February 15, 2010

Q: "So is the battle of Tippecanoe the most important historical event that ever took place in Indiana?" A: "That and the birth of Evan Bayh."

A conversation that took place this past Saturday in front of this mural...

DSC07866

... in the Tippecanoe County Courthouse, in Lafayette, Indiana.

And now, Evan Bayh is moving on from the Senate to... ???.

41 comments:

Lisa said...

Hope you enjoyed Lafayette. Did you go to the Battlefield?

Tibore said...

Sorry to those people having the conversation, but I'd rank this event before at least Evan Bayh's birth.

But that's just me. ;)

Mr. Buford said...

Well, in keeping with the Bayh theme and those in power then I would say the Battle of Vincennes in 1779 was the most important event in Indiana history metaphorically speaking; seeing as a small band of volunteers led by George Rogers Clark made an epic winter march through a wilderness to take Vincennes and successfully force a besieged British garrison to surrender.
Not that the 'Rs' were ever stated to be in the wilderness since the election of the One, and seemingly they, or their conservative ilk seem to be marching out of said wilderness. And there is no similarity to the siege mentality of the White House and Democrat Congress since events beginning in Virginia and New Jersey turned their world upside down.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us a Coakley to run against in Indiana.
And forgive us our retiring Brownbacks,
as we forgive those who trash Tea pary/Palyn types.
And lead us not into temptation, by likes of Powell and McCain.
but deliver us from Obama.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

traditionalguy said...

What happened to Tyler too? The Tippicanoe battle ended a serious uprising sponsored by the English who had never given up their coveting of the lands west of Pittsburgh for themselves. Strangely the last chance for the English in Canada to come down and retake the mid-west area ended when the Union General from Ohio named Tecumseh Sherman won Atlanta. This was just in time to stop the election of McClellan who was pledged to let the slave South go and declare the war over. That would have divided up what England coveted for so long leaving a weakened North that they could play more divide and conquer with. The old Illinois trial lawyer named Lincoln knew the situation and stood up for preserving the Union more than he ever stood up for that other reason he is now famous for. Another interesting truth is that Lincoln only signed a proclamation about rebel owned slaves, but the Army of the West under the direction of Tecumseh (Cumph) Sherman actually freed every slaves to actually be freed by its advances thru the South. The Mid-West has a great tradition of fighting, and the south is filled with their Memorials to their dead at battlefield after battlefield.

Bart Hall (Kansas, USA) said...

Well, 'Tippecanoe' himself (WH Harrison) was a close relative of mine, one of three presidents in that category.

I've always been proud of him because he indisputably caused less damage to America than any other president in our history.

Because he died after a month in office.

Meade said...

Good point, Tibore, but let's not leave out the historical importance of "The Shot" by Keith Smart in 1987.

We had a great time in Lafayette, (thanks, Lisa). Did not make it to the Battlefield this time but we'll be back, I'm sure.

Btw, it was our gracious guide who made the wisecrack about the birth of Evan Bayh. The entire quote was: "That, and the birth of Evan Bayh. (At least, to Evan Bayh it was.)"

EnigmatiCore said...

If he is smart, a Presidential run in 2016.

Since he's a Democrat, a Presidential run in 2012.

I'm Full of Soup said...

My guess is Bayh will relocate to the lobby....ist.

Joaquin said...

The most important event in Indiana is the 500.

TosaGuy said...

That most important event is Tom Crean leaving Marquette to go coach IU.....won't turn out well for the Hoosiers, but we at MU love it more every day.

kjbe said...

As a kid, my dad took us on a trip the battlefield (he's a Purdue grad and I'm sure he was showing off the campus, as well). I remember finding it fascinating. I think the weather helped - I recall it being a cool, misting fall day. It had a very eery, pre-Civil War feel to it.

garage mahal said...

Birch Bayh a much more historical event than Evan Bayh. Wes Montgomery, even more.

From Inwood said...

Tippecanoe & Bayh too?

Hey, how 'bout Cheer, cheer for Ol' Notre Dame"?

