Indiana census warehouse evacuated, substance found

Not. Going. To. Say. It. But I will update as soon as I get more.

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A U.S. Census Bureau official says a census bureau warehouse in southern Indiana has been evacuated following the discovery of a red, powdery substance in its mail.

U.S. Census spokeswoman Latoscia Mason tells Louisville, Kentucky, television station WAVE that between 200 and 300 employees at the warehouse in the Ohio River city were evacuated after workers found the substance in incoming mail about 8 a.m. Tuesday.

A Jeffersonville hazardous materials team is at the scene taking air samples

Update- Sounds like someone wanted to put a scare in the workers. Didn't they realized that they most probably would be identified by the census form they sent in? Oy.

Hackbarth said a worker opening returned Census survey forms found a red, powdery substance in one of the envelopes about 8 a.m. He said a hazardous materials team determined the powder was not dangerous, but is still working to identify it.

Hackbarth said the building is the Census Bureau's only permanent processing center and both mails out and sorts returned Census forms.

Mid Day Distraction

My very first memory as a child was my Grandmother & Mother freaking out over this, the tornado sirens blaring and having to spend way too much time in the basement... Vid is nice and kitschy though. More here and here.

Evan Bayh Gives $1 Million To Indiana Democrats

By GottaLaff

Evan Bayh is spreading the wealth. You know what that means. He's a ....

...

...

Socialist!!

Retiring Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) is beginning to unload some of that huge $13 million campaign treasury.

The Indiana Democratic Party announced Tuesday that it has received $1 million from Bayh's campaign committee -- money that party officials said would be used to help elect Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D) as Bayh's successor.

Think of what all that money could be used for if we had real campaign finance regulation.

Oh, and thanks SCROTUS, for magically corporations into human beings. And they said it couldn't be done....

Video- Mr Evan Bayh: The Song

Oh my god my god, these people have been in my brain. I'm going to be singing that "loser of a Hoosier" line all day. Huge h/t to WT.

TPC EXCLUSIVE: Tamyra d'Ippolito to run for U.S. Senate as a Libertarian

By GottaLaff

A reliable source close to the Tamyra d'Ippolito campaign has given TPC a bit of a scoop:

Tamyra d'Ippolito, who failed to get on the Indiana ballot as a Democrat after Evan Bayh announced his retirement, is going to Indianapolis tomorrow. Why?

She's paying a visit to the secretary of state's office to announce her change in political party.

She will be running for the U.S. Senate as a Libertarian.

According to my source, the Libertarian party said they would welcome her on the ballot as their candidate. She is almost guaranteed a place on the ballot because the Libertarians did the required to work to keep their spot open.

I don't hold out a whole lotta hope for Tamyra.

And who will she pull votes from? Women? The GOP?

BayhPlay: Rep. Brad Ellsworth will run for Senate

By GottaLaff

Bye bye Bayh, hello Ellsworth:

It appears that Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.) is his party’s consensus choice for the seat of retiring Sen. Evan Bayh (D) and that state Rep. Trent Van Haaften will run to succeed Ellsworth in the 8th district.

Tamyra d'Ippolito fails to get on Indiana ballot

By GottaLaff

Put away the Excedrin:

It looks like Democrats have averted a big headache in Indiana.

Tamyra d'Ippolito, the Bloomington restaurant owner who claimed to be nearing the required amount of signatures to make her the de facto Democratic nominee for Senate in Indiana, appears to have fallen short in her bid to get on the primary ballot.

To get on the ballot, a candidate must have submitted at least 4,500 signatures by noon Tuesday, with at least 500 coming from each of Indiana's nine congressional districts.

But Terry Burns, a Democratic official with the Marion County Board of Voters, said d'Ippolito only submitted three signatures Tuesday to the county clerk's office (The entire seventh district is in Marion County). Burns noted that one of her signatures came from the state's 5th district.

"She fell 498 signatures short in the seventh district," Burns told CNN.

Buh Bayh.

Bayh: Timing of my announcement could be positive for Democrats

By GottaLaff

Evan Bayh and Indiana Democratic Party Chair Dan Parker had a conference call with county Democratic Party chairs today.

Timing is everything:

Bayh said the timing of his announcement could be a positive for Democrats. The source said that Bayh told the call that the lack of a primary would mean that the Republican party candidates would attack each other on their own, with no Democrats to get in the way. [...]

