Blogs Played Important Role In Zoeller's Win

There are several good reasons Greg Zoeller beat Jon Costas for the Republican Attorney General's nomination at yesterday's state convention, but I think some of the political blogs played a key role in Zoeller's victory. Let's face it. The blogs weren't friendly to Costas for the most part. Scott Fluhr's Hoosier Pundit, the several bloggers who make up Hoosier Access and Mitch Harper's Fort Wayne Observed, to name just a few, did a great job of comparing and contrasting the two candidates. The analysis offered up on the blogs weighed heavily against Costas and for Zoeller. While the reach of blogs to the general voting population is limited, their penetration is deep within the party faithful who are active participants in the process and who voted as delegates at yesterdays convention. Hats off to my fellow bloggers for making a difference in this important race.

UPDATE: Scott Fluhr managed to get a county-by-county breakdown of the vote in the Attorney General's race which is quite interesting. Click here to see.

Guess What? Your Taxpayer Dollars Have Been Funding Rev. Wright And Trinity Church Of Christ

While Rev. Jeremiah Wright was preaching "God damn America" and blaming our government for creating the AIDS virus to kill black people, he and his Trinity Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side collected more than $15 million in grants from the federal government. Fox News' Jeff Goldblatt brings us this outrage:

FOX News has learned that over the last 15 years, Trinity has received at least $15 million in grants from the federal government — in other words, taxpayer money.

Records show this money supported a variety of outreach: everything from low income housing to nutritional programs for needy kids to money for HIV/AIDS education. Wright blames the government for intentionally infecting the African-American community with that deadly virus.

DePaul University journalism professor Laura Washington, who specializes in race and politics, said Wright is a hypocrite for taking money from the government.

“On the one hand, he says, ‘God damn America’ and he says America is responsible for all the ills in the black community. On the other hand, he’s taking money from the same community he’s crucifying,” Washington said.

According to one scholar in Goldblatt's report, Wright isn't being a hypocrite by taking tax dollars from the federal government while condemning it in his sermons. “Wright believes things like the government-funded programs are a necessary compensation for the legacy of white racism, part of what’s necessary to heal the wounds inflicted over four centuries on blacks," said Andrew Walsh. "His niche is even more specialized– he does this sort of work in the context of white denominational mainline Protestantism, which, on the whole has welcomed both him and his message.” Obama's campaign was quick to advise Fox News that he had never worked to secure funding for the church as either a state senator or a U.S. Senator. Obama did, however, work to secure funding for projects run by Father Michael Pfleger, who delivered a racist rant against Sen. Hillary Clinton a little more than a week ago at Trinity United Church of Christ, leading Obama to resign from the church.

Note To Indiana Convention Center

One would think that the Indiana Convention Center would roll out the red carpet treatment for the Indiana Republican Convention today. Let's see, there was Gov. Daniels, Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, Secretary of State Todd Rokita, Attorney General Steve Carter, State Treasurer Richard Mourdock, State Auditor Tim Berry, a couple dozen mayors, including Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and several dozen state legislators among the more than 2,000 attendees, not to mention CIB Chairman Bob Grand. Nonetheless, the convention center managers didn't think the event was important enough to bother opening up any of the concession stations. That's right. There wasn't a single, freakin concession stand open for business today. With lunch on your own, it was like being stuck in the middle of a desert for the day. I guess it would have been asking too much to expect them to turn the air conditioning up a little so you didn't have to sweat the whole day. So much for Hoosier hospitality.

