Donnelly announces support for Obama

(from the South Bend Tribune)

Donnelly backs Obama
Congressman cites presidential candidate’s appeal for change, hope for future

By JEFF PARROTT
Tribune Staff Writer

U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly today joined a recent wave of superdelegates who have announced their support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Donnelly made the announcement in a news release and was not immediately available for comment because he was flying back to Washington, said his press secretary, Samantha Slater. She declined to answer questions about the endorsement, saying that Donnelly planned to speak with a Tribune reporter later today.

The Illinois senator has picked up 26 superdelegates in the past week, according to the Associated Press. At that pace, he will reach the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination — 2,025 — in the next three weeks, when delegates from the remaining primaries are included.

Obama on Monday passed Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in superdelegates, and he already had led her in overall delegates and the popular vote.

Donnelly had said he wanted to wait at least until Hoosiers voted in the May 6 primary before announcing his decision. Clinton narrowly won Indiana’s popular vote. In the 11 counties that make up Donnelly’s 2nd District, Clinton also won by a slim margin: 87,185 votes to 85,218. However, an exact tally of the district’s voters was not immediately available because the district boundaries do not follow county lines.

Obama did win the district’s most populous county, St. Joseph, taking 33,227 votes to Clinton’s 30,062.

“Senator Clinton is a tenacious fighter for the American people, and particularly for working families, but I believe Barack Obama is the president that we need at this moment in history,” Donnelly said in his statement. “He has helped engage over 3 million new voters, tapped into the American people’s powerful desire for change, and pointed the way toward a more hopeful future for our country.”

Donnelly still an undecided superdelegate…

(from WNDU)

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are waiting to see whether those undecided superdelegates will end up in their corners.

One of those superdelegates is Congressman Joe Donnelly.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Donnelly says: “I have not yet endorsed either candidate who is seeking the Democratic nomination. I do not know on what date I will endorse, but when I do, I will back the candidate I think would make the best president.”

Meantime, NewsCenter 16 spoke with Donnelly Tuesday night about his superdelegate status.

“To be honest with you, I’m still at the Capitol. We just finished up our last vote. So I’m working on a couple things in the office and I’m a lot more focused on my congressional duties than on the presidential election,” explained Donnelly.

Puckett wins; Zirkle gets thousands of votes

It will be interesting to see how many thousands of Democratic voters chose not to cast vote for incumbent Rep. Joe Donnelly who ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Certainly, some of this “under vote” can be attributed to Limbaugh’s “Operation:Chaos” that had Republicans voting in the Democratic Primary for Hillary Clinton in order to prolong the Dems’ nomination process and, at least theoretically, damage the party’s chances of winning the White House in November.

However, it is reasonable to consider the possibility that many Democratic voters just couldn’t bring themselves to vote for Donnelly who has disappointed so many with his voting record that has undermined his party’s ability to move forward with vital legislative action on issues ranging from the War in Iraq to comprehensive immigration reform.

-DW

:::::

(The following comes from the South Bend Tribune)

Puckett to face Donnelly in November
GOP nominee criticizes incumbent during acceptance speech

By ED RONCO
Tribune Staff Writer

This story was originally posted at 10:11 p.m. on May 6, 2008.
SOUTH BEND — Luke Puckett will try to unseat U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly in the fall after sailing to an easy victory in Tuesday’s Republican Congressional primary.

With 83 percent of precincts reporting, Puckett had secured 48 percent of the vote. Culver resident Joseph Roush earned 36 percent of the Republican vote, and South Bend attorney Tony Zirkle brought in 16 percent.

Puckett focused on Donnelly, D-Granger, during both his campaign and his acceptance speech Tuesday night, criticizing the first-term congressman and the Washington establishment.

“What our current leadership in Washington lacks is the vision, the courage and the leadership to demand common-sense solutions to the challenges facing us today,” said Puckett, a Goshen businessman.

He focused a large portion of his remarks on Donnelly’s efforts to lower the price of gasoline.

