Just when you thought the Marion Co. GOP organization under the leadership of Rep. Mike Murphy couldn't sink any lower in credibility, it did just that at yesterday's county convention to slate candidates for the 2006 elections. The party slated former at-large city-county councilor Ron Franklin over two other candidates to take on incumbent Rep. Julia Carson WIBC reports.
Franklin would be the same person who pleaded guilty to charges of firing a handgun at a truck carrying several passengers back in August, 2001. Franklin beat the rap for possession of the cocaine police also found in his car when he was pulled over for the crime of firing the handgun.
Franklin defeated two other candidates, including conservative wing-nut Richard Scott Reynolds. Reynolds is the guy who testified at a city council hearing against the proposed HRO, arguing that gays and lesbians were financially better off than straight people and should not be entitled to "special rights" they don't need. He was supported by Advance America's Eric Miller.
Eric Dickerson, a local car dealer, has already filed the necessary papers to run against Carson in the May primary, even without the GOP's blessing. According to Jim Shella's Blog, Chairman Murphy had never spoken to Dickerson and only knew him from his TV commercials for his car dealership before hearing that he had filed with the Secretary of State.
Suffice it to say that Rep. Carson won't have any problem with re-election this year.
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But anyone who knows politics knows that the GOP isn't looking to oust Julia Carson, but to dampen turnout so Carl Brizzi, the Marion County prosecutor, gets re-elected this year. Chances are that Carl will win handily no matter how much money the Democratic opponent raises this time around. But the fact that the county leans Democratic, along with the feuding within the GOP, means that the latter has no interest in stirring Democrat voters out of their slumber.
Ron Franklin has no chance of winning and Murphy knows that. And that's what he's counting on.
So let me get this straight. The party's strategy is to slate an ex-con to run against a candidate you know you can't beat in order to dampen voter turnout? And the incumbent prosecutor, whose office prosecuted Franklin, will be aided by having him on the ticket with him? Gee,why didn't I think of that?
Actually the party's strategy is to run someone that can't win an election for whatever reason -- newcomer, convict, dog catcher -- in order to avoid Julia's political machine, which did a great job in keeping her from losing to a nobody (Andy Horning) last year -- and unseated all three Republican incumbents sitting in Marion County offices of surveyor and coroner.
And the Republicans aren't the only ones who specialize in this. Two years ago, the Democrats ran a chiropracter for the coroner's seat, not expecting to win and let the cousin of former Mayor John Barton run -- again -- for surveyor, not expecting them to win. Thanks to Julia, they did. This time, the Democrats have serious candidates because the prosecutor's, auditor's and clerk's offices are serious jobs.
It's the nature of the game these days: Keep as many of your opponents home as possible. And while Franklin is an ex-convict, few are going to get outraged about it -- except for more principled Republicans who might end up launching a primary fight, if they really care. Most of the apparatchiks probably don't.
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