Indiana

Indiana Dems Restart Legislative Boycott To Stop 'Right-To-Work' Bill

Eric Kleefeld | January 10, 2012, 2:50PM

The Indiana State Capitol building in Indianapolis, IN.

Indiana Democrats are once again walking out of the state legislature, in order to tie up a "right-to-work" bill that would hinder labor unions.

The development came after a committee hearing Tuesday morning -- lasting only six minutes -- in which the majority Republicans voted to send the bill to the floor, and without hearing any debate or Democratic motions to amend the bill.

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Labor

Indiana Dems End Legislative Boycott -- For Now

Eric Kleefeld | January 9, 2012, 5:16PM

The Indiana State Capitol building in Indianapolis, IN.

Democrats in the Indiana legislature have ended their walkout of the state House, which was tying up a bill that would hinder labor unions. But they're not promising that they won't do it again.

The Indianapolis Star reports that Republican leaders now hope to hold two key votes: One on Thursday, on changes to the bill that were made in a special joint House/Senate committee last week, and a final vote on passage on Friday.

But state House Minority Leader Pat Bauer (D) is still not declaring defeat:

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Indiana

Indiana Capitol In Faceoff Over Labor Rights -- Again

Eric Kleefeld & Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 5, 2012, 5:08PM

The Indiana State Capitol building in Indianapolis, IN.

The Indiana legislature is grinding to a halt this week, as Democrats work to stall the Republican majority from passing a law restricting the power of private-sector labor unions.

The "right-to-work" law would go beyond the current crackdowns on public-sector unions, by forbidding private-sector companies and unions from negotiating a contract that would require the collection of partial union dues from non-members.

Starting Wednesday, and continuing into Thursday, the Indianapolis Star reports, the state House has been unable to gavel into a session -- and protesters have once again descended upon the building.

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2012

Dems Outraged With Dick Lugar For Saying The Economy Isn't That Bad

Benjy Sarlin | August 10, 2011, 12:14PM

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN)

In a highly unusual move, Democrats are going after Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) for suggesting that the American economy might be in better shape than the recent S&P downgrade indicates -- a key White House talking point.

In an interview with a local TV station criticizing the ratings agency's decision, Lugar told an interviewer: "The American economy is still strong, that we're making progress although it's very slow in terms of job creation, and that we still have a dollar that is the world currency and we are still selling bonds to everybody all over the world despite the S&P downgrade."

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman Shripal Shah said in a statement that Lugar's quote was "out of touch with the struggles that so many Hoosier are facing right now."

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Indiana

Indiana Dem Who Shut Down The Gov't (And Won) Calls On Obama To Follow His Lead

Evan McMorris-Santoro | July 8, 2011, 5:56AM

State Rep. Patrick Bauer (D-IN)

The leader of the Indiana House Democrats -- who fled the Hoosier state along with his caucus and beat back a Republican majority led by Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) in March -- told TPM Thursday that reports of entitlement cuts in the national debt talks could cost state legislators like him the chance to capitalize on the fights of 2011 in next year's elections.

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Abortion

Report: Feds Say Indiana Medicaid Plan Banning Funds For Planned Parenthood Is Illegal

Jon Terbush | June 1, 2011, 5:11PM

Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN)

The Health and Human Services Department has told the state of indiana that its Medicaid plan, which prohibits any funding for health clinics that perform abortions, must be changed, according to the Associated Press.

Via the AP:

In a letter sent to Indiana's Medicaid director, and obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday, Medicaid Administrator Donald M. Berwick says Indiana's plan will improperly bar Medicaid beneficiaries from receiving services. Berwick writes that federal law requires Medicaid beneficiaries to be able to obtain services from any provider qualified to provide services.

That letter comes about a month after Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) signed a bill stripping Planned Parenthood of all public funds, including Medicaid payments. According the letter obtained by the AP, the state can change its Medicaid plan, or face possible penalties.

Mike Pence

Congressman Mike Pence Officially Announces Run For IN Governor

Ian Power-Luetscher | May 5, 2011, 10:27AM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

In a highly expected move, Republican Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) has announced he'll run for Governor of Indiana in 2012. Telling supporters in a Thursday conference call, "I'm in this race."

