SHELLA: Oprah exposes Democrats’ struggle to ID candidates
The search is on for the next Barack Obama.
Jim Shella / Special to IBJ
Articles
SHELLA: Indiana’s Statehouse as a soap opera set
All these incidents at the Statehouse involve consensual behavior, as far as I know.
Shella: Forcing Republicans, Democrats to work together
Lawmakers in safe districts, be they in Congress or in the Indiana General Assembly, don’t need to cooperate with others because they have no fear of losing the next election.
Shella: Free speech rights apply to those kneeling, booing
I thought it was a tribute to America that some of the players at a recent Colts game held on to the giant flag that covered the field at Lucas Oil Stadium while teammates nearby kneeled in protest.
Shella: Could football go the way of boxing?
Football will never be risk-free. That’s the attraction.
Shella: There is still good journalism out there, but …
Journalism has changed, the ways we consume it have changed, and the way people view journalism and journalists has changed, too.
SHELLA: It’s time to make it easier to vote in Indiana
I don't care what party or candidate benefits.
SHELLA: President Mike Pence. The president, Mike Pence?
A Pence presidency would be good for Indiana. Make no doubt about it.
Fight against opioid crisis must be nuanced
Erin Moran died last month in southern Indiana. An early and erroneous report suggested the one-time Hollywood star’s death was the result of a heroin overdose. Her former co-star, Scott Baio, quickly condemned her behavior and that of anyone who takes drugs. He said in a radio interview, “You do drugs, you die.” It turns […]
SHELLA: Republicans prepare for family feud in Senate race
We can all jockey for ringside seats as we prepare for another Republican family feud. There is good reason to expect that both U.S. Reps. Todd Rokita and Luke Messer will enter the race.
SHELLA: Good journalism needed now more than ever
As a political reporter, I am often asked to speak about how the media works to groups that include the Lugar Series, the Agricultural Leadership Institute, freshman lawmakers, General Assembly staff and others. I tell them most reporters are biased only in favor of a good story.
SHELLA: Pence still keeping options wide open for 2016
Take a second, please, to think back to the evening of May 2. It was just a couple of weeks ago, a Saturday, and, just possibly, a day worth remembering.
SHELLA: Alternatives to Statehouse press corps fall short
An old friend was in the Statehouse the other day for the first time in a long time. He’s a guy who worked in the media, then in state government, and now in public relations. He knows his way around the building.
SHELLA: Stars might align for old deals to happen
Dwayne Sawyer just set a new world record for quickest rise and fall of an Indiana statewide elected official. His tenure as auditor fell just short of four months.
SHELLA: Youth vote might negate marriage polls
Twenty-fourteen will be a year of love and politics in Indiana.
SHELLA: Bennett’s emotions got the best of him
It was a warm, sunny Monday in November when John McCain came to the Indianapolis airport seeking to pull out an Indiana win in the 2008 race for presidency. It was the day before Election Day. Confident Hoosier Republicans were thrilled about the first real campaign rally in this state by that year’s GOP nominee.
SHELLA: Override could have been avoided
General Assembly, 1; Mike Pence, 0. That’s how the scorecard reads from the recent one-day meeting of the Legislature.
SHELLA: Bombings leave us with new realities
The Boston Marathon bombing is a tragedy that hit close to home. It will continue to hit close to home.
Nonvoters are real Hoosier citizens, too
Do the politicians care what nonvoters think? House Speaker Brian Bosma recently took issue with the WISH-TV/Ball State Hoosier Survey because, he said, it wasn’t a voter poll. When challenged, he said that he cares what everybody thinks, but the message he delivered was that the opinions of voters matter more than those of adults […]
SHELLA: Nonvoters are real Hoosier citizens, too
Do the politicians care what nonvoters think? House Speaker Brian Bosma recently took issue with the WISH-TV/Ball State Hoosier Survey because, he said, it wasn’t a voter poll. When challenged, he said that he cares what everybody thinks, but the message he delivered was that the opinions of voters matter more than those of adults who don’t get to the polls.