A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics
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A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics | |
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February 23, 2005Mitch Daniels: Right Wing MarionetteMitch Daniels was elected Governor of Indiana because he campaigned as a moderate, dropping the normal right-wing rhetoric and focusing on issues that Hoosiers cared about. Deep inside, Daniels must still be at least part moderate. However, it seems a far right legislature has hijacked an inexperienced and inept Daniels Administration and has begun retooling it to fit its own desires. The outcome: politics as usual. When House Speaker Brian Bosma excoriated Gov. Daniels during his first week in the office, the tension that so many suspected was made public: a clash between moderates and right-wingers. Bosma, the leader of the right-wing fringe, was telling Daniels to back off and play ball for the party. Daniels, to his credit, stared Bosma down and made him apologize for growing out of his britches. Of course, that was only the first time. Now we see why the legislature is growing so chummy with Mitch Daniels after all of that fighting – Daniels has finally conceded ground to the far-right movement as political payback for blowing all of his hard-earned political capital on a tax hike that died in the House and appointments that fizzled within weeks. The Bosma-approved Indiana budget freezes spending on education while pushing private school vouchers. It slashed Medicare while stripping medical protection from the poorest Hoosiers. Oh, and it still leaves that gaping hole that Mitch Daniels vowed to fill. Daniels has shown his Darwinist attitude to Hoosiers he once hollowly swore to help and defend. When Amtrak’s production and repair factory asked for help, Daniels told them it would be “cheaper” to buy them a plane ticket than to help keep the factory going. Daniels’ Administration doesn’t seem to be booking flights for the thousands of jobs that now teeter on the brink of irreparable loss. Instead of creating and protecting jobs as he swore to do on the campaign trail, Daniels spent his day pushing his agenda in the legislature with – you guessed it – Brian Bosma by his side. Now Gov. Daniels, backed by Bosma, wants to create his own appointed Inspector General and vest the position with full prosecutorial power. Why does a governor need his own prosecutor? The question is never answered. Indiana would be the first state in the Union to give a governor his own prosecutor, even though 11 states have non-prosecutorial Inspectors General. That’s one way to keep investigations away from your Administration – own the guy who’s doing them! Not a bad power grab, either. It seems that this is the governor Indiana will be stuck with: a leader whose positions are whispered to him from the Republican arch-conservatives in the legislature. That’s not a moderate governor: it’s a right wing ragdoll. Perhaps Mitch Daniels isn’t that different from George W. Bush after all. It’s time Hoosiers began considering giving Mitch a plane ticket out of Indiana. It’d be cheaper than keeping him. Brought to you by The New Democrat Posted by Max at February 23, 2005 05:11 PMComments
Max, Perhaps you should consider the possibility that this is the governor that Hoosiers want. I haven't noticed that Indiana has been particularly hospitable to liberal poltiicians in recent years. You are assuming that Daniels' tacking to the right will destroy him politically. I suspect that is not necessarily a valid assumption. Posted by: MWS at February 23, 2005 05:25 PMMax; I don't know the situation in Indiana but I personally would rather have a Governor who works with what he/she's got as opposed to only staying on the "moral high ground" Posted by: Chris at February 23, 2005 05:30 PMActually, MWS, Daniels is the first Republican Governor of Indiana in 16 years, and this is the first time Republicans have been in control of the legislature in 16 years. So I wouldn't say that we've been hostile to Democrats. Posted by: Max at February 23, 2005 05:46 PMJust as a point of clarification here... Max talked about Daniels having campaigned as a moderate. I don't see how that logically implies that he was saying that Hoosiers are or are not friendly to liberals. At most, given what Max actually said, the argument can be made that Hoosiers are friendly to moderates, with the evidence being Daniels having been elected. What am I missing here? Posted by: Kevin at February 23, 2005 08:12 PMMax, I don't think he pretended not to be George W. Bush... Wasn't his campaign slogan "My Man Mitch," referring to a quote from the President? Are we really going to have to go through the reasons why the President of the United is anything but a right-wing Conservative? That dog doesn't hunt, unless you're simply attempting to label the man for partisan reasons, and as an admitted partisan Democrat I would argue that is exactly what you are doing with Daniels. I am having trouble believing you would find any Republican to be moderate... Even some called Christie Whitman a close right-winger. Many a liberals have complained about the cost of Amtrak, which, and listen to me carefully, should be completely and utterly privatized. Daniels as a former Director of OMB would have first hand knowldege of this empty tire of a government program that we keep throwing money at. I am a little confused by your Inspector General argument also. Many states have Attorney General's who are appointed by the Governor. The move to have appointed officials rather than elected, is actually rooted in West Coast liberalism and is related to the same argument over why city governments should have appointed managers and not mayors. The theory is that when someone is appointed the focus is on their qualifications and not their electability. Who supports such a move? Budget experts among many others, because appointed officials tend to take a more analytical approach to policy issues than do politicians. What was Mitch Daniels again before he was Governor? I agree that this gives Daniels more power, and I am not even saying that it is a good thing, but you are going to have to do a better job than that to convince me that Daniel's is a wing nut. A Governor working with the legislature to pass legislation? Isn't that his job? If Daniels where a Democrat moving to the right to work with the Republican legislature, like Mark Warner in Virginia for instance, you would call him a hero. Posted by: Mathew at February 24, 2005 10:03 AM |
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