Lost amongst the hustle and bustle of today’s publicity machine in South Bend is the fact that the President of the United States is making his second visit to the Hoosier State in just the first five months of his term in office. Aside from the usual spectacle of the Oval Office rolling up to a town near you, it’s worth noting that today’s visit represents a real statement that Indiana’s critical importance in last year’s historic election may not be the fluke that so many chalked it up as.

Maureen Groppe takes a look at the visit and its political implications:

In February, Elkhart was the site of his first presidential visit outside the Washington area.

Obama’s first judicial nominee was Hoosier Judge David Hamilton, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

And the president’s first fundraiser for members of Congress takes place today in Indianapolis when he helps out four of the state’s five Democratic House members.

“I think it’s just a continuation of the attention he paid to the state last year,” said Dan Parker, chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party. “This is a state that he traveled from north to south, east to west. He knows the concerns of Hoosiers. He’s paying attention. Coming to our state should continue that focus on Indiana.”

As noted in the above article, a recent statewide poll put President Obama’s approval rating at 61%, a number that could represent a high water mark, but could just as easily serve as a shot over the bow that Indiana will be in play come 2012. That’s a development that may explain the increasingly frequent visits from GOP pretenders contenders, who have made Indiana a vital stop on the pre-game tour.

Let us recap: The national Republican Party is in shambles. Said party elects Michael Steele to be their fearless leader and fight tirelessly for their pro-life, pro-business agenda. Said party leader runs off and tells GQ magazine — of all things — that he thinks abortion procedures are “individual choice.”

Whoops.

And the best part of this whole thing? Michael Steele will be in Evansville on April 16 to speak to the Vanderburgh County Right to Life organization.

Oh, and Sarah Palin announced yesterday that she’s coming, too.

Palin will be attending the Vanderburgh County Right to Life dinner in Evansville, Ind., on April 16 and a breakfast the following day with members of S.M.I.L.E., a nonprofit support organization for people with family members who have Down syndrome. Palin’s 10-month-old son, Trig, was born with the condition, which is caused by an extra chromosome and characterized by mental retardation of varying degrees.

Grab the popcorn, folks, and cue the Family Feud theme. This one’s going to be good.

The past two years have been quite the whirlwind in politics. We saw Indiana go from corn-fed red to Hooloovoo blue, and we felt for the first time what it was like to be a battleground state — the lights, the cameras, the ad revenue and the spectacle of politics laid at our doorstep.

Personally, I had time to get knocked up and have a now-11-month-old kid while both party’s candidates fought out the primary battle and inched closer to the finish line in what seemed to be the longest national contest ever.

Here in Indiana, we saw a vulnerable incumbent Governor buy his way from uninvited to golden child and win in a landslide.

We’ve seen changes at the local level — fewer assessors, different mayors — and a couple transitions at the Statehouse.

But it just wouldn’t feel like an election without a set of winners and losers, so let’s close out the week by doing what we do best: judging.

WINNERS

The Hoosier State: We basked in the electoral sun, and, oh, how good it felt to be appreciated and loved. Our votes mattered this year, and now that we’ve gone blue, I’m guessing we won’t be a fly-over state in 2012.

Democracy: Record numbers of people tuned in to watch the presidential and vice presidential debates, new voters lined up to register and cast their ballots and turnout soared. Something — whether it was eight years of being treated like pawns in a rigged chess game or a sense that all was not right in Washington — made us care again. Let’s hope we can maintain that level of interest going forward.

The Punditocracy: How many cable news networks created and promoted new political shows this cycle? Did Chuck Todd or Chris Cillizza ever sleep? Opinionation ruled the nation, and you couldn’t escape it. The constant chatter might have annoyed some viewers looking to plug in to traditional fluffy programming, but for those of us who live for polls and predictions, it was a time to celebrate.

Unlikely Democratic Candidates: If you were a Democrat, this wasn’t a bad year to be on the ballot. It wasn’t a landslide for the downticket types, but we certainly didn’t have to run from our party label like Republicans did.

The Thinking Voter: There were plenty of people who pulled straight-ticket, but there were also plenty of people, as evidenced by Mitch Daniels’ victory, who picked and chose the candidates they thought were best for each office. That’s kinda cool.

Howard Dean: I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my old boss. Before I became a political free agent, I was part of the Democratic National Committee’s “50 State Strategy,” which drew plenty of fire inside the Beltway for sending money to states like Indiana, where a Democratic presidential candidate hadn’t prevailed in 44 years. It was Dean’s brainchild, and he deserves credit for realizing that you can’t just play in the same old sandbox if you want to expand your win column. Three years after the first staffers were dispatched, there’s a lot more blue on that thar map.

