Northwest Indiana Discussion

(I APOLOGIZE FOR THE CAPS. THE MACHINE JUMPED AND I WASN'T GONNA RETYPE)

AS I UNDERSTAND IT, CHAIRMAN OF THE LAKE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY, TOM MCDERMOTT, WILL DEVOTE AN ENTIRE HALF HOUR (OR MORE) OF POLITICAL PROGRAMMING TO MIKE REPAY ON HIS MONDAY, OCT. 22 SHOW. WHILE I'M NOT REPAY'S BIGGEST FAN AND BELIEVE HIM TO BE A DINO, WE MUST REMEMBER THAT HE IS RUNNING AGAINST THE MOST HAPLESS OF CANDIDATES TO EVER GRACE (OR COARSEN) LAKE COUNTY POLITICS: TEA-LIBERTARIAN-REPUBLICAN MARK LEYVA.

REPAY AND LEYVA OPPOSE EACH OTHER FOR THE 3RD DISTRICT COMMISSIONER'S SEAT.

I MEAN EVEN REPUBLICANS OF THE FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT ARE EMBARRASSED BY HIS IDEAS. ONE THINKS OF THE EARLY SCENE IN APOCALYPSE NOW, WHERE BLACK OPS CAPT. WILLARD IS DINING WITH THE CIA AND THE STAFF OF GENERAL CORMAN, WHO NEGATIVELY COMMENTS ON THE SANITY OF KURTZ IN ELIMINATING VIET MINH INFILTRATION THAT, "HIS METHODS WERE UNSOUND."

DESPITE, THEN, THE CONSTRICTIONS DISPLAYED BY REPAY'S KERNAN-SHEPARD SHORTCOMINGS, ESPECIALLY HIS SINGLE-MINDED APPROACH TO LAKE COUNTY FISCAL, CONTRACTUAL AND EXTRA-BUDGET MATTERS, EVEN I AM COMPELLED TO VOTE FOR HIM. FOR LEYVA COULD NOT HOLD A CANDLE TO HANK ADAMS AND ANYONE'S THAT'S EVER LISTENED TO HIM MUST AT LEAST ENTERTAIN THE THOUGHT THAT HIS METHODS, TOO, MIGHT NOT BE SOUND. LIKEWISE, I AM NOT THE ONLY VOTER WHO WILL FIND IT IMPOSSIBLE TO ENDORSE OR VOTE HIM HERE. IRRESPECTIVE OF HOW HE BEAT DEBBIE ASTOR IN THE GOP PRIMARY LAST SPRING, WHICH I FIND IS UTTERLY BEYOND ME. LEYVA RECEIVED 3,178 VOTES TO ASTOR'S 2,679. THE TOTAL PRIMARY VOTES CAST IN THE GOP RACE WAS 5,857. CONTRAST THAT WITH TOTAL VOTES CAST IN DEM PRIMARY IN THAT RACE: 10,926.

AND EVEN IF YOU ADD THOSE WHO DIDN'T VOTE IN THE GOP PRIMARY BUT WILL PROBABLY VOTE IN THE GENERAL ELECTION ON NOV. 6, YOU HAVE TO CALCULATE A SIMILAR TURNOUT FOR DEMOCRATS THAT DON'T VOTE THE PRIMARY. THE POINT IS THERE IS NO CHANCE OF REPAY LOSING THIS ELECTION. NADA.

SO WHY IS MCDERMOTT TO STROKE HIM ON THE RADIO FOR A FULL THIRTY MINUTES? ISN'T THIS A SQUANDERING THE AIR-TIME. REPAY REALLY DOESN'T NEED IT.

AS I SPECULATED IN A DIFFERENT THREAD, ELECTORALLY SPEAKING, SOMETHING MUST BE AFOOT WITH THE BIG MAC. HE IS ACTIVELY CULTIVATING REPAY'S ENDORSEMENT, AND NOT NECESSARILY BECAUSE THE TWO LIKE EACH OTHER, BUT BECAUSE OF THE NEED FOR A STRANGE BEDFELLOW. WE'RE TALKING THE FUTURE HERE. THE NEXT TWO YEARS SHOULD BE INTENSELY INTERESTING IN THESE HERE PARTS.

McDermott Jr's political end-game is coming.

The plan all along was him to run for congress when Visclosky retired.

Pete originally said he wouldn't run in 2008, but he did. Again in 2010 ..and now 2012. But Visclosky is vulnerable and has to be reaching the end of his career.

McD knows this and has to be getting his ducks in a row for broad support across NW Indiana.

After his many gaffes, I am not sure he has the political capital to win across the district. But we will see .....

Yeah it sounds logical enough, but I'm not sold that Visclosky is vulnerable. Maybe he is but I just haven't seen it yet. All that seniority. But maybe it is time to turn over the reigns. The rough and tumble of beltway politics is considerably more vicious these days. Need a fresh hitter. (I'm thinking of Bronson's Chaney character in Hard Times).

Well Pete originally planned to retire in 2008, but keeps on going like the Everready Congress-bunny. He still has some ethics violations dogging him, and has been the center of a number of inquiries.

I think if the heat gets high enough, he walks away instead of facing the fire.

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