Double dose of bad news for Dick Lugar; Mourdock surges

The Indianapolis Star has the story this morning.

First, the American Action Network, a PAC that is dedicated to protecting moderates in Congress (yuck!) and has already spent $645,000 to defend Dick Lugar is pulling out of the race just days before the election.  Second, conservative firebrand Sarah Palin has endorsed conservative challenger Richard Mourdock.  In 2010, the Palin endorsement provided the necessary surge for several Tea Party challengers to overcome incumbents.

So, COAST now predicts with some confidence (it is always an uphill battle to defeat an incumbent) that Dick Lugar's days of piling on misery for U.S. taxpayers are quickly coming to an end.

And, oh by the way, let us remind COASTers once again just why Dick Lugar is poison for America: He voted "yes" on TARP, he voted "yes" on both of Obama's liberal Supreme Court Justices, he voted "yes" on auto bailouts and he voted "yes" on Cap and Trade.  'nuf said.

Mourdock up 5 on Lugar in IN!

The Tea Party is definitely alive and well in Indiana, despite the multiple premature announcements of its demise in the Mainstream Media. 

• Today, Politico reports that upstart conservative challenger Richard Mourdock is leading the 6-term Senator by a whopping five points only weeks before the Republican primary.
• Of course, only a few weeks ago, Indiana bravely became a right-to-work state, throwing off their mandatory and anti-competitive union shackles.

So, you go Indiana, and blaze a trail for Ohio to follow!

Conflict of interest? SORTA Board member Jim Tarbell buys two properties right next to Streetcar stop. Hmmmm.

Cincinnati.Com has the story here.  They forgot to mention Tarbell sits on the SORTA Board that 's working with the City on Streetcar construction.   Someone should call B.S. to this, and COAST is just the someone to do that.

Didn't the Ohio Ethics Commission already rule that this is a no-no?

Update: Enquirer has updated its story with COAST's challenge and new info.  Sounds like they will chase some of this down by morning.  Good.  Shine a spotlight on this turd.  It appears the opposition is scrambling to justify the unjustifiable and that the profiteering of the few, the powerful, the insiders has begun!

This could be a new avocation of COASTers: figure out who has their hand in the $125 million Streetcar cookie jar.  I am sure we would find many of Cincinnati's crisp, bright, shiny leaders with some chocolate chips under their fingernails, maybe even someone with their mug painted on a prominent downtown building.