Tag Archives: Todd Rokita

Trump campaign to Rokita: Take down your yard signs

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They say there are only two things we can be sure of in life: death and taxes. Well, we might as well add another to that list: political campaigns with yard signs.

Every candidate likes seeing their signs with their name, website and ill-conceived logo and color scheme in a voter’s yard. That has to be the case, because why else would campaigns spend valuable funds on signs.

Anyway, one campaign that isn’t too thrilled with another candidate’s signs is none other than President Donald Trump’s campaign. And the candidate’s signs they aren’t real thrilled with: Todd Rokita.

As you can see, the Rokita campaign is prominently displaying the fact that they are endorsed by Trump/Pence. Except, that’s not actually the case.

You see, Rokita was actually endorsed by the Trump campaign’s Indiana leaders. That distinction is emblazoned underneath the much bigger Trump/Pence.  But hey, who really cares, right? Well, apparently the Trump campaign.

The Trump campaign has ordered those signs be taken down, stating that it gives the false impression that Rokita has the support of the president in this contentious, increasingly negative race.

The Rokita campaign’s response to demand?

“We don’t comment on yard sign strategy.”  Huh? Really?

It’s actually fairly embarrassing, especially for a campaign and a candidate that spouts “pro-Trump” ad nauseam.

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Braun campaign labels Messer, Rokita ‘Swamp brothers’ in latest ad

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The May primary is less than three weeks away. And the biggest race to be decided on May 8 has become noticeably more negative as of late.

Exhibit A:  WISH-TV’s Republican debate.

Last Sunday, April 15, Mike Braun, Luke Messer and Todd Rokita took the stage in the race’s second debate.  All three candidates took nearly every question as an invitation to impugn their opponent’s record, integrity and loyalty to President Trump.

I’m not sure what we really learned from that debate, but the attacks were flying fast and furious.

In addition to using their well-honed and rehearsed attacks on one another on the debate stage, they are also becoming frequent in the television ads

Exhibit B: Braun campaign’s latest ad

In the ad, in which the Braun campaign labels both Rokita and Messer and the “swamp brothers,” they are tied to Obama, Planned Parenthood and amnesty.  You know, all things that aren’t likely to get candidates running in a Republican many votes.

Finally, for the big finish Rokita is called a “fraud” and Messer is called “liberal.”

Will the ad work? Who knows, but the Braun campaign continues to churn out the most visually and conceptually creative ads of the three campaigns, by far.

Braun, Messer and Rokita set for 2nd debate: What to watch for

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Businessman and former State Rep. Mike Braun and congressmen Luke Messer and Todd Rokita – candidates running for Indiana US Senate – are set for their second debate.  The three men are battling to become the person to take on Democrat Joe Donnelly in the fall.

In their first debate in nearly two months, the candidates will take the stage Sunday, 7 p.m. at the WISH-TV studio in Indianapolis.

Moderating Sunday night’s debate will be WISH-TV anchor Brooke Martin, WISH-TV reporter David Williams and WEHT anchor Brad Byrd.

However, before the candidates take the stage in only their second debate of the entire campaign, there are some things to watch out for and which could have a big impact on the race:

  • Syria: On Friday evening, President Donald Trump announced the “strategic and precision” bombing of locations in Syria in response to the Syrian chemical attacks. In a campaign that has been marked with the continually repeated phrase “pro-Trump,” how will the candidates react? Would they have done anything differently than the president? Would they have done it alone, without France or Britain?  Would they have done it earlier? Should America even be getting involved in Syria?
  • Negative attacks: This campaign has grown increasingly negative, primarily due to the Rokita campaign. The Rokita campaign has repeatedly called Messer a “never-Trumper,” saying he colluded to take the nomination away from Donald Trump, while providing little evidence.  Braun has called both Messer and Rokita career politicians having accomplished little. Will these attacks continue and will the candidates finally be called on to answer his claims?
  • Pro-Trump: Donald Trump has played a huge role in this race. All three candidates have uttered the phrase “pro-Trump” a ridiculously absurd amount of times, in TV ads, radio ads, speeches and campaign emails. In a campaign that has been noticeably empty of original ideas, saying “pro-Trump” seems to act as a cover for this fact of lack of ideas. Will the candidates put forth original ideas Sunday night? Also, will they explain at point, if any, do they or would they, differ from the president?

Indiana’s primary election day is less than a month away and Sunday night’s debate should serve as an excellent opporuntity to hear directly from the candidates.

Todd Rokita likely violated ethics laws; locked out of GOP database

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Sitting Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Todd Rokita is likely to have violated ethics laws.  According to the Associated Press, this occurred in 2009 when Rokita was then Indiana’s secretary of state.

What exactly did he do? Well, apparently, he repeatedly accessed a GOP database of donors in his office, on government time. Essentially, he was performing campaign functions on the tax-payer’s dime. That’s a big no, no in Indiana.

