Nasty Politics - A Backlash Maybe?

While they say that negative ads are used because they work, results from yesterday's elections are suggestive of a different paradigm.  Yesterday there was some backlash on the Melina Kennedy campaign because of race baiting tactics undoubtedly initiated by Ed Treacy, Chairman of the Democratic County Party, but likely signed off on by Kennedy herself.

Treacy engaged in a laundry list of gutter politics and attempted intimidation.  He is a stain upon the Party and the good people in it.

Up in the northside, Christine Scales appears to have won reelection as District 4 Councillor, defeating the the enormously funded Kostas Poulakidas by all of 39 votes.  One of the mysteries of this campaign season is why the Star remained silent about the postcard smear tactics used by the Poulakidas' side against Scales.  Well, at least they will be following what anyone would expect now - a recount.

So, for this time at least, nasty politics did not determine the ultimate outcome.  That is a good thing.

The Council and the Mayor are of different political persuasions for the next four years.  Facts are, beyond the political posturing for impact's sake, there is not a huge difference between the 'sides' and there is much room for amicable relations - if hatchets can be buried, politics removed for a while, and clear heads prevail.  Another thing is, there is not much wiggle room to finance any modest, much less grandiose, 'visions'.  The budget I saw passed by the Council for 2012 is likely too 'small' to actually do all the things that were promised, much less accommodate many additional services. 

But, at the end of the day, two honest perspectives offered without hidden agendas can often lead to improved outcomes.  Let us hope that the Council and the Mayor can find their way to move in that direction and lay the best foundation for Indianapolis' future.

Kennedy Must Repudiate Treacy's Tactics

Ed Treacy has sunk to new lows.  He claims that Mayor Greg Ballard uttered a phrase during last week's debate that proves Ballard is a racist.  He provides no context, nor any link to a transcript or recording so fair minded people can check his claims out for themselves.  But, he has an ad running on radio trying to incense Indy's African American voters so that the will come to the polls in force and vote for Melina Kennedy.

If Ballard made a racist statement during the debate, why then did Kennedy, who was standing right next to him at the time and had a microphone at her disposal, why then did she not call him out on the spot?  She did not because Ed Treacy is making this crap up.

It is gutter politics and race-baiting at its worst.

All decent Democrats should be outraged and call for Treacy's removal as Chairman of the County Party.

Melina Kennedy must repudiate Treacy's tactics and demand that the ad be pulled from the airwaves.

How she handles this situation will speak volumes about whether or not she is fit to lead our City.

Its that simple.

Ed Treacy - What An Embarassment

Despite Kyle Walker’s plaintive wailings, Mayor Greg Ballard isn’t cut out for the job of leading our city. At each public appearance, he shows more of his blubbering ways.

Thus begins the latest press release from Marion County's Democratic Party Chairman, Ed Treacy. Surely the first draft was scratched out with a crayon.

Here's a couple more snippets from other press releases sent out by the Party in recent days, where Treacy has decided to try to brand opponents with the Tea Party label:

With just 34 days until the 2011 Municipal Election, Mayor Greg Ballard, the first Tea Party candidate, is quickly losing steam and getting sloppy.

I'm sure Ballard's connection with the Tea Party caught both him and that group by surprise - much less his elevation at being their first candidate. But, Treacy is not one to let facts get in between him and his 'political strategy'.

and

At the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum just days ago, incumbent Republican Councilor At-Large Barbara Malone announced the Republican Party’s support for the consolidation of all school districts in Marion County, including Speedway and Beech Grove.

A Tea Party Republican, a leader within the conservative Republican caucus and the sole sponsor of the unpopular 50-year parking deal, Barbara Malone has exercised significant influence within the Republican ranks. This newest proposal, which has no resistance from her fellow Republican candidates, continues to highlight the extraordinary disconnect between Tea Party Republicans and the educational challenges facing the city of Indianapolis and its students.

The headline for this press release was "Making IPS Only Public School District in County Will Be Priority for Republican Council".  Did Malone say "I think we should look at consolidating the school systems in this particular County"?  Yes, she did.  Was she the Councillor who is the named sponsor of the parking meter concession ordianance?  Yes, but it seems like a brain fart caused that fact to be included in that paragraph.  The rest is fantasy and fabrication on Treacy's part. 

Earth to Treacy - the Council is not the school board. The only authority they have is tangential to the charter schools; schools that Treacy supported under Peterson, but now wants to bash under Ballard. There is no continuity of thought, no guiding principles of importance - only trying to score with ill humored name calling.

Treacy's hyperbole harms the Democratic party and any credibility it can have on the important issues affecting our City, much less on any solutions to be offered. His juvenile rantings reflect on the rest of us. Little wonder that the press only calls on Treacy when they want some vitriolic outgassing for the news.