"Our reasons for entering this race are really two-fold," Pence said, according to the Indianapolis Star. "First, as lifelong Hoosiers, we love this state. ... The opportunity to lead the good and great people of this state would be the greatest privilege of our lives. Second, we believe our state is on the verge of an era of growth and opportunity like no other in our lifetime."

Pence announced in November that he planned to step down from his role as House Republican Conference Chairman, a decision many saw as the first step in a run for higher office. The six-term congressman had been rumored as the republican favorite as governor nominee in recent months, a rumor that was reinforced upon his quashing earlier this year of a presidential run.

According to the Star, Pence had planned to make his decision official on Monday but refrained because of the death of Osama bin Laden. His staff filed the paperwork Thursday morning, and a campaign fund raising effort called "Mike Pence for Indiana" is already up and running, according to the Evansville Courier & Press.

The Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker released a statement on Pence's announcement, accusing the congressman of being an absentee representative.

"Congressman Mike Pence loves Washington, so much so that he made his campaign announcement from there instead of heading back to the heartland and standing with the Hoosiers he wants to represent," the statement read.

Curiously, Pence, shares credentials as a former lawyer and talk show host with the candidate expected to run on the democratic side of the ballot, former State Rep. John Gregg, who attended Indiana University School Of Law and once hosted an Indianapolis call in radio show.

Indiana

Labor Leader Declares Unlikely Victory In Indiana

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 4, 2011, 6:11PM

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO, has declared the five week shutdown of the Indiana legislature -- led by Democrats upset with Republican-led right-to-work laws and Gov. Mitch Daniels' (R) agenda -- to be an unqualified success.

Trumka told TPM at a roundtable with reporters that despite the hardships he said were faced by union workers, labor supporters and Democrats in general in Indiana, progressive-leaning politicians in the Hoosier state were able to pull off the upset win.

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Indiana

Indiana Democrats: Mitch Daniels, Pull Down Those Ads

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 1, 2011, 8:58AM

At the request of the Indiana Democratic party, an attorney in Indiana is demanding the PAC run by Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) pull down a new TV ad it's running that attacks state House Democrats who went AWOL for costing the state nearly a half-million in cash.

Cody Kendall, an attorney in Indianapolis, has sent the letter to about a dozen TV stations around the state airing the TV ad, which Daniels' PAC -- Aiming Higher -- launched earlier this week. The state Democratic party is behind the letter, and asked Kendall -- a former state elections official -- to draft and send it.

The Daniels ad dings the 40 or so state House Democrats who fled to Illinois and shut down the legislature over concerns with the Daniels agenda and the legislative plans of the majority Republican caucus.

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Abortion

Indiana GOPer: Women Might Pretend To Be Raped To Get Around Abortion Laws

Jillian Rayfield | March 31, 2011, 9:28AM

Indiana State Rep. Eric Turner (R)

Indiana state Rep. Eric Turner (R) argued Tuesday that there should be no loopholes in the state's abortions laws for victims of rape or incest, because then "someone who is desirous of an abortion could simply say that they've been raped or there's incest."

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Indiana

Indiana Gov. Hits Returning Dems In New Ad (VIDEO)

Melissa Jeltsen | March 30, 2011, 12:27PM

As Indiana Democrats return to the state after a month-long standoff to halt what they've called a Republican agenda targeting workers rights and public schools, a new ad paid for by Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels' PAC, Aiming Higher Inc., is slamming them for going AWOL and playing "political games."

The ad, which will air across Indiana, was released on Tuesday. It criticizes Democrats for fleeing to Illinois and says they walked out on the children of the state.

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Indiana

Mitch Daniels BFF With Dick Lugar's Primary Challenger?

Benjy Sarlin | March 29, 2011, 11:13AM

Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN)

Longtime Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) is facing a tough primary challenge from Indiana state Treasurer Richard Mourdock, who claims he has one very high up supporter behind his insurgency: Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels.

The Indiana governor has said he plans to vote for Lugar, whom he used to serve as an aide, but Mourdock says that his decision to run was heavily encouraged by Daniels.

