The Star's State House reporter Mary Beth Schneider and political columnist Matt Tulley react today to a new WTHR-TV poll showing Dickerson with a 45%-42% lead over Rep. Julia Carson (D). Schneider new's story is dismissive of Dickerson and sympathetic towards Carson. What's new here? Tully, on the other hand, is much more circumspect and offers some thoughtful analysis of why the poll might actually reflect what voters are thinking.
Schneider says Carson "shrugged off the results." She cites a couple of polls from previous races which showed Carson with a slight lead and slightly behind her Republican opponents. Carson won both of those races, finishing below 55% in both races. Schneider observes that Dickerson has run his campaign on his own with no state or national GOP support. And she does her obligatory rewarding of Carson's mudslinging by mentioning an unproven 15-year-old police report Carson dug up from the trash. Schneider helps provide cover for Carson's declining health by observing she has always had health problems, giving no hint of her worsening conditition apparent to anyone who meets her in person.
Tully, to his credit, makes an effort to explain why there might be at least a little bit of truth in the WTHR poll. He begins by reminding readers of Dickerson's eternal optimism. "Every time I call Eric Dickerson, the Republican congressional candidate from Indianapolis, he says the same thing: 'Matt, we're winning.'" "Now he has a poll to back up those optimistic words." Tully thinks the controversial proposed bar in the Julia Carson Government Center and the absence of any effort on her part to stop it has tainted her name. Tully also raises the obvious: Dickerson's appeal. "While Dickerson is impressive in front of a crowd, Carson often appears one nod away from falling asleep on stage," he writes. Tully notes that Carson often appears "confused."
Tully thinks Carson's mudslinging has hurt her. "Carson took hard personal shots at Dickerson last month, but the Republican remained positive," Tully writes. Dickerson's efforts to reach out to black voters has been better received than previous white voters. And finally, Tully thinks part of it may be "cockiness" on the part of Democrats. He thinks Carson may be feeling the effects of not campaigning hard enough.
Tully thinks the poll may result in the national GOP dumping some last-minute money into Dickerson's race. "With the national GOP reportedly pulling out of some races around the nation, the party could make waves with a fairly small investment here," he writes. I don't expect that to happen, and certainly not if there are any strings attached. Dickerson has made it clear to the national GOP he will not accept any money which is tied to him supporting, for example, Dennis Hastert's re-election as Speaker.
Tully indicates that the poll will make the next 18 days of the campaign interesting, even if Democrats scoff at Dickerson beating Carson, and it's a race Republicans don't expect to win. Let's hope the Star turns over a new leaf during the next couple of weeks and starts reporting on this campaign the way it should have been reporting on it from the beginning.
28 comments:
WHERE'S JULIA?
She's asleep in her bed. All of her handlers are too sick today to come and pull her out.
Thank God for the confirmation of the inevitable. We will finally have representation in our district. Did you hear about this? Dickerson said a few weeks ago that Wal-Mart will be offering a prescription plan for $4.00 on generic drugs in selected states. He not only said it, but called Wal-Mart headquarters and asked that Indiana be included in the 14 or so states involved in the program. As a result, Indiana was included!!!!
He did this and he's just a candidate. He's already working for the 7th!! If he's out doing things like this now, just think what he will do in the halls of Congress. Everyone in the 7th, regardless of party lines, benefits from this action.
A few observatioons:
1. Heard my first Dickerson commercial this morning on Abdul's show. Then heard Eric on a phone interview immediately afterward.
Interesting commercial, very conversational.
2. Tully has zero credibility. Less than zero.
Mary Beth is a better reporter than that. I'm surprised at her. Who can ignore Julia's rambling, especially on the Ch. 13 thing? Were you hiding under a rock, Star reporters? The Congresswoman lost it on TV. On tape.
