Contrasting the Chairmen of the Vanderburgh County Political Parties

Parke: The recession has made life very difficult for people and caused a lot of economic uncertainty.  People don’t feel the massive spending directed by President Obama and Democrat Congress in Washington D.C. was well planned or thought out, and don’t feel it has helped their personal situation.  Also, the massive national health insurance plan is unpopular with two thirds of voters. This makes for an opportunity for the Republican Party, which is not in control of national government.

Owen: Every election year is unique. I never take an election for granted regardless of what are polls say. Some years have trends. This year is an off presidential year and always trends towards the party opposite of the President. We just have to work harder and smarter this year knowing there is this trend.

3. How would you analyze the health of the local party that you lead 30 days out from the election?

Owen: Healthy and strong. Each party always has and will have factions within the party. That’s normal based on personal likes and dislikes. Some candidates also have various ambitions that you have to be mindful of. The only problem this year is that fund raising is more difficult than normal. It probably is a sign of the economy. I think all of the candidates from both parties are experiencing this.

Parke: The Republican Party is energized in a way it hasn’t been since 2004, and maybe since 1994.  The “Tea Party” has redirected conservative policy on spending and taxes which is bringing the Republican Party to its’ natural home.  Locally we have a popular Governor that personally recruited candidates for the state legislature that will assist Vanderburgh County candidates all down the line. Locally we have strong candidates for all offices and a new party leadership to manage the campaigns and get out the vote. We have good experienced candidates for Commissioner (Abell), Assessor (Fluty), Auditor (Gries), Council (Lloyd, Shetler).  State Treasurer Mourdock is from Evansville.
The Democrats are demoralized by the public disenchantment with their unpopular Washington agenda.

4. This year some primaries were contested and others were not. Do you favor having primary elections, and does it help or hurt the fall election effort?

Parke: Rather than have back room deals to limit primaries, contested primaries can be a healthy thing. The Republican U. S. Senate primary allowed the winner Dan Coates to test his message, build his organization and raise funds.  The other candidates such as Hostettler and Stutzman received state wide recognition and experience that can help future runs for office. The Eighth District U. S. Congress primary brought forward important issues and forced the winner to get his message and organization up quickly. The Tea Party movement had valuable input into the primaries as well.

Contrast that with the Democrats, where Sen. Evan Bayh’s last minute withdrawal (purposely) did not allow a primary but required party bosses to choose the candidate.

Owen: I think that any Chairman would prefer having no contested races in the primary because they can become expensive and utilize resources that you could have used in the general election. Primaries can be helpful, however, to weed out weak candidates. A candidate with a big primary win can gain additional momentum for their fall campaign.

5. What are your feelings about the independent “Tea Party” movement? Do you see evidence of local “Tea Party” efforts that will effect the Nov. 2 election?

Owen: The Tea Party Movement resembles the Perot movement in the 90’s. People are angry, frustrated and feeling like they need to express themselves. This is understandable in these economic times. The level of civility is not always appropriate. I do believe there should be a level of respect for public officials and each other. We really haven’t seen this problem locally, but we have on a national level. Most of those involved in this movement are not Democrats, so the effect may not be as strong as some expect. They are however; motivated voters and I would expect a larger turnout than normal in an off presidential year. This would certainly not be good for Democrats.

Parke: The Tea Party movement is very healthy thing for this country. They are asking government to return to the U. S. Constitution and our national roots, including limited government, respect for individual rights and lower taxes.  Unfortunately the Obama Pelosi Reid agenda seems to be directly opposed to the Tea Party principles.
We do see Tea Party groups locally at rallies, neighborhood meetings and candidate events. They write letters to the editor and contact public officials to make their voices known.  The Tea Party’s conservative fiscal goals fit in with Republican Party’s goals as well.  The Democrats Party, the party that puts government first, does not seem comfortable with the Tea Party agenda.

6. President Obama’s popularity in Indiana has fallen steadily since 2009. How does President Obama’s standing affect the local election in 2010?

Parke: President Obama has governed against the will of the people on a number of issues including raising taxes, the stimulus package, national health care and cap and trade legislation. In conservative Indiana, this unpopular agenda has Democrats running scared. Voters are looking to vote against Democrats to send a “message of displeasure” to President Obama and the Democrat Congress.

Owen: President Obama’s popularity has dropped because the economy hasn’t made significant improvements. The same happened during President Reagan’s first term. It will depend on how strong this level of frustration is in determining its effect.

