Indiana teabaggers won't pull their punches against Sen. Dick Lugar. (Jason Reed/Reuters)
Indiana teabaggers won't pull their punches against Sen. Dick Lugar. (Jason Reed/Reuters)
Someone finally noticed that Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar hasn't been home very much lately. And by "lately," I mean
the last 35 years.
Sen. Richard Lugar defended himself during an appearance in Indianapolis on Monday that came days after opponents claimed that he isn't qualified to run for office because he doesn't live in the state.
Lugar said two attorneys general have affirmed his position that the Indianapolis address on his Indiana driver's license is valid, even though he sold that home in 1977.
1977? 19-fucking-77?
I checked out Indiana's BMV site (what everyone else calls a DMV), and it seems pretty cut and dry:
A legal address is the address the BMV requires to validate your permanent place of residency in Indiana. The legal address is necessary for your credentials, such as your driver’s license or identification card. It is very important that you provide proper documentation for any updates to your legal address.
But that's just rules for the little people. He's Dick Lugar!
Lugar said he and his wife sold their house in Indianapolis because the only way they could afford to keep the family together and be part of their sons' school and after-school activities was to move to Washington, D.C. full time and buy a home there.
Okay. That was in 1977. You know, 35 years ago. Funny thing is, Lugar had other options available to him:
Lugar also owns a farmhouse where his son lives, but he said he will not take that as his official residence because it wouldn't be accurate.
Right. It wouldn't be accurate to list the farmhouse he supposedly owns as his Indiana address. But it's
totally accurate to list the house that he hasn't owned or lived in in 35 frackin' years! But a lawyer once told him it's okay, so it's all good.
Only Texas rivals Indiana in the intensity of its self-identity. If Lugar represented Illinois, few would care. But in Hoosier land, this issue won't fade quickly.
(p.s. In case you're wondering about the photo above, it's from an Iraq hearing in the Senate on January 24, 2007.)
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