Saturday, November 03, 2007

With Friends Like These

After taking a lot of heat on this blog and from rank and file Republicans, the Indiana Republican Party finally decided to cough up $25,000 in in-kind support for the mayoral campaign of Greg Ballard. I guess even Murray Clark began to figure out it was going to be a little tough raising money for the state party for next year's election if he ignored the closest and biggest mayor's race in the state here in Indianapolis, particularly after Mary Beth Schneider called him out in the state's largest newspaper. The party had already provided support to the likes of the indicted Matt Kelty in Fort Wayne, wingnut Juan Manigault in South Bend and even Paul Ricketts in Lawrence.

With less than a week left in the campaign, it's hard to imagine the $25,000 will make much difference, particularly when the help can't be given without creating a negative headline for the Ballard campaign. The blogmistress for the Democratic Party is already jumping all over the "rookie" for filing the report of the contribution with the Election Division one day late. Candy Marendt is Ballard's campaign treasurer. She served as the co-director of the Indiana Election Division until recenlty. One would think she would be more attuned to such matters than other campaign treasurers.

The Democratic blogmistress can't help but take a shot at me. "Either way, maybe this will quell criticism from the fringe types that the state GOP doesn't care about their guy," she writes. "That schtick was getting real old, real fast." Never mind that she's been the first to make fun of the lack of support Ballard was receiving from the state party. Now she wants to do spin for the competing party? Oh well, yesterday she was trying to blame Ballard's wife, Winnie, for home foreclosures. It must be pretty tough on her defending a party full of people she personally despises.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

O'Conner:"Knock the jarhead's lid off!".

What did our dear Jen have to say about O'Conner's "jarhead" remarks in attacking Ballard from the standpoint that 23 years of military service in the Marine Corp and retiring as a Lt.Col. did not make Ballard fit to be Mayor.

By those Blogwitch standards even former General George Washington wasn't fit to be President, not enough experience. Hell, at least Ballard retired as a Lt.Col. while Harry Truman was a mere Corporal and ran a clothing store with no college education.


Oh well, Jen has to beleive in something. Me, I believe I'll have another beer.

Anonymous said...

Dude, man up. That’s not at all what she wrote. Someone asked a question in an unrelated thread and she answered. And then TDW even defended the lady. TDW did, however, write one comment that you’ve just now proved 100% correct: You really have gone off the edge with the mayoral election.

Gary R. Welsh said...

"Dude, man up. That’s not at all what she wrote. Someone asked a question in an unrelated thread and she answered. And then TDW even defended the lady."

anon. 12:57, Jen, whatever you're calling yourself today, it's called sock puppetry. And it really is wearing a bit thin.

Anonymous said...

She doesn't despise any of them. If you don't speak out about corruption within your own party, then that tells me that the corruption is supported.

Gary R. Welsh said...

"She doesn't despise any of them. If you don't speak out about corruption within your own party, then that tells me that the corruption is supported."

I disagree. Her job as the Democratic spokesperson doesn't allow her to publicly state her true feelings. Nothing offends her more than having to defend some of these clowns. I could never hold down a job like that because it would drive me insane being unable to speak my true feelings aloud. I had to deal with that for 6 years working for a legislative staff when I first graduated from college. There were so many crooks and immoral hypocrites in our own caucus, it was unbearable trying to keep your mouth muzzled so you wouldn't lose your job. It was like walking around handcuffed with tape over your mouth.

Anonymous said...

Oh well, yesterday she was trying to blame Ballard's wife, Winnie, for home foreclosures.

It's funny. When The Scribe made a relatively innocuous but false statement that you ran IndyU, you used your position as an attorney to intimidate him.

What should happen to someone who authors a demonstrably false and potentially libelous statement?

If the author was an attorney, would it be a violation of Rule 8.4(c)?

http://www.in.gov/judiciary/rules/prof_conduct/#_Rule_8.4._Misconduct

Gary R. Welsh said...

On a blog posting at TDW entitled, "The Company You Keep? Indy East Motel Shows Support for Ballard", in which the controversial motel is linked to Ballard because there are Ballard for Mayor signs in the yard, which was followed by the following string of comments:

I'm very concerned about houses going into foreclosure, it is possible to see how many of "Act Fast Mortgage" loans are in default?

