House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, and Daniels have developed a grudging mutual respect in the last four years. Case in point: privatizing the Hoosier Lottery. After Bauer objected, Daniels offered to bond against lottery proceeds to raise the money for college scholarships instead, an idea with more appeal to Bauer.
That give and take is important. Indiana needs progressive leadership to remake the state's economy and re- educate its work force, said John Mutz, a former lieutenant governor. "I won't say it's desperate, but this is a crucial moment in the economic history of the state," Mutz said.
Hence the desire for change.
"Some (change) will be good and some may be difficult," said Frank Hancock, the owner and chief executive of Sport Graphics. "But if it gets the country all headed in the right direction, (with) everyone better working together, it will be good for all, regardless of owning a business or working for one."
The voters knew what they were doing.
Interesting thoughts. I think that most Hoosiers have no idea what a mess state government is actually in. Jill Long Thompson did not run an effective campaign.In fact, she barely ran a campaign at all. Mitch ran constant ads touting his changes, including making it sound as if he'd reformed the child protection system.
ReplyDeleteI think that if Long Thompson had run campaing ads targeting issues that were important in different regions of Indiana that highlighted all of the destructive "change" that Mitch has wrought in state government along with her own well-articulated plans on how she would be different, would have made a difference. In my area of the state, CAFOs, the economy, and DST would have been good issues to highlight, as well as Mitch's attempts to privatize the state hospital.
I think you have some very good ideas. Looking back it is hard to figure out whether the lack of fundraising caused the lukewarm campaign or the lukewarm campaign was caused by the poor fundraising. Kind of a chicken or egg problem.
ReplyDeleteMitch and the Republicans come off as looking like the agents of change and the Dems look like the party of the status quo. Clever fellow. I heard a Republican tout Mitch as an example for the Republicans future.