"He said, 'if this goes to the state committee then we'll have selected a candidate without a divisive primary,'" the source told me this evening.

In other words:

Bayh and Parker suggested on the call that not having a public vote on who Indiana's next Democratic nominee for Senate will be could be a positive come November.

Bayh and Parker "made a point to steer clear" of talking about specific candidates to replace Bayh as the nominee, the source said. Parker said another of the "positives" about not having a primary was that the state party has "a deep bench" of candidates to choose from if they are called on to select a nominee, the source said.

Asked about his comments on the call, Parker told me he he didn't say a lack of a primary was a good thing. He told me he said on the call that "the process isn't perfect but our nominee will be chosen before the Republican."

See? He's a hero now... of sorts... at least he thinks so. Give yourself a pat on the back, Ev. I doubt if anyone else will.

We'll have to wait and see if he's right.

3 Possible Replacements For Evan Bayh

By GottaLaff

Via Greg Sargent:

No replacement candidate is likely to be able to bring in the 4,500 signatures needed by this week’s deadline. That means that under party rules the state party has until June 30th to pick a replacement candidate.

The three leading contenders for national and state Dems, according to a Democratic source: Dem Reps Brad Ellsworth and Baron Hill, and Evansville mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel.

Ellsworth is a "moderate Blue Dog". From what I'm reading (has a conservative voting record and a history of breaking rank with the Dems on key votes), he wouldn't be my pick.

Hill seems to be more appealing (supports universal health care and green energy funding), but I don't know much more about him, either.

Here's the Wiki on Weinzapfel.

Paddy lives in Indiana, so I'd love her take. Paddy?

Breaking- Evan Bayh to retire

Wow. Holy Wow- MSNBC announcing. More when I get it. Wow. UPDATE- Indy Star has it.

Sen. Evan Bayh will not run for re-election, a decision that will shock Democrats and Republicans alike in Indiana.

In prepared remarks, Bayh, 54, cited excessive partisanship that makes progress on public policy difficult to achieve as the motivation for his decision.
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“After all these years, my passion for service to my fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so in Congress has waned,” he said.

“My decision was not motivated by political concern,” he added. “Even in the current challenging environment, I am confident in my prospects for re-election.”

Bayh had never lost an election, from his first win in 1986 as secretary of state, his wins for governor in 1988 and 1992 and his election to the U.S. Senate in 1998 and 2004.

“But running for the sake of winning an election, just to remain in public office, is not good enough,” Bayh said. “And it has never been what motivates me. At this time I simply believe I can best contribute to society in another way: creating jobs by helping grow a business, helping guide an institution of higher learning or helping run a worthy charitable endeavor.”

As McJoan notes, good old Evan just gave the Democratic Party a big old poop sandwich to chew on for '10. Oh man, this really takes the cake-

Update: And it gets even better. Hotline reminds us that the deadline for filing in the race is Feb. 19--yes, this Friday.

Small town works to aid unemployed - lots of snow to shovel!

Just another small town using it's noggin to help out. Vaguely WPA reminiscent.

The recent heavy snows are presenting an opportunity for some unemployed people to make a little money.

The group Elkhart County Works Together tries to find temporary jobs to help the unemployed make ends meet. The group has come up with an idea to deal with the snow: provide a temporary income for those out of a job, which can help residents keep their sidewalks clear.

The group now has a list of 46 people who will shovel sidewalks for a small fee. It has set up a skills bank on the Web where the unemployed can list the different skills they have. Homeowners and businesses then can go online to contact them for temporary work.

(snip)

"It could be a good opportunity to get more work, and at least a little bit more of an income," she said.

"The skills bank gives people the opportunity to generate money they need to meet their basic needs," said David Schrock-Shenk, founder of Elkhart County Works Together.

Indiana gets $1.3M more from Stimulus to help low-income seniors

Sounds like a win/win to me- give them something to do and train them to make a wage that will help to keep the heat on. What, no squawking from Mitch Daniels? Actually the opposite.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Division of Aging is getting nearly $1.3 million in additional funding from the U.S. Labor Department of Labor to provide job training and other help for older, low-income workers.

The federal stimulus grant will go to the Senior Community Service Employment Program. It provides part-time, community service-based job training for unemployed, low-income persons age 55 or older.

Aging Director Faith Laird says the added funding will allow her agency to serve seniors who otherwise wouldn't receive services. She says the money is needed during such tough economic times.

