Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana always been a tough, perhaps impossible target for the GOP to knock off in 2010. His father was a senator, he's been governor of the state, he's won by huge margins in the past, and his approval rating has usually been high. He's got a ton of money.
Enter former congressman John Hostettler. He's a non-traditional Republican in a lot of ways; he supported Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party in 2008, instead of John McCain. Intriguingly, Hostettler was one of only a handful of House Republicans who did not vote to authorize the Iraq War; Bayh did. If Hostettler wins the primary, Bayh could find himself attacked from the left on the Iraq War.
The spending in Washington and the mood in Indiana appear to have forced Bayh to sound a bit Tea Partyish: "We can’t keep charging to the national credit card. Washington needs a credible plan to pay its bills. Last week, I stood up in the Senate and told my colleagues so."
Hostettler will face at least three other Republicans in the GOP primary: state senator Marlin Stutzman, Carmel business owner Richard Behney, and Don Bates, Jr., a branch manager for Wachovia Securities.
It's hard to see a scenario in which Bayh isn't reelected, but . . . the mood in the country is strongly anti-incumbent and increasingly anti-Democrat. Ordinarily, a high-profile, well-known, and generally well-liked incumbent like Bayh doesn't have to break a sweat; 2010 might be a year where he has to sweat some.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Campaign Spot On Hostettler Senate Bid
The National Review Online's Jim Geraghty has an interesting take on former U.S. Rep. John Hostettler's Senate campaign bid for Sen. Evan Bayh's seat next year. He notes Hostettler's "non-traditional Republican" status and his vote against the Iraq War. In a post at the Campaign Spot entitled, "Hard to see Bayh losing, but", Geraghty writes:
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10 comments:
Hostettler is still a politician no matter how anti-establishment you try to paint him. Stutzman is a politician. Bates likes to hear himself talk and thinks alot of himself.
That leaves Behney. I heard him this past Sunday and learned that not only was he and his wife the at the first Tea Party in Feb, they were the first Tea Partiers to arrive.
Behney talks like a real person and I truly beleive that he speaks from his heart.
Behney doesn't need to portray himself as anything, he is who he is and he has my vote!
This is an exciting and historical year for all of us. I am excited about the number of people running for office with the sole intent of cleaning up the corruption in DC.
The person running who excited me most is not John Hostettler. Although he has not always toed the party line, he is becoming a professional politician.
Professional politicians are the problem, not the answer!!! I am excited about Richard Behney's run for office. In less than three weeks he was able to turn a rudderless angry mob into a well planned tea party. I know Richard and he has no desire to become a permanent fixture in Washington. He, like us, wants our constitution back and is willing to sacrifice the time away from his business in order to achieve this.
Even if you spot TARP as arguably (very arguably) needed, then the only "organized" group that showed up in the streets with activism on spending, health care, and limits on government and constitution was and is the Tea Party. I'm thankful for their activism, have enjoyed participating, and am sure there there is little to be agreed upon beyond these basics.
While understanding the present is just a severe pendulum swing, and not finding fault with every single aspect of our President and Congress, they still scare the bejeezus out of me. I want whomever wins the Republican primary to be the guy with the best shot at defeating Senator Bayh. Short of pulling a spending reduction commission out of his hat, I think Bayh's over-the-top supportive of a bunch that, collectively, lack common sense.
I am in full agreement Bayh has to go this time around. I like Behney because I know he is a man of his word. A rarity in today's society in general, let alone one running for office. In order to achieve the momentousness task of restoring our constitution, we can not settle for better than....we need the best. We need men and woman like our founders who will not waver in their convictions, regardless the cost of sticking to their guns. I know Behney is such a man, I am not that certain about the others running on the Republican ticket.
wow, cool that the tea partiers stopped in to say hi. I have said since day one that the problem with Behney is that he claimed to not be a politician, while tea partiers were all claiming thus, and then as soon as the action started to die down announced his run for Senate.
I said then and will say now, he jumped too many steps, the tea party was a good first step ... run for state rep, run for county commissioner, run for city council.
This will be read as some kind of attack of course, and none is intended, I've given same advice to RLC'ers here in the region. They and the tea party groups are all intermingled, with last years Ron Paul groups thrown in, and are working well together.
I will be supporting Marlin Stutzman, it's pretty tough Beth to call him a lifelong politician. Last I checked he hasn't been in state senate for decades, perhaps a term or two, and comes from a family farm.
briefs,
No I don't take what you said as an attack. In another place and time I might even agree with you.
If we had the luxury of time, maybe we could wait until constitutional patriots came up through the ranks, but time is not a luxury that we have. We are on the socialist express and unless that train is stopped fast, we will reach the point of no return.
Behany decided to run after a number of people approached him to do so, it was never in his original plan. I know this is true, because I was the first one to bring up the subject and both Richard and Laura laughed at me. It took months before he even took the idea seriously. He is not a politician, but he is stubborn. He will not be bullied or bribed. He will not play the favors game. He will go in with only one agenda, protect and restore the constitution. While I have nothing against Stutzman, and I will admit he would probably be my second choice, I do know he has already learned to play the game. We don't need players who are willing to compromise when it comes to our freedom.
briefs,I did not call Stuzman a lifelong politician. I called him a politician. Period. I agree with with Mrs_Irish_guy. Time is trickling away. We don't want people who know how to play the game. We want people to end the game and get back to the constitution and really representing the people. That's what Behney is about.
Hostettler was only one of three Republican Congressmen to vote against supporting our men and women in uniform.
The voters threw him out of his congressional seat and now he wants to come back as a "Conservative Republican Senator" !!!???!!!
I don't think so!
Beth-Indy: On your comment that Marlin Stutzman is a politician...I know him personally. He is far from it. First a man of faith, then family and then a business owner who is a hard working farmer and entrepreneur. Great man--politician, no.
To Beth-Indy:
I am a friend of Marlin Stutzman. Trust me he is no politician. Faith first, family second, businessman third. He is a hard working farmer and entrepreneur...but to call him a politician is uninformed.
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