WARSAW – Republicans fighting for the party’s nomination for Indiana’s open U.S. Senate seat directed sly digs and a few outright punches toward the GOP establishment during a Kosciusko County debate Saturday.
Former Sen. Dan Coats left the Senate more than a decade ago, and former congressman John Hostettler lost a re-election bid in 2006 to Rep. Brad Ellsworth – the presumed Democratic nominee for retiring Sen. Evan Bayh’s seat. Those ties were fodder for the other candidates – Don Bates Jr., Richard Behney and state Sen. Marlin Stutzman, R-Howe – who all billed themselves as Washington outsiders.
Saturday’s event, sponsored by a conservative grass-roots group called Kosciusko Silent NO More, also demonstrated the vague ties between the tea party movement and the GOP establishment. In the park outside the Center Lake Pavilion, a crowd gathered around a giant inflatable bald eagle that could be seen for blocks and protesters milled around with handmade signs.
The ties were acknowledged by Coats, who said some advisers had urged him not to attend a debate sponsored by “radical” tea party activists.
“Well, first of all, we need to be radical,” Coats said. “But secondly, I said, ‘These people are Hoosiers. I know Hoosiers. They know me.’ ”
If Coats’ goal was to align himself with the grass-roots conservative activists in the standing-room-only crowd of more than 400 people, the other candidates wanted to remind them he’s been part of the Washington establishment – a shift from a debate last month.
Bates repeatedly referred to Coats as “the ambassador” – a reference to Coats’ service in Germany from 2001 to 2005 that took on a ring of derision when paired with Bates’ criticisms. Bates, a businessman, opened the debate by telling the crowd the men on the stage represented more than 50 years of political experience.
“I must say to you, I’m not responsible for a day of it,” he said. “I’m not a career politician.”
Behney, owner of a plumbing business, jabbed at Coats in his opening remarks.
“Let me be the first, Dan, to officially welcome you to the great state of Indiana,” he said.
But Behney saved his harshest words for the debate’s end, not calling out the other candidates by name but referring to remarks Hostettler had made about not reading bills while serving in Congress and bringing up Coats’ lobbying work.
“This is certainly not a time for a politician who will work not in the best interest of Hoosiers but will work for his best interests, and the best interest of his lobbying buddies and then take the first flight to North Carolina,” he said.
Behney’s barbs bookended nearly two hours of discussion that centered on the common themes of reining in federal influence and weeding out incumbents. All the candidates spoke extensively on the need to cut federal spending.
“I’ve been witnessing nothing but a bunch of pimps, prostitutes and panhandlers,” Behney said.
The disdain for politics-as-usual resonated with the vocal crowd, which groaned and booed when Hostettler suggested the others were running on “rhetoric, as opposed to a record.”
Hostettler painted himself as a political rebel who spent his 12 years in Congress casting unpopular votes against spending bills.
A crowd-pleasing question came when the candidates were asked who would make the best next president.
Hostettler said he cast a primary vote in 2008 for Texas Rep. Ron Paul and would do it again; Bates offered up Indiana Rep. Mike Pence. Both Behney and Coats said they didn’t think the right candidate has come along.
Stutzman ended a glowing recommendation of Gov. Mitch Daniels with an uncharacteristic slip of the tongue.
“I’ve seen him govern this state with resolve,” he said. “We don’t need rhetoric. We don’t need good looks.”
But for the most part, the candidates maintained a serious tone. A calm Coats did not address the questioning of his record, but told the crowd he believes his time serving in the Army, in Congress and as an ambassador – all during times of war – sets him apart. Most importantly, he said, the GOP needs to be united in its efforts.
“It’s never wrong to say no to a bad idea,” he said. “We have to come forward with constructive solutions.”
The primary election is May 4.
