Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Lilly, Lilly, Lilly Get Your Buyouts Here...

Indiana’s premier employer, Eli Lilly, says it’s reducing its workforce by 500 employees. Since 2004, the year of Mitch DanielSALAAM's election, they’ve dropped 2,000 jobs from Indy. Lilly notes that what they're actually doing is just offering "buyouts." However, take a look at how many Eli Lilly executives are on DanielSALAAM*'s donor sheet, and how many are astute enough to know this looks bad for Daniels. Now contemplate what will happen if nobody TAKES the buyout. (Did I mention where Daniels worked before he became Bush's OMB Director? Yeah, that would be Eli Lilly & Co.)

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080416/BUSINESS/804160483

Did mention that the number of personal bankruptcies filed in Indiana increased by 38% in 2007, making us one of the highest filing states in the nation?

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080416/BUSINESS/804160478/-1/NEWS

All I can say is that Mitch DanielSALAAM* is thanking Allah/God he’s roasting both of his Democratic rivals in fundraising (over $8.3 million raised to Jill Long and Jim Schellinger's collective $3 million).


http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080416/NEWS05/804160426/1008/LOCAL19

If the Governor’s recent radio ads are any indication of future strategy, he’ll continue to spend his millions spinning the catastrophe that is Indiana’s economy by…talking about how truly terrible things are in neighboring states. Respectfully, when your strongest argument for re-election is, “Yeah, we suck, but not like Michigan!”….you’re really hurting.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that a D primary fight is hurting my party’s chances of competing in November for the Governor's office because there’s no doubt DanielSALAAM* would be vulnerable to a sufficiently-financed challenge.

Speaking of the D challengers, they went at it last night in Fort Wayne during their only scheduled debate. Matt Tully suggests in his write-up that Jim Schellinger was trying to strike an anti-incumbent chord by constantly referring to Jill Long Thompson as “Congresswoman Thompson.” Cynicism, thy name is Tully. Might it also be true that Schellinger was being respectful? Isn’t it the case that when you obtain a title, you keep it for life, even when you leave that office or vocation? Isn’t this why they call him President Clinton and General Schwarzkopf instead of Bill and Norman?

Also, it's noteworthy that Congresswoman Thompson (respect due for serving our country), got 1/3 of the $900,000 TOTAL she has raised to date from two PACs - the Service Workers Union ($100,000) and Emily's List ($200,000). BUT it's also noteworthy that recent polling data shows Thompson ahead of Schellinger despite her fundraising deficit. We don't know why, but Jim Schellinger just isn't putting Thompson away despite his fundraising advantage. My read on this from looking at the cross-tabs is a strong gender gap for Thompson. Apparently, working as a welder isn't as appealing to women as BEING a woman who milks cows.

* - "Mitch DanielSALAAM" is something I will continue to say totally tongue-in-cheek until Republicans (Rush Limbaugh, specifically) quit referring to the Senator as Barack HUSSEIN Obama. Mitch Daniels is Syrian and an honoree of the Arab-American Institute, which has some troubling anti-Israeli foreign policy views. Curiously, NONE of the Indiana Republicans attacking Obama point this out.

Personally, I think it's a great thing for America and Indiana that we have an Arab-American governor. But you can't pick and choose by acting like the pasty white one with the anglicized name (Daniels) is an American patriot while arguing that the black one with the unfortunate middle name is a terrorist in hiding.


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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I may be wrong, but, I seem to recall some tax incentives for Lilly based on employee numbers. Anyone remember that one?