Posted by: | Nov 02, 2007 at 03:17 PM

what is act fast mortgage? does that have something to do with indy east?

Posted by: . | Nov 02, 2007 at 03:20 PM

Somebody check out what Act Fast mortgage is...

Posted by: | Nov 02, 2007 at 03:22 PM

Act Fast Mortgage appears to be a domestic LLC operated by Winnie Ballard.

It was formed in May 2005.

Posted by: TDW | Nov 02, 2007 at 03:59 PM

Act Fast Mortgage is operated by Winnie Ballard, Greg Ballard's wife. Hmmmmmmmm.

Posted by: | Nov 02, 2007 at 04:28 PM

Someone asked the question. I answered it.

Get a grip, Gary. I thought you were over the edge during the Dickerson race, but you've completely lost it this time around.

Posted by: TDW | Nov 02, 2007 at 04:35 PM

Is Act Fast Mortgage a predatory lender?

Posted by: | Nov 02, 2007 at 04:38 PM

If Act Fast Mortgage is the scum bag entity it sounds like it is, Greg Ballard has a lot of nerve getting high-and-might on "private property..."

Posted by: | Nov 02, 2007 at 04:44 PM

I don't think so, 4:38.

Posted by: TDW | Nov 02, 2007 at 04:44 PM

By the way, on the Act Fast Mortgage front, it would be fair game if the Ballards were profiting from high-risk mortgage lending in times like these, but I don't know that it would make any difference this close to the election.

For what it's worth, the company's website is dead, and it looks like little more than a mom-and-pop shop that dabbled in a bit of everything. I did a quick Lexis search, and it looks like the Ballards have opened and closed quite a few business entities over the past few years.

I'm guessing they're all pretty harmless, or something would have come up as an issue by now.

Posted by: TDW | Nov 02, 2007 at 05:31 PM

Anonymous said...

Jen is clever, but cries about being picked on when someone goes toe-to-toe with her so I don't bother with her drivel. Life is too short to listen to all her negativity - oh!!! That's where Bart got it!

Anonymous said...

Candy has never been known as a genius. I'm convinced she and Esther and the lottery director know where some bodies are buried, because none of them got their jobs based on intellegence.

Each party seems to find those kinds of goofs to hold high position, and subsequently embarrass themselves or the party.

Anonymous said...

"anon. 12:57, Jen"

1. I'm not Jen. I've never actually met her. All I know is what I read on her blog.
2. But, I know a compliment when I see it. I LOVE her writing, so thank you for the misunderstanding.
3. And yes, I do chose to post anonymously for a reason: I work a public relations role, and people like you have made in abundantly clear that individuals in spokesperson roles can’t have personal opinions separate from their employers.

Anonymous said...

Let's see if the dumpster diver jumps all over 1126 posting anonymously like he does the rest of us. 1126 is a TDW comrad, so that is probably be "OK" unlike us. The double standards will always continue I suspect.

Anonymous said...

Gary,

The difference between you and Jen is that you wont hesitate to call shenanigans on your own party and candidates therein who deserve public censure such as Kelty. Or take it to a national level like the 'wide stance' Sen Craig. You, and most Republicans feel that open and honest criticism can only make the party grow stronger, learn from mistakes, and move forward.

Contrast this with Ms. Wagner. You will NEVER hear her criticize ANY Democrat candidate. At best, she will play the 'if I cover my eyes and dont pick up the ink-pen, perhaps no one will see it.' Perhaps aa mitigating circumstance in her defense is that if she took every national, state and local Democrat candidate to task, her blog would consist of nothing else BUT that chastizing. I enjoy reading her blog because I vainly look for Democrat party and candidate sucesses. No joy-instead its nothing but mountains out of molehills and pithy little sayings such as 'nutterball', 'troll' or 'out of touch with reality' sucha s she tried to hang on you.

I understand that in her position as communications director, she probably feels inhibited because of possible job repercussions, but hey, if you wanna play the game, put on your shoulder pads and helmet and expect to take a hit now and again. I imagine such repression by her bosses exemplify the Democrat mind-set: They realize their theory and practice opf leaership is repugnant to the majority of the country, and to show these failed office holders would be the first step towards the oblivion of their party.

Keep up the good work, Gary. Yours is honest, anyway.