GOP Chooses Zoeller For Attorney General

State GOP delegates this afternoon rebuked efforts by Gov. Mitch Daniels and other party leaders to force upon them Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas as the party's nominee for Attorney General. Chief Deputy Attorney General Greg Zoeller coasted to victory with 60% of the votes, or a margin of over 300 votes. The nearly 2,000 delegates and guests streamed out of the convention as soon as the vote was read, leaving Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman rushing to deliver her acceptance speech before the room cleared entirely. Gov. Daniels, ushered into the convention today by a marching band, delivered a rousing and convincing speech for four more years in the state's top office. Gov. Daniels and some party leaders may be disappointed that their man, Jon Costas, lost his bid to become the Attorney General nominee, but the delegates clearly felt Zoeller was the better choice. I have no reason to believe the party leadership will not unite behind Zoeller's candidacy. Now, as for those big law firms who wanted Costas to win so badly, all bets are off. If they think Pence will throw business their way if she is elected, they'll probably be sending money her way. Zoeller, however, will be the odds on favorite to win in November.

If Presentation Matters, Zoeller Beats Costas Hands Down

I just had the opportunity to hear both GOP candidates for Attorney General at the 7th District Caucus. Greg Zoeller's speech convinced me I had made the right decision to support him over Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas. Costas addressed the caucus first. Costas delivered a very brief, forgettable speech. I honestly can't recall anything of significance he had to say other than he was backed by Gov. Daniels. It was almost as if he thought he was taking a coronation tour after being handed the AG's nomination on a silver platter by Gov. Daniels.

In striking contrast, Zoeller treated his opportunity to speak as if he was making final arguments in a big trial. He convincingly reinforced his campaign theme, "Experience Matters." Throughout his career in public service, Zoeller accentuated the fact that he has continuously worked with the state's 92 counties. As the office's Chief Deputy Attorney General for the past 7 1/2 years, all attorneys in the office report to him. He is very proud of the record he and Steve Carter have built and believes it is a strong one to run on, noting that Carter four years ago was re-elected by the largest margin of any statewide elected official in Indiana history. Zoeller's speech drew a standing ovation from about half of the delegates seated in the room. That's impressive when you consider the fact that Marion County GOP Chairman Tom John is supporting Costas and has been encouraging at least the delegates he appointed to support Costas. Marion Co. Prosecutor Carl Brizzi, who was also present for this morning's caucus meeting, is backing his long-time friend Zoeller.

Mayor Greg Ballard's presence was prominent in the 7th District Caucus. He delivered a brief speech highlighting the successes of his administration during his short time in office, after which he received a standing ovation. Ballard, who did not publicly endorse either candidate for the Attorney General's race, said he thought the contest would be beneficial to the party. Ballard, along with Tom John and Jennifer Ping, were nominated by the caucus as delegates to the Republican National Convention. A few delegates objected to nominations by the caucus being made by the chair as opposed to coming from the floor, but the chair's will prevailed handily without any disruptions.

Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and Superintendant of Public Instruction candidate Tony Bennett both stopped by to speak on behalf of their candidacies. Both are unopposed. Jon Elrod, candidate for 7th District Congress, had a mediation to attend this morning and was unable to make it to the caucus meeting. Gov. Daniels did not make the caucus rounds this morning.

Decision Day For State GOP

The Indiana Republican Party conducts its state convention today at the Indiana Convention Center. The race for Attorney General between Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas and Chief Deputy Attorney General Greg Zoeller is providing excitement to what would otherwise be a dull event. Costas has the backing of Gov. Mitch Daniels and many party leaders, but Zoeller is matching that with years of accumulated contacts among the party's rank and file, along with a respectable share of local party leadership support. As a delegate, I'll be casting my vote for Zoeller. He clearly has the right kind of experience to step into the job and hit the ground running on day one. Some people are concerned that the division within the party over this race will weaken the candidate's chances in the fall against Democrat Linda Pence. I don't subscribe to this view. I think forcing the candidates to put together an organization to win the nomination gives them a stronger footing than the winner would otherwise having going into the fall election if the nomination is simply handed to them on a silver platter. Some people point to Timothy Bookwalter's loss in the AG's race back in 1992. After the candidate with the backing of the gubernatorial nominee, then-Attorney General Lindley Pearson, lost on the convention floor, Pearson stormed out of the convention. If Zoeller is successful today, Gov. Daniels won't react in a similar fashion. He will work to unite the party. More importantly, Pence won't have the benefit of a popular Bayh at the top of the ticket to pull votes her way. Delegates at today's convention will also be renominating Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and nominating Dr. Tony Bennett for Superintendent of Public Instruction. More later.