3. National GOP money here? hmmmm...that'd go against the words Eric spoke on Abdul's program this morning: he said he basically didn't need to raise money and do things in the conventional way. You can't have it botho ways, Eric. Either you're an outsider, which is cool, or you drink the Kool Aid.
I'm a Dem who has not made up his mind. I'm thinking of voting for Eric, but he's got to watch what is said on his behalf, and what he says.
Slight inconsistencies, and it's troubling:
His commercial says he's a car dealer. He's not NOW. He WAS. The present tense is clearly used in the commercial. I know every word in a 30-second radio spot is carefully crafted. The words are carefully parsed...a little too carefully.
He said in his interview this morning, that he made a conscious decision not to raise money and spend it in the conventional way. That is a direct contradiction to his promise to dump his own $200K into the race if he had to, back in early summer.
I vote for people who lose sometimes. My vote is not based on the candidate's ability to win.
Each slight inconsistency is one of parsed words and convenience. A sin? No. Shady? A little.
It goes with the whole "didn't hire an attorney" remark he made regarding his alleged domestic abuse case. He did hire one. It's in the court records. Seems pretty clear, but he parsed words.
It makes me highly suspicious of other things he might say. I'm gonna vote for him, unless some more (important) inconsistencies come up.
But he's gotta watch his words. Carefully. He's no longer an also-ran. I still don't think he'll win, but he'll do well, and he can run again.
His inconsistencies are a cause for concern; they're far less than Julia's nonsense.
"Carson took hard personal shots at Dickerson last month, but the Republican remained positive"
What? Feeding libel and smear allegations to IndyUndercover and to this blog is "remaining positive." Geez, Tully doesn't read the internet much, does he?
9:02 - I admire your getting educated on the candidate and the issues. I wish many more voters were of your mindset.
Didn't hear #1, #2 I totally agree. #3 I'm not aware of any national GOP money coming into the district. That being said Eric has said repeatedly that he will not take money with strings attached. I don't speak for Eric but if the RCCC came with money WITH NO STRINGS he might use it. He's still very much "his own man" and there's no Kool-Aid aboard RV7. There's Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Coke, Diet Coke, A&W, and Country Time Lemonade but there's no Kool-Aid.
How can anyone be critical of Dickerson without being objectively critical of Carson?
Even if ED has some shortcomings, you cannot overlook Julia's much more significant problems-- her health, her mental vacuity, the lack of real representation-- aside from that of peresonality-- in her district, the 300 West bar nonsense and abundant cronyism.
I think this is a good year to not return ANY incumbents.
Dickerson will never drink the Kool-Aid. Other politicians should take heed. The media has devised a plan to keep regular folks out of government. The slating process and the belief that it takes millions of dollars to win a campaign.
It doesn't take millions of dollars to win a campaign. It takes alot of hard work and talking to the voters. Kind of like education. We spend millions on buildings and staff, but can't educate our children. Folks, it is not about the money. If they spent those same resources on books and teachers, the kids could learn out of a trailer.
The liberal media makes us believe that everything is about the money. Dickerson does not buy into any of that. He didn't growing up with no money in the worst part of Detroit and he doesn't now.
The voters don't need the establishment, as many would have you believe. The establishment needs the voters.
The good part about this is that the right decisions will be made for the 7th district. If it's a good idea, it doesnt matter if it comes from the right or the left. In the end, it is all about what is best for our city.
Leave the egos at home please.
A few observations: 9:02am.
I don't know why the most important jobs in our country have come to not the qualifications of the candidate, but their personal life 15 years ago. Just imagine if corporations decided to start hiring people based off of their personal lives from over a decade ago. We would turn into a third world nation.
Look at the overall qualifications of both candidates and make an intelligent decision.
I also don't know where we got this deep embedded notion that the only way to be a politician is to be perfect. I'm sorry but outside of God himself, there is no perfect man on the face of the earth. So, why do we expect our politicians to be so perfect? It makes no sense at all. Anyone aspiring to be a politician gets their wings clipped as soon as they experience anything negative in their personal lives that all people do experience in their own.