"Before I decided to do this, he and I had three different conversations about it," Mourdock told Hotline On Call in an interview. "And every time, he said, 'Richard Mourdock, don't you ever, ever, ever let anyone tell you don't have every right to do this. You've earned the right. You worked 31 years in the business world. We don't have that kind of experience very often in Washington."

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Indiana

Both Sides Claim Victory With End Of Indiana House Standoff

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 28, 2011, 5:32PM

This post has been updated with Daniels' statement.

Now that the month-long standoff between Indiana state House Democrats and the Republicans running the Hoosier state government is over, both sides are claiming to have come out on top.

The arguments go like this: Democrats say they raised the curtain on the usually unwatched state legislature by going AWOL, turning public opinion against the majority Republicans and winning some key concessions in the House at least that will temper the way debate moves forward on key issues like education reform and the right of workers to form unions. Republicans say that with the legislative session back on track, they'll finally be able to push through significant changes to the way Indiana operates, leaving their mark on the Hoosier state as voters intended them to do.

Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) released a strong statement defending his agenda from Democratic attack. The standoff was seen as putting a crimp in Daniels' presidential plans, costing him time and -- thanks to the deal struck -- a significant part of his education reform plan.

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Indiana

Indiana Dems To Return Home With Big Concessions From GOPers

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 28, 2011, 2:10PM

State Rep. Patrick Bauer (D-IN)

Just about a month ago, dozens of Indiana state House Democrats fled to Illinois to shut down what they said was a Republican agenda that targeted workers rights and the public schools. Now they're set to return, having won several concessions from the GOP that will change the face of what Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) was hoping would be a signature session.

Rep. Patrick Bauer, leader of the state House Democrats, called the deal "not perfect" but said the deal shows the standoff -- which shut down the state legislature in Indiana for weeks -- paid off in the end.

"The principled stand by House Democrats forced concessions by the House Republicans that reflected the concerns expressed by so many people who came to the Statehouse in recent weeks," he told TPM in a statement. "Today we can announce compromises that are great steps forward for working Hoosiers."

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Indiana

Union Busters Say Gov. Mitch Daniels Doesn't Know How To Bust

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 23, 2011, 9:19AM

Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN)

As he struggles to get his legislative year back on track after state House Democrats shut it down five weeks ago, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) is facing a harsh assault from the anti-union right, which is accusing him of "running scared" from organized labor advocates.

It's a strange position for the virulently anti-union Daniels to be in.

"Big Labor Democrats may have fled to Illinois," a newspaper ad from the National Right To Work Committee that ran yesterday in Indiana reads. "But it's you who have been selling out."

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Indiana

The Next Wisconsin? Nat'l Dems Step Into Indiana Fight (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 21, 2011, 8:33AM

The legislative standoff between Democratic state House members and their Republican colleagues in Indiana is now entering its fifth week. And now national Democrats are taking the battle to the next level, with at TV ad designed to bring the fight to Gov. Mitch Daniels (R), whose presidential ambitions may be on the line along with this legislative agenda.

Starting today, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (the national party arm charged with boosting Democratic numbers in the nation's legislatures) is going up with a TV spot aimed squarely at Daniels, who has promised to wait the Democrats out for as long as it takes.

With the battle in Wisconsin shifting to courts and recalls, Indiana is poised to become the next Wisconsin. And, Democrats say, Daniels is about to become the next Gov. Scott Walker (R).

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Indiana

Pro-Union Protesters Swarm Indianapolis

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 10, 2011, 11:39AM

Near the end of the third week of the Indiana state government stalemate over worker's rights and the policy agenda of Gov. Mitch Daniels (R), pro-union protesters are surging near the state capitol in what organizers are calling the largest protest in Indiana history.

The Indianapolis Star reports union supporters have begun pouring into the capital, in advance of the rally which is set to begin at 11:30 AM. Organizers "have estimated that as many as 25,000 will attend the rally," which would surpass "the 20,000 union members who protested at the Statehouse in 1995 in what, possibly until now, has been the largest rally in state history."

