GOP prepares last-ditch efforts

Monday night College Republicans veered from the rallying tone of most of their meetings to listen to the story of one of their own.\nIn her introduction, President Anne Scuffham, a junior, made a final plea for each person in the audience to send one more "Vote for Bush" postcard and sign up for the last phone bank slots at Monroe County Republican headquarters.\n"I'm sure each of you is here because you realize just how important this election is," Scuffham said to the crowdof 50. She warned that unless all Republican supporters cast their ballots next Tuesday, control of the governorship and the Indiana House could go to the Democrats.\n"Do you really want a governor whose party is afraid to let him speak in public without a script?" asked Scuffham, taking a stab at current Democratic Gov. Frank O'Bannon.\nO'Bannon's challenger, Rep. David McIntosh (R-2nd) will visit Bloomington Friday as part of a statewide bus tour. McIntosh is scheduled to appear at 3:15 p.m. Friday at the Monroe County Courthouse.\nWith just days to go before the elections, Scuffham said she and her crew are working around the clock. Some College Republicans will arrive at county headquarters as early as 6 a.m. Nov. 7 to help the regular staff get through the day's frenzy.\nMissing from Monday's meeting was planned guest of honor Rep. John Hostettler (R-8th). A budget appropriations debate stalled the Congressman in Washington -- the result of what Republicans called a calculated move by President Bill Clinton to keep Republicans from campaigning in their home states.\nDuring the weekend the College Republicans executive board managed to get Evansville Mayor Russel Lloyd, Jr. to fill in for Hostettler. Lloyd, a former Evansville City Council member and an alumnus who was narrowly elected mayor in 1998, spoke at length about his transition into politics and his campaign for the mayorship. \n"When you do things in the community, you gather a support group that can sometimes come back to help you later," the mayor said. After announcing his candidacy for mayor, he went to the organizations he'd volunteered for to ask for support. Lloyd said he was able to speak one-on-one with members of the IU Alumni Association and develop a strong base there.\nLloyd emphasized the importance of his prior community involvement and his commitment to not taking any voter base for granted. The lesson, he said, is as applicable in a presidential race as in local races. Lloyd added that reaching out to inner cities and convincing a number of African-American voters to vote Republican helped make the difference in his campaign.\nAnswering a question about his opinion on the 8th District congressional race, Lloyd said he applauds Hostettler's consistency in his voting record. He said consistency should help get Hostettler re-elected Nov. 7.\n"I don't think (Democratic challenger Paul Perry) realized what he got into," Lloyd said. "I think he's going to fail because he's become just a one-issue candidate," he commented, referring to the Perry campaign's focus on health care reform.\nScuffham said after the meeting that she was impressed by the mayor. \n"I think he shows real confidence, but not arrogance," she said.\nScuffham herself received a standing ovation at the meeting's end for her work with College Republicans for the semester. Vice president Sarah Milligan, a sophomore, told the audience, "Anne has just thrown herself into this election year…we're very grateful."\nAttendee Nalini Ravindranath, a sophomore and Green Party supporter, was brought to the meeting by a friend. Although Ravindranath's loyalties are firm with the Green presidential ticket of Nader/LaDuke, she expressed appreciation for being able to hear a Republican perspective first-hand. \n"It's interesting to really hear other points of view, rather than political jargon," she said.\nSophomore Natalia Galvan also doesn't consider herself aligned with the Republicans, or any group for that matter, but she said she was eager to meet area politicians face-to-face. Having attended political groups' meetings, Galvan said she now feels she's an informed voter.\n"In order to get a fair perspective, I wanted to go to all different things," she said.\nNow Scuffham and the rest of the College Republicans can only hope Galvan and others in her situation liked what they heard Monday night.