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davad70

Join Date 03/2001

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Here in Indiana, the 8th Congressional District race have always been tight. Incumbent (R)John Hostetter has won the last three races with 53% or less of the vote. This year looks to be another tight one for Hostetter, as popular Vanderburgh County Sheriff (D)Brad Ellsworth recently announced he'd be running against Hostetter. Based on his popularity, and Hostetter's slim victories in the past, Ellsworth looks to be tough competition.

Enter conservative blogger Joshua Claybourn. A mere three days after Ellsworth announced his candidacy, Claybourn alerted the Louisville Courier-Journal to photos of Ellsworth's 19 year old daughter drinking alcohol at Indiana University. Claybourn apparently was hoping that his "tip" would be anonymous. However, that was not the case and he has since tried to defend his actions on his site by claiming it's relevant because Ellsworth is a law enforcement official.Link

Unfortunately the newspaper decided to run the story. Courier & Press Executive Editor J. Bruce Baumann defended the decision to run the story. "Brad Ellsworth is a sheriff and an officer of the court running for higher political office. His 19-year-old daughter clearly was involved in underage drinking as portrayed by the pictures that she put up on her personal Web site,".

More from the paper;

Even in a hotly contested race, it's unusual for issues like the photographs to surface so early -- nine months before the November general election -- one analyst said.

"A lot of people would expect the rhetoric to heat up after Labor Day and in the final stretch," said Robert Dion, an American politics professor at the University of Evansville. "But my goodness, the first week of February? This year may be tougher than ever."

"Brad Ellsworth is a sheriff and an officer of the court running for higher political office. His 19-year-old daughter clearly was involved in underage drinking as portrayed by the pictures that she put up on her personal Web site," Baumann said.

Ellsworth, 47, who was unopposed in 2002 for a second term as sheriff of the district's largest county, said the issues weren't related.

"This incident has nothing to with the credibility of a candidate. It cheapens the process, and the public deserves better," he told The Associated Press.

The 8th District has been identified by several Washington political reports as one to watch as Democrats attempt to gain control of the House this year.

Previous Democratic candidates have criticized Hostettler as an ineffective congressman who has done little for the district while concentrating on a conservative Christian agenda.

But the Republican has fended off well-funded Democratic challengers to win hard-fought contests by narrow margins in most of his re-election campaigns since upsetting Democratic Rep. Frank McCloskey in 1994.

He won a sixth term in 2004 by defeating Democrat Jon Jennings with 53 percent of the vote.

Karen Hammonds, Hostettler's sister and campaign spokeswoman, said that she had not seen the pictures but that breaking the law should be a concern for anyone.

"It does illustrate the serious consequences of violating the law -- in this case it was underage drinking -- and then flaunting that violation by personally posting them," she said.

Claybourn has a long history of being not much more than a mouthpiece for Hostetter.Link

It's pretty sad the Republican smear tactics have found their way all the way down to the 8th district. But then again, when your candidate is a man who has a record like Hostetter, you need every trick you can find. Hostetter has previously tried to bring a gun on an airplane, opposed any environmental regulation he's ever seen, accused breast cancer victims of having abortions, advocated personal rights to own nuclear weapons, and opposed funding for post-katrina reconstruction. Yes folks, he really is that crazy!

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JillUser

Join Date 11/2003

+17

In light of the right's attack on politicians who serve in the armed services

Um, yeah, the right are the only ones who do that. Left good, right bad, got it.

Come on! Both sides are guilty of doing the same sort of crap. Lefties are pretty well known for their own brand of bad behavior. If people could just judge what is happening at face value without first considering who was doing it, we would all be a lot better off!

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Daiwa

Join Date 07/2001

+351

You an Evansville boy, davad? How'd you turn out so wrong?

Harrison Class of '67.

Cheers,
Daiwa

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one need look no farther than the lil bush twins for proof.

Well, I was going to say that was a stupid thing for the blogger to do, but I see we have enough stupidity right here.

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What a load of bullflop! Are you a parent kingbee? Heck, do you remember what it was like to be 19? Just because a 19yr old college student who, btw, is a legal adult so daddy has no control over her life, experiments with alcohol at college (gee, only terrible people do that!),it doesn't mean squat about the father's qualifications as a parent or as a public official. If that is the worst thing they can scrape up about him, I would say he is outstanding!

People throwing rocks from their glass houses everywhere

Thank you for being more diplomatic than I was. But saying the same thing.

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help myself do what?

See reply #28

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In light of the right's attack on politicians who serve in the armed services, such as questioning Kerry's Purple Hearts and now Murtha's,

No one is questioning anyone's medals. Just their current state of mind. Dont put words into others mouths.