The DNC's Circus-Like Atmosphere

The New Republic has a great run-down of the circus-like atmosphere outside of the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee meeting in D.C. yesterday where a lively protest was being carried on by Clinton supporters and Obama antagonists yesterday to decide the fate of the Florida and Michigan delegates. According to the report, Larry Sinclair, the man who claims he did cocaine and had oral sex with Obama in the back of limousine in Chicago in 1999, was the belle of the ball. And yes, that is a photo of Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) with Larry Sinclair. I'm sure Conyers had no idea who Sinclair was when he took that photo. Eve Fairbanks of the New Republic reports:

Howard Dean may hope that the "healing will begin today," but two blocks away from the northwest Washington Marriott where the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee is meeting right now to try to figure out Florida and Michigan, the Hillary protesters are occupying an utterly alternate (and healing-free) universe: a universe in which one of the big lawn rally's speakers yells that the Democratic Party no longer is in the business of "promoting equality and fairness for all"; in which a Hillary supporter with two poodles shouts, "Howard Dean is a leftist freak!"; in which a man exhibits a sign that reads "At least slaves were counted as 3/5ths a Citizen" and shows Dean whipping handcuffed people; and in which Larry Sinclair, the Minnesota man who took to YouTube to allege that Barack Obama had oral sex with him in the back of a limousine in 1999, is one of the belles of the ball.

"They almost made me cry this morning when they told me to get out of there," the blond Sinclair--who's looking roly-poly and giddy in a blue-and-white striped shirt with a pack of Marlboros protruding from the breast pocket--says, referring to several nervous protest organizers who tried to evict him when he first showed up at the rally site early this morning carrying a box of "Obama's DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS: Murder, Drugs, Gay Sex" fliers. Since then, though, he goes on, "I have been totally surprised by the reception I have received!"

He's not kidding. Clusters of people in Hillary shirts ask to take their photo with him, one woman covered in Clinton buttons introduces him to Greta Van Susteren, and he estimates he has handed out 500 fliers. "You could improve your credibility if you downplayed the gay sex and focused on the drugs," sagely advises one Hillary supporter with auburn hair and elegant makeup. But in this universe, Sinclair's credibility doesn't seem to be suffering too much. In fact, he's treated nearly as well as he might be at a meeting of the Vast Right-wing Conspiracy. In the thirty minutes I stand with him, only one woman expresses disgust at his fliers and his willingness to chattily discourse on whether Obama is "good in bed."

Earlier, he claims, he even got to take a picture with Charlie Rangel. "I love him!" Sinclair chirps, though, it must be said, not as much as he loves Lanny Davis.

Has it come to this? We tend to assume the Hillary camp's hot rhetoric--that Obama's less ready than McCain to be commander-in-chief, that the DNC in Florida is like Mugabe in Zimbabwe--is studied, purposeful, that they can't really believe it. That may be true at the Lanny Davis level, but by the time it trickles down to Hillary's most grassroots supporters, it becomes deadly serious.

Of the eight Hillary supporters I quiz at the protest (six of them women), only one says she'd even consider voting for Obama in the fall. "It's sad. I'm a lifelong Democrat and the party's been taken over by these Obama people who say they want 'change,'" gripes Linda of Horseheads, New York, outside the Marriott as a honking car decorated with a painting of Hillary, a glued-on bust of Cleopatra, and a tampon drives by. Linda, she says, has already gone to the state Board of Elections to learn how to write Hillary's name in in November. "So much has been stolen from her."

Justine, a self-described "diehard Democrat" from Greensboro, North Carolina, objects to the write-in idea. "It's gonna help Barack if you don't vote against him," she says. She and her friends got Sinclair to autograph their copies of the "Murder, Drugs, Gay Sex" flier. One of those friends, Jeannie, is living proof that, at least for some people, the long primary has done its damage. "When [Obama] first came out, we just thought he was too young," she explains. "But now I don't think he's qualified at all."