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Rob Andrews

Dem Rep On Fenty's Anti-Union Rhetoric: 'Maybe That's Why He's The Former Mayor'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 8, 2011, 5:14PM

Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ) and former Mayor of D.C. Adrian Fenty

Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ) doesn't have time for former Washington, DC mayor Adrian Fenty's (D) concern over collective bargaining, and he says it's clear most Democrats in the nation's capital don't either. Speaking with TPM after a hearing on the union struggles in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana, Andrews dismissed Fenty's anti-union talk on MSNBC earlier on Tuesday.

Speaking on Morning Joe Tuesday morning, Fenty -- whose term in office was marked by battles with organized labor in the city, especially the teacher's union -- said that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) was "right on the substance" and "right on the politics" when it came to the fight with unions and their supporters in the Badger State.

"I think it's a new day," Fenty said. "I think a lot of these collective bargaining agreements are completely outdated."

Andrews was not impressed.

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Indiana

AWOL Indiana Dem Leader: Mitch Daniels 'Doesn't Have The Attraction Of The Demon' Scott Walker Does

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 4, 2011, 4:59PM

State Rep. Patrick Bauer (D-IN)

State Rep. Pat Bauer, the leader of the AWOL Indiana House Democrats still camped out in Urbana, IL and effectively shutting down legislative process back home, says it's no surprise to him that Wisconsin has dominated the headlines while Indiana's fight has slipped off the front page.

"Their governor isn't as clever as our governor," Bauer told TPM in a telephone interview Friday. Bauer said Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) can "shake and bake," offering up a legislative priority list that Bauer said was a devastating for the middle class "with a smile."

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), on the other hand, is fighting his state's Democrats "with a scowl."

Daniels "doesn't have the attraction of the demon that his pupil has over there [in Wisconsin]," Bauer said. "The governor or Wisconsin says that the Governor of Indiana is his mentor. So obviously Gov. Daniels is smarter and more schooled in how to be a destroyer of the middle class."

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Indiana

Indiana House GOP Will Fine AWOL Dems $250 A Day

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 4, 2011, 9:18AM

You may not have heard much about it lately, but the state House Democrats in Indiana are still on the lam, shutting down a right-to-work law and, for the time being, much Gov. Mitch Daniels' (R) education reform agenda (not to mention his presidential ambitions).

The Republican majority in the State House, cooling their heels in Indianapolis while their Democratic colleagues hunker down at a hotel in Urbana, Illinois, have now found a way to up the stakes: hit the Democrats right in their wallets. Starting Monday, the Democrats will face a fine of $250 for each day they stay away from the legislature.

The Democratic response? M'eh.

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Indiana

Indiana Republican: No Negotiations With AWOL Dems, But No Hard Feelings Either

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 24, 2011, 10:36AM

Rep. Eric Turner (R-IN)

While the Wisconsin legislative fight over union rights has devolved into a rhetorical Cold War, the similar struggle between Democrats and Republicans in the Indiana state House is positively cordial by comparison.

Though Republicans, led by Gov. Mitch Daniels, are firm in their insistence there will be no negotiation with the group of AWOL House Democrats currently cooling their heels in Urbana, IL, a member of the Republican House leadership tells TPM there will be no hard feelings if and when the Democrats finally return.

"None," Rep. Eric Turner, assistant GOP leader in the House told TPM Thursday morning. "Certainly, at times, members of the opposite party are our opponents, but they're not our enemies."

"We're legislators, we're colleagues, we're respectful of one another," he added. "We can have a difference of opinion on a piece of legislation and work on another piece of legislation together."

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Indiana

Indiana Dems: This Is Our Moment And We're Seizing It

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 23, 2011, 6:07PM

Chairman of Indiana Democratic Party Dan Parker

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) changed his tune on Wednesday, after Democrats said they're staying put in Urbana, IL rather than letting the GOP majority push through Daniels' education reform agenda. Gone was Daniels' conciliatory tone from Tuesday, when he told his party to drop the right-to-work bill that sent House Democrats across the border to Illinois. In its place a was a pledge to wait out the Democrats and keep the Indiana legislature open as long as he has to in order for votes to take place.

Color Indiana Democrats unimpressed.

