Importantville: Future of INDems—Holder-Ryan 2020?—Donnelly's family separation bill
By @AdamWren & design by Kris Davidson.
Days to Midterm Election: 141
As the blue afterglow of this weekend’s raucous Big Dem Weekend fades, some Indiana Democrats are asking hard questions of their party. Look past the hearty cheers lofted and the pride flags waved and the standing ovations delivered to their standard bearers such as Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly Saturday, and you’ll see a state party uneasy with its current standing.
No matter how you slice it, they’re in the wilderness.
Consider this: It's been 18 years since the state Democrats won a non-federal statewide office—leaving aside outlier Glenda Ritz—and 22 years since a Democrat was elected to the White House and the Governor's Mansion at the same time.
What’s wrong with the state party? And how do you fix it to make it relevant again statewide?
I put that question to three sharp Indiana Democrats unaffiliated with the Senate campaign to get their perspective, granting them anonymity to speak candidly. Their responses are below, but they boil down to this: Stop mirroring the national party, as one source told me. Instead:
Find a message that is uniquely Hoosier, and wait for the national narrative to catch up. We've done it before, and we're capable of doing it again.
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WHERE’S VEEP: VP joints the president for a meeting of the National Space Council at 11:30 in the East Room. Later, at 6 p.m., he'll host a reception for the council at the Naval Observatory.
Indiana Dems nominate slate
The Indiana Dems held their annual Hoosier Hospitality Dinner Friday night ahead of their business session Saturday.
The whole weekend was the rah-rah affair you’d expect of a state convention. Democrats seemed enthused. Speakers and delegates floated (joked about?) a 2020 ticket featuring the two big national names in town for the weekend: Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan, and former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder.
Here’s how Republicans spun the weekend, per RNC Spox Michael Joyce:
It must be hard for Indiana Democrats to feel any kind of excitement this weekend when your biggest acts are a scandal-filled former Attorney General in Eric Holder and the most vulnerable Democrat in America, Sleepin’ Joe Donnelly. While the Indiana Democrats are busy trying to figure out if Eric Holder and Joe Donnelly are the most likely to obstruct the Trump-Pence agenda in 2018 and beyond, Indiana Republicans are knocking doors, making phone calls, and engaging Hoosiers all over the state for our National Day of Action as we inch closer and closer to November.
Which brings us to a key takeaway one Democrat I spoke to offered after Friday night’s festivities:
The state Democratic Party's message has blurred more and more with the national party. The Hoosier Hospitality dinner on Friday began with a two minute video on "Democratic Party values." It was produced by the DNC, and made no mention of Indiana issues such as the opioid epidemic, outsourcing, workforce development, or fiscal responsibility.
To his credit, Senator Donnelly talked about those things. And he stands a good chance of winning reelection based on his thoughtful embrace of those things that could lead a moderate-to-conservative Democratic voice back to the forefront of Indiana electoral politics. But his campaign is a self-contained machine, and the vestiges of those principles (and people) who led the party out of the wilderness in the mid-1980s are dead or dying, with a "lost generation" of younger party leaders unable (or unwilling) to challenge the national narrative to carve out an identity that could represent a brand.
How to fix the Indiana Democratic Party
Three top Indiana Democrats I surveyed offered three main fixes: find an Indiana-specific message, bring more youthful candidates into the party fold, and take back the governor’s office.
Find an Indiana-specific message, says one source:
The state Democratic Party's message has blurred more and more with the national party. The Hoosier Hospitality dinner on Friday began with a two minute video on "Democratic Party values." It was produced by the DNC, and made no mention of Indiana issues such as the opioid epidemic, outsourcing, workforce development, or fiscal responsibility.
To his credit, Senator Donnelly talked about those things. And he stands a good chance of winning reelection based on his thoughtful embrace of those things that could lead a moderate-to-conservative Democratic voice back to the forefront of Indiana electoral politics. But his campaign is a self-contained machine, and the vestiges of those principles (and people) who led the party out of the wilderness in the mid-1980s are dead or dying, with a "lost generation" of younger party leaders unable (or unwilling) to challenge the national narrative to carve out an identity that could represent a brand.
Rely on younger candidates, says another source.
