Tuesday, November 15, 2005

News item: Baron Hill wants his job back; Mike Sodrel vows to spend him into post-Soviet oblivion using Daddy Rove bucks.

New Albany will be the third stop on Baron Hill's two-day, four-city "political comeback" tour of the 9th Congressional District, during which the former Democratic congressman will formally announce his candidacy to reclaim the seat he lost to Republican Mike Sodrel in 2004.

Hill, who was last seen in New Albany rallying the local Democratic troops (minus the Gang of Four) at their FDR dinner, will appear at noon on Wednesday, November 16th at the City-County Building. During his 9th District tour, he also will be speaking in Bloomingon and Jasper (both on Tuesday, November 15) and in his hometown of Seymour following his New Albany stop on Wednesday.

In 2004, Hill lost Floyd County to Sodrel by 600 votes out of roughly 33,000 cast. In the district as a whole, Hill's margin of defeat was less than 2,000 votes.

Rapture enthusiasts immediately declared Sodrel's victory a gift from one or another unknowable Gods, but in fact the deciding factor in the election was a seemingly endless convoy of GOP semi-trailers stuffed with barrels of cash, dispatched into the 9th District by Karl Rove, and periodically accompanied by cardboard cut-outs of Dick Cheney.

Hill has the unenviable task of matching this Republican tsunami of special interest cash, while at the same time countering Sodrel's chief personal asset -- an ability to wear his mustache in a non-threatening and sporadically jovial manner.

But ... Sodrel must somehow defend the flawed ideology of a failed regime.

If Hill can avoid the appearance of being too far to the left of the late Strom Thurmond, maybe he has chance, after all.

Bring Back Baron -- the candidate's pre-candidacy web site.

Also: Baron Hill To Announce Plans For Rematch Against Mike Sodrel.

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