Lawson’s speech heats up cool day on courthouse steps

Monday, October 26, 2020
In Greencastle for a brief campaign stop Sunday afternoon, Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Linda Lawson speaks with Fourth District congressional candidate Joe Mackey (left) and Greencastle Mayor Bill Dory following her speech.
Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

When Indiana Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Woody Myers and running mate Linda Lawson embarked on a two-day caravan little more than a week until Election Day this past weekend, Myers took one half of the state, while Lawson took the other.

While the issues discussed were no doubt very similar, the candidates delivering the speeches could not have been more different.

A physician by trade, Myers has the calm demeanor most would associate with a “good bedside manner.” His delivery is measured, deliberate, clear without being blunt.

Lawson, on the other hand, is a firebrand. The first female police officer in the City of Hammond, she gained her position only after successfully suing the city. She went on to serve for 24 years and retired as a captain.

She later took that fighting spirit to both the Hammond School Board and the Indiana General Assembly, where she served for 20 years until retiring two years ago.

For the local stop on the caravan, Putnam County voters got the fiery half of the ticket.

“Our personalities are completely different but we come together when it comes to issues and boy are we excited,” Lawson told the 20 or so people who braved a damp, chilly October afternoon on Sunday outside the Putnam County Courthouse.

Lawson opened with a topic she knows well, saying she has it in her head and her heart to be committed to criminal justice reform in the state.

She said in her 24 years as a police officer, she saw a lot of things that never should have happened, but also positive things that should be emphasized and expanded.

Of particular note, Lawson said entire police departments, not simply one division, should concentrate on community policing if they want to build and ensure trust within the community. She focused on building partnerships wherever possible.

“Once you have gained the trust of the community, it makes it very hard in an arrest situation to be unkind because you know them, you know their families,” Lawson said.

Moving on to another area of expertise, Lawson minced no words in her opinion of the state’s funding for public schools in the last decade or so, saying things went south under former Gov. Mitch Daniels once the Republicans gained a supermajority at the Statehouse following the 2010 Census.

“Mitch Daniels hates public schools,” Lawson said. “They made a decision to fund schools between the haves and the have nots.”

Two governors later, Lawson said she sees little change.

“We absolutely must do something about the way we fund our schools,” she said.

Lawson noted the complexity of schools that she learned as a school board member, calling each corporation “community within itself.”

Applauding educators for “teaching our future,” Lawson pledged to fight for them.

“I’ve watched teachers be neglected for 10 freaking years,” Lawson said. “By god, we are going to change things about public education this cycle.

Finally, she turned to the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the contributing reasons Sunday’s gathering was outside despite it being a damp 50 degrees.

Putting current Gov. Eric Holcomb in the crosshairs, Lawson called him “a lunatic we have in the governor’s office,” saying the governor put a mask mandate in place, but seemed to change the rules when former governor and current Vice President Mike Pence came to town.

“Who’s in charge here?” Lawson said. “In the state of Indiana, we’ve had more than 4,000 people die due to a virus we could have prevented.”

She then moved on not only to Myers’ expertise as a doctor, but his one-time role as state health commissioner under both Republican Gov. Robert Orr and Democrat Gov. Evan Bayh.

It was in this capacity in 1986 that Myers lent his support to teenager Ryan White in his fight to remain enrolled in school as he faced discrimination and hatred for his AIDS diagnosis.

“Woody Myers literally changed the way we thought about AIDS in the state of Indiana and the United States of America,” Lawson said, adding that she believes Myers is also the appropriate leader in the face of COVID-19.

“COVID-19 is driving me out of my mind,” Lawson said. “I can’t understand why we can’t do the right thing and save lives.”

Overall, Lawson said she simply wants to make a difference in the state with some shared control of state government as opposed to the Republican dominance of the last decade or so.

“The only way we’re going to make a difference in the state is if people can come together and compromise,” Lawson said. “There is no compromise. There is no partisanship. It all comes from the speaker (of the house) and from the governor’s office.

“And your views are not heard,” she told the crowd.

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  • Was there any public notice of this person appearing Sunday at the courthouse? A crowd of 20 people! I'd like to have been there to ask why she thinks our Governor is a "lunatic" and exactly how she thinks Covid-19 could have been prevented. Dr. Myers, is this the best you could scrounge up as a running mate?

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Mon, Oct 26, 2020, at 7:52 PM
  • Has been available in the online edition since 10/22.

    -- Posted by beg on Mon, Oct 26, 2020, at 8:07 PM
  • Glad all these politicians have all the answers to stop COVID-19 yet nobody can stop it they just put the blame on whoever they are running against.

    -- Posted by JohnQTaxpayer on Tue, Oct 27, 2020, at 5:45 AM
  • Beg: I see that now. That makes it all the worse for the candidate, only 20 people showing up!