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Jeff Cox

Indiana Dep. AG Loses Job After Advocating 'Live Ammunition' For WI Protesters

Eric Lach | February 23, 2011, 3:30PM

Indiana Deputy Attorney General Jeff Cox

An Indiana Deputy Attorney General "is no longer employed" by the Attorney General's Office, after he tweeted for "live ammunition" to be used on protesters in Wisconsin, the office announced in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

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Violence

Indiana Dep. AG: Use 'Live Ammunition' Against Wisconsin Protesters

Brian Beutler | February 23, 2011, 11:13AM

Indiana Deputy Attorney General Jeff Cox

This week, a Mother Jones editor named Adam Weinstein got into a Twitter tête à tête with an Indiana lawyer who called on riot police in Madison to use "live ammunition" to clear protesters out of the state Capitol.

It turned out that lawyer, Jeff Cox, is a deputy attorney general in the state. And -- perhaps unsurprisingly -- he's left a long online trail of controversial statements and diktats.

"[A]gainst thugs physically threatening legally-elected state legislators & governor?" he tweeted back at Weinstein. "You're damn right I advocate deadly force."

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Indiana

In Indiana, AWOL House Democrats Dig In

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 23, 2011, 11:01AM

The controversial "right to work" bill the Indiana House Democratic caucus wanted killed when it fled the state on Tuesday is dead. But the self-imposed Democratic exile lives on.

After Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) urged the Republican majority in the House to drop the bill that led Democrats to pack up and leave the state, Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma (R) obliged, saying Tuesday night that the bill -- which died thanks to the lack of a quorum prompted by the Democratic absence -- would not be placed back on the legislative agenda.

But that hasn't brought the Democrats back to Indiana. Thanks to the rules of the Indiana Legislature, Democrats say they can kill a slew of other bills they don't like just by staying away. And it sounds like they intend to do just that.

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Indiana

Mitch Daniels Calls On State GOP To Abandon Union-Busting Bill

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 22, 2011, 4:01PM

Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN)

Members of the Democratic state House caucus in Indiana have found an unlikely ally in their quest to stop the GOP majority from pushing through a bill that critics say would destroy union organizing in the state. Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) took to the airwaves today to call on members of his party to drop the controversial "right to work" bill that led to Democrats going AWOL.

Daniels' statement, from WISH-TV:

"I'm not sending the state police after anybody. I'm not gonna divert a single trooper from their job of protection the Indiana public. I trust that people's consciences will bring them back to work. ... For reasons I've explained more than once I thought there was a better time and place to have this very important and legitimate issue raised."

Daniels has said for months that he's in favor of the idea behind the controversial bills, that critics say would make it nearly impossible for unions to organize in Indiana. But he's urged Republicans not to go ahead with their plans because he said their controversial nature would take the legislature off track.

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Indiana

Report: Indiana Democrats Flee State To Shut Down Union-Busting Proposal

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 22, 2011, 12:03PM

Indiana Statehouse

This post has been updated.

Illinois is about to become the state of refuge for another band of legislative Democrats fleeing their home state to shut down a union-busting proposal.

The Indianapolis Star reports that Democratic members of the state House are heading out of state to prevent the Republican majority from moving forward on a bill "that would bar unions and companies from negotiating a contract that requires non-union members to kick-in fees for representation."

In scenes reminiscent of those in Wisconsin, the Indiana Democrats are using the legislature's quorum rules to stop the GOP, despite being outgunned in the legislature and in the governor's mansion, where potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitch Daniels currently resides.

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Health Care

States Fighting Health Care Law Also Fighting For Health Care Law Grant Money

Brian Beutler | September 1, 2010, 10:37AM

President Barack Obama

Don't underestimate Republicans' desire to stymie or unwind the health care law. But not all of them are as committed to its demise as Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), who yesterday issued an executive order forbidding his state's officials from applying for grant money from the new law.

It turns out that seven of the states -- Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska and Nevada -- that have applied and been approved for subsidies to cover the cost of caring for retired state government employees are also part of a coalition of more than 20 states suing the federal government over the constitutionality of the health care law's individual mandate, which experts say is critical to the success of the policy. Minnesota's attorney general, Lori Swanson (D), refused to join to Pawlenty's displeasure.

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