Apparently, it happened so frequently that Rokita was even locked out from the database by members of the Indiana Republican Party.

As expected, the Rokita campaign flat out denied the allegations with a campaign spokesperson saying:

“This is a baseless and unsubstantiated hit job. There has been no evidence of wrongdoing provided beside the word of anonymous sources with ties to political opponents.”

This comes after it was discovered that Rokita has spent millions of taxpayer dollars during election years on mailers and radio ads.

This new revelation comes from the same campaign that hasn’t come up with an original idea the entire campaign. He’s just been repeating “pro-Trump” whenever pressed for any kind of an idea.

Instead, the campaign has opted to repeatedly attack Luke Messer as a “never Trumper” and referred to Mike Braun as a Democrat, saying he voted for “Hillary or Obama.” 

But, hey defeat the elite, or something, as sitting Congressman Todd Rokita and his campaign like to say.

Braun campaign puts out a…rather weird ad

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What did I just watch?  Seriously, what in the world was that?

Campaign ads are done on a limited budget and extreme time constraints. While money is a valuable commodity, the candidate’s time is worth far, far more. That can lead to things being rushed and possibly not getting done, or at least not as well as they should.

Keep that reasoning in mind when viewing the latest Mike Braun ad.

The Braun campaign put out their latest ad Tuesday evening, premiering during an episode of the smash hit Roseanne, an extremely coveted position. A lot of potential Republican primary voters are sure to have tuned in, but….what?

It’s a “throwback ad.”  The ad goes back in time, when all of the candidates were children and theoretically in the same class, as well. The children portraying Messer and Rokita standing at the front of the class bicker back and forth and never get anything accomplished. While little Messer and miniature Rokita are worried about who is right and who’s in the wrong, little Mike Braun is seen in the back reading a book, an economics book.

The ad is negative, hitting Rokita and Messer for being career politicians. However, Braun is portrayed as a businessman looking for real-world solutions.

While it’s a different take on a negative ad and it attempts to be funny, it’s just plain weird.

The Braun campaign now has the bizarre distinction of having released both the best and worst ad of the campaign for senate.

BREAKING: Trump-Pence Leadership Team Endorses Indiana Senate Candidate Todd Rokita

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This endorsement is sure to make the Indiana GOP Primary even more interesting.

Rex Early, from Trump’s 2016 general election campaign in Indiana endorsed US Senate hopeful Todd Rokita a few minutes ago. Stating that Rokita “wholeheartedly” supported Trump, Early criticized fellow candidates Luke Messer and Mike Braun for not doing enough in 2016 to support Trump’s campaign.

Indiana voters will decide on their GOP candidate May 8th and that person will go on to face incumbent Joe Donnelly this fall in the general election.

‘Pro-Trump’ Rokita called then-candidate Trump ‘vulgar, profane’ in 2016

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Throughout the Indiana Republican race for U.S. Senate, there has been one overriding, dominant issue: Donald Trump.

All three candidates have gone out of their way saying how “pro-Trump” they are; stating it in interviews, in their lone debate up until this point, on TV and radio ads. Basically, wherever Mike Braun, Luke Messer or Todd Rokita appears, you can bet that the phrase “pro-Trump” will be coming out of their mouth early and often.

However, the one candidate who has essentially made cozying up to President Trump the focal point of his campaign has been Congressman Todd Rokita. He’s gone so far as prominently wearing a MAGA hat in two campaign ads, including his most recent one.

In the most recent ad, Rokita accuses Congressman Luke Messer of “plotting with the Never Trumpers to steal the nomination from President Trump. Wow.”

Needless to say, Rokita wants you to believe he was all Trump from the very beginning, never wavering for a second on his support for then-candidate Trump. But that’s not the case at all. In fact, Rokita referred to Trump as “vulgar, if not profane.” Instead, he was all in on Marco Rubio because, according to Rokita, “he’s the standard bearer for the mainstream Republican Party.” In an interview with Fox 59 in February 2016, Rokita is referred to as “one of the first in the Indiana delegation to back Marco Rubio.”

But…but I thought Rokita was always and forever Mr. Trump’s right hand man? Why would he change? Why would he tell us one thing and the fact be another? Political expediency, maybe? Easiest way to get elected?

Here’s why Rokita is now all about President Trump: Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by nearly 20 percent in the Hoosier state.  And in a red state like Indiana, President Trump is still extremely popular. So why not, if you have no original ideas, use President Trump’s popularity to get elected?

This display of utter hypocrisy from Rokita is exactly why people don’t like politicians. Say one thing and do another. Accuse someone of something that you yourself did.

Maybe Rokita should wear two MAGA hats in his next ad to show how “pro-Trump” he really is!  Well, at least now….you know because it could help him get elected.

-BZ

 

 

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