Get Over It

Indiana's 1st district has done it again. In last Tuesday's primary they chose four time candidate Mark Leyva once again to run against long time congressman Pete Visclosky. Many republicans and some disenfranchised democrats are upset with this result. Some are saying they would rather sit out the November election than waste a vote on Leyva again. One must ask did republicans learn nothing in 2008? How hard is it to figure out that a vote left not cast is a vote cast for the democrats especially in the 1st district. People say that they want a change in D.C., now is the time to put up or shut up.

Mark Leyva is a man of  good character and has the best interest of the 1st district in mind. It is these qualities alone that should satisfy 1st district. voters after 26 years of corruption. If after two years Indiana voters are still not satisfied they can make a change again. This is what the tea party movement was supposed to be about. Until then we all need to rally around Mark Leyva and give him all the support we can for a change. Otherwise the next time your taxes go up or a bill is passed because your congressman didn't listen GET OVER IT!

No RE-Pete in the Indiana 1st

With election day tomorrow this may be too late. But, The dots have finally been connected. Peter Lindemulder III recently received the Northwest Indiana Times endorsement for the Republican primary in the first district. Lindemulder can now be connected to the trash to ethanol plant proposed in Northwest Indiana. Lidemulder's father also Peter Lindemulder, served on the board of Allied Waste Management in 2004 before his death, when their permit was suspended by the Village of Croton on the Hudson. Now Allied Waste Management wants to be the sole provider to the trash to ethanol plant locking local communities into 20 year contracts. So, now we must ask ourselves this question? Is this the type of candidate we want to send to Washington? I really don't think so. This year we have a crowded field of choices. The best choice that comes to mind is Rob Pastore. Pastore is a local Hammond business man, and former head of the Hammond GOP that has helped with the clean up of the Lake County Republican Party. Rob is running on a platform of returning integrity to Washington, truly representing the people of the 1st district, and seem ready to tackle Pete Visclosky on his misleadings. Now we must ask ourselves do we really want another RE-PETE!

Pastore cream of the crop in Indiana 1st

In a crowded field of contenders for this year’s republican primary in the 1st congressional district, there are several candidates that stand out. Among these are Mark Leyva, Pete Lindemulder, Rick Olson, and Rob Pastore. Leyva and Olson are Tea Party favorites. Pastore and Lindemulder are both local businessmen. At last Saturday’s Republican meet and greet all eight primary candidates were present, but these four stood out. Leyva has a solid grasp of the issues facing northwest Indiana, as well as name recognition from being Lake County’s perennial republican offering. Lindemulder is a first time candidate that has the ability to bring the necessary campaign funds to a race against the incumbent Pete Visclosky. Olson enjoys solid Tea Party backing because of his strict constitutional interpretation and limited government views. Olson also has a solid grasp of the financial difficulties facing the nation because of his career in the financial industry. However, that career may prove to be his Achilles heel in the general election given the current populist view of Wall Street. Pastore seems to strike the right balance. Rob is a first time candidate. But, Rob is also the former chairman of the Hammond Republican Party, so he does enjoy some name recognition among the handful of republicans in Hammond. Rob also has commanding grasp of the issues, and seems ready to challenge Visclosky on his misdealing while in congress. Although Pastore campaign is being run on a tight budget he seems to have found a way of focusing on small gatherings that should bring out dissatisfied republicans and some independents. Rob also seems to be getting some consideration from local Tea party groups that may carry him through the general election. All of these combined assets should help Rob Pastore rise to the top of a crowded field come May 4th.