It's easy to sink into despair here. Standing and watching all these Democrats chat up Sinclair--who's retained Montgomery Blair Sibley as his lawyer and says the Republican National Committee has also been in touch with him--makes me want to fall to my knees, rend my garments, and start insanely screaming, "Wake up! Wake up! You'll hate a President John McCain!" But the rhetoric from the top has imparted its poison below, and the bitterest criticisms of Obama gain traction as they circulate through the virulently-pro-Hillary echo chamber. "Would you rather have a president who had an affair [Bill Clinton] or one who was a murderer [Obama]?" Jeannie, the Greensboro Democrat, asks a fellow in a floppy Tilley hat and Hillary buttons. "That's a good point," he replies.

Following instructions from Obama HQ, almost no Obama supporters have shown up to protest, amplifying the impression of the alternate Hillary universe. But around the edges, a few small signs of the other universe peek through, the one in which Barack Obama leads and most Democrats don't suspect him of multiple felonies. Inside the Marriott's gift shop, the sales clerk tells me that Democratic bumper stickers have been selling like crazy today. "Mostly Hillary?" I ask.

"Actually, mostly Obama," she giggles.

Clinton Stomps Obama In Puerto Rico

Proving just how little appeal Sen. Barack Obama has among Hispanic voters, Sen. Hillary Clinton is beating Obama by a better than two-to-one margin in the Puerto Rico primary today. The Puerto Rican vote will add at least another 100,000 votes to the 162,000 vote-lead Clinton holds over Obama to date in the popular vote. Clinton should pick up about 35 delegates with today's win, leaving Obama still a few dozen votes short of the 2,118 votes needed to cinch the nomination. Clinton is about 173 votes shy of what she needs to win. Network news observers are saying today that they expect Obama to announce on Tuesday, when voters go to the polls in Montana and South Dakota for the final contests of this primary election season, that he has secured a majority of the votes necessary to win the Democratic nomination.

Pay attention to a developing story in the Democratic race. I've previously reported on Larry Johnson's claim that a videotape exists of Michelle Obama going off on a racist rant against "whitey" at the Trinity Church of Christ, from which she and her husband resigned on Friday. Yesterday, Johnson said on his blog that he expects the story to begin unfolding on Monday. This afternoon, during an interview by Fox News' Geraldo Rivero of GOP political consultant Roger Stone, Stone claimed that he had been contacted by seven news organizations about the tape and that he now believes at least one network news organization has obtained a copy of the videotape. Rivero said he doubted Stone's claim, but he noted that Stone was the first to break the news of Elliot Spitzer's prostitution scandal.

Attorney General's Race And Lake County Corruption

The Gary Post-Tribune's John Byrne looks at the division among Lake County Republicans in the Republican convention battle for Attorney General between Jon Costas and Greg Zoeller. Lake Co. GOP Chairman John Curley backs Costas, but he will not impose his choice on other delegates from Lake County. "I'm telling everybody to vote their conscience," Curley tells Byne. Byrne's story notes that Deputy Attorney General Greg Zoeller is not taking Costas' support from Lake County for granted and has made many trips to the region seeking support. Zoeller's boss, Steve Carter, has earned kudos in Lake County from those concerned about cleaning up corruption there. Oddly, though, Costas' law firm has found itself on the opposite side of Carter, Zoeller and the Attorney General's office in these efforts. As Byrne explains:

Carter earned the respect of many locals for his vote fraud investigation in Lake County and his civil racketeering lawsuit against former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick and associates. Zoeller, Carter's chief deputy, has touted his experience in those investigations and promised to actively pursue them.

Costas' connection to the law firm Burke Costanza & Cuppy LLP, where he is an "of counsel" attorney, has privately left some local Republicans with reservations.