TY

How about Some Came Running 1958 with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin & Shirley MacLaine?

Or the birthplace of Irene Dunne?

Never found any good cheesecake in Madison, Indiana.

Ipso Fatso said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ipso Fatso said...

Not that any of you care, but I was born in Indiana, so that means that I share that honor with Cole Porter. Wes Montgomery, on the other hand, was born in Columbus, OH making him a carpetbagger.(:

garage mahal said...

I thought Wes was born in Indianapolis?

raf said...

In recent history, Purdue just won the Superbowl. Let's not forget that.

wv: grist. For the mill at Turkey Run, perhaps.

Ipso Fatso said...

I stand corrected, I checked two sources and they both report that Wes Montgomery was born in Indianapolis. My bad.

ricpic said...

At a site called Frugal Hoosier they're conducting a poll:

Where does Evan Bayh really live?

A $2 million D.C. home
In a $1.8 million Delaware home
In a $59,500 Indianapolis condo

So far 84% of respondents have him living in D.C. with 8% each voting for Delaware and Indianapolis.

Doesn't exactly look like his heart's in the heartland.

alwaysfiredup said...

Maybe he'd rather run for Governor, it really is better prep for the white house than senator. Plus, if he stays in the Senate, he'd have to explain a lot of awful votes in that gubernatorial campaign. By quitting, he saves his warchest and doesn't have to answer for Obama's mistakes. Seems pretty smart to me if that's his goal.

Paul said...

garage-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXOrj7QAc8M&feature=related

Wince said...

Bayh wasn't goining to let the voters "goose him" and tip his Canoe - or kayak (Bayh-hack?) as the case may be.

garage mahal said...

Paul
Great song, and a Wes original. His writing probably gets overshadowed by the unusual playing style and of course that monster tone. I've mined youtube pretty hard looking for Wes clips, check here and here . So effortless.

Icepick said...

Maybe he'd rather run for Governor, it really is better prep for the white house than senator. Plus, if he stays in the Senate, he'd have to explain a lot of awful votes in that gubernatorial campaign.

Evan Bayh has already been governor of Indiana. He was first elected in 1988 and re-elected in 1992. Been there, done that.

Perhaps he's considering a run in 2012 if Obama doesn't seek re-election. Or even a challenge to Obama if things keep going from bad to worse. Most likely, though, he's just tired of the Senate.

kentuckyliz said...

Most important historical events in Indiana:
Being the subject of a song in the Music Man. (Gary Indiana....)
The Jackson 5.

Now seriously, Eli Lilly.

Unknown said...

can he run for governor again ?

Peter V. Bella said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Peter V. Bella said...

One radio news report I heard claimed that Bayh's resignation only gives Dems four days to find a replacement candidate. Did he kick the Democrat Party in the teeth?

NYT claims he was disgusted with congress and disappointed in is own party. HMMMMMMMM?

Tibore said...

"Meade said...
Good point, Tibore, but let's not leave out the historical importance of "The Shot" by Keith Smart in 1987."


Meade, that shot is burned so deeply into my memory that it counts as a formative one. I've watched tapes of that game over and over through the years. I can picture Smart's form as he went up, I recall the crowd reaction vividly, I even remember that time went off the clock before Syracuse called timeout. Heck, I even know all of the Hoosiers rebounding positions when it sunk (Steve Alford had boxed out his man, Dean Garrett was fighting in the middle but looked boxed out himself, Daryl Thomas had just turned back around from making the pass and was in process of boxing out but wouldn't have been ready for any rebound unless it came directly to him, and Joe Hillman was back in the lane with his man a whole step behind him). So yes, I sure as hell do recall that play. :D

Funny thing is, it's one of the very few plays from my favorite college roundball team that I watched live on TV but cannot remember because I was hammer-blasted level drunk at the time.

We'll ignore the fact that I was under the legal drinking age at the time (*whistles*...).

But seriously, yes, I have indelible memories of that shot. Ironically, formed by watching recordings of it! ;)

________________

Word verification: thride. What Paul Revere took way back when. ;)

Anonymous said...