Donnelly has called on the Bush administration to release 20 million barrels of oil from the country’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Puckett calls it “a one-day solution,” but Donnelly said Puckett isn’t focusing only on the release of 20 million barrels from the reserve.

Donnelly is co-sponsor of a bill that would stop the purchase of oil for the reserve, which would increase the supply on the market, he says. He’s also calling on the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on price gouging at gas stations.

“There’s short-term things we can work on and long-term things we can work on,” Donnelly said by phone from his Washington, D.C., office Tuesday night. “Apparently Mr. Puckett forgot to mention those things.”

South Bend attorney Tony Zirkle issued a concession statement on his Web site, saying he had trouble getting his message out but now he can enjoy his summer.

It included links to videos on the Web site YouTube, including one of Elvis Presley singing “The Impossible Dream” from the musical “Man of La Mancha.”

Joseph Roush could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday night.

It’s Primary Election Day!

Advance Indiana suggests Clinton will carry Indiana’s 2nd District.

:::

The South Bend Tribune reports on 2nd District candidates’ fundraising status:

Donnelly has fundraising advantage
Puckett only Republican to receive contributions so far.

ED RONCO
Tribune Staff Writer

U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly leads his Republican challengers in the fundraising game — something that will change soon, said a spokesman for Donnelly’s likely fall opponent.

Donnelly, D-Granger, had $849,812.30 on hand as of April 16, according to a report from the Federal Election Commission.

Luke Puckett, the party-backed Republican who is one of three people seeking that party’s nomination, had $155,266.65 on hand as of April 16.

But if you’re looking for a barometer of support (or a sign of momentum), check out the net contributions received by each since the beginning of the year.

Puckett, who didn’t start fundraising until mid-February, received $33,000 from about 20 donors.”It’s a little bit lower than what we hoped for,” said Kyle Bailey, Puckett’s campaign manager. “But not surprising, just because of, honestly, the lack of attention the congressional race is getting right now.”

Most of the campaign money comes from $150,000 Puckett loaned to his own campaign, said Kyle Bailey, Puckett’s campaign manager.

“This is nothing new,” Bailey said. “He felt he wanted to be more invested in his own campaign before he went out and asked anyone else to invest in it.”Donnelly, on the other hand, records $223,558.28 in donations from Jan. 1 to April 16, from hundreds of donors.

It’s a sign of the incumbent’s momentum, campaign manager Andrew Lattanner said.

“We’re going to have the resources we need, and more importantly, the record we need to run a strong campaign,” Lattanner said.Puckett’s numbers are lackluster despite the fact that he’s the party-backed candidate, Lattanner said.

“(Puckett’s) demonstrated that he’s not able to raise the kind of money it takes to compete in this district,” he said. “You combine that with the fact that he’s running against a moderate Democrat who has the resources and the record — it puts him in a tough position.”

But Bailey, of Puckett’s campaign, said the numbers will change soon. Puckett just started appearing on TV news broadcasts and has bought some television commercials.

“You would not believe the amount of calls our office is getting,” Bailey said. “Our fund-raising operation is really getting up and going now.”

On their ownBoth Tony Zirkle and Joe Roush, the two Republicans who will face Puckett for the GOP nomination for Congress, are self-funded and don’t have reports on file with the FEC.

Candidates are required to report contributions when their total receipts exceed $5,000.

“We haven’t broken the $200 limit,” Roush said.

Roush, who said he’s trying to put a poor man — himself — in Congress, hasn’t had a lot of expenses.

“Other than paying for a little bit of gasoline to run around, I’ve printed up 5,000 business cards that have information on both sides of them that cost about $157,” Roush said. “That’s it.”Zirkle just shelled out $14,701 of his own money for a television commercial airing on Fox News Channel, CNN and WNDU-TV.

“It wiped me out for a couple of days,” Zirkle said in a statement. “If I have a good work week, I’ll add channels 22 and 28; however, I’m a bit busy right now.”

Zirkle doesn’t accept contributions to his campaign. Without donors to please, he’s more free to speak his mind on controversial issues, he said.

