The end of Dick Lugar's career in sight...

Richard Lugar has served Indiana in the United States Senate since 1977 and since then has really never had a close election. This year, however, State Treasurer Richard Mourdock has challenged him in the Republican primary and may knock him off in the May 8 contest. Mourdock has attacked Lugar from the right and has painted the 80 year old senior statesman as out of touch with Indiana. If Mourdock does win next Tuesday it will be yet another win for the Tea Party caucus against the establishment of the Republican Party. Most GOP members on Capitol Hill as well as popular governor Mitch Daniels support Lugar and he's able to draw on a large war chest to fight against an aggressive and fearless opponent. Lugar simply seems surprised that anyone would seriously challenge him and his feeling is certainly understandable. He's served in the Senate for 36 years and has coasted to reelection every time. Now, however, we've experienced three wave elections in a row (2006, 1008, 2010) and several GOP members are being judged on their conservative orthodoxy; especially in terms of their cooperation with President Obama. Lugar is a solid conservative but he has voted for the President's two Supreme Court nominees as well as the bank bailouts and a variety of smaller laws that drive Republicans up the wall. When you serve six terms in the Senate you're going to have a lot to pick on and Mourdock seizes every opportunity to show rank and file GOP voters what Lugar has been up to. Democrats have had success in the Hoosier State but Indiana is really at heart a conservative state; especially in a primary like this. Mourdock won reelection as Treasurer by 25 points in 2010 and is well known throughout Indiana and I believe he'll end up winning the May 8 contest. If he does lose Dick Lugar will be the latest in huge string of strong Democrats and Republicans that have lost in the last four contests. Respectfully, The Snitch