I can’t tell you how excited I am to have a real competetive Senate race in Indiana this year. For as long as I have been politically aware, I have only seen elections in which either Evan Bayh or Richard Lugar run, and the opposing party produces a sacrificial lamb to lose in November. About midway through last summer, I knew that 2010 was going to be a different year. President Obama was making missteps, town hall meetings were being dominated by angry citizens, and strong Republican candidates to challenge Evan Bayh were coming out of the woodwork. Evan Bayh is now gone—much easier to beat than I thought he would be—and the race is more wide-open and competitive than ever. All five Republican Senate candidates visited my home county for a primary debate this morning, and it just happened to coincide with the first day of my spring break (what luck!). So I resisted the urge to sleep in today, and instead got up early and waited in line outside the Center Lake Pavilion in Warsaw to participate in a rarely seen exercise of Hoosier democracy.
It was obvious as soon as the debate …
I was sitting in Chapel recently and listening to Dr. Timothy Lake present his case for a “black studies program,” and it got me thinking about past talks. In my time at Wabash, I have never missed a regular Thursday Chapel. No matter how much homework I have, no matter how busy I am with extracurriculars, I have always made the time to spend an hour of my Thursday morning listening to my fellow Wabash community members impart their wisdom for the rest of the campus.
There are surprisingly few Chapel Talks that are truly memorable. There are plenty like Dr. Lake’s — political pleas for a new department, or area of concentration, or what have you. A couple of years ago, Dr. Warner made his plea for a sociology / anthropology department. I’m sure there have been plenty of “gender studies” pleas too. These talks are usually boring, as they are not directed toward students — Dr. Lake amusingly spent the first half of his talk quoting and appealing to President White.
Some Chapel Talks are legendary. I wasn’t fortunate enough to be at Wabash yet for Dr. Kubiak’s famous 2006 talk …
Here’s a story that may be of interest to conservative Wallies:
Mr. Hal Utterback, a staple at Wabash sporting events, is currently running as a Republican for Sheriff here in Montgomery County. Mr. Utterback has over 30 years of law enforcement experience and he has most recently served as Assistant Chief of Police in the Crawfordsville police department.
He has always been very supportive of Wabash College and I’m sure you have seen him at just about every home football and basketball game….most of the time cheering the Little Giants and making sure the DePauw students don’t get out of hand.
For those who may be interested, he will be holding fundraiser is this Saturday, February 6th, at 7PM at the Crawfordsville 4-H Fairgrounds. For just $10, you can go enjoy an evening of food, fun, and music…all while helping support Hal! Musical talents will include Kevin and Lori Holt, the Crawfordsville-based “Cold War Unicorns” and “The Here Now” from Indianapolis. To hear a bit from “The Here Now,” you can visit their Myspace.
You can learn more about Mr. Utterback on his website, www.halforsheriff.com.
The entire media establishment seems perplexed by the suddenly plummeting poll numbers of Senator Evan Bayh.
On Tuesday’s edition of “Morning Joe” on MSNBC, the fairly conservative Joe Scarborough sang the senator’s praises, allowing him to present himself as a “common sense” advocate for Hoosiers without even the hint of a challenge.
“Clearly Senator Bayh gets it,” said analyst Donnie Douche of the senator’s rhetoric. “You were the first senator in your party to start warning America about debt, about rising deficits, about a need to focus on jobs,” Scarborough echoed. “I think in the end, the polls do take care of those who actually listen to their voters. And you’ve been doing that, obviously.”
Ever since Senator Bayh preempted Scott Brown’s Massachusetts victory with a statement deriding the “furthest left elements of the Dem party” who were “attempting to impose their will on the rest of the country,” he has been presented by the media as a moderate voice in the liberal wilderness, calling on the president and the congress to change their ways. Rarely is it mentioned that Senator Bayh supported President Obama’s massive stimulus bill, and was, according to Democrats …
Tomorrow night, the Will Hays College Republicans will host Mr. Luke Messer, Wabash College class of 1991. Mr. Messer is currently challenging Representative Dan Burton in Indiana’s 5th congressional district’s Republican primary. His talk will take place at 8:00 PM in Baxter 101.