Mighty Righty Talk Show Hosts: Their scare tactics didn’t work prior to the election, but they’ve got four years of new material. Assuming their heads don’t simultaneously implode on Inauguration Day, that is.

LOSERS

Conservative Republicans: Y’all got your veep pick, and she dragged the ticket down, down, down. Now, I blame John McCain for thoughtless pandering, but if you look at the big picture, voters weren’t interested in the wingnut, wedgewhack issues that the far-right tends to trot out when they’re losing on the big stuff. The message: Leave religion, abortion, gay marriage and race-baiting at the door, kids. We’ve got a country to fix.

Dubya: Pretty obvious pick, but our Commander in Chief went from “Mission Accomplished” to “Sit In The Corner And Don’t Touch Anything Until It’s Time To Leave” over the course of two terms. For 70 percent of this country, the door can’t hit him in the butt soon enough.

Oddsmakers: When a group of friends unveiled our pre-election picks earlier this week, it turned out we were all pretty far off-base. Now, that wasn’t such a bad thing from a partisan standpoint, but this election was anything but predictable.

Downticket Candidates: Yes, yes, I also listed them as winners, but the truth is that no one was paying attention to their races. Such is the effect of the long shadow a presidential race casts on the rest of the ballot. There might have been some good candidates on both sides who never saw the light of day because we were all so fixated on the White House.

The Old Regime: On both sides of the aisle, the people who do things the way they’ve always been done wound up acting the fool this time around. Obama’s campaign completely changed the landscape. Some folks realized it early on; others missed the boat.

Republican Political Staffers: The gravy train just ended for a lot of GOP up-and-comers on and around Capitol Hill — and the campaign rats who were hoping to land sweet gigs in a McCain administration. Transitions are neat for the party assuming power.

That’s all I’ve got for the time being. Feel free to add your suggestions to the list.

As soon as I get over my post-election depression, I’m going to ready myself for the start of a legislative session and return to closely watching what’s going on right here in Central Indiana.

I’m one of those people who likes to chew on things before passing judgment, but I wanted to take a minute to comment on the concession and acceptance speeches we saw on Tuesday night:

John McCain: I was bowled over by his eloquence and his statesmanlike demeanor. Johnny Mac gets big points for going out with grace and style.

Barack Obama: Honestly, I need to watch his speech over again because I was a little choked up (yes, even the heartless get a little weepy now and again), but it was everything I wanted to hear from our next President. It won’t be easy, but I believe he’ll bring this country together in a way unlike any I’ve seen in my short lifetime.

Mitch Daniels: I’m surprised they could build a stage big enough to hold his ego. He won. I get it. But the over-the-top video lead-in, followed by the “Pirates of the Caribbean”-like entry music was a bit much. And his actual speech? Welcome back, Governor Arrogance. A little humility goes a long way. Remember that you still have to work with House Democrats to get your agenda passed. Also, you are not a god.

Jill Long Thompson: It was obvious that Thompson took the loss hard, and her remarks were tinged with emotion, especially at the outset. She gave a nice speech, but it’s too bad she got off the podium and immediately started pointing fingers in her one-on-one interviews with the media. I’m a big fan of personal responsibility; own up to your mistakes. John McCain did in his speech, and Thompson should have, too. If you’re the CEO of a company, you don’t get to blame the administrative assistants when your latest product launch flops.

10:00 p.m.

• Barack is President.  Mitch is Governor.  Abdul is right!

9:30 p.m.

• ABC News is calling Ohio for Barack Obama. If it holds this race is pretty much over!

9:25 p.m.

• Ponder this. In Marion County Democrats are out straight-ticket voting Republicans by 20,000 votes but Daniels is winning by 47,000 votes.

8:08 p.m.

• I just got off the phone with a Marion County township assessor. Many of them are conceding defeat.

7:55 p.m.

• I just checked the township consolidation question. Consolidation is winning 67-32 %. But there is no breakdown by township.

7:50 p.m.

• Zoeller and Pence still to close to call. The big question is going to be who has longer coattails? Obama or Mitch.

7:38 p.m.

• JLT is only leading in a handful of counties.
• McCain and Obama are still neck and neck.

7:15 p.m.

• AP has called Vermont for Obama and Kentucky for McCain. Indiana is still too close to call.
• JLT is only ahead in 6 counties.

7:02 p.m.

• That was quick. The AP just declared Mitch Daniels the winner. So much for foreplay!