Indiana Chamber of Commerce awards its apples.

The weirdest rumor I've heard lately is that State Representative Ed Clere will have a Tea Party challenger in the primary next time around. Seems unlikely, although perhaps someone might ask Dave Matthews, or at least launch another rumor to the effect that Matthews started the first one.

Meanwhile, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce has released its annual "scorecard" for state legislators, finding that "The highest full-time voting record for 2013 was Rep. Ed Clere (R-District 72 of New Albany) at 97%."

2013 Legislative Vote Analysis (29th Edition)

It is informative to examine the components of the chamber's yardstick. As such, and for much needed balance, here's a 2010 article at Mother Jones. It's about the US Chamber of Commerce, but birds of a feather ...

Fact-Checking the US Chamber of Commerce; America's most overblown business lobby, busted, by Josh Harkinson

With a name that evokes Main Street and Little League teams, and with millions of dollars to spend on lobbying, the US Chamber of Commerce has long been a powerful force on Capitol Hill. But as it's taken more extreme positions on a range of hot-button issues, from flirting with climate change denial to fighting health care reform, its reputation as a predictable pro-business group is crumbling.

Last fall, Nike, Apple, and three major utilities quit the Chamber or its board of directors over what one company called its "extreme rhetoric and obstructionist tactics." Companies such as Dow and General Electric distanced themselves from the group as environmental and labor groups piled on with criticism of the Chamber's cozy relationship with special interests ...