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Sunday, May 07, 2006
Ind. Gov't. - More on: Senate leader ousted
Updating the ILB entry from May 3rd, a "My View" column in the Sunday Indianapolis Star is written by John Knull, director of Frankilin College's Pulliam School of Journalism. Titled "Because Garton broke trust, he lost votes," Krull writes:
The week before the primary, I assigned my reporting students at Franklin College's Pulliam School of Journalism to do some door-to-door voter canvassing on the Garton-Walker race.The purpose of the assignment was not scientific. It was an exercise designed to encourage young journalists to overcome the natural human reluctance to approach complete strangers and engage them in serious conversation. I told the students to ask the people they talked to open-ended questions and to try to find out what they really thought and felt. I chose the Garton-Walker contest because the college is right in the heart of that Senate district.
What the students uncovered in that assignment predicted Tuesday's outcome.
Virtually everyone they talked with had heard about Garton's defense of an incredibly generous health care plan for senators and his embrace of a positively voluptuous retirement plan for senators.
The people who planned to vote against him were furious about the health care and retirement packages and were practically organizing their entire week's schedule around plans to get to the polls so they could cast their ballots.
In addition -- and this is the part that spelled real trouble for Garton -- even those who said they supported him were not happy. One elderly Franklin woman who told the students she supported Garton said she could not see supporting Walker, but didn't really believe that Garton represented her. She said that he seemed to care more about protecting his own interests than he did about looking after hers.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on May 7, 2006 02:28 PM
Posted to Indiana Government | Legislative Benefits