I would love to see the Democratic Party give more young leaders a chance to rise to the occasion. We have legislators who have been in office since before the internet became a thing. A lot has changed since then and rather than hoarding the few, safe seats we have (thanks republican gerrymandering!) we should be using them as tiny laboratories to churn out new talent, build our bench, and give more young candidates the experience they need. They already have the energy and vision but they need the experience. The title “longest serving legislator” isn't as an impressive title as some think it is. To most is is off-putting. As a party, it's in our blood to be progressive and inclusive in our policies but we can't keep spinning our wheels within party infrastructure and expect to see those find a platform.
Win the governor’s office again, says yet another source.
Not having the governor's office always leads to a lack of focus. That’s not John Zody’s fault. When [GOP Chair Kyle] Hupfer makes a move, its with consultation of the governor. There's a certain amount of discipline that occurs with that. Of our own making, no one is really willing to step in and lead. There's been a lot of infighting. It's like academics: the less you have the more there is to fight about. It's still the Evan Bayh hangover….There's a lack of a brand. We are more defined by the national party than what we do in this state. We need to define ourselves. That's hard to do without a governor. Some of us are talking about the Colorado model. It's gone from a red state to a blue state. Democrats were on the forefront of legalizing marijuana, and that caused some loyalty change. It's one of the ways to appeal to the next generation.
Donnelly co-sponsors Keeping Families Together Act
Ahead of President Trump’s immigration meeting with House Republicans Tuesday night, Donnelly says he’ll co-sponsor the Keeping Families Together Act.
I’ll be cosponsoring the Keeping Families Together Act. As I’ve said, those trying to enter our country illegally should be held accountable and we should fix our broken immigration system, but I don’t support the Admin.'s new policy that separates children from their families. https://t.co/OXbszeIsWC
June 17, 2018I believe that the Administration's new policy that separates families—including separating babies and young children from their parents—is wrong and not consistent with our shared American values.
Read the bill.
Where’s Braun on this? This brings a new and emotionally charged issue into the Senate campaign.
Pence event disrupted by protestors
Watch the video here. H/T Indy Star.
In other Pence coverage, the WaPo is out with an investigative look into how the Vice President’s office has become a gateway to lobbyists.
Key quote “I ask all my friends, whether they are clients or not, to give money to Greg Pence,” said [Bob] Grand, who splits his time between Washington and Indianapolis. “He is a wonderful guy.”
More:
The vice president has taken an unconventional approach to fundraising in the early years of the administration, forming a leadership committee to fund his own political efforts and staff, in addition to his work for his brother’s campaign and fundraising for the midterm elections. On Wednesday, Pence was the keynote speaker at a $3.2 million fundraiser at the Trump International Hotel in Washington. In attendance were nearly three dozen Republican lawmakers from districts vulnerable to Democratic takeover this fall.
New Pence books slated for August
August is shaping up to be Pence book month, which could put the veep in the national spotlight—never a good thing in the Trump orbit.
First, Indiana journalist Andrea Neal’s book will come out on August 1. It will focus on Pence’s upbringing and path to office.
From the Amazon description:
What does it take to become the second-in-command of one of the most powerful countries in the world? Mike Pence's rise to the vice presidency of the United States wasn't always easy. To some, he is the personification of American conservative values, but to others, his ideals are the epitome of prejudice and bigotry.
Pre-order here.
Second, CNN contributor and Trump biographer Michael D’Antonio, along with former WaPo staffer Peter Eisner, will come out with The Shadow President on August 28.
Investigative #biography, THE SHADOW PRESIDENT: THE TRUTH ABOUT #MIKEPENCE by veteran journalists Michael D’Antonio and @PeterEisner to be published by Thomas Dunne Books/@StMartinsPress on August 28, 2018.
Read the full press release here: https://t.co/mnurfXc5nz pic.twitter.com/XJfLsNIx7E
From the press release:
In this landmark biography, Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael D’Antonio and Emmy-nominated journalist Peter Eisner follow the path Pence followed from Catholic Democrat to conservative evangelical Republican. They reveal how he used his time as rightwing radio star to build connections with powerful donors; how he was a lackluster lawmaker in Congress but a prodigious fundraiser from the GOP’s billionaire benefactors; and how, once he locked in his views on the issues – anti-gay, pro-gun, antiabortion, pro big-business – he became laser-focused on his own pursuit of power.
That’s all for today. Paid subscribers will get the second members-only edition of Importantville this Thursday. Tips and feedback are appreciated: cadamwren@gmail.com.