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Tue, Oct 27, 2020, at 8:08 AM
  • Funny she labels Mitch Daniels as hating public schools. He not only leads one of the finest public universities in the country, he has developed the Purdue Polytechnic High Schools. The Polytechnic High Schools give underserved minorities the opportunity to receive a college prep education, paving the way for them to be successful at the collegiate level.

    While he has been at Purdue, a tuition freeze has been in effect for nine consecutive years. A feat no other public (or private) university has been able to accomplish.

    -- Posted by rawinger on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 4:12 AM
  • She is a super intelligent lady. Mitch Daniels ruined a lot of things in our state; returning to turning the clock back which was idiotic, signing and executive order to do away with the Unions. Between Daniels and Pence, no wonder this state is a loser.

    -- Posted by Queen53 on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 11:24 AM
  • *

    Queen53 - One of the great things about America... you are free to leave. If you don't like Indiana, go somewhere that is more in line with your values.

    Which unions were done away with by executive order?

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 1:02 PM
  • Queen53--What basis do you use to state that IN is a loser? You should be able to quote hard, cold facts to support your claim, not feelings. Would those facts be that the State had a $2 billion surplus prior to the pandemic; that IN had the lowest unemployment rate of any midwestern state and much lower than the average rate nationwide, and still currently does; that our income tax and property taxes are some of the lowest in the region and nationwide? Those don't sound like IN is a loser to me and most any other reasonable person.

    -- Posted by gustave&zelma on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 4:04 PM
  • I am not surprised to see hate and name calling coming from supporters of leftist theology. It is part of their rule book.

    It is obvious that differences can only be addressed by name calling.

    -- Posted by beg on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 4:07 PM
  • QUEEN53, would you please be so kind as to list some of things that Daniels and Pence ruined concerning Indiana?

    And if you have the time, would you please explain why you hate Indiana or believe it is a state of losers? Do you hate the people that live here, the economy, the climate, or the politics?

    -- Posted by Prince of Stardust Hills on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 5:03 PM
  • Last year Mitch Daniels told a group of students that a black faculty person the university was trying to hire was the "rarest of creatures" because they were black. Yikes! He apologized and said he was misunderstood, but never explained what the "misunderstanding" was. Because there was no misunderstanding. Mitch Daniels racist? Maybe, or maybe he's just arrogant. Or both. Read what he said and judge for yourself. He also gave a speech where he said that the opposite of the definition of a Boilermaker is a "snowflake"....referring to the label Republicans use to insult anyone they offend.

    Also, I think how Daniels uses budget austerity at every job he's had is just a gimmicky thing he does. That's why nobody else does it, because it's not necessarily the smartest move.

    -- Posted by Raker on Wed, Oct 28, 2020, at 10:43 PM
  • I wonder if same name calling and silly budget moves by liberal/ leftist theologists catch your same angst?

    If so, I give you credit.

    Can you provide a link on the Daniels story? How did it not dominate the news? How did the professional staff not protest and hold a vote of no confidence? Especially since he is not part of the left. This barrage should still be going on.

    As for snowflake, below is the definition I found. I understand your need to make it partisan. It is what we do in today's world. The behavior is practiced by all political stripes.

    Snowflake is a 2010s derogatory slang term for a person, implying that they have an inflated sense of uniqueness, an unwarranted sense of entitlement, or are overly-emotional, easily offended, and unable to deal with opposing opinions.

    -- Posted by beg on Thu, Oct 29, 2020, at 11:28 AM
  • Beg you obviously have an internet browser and are capable of looking up all your questions by yourself, but here it is for you, an article about Daniels' "rarest of creatures" comment

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2019/12/05/purdues-mitch-daniels-a...

    Here's an article on his graduation speech about snowflakes the opposite of a Boilermaker

    https://www.jconline.com/story/news/opinion/letters/2019/05/13/purdue-prof-mitch...

    And here's a definition of "snowflake" and how it has been used for years exclusively by far-right as an insult

    https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/snowflake/

    And another article

    https://archive.thinkprogress.org/all-the-special-snowflakes-aaf1a922f37b/

    you shouldn't be defending these comments.

    -- Posted by Raker on Thu, Oct 29, 2020, at 12:42 PM
  • Don't think I defended them. Matter of fact, I asked for them because I haven't heard them. I am not one to defend something in the blind. I guess I am poorly communicating with you since you assumed I was defending them.

    I wanted you to provide your sources so I can understand what you read. Allows me to have the same information as you. Wasn't taking a lazy approach, just one that would provide accuracy in trying to connect to your comments.

    As for telling me what I should or shouldn't do- I find that strange. You shared your position. I should be able to form mine once I have the information.

    I am confident you would agree with that.

    Thanks for the links.

    -- Posted by beg on Thu, Oct 29, 2020, at 12:48 PM
  • Okay sorry beg, I understand you didn't defend what Daniels said. But in terms of previous comments you've made, I was worried you might equate it with somebody on the left and say "both parties do it", or try to rationalize it.

    -- Posted by Raker on Thu, Oct 29, 2020, at 3:52 PM
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