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I'm somehow reminded of the Al Gore team's "surprise" releasing of info on Bush's addiction problems. That was what....a bare month or so before the election, when it was more difficult for him to respond and control damage?

Republican smear tactics, indeed.

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Please.

We all know there are asshats and assclowns on both sides of the political blogosphere.

How do we know your article isn't some kind of Democratic smear tactic, trying to demonize the right by overgeneralizing from one extreme case?

Or maybe it's some kind of Democratic smear tactic, trying to demonize the right by portraying legitimate partisan politics as unacceptably evil?

Or maybe, why should we take this righty blogger seriously? And why should we take your analysis of this blogger seriously?

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kingbee

Join Date 04/2004

+42

apparently at least

maybe it's some kind of Democratic smear tactic, trying to demonize the right by portraying legitimate partisan politics as unacceptably evil?

yeah...that's the ticket.

the courier-journal--proving itself the most sinister member of the msm--is worming its way ever deeper into hostetter's confidence by purposely running this story now to lull the good congressman into complacency AND provide its candidate plenty of time in which to 'disappear' the daughter who's brought him such shame.

shocking!

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You an Evansville boy, davad? How'd you turn out so wrong?

No Daiwa, I'm actually from up north...South Bend. I have a friend in Evansville that I was discussing this with the other day.

We all know there are asshats and assclowns on both sides of the political blogosphere.

How do we know your article isn't some kind of Democratic smear tactic, trying to demonize the right by overgeneralizing from one extreme case?

Or maybe it's some kind of Democratic smear tactic, trying to demonize the right by portraying legitimate partisan politics as unacceptably evil?

Or maybe, why should we take this righty blogger seriously? And why should we take your analysis of this blogger seriously?

I don't expect anyone to take my word as the Gospel on anything. That's why I provided links to the story and to tons of stories done by the blogger in question that demonstrate his close affiliation with Hostetter.

As far as it being legitimate partisan politics...I don't even need to argue that. Do you think it's legit? You didn't commit to an opinion either way, so why should I take it that you give a rat's ass either way?

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Daiwa

Join Date 07/2001

+351

No Daiwa, I'm actually from up north...South Bend. I have a friend in Evansville that I was discussing this with the other day.

OK. We'll cut you some slack, then, being from the PROSB & all.

Cheers,
Daiwa

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kingbee

Join Date 04/2004

+42

the PROSB

i'll never forget when the south shore & south bend railroad was nationalized and we all rode free.

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i'll never forget when the south shore & south bend railroad was nationalized and we all rode free.

Where are you from kb?

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kingbee

Join Date 04/2004

+42

i can't edit the previous comment so i gotta put this here

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kingbee

Join Date 04/2004

+42

mostly from detroit but i was exiled to nw indiana for a couple years. eventually i wised up and got the hell outta the midwest.

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Exiled!

What city were you in?

The midwest isn't so bad. I was away for 10 years, most of which was in Lousiana. I didn't really think I would ever miss it, but there came a point when I did and I came back. I doubt that I'll stay here for the rest of my life, but being away for so long definitely helped me appreciate some of the charms of the midwest. Now, after being back here for close to 7 years I'm starting to long for the south. You just can't satisfy some people I guess.

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kingbee

Join Date 04/2004

+42

What city were you in?

bouncing between st john and whiting mostly. there are things i miss but none of them that badly. they sell white castle burgers (frozen but..) by the six pack here. it's all good.

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they sell white castle burgers (frozen but..) by the six pack here. it's all good.

That's one thing that's missing around South Bend. The closest White Castle is an hour away in Merillville. I was working in Cincinnati for 3 months last fall and ate enough to last me for a couple years. Oh, we've been missing a Bowl game win for quite a few years now also.

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Daiwa

Join Date 07/2001

+351

The frozen WC's just don't work for me, good as they are - man, a half dozen of the real, fresh thing right off the grill was heaven for a grease-junkie like me.

Cheers,
Daiwa

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The closest White Castle is an hour away in Merillville.

lol...I LOVE the stretch of highway from the southside of Chicago through Valpo where it seems like there's a White Castle every block (I'm from Marion, Indiana originally, though I don't admit it too often except when discussing the fact that James Dean [also born in Marion...same hospital I was born in] is a distant relative).

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I'm from Marion, Indiana originally, though I don't admit it too often except when discussing the fact that James Dean [also born in Marion...same hospital I was born in] is a distant relative).

How long have you been away from Marion? I've spent quite a bit of time there. I used to have a store there, but we shut it down last month. That mall has quickly become like a ghost-town. Actually most of the actual city is like a ghost-town, hardly any factories left, very high unemployment, etc.

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