bayh is at this point on the bubble of the A list and the B list but moving up. And collecting lots of IOUs with those strategically placed staffers.
Great column!
ReplyDeleteI love to hear how Sen Bayh is doing on his travels... thanks!