I'm with Mr. Buford on this one, the Battle of Vincennes was the most important historical event.

Anonymous said...

only gives Dems four days to find a replacement candidate. Did he kick the Democrat Party in the teeth?

No. If the Dem ticket is not filled by Noon tomorrow (Tuesday), then the Dem party can caucus someone onto the ballot.

To get on the ballot, a candidate must collect 500 signatures from each of the nine congressional districts in the state.

There is a very liberal Democrat who has been trying to get on the ballot to challenge Bayh, but she has not collected all of the required signatures. She is still 1,000 short.

But, if she gets those 1,000 signatures by Noon tomorrow, then she is the Dem candidate for the Senate.

Unknown said...

Agree with Buford and Dogwood, Vincennes was of immense strategic importance to the American Revolution and future western expansion.

traditionalguy said...

...but the Army of the West under the direction of Tecumseh (Cumph) Sherman actually freed every slaves to actually be freed by its advances thru the South.

The slaves didn't always feel that way, witness Ebenezer Creek. The war was always about secession and treason (firing on Fort Sumter was, after all, an act of war viewed at the time the way we view Pearl Harbor or 9/11) to those who fought it, despite the revisionists, then and now. Uncle Billy wanted as little to do with the slaves as possible and, unfortunately for them, left them to the tender mercies of the 'satanic' Jefferson C Davis, future victor of the Modoc war.

ken in tx said...

If I understand edutcher correctly, he is right. Sherman and his troops either ignored or abused the slaves he supposedly liberated. He was not a nice man.

Methadras said...

That mural is a clear depiction of winners and losers. Guess who won?

Anonymous said...

Porn, of course. He's moving on to porn.

Have you heard about his schlong? It's like super-monster-sized. He shouldda been in porn since the beginning; politics is man-whoring of a much less noble variety, far beneath such a well-endowed man.

So don't read into this departure and get the crazy idea that the Democrats are on the ropes or anything like that. It's just a man cuming back to porn where he belongs.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of which, why does the upper right corner of the painting depict a giant penis?

h. said...

I will be driving 10 miles through the snow, uphill both ways before 12 noon on Tuesday to sign a petition for the woman from Bloomington. We spoke with her on the phone tonight and she has been advised to keep turning in petitions until someone tells her to stop. The rumor mill also has Baron Hill with enough signatures to file and a meeting with Rahm last month. Go figure.

WV: sufle. A traditional Southern Indiana dish known for its delicate structure.

Xmas said...

Bayh is a fiscally conservative Democrat. Now, for the circle to be complete, Palin needs to endorse him and the Tea Party folks need to jump on his bandwagon.

Though, he's a little too much to the left for my tastes, he appears to have been a fiscally conservative governor of Indiana. Can anyone from Indy comment?

Methadras said...

Julius Ray Hoffman said...

Porn, of course. He's moving on to porn.

Have you heard about his schlong? It's like super-monster-sized. He shouldda been in porn since the beginning; politics is man-whoring of a much less noble variety, far beneath such a well-endowed man.

So don't read into this departure and get the crazy idea that the Democrats are on the ropes or anything like that. It's just a man cuming back to porn where he belongs.


Titus?

Anonymous said...

Xmas,

Bayh is fiscally conservative, but in Indiana you pretty much have to be. The state constitution requires a balanced budget and you can not borrow money to make ends meet.

The two-year budget is based upon revenue projections from the state budget committee, a bipartisan panel.

If actual revenue falls below those projections, then the governor can borrow from reserve funds, or he has to cut spending until revenues recover, or do both. Govenor Mitch Daniels is currently doing both to keep the state solvent.

In short, the state budget system forces fiscal conservatism on the Governor, whether he likes it or not.

He can always try to raise taxes, of course, but doing so in a recession is counterproductive. Besides, Hoosiers are not too keen on tax increases and appeals to class warfare fall on deaf ears when you have a flat income tax rate.