Hill and Obama

Earlier this week - in the wake of Senator Obama's heightened criticism of Rev. Jeremiah Wright - the Southern Indiana Congressman (recently rated as the third most conservative Democrat in the U.S. House) who represents the town Stephanie teaches in (New Albany) and whose 2006 campaign to take back the seat originally held by Democratic foreign policy expert Lee Hamilton I volunteered for (in Jeffersonville, directly across the Ohio River (and across the 2nd street bridge) from my office and where I get my hair cut) endorsed Senator Obama. Hill, a former Indiana University basketball star, cited Obama's Wright criticism, Obama's forceful rejection of the Clinton-McCain summer gas tax holiday proposal, and Obama's interest in changing Washington and politics and working with those in other parties to do so as reasons for the endorsement. Hill had introduced Obama at a rally in Bloomington, a college town where you'd think Obama would be popular. But much of the rural and old industrial parts of Hill's district - with the kinds of folks Obama recently described as "bitter" - you'd think would be Clinton (or McCain - Bush is more popular here than in the rest of the country) country. Hill faces reelection this fall, probably against the Republican he has dueled with the last three elections (Mike Sodrel, an entrepreneur who lost to Hill in 2002, beat him in 2004, and then lost him in 2006). I hope to volunteer again. Louisville's first-term Congressman, John Yarmouth, I thought had no chance in 2006, but he beat 10-term Republican incumbent Ann Northrup, a neighbor of ours (I ran into her in CVS), who will likely take him on again this fall. Yarmouth is more progressive, and his office worked hard to help me get a new passport last summer, but - with a more Democratic-leaning district and with Northrop smarting from two losses in a row (including the GOP gubernatorial nomination) I think he'll do fine without much help from me. I also like the idea of inserting a non-white face into the mix in Southern Indiana, where there are not too many of us. (The sentiments of some of the voters and the closeness of these races - if only that - have forced Hill and occasionally even Yarmouth to support immigration-crackdown measures, measures we generally oppose and which could threaten Stephanie's job.) (On the other hand, it doesn't hurt for Stephanie keeping her job for her family members to be involved in Southern Indiana Democratic Party campaigns, since - as I've mentioned before - her principal's husband is a Democratic city council person, the husband of one of the top people in the district office was also a Democratic city council person, and the former principal is a Democratic state senator.)