Sen. John McCain’s “Straight Talk Express” limped into Indianapolis last week, like a steam engine running out of coal and water. A New York Times article reporting ethical improprieties and more had thrown McCain’s campaign into turmoil.
But I couldn’t tell it seeing the Arizona Senator in person.
The John McCain I saw was energetic beyond his 71 years; personable, quick witted, knowledgable on the issues, answering questions with humor and plain English answers.
But while I was impressed with McCain the man, his campaign was somewhat scatterbrained, scattershot, disorganized and haphazard. Something I wouldn’t expect from the presumptive Republican nominee for president.
Sen. McCain spoke at a hastily thrown together “town hall” in the Emmis Communications Building’s lobby. Those there were more diverse in age and gender than I expected, but far, far too white. Just six African-Americans, including four who worked for Exact Target, an e-mail marketing company based downtown, who comprised half the audience, which was mostly invited VIPs.
Though the campaign billed the event as “open” to the public, only 40 of some 200 McCain partisans and the curious who lined up on the Circle were able to get into the Emmis lobby, which was far too small for such an event.
And unlike Sen. Barack Obama who regularly speaks to those who can’t get into his packed rallies, Sen. McCain didn’t go say hi to those who couldn’t get in.
In a news conference, I asked McCain why African-Americans should vote for him. His answer was surprisingly direct and un-evasive.
“Because I believe that my record clearly indicates that I am for opportunity, I’m for education,” McCain began. “I’m for small businesses; I’m in favor of equal opportunity in every way in the United States of America. I intend to visit parts of this country that have heavy African-American populations. I intend to compete there. I intend to give my vision as to how I can assist in places like the Black Belt in Alabama, the poorest place in America. Where Demopolis Alabama exists where people have come together of all races and both parties and move forward to try to lift up people. I will make my commitment to education to opportunities to equal rights and to conservative government.”
When I asked if, unlike President George W. Bush and other GOP candidates, McCain would give interviews to African-American media, he gave this plain speaking answer, “Absolutely, as we have in previous campaigns.”
Despite McCain’s straight talk to this African-American media, his Indiana campaign was embarrassed when Thomas Cook, an Indiana University student who runs a Democratic-oriented Internet blog Blue Indiana, discovered that McCain’s campaign was short the required number of signatures to get him on the May primary ballot.
Candidates for governor and president must obtain at least 500 signatures of registered voters in each Indiana congressional district.
Using public data from the Indiana Election Commission, Cook learned that McCain had only 491 signatures from the heavily Republican 4th District in West Central Indiana.
Cook filed a formal complaint with the Election Commission that made the national news. Top McCain campaign officials here, including Attorney General Steve Carter and Gov. Mitch Daniels scrambled and mysteriously the extra signatures were found and turned in 10 minutes before last Friday’s filing deadline.
The other GOP candidates, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, former candidate Mitt Romney and Congressman Ron Paul followed the rules. But the rules were bent and broken for the supposedly ethical McCain. A humiliation for McCain’s top Hoosier supporters.
What I’m hearing in the streets
The first public poll of the 2008 election in Indianapolis comes from a new source. Political columnist Brian Howey teamed with Indianapolis research firm Gauge Market Research to release the first Howey-Gauge Poll.
Conducted Feb. 16-17, this first public poll in the 7th Congressional District special election surprised with a nearly perfect measurement of African-Americans (28.4 percent).
The Howey-Gauge Poll of 300 likely special election voters showed Democrat Andre Carson leading 54 percent to Republican Jon Elrod’s 36 percent, with 10 percent undecided. Gauge President Michael Davis told me that Carson has slim lead among men, a sizeable lead among women and 90 percent of African-American support.
Some 93 percent of poll respondents know who Carson is, compared to just 72 percent knowing who Elrod is.
The first Howey-Gauge Poll also surveyed 500 likely primary voters statewide. Ten weeks before the May primary, Sen. Barack Obama leads Sen. Hillary Clinton 40 percent to 25 percent, with a high undecided of 35 percent. Obama has huge leads among younger voters, men, women and African-Americans, even a slim lead among white voters.
The only group Clinton leads is among white women, by a razor thin margin.
The margin of error in the poll is 4.5 percent statewide; 5.7 percent in the 7th District.
When you read this, Mayor Greg Ballard will have full control of the Metropolitan Police. Despite January’s spasm of murders, 12, through this past weekend, there have been just four homicides this month. If the trend continues, the first two months of 2008 could have fewer murders than the same period last year.
The first signal our African-American community will be watching for is whether a Ballard-controlled police department will overturn the current racial and gender diversity in the department’s command and control. Sheriff Frank Anderson made sure African-Americans and women held significant positions of responsibility. I’m not optimistic that’ll happen under Ballard.
It’s for the best that Marion County Coroner Dr. Kenneth Ackles isn’t running for re-election. Dr. Ackles should have made his decision before slating, instead of on filing deadline day. Even Stevie Wonder knew the Republicans were gearing up to tee off on Ackles. And his failure to timely meet the requirements of the state-required coroner’s exam didn’t help.
Two Democrats are running for coroner, former Deputy Coroner John Linehan and Dr. Frank Lloyd Jr., eldest son of the legendary physician and community leader.
I know Frank Lloyd, Jr. as his dad’s son and as a great physician. I don’t know Linehan. It’s incumbent on both to quickly come tell our African-American community why they’d be the best coroner for Marion County.
See ‘ya next week.
Amos Brown’s opinions are not necessarily those of the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. You can contact him at (317) 221-0915 or by e-mail at ACBROWN@AOL.COM.
