BUCSHON SHOULD DEFEND HIS RECORD AND ALLOW HIS PRIMARY OPPONENT TO SPEAK 

By Richard Moss, MD, Candidate for 8th Congressional District in Republican Primary

Jasper, IN

I attended a Lincoln Day Dinner in Washington Indiana, Daviess County, a community I know well for having a surgical practice there for more than 20 years.  I later attended another Lincoln Day Dinner at Greene County where a similar pattern unfolded.  At the Daviess County event, I had read on the Facebook page that candidates would be given a few minutes to speak.  Congressman Larry Bucshon was the featured guest and keynote speaker, but at least I would have a few minutes to get my message out however briefly.  As it turned out no one other than Bucshon spoke.  In a contested race with a primary, it seemed reasonable that while the Congressman would be expected to speak and even be the featured speaker, his primary opponent should also be allowed at least a few minutes to make his case.  

Bucshon took some 40 minutes to deliver what was, in effect, a paid political campaign speech, while I was silenced.   Bucshon droned on about his many achievements and even mentioned that he had sent his yearly check in from his campaign coffers to the local county GOP party; he added that as a Congressman he could attract a lot of money from contributors and that he was doing his bit to help local county parties throughout the 8^th district by sending them money, engaging in a bit of political patronage, a kind of bribe, if you will, and probably not something to air publicly, but the Congressman thought this fair game and indeed received some applause for this.  

What was not mentioned by the Congressman, and what I would have said but was not allowed to, was that the Congressman is now a native of Washington DC not Indiana’s 8^th district.  He has also dodged his one televised debate with me on May 2 to go to a dinner, ducking the one opportunity for him to have to defend his record.  He neglected to mention that he has a Heritage Action Conservative score of 52%, an F.  He tiptoed around his recent vote for the disastrous Omnibus bill, the 2300 page $1.3 trillion monster that funded sanctuary cities, DACA, amnesty, importing more Syrian Muslim refugees, and Planned Parenthood, tacking on a trillion dollars to our national debt, while doing nothing to build a wall and secure our southern border.  Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer praised the bill.  Yes, our congressman stood with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to fund Democrat priorities but did not have to defend his vote because county GOP parties protected him. 

As a candidate for Congress in Indiana’s 8^th district, this is an infringement of first amendment rights.  It is an endorsement of the Congressman in the midst of a primary by allowing him unlimited time as keynote speaker to give a self-serving campaign speech.  If a sitting Congressman is involved in a primary then the county parties should allow both candidates to speak.  I’m on the ballot.  I should get equal time or at least some time.  My many supporters at the dinner and throughout the county were insulted and disrespected by this.  It is a form of censorship.  It is political cronyism – the GOP establishment at the local level protecting their preferred candidate, their useful foot soldier Larry Bucshon while silencing his opponent in the midst of a primary.  But we don’t need political favoritism, we need patriotism, an open system for all candidates to express their views and allow the voters to decide – including at Lincoln Day Dinners in front of the GOP faithful.   All candidates need equal time before the voters.

FOOTNOTE: Dr. Richard Moss is a board certified head and neck cancer surgeon and was a candidate for Congress in 2016. He graduated from the Indiana University School of Medicine and has been in practice in Jasper and Washington, IN for over 20 years. He is married with four children.  For more information visit RMoss4Congress.com. Contact us at hq@rmoss4congress.com. Find Moss For Congress on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The City-County Observer posted this article without opinion, bias or editing.

The resolution is modeled after a gun control measure in South Bend, IN that keeps guns out of the hands of violent criminals, domestic abusers and those who are severely mentally ill.

The resolution in South Bend closes the background check system loophole.

Evansville’s city attorney says it’s going to take some time to look over what other cities have done to make sure they stay within the lines of what’s legal.

“All of those situations are kind of mute,” says Joshua Clayborn.

“This not being under consideration number one, because there is no resolution that has been introduced yet to the extent Dr. Adams is introducing something, we are going to make sure its legal. I am not entirely familiar with what every other community has done so I can’t speak to what they are doing right or wrong, but at least here we will definitely be following the law.”

More than a dozen members of the community spoke out on both sides of the issues at Monday’s council meeting.

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The decision comes after the former director Stephanie Tenbarge alleged misused thousands of dollars of funds.

A full was house at Evansville Civic Center patiently waiting for council to make a decision that could affect affordable housing in Evansville.

Several council members demanded transparency from the non-profit corporation.

“We were never going to find out about these issues so we have a right to know,” says Missy Mosyby. “What else do we need to know?”

Echo Housing’s interim director says the organization will voluntarily share the results of an audit

“Give us time to complete our processes,” says Chris Metz. “Give us time to complete the forensic audit, give us time to continue working with outside entities to complete the revision and the review of our accounting process and our control procedures.”

But the council wants specifics.

On top of former executive director Stephanie Tenbarge allegedly writing several checks, council members questioned how echo housing board members say they did not notice the misuse of funds.

“When the gentleman named Silas from the federal government came to town in relation to Promise Zone money that Stephanie Tenbarge paid for his expenses on her personal credit card because there were no funds available for echo,” says council member Michelle Mercer.

The organization says the ordinance could have affected fifteen hundred units of affordable housing expected to be complete in a month.

“we are working right now to complete Garvin commons,” says Metz, “A 44 unit affordable housing complex which we be finished within 30 days. This ordinance has the potential to jeopardize the completion of that project.”

The organization says all checks at Echo Housing now require two signatures, and says the findings of the audit will be made public by mid May.

Amanda Porter

Reporter and Anchor for 44News

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