McCain is Good for Indiana Farmers

In 1999, John McCain was critical of the corn industry. As you know, Indiana is fifth in the nation in corn production. McCain was a critic of corn and agribusiness subsidies, that inflated our nation's farm market. McCain even went as far as saying that the whole farm subsidy is pork for big business. Needless to say, McCain did not have many friends in states like ours and Iowa in 2000.

Fast forward to 2008. McCain has seen the light when it comes to corn subsidies, especially toward producers of corn ethanol. The mainstream press calls this a flip-flop, and the act of someone pandering to the press and electorate. I disagree. Two big issues have developed since the halcyon days of 1999. The first, is the growing concern over global warming.

The second?

9-11-2001.

McCain's policies pre-9-11 made sense in a time when oil was abundant and cheap, we were not the victim of Islamic fundamentalist terror, and killer hurricanes fueled by global warming were not destroying American cities. Now, the need for being both a good steward of our environment and gaining independent energy security are vital.

McCain supports a transition into clean fuels. He supports a local alternative to foreign oil. And for Indiana, that means ethanol. The Hoosier economy, as well as the Midwest, can be the next big source for energy, as was Pennsylvania for coal and Saudi Arabia for Oil. The difference of course, is that our source of fuel is renewable.

Call it a flip-flop if you want, but the world has changed, and so must our thinking. McCain is a dynamic individual who knows that if the old way no longer works, we must change course. And so, support of corn ethanol producers should come as no surprise in the wake of 9-11.

McCain on Stewart's "The Daily Show"

Did you catch "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" last night? Despite Stewart's best attempts to grandstand all over the Senator, John McCain was still able to drive home his important message about the war on terror. While Stewart stuck to his liberal talking points, appeasing the crowd, McCain stayed the course, outlining not only the contempt that Al-Qaeda and the Taliban have for America, but the consequences of failure in Iraq.

We know what the McCain knows, that a pull out date defined by Congress is really picking the day the enemy wins the war. We also know that the war has been mismanaged, but we are there, and we must do something. We have a direction, a strategy in the region now, and the troops deserve our support. And as McCain tried to tell Stewart, just yesterday the Taliban has claimed that bin Laden himself is orchestrating attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan. (These points never make the evening news)

In my opinion, McCain looks more composed, confident in his positions, and comfortable with the camera than ever before. Even with Stewart's cheerleading and using the senator as a vicarious assault on President Bush, Stewart was unable to pin the war's blunders to McCain. If yesterday was any indication of what the campaign will look like, then we are in for a steadfast and long battle. In the end, we know McCain will prevail.

Welcome to Hoosiers for McCain

Welcome! As the only Hoosier source on blogs4mccain.com, we hope to provide some homegrown Indiana insights and encouragement for our next President of the United States, Senator John S. McCain III.

Here you will find updated commentary during the campaign, informed opinions on how John McCain will be good for Indiana and the nation, and discussion among fellow Hoosiers over McCain's policies and positions.

As Senator McCain officially kicked off his campaign yesterday, so we kick off our Hoosier campaign today, blogging away in support of John McCain.

Again, Welcome!