IN-SEN: Brains or Braun?

[junior chįmp]

Just another day over at the never ending clown circuis known as the GOP:

Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.) is pressing colleagues to support President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Does anyone else have a hard time telling Messer and Rokita apart?

mike braun literally did an ad about this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvKHqChRrYg

probably the best republican ad i've seen this cycle

Love the its always sunny music

It's very amusing. I know it's stock music but you can't use it anymore when it's the the opening credits song to one of the most cynical (and best) shows on television. That's all anyone will talk about.

[tmthforu94]

Does anyone else have a hard time telling Messer and Rokita apart?

mike braun literally did an ad about this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvKHqChRrYg

probably the best republican ad i've seen this cycle

Love the its always sunny music

It's very amusing. I know it's stock music but you can't use it anymore when it's the the opening credits song to one of the most cynical (and best) shows on television. That's all anyone will talk about.

Uh, the video has been out for months and almost no one is talking about it. Did a quick google search and found 1 (!!!) article that references it:

https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/mar/26/mike-braun-casts-his-indiana-gop-senate-rivals-car/

[Progressive Pessimist]

Does anyone else have a hard time telling Messer and Rokita apart?

mike braun literally did an ad about this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvKHqChRrYg

probably the best republican ad i've seen this cycle

Love the its always sunny music

It's very amusing. I know it's stock music but you can't use it anymore when it's the the opening credits song to one of the most cynical (and best) shows on television. That's all anyone will talk about.

Uh, the video has been out for months and almost no one is talking about it. Did a quick google search and found 1 (!!!) article that references it:

https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/mar/26/mike-braun-casts-his-indiana-gop-senate-rivals-car/

Hahaha. By anyone I pretty much meant just us to be honest. We're probably the only people who watch political ads from states we don't live in just for the hell of it.

[IceSpear]

Does anyone else have a hard time telling Messer and Rokita apart?

mike braun literally did an ad about this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvKHqChRrYg

probably the best republican ad i've seen this cycle

I'm genuinely pretty worried about Braun winning the primary.

I have faith in the Republican primary electorate's finely attuned ability to select the worst possible candidate.

https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=18&year=2016&f=0&off=3&elect=2

[Bismarck]

I’m going to vote for Braun later today. I think he has broad appeal and despite the eye roll outsider schtick seems like a pretty decent guy. State Boiler do you know if the most recent debate can be accessed somewhere?
My prediction is Braun 40, Rokita 35, Messer 25.

[Sherrod Brown Shill]

I'm starting to think Donnelly is in more danger then McCaskill. Braun seems like a very strong candidate.

[StateBoiler]

I’m going to vote for Braun later today. I think he has broad appeal and despite the eye roll outsider schtick seems like a pretty decent guy. State Boiler do you know if the most recent debate can be accessed somewhere?
My prediction is Braun 40, Rokita 35, Messer 25.

If you go to the Allen County GOP Facebook page, they live streamed it there.

The main broadcast partners were WPTA 21 of Fort Wayne and WOWO News Radio of Fort Wayne. You can maybe find it on one of their sites.

The Indiana Debate Commission debate tonight will be live streamed on Youtube.

[StateBoiler]

indypolitics.org:

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There are also 2 open seat congressional races, the 4th and 6th, where Messer and Rokita are vacating to run for Senate. One of them Mike Pence's brother is running.

[LimoLiberal]

Republicans only leading 56-44 in early votes when the hottest primary in the country is the Republican Senate contest? Yikes.

[KingSweden]

Republicans only leading 56-44 in early votes when the hottest primary in the country is the Republican Senate contest? Yikes.

As always, Limo, we should be careful reading too much into primary votes - especially early votes.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

Republicans only leading 56-44 in early votes when the hottest primary in the country is the Republican Senate contest? Yikes.

As always, Limo, we should be careful reading too much into primary votes - especially early votes.

Yeah... looking into primary votes itself is misleading... but looking into the early votes of the primaries is even worse.

GOP outvoted 2-1 in AZ-08 then only narrowly won.

And in Virginia, dems outvoted GOP 2-1 in the governor primaries, but then only won by 9.

[Alabama_Indy10]

Is it just me or does Messer seem like the exact definition of “generic R”?

[henster]

Donnelly I think is in even more danger than Heitkamp and Manchin. He has the lowest profiles of any of the red state Dems. He doesn't have the brand that Manchin, McCaskill, Tester, and Heitkamp have, he was just a little known House Rep who got elected in a fluke.

[#gravelgang #lessiglad]

Donnelly I think is in even more danger than Heitkamp and Manchin. He has the lowest profiles of any of the red state Dems. He doesn't have the brand that Manchin, McCaskill, Tester, and Heitkamp have, he was just a little known House Rep who got elected in a fluke.

This is factually inaccurate. His low profile will be an asset in Indiana and he absolutely has a brand in state.

[StateBoiler]

Donnelly I think is in even more danger than Heitkamp and Manchin. He has the lowest profiles of any of the red state Dems. He doesn't have the brand that Manchin, McCaskill, Tester, and Heitkamp have, he was just a little known House Rep who got elected in a fluke.

