Friday, January 04, 2008
7th District Candidate Forum Slated
You'll have a chance to hear from most of the announced Democratic candidates for the special election to succeed U.S. Rep. Julia Carson on this coming Monday thanks to the efforts of several GLBT-friendly Democratic committeepersons who are organizing the event. The candidate forum is slated for Monday, January 7 at the Firefighters Hall on Massachusetts Avenue at the corner of College Avenue at 7:00 p.m. One of the organizers, retired ISU professor Donald Shields, says he expects Andre Carson, David Orentlicher, Greg Porter, Carolene Mays, Randle Pollard and Mike Rodman to participate. If you are a Democratic committeeperson in the 7th District, or an interested voter, you are encouraged to attend to learn more about the candidates who will by vying for the party's nomination at the caucus slated a week from Saturday on January 12.
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44 comments:
This is the second time a candidate forum was scheduled at the same time as a council meeting. The first one was scheduled as meet the council candidates. What a joke! Someone is playing games here. Let's see where Andre's priorities are. If he fails to show up for the council meeting, it would be clear he is not really interested in representing his constituents.
I agree.
Umm, someone is playing a game that unfairly targets CCC members from participating and you want to see what exactly? How about calling out the "organizers" and rescheduling?
will the other 500+ of we PC's also be invited...and how? Will the Demo HQ be clued in also?
Something is rotten here.....scheduled at the same time as a council meeting???? Carolene Mays is invited who has consistently voted against GLBT interests.....I wouldn't waste my time going to this because it is obviously a fix for someone!!!!!!
Actually Mark St John scheduled both events. Hmmmm.....
Mark St. John is already supporting David O. How impartial could this be?
Ahhhh....it all becoming clearer.
Aren't any of the numerous GOP candidates invited? Or can we safely assume they all adhere to the tired old GOP antigay platform?
What's tired and old, Wilson, is your thoughtless, reflexive, banal partisanship. Neither party has much to be proud of in regards GLBT equality. You need be knocked off your self-satisfied moral pedestal.
Yup, I'm sorta tired and definitely old having marched in the 1st Gay Pride Parade in 1970 - by now I've seen how parties and candidates relate to LGBT folk. That's why I'm a proud gay Democrat and have been battling the odiously antigay GOP for many years now.
tjefferson? a new name here! what do you usually use? "anonymous"?
Hmm.. I believe that this was designed to allow all candidates to talk to the GLBT community and address their issues. I doubt that anyone will turned away.. since this is a public event. But since many GLBT leaders are unofficially involved in organizing, I can see where those issues would be most important in their minds.
I guess no one noticed that there is a city council meeting.. but then, won't these candidates -- Sanders, Carson, etc.. miss other meetings to campaign as well?
BTW, I have not heard anyone officially come out as supporters of any candidate.. so why cast aspersions?
Would be interesting to see who actually files papers or who shows up. Why wouldn't Mays be invited-- to answer questions on her ANTI-GAY positions??
According to Brian Howey TOM ROSE, MARVIN SCOTT & BLAN DICKERSON may be running on the GOP ticket. Why not invite them too?
To all the posters worried about a City Council meeting:
Altho the first meeting under Republican control in four years might be interesting...the brilliant party bosses who scheduled this caucus so quickly are the ones to blame. There were other options.
Andre just got his council job, and he's already trying to bolt. Kinda Mahern-ish, if you ask me.
It sounds like a few folks got together and decided to invite candidates to a loosely-organized forum. Good idea, perhaps. But if Mark St. John is involved--just keep yourself between him and the door.
I know four gay committeemen who have recieved only two candidate communications from this crew--both written. One miserable attempt with a cute picture from Andre and a longer letter and Vita from Mike Rodman, which was impressive.
The caucus is in a week. Any opportunity to meet these folks would be welcome. Most of us know most of them, except, of course, Andre...this is all so aggravating it's ridiculous.
Encouraged to attend? Then give the exact address!
The Firefighters Union Hall is at College and Massachusetts - 716 Mass Ave as I recall.
Look-- you all got the information as soon as it was available.
It's an open meeting.. but the Dems were invited because frankly there is no clear clue as to what the Repubs are doing.. even GARY doesn't know.
Go.. bitch.. be involved..
Stop complaining that you can't participate and then bitch when you get a chance.
