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| Senator Richard G. Lugar |
If I were advising Senator Lugar, I would open up my campaign pocketbook and put a full court press on Mourdock by getting his side of the current residency controversy out. I don't mean to make a snarky ad either that targets Mourdock, but the Senator himself looking the voters in the eye through the TV cameras and explaining why he believes he should be considered a Hoosier. It's unbelievable that he should have to do this, but it's time to shine a light on his problem. That's an old saying in politics, but it's time to level with people. He also needs to consider fixing his problem permanently by at least renting an apartment or a condo for himself and Charlene. I don't accept the argument that Richard Lugar is not a Hoosier, but some definitely are.
Secondly, it's time to get to work. If he wants to survive, Lugar is going to have to push himself harder as a campaigner. He needs to get out across the state, and he needs to do it quickly. He needs to speak to anyone that will listen about his record as a conservative. He also needs to spend money to get his word out over the airwaves about his record.
If all of this works, his hopes of keeping his job will still be challenged. Joe Donnelly is just waiting for his opponent. Donnelly is a hard campaigner, and I've been hearing that he's making inroads with some of the groups initially critical of him. Lugar will have his hands full in November as well.
One way or another, Richard Lugar has not experienced anything like this in his years in the Senate. He's going to have to work hard in both May and, if he's successful there, November, just to keep his job.
5 comments:
The fact Lugar filed an appeal suggests to me he's not listening to either his political or legal advisers. They would have told him to get an apartment or some other residence and to put this residency for voting matter to a rest. It's really far-fetched to claim he can vote using a house occupied by someone else, a house he hadn't had any connection to in 35 years.
Even if he's right, he's dragging the matter out through the appeal, ensuring more stories about the fact he hasn't lived in Indiana for 35 years.
I agree the odds on Mourdock winning have gone up. I think the odds are about 60-40 Lugar beats Mourdock. But he's going to be such damaged goods if he does win the primary. I actually have come to the belief that Donnelly would be better off running against Lugar than Mourdock. There are so many Republicans who have left the Lugar building and are not coming back.
That's an old saying in politics, but it's time to level with people. He also needs to consider fixing his problem permanently by at least renting an apartment or a condo for himself and for Charlene.
As long as Dan Parker is Dem chair, no statewide Dem will win.
I know you're not really trying to "help" Lugar, but who cares whether he wins or not? I hope he gets his a-- kicked by Murdock, or if not by him, then by my man Donnelly. Lugar has historically been a far-right conservative, at one time (not that long ago) having the highest "Republican" voting record in the U.S. Senate. Only recently has he gained a reputation as a "moderate", partly because the GOP has moved so far to the right. This "moderate" image has been nurtured by the Indianapolis Star, which has never uttered one word of criticism of Lugar in six Senate terms. It's about time somebody put his feet to the fire, both in May and, if need be, in November.
Eric, which issues would Donnelly disagree with Lugar or Murdoch for that matter...it seems that we have a choice of 3 Republicans!
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