The firm worked extensively for the city of East Chicago during Pastrick's administration, and Burke attorneys defended two men named along with Pastrick in the civil racketeering case. Interviewed earlier this month, Costas said he is not familiar enough with the RICO case to say how he might proceed with it, if elected.

Costas' fuzziness on the details of the Pastrick prosecution gave Zoeller pause.

"Frankly, I wouldn't think it would become too hard to get familiar with the case if it's in your firm. I would be willing to provide him with (a copy)," Zoeller said recently.

But Williams said Costas' lifetime in Lake County has steeled him to fight corruption.

"He grew up in Gary, and moved away from there," Williams said. "He knows firsthand about bad government and good government, and he's ready to step in and do what needs to be done to combat government fraud."

As an attorney, I know it is unfair to attribute the wrongdoings of a client to an attorney or his law firm. I, too, once worked for a law firm which represented East Chicago. Costas should not be painted with the brush of Lake County corruption simply because his law firm defends individuals accused of political corruption in Lake County. What makes Byrne's observation intriguing, however, is a reason I've heard from several sources as to why several of the state's largest law firms are backing Costas over Zoeller. These firms are said to be unhappy with Steve Carter's office for pursuing a RICO action for the past several years against high-ranking East Chicago officials. I'm told they fear Zoeller will continue the litigation strategies started by Carter for combating public corruption if he succeeds him to the office.

In 2004, Attorney General Steve Carter filed federal and state RICO charges against high-ranking East Chicago public officials seeking to recoup for taxpayers millions of dollars city officials unlawfully used to pay for work on public and private property. A press release from Carter's office explained the action:

Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter announced today efforts to recoup millions of public dollars East Chicago city officials used to pay for concrete work on private property. Carter has filed civil federal and state RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization) charges against 27 individuals and contractors, including East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick.

“Our investigation has uncovered a serpentine maze that took an incredible amount of energy and time to unravel,” Attorney General Steve Carter said. “We have found an orchestrated plan that was obvious in its intent and corrupt to its core. We are breaking the maze down and tearing apart the wall of deceit that was used to manipulate city resources for purely personal gain.”

The lawsuit maintains that public officials and contractors corrupted East Chicago city government as an enterprise for personal gain. Twenty-seven defendants are named in the lawsuit and are being pursued to repay $3.1 million to the City. Carter has filed the lawsuit on behalf of the citizens of the State of Indiana and the citizens of the City of East Chicago.

Last week, the Attorney General's office announced that a settlement had been reached with four defendants in the East Chicago RICO, who agreed to cooperate with investigators in the case against other defendants. The Gary Post-Tribune reported:

Attorney General Steve Carter -- who filed a civil lawsuit alleging former mayor Robert A. Pastrick and 28 co-defendants ran city government as a "criminal enterprise" -- has settled out of court with former city councilman Adrian Santos, financial director George Weems, general services director Frank Miskowski and the contracting firm TRI Inc . . .

Miskowski and Weems will pay $10,000 to settle the case in which -- as members of the city Board of Public Works -- they approved payments for the paving project. TRI Inc., one of the contractors paid for work done as part of the paving program, will pay $2,500.

Santos, who was sentenced to prison time and $24 million in restitution in a federal criminal prosecution, was not required to pay a settlement.

As a Republican, it is inexplicable to me why any Republican or reputable law firm would be unhappy with what Carter's office has been doing to root out corruption in Lake County. Yet, this RICO case seems to be a driving force behind some big law firms pushing Costas' election so hard. Even Secretary of State Todd Rokita, who hails from Lake County and has worked side by side with Carter in combating vote fraud in Lake County, has joined these powerful law firms in backing Costas over Zoeller. The interwoven ties of these firms with Lake County politicians and certain business interests have made changing the guard at the Attorney General's Office a top priority. Whether Costas is sympathetic to the corrupt pols his law firm represents is irrelevant at this point. The people who back his campaign want to rein in the role of the AG's office in combating these people and their public corruption. That alone is enough to give me pause about what his election to the office would mean.