NO WONDER INDY GETS THE REPRESENTATION IT DESERVES!
How do you know that we don't participate 4:04? I do and I'm sure that others here participate too. When Mark St John is running the show, there are self serving motives and trying to lock out CCC members is right up his self serving ally.
Sadly, 4:24 is right...there is ampmle history with this individual. Most of it not good. Self-serving is one modifier that would be appropriate.
If he's supporting David O., that's certainly his right, but I thought David was a little more intellegent than to let Mark run anything for his Congressional campaign.
But, again, this whole thing is crammed into just a few days, thanks in no small part to our brilliant county chairman, who had many other options.
If folks err by trying to get candidates together for audiences, especially in our GLBT community, perhaps the errors are calendar-crunch errors only, and not manipulative.
I don't think I can go Monday night due to a business commitment, but I had already committed to a candidate anyway.
Although it might eb fun to watch some of these folks squirm...namely Andre and Carolene.
The federal GLBT issues are far different than the local ones.
It's not like the organizers had many days to select from between now and next Saturday. I suspect council candidates would still be able to show up and stay for the first half hour of the council meeting and go over to the firefighters hall a little later. It's largely a ceremonial first meeting to officially appoint council officers. It's not like all the candidates will be able to speak at once anyway.
Hmm.. is it possible that the individual is one of MANY individuals involved. I get tired of people making the same veiled assumptions over and over.
Public meeting-- i am sure Gary will go and report to those who couldn't be there. I can think of many issues on the federal level with GLBT emphasis.. including DADT, ENDA and AIDS/HIV funding.
Any others?
It would be worth going just to be able to see Mays and Carson squirm having to be surrounded by queers...
I have known André Carson since he was 9 years old. He and I talk several times daily. He has lived and worked around queers all his life, very harmoniously and happily. Why would you think otherwise?
St. John scheduled a meet the council candidates before the Nov election on a council meeting night. That was not a mistake. Granted the short period before caucus but this is not a coincidence.
Well, Wilson...we can make that assumption because: his Muslim faith advocates punishment of gays.
And adulterers. And thieves. And gossips.
Which, come to think of it, we've got plenty of all the above in the GLBT community! Come on in, Andre, the water's fine!
Also, a Speaker at his grandma's funeral, Black Muslim Minister Louis, has made repeated hateful statements about gays, Jews, and other minority groups. "Hateful" is a kind word. I realize Andre is not a Black Muslim...rather, he's a Muslim, who is black or African-American. Big difference. Still...if he wanted Minister Louis away from his grandma's funeral, it would've been done. They certainly didn't miss the chance to politicize the funeral with those two out-of-towners trying to tell us for whom we should vote! (the nerve of it all)
Such assumptions are not wild leaps of faith. They're pretty reasoned judgments, based on those with whom he associates.
Of course, he could always repudiate the hateful lies of Minister F.
(Waiting)
3:29,
Who exactly are you for? Or you just into bashing Andre (and the Maherns)?
The Bible also calls for such extreme measures on "social issues" but do you assume all Jews and Christians currently advocate those horrid views? Or are you just conveniently Muslim-bashing so fashionable in some rightwing American political circles?
Well, Wilson, since you asked: my faith believes in the Bible, too, but has repudiated the harsh tactics called for by some overly-strict constructionists. The Muslims, alas, have not...and the Black Muslims, which, I know, Andre is not a member of, have gone even further.
5:48, since YOU asked: I'm torn between David O., Greg Porter, Joanne Sanders and Mike Rodman. Excellent candidates all. I will make up my mind next week, as I don't have any choice but to hurry up. I wish I had more time, and if we had a county chairman who was worth a damn, we could have some time. My sense is that not all four of those candidates will go to the post, but like you, I'm going to watch and wait.
Andre would be my fifth choice. Wait--sixth. This new guy might jump in front of Andre.
No Mahern would make any of my lists of favorites for anything. I've been around long enough to see several (but, in fairness, not all) bastardize the process and pretty much milk it for all it's worth. They need to go. It's not "bashing" to observe he truth.
Didn't Mark St. John leave the Damien Center a cloud od scandal? Something to do with misuse of federal funds.
I get it now. To talk about gays or blacks or women in generalities is to prejudge...to talk about all members of a family in such terms is truth. Scary.
Why would you think David O is above dirty tricks? He had Julia has his campaign advisor during his last run, he learned it all from her.