Riding Coats-Tails: Dan Coats Tied to Chavez-Connected Oil Company

By GottaLaff

Just what we need more of in the U.S. Senate. What an attractive record:

Former Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN), who wants to challenge Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) for his old Senate seat, "lobbied for a Texas-based oil and gas company that partnered with Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez," Politico reports.

The Hotline notes Coats has also "spent the past several years advocating on behalf of pharmaceutical companies, major health care firms and big corporations."

Former Sen. Dan Coats to challenge Evan Bayh in Indiana

This is something that makes me a little uneasy. As much as I detest Bayh, we do need that D in our column.

Senate Republicans scored a major coup in their attempt to broaden the playing field this November by luring former senator Dan Coats (R) into the race against Sen. Evan Bayh (D) in Indiana.

Coats is expected to announce his candidacy today, according to informed Republican sources.

After serving four terms in the House, Coats was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by Dan Quayle's election as vice president in 1988. He was subsequently elected in 1990 to the remainder of Quayle's term and in 1992 won the seat outright. He retired in 1998, making way for Bayh, who had been a two-term governor, to cruise to an open-seat victory over then Ft. Wayne Mayor Paul Helmke.

National Republicans are convinced that Bayh is vulnerable due to his vote in favor of President Obama's health care plan and economic stimulus package.

Evan Bayh Polling Behind Mike Pence

If it was anyone, and I mean I'd even take a Newt Gingrich, anyone but Mike Pence I just might be happy about this, but Pence is Damien. Latest Bayh soul baring gaffe? Cesca caught Bayh parrotting Palinspeak this am.

Video- Dick Lugar (R-IN) rebuts Cheney criticism of Obama

My favorite Senator of the two by far.

Electric vehicle maker may bring manufacturing operations to Elkhart County, Indiana

This is huge for my area. There are huge empty manufacturing buildings all over Elkhart from the defunct RV companies.

It was just four months ago that President Obama announced electric truck maker Navistar International would soon hire hundreds of locals to build electric trucks. This week, local leaders say another electric vehicle manufacturer is also interested in calling Elkhart County home.

“This is the cutting edge of plug-in, all-electric vehicles," said County Commissioner Mike Yoder.

Earlier this year, Think North America, a subsidiary of the Norwegian electric car manufacturer Think Global, said Indiana was on the short list of potential states to be home to its U.S. manufacturing operations. Oregon and Michigan were also on the list.

(snip)

But two months ago company officials came back. The potential site: an empty warehouse north of Middlebury, at Indiana 13 and County Road 2.

On Monday, Think North America spokesman Brendan Prebo told WSBT News that while this does not constitute a final decision, "we are at a point where we are focusing on negotiations in Indiana."

John Hostettler to challenge Evan Bayh

Oh dear, what do I do? You know I hate Bayh with all my blackened heart...

Former GOP Rep. John Hostettler (R-Ind.) announced Thursday that he will challenge Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana in 2010.

In a YouTube video, Hostettler repeatedly ties Bayh to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, blaming the pair for what he calls a failed economic stimulus package.

(snip)

Hostettler’s 12-year House career ended in 2006 in a crushing loss against now-Rep. Brad Ellsworth. During his time in Congress, Hostettler ranked among the most conservative members, but often proved to be a thorn in the side of House Republican leadership. In 2002 Hostettler was one of only six Republicans to vote against the Iraq war resolution and is a longtime critic of an expanded U.S. military presence abroad.

Bayh, a contender to be Barack Obama’s running mate in 2008 and an oft-mentioned prospective candidate for national office, won reelection in 2004 with 62 percent of the vote.

Overnight Thread

Ugh. Bayh is a total dork.

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Senate Democrats break GOP judicial filibuster

It kills me how much of a moderate Judge Hamilton is. I can't imagine the hoopla that would have happened if the President had, ::gasp:: , nominated a liberal.

Washington (CNN) - Senate Democrats broke a GOP filibuster Tuesday against a district judge first nominated eight months ago by President Barack Obama for a seat on the federal appeals court.

The Senate voted 70-29 to end debate over the nomination of Indiana Judge David Hamilton, who was tapped by Obama in March to fill a vacancy on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Hamilton was Obama's first judicial nominee.

The full Senate is now expected to move forward quickly on a final vote on the nomination.

Hamilton's nomination cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee in June. Leading Republicans, however, then spent weeks preventing a final vote, arguing that Hamilton is too liberal.