Posted on 05/10/2003 9:43:58 AM PDT by Miss Marple
When President Bush comes to Indianapolis next week, he'll be greeted by a few thousand Hoosiers who snagged the hottest ticket in town, a bunch of Republican dignitaries -- and at least one staunch Democrat.
U.S. Rep. Julia Carson, the Democrat who voted with Bush fewer times last year than any other member of the state's congressional delegation, said she wouldn't miss it.
"He's the president," said Carson, who represents most of Marion County. "He's coming to my district. He's landing in my district. He's sleeping in my district. And he's speaking in my district."
It's typical for the White House to invite lawmakers of both parties to join the president when he visits their home turf for any event that's not solely political.
Bush is expected to arrive in Indianapolis at 6:30 p.m. Monday and will be spending the night at the Downtown Westin. Tuesday morning, he'll speak to two different groups of Hoosiers at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
The first is a small group of Indiana senior citizens, hand-picked by the White House. The second is several thousand Hoosiers who managed to latch on to one of the free tickets being distributed to hear Bush's speech in the Pepsi Coliseum.
Those tickets were handed out by U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar's Indianapolis office on Thursday and evaporated quickly.
Carson will be one of at least six of the 11 Indiana representatives and senators in Congress who will attend the speech, but the only Democrat.
Her district gave Bush only 43 percent of the vote in 2002 -- among the lowest totals in Indiana -- and she voted in line with the president's position only 26 percent of the time during his first year in office and 19 percent last year, according to the Congressional Quarterly.
Bush is coming to Indianapolis as part of a three-state swing to pitch his tax-cut plan over the heads of Congress directly to the public. On Monday, he'll be in Albuquerque, N.M., and Omaha, Neb., to talk about how the plan benefits small businesses and families.
Carson was among the all-but-four Democrats to vote against the plan. But while she disagrees with Bush, she said, on Tuesday "I'm going to sit there very respectfully for 45 minutes and listen."
Bush will be introduced for his 9:50 a.m. speech Tuesday by one lawmaker who is backing a slimmed-down version of the tax plan -- fellow Republican Lugar.
"If that is the one we are set to vote on, that is what I will vote for," said Lugar, who supported Bush in every vote last year in which the president took a position. "It will give lower- and middle-income Americans more buying power, and it will give the businesses more capital in which to invest and create jobs."
For Lugar, a former mayor of Indianapolis, introducing Bush will be just the latest in a long line of hosting presidents, going back to Richard M. Nixon.
"I introduced Nixon several times," Lugar said. "I've introduced Reagan and Bush senior on trips here, and I've introduced the current president once before, but that wasn't in Indiana."
Maybe that's why he isn't too worried yet about what he will say.
"I haven't formulated the introduction, though the White House has encouraged me to do so this weekend," Lugar said Friday. "I will be too busy for the next 24 hours, but then I'll sit down and think it through."
Still, they both can relax after the speech.
The White House is giving Carson, Lugar and other Hoosiers a lift back to Washington afterward -- on Air Force One.
2. Senator Lugar had better get his rear in gear and give a decent introduction, or he will be hearing from me next week. They were given the opportunity to hand out the tickets at his office, and there also had better be no snafus. I am NOT a ticket holder, so will be watching this on local television.
But you are right, it has turned very left. However, if you want to find an on-line story about the President's visit to Indy, it is either the Star or WIBC, and the radio story isn't very detailed.
Bad rain here south of Indy...radio warned people at the track to get out of their motorhomes and get in the underpasses.
The worst instance I can recall is when David was asked to speak at the campaign appearance for then Governor Bush. He gave a great speech, right before Bush, and he wasn't even mentioned in the Star's story, although they mentioned other speakers both before and after him. It was like he was invisible. It was shameful.
I live in Anderson where the local newspaper prints the national and state news in the B section of the paper, after the sports. [It's still superior to the Naptown Star.]
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