Baron Hill, former Senator Bayh speak to IU College Democrats

Democratic candidate for Indiana's 9th District, Baron Hill, spoke to members of the Indiana Public Interest Research Group and the IU College Democrats about environmental issues Tuesday night.\nHill reiterated his position on energy independence, saying that if elected to the House, he will work to invest money into ethanol and biodiesel, as well as offer tax incentives for buyers and sellers of hybrid cars.\n"This Congress and this White House is beholden to big oil," Hill said. "George Bush and Dick Cheney are both big oil people."\nHill will be facing Rep. Mike Sodrel, R-9th, at the polls for the third time Nov. 7. Hill served as the district's representative from 1998 until 2004 when Sodrel defeated him by fewer than 1,500 votes. \nLibertarian Eric Schansberg is also running.\nIn introducing Hill, Indianapolis lawyer Gregory Silver, who was representing the League of Conservation Voters, which has endorsed Hill, blasted Sodrel's environmental record.\n"Baron wants to reduce global warming," Silver said. "He has worked hard for energy independence. His opponent doesn't believe people are contributing to global warming. He's the polluter's polluter."\nHill also advocated clean coal technology and wind power as viable energy sources in the future. \nAccompanying Hill at the meeting was Birch Bayh, a senator from Indiana for 18 years and father of current Sen. Evan Bayh. Birch Bayh has been accompanying Hill on the campaign trail for the past six days to stress the importance of this particular race.\n"This is about leadership of the House," he said. "This is not just about electing a Democrat to the house. This could change the course of the country."\nBayh denounced the steps the Bush Administration has taken in the war on terror such as wire tapping, referring to the president as the "wild man on 1600 West Pennsylvania Avenue."\n"When I think about the way he has violated civil liberties in this country and laid down a platform for it to get even worse, I get very upset," he said.\nAs Hill and Birch Bayh spoke to the IU College Democrats, Sodrel's campaign announced that President Bush will be speaking for the congressman in Sellersburg, Ind. this Saturday. This will be the second time Bush has campaigned for Sodrel. \nFirst Lady Laura Bush will also be speaking at a campaign rally for Sodrel today in Columbus, Ind.\nHill criticized the number of well-known politicians which have come to Indiana for Sodrel, which also include Dick and Lynne Cheney and former First Lady Barbara Bush.\n"I've only had Bill Clinton and Barack Obama speak for me," Hill said. "One's a former president and the other's a sitting senator. I'm not beholden to either of them. He's got all theses major leaders and Washington insiders coming here; he needs to make sure he's not beholden to them because they've helped him out so much"