7. Conversely, Governor Mitch Daniels has shown continued popularity in Indiana. How will Governor Daniels’ actions affect the local elections in 2010?

Owen: Some, but not significantly. People are really more focused on the national economy.

Parke: Governor Daniels is investing resources, time and money in candidates to win a Republican majority in the Indiana House.  His efforts to put money and message behind Republicans in statehouse races will help local candidates by moving votes to the “R” column. Some districts that typically don’t have contested elections will help turnout votes for local Republicans as well.

8. Obviously Linda Durham was not qualified to serve as Knight Township Trustee. Has the party that you lead made any changes to do checking or vetting of candidates prior to them filing to run for office?

Parke: Of course the County Chairman and local party should check the suitability, background and credentials of individuals seeking to run for local elected office.  The sad alleged corruption and mismanagement of the Knight Township Trustee office illustrates the pitfalls when a local political party pursues power at all costs even when an individual is obviously incompetent and unqualified to serve in office. The Democrat Party bares the full responsibility of the Linda Durham disaster that is costing local taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Owen: Anyone can walk into the Election Office and file for office. After they have filed is when you research their background. We didn’t recruit a candidate because Knight Township is generally a very republican area and we really didn’t expect we would win this position. Jim Price had been a very successful Trustee and we felt that Jim would easily win re-election. We didn’t support Linda’s candidacy, nor did we include her on any of our printed material. Surprises happen in this business. We could have checked her out thoroughly, but she still had the right to run. There’s nothing we could have done to stop her from running. In retrospect, we could have run a credible candidate against her in the Primary. But, that would have utilized valuable resource that we could have used elsewhere. It’s easy now to talk about hindsight, but we didn’t support her and never expected her to win.

9. Local City and County governance has come under increasing criticism recently year between dealing with the closing of the Executive Hotel development and the Local Homestead Tax Credit fiasco. Will these situations have any effect on the local 2010 elections?

Owen: The Executive Inn closed because it went broke. Then the lender was taken over by the feds. The city had no control over either of these factors. The Homestead Tax Credit issue was bi-partisan with elected officials from both parties involved. I don’t see any major impact on these issues this year. I think everyone involved would have handled it differently. Simply said, I think the ball got dropped and no one in the meeting announced the consensus opinion. This certainly proved to be a big mistake by all.

Parke: Voters are expressing concern and anger at government spending and wasting taxpayer dollars at all levels, including city government.  The cost overruns on the LST dock, the attempt to remove the Local Homestead Tax Credit and the new Downtown Stadium contribute to a climate of distrust of government.  The mayor’s problems will help elect local Republicans in 2010.

10. Most analysts expect big Republican gains in Congressional races in 2010. How do you think this will this affect Indiana Congressional races? How do you think this will this affect Vanderburgh County local races?

Parke: Voters here in Vanderburgh County are like voters elsewhere, they want to “send a message” of dislike to the policies pursued by the Democrat Congress and President Obama.  Indiana may see three Congressional seats go from Democrat to Republican (2nd, 8th and 9th districts) because these Democrats chose to support Speaker Pelosi and President Obama in spite of voters feeling otherwise.   The U. S. Senate seat formerly held by Democrat Evan Bayh should fall to Republicans in part because of the unpopularity of this year’s Democrat policies.  Turnout will be lower due to this being a midterm election but those turning out are disgusted with the national policies of Democrats and want to vote many of them out. This will assist local Republicans that offer reasoned and thoughtful policies, listen to voter concerns and campaign as fiscal conservatives.   

Owen: Depending on how big the trend is will determine its effect on the congressional race. It may affect the local races some. But, local races are local and are generally based on local issues.

11. What is your opinion of what the biggest surprise will be in local elections this year?

Owen: You never know. Expect the unexpected. There usually is a surprise or two. I just hope we aren’t the ones surprised.

Parke: Republicans will regain both the House and Senate in DC.
 
 
12. What question should we have asked, and what is your answer to it?

Parke: When Democrats are in their Indiana District, they talk like they are conservative. When they are voting, they vote with the liberals. Voters are tired of this behavior. Voters expect politicians actually do what they say they are going to do when they are campaigning for office.

Owen: Why is the world would anyone want to be the County Chairman?

It’s certainly not the pay. We are paid zero. I’d love to hear Wayne’s answer. I wish him luck, but not success. He seems like he’ll be a very good GOP County Chairman.