Latest news with #IndianaDOGE
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Combat Banks, Beckwith, Rokita stunts with earnestness
When a fired federal worker approached Sen. Jim Banks on his way to an elevator earlier this month, Banks saw an opportunity. You can see Banks' face processing the situation. He knew he was on video and had a chance to go viral — but only if he acted like a jerk. Banks was up to the challenge. 'You probably deserved it,' Banks tells a man identified as Mack Schroder of his firing. 'Why did I deserve it?" the man asks. 'Because you seem like a clown,' Banks said. The doors close. Annnnnnd … scene. Cue the rage bait. Cue Banks changing his social media profile to a photo of his face inside the elevator. Cue Banks telling the world he "won't back down" from being mean to strangers. Briggs: Micah Beckwith and his Indiana DOGE bros are livin' large This is what you get when narcissists turn the public sector into an online fandom. You get Banks establishing dominance through public humiliation, an approach he'd presumably frown on for his children. You get Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith responding to criticism of his $88,000 taxpayer-funded 2025 Chevy Tahoe High Country by rolling up to the Statehouse in a Tesla Cybertruck as a troll. You get Attorney General Todd Rokita standing next to a pride flag on April Fool's Day to demean people who are different from him. These Republican leaders have drowned their humanity inside made-for-MAGA personas engineered to generate likes and shares. They are not working for you. They are insecure men laboring to fill up balloons of self-importance. Thankfully, it's not all leaders — and not all Republicans. Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen, a Republican, responded to Beckwith's Cybertruck stunt with a social media post redirecting the conversation to public service. "I wake up everyday thinking, 'Am I doing the best I can today to better the lives of those I serve?' I hope all our leaders in Indiana do the same," Jensen said. State Rep. Mitch Gore, D-Indianapolis, offered a more direct response, standing in front of the Cybertruck for a video. "I would just say, you know, Mr. Lieutenant Governor, please focus on the things that matter," Gore said. "I carefully reviewed the Indiana constitution and Indiana code and trolling Hoosiers doesn't appear anywhere in your job responsibilities, but serving them does." Gore's video strikes the right tone, unlike a previous social media post he made cursing at Beckwith, part of an odd new profane trend in Democratic politics. Democrats can't beat Republicans by out-performing their incivility, but they do need to do something. I was critical of Democrats for not pressuring Republicans enough on accountability as Secretary of State Diego Morales flaunts his corruption. Gore's Cybertruck video shows the way. He's the right messenger because he authored House Bill 1518, bipartisan legislation that requires the state to buy base, non-luxury vehicles and would prevent excessive SUV purchases like those made by Beckwith and Morales. It's awaiting Gov. Mike Braun's signature. Gore's approach combats Beckwith's stunt with substance and earnestness. Democrats need to do more of that. Briggs: Diego Morales is rubbing our faces in his corruption. Impeach him now. It probably won't win over Republican base voters who cheer on Banks, Beckwith and Rokita, and it might not win any elections in the short term. But upright public conduct is not a means to an end. Democrats can model public service for its own sake while pointing out how Republicans are falling short. As I wrote above, not all Republicans are failing. Jensen is a strong, pragmatic leader in Noblesville. I've heard from other Republicans at various levels of government who lament the behaviors of the party's statewide elected officials and hold themselves to higher standards. I hope the Jensens of Indiana eventually prevail over the Republican Party. For now, though, the most prominent Indiana Republicans are more attracted to the public stage than the behind-the-scenes grind of governance. They are tearing down others to build themselves up. Democrats can be the party that holds basic human decency as strength and cruelty as weakness. Contact James Briggs at 317-444-4732 or Follow him on X and Bluesky at @JamesEBriggs. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Beckwith's car, Banks' elevator and politics of narcissism | Opinion
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Micah Beckwith and his Indiana DOGE bros are livin' large
