President Trump's Indiana Legacy
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V26, N18 Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 President Trump’s Indiana legacy Trump’s power flowed from the grassroots and never faltered here By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – As the era of President Trump draws to a close, the question is whether this will be a tem- porary reprieve, or a reality show to be continued over the next four years, leading to a compelling comeback in 2024. From the time he began appearing in Indiana in March 2016, to the uncertain nature of his exit a month from now, we’ve not witnessed a political figure who has had this kind of sway with Hoosiers. There was the meteor of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, who drew huge crowds leading up to his Democratic primary win, with his life snuffed out less than two months later by first Democrat to win the state’s 11 Electoral College votes an assassin. since 1964. There was Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign that Before Kennedy and Obama, the only political fig- drew crowds of up to 25,000 over a six-week period, fol- lowed by a general election repeat in which he became the Continued on page 4 Buttigieg’s road to power By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – In the summer of 2019, after Pete Buttigieg delivered a comprehensively nuanced for- eign policy treatise at Indiana University, I suggested that if Joe Biden were elected president, he should make the “This is a rapidly evolving situa- former South Bend mayor secretary of state. I happened to be visiting the Badlands at the time tion and it’s why we have focused of Buttigieg’s IU speech, which was a scene where another young, our initial vaccination efforts on promising American – Theodore front-line health care workers Roosevelt – found himself grap- pling with the grief of the deaths of and long-term care facilities. As his mother and wife on the same more vaccine becomes available, day in 1884. Roosevelt went to the Dakotas to become a cowboy, we want to continue to roll out raising cattle. He returned to New - Chief Medical Officer York several years later and was eligibilty.” appointed to the U.S. Civil Service Lindsay Weaver Page 2 Commission in 1889 by President Ben- This could be the perfect jamin Harrison. place to use Buttigieg’s considerable After President William McKin- talents, and not some backwater D.C. ley was elected in 1896, he chose TR outpost. as assistant secretary of the Navy on After he was introduced by April 19, 1897. The secretary of the Biden, Buttigieg recognized the his- Howey Politics Indiana Navy was the older, lackadaisical Long toric context of where he’s been and WWWHowey Media, LLC D. Long, who gave his new assistant where he’s going. “My hometown of c/o Business Office free rein. Roosevelt took the oppor- South Bend, Indiana was built by the PO Box 6553 tunity to rebuild the Navy into what power of American transportation,” he would later send around the world he began. “From trade along the Kokomo, IN, 46904 as the Great White Fleet. He refitted river at the bend that gives the city www.howeypolitics.com older ships, increased the number of its name, to the rail lines which con- U.S. dry docks. Years later, President nected us to the rest of the country Brian A. Howey, Publisher Roosevelt would use this new fleet of when we were considered the west, Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington heavy battleships to project power in to livelihoods created by the good what would ultimately become Mary Lou Howey, Editor the “American century.” Susan E. Joiner, Editor In a June 16, 1897, letter to the Naval War College, Subscriptions Roosevelt expressed his grasp of the task at hand and long range HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 implications: “If we smash the HPI Weekly, $350 Japanese Navy, definitely and Lisa Hounchell, Account Manager thoroughly, then the presence of (765) 452-3936 telephone a Japanese army corps in Hawaii (765) 452-3973 fax would merely mean the estab- [email protected] lishment of Hawaii as a half-way post for that army corps on its Contact HPI way to our prisons. If we didn’t [email protected] get control of the seas then no Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 troops that we would be able to land after or just before the Washington: 202.256.5822 outbreak of a war could hold Business Office: 765.452.3936 Hawaii against the Japanese. In other words I think our objective © 2020, Howey Politics should be the Japanese fleet.” Indiana. All rights reserved. President-elect Biden an- paying union jobs at ... Bendix and nounced Tuesday he was installing Studebaker. And now climate and Photocopying, Internet forward- Pete Buttigieg as secretary of the U.S. infrastructure innovation are bringing ing, faxing or reproducing in any Department of Transportation. “I trust my community into the 21st Century.” form, whole or part, is a violation Mayor Pete to lead this work with fo- He noted his first political of federal law without permission cus, decency, and a bold vision,” Biden foray – his unsuccessful 2010 run from the publisher. said. “He will bring people together to for Indiana treasurer – came on a get big things done.” platform supporting the Obama- Biden said transportation is at Biden era rescue of the auto industry. Jack E. Howey “the intersection of some of our most “As a mayor fighting its way out of editor emeritus ambitious plans to build back better,” the Great Recession, infrastructure 1926-2019 adding that his coming infrastructure was at the heart of our vision,” he improvement proposals would include said. “We reimagined how people the “second great railroad revolution,” and vehicles would move through our and said he would seek funding “to city unlocking new economic vibrancy build more climate-resilient communi- through our urban core.” ties to deal with more extreme floods, During his two terms as may- droughts and super storms.” Biden or he worked with Gov. Eric Holcomb also said the U.S. “can own” the mar- to double-track the South Shore, and ket for electric vehicles. added bicycle mobility and electric Page 3 vehicle infrastructure, while often dealing with “inadequate ministrations have relied on gimmicks and funding transfers state and federal funds.” to keep the Trust Fund solvent because they didn’t want to “I faced a constant battle with that natural enemy raise the gas tax. As he does with many subjects, Buttigieg of all mayors, the pothole,” Buttigieg continued. “At its refocuses the question completely as it isn’t whether or not best, transportation makes the American dream possible, to raise the gas tax; we’re past that debate. Now, it’s what getting people and jobs where they need to be, directly can replace it. and indirectly creating good-paying jobs. At its worst, “That debate has never really happened in Con- misguided policies and missed opportunities can reinforce gress and he’s proposed the answer without the need for a racial, economic and environmental injustice, dividing or commission or study that would take more time away from isolating neighborhoods, undermining government’s basic implementation,” French continues. “Realistically, imple- goal to to empower everyone to thrive. Now comes a his- mentation will take time, and all of the previous studies toric opportunity, this administration can deliver resources and pilot programs have presented user fees as an alterna- to create good jobs to address the climate challenge while tive and not as a mandate. The sooner that automakers, equitably to empower all Americans. Congress, states, municipalities and the general