“On the other hand, honestly, it’s probably better for me if I don’t accept them,” he said. “Because if I only raise $100 or $200, then the other guy gets $600,000, it looks like I don’t have any support. That’s really the honest answer.”

Superdelegates might tip over trade

(the following comes from Jonathan Tasini, writing for the Huffington Post)

I’ve said before that I believe that the Democratic nomination fight is over, though the hype may drag on for a bit. But, a nice chunk of super delegates–perhaps as many as a dozen or more–may make their choice based on where the candidates stand on trade. And that’s a good sign for people who actually care about choices made on the basis of issues.

In early March, I pointed out that Sen. Sherrod Brown and Rep. Marcy Kaptur (both from Ohio) were remaining undecided because they wanted to actually get a very clear understanding of where the candidates stood on trade, particularly on the fate of the so-called “free trade” agreement with Colombia. Congressional Quarterly reported earlier this week that:

According to one list, there are 21 House Democrats in the group of lawmakers that wants to force the candidates to take detailed stands on a series of trade issues such as how they would renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, whether they would address trade disparities the lawmakers attribute to the use of value-added taxes in foreign countries, how they would use the tax code to encourage American businesses to keep facilities in the United States, and what steps they would take to create jobs by investing in domestic infrastructure needs.

The group still includes at least 12 undecided lawmakers: Kaptur, Reps Michael H. Michaud of Maine, Bart Stupak of Michigan (who will only be a superdelegate if the Democratic Party seats a delegation from his home state), Joe Donnelly and Peter J. Visclosky of Indiana, Peter A. DeFazio of Oregon, Jason Altmire and Christopher Carney of Pennsylvania, John Sarbanes of Maryland, Ciro D. Rodriguez of Texas, Gene Taylor of Mississippi and Heath Shuler of North Carolina.

Of particular interest is Heath Shuler, not simply because of the upcoming primary in North Carolina. In the 2006 midterm elections, Shuler won in the 11th congressional district by beating incumbent Charles Taylor, in no small part because of Taylor’s failure to vote against the so-called “free trade” Central American Free Trade Agreement. Shuler ran two television ads on trade policy during his campaign.

In Indiana, in 2006, Joe Donnelly defeated incumbent Chris Chocola, who supported so-called “free trade” deals like NAFTA, and Brad Ellsworth won his seat in the 8th Congressional district by campaigning against expansions of so-called “free trade”.

All this is good news. One of the things that we can take from this election cycle is that we are winning the campaign to move to a much more saner discussion and policy on trade and globalization. It’s clear that the Democratic Party candidates, from the outset, have understood that the voters are much more advanced in their grasp of the damage being done by so-called “free trade” (whether the candidates have truly changed their position or not is a different issue). If you want to judge by the results in 2006, expanding majorities in Congress, in the House and the Senate, will be easier if the Democratic Party’s candidates reject so-called “free trade” and pledge to embrace a sane approach to globalization and trade–not just because of the moral imperative but as a matter of electoral realities since even Republicans are opposed to so-called “free trade”.

So, while I find the machinations and hype over the the race-that-is-over pretty boring, there is a lot of hope to be found in the bubbling up of voter sentiment reflected in the dynamics of the political insider game.

Hoosier Access: On Gas Prices, Donnelly Stuck in the 70s

(the following comes from Hoosier Access blog; DW is not endorsing these views but reprinting this piece to help inform readers of what conservatives are saying about Rep. Donnelly)

In the heart of Indiana’s 2nd Congressional district, the price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline yesterday was $3.75 a gallon. For premium, motorists had to shell out $3.95 a gallon. The price of gasoline has risen over 55% since the Democrats took control of Congress in 2007 declaring that they had a solution for the high cost of fuel.

So far, Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN02) has responded to the high price of gas by holding a press conference at a gas station just outside of South Bend saying he has sent a letter to President Bush requesting that 20 million barrels of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve be sent onto the market and that the SPR stop taking any more deliveries until prices go back down.

According to Donnelly, if the SPR followed through on his plan by releasing 20 million barrels of oil onto the market, prices would drop by about $0.25. That’s a pretty optimistic number considering that our nation uses a little over 20 million barrels of oil a day. There are 365 days in a year, Joe Donnelly wants to give us one day of relief from high gas prices, that’s not a genuine and meaningful solution, Joe.

