Indiana Democratic Party chair Mike Schmuhl decried a text message inviting voters to a “Free Palestine Rally” from an apparently fake group called “Progressive Democrats of Indiana” as a Republican dirty trick.
The text said, “As Democrats, we need to stand together with our Palestinian brothers in this struggle for freedom. Please attend, and join us in standing against the violence against innocent Palestinians.”
The purported "rally" was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Indianapolis' Monument Circle, the center of the city and state.
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After opting out of the text, a person on social media posted a screen grab of what happened next.
“Hamilton County Republican GOP: You are now opted out…,” it said, revealing the sender.
The Hamilton County Republican Party sent an unsigned news release saying it had “absolutely nothing” to do with the text.
Democrats took off on the GOP.
“Taking advantage of a vicious terrorist attack with Americans being held hostage for a dirty political trick is repulsive,” Schmuhl said. “Voters are sick and tired of petty politics that smear and divide our communities — and the GOP’s denial was laughable at best.”
Said Hamilton County Democratic Party chair Dayna Colbert: “At a time when members of our community are in mourning and supporting friends and family members who are going to Israel to fight terrorists, these messages are spreading lies and dividing our county. This deceitful text message campaign is just the latest example of how their only goal is to divide our community.”
Hamilton County is north of Indianapolis and has an election for mayor next month in the wealthy city of Carmel. It is also the area represented by Republican Victoria Spartz in Congress. She has announced she isn’t running in 2024.
Hamilton is also the county whose Moms for Liberty chapter quoted Hitler in a newsletter in June. That became an issue in a mayoral debate in Carmel.
The Hamilton East Public Library in Hamilton County received national attention and backlash from author John Green in August when it took his book “The Fault in Our Stars” out of a teen section as part of a review policy. The policy mandated a strict review of books for sex, drugs and alcohol, profanity and violence. Those deemed not "age appropriate" for teens were moved to the adult section.
Green said the decision was “political theater of the lowest and most embarrassing order” before the library moved Green's book back to the teen section and suspended the review process, which carried a $300,000 price tag for time and manpower.