The small men governing Indiana need big cars — and they'll cut programs you depend on to afford them. "This is 'Indiana DOGE!' Best statewide team in the country," Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith boasted in January, chartering an unofficial local chapter of Elon Musk's federal cost-cutting wrecking ball club. Beckwith's since-deleted social media posts included a photo of Gov. Mike Braun, Treasurer Daniel Elliott, Secretary of State Diego Morales, Attorney General Todd Rokita, Comptroller Elise Nieshalla and Beckwith — front, center and most in focus. Even though Indiana DOGE includes one woman, make no mistake: this is man's business. Nieshalla is apparently confined to the office while the DOGE bros hit the town in taxpayer-funded land yachts. IndyStar on Wednesday reported Beckwith is driving a top-of-the-line 2025 Chevy Tahoe High Country SUV that cost the state about $88,000. When asked to explain the purchase, Beckwith said he and the boys can't possibly make do with anything less. "We needed a car that was big enough for the guys on my team, because the previous lieutenant governor (Suzanne Crouch) had a smaller car, because she had a bunch of women that would travel with her, and we got some big guys that go with us," Beckwith told IndyStar. "And so I said, 'Hey, I've got to have something that's good for three or four guys.' And so when you start looking at those models, I mean, the price gets up there when you're talking about a new car." Now, I don't know the heights and weights of Beckwith's big-guy roster, and I'm not sure whether Indiana's new public access counselor would consider that public record, but I do have insight into third-row vehicles as a father of young children. I think Beckwith probably could have found a better deal. I drive a spacious Volkswagen Atlas, for example, and it cost about half the price of Beckwith's top-trim Tahoe. My family also has a minivan, which, while admittedly not very masculine, is designed with maximum efficiency — DOGE! — to hold lots of teammates. Briggs: The Braun-Beckwith plan to abolish Carmel OK, sure, you can't expect Beckwith to drive a vehicle built for soccer moms. But this is America and there's a huge selection of large SUVs on the market, many of which cost less than $88,000 — even in 2025. That includes the highly rated Kia Telluride, which starts well under $40,000. If Beckwith really wanted to project DOGE vibes and also buy American, he could have thrown down for a Tesla Cybertruck, starting at $80,000. In fairness, though, it must be hard for someone of Beckwith's stature to find a car that costs less than my childhood home, because Morales' ride cost even more. Morales acquired a $90,000 GMC Yukon Denali designed to "immerse yourself in luxury," as IndyStar reported. Morales' vehicular excess hasn't gotten as much attention as Beckwith's because, at this point, everyone takes for granted that the secretary of state is irredeemably corrupt and Republicans aren't willing to hold him accountable. News of Morales' sweet ride comes as people are trying to figure out why Indiana's top elections official just spent 10 days in India on a sketchy "economic development" mission unrelated to his job and won't say who paid for it. Nothing Morales does surprises anyone anymore, because he has an impossibly long list of dubious behavior, including (probably) voting illegally, lying about his resume, mischaracterizing his military record, hiring his brother-in-law to a six-figure state salary while also giving him and other employees generous bonuses. Meanwhile, Braun is getting a state-funded helipad at his Jasper residence. A helipad! At his house! It would be kind of funny if the DOGE bros weren't demanding everyone else do more with less. Briggs: Mike Braun deserves every minute of his new political hell When news came out earlier this year that Braun's proposed property tax cuts would cost schools and local governments tens of millions of dollars each, the governor played a tough guy. 'Almost all of them are saying that they can't do without what they're having now. I would say, prove it,' Braun said of school districts during a Feb. 4 press briefing. 'Prove it that you didn't salt away a lot, that you didn't overburden the taxpayer by maybe making investments in buildings that weren't needed or other things that weren't essential.' "Prove it," Braun said. Prove you haven't been wasting money on "things that weren't essential," Braun said. Like a helipad? Former Gov. Eric Holcomb didn't need that. Like an $88,000 Chevy Tahoe High Country SUV? Crouch didn't need that. Like a $90,000 GMC Yukon Denali? Former Secretary of State Holli Sullivan didn't need that. Ah, but Indiana DOGE has masculine energy. The DOGE bros need big cars, heated steering wheels and quick access to helicopters. They don't care how many state budget cuts they need to make to eliminate unnecessary frills, as long as they get to keep theirs. Contact James Briggs at 317-444-4732 or Follow him on X and Bluesky at @JamesEBriggs. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Micah Beckwith brought an $88,000 car because he's a man | Opinion
