Importantville: Conservative Facebook censorship?—Republicans attack Buttigieg—Braun's 'Doers' ad gone?—Merritt for mayor?
What's happening—and what's next—at the intersection of politics and business in Indiana?
By Adam Wren and design by Kris Davidson
Days to Election Day: 77
Days to First Senate Debate: 49
Indiana Republicans attacked South Bend Mayor and 2020 Democrat presidential contender Pete Buttigieg this weekend, calling the Afghanistan veteran “unhinged.”
Indiana GOP Chairman Kyle Hupfer writes in an email to supporters:
You can officially add South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg to the list of Democrat Joe Donnelly supporters who become unhinged when talking about President Donald J. Trump.
On Thursday, pinch-hitting for former Vice President Joe Biden at a gathering of liberal Democrats at the Illinois State Fair this week, Rarely-in-South Bend Mayor Buttigieg left Hoosier Hospitality at home. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the typically mind-mannered Democrat said President Trump is “basically a disgraced game show host” and that Vice President Pence is a “social extremist, the likes of which our country has not known in national politics.” Buttigieg even punctuated his remarks with an unprintable word, “B——,” according to the report.
Friends, Pete Buttigieg is just the latest supporter of Democrat Donnelly to attack President Trump and Vice President Pence. This is what we are fighting against this year. Folks like Buttigieg, who is spending more time attending to his pipe dream political ambitions than to the problems of South Bend, are becoming more and more desperate in their words and in their actions. They can't stand the fact that our economy is booming, that unemployment is at record lows, and that America is respected again.
An Indiana Republican writes me:
While [Buttigieg’s] rhetoric plays well with the far left, it could potentially backfire with Democrats in Indiana. Especially his strident criticism of Pence....This could make Buttigieg a liability for Indiana Democrats like Senator Donnelly who are trying to run down the middle.
IMPORTANTVILLE TAKE: Yes, Buttigieg is an otherwise mild-mannered pol. Yes, Buttigieg is more progressive than Donnelly, and has called on the president to resign. Yes, Pence has an approval rating of 60 percent or more in some of Indiana’s barn-red congressional districts.
But we also now have a baseline for behavior the Indiana GOP considers “unhinged”—using profanity and calling for a political opponent to be removed from office. Noted.
Good Monday morning. Welcome to Importantville. The Indiana State Fair is over, and Labor Day is around the corner. If you enjoy this email, forward to a friend, and tell them to subscribe.
WHERE’S VEEP? He has lunch with the president at noon. Later, he’ll attend a Salute to the Heroes of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection in the East Room.
THE WEEK AHEAD: In business, a tech announcement is slated to take place at the NCAA Hall of Champions on Tuesday. Interim Study Committees make up the bulk of the week. On Tuesday, there are two meetings, with Pension Management Oversight and Public Safety and Military Affairs at 10 a.m. On Wednesday, the Interim Study Committee on Government meets at 10 a.m. On Thursday, Education, Fiscal Policy and Public Health, Behavioral Health and Human Services hold meetings. On Saturday, Nick and Beau Bayh get commissioned at the Indiana War Memorial.
BRAUN’S DOERS’ AD GONE?: Chevron is paying to promote a tweet in Indiana that bears more than a passing resemblance to Rep. Mike Braun’s “Doers” ad.
Chevron and local partners are helping to provide hands-on training needed for today’s jobs. pic.twitter.com/Tbqhag6f1r
August 2, 2018What happened? A Chevron spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and neither did the Braun campaign.
FACEBOOK CENSORSHIP? Conservatives nationwide are storming social media to advance the case that Silicon Valley is censoring content. The controversy came to Indiana this weekend: Facebook is categorizing the latest Pence biography as a political advertisement, according to author Andrea Neal. She claims her Facebook post promoting a book signing event has been blacklisted by the social media company.
Facebook censorship is real, I regret to report. Will not let me boost “Pence - The Path to Power” book signing posts even when I remove photo of book cover. @FoxNews @CNNPolitics @DiamondandSilk @vp pic.twitter.com/xcFMzTlOf0
August 19, 2018I have appealed every denial by making the argument that this is not a political ad, and I should not be required as an author to go through the ad approval process. They have not replied specifically to the content of my appeal but merely denied the appeals. One or two of my appeals is still open and has been for many days. This matters to me because I don't have any other low-cost way to promote my book signings in targeted areas. I badly wanted to promote to Facebook users in Evansville when I had a signing on August 5 but was not able to do that. I sold only four books that day!
WHAT FACEBOOK SAYS ABOUT THIS INSTANCE: A Facebook spokesperson writes to Importantville:
We don’t “reject” ads solely because they contain political content, but we do ask advertisers that run ads that include the names of candidates or former candidates for political office (among other criteria) to get authorized and then disclose who paid for the ad—then the ad is able to run.
MERRITT TO CHALLENGE HOGSETT? Here's what State Sen. Jim Merritt told Brian Howey: “I’m focused on a laser effort at reelection through November. Then over the long haul I’m looking at running for mayor.” READ MORE.
ON TIMING: “If I get reelected in November, I’ll take the month of November and seek out opinions, seek out money sources and create a vision for the future of Indianapolis. I will be thinking, as a state legislator, how I can help Indianapolis to become a better place to live. The month of November will be a very busy month for me.”
Importantville Inbox: ‘Holcomb Dedicates New Basketball Court at Governor’s Residence’
With the help of the gold medal-winning DeKalb County Special Olympics basketball team, Gov. Eric J. Holcomb dedicated the newly-constructed basketball court Saturday at the Governor’s Residence.
Traditionally, each family that lives in the Governor’s Residence finds a lasting improvement to make to the buildings or grounds. This court, which was funded by private donations via the Governor’s Public Building Foundation, will provide opportunities to host youth league games and community events.
Importantville Reads:
The Daily Beast: “Obama Helped Save This Town. Trump May Trash It. They Don’t Care.”
In the RV capital of the United States, life has been pretty darn good.
Just ask Dwight Miller, the vice president for operations at Dometic, a company that builds appliances and other equipment that are essential for RVs.
For years now, customers have been gobbling up mobile homes. Sales are robust. Unemployment is low. And Elkhart, Indiana, the center of it all, is booming. On Middlebury Street along the town’s main stretch, manufacturers and warehouses have full parking lots and “we’re hiring!” signs planted in the grass along the road. Restaurants and bars have popped up downtown. New lofts are coming, too, as is a $65 million aquatic center.
But as thrilled as Miller is about his city’s current fortunes, ominous signs have recently begun to emerge. A trade war started by President Donald Trump—specifically the tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum imports—is threatening to unravel the progress made in this key industrial hub in Vice President Mike Pence’s home state. So far, the effects have been limited—measured mostly in greater inventory instead of job losses. But these manufacturers fear what will come if they don’t get clarity soon.
That’s all for today. Get your Importantville shirt before they’re gone. Thank you for reading. Send me tips and feedback: cadamwren@gmail.com
Importantville: Conservative Facebook censorship?—Republicans attack Buttigieg—Braun's 'Doers' ad gone?—Merritt for mayor?
I had the exact same experience Andrea Neal had when boosting my weekly columns. It is not a bias issue at all, obviously, since no o e is accusing me of being conservative. She is incorrect about that. It is a stupid process though with zero flexibility or understanding. So, I think we can agree on that.