Donnelly has yet to embrace the idea of a federal gas tax holiday over the summer driving season and he has voted time and again to raise taxes on oil companies and block our use of domestic oil and gas reserves that are just waiting to be tapped into. Like his liberal San Francisco Speaker, Joe Donnelly prefers to talk about the problem of high energy costs and blame “big oil” instead of providing solutions.

Another bit of energy relief policy that Donnelly is a proponent of is the “Federal Price Gouging and Prevention Act.” This bill imposes significant civil and criminal penalties on those who charge “unconscionable excessive” prices for fuel. According to the Heritage Foundation, the effects of this bill would be the same as an all out price control on fuel sales. By vaguely defining what counts as price gouging, Congress creates an environment in which gas retailers must constantly assess whether or not their market driven prices could fall under the vague definition of price gouging that could land them on the wrong side of a federal court case.

Taken all together, Rep. Donnelly’s proposals to lower the cost of gasoline represent the very worst of the energy policies of the 1970s. After four years of absolutely terrible economic and energy policies, Americans selected Ronald Reagan over Jimmy Carter. Let’s hope that after two years of inept Congressional leadership, Americans will once again select common sense over political hot air and real solutions over political platitudes this November.

Puckett Gives Away Free Gas

4-28-08 Media Advisory: Puckett for Congress/St. Joe County Republican Gas Giveaway

–To ease the burden of the “Donnelly/Pelosi Gas Premium” for St. Joe County Residents, as well as to lay out Puckett’s Common Sense Solutions Plan to lower the price at the pump TODAY—

WHO: Luke Puckett and the St. Joe County Republicans

WHAT: Luke Puckett/St. Joe County Republican Party Gas Give-away. The first 50 people to arrive will receive 5 free gallons of gas courtesy of the Puckett for Congress campaign and the St. Joe County Republican Party. Luke will also be revealing his common sense solutions plan for IMMDEDIATE & LONG TERM lowering prices at the pump. The Puckett for Congress campaign will be holding similar gas giveaways at various gas stations located throughout the 2nd district this week.

WHERE: Marathon Station, 111 East Ireland Road, South Bend.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 29th, 3:00 pm.

WHY: To ease the burden of the “Donnelly/Pelosi Premium” that St. Joe County Residents have been paying at the pump since Donnelly and the Democrats seized power, as well as to inform local residents of Luke’s plan to lower the prices at the pump TODAY.

Luke Puckett television ad

Immigration reform requires bold, creative thinking

(Article published Apr 24, 2008 in the South Bend Tribune)

Immigration reform requires bold, creative thinking

KARL HARDY

The advent of the presidential primary season has been the occasion for the question of immigration reform to recede, somewhat, from national prominence. Commentators noted how even during the later GOP debates the issue was only briefly discussed, if mentioned at all. In Indiana, attempts to pass immigration-related legislation have failed, collapsing as backers sought to distance themselves from embarrassing racially-charged comments made in support of Senate Bill 335.

Concerns over immigration-related matters may take a back seat during the remaining months before the November elections. But there does appear to be broad-based agreement on the need for reform that will compel legislative action.

Such reform must necessarily come from federal, as opposed to state or local level, legislation. Immigration involves federal policies regarding the treatment of undocumented workers, border security as well as consideration of the increasingly global and integrated nature of the economy. As such, attempts by state legislators to circumvent the unambiguously federal nature of immigration issues are misguided.

The subject of immigration is complex; it demands consideration of historical, economic, cultural and other factors in what must be a responsible, comprehensive policy change. To address immigration in a piecemeal fashion that deals with but one aspect — “enforcement” — while neglecting other facets is to oversimplify and, ultimately, exacerbate the situation.Certainly, it is both reasonable and responsible for the federal government to ensure the security of our national borders. It follows that, towards this end, an enforcement mechanism be in place. But in order to realize the best chance of effectively securing our borders, any enforcement mechanism must be constructed as part of broad reforms that acknowledge the realities of today’s world. “Enforcement only” attempts have failed; Border Patrol funding has grown exponentially in recent years while the undocumented immigrant population has continued to grow and public alarm has increased.

