You may recall that one of the ways Indiana's CEO tried to deflect criticism, not to mention legal questions, about his refusal to live in the Governor's mansion was by turning the place into a catering hall for hire, which is just the sort of entrepreneurial spirit we need at the top: just because the product isn't good enough for me doesn't mean I can't make a buck off of it. But it's a move which might have caused an itchy rash last week when Planned Parenthood rented the place for an appreciation dinner and drew protesters led by Republican State Senator and former VP of Indiana Right to Life Jeff Drozda.
The protest itself is of zero interest--even the Star buried the story and took issue with some of the group's claims, though I did note they counted 50 sign carriers while when I drove by there were 18, four of them children, and there didn't look to be any more than that when Drozda was interviewed on local news. Be that as it may there were a couple of interesting items. One: Drozda tried to make hay out of State AG Steve Carter's raid on Planned Parenthood files and seemed to forget that he was actually out in public. He said something about "criminal indictments" before realizing he was on tape, then tried to remember the official spin: "under investigation for possible criminal activity." No such criminal activity has even been alleged at this point, and in fact Carter's raid was explicitly a fishing expedition, pure and simple: he went after records of any patients under 14 on the grounds that if there was any evidence of sexual activity failure to report it could be a crime.
A Class B misdemeanor.
I'm waiting to see if Drozda will protest if the Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis decides to rent the place. After all, that's one organization we know hid evidence of child abuse.
By the way, Steve, you were given the first dozen or so records you asked for, and Planned Parenthood only filed suit after you went back for seventy-three more, and they were shot down in court two months ago. How long does it take to read a medical record, anyway?
Daniels, the Master of the Photo Op, was really interesting in all this. Instead of the fiesty yapping attack spaniel we're used to seeing when anyone calls his judgment into question, the interview I saw found Mitch in a blue shirt practically huddled in the corner of a blue room, just a comb-over on the bottom right corner of the screen, apparently hoping a timely tornado warning would cover him over entirely, and he mumbled. Mitch mumbled. Jesus wept. He squeezed out something about "innocent until proven guilty", which was really inspiring considering nobody's been charged with anything. And just to show my good faith, Mitch, I'm going to start thinking of you in the same way.
Two things.
ReplyDelete1) How can Mitch Daniels, whose forehead, if it gets any larger will need its own time zone, be considered "Master of the Photo-Op?" Or is this that "sarcasm" I keep hearing the kids talk about?
2) Your crack on the Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis, nothing but net.
Well, when you put it that way Mitch is more a master of the Op than the Photo. The man's at every ribbon-cutting that attracts a camera--in past administrations this was usually the lieutenant governor, whom state law gives a major chunk of the economic development functions as a means to prevent a possible coup, I guess. But there was Mitch at the opening of the Magic Johnson Appends His Name To An Urban Starbucks celebration, which had nothing whatever to do with state government, and he's on the dais when the new president of Ball State personally endows a scholarship. He got two days coverage out of that one, somehow. But then when we face the loss of what's left of Ft. Ben Harrison it's the lieutenant governor who's on point. Say what you want about the man, he's a CEO in his very marrow.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to rent the mansion for a campaign finance reform fundraiser?
ReplyDeletemitch will leave this state nostalgic for bob orr.
ReplyDeletewhat an ASSHOLE.
and i wonder what dickie lugar truly thinks of his blue-eyed boy.