Bailey to challenge Clere this year. Read the Democratic Party press release. I've already made my choice.

Somewhere amid the circumlocutions and endlessly repetitive disclaimers, intended as ever to illustrate the party's intrinsic fairness when it comes to standing for absolutely nothing of substance, the Democrats have found a candidate to challenge Ed Clere in 2014.

She is Kevin Sue Bailey, and like Sharon Grabowski before her, she is a professional educator with impeccable credentials -- unlike the party itself.

Clere defeated Grabowski in 2012 with 54% of the vote. I don't see that comfy margin changing with a different opponent, although what makes Floyd County politics so eternally vacuous is that here, there is no extant Tea Party, primarily because it has been co-opted by Dixiecrats masquerading as Democrats. Therefore, while Clere's stand against HJR-3 won't hurt him with Republicans in Floyd County, who know a gravy train when they see one, it may cost him votes among the non-Democratic faux Democrats ... which makes every word of the press release below subject to tittering, escalating to howling, culminating with writhing on the floor, convulsed with laughter.

(Trivia: Bryan Taylor was my eighth grade basketball coach, and when he and Kevin Sue Bailey were married, we all attended the reception, which I recall being at the old Lancaster's on Grant Line Road -- now the school corporation headquarters. It is a strange and ever-changing world, indeed.)

Here's the first rote enunciation by the chairman of the political fairness doctrine:

Note: FCDP has been asked to share the following message from one of our candidates in the 2014 Primary Election. FCDP does not endorse candidates in the Democratic Primary. In contested races, all candidates will be offered the same support, training and resources. The FCDP will share all Democratic candidates’ events and information via our website, Facebook page, Twitter feed and other media communications.

Now comes the content, buried beneath the palaver:

Kevin Sue Bailey announces bid for State Representative

Educator & community leader to file locally on Wednesday, Feb. 5th. at 3:30 p.m.

NEW ALBANY, February 4, 2014 – Kevin Sue Bailey, a local educator and community leader seeking the position of State Representative in District #72, has announced that she will be filing her declaration of candidacy locally in the Floyd County Clerk's Office (311 Hauss Square, New Albany) on Wednesday, February 5th at 3:30 p.m. Local supporters are invited to join Bailey for the event.

Bailey, a resident of Floyd Knobs, is a Professor of English Education at Indiana University Southeast where she serves as Coordinator of Secondary Education and Director of the Indiana University Southeast Writing Project. As a former English teacher at Floyd Central High School and 1987 "Hoosier Teacher of English,” Bailey has over forty years of experience in literacy education and has served as an education consultant statewide. In the mid 1990’s, Bailey was Co-founder of Hope for an Equal Learning Policy (HELP), a grassroots organization that went viral throughout the state. The organization lobbied for changes in the school funding formula in order to promote equity for all schools.

Bailey has served since 1988 as advisor to Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society, Mu Psi Chapter, were she has led students every year in community outreach that has focused on the creation and expansion of libraries at area hospitals, community centers, and schools, especially in areas of poverty where access to books is otherwise limited.

Bailey is married to Bryan Taylor, retire biology teacher at Floyd Central High School. They have two daughters, Alyssa and Alison Taylor and one son, Patrick Taylor.

For more information on Bailey and her campaign, please contact: kevinsue.bailey@gmail.com

For an encore, here's the FCDP Mission Statement:

“The Floyd County Democratic Party encourages civic participation, promotes democratic values, provides tools for effective political action, and cultivates an open and inclusive grassroots network.”

Of course, the part about "effective political action" never fails to crack me up; it's like when Rodney Dangerfield says, "I tell ya, I don't get no respect," or when Mongo starts farting in Blazing Saddles.

And who paid for it all? The non-announcement quasi-announcement, that is?

Paid for by the Floyd County Democratic Party
Adam Dickey, Chair ~ Shane Gibson, Treasurer

Our mailing address is:
Floyd County Democratic Party
-
P.O. Box 2104
New Albany, IN 47150

In which case, it's worth repeating Bluegill's statement of genuine political principle:

Along those lines, a note to political wannabes in New Albany, incumbent and otherwise, starting with the Democratic Party Chair and trickling down just like their 30-year-old, failed economic plan: If your stump speech does not include a rather strident section about the need to and your willingness to immediately and completely revamp the city's planning and development/redevelopment departments from scratch, don't bother calling me, emailing me, sending me paper mail, or attempting to schmooze me at events and, for decency's sake, stay the hell off my porch.

Nothing against Ms. Bailey, who is wonderful, but I'll be voting Clere come November.