This is factually inaccurate. His low profile will be an asset in Indiana and he absolutely has a brand in state.

I don't know. I only moved here in February 2013 for a job, so his election was shortly before I moved here, but for how much the 3 Republicans talk about him, he strikes me as a bit of a nothing figure politically. He's been a Senator for 5 years and change, what was his landmark legislative achievement?

I once happened on many years ago a copy of Texas Monthly where they were discussing their state legislature's performance, and they had a term "furniture" for elected reps that were there but did pretty much nothing. When I used to live in North Carolina and Elizabeth Dole was one of my Senators, she was "furniture". Donnelly kind of appears the same. He is at the moment the only Democrat that is elected statewide. Republicans have the governor, lieutenant governor, all 7 state officer positions, and the other Senator, so in theory he should be the leader of the Democratic Party throughout the state, and he's not very visible, which speaks more to how irrelevant the Democrats are in the state at the moment. That can change in November of course...but if the Democrats don't get a big wave of some kind in the state in November - Congress, state legislature - they are done in Indiana. Even if Donnelly holds his seat but they somehow don't get much of anything from the Congress seats or the state legislature, they are done, no different than Massachusetts Republicans. When would the mood ever benefit them more than this election?

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

Mustache man got close to winning the gov race in 2012 and 2016

[StateBoiler]

Mustache man got close to winning the gov race in 2012 and 2016

2012, sure.

[StateBoiler]

Donnelly I think is in even more danger than Heitkamp and Manchin. He has the lowest profiles of any of the red state Dems. He doesn't have the brand that Manchin, McCaskill, Tester, and Heitkamp have, he was just a little known House Rep who got elected in a fluke.

This is factually inaccurate. His low profile will be an asset in Indiana and he absolutely has a brand in state.

I don't know. I only moved here in February 2013 for a job, so his election was shortly before I moved here, but for how much the 3 Republicans talk about him, he strikes me as a bit of a nothing figure politically. He's been a Senator for 5 years and change, what was his landmark legislative achievement?

I once happened on many years ago a copy of Texas Monthly where they were discussing their state legislature's performance, and they had a term "furniture" for elected reps that were there but did pretty much nothing. When I used to live in North Carolina and Elizabeth Dole was one of my Senators, she was "furniture". Donnelly kind of appears the same. He is at the moment the only Democrat that is elected statewide. Republicans have the governor, lieutenant governor, all 7 state officer positions, and the other Senator, so in theory he should be the leader of the Democratic Party throughout the state, and he's not very visible, which speaks more to how irrelevant the Democrats are in the state at the moment. That can change in November of course...but if the Democrats don't get a big wave of some kind in the state in November - Congress, state legislature - they are done in Indiana. Even if Donnelly holds his seat but they somehow don't get much of anything from the Congress seats or the state legislature, they are done, no different than Massachusetts Republicans. When would the mood ever benefit them more than this election?

After May Landrieu and Scott Brown lost, people began writing their respective states’ parties off as irrelevant in statewide races, yet their parties won the subsequent gubernatorial races in said states.

Not saying that would necessarily happen in Indiana, but don’t underestimate the volatility of the American voter, even in “Safe” states

The only person going around the state stumping for Democrats at the moment is...

https://howeypolitics.com/Content/Default/Lead-Story/Article/Atomic-Sen-Undecided-losers-pressers-more-Gregg-sightings/-3/346/17512

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Meanwhile, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is running for president. :rolleyes:

Back to the purpose of the thread, from the same link:

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Republican powerbrokers in the state are ready for this primary to be done. National Committeeman John Hammond has stated this race is one to the bottom and resembles Dante's Inferno. The high number of undecideds must speak in my opinion to the weakness of the three to convince those paying attention of anything while pundits say and I agree with them on this that "when you all answer the same on policy, the only thing left is personality, so that's what they're all doing is attacking that." That said, I don't know how many people are actually watching the debates but it's probably small.

While I think Donnelly is naturally fragile, whoever wins this needs to up it a gear if they want to win in November.

[BuckeyeNut]

Good for Gregg. Hoping he doesn’t run again in ‘20, though. Be nice to put Ritz out on the trail...

[junior chįmp]

Flawless, Beautiful Braun is a stingy swindler

I knew it

[Doimper]

Flawless, Beautiful Braun is a stingy swindler

Does anyone else have a hard time telling Messer and Rokita apart?

mike braun literally did an ad about this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvKHqChRrYg

probably the best republican ad i've seen this cycle

I'm genuinely pretty worried about Braun winning the primary.

I have faith in the Republican primary electorate's finely attuned ability to select the worst possible candidate.

[Atlas Force]

Heard it down the grapevine from an Indiana Republican officiant that they don't want Braun to be the nominee. Which doesn't make sense to me, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I think now I know why...

Flawless, Beautiful Braun is a stingy swindler

[KingSweden]

Flawless, Beautiful Braun is a stingy swindler

Dunno if this is fatal, necessarily, but in a fluid primary like this it could help Rokita slip by

[BBD]

Easily the nastiest primary in the country. Pure toss-up.