Below are Mr. Messer’s reasons for running, as described on his website:
Every election year, politicians tell us: “this is the most important election in modern times.” Yet intuitively, we know that while every election is important, some elections are more important than others. This is one of those times.
From Tea Party protests to spirited townhalls, Americans are stepping forward to have their voices heard. We have an historic debate today in our country between liberals, who believe we need government to protect us, and conservatives, who believe the Constitution is there to protect us from the government.
That is why we’re working with our friends and neighbors on this campaign for Congress. We represent a group of people who are concerned by the big government, big spending policies of Washington’s current liberal elite. Yet, we also know our nation’s Republican leadership has a long way to go to win …
This image speaks for itself. A witty and classy response from Carlos May:
WCU speaker Dr. Tom G. Palmer blogged today about his recent visit to Wabash. Here’s part of what he had to say:
I had the pleasure of speaking Thursday night at Wabash College in Indiana and had made a condition of accepting that I would get to visit the Goodrich Room in the Library. I’m standing with two of my hosts under the names of Gilgamesh (one of my favorite epics) and the Mahabharata (another of my favorite epics).
It was bitter cold, but the reception was warm, the students posed quite interesting and intelligent questions, and I found the discussion very agreeable. Moreover, going to dinner with my hosts and autographing copies of Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice after the lecture were enjoyable.
The visit to the Goodrich Room was a highlight of the trip for him, and it was for us as well. The room, designed by Pierre Goodrich to show the intellectual progression of liberty throughout history, is often taken for granted by Wabash students. For us, too often, it is merely the place where the …
Following his talk with the Will Hays College Republicans, seventh district congressional candidate and Wabash graduate Carlos May agreed to sit down for a wide-ranging interview with the Wabash Conservative Union. Below is the full transcript of the conversation, in which he discusses conservatism, Indianapolis politics, the war in Afghanistan, and his time at Wabash College.
WCU: Let’s start out with the campaign. Republicans tend to nominate old guys. We saw that with Bob Dole, John McCain…names that are familiar. I haven’t heard your name until just recently, and no offense, but you look like you could be a student at Wabash right now.
May: That’s right.
WCU: Do you consider yourself an underdog in this race?
May: I think everybody else considers me an underdog. I don’t. I just think differently. I’m realistic—I understand this is an uphill battle, but I don’t think I’m the underdog.
You know, Carson is strong because he is a name. He’s all style and no substance. Now, how do we get around that? Well, A.) Yes, I am young. I’m only thirty. But that means …
On Wednesday, December 2, the Will Hays College Republicans will welcome Mr. Carlos May back to the Wabash campus. May, who graduated from Wabash with a B.A. in Political Science in 2001, has announced his candidacy for Congress in Indiana’s seventh district. While at Wabash, May participated in student government and was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.
Upon graduation, May entered Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where he earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 2003. Since that time, he has served as the Director of West Coast Operations for Marathon Building Services, the International Manager for DFS Galleria, a Consultant for Zebulon Inc., and most recently, the Mayor of Indianapolis’s Neighborhood Liaison. He has also been involved in various volunteer and community projects.
May will be attending and speaking at a meeting of the Will Hays College Republicans on Wednesday night, in Baxter 114, at 8:00 PM. The event is open to the public, and all who are interested in Mr. May or his campaign are invited to attend.
For more information visit:
www.carlosmayforcongress.com
As a kid, I loved American history – and I still do. I remember watching the Disney Davy Crockett movies with utter awe and amazement, glued to the tube as the frontiersman swung his Tennessee rifle at the Mexican soldiers as they stormed the walls of the Alamo. As I grew older, I eventually found myself watching John Wayne’s film on the siege of the Alamo. Like any John Wayne movie, it oozed patriotism and commitment to the traditional American values that the actor tried to uphold in his movies – freedom, courage, perseverance, and fortitude.
Not too long ago I had the opportunity to travel to San Antonio for an editor’s conference sponsored by the Collegiate Network. I must admit, as the conference approached I was less than thrilled. I hate flying (the last time I did it I almost got killed). Airport security is never fun. Our return flight wasn’t supposed to get in to the Indianapolis airport until midnight (which, amazingly enough, it did). Plus, I’m a Midwestern boy. I’ve never been to Texas, and that uniquely Texan culture seemed from afar to be, well, different, to put it nicely. Not to mention I had class work and …