May be just another way to keep the cronies in government.
At least the voters know what I'm saying based off of these new polls. Jesus is in heaven. Not running for political office. Stop demanding personal perfection from politicians and base your decision on who is better qualified.
In this case, Dickerson is the obvious choice.
Kick the encumbants out. They have already proven they are unworthy of the task at hand.
Elect Dickerson
She's asleep in her bed. All of her handlers are too sick today to come and pull her out.
Sick or intoxicated??
the AnonyMice are certainly running a positive campaign in here aren't they? The hooded Dickerson supporters are properly ashamed of their lies, slanders and calumnies...they dare not use their name or show their face after spreading such idiocies ! Shameful indeed...
THE GIRL WILSON. (In the words of Boris Badanoff from Rockey & Bullwinkle)
"Sign zee papers old man...we have zee girl." Only we don't have zee girl...only Julia knows where she is.
Amber Alert Info Request No. 5. If this kid dehydrates ot death, Wilson, it's on you.
Where ya been, Wilson? Just wake up from your bender last night?
I was out most of the day doing various political work here and there. Very pleased!
fwiw, I dont drink - there seems to be some projection about alcoholism from some of the anonymice here. You'd have to be pretty wasted to write some of the crap they post! But that's why they are anonymice, cowering in the dark corners of the bars and taverns ...
"I dont drink"
Anymore.
(ahem)
The girl, Wilson
Did she leave a trail of breadcrumbs from 25th/Park, or anything?
Or do we call Flanner & Buchanan now?
False faces with false facts trying to get a Republican used car salesman to George Bush's Rubber-Stamp Congress ... pitiful!
Last time I looked, used car salesmen were polling ahead of members of Congress in the credibility department.
After 12 years of Republican control, corruption, cronyism and politics - is it any wonder folk are disgusted at Congresscritters? The Republican Revolution of 1994 has now turned into a sleazy get-rich-quick scheme...
"The Republican Revolution of 1994 has now turned into a sleazy get-rich-quick scheme..."
No, the Lake County Democrats have a patent on sleazy get rich quick schemes. Shakedowns, payment for protection schemes, land swaps, cities making huge contributions to Indianapolis mayor. No, the Dems have cornered the market on sleaze.
I still have been unable to determine which ones of these posts are made by the staff of Eric Dickerson. Any insight Wilson on how we can tell? So unless you can tell me who is posting from the Dickerson staff, then we will have to assume that everyone on here are just concerned citizens like you.
Oh wait, there are no staff members for Eric Dickerson. His financials do not show any salaries paid or accrued so that would mean no staff. Check if out for yourself, Wilson.
... and no payments made for that big campaign RV7 either ... ED paid $400 a week for 6 weeks in his 2nd report but now that expense has magically disappeared in his 3rd report! Who is paying for that expensive vehicle now?
Who knows if ED has staff or not or even an RV ? Maybe the F.E.C. will clear this up ...
I am pretty sure Megan from Julia's Staff has seen the RV . . .
... and I have photos of it with the four month old expired paper dealer plates taken on August 10th. His son didnt bother to register the vehicle until August 14th despite buying it April 5th.So why didnt ED declare this large $400/week expense on his official finance report in the fall? What else is he hiding?
Frank Anderson talked all about "WE" all having to work together at Broad Ripple the other night. "WE" are trying to, we want to find the little girl!!! Frank, please call Julia!
And how would you know anything about vehicles Wilson, you don't even own a car or know how to drive.
You said so yourself.
Response to Wilson46201:
Why don't you disclose how much you are being paid to photograph any and everything? How much do you spend for copies of photos?Keep digging for dirt on Dickerson, but while you are at it,
tell us about the dark secrets of The Ghetto Mafia Queen Carson.
Remember, you said you are very cloooose.....to her campaign! An insider, ha! ha! ha!
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