Indiana G.O.P. Beholds Obama and Shrugs

INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana’s Republican Party has its headquarters across the street from the office building where Obama held his press conference this morning, and where Obama supporters and campaign staff are still meeting and looking at charts of poll data.

In an interview conducted at the top of a sweeping staircase of a converted opera house with exposed brick walls, the party's spokesman, Jay Kenworthy, said he and his colleagues knew something was going on when he saw "lots if men in suits."

He wasn't pleased about Obama's attack on McCain’s proposal for a gas-tax break, but said he was less than worried about Obama threatening McCain come November.

"Indiana is still a red state," he said. "People forget with all the appearances and pandering going on by Obama and Clinton." He said Obama might look good to some Republicans now because he was being contrasted with Clinton, but that would change when they had a real Republican option. "After Tuesday they'll be off and everyone here will forget about Obama."

He pointed out that a Democrat hadn't won Indiana in a general since 1964.

"This time around will be 11 consecutive wins," said Kevin Ober, the executive director of the state party, who was filling a paper cup at the water cooler.

Kenworthy gleefully asked about a YouTube clip currently linked by Drudge, which shows a clip from the film The War Room in which a Clinton aide appears to call people in Indiana "shit" and worse.

"I don't know if that's her Reverend Wright moment but Hoosiers—like anybody else—don't like to be called names," he said.

UPDATE: Kenworthy sends in a clarification. He writes that he meant the Democratic candidates would forget about Indiana, not that the people of Indiana would forget about them:

UPDATE: The clip is a fake, says the maker of The War Room.