Reforms must recognize the importance of immigrants to the health and well-being of our domestic economy and should demonstrate an appreciation for the tacit acceptance of undocumented laborers that existed for many years. It is because of this unspoken but understood historical reality that there are now millions of undocumented individuals and families living and working inside the United States.

The relatively recent shift in attitudes towards the topic of immigration comes as a direct result of several factors beyond the control of immigrants themselves. Understandable public distress at the uncertainties and disruptions associated with a globalizing economy that is fundamentally transforming the labor market and fears linked to the perceived threat of terrorism are among the most salient changes in circumstances that have contributed to the public’s renewed focus on immigration issues.

Sadly, American history is fraught with examples of ugly, vicious treatment of immigrants who are cynically made into scapegoats for social problems. It is always convenient to dehumanize and blame an individual or group in a subordinate social position that hinders their ability to defend themselves. Perhaps most disturbingly, a limited minority continues to advance stances toward immigrants that can only be described as racist and xenophobic — attacks that are, to some degree, encouraged by a short-sighted enforcement-only legislative debate.

Developing comprehensive immigration reform will surely entail bold, creative thinking on the part of our elected officials. Worthwhile legislation will unavoidably include a procedure by which existing undocumented individuals and families are afforded a reasonable opportunity to either pursue U.S. citizenship or “guest worker” status.It is in everyone’s interest that the overwhelming majority of individuals and families who are now living and working as undocumented immigrants can feel safe, respected and valued for their contributions to our society. It is in no one’s interest that these same individuals and families should be afraid for their livelihoods or look upon both law enforcement officials and members of the general public with fear, mistrust or any general sense of antagonism.

As this area’s representative to federal government, U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly must rise to the challenge presented by the immigration issue. He must have the courage to see beyond the contemptuous actions of some politicians who are willing to fan the flames of public discontent for political gain and instead demonstrate his true commitment to all of the 2nd District’s working families. In particular, Donnelly must stand up for the thousands of immigrant soldiers and their families who depend upon “fast-track” paths to citizenship after serving full tours of duty while war widows face potential deportation.

Some rely upon a “divide and conquer” strategy that seeks to play segments of our community off of one another for private gain. Yet there is much more common ground in the everyday experiences and interests of all working people in the world today — regardless of national boundaries or citizenship status — than what divides them. This is an escapable fact of our globalizing world; we face a choice between cultivating a sense of universal humanitas (Latin for “humanity”) that celebrates our commonalities and continuing to foster preventable conflict that does so much harm to so many.

The people of the 2nd District should urge Donnelly and other elected leaders to validate the sacred trust we place in them by passing responsible, visionary comprehensive immigration reform.

Puckett pitches his plan for health care costs

(from the South Bend Tribune)

JAMIE LOO
Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND — Republican congressional candidate Luke Puckett held a rally outside of U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly’s office Monday and talked about his plans for health care.

Puckett said health care needs to be competitive to drive prices down and improve people’s access. The way the system works right now, insurance companies can bid on residents based only on the state they live in, he said.

If the bidding was expanded to include multiple states, he said, costs would go down.

“One of the most important things is to eliminate the frivolous lawsuits,” Puckett said.

Health care costs would go down if there were fewer lawsuits, Puckett said, so hewould fight for tort reform. In England and other parts of Europe, there’s a “loser pay” system, where the loser in a lawsuit pays the costs of the winner, Puckett said, which has brought a decrease in frivolous lawsuits.

The Democrats want to nationalize health care, Puckett said, but people in other countries with nationalized health care, such as Cuba, are trying to come to the United States.

“They’re not building rafts over there risking their lives on a journey to our shores just to come into another nationalized program,” he said. “People are standing in line to get into our country. … Why? Because we have a free market and we need to utilize that free market.”

After the rally, Puckett led a group of supporters to the County-City Building to vote early.