Saturday, January 24, 2015

Swarens Likes Brewer

The Indianapolis Star's opinion editor Tim Swarens sat down with the little-known businessman local Republicans have anointed as their Republican candidate for mayor and gives him his seal of approval. Swarens quick take on Chick Brewer is predictable, if superficial.

He ticks off a checklist of requisites that make Brewer the ideal candidate: a decorated Marine veteran with combat leadership experience from two tours of duty in Iraq; impressive education credentials; management experience with a Fortune 500 company; and downtown small business owner.

The fact that Brewer only recently moved to Indianapolis (a little more than three years ago) doesn't bother Swarens in the least. How could it? Most of the Star's high turnover staff are recent Gannett transplants who lack any historical knowledge of the city. "But really, that should be a minor factor at most for a city that needs to welcome fresh talent and avoid erecting artificial barriers to advancement — even advancement to the mayor’s office," Swarens opines.

Brewer tells Swarens he's "a big fan of Ballard." "And a lot of folks will look at the similarities between the two — Marine officer, unconventional candidate, new face to Indy politics — and conclude that a Brewer administration would be an extension of Ballard’s eight-year tenure in city hall," Swarens said.

Attracting and retaining talent to the city top Brewer's list of goals. Improving public safety, creating jobs, promoting excellence in education and redeveloping neighborhoods is how he intends to accomplish that goal. Swarens admits Brewer was lacking in details on how to achieve that objective, but he tells us his likely Democratic opponent, Joe Hogsett, who has been running for office much longer, didn't offer many details when he recently sat down with him either.

Swarens says Brewer is ready "for the personal, often unfair, attacks that come with running for political office, especially from partisans on the other side," which Ballard didn't handle well. "My perspective on management, on leadership is inclusiveness," Brewer said. "I don’t know how it’s been handled in the past, but I would meet regularly with Democrats and Republicans to ensure that all voices are heard. Good ideas always have a seat at the table."

10 comments:

Flogger said...

Predictable, and superficial should be The Star's Motto. The Star received their script and the Shadow Government's choices of Hogsett and now Brewer. The Star will try their hardest to convince the public they have a real choice. I have no doubt Hogsett will receive The Star's endorsement.

Just to provide the illusion of a competitive race for Mayor, Brewer will receive more fluff and puff pieces by The Star.

Anonymous said...

Horseflies like cow dung. Pesky insects just can't stay away from crap.

Anonymous said...

"Brewer said. "I don’t know how it’s been handled in the past, but I would meet regularly with Democrats and Republicans to ensure that all voices are heard. Good ideas always have a seat at the table.""

He doesn't know??? And this Brewer guy thinks HE is mayor material???

PS Mr. Brewer: the answer is "pathetically". In the last eight or so years management, leadership, and inclusiveness of ideas from anyone in the mayor's party other than his handlers and campaign money, free sports tickets, world tour providers) have been non-existent.

Eric Morris said...

Some day people will realize being a government-trained killer is more vice than virtue and the last refuge of scoundrels. Sorry, Chuck, but it takes one to know one. The realization will set in too late, though, as the Dollar Empire smolders on the ash heap of history. In the meantime, killer equals hero whether giving the orders a la Netanyahu or merely following them like Obama, Boehner, or the American Sniper.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Eric. It's disgusting to see dumb Americans flocking to the movie theaters to see the life of a hired hit man like Christopher Kyle glorified. There is no honor in the ugly work he performed for our modern day robber barons.

Eric Morris said...

Anon @ 1145

Thank you. By the way, the robber barons of yore get somewhat of a bad rap. Thomas Woods' does a good job revising the history on them.

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/in-praise-of-robber-barons/

According to wiki, the U.S. economy rose at the fastest rates in history in the 1870s and 1880s. I ascribe that to a gold-backed dollar and non-interventionist foreign policy.

The modern day robbers are much worse, using government power to trade financial instruments in their favor and really only producing that which is destructive, military-industrial goods. If not for innovators like Steve Jobs, we'd be slipping back into the age when nearly everyone was poor, just before those robber barons started producing things that made life better and richer for nearly everyone.

Anonymous said...

Is he suggesting that good ideas only come from Democrats or Republicans? In this city there's only one real party and it's the media's job to spew the propaganda filled illusion that we will actually have a choice this fall. I don't think any good ideas come from Democrats or Republicans - at least not the ones we read about in the "news".
I voted for Ballard almost 8 years ago because I thought he was a decent dude and an outsider. I thought he would stand up to the elitists and try to run the city as efficiently as possible. Was that his true intention? Who knows. What is obvious is that the elitists got to Ballard. He is a puppet. Did they offer to shower Ballard with overseas trips, gifts, dinners, cash under the table, etc, or did they threaten his safety if he didn't play along? Again, who knows. Now the Republican Party is parading Brewer around as though he is cut from the same fabric as Ballard. If Brewer is a big fan of Ballard today, he won't get my vote.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if Brewer- who darn sure appears to be Ballard in every way but in a younger and much thinner body- ever expected to have this much blow-back. Then again, it is heady stuff to be courted as the person who could be mayor.

As one who was stupid enough to vote for Ballard one time his first go-around... and not stupid enough to vote for any Democrat for mayor... I WILL NEVER VOTE FOR BREWER. If we do not have a real candidate out of the "R" Primary other than another ex-soldier with zero government experience and whose background evidences he knows little more than to follow orders and do as he is told... I will sit out 2016 local election.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone inquired about the reason Brewer's employment at Sears was terminated? Was he the victim of a layoff or some other reason?

Anonymous said...

FYI: Keep an eye on RINO party shenanigans to discredit those they consider no longer useful to them.