When I moved to Indiana this summer, I knew I was moving to a deep Red State, a state where Bush stomped Kerry by 20 points in the 2004 presidential election, winning all but 4 counties. In fact, since 1940, when the Republicans nominated the Hoosier Wendle Wilkie for president, Indiana had only voted for a Democrat presidential candidate once, in 1964, until last week.
I admit that when I read the polls showing that Indiana was considered a “battleground state,” I shrugged it off, remembering how some pollsters in the closing days of the 2004 presidential election believed that the Bush-Cheney ticket might win Hawaii. Cheney even made a trip to the Aloha state. I also figured that if McCain failed to win a state like Indiana, he would lose in a landslide in any case.
But Obama won Indiana. And while it was a decisive victory, it wasn’t a complete blowout either. So why did my new home state vote Democrat?
Let’s first realize that the Democrats did not sweep the races in Indiana. Governor Mitch Daniels won a solid reelection victory. Looking at the votes broken down by county, you can see why McCain narrowly lost the state. While Daniels won Marion county, the most populated county in the state and nearly identical in boundary to the city of Indianapolis, he also won huge margins in the suburban counties outside Indianapolis, in Hamilton, Hancock and Shelby counties.
McCain? He got slaughtered in Marion county. And his margins in the suburban counties were lackluster. So Obama won the Indianapolis metro area.
Now let’s compare the two Republican candidates. Mitch Daniels is a traditional conservative Republican. John McCain is a maverick.
The next time a Republican candidate for President tells you that they know how to “reach across the aisle” and “work with Democrats” to “get things done” and they use this as a qualification for being the GOP nominee, tell him (or her) to look at the results of our election in Indiana last week. Being a traditional conservative is a winning strategy here. Being a wishy-washy maverick is a way to get beat.
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Nicely said
Nelsen (Diary) Thursday, November 13th at 6:51PM EST (link)and if we ever want to expect to win a big election again, we better end up shoring up states like Indiana which shouldbe solidly red. We need a grassroots effort, and most of all, we need to make sure we din’t nominate any more “reformer” Republicans. This is just more proof on how it is not conservitism that’s dead, but democrat lite that doesn’t work.
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thoughts on Indiana from a 57 year old Hoosier
pilgrim (Diary) Thursday, November 13th at 7:31PM EST (link)Indiana did not reject John McCain because of his “maverick” image. They rejected him after he voted for the bailout, and showed no sign that he exhibited any leadership with respect to the economic crisis. Indiana has voted for mavericks like GOP Sen Lugar and Democratic Rep. Andy Jacobs who exhibited some leadership about matters of the economy. Gov. Mitch Daniels is not a promoter of social conservative issues, but he leads with fiscal conservative ideas.
Indiana has elected folks in spite of social liberal views, but they do not stand for people with no courage when it comes to fiscal values.
When Pres. Obama and the Democrats fail to deliver on the campaign promises that have to do with individuals keeping more of their own money I predict that Indiana will not vote Democratic.
Daniels
I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Thursday, November 13th at 7:38PM EST (link)was a pretty successful incumbent facing a B list opponent who was running on a campaign plank of doing things that Daniels had pretty much already accomplished.
That’s probably a lot more relevant than the question of conservative vs. squish.
McLame blew this... big time
NoKoolAidForMe (Diary) Thursday, November 13th at 8:36PM EST (link)There’s no reason whatsoever for a Republican presidential candidate to lose Indiana. I fully expect it to move back to the red column in 4 years if the nominee is anywhere to the right of McCain. As I don’t think there is any more room to the left of him before you have to change the R after your name to a D, this should be easy. Virginia, Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, and New Hampshire are going to be the true battlegrounds. Indiana, North Carolina, and even Florida still have a lot of southern blood in them.
an A list opponent would not have defeated Daniels
pilgrim (Diary) Thursday, November 13th at 8:37PM EST (link)Mitch was running on his record of bringing new money, the toll road lease, and new jobs, the Honda plant, to Indiana. A record of bringing to Indiana money and jobs rewarded Mitch with a second term.
Hey nokoolaidforme DON'T call him McLame...
JadedByPolitics (Diary) Thursday, November 13th at 8:53PM EST (link)57 million people voted for him. Now while you may not agree with the way he ran his campaign and WE do not like it either. You can express your displeasure without the leftist troll like name calling!
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McCain should go back to AZ and stay
SeriousLaff (Diary) Thursday, November 13th at 9:03PM EST (link)He should resign from the senate and stay in AZ. The democrat would appoint a replacement but it has to be a republican. Shat is more than we have now.Stay home, relax, just don’t go back to Washington to be the Democrats water boy.
Daniels-Romney 2012?
its_a_right_wing_thing (Diary) Thursday, November 13th at 9:04PM EST (link)I’d love to see Daniels in some form on the Republican ticket in 2012. Maybe he can deliever neighboring and influential states like OH and PA to the right so we can quit calling them toss-ups every year.
How far does his popularity/influence extend? I am still learning about him but I followed his big win (in an otherwise “blue” year so he must be doing something right.
What are some of those things?
What about a Daniels/Romney ticket for 2012? That could get us MI, IN, and maybe OH, heck if we got that in addition to most of the South, and the usual Midwest, we could afford to lose NC, VA, and something like a NV/NM on a regular basis.
If Romney was on the ticket in 2008, given his economic background in these tying times, do you think McCain would be the Pres-elect right now? I am starting to think he would be.
Jaded, I'm glad I was not the only one displeased with nokoolaidforme's post
pilgrim (Diary) Thursday, November 13th at 9:05PM EST (link)Also what is this slug trying to say about Indiana, North Carolina, and even Florida still have a lot os southern blood in them?
All racists are south of somewhere, e.g.
Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Thursday, November 13th at 9:32PM EST (link)Wright, Farrakhan, Obama in his books, Obama re bitter clingers, Obama re typical white grandma, Robert Byrd, Hoyer re Steele in ’06, Rendell and Murtha, etc ad infinitum in the dem party since its beginning
Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
IN 3 Congress Districts
dld1717 (Diary) Thursday, November 13th at 11:16PM EST (link)What started in 06 when we lost 3 Congressional districts in the state has made me and others concerned.
The economy and trade unions I think played a part here. I think NAFTA is hated in MidWest and that had Obama in good shape
You may be right
I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Friday, November 14th at 1:06AM EST (link)he won a very solid victory against whatshername (57-40).
So...
NoKoolAidForMe (Diary) Friday, November 14th at 9:28PM EST (link)You didn’t like me calling McCain “McLame”…
But then you turn around and call me a “slug”?
Is it OK to use the word “hypocrite” here?
McCain can walk, but I also like
Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Friday, November 14th at 10:06PM EST (link)Mark Levin
btw, hypocrisy is a puny sin
Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
Lugar isn't a maverick
Finrod (Diary) Monday, November 17th at 4:51PM EST (link)Lugar is a moderate squish that hasn’t had a good challenger in decades. The reason he keeps being returned to the Senate is that he hasn’t had a good challenger, either in the Republican primary or by a moderate-to-conservative Dem in the general.
ObDisclosure: I moved away from Indiana in 1997, but my parents and brother still live there. None of them like Lugar one bit but only vote for him because the alternatives are always worse.
Let’s get down to brass tacks here. How much for the ape?