V22, N19 Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017 Power 50: Tandem administrations unfold Trump/Pence and Holcomb teams, biennial budget forge the annual power list By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – After a year of what had been unfathomable events and improbable ascendancies, after a year where political align- ments fell off the rails between the people and their political leaders, after a year where long-held beliefs were ditched for current ex- pediency, this is where we are: 2017 prom- ises to be, perhaps, a bipolar year. If 2016 was sensational and unprecedented, 2017 President-elect Donald Trump with Vice President-elect Mike Pence and Governor- could bring a new dawn elect Eric Holcomb at the Carrier plant in Indianapolis. or a reckless interlude. scale level, and the populist uprising that installed two There are voices tweeting things beyond our im- administrations leans in to see what can be delivered, mediate comprehension. There are photo ops no one ever what can’t and at what price. There are deals to be made, expected. The political world is shaking at an 8.2 Richter Continued on page 3 Participation, not party By CHRISTINA HALE INDIANAPOLIS – I just have to thank Donald Trump from the bottom of my heart. When winning presidential candidates talk about “bleeding from the whatever,” and grabbing p*****s, women sit up and take notice. “The first order of business is They listen, too, when that same candidate’s empowered repeal and replace Obamacare.” daughter talks about increasing - Vice President-elect Mike access for parents to quality daycare options. Pence after addressing Understandably pundits and the public continue to Capitol Hill Republicans gape, agog and astounded by on Wednesday. He offered this past election, glued to the continuous news cycle that is little detail on what will our incoming president. replace the ACA. For me, I am grateful for one Page 2 very important thing. Donald Trump 6 p.m., we might have more gener- accomplished what our first female ous polling hours. And certainly more candidate for president from a major empowered positional leaders with a party could not. He inspired women practical feel for what Hoosiers need from both sides of the aisle to engage and don’t need from government. in the political process. We need women to engage in During the election cycle, I the issues, we need women to vote, regret that we invested so much at- and we need women to run for office. tention in the fact of Hillary Clinton’s All over the state, women are gender rather than to issues that truly gathering and getting organized. Just Howey Politics Indiana resonate with women. We shouldn’t after the election, a small group of WWHowey Media, LLC 405 be in the position of breaking glass women tried to host a post-election Massachusetts Ave., Suite ceilings in 2016, or 2017 for that mat- meeting in Zionsville to talk about 300 Indianapolis, IN 46204 ter. That should have happened long what implications a Trump presidency ago, nationally and down ballot as might bring. More and more women www.howeypolitics.com well. expressed interest, and soon they Indiana politics are clearly heard from over 100 women who Brian A. Howey, Publisher dominated by men. Only one in five wanted to attend. The meeting had Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington members of the General Assembly to- to be moved to accommodate the Jack E. Howey, Editor day are women. Here crowd, and the buzz con- in Indiana we have tinued. Mary Lou Howey, Editor never had a female In fact, the word Maureen Hayden, Statehouse House speaker, Senate got out and in just a few Mark Curry, photography president pro-tem, or days, much to the group’s governor. Most of our surprise, over 500 women mayors are men. Yes, turned up, standing room Subscriptions of course positional only, with over 500 more HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 leadership does mat- hopeful women had to be HPI Weekly, $350 ter, yet most people turned away. People who Ray Volpe, Account Manager who vote are men as had driven from all over 317.602.3620 well. the state. It was hot and What we lost this past elec- crowded and may have challenged the email: [email protected] tion cycle was the opportunity to en- fire code, and it was amazing. Contact HPI gage women on the issues that matter In a short time, this non- [email protected] most, in a way that resonates with partisan group has gone viral with Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 them, or in a way that inspired action. thousands of members statewide. But Or in a way that inspired votes. And they are not alone, others all forming Washington: 202.256.5822 by that, I don’t mean from the people over the state. Business Office: 317.602.3620 who showed up and made a choice They are not alone. People all on their ballots. I mean by the people, over the state are concerned about © 2017, Howey Politics the women, who just stayed home. the dignity and safety of all women, Indiana. All rights reserved. The good news is Donald especially in regard to sexual as- Trump rang the alarm, and women sault, health, and equal rights, as well Photocopying, Internet forward- here are responding. It wasn’t com- as empowering women to achieve ing, faxing or reproducing in pelling enough to vote for the first greater political leadership at local, any form, whole or part, is a woman president. Women are engag- state and federal levels. violation of federal law without ing now on issues rather than person- These people are getting permission from the publisher. alities. That is a good thing. organized, and more importantly, en- And yes, shame on us for gaged. Fear is an effective motivator. waiting too long to wake up. It is my Let’s make the most of it. v hope that when we have more people in office who have balanced work and Hale was the 2016 Demo- childcare commitments, people who cratic lieutenant governor nomi- know the juggle of getting to work nee and a former member of the on time, getting to aftercare, hustling Indiana House of Representa- to the grocery store and getting it all tives. She is a regularly HPI col- done in time to get to the polls by umnist. Page 3 middle class, who believe they are getting screwed. They 2017 Power 50, from page 1 see a population that is aging, browner, more polysexual, though no one can be and an invasion of outsiders and for- sure of the facts here eigners edging into their American in post-truth America, dream. or the parameters. Fake Trump won the election news, rumor, gossip and by attracting steelworker votes. He innuendo now compete and Pence returned to Indianapolis with responsible jour- in November, heralding the salvag- nalism. The Trump and ing of 800 jobs out of the 1,400 Holcomb administrations slated to leave for Mexico. There will commence just days would be a $16 million investment from now, the former in the plant. There were high fives likely to impact the latter and even begrudging respect from in ways unknown at this Chuck Jones. But as the calendar writing. turns to 2017, the details of the deal Hoosier Repub- are obfuscated. The $16 million in- licans have reached a vestment will go toward automation, high-water mark that which will cut even more jobs. may never be sur- Trump hailed on Tues- passed, now heading day Ford Motor Company’s decision into a 16-year stretch to not build a new plant in Mexico, of gubernatorial gover- creating 700 new jobs in Michigan. nance. Eric Holcomb, the Lt. Gov. Holcomb greets President-elect Trump and Vice Presi- But the Washington Post reported: former political opera- dent-elect Mike Pence at the Indianapolis Internatinal Airport in “The new employment opportuni- tive, controls the levers November. ties – the tickets to the middle of state government. class – won’t look like the old ones. In Washington, we find the populist demagogue Donald Economists say auto manufacturing at Ford and beyond Trump ready to assume power with Mike Pence at his side. will become increasingly automated, resulting in fewer We don’t know Trump’s ultimate motives because he is a jobs down the road for more highly skilled workers.” Zelig, changing like a political kaleidoscope. His era may It underscores the comment from Purdue Presi- become the first presidential hologram. We don’t know if dent Mitch Daniels to HPI last February when he said what there will be Oz, the man behind the curtain. It could be keeps him up at night are manufacturing proficiencies that Pence, or someone else down the road. Pence is the Chris- won’t create the number of middle class jobs we’ve seen tian, the conservative and the Republican in that order. over the past 80 years. When the notion of income distri- Donald Trump doesn’t appear to be any of those things. bution came up with a Republican lawmaker recently, the The year 2017 finds the Indiana Democratic unanticipated response was that he was “trying to wrap Party in shambles, holding just three of 11 congressional my mind around the concept.” seats, 39 out of the 150 in the General Assembly. This is a Beyond the sloganeering, the assertions absent party that has been rocked to its core, with few emerging of fact, our leaders in Washington and Indianapolis face leadership choices ready to assume the mantle either in many forces beyond their control here in a globalized Indianapolis or Washington.