Friday, January 29, 2010

Buyer Retires

Steve Buyer is retiring, citing his wife's "incurable autoimmune disease." Buyer curiously stated, however, that he will serve out the rest of his term. Under the saying, "When it rains....," Buyer was already facing congressional and IRS investigations for running "the little scholarship fund that could....but never did."

While I feel terrible for Buyer and cannot envision how devastated I would feel if we switched places, I cannot help but wonder how much further along medical science would be in combating autoimmune diseases had Republican leadership not done so much to stall stem cell research.

Campaign Diaries reports that Buyer was accompanied at his press conference by State Senator Brent Hershman, which served undoubtedly as an implicit endorsement by Buyer. But the intriguing idea floated is that Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman might be interested.

When the Governor selected her as his number two, she said she wouldn't run for his job. Then she changed her mind, resulting in friction and some very public gubernatorial stands on issues pushed by Todd Rokita, such as redistricting. Now Skillman finds herself in a tough fight and politically at odds with her own boss, which makes her 2012 chances pretty dim. How easy would it be for the Governor, who is now playing puppet master for every race in Indiana, to hoist his LG into that slot to clear the way for Todd Rokita?

If she wants it, Becky Skillman should pack her bags.


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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Regardless of his wife's newfound disease which by the way she did not just discover, the timing of his announcement is suspect at best, but using his wife's illness makes everyone lay off. VERY effective.

Prayers to his wife, though--it's not her fault Steve set up the bogus foundation and spent the money on golfcart hostesses.