"Didn't Mark St. John leave the Damien Center a cloud od scandal? Something to do with misuse of federal funds."
No. It was not The Damien Center. It was AIDS Serve, now defunct.
10:45 pray tell what you're smoking.
David O is so far above dirty tricks, that your post must be in jest. He's patently fair to all sides, and listens closely to those who may disagree with him. He deals with issues, head on, in innovative way, and reaches across the aisle to forge compromise.
The Julia-haters also have a problem with smart Jewish professors and lawmakers too...
Anon 5:34 I dont think the Christian religion speaks well of gays either ..does that mean we should not support any Christian also.....Mark St. John has a hidden agenda or he would not have scheduled a meeting on an important council meeting night...even he is not that dumb....if this is what David O stands for then I will remove his name from my list of consideration...and yes, I have a vote...unlike many of you who are spewing hate on this blog........
Gary, isn't about time people are held to account for their statements? How the hell did Mark St John get dragged into all this? Why do we have another example of someone who's working hard for the community statewide dragged through the mud for past occurrences. In your post, i saw nothing about Mark.
Do I imagine he's involved in helping to set this up? Yeah, since he's been instrumental in making things happen on SJR7 and the Bias Crimes bill in the General Assembly, since he's helped bring together national and local and state organizations, since he has a real network of lobbyists and political movers and shakers who can get something done.... he's likely to be ONE -- catch that ONE -- of many people organizing the event on Monday.
Damn, people.. grind your axes later and FOCUS! You are about to elect the person you think will be the next Congressman/woman. Do you have TIME to fuss about old feuds and crap? Do you have TIME to berate Wilson?
Or did YOU.. above any OTHER community in the 7th District -- the GLBT Community is having the ONLY forum to meet the possible Dem Candidates. That is a huge coup.. now GO DO IT!
OR... do what the GLBT Community does do well in Indy. EAT ITS YOUNG.
Ahhh cut the crap Mr Anonymous 10:31 am. You want to hold people accountable for their statements and yet you comment under ANONYMOUS. That's rich!
I applaud the GLBT community for holding a forum.
The suspicion comes from this being the second "meet the candidates" setting that Mr St John has organized that the CCC candidates will not be able to attend because of a council meeting. The first of which was for the CCC race.
It is starting to become highly suspect and I hate to burst your bubble but some of these posts aren't from the GLBT community.
Most candidates will not attend this forum due to the likes of Wilson 46201. Who needs the dumpster diver pushing his single agenda down their throats. Julia Carson thought more of the Muslim leadership than the gay and lesbian leaderhship. None was allow to speak at her funeral.
Oh, I forgot, Andy Jacobs was on the program.
I wonder how many democratic precinct committee people Wilson will piss off before the caucus.
Andre would be better off without Wilson Allen as his spokesperson.
1:11 was the ever-lovely hatemonger Jocelyn Tandy - she's one of yours, Ernie!
Tavis Smiley spoke at Julia's funeral. so there ANON 1:11.....also, I am sure that Wilson would agree that Andre needs no one to speak for him. He is quite capable and articulate enough to speak for himself. He has worked with the GLBT community in the past and will continue to do so in the future. The reason Mark St. John is being justifiably bashed is that he scheduled a GLBT meeting with the candidates on a council meeting night when he knew Andre could not attend.......St. John is causing a backlash against David O who is a decent person.
1:51 you are right. David O is a wonderful person and he should not receive backlash because of St John.
Sanders and Andre are affected by this scheduling maneuver of St John's but I am sure that David O had nothing to do with it.
"The reason Mark St. John is being justifiably bashed is that he scheduled a GLBT meeting with the candidates on a council meeting night when he knew Andre could not attend....."
As I recall during the last CC meeting several democrats skipped or arrived late because of a meeting called by the democrat party. Gibson, Conley, Bateman and Carson were all late or never showed up at all. Why would this Monday night be any different?
Any other mis-information that you want to spread?
You have no evidence who Mr. St John is supporting or not supporting. I love this speculation.
I see Wilson backing Carson, doesnt matter which first name. I expected that.
The key thing is to turn out and ask the questions you have for a federal office holder. No one can argue that they didnt get a chance.
Having known and worked with André Carson for over 20 years, of course I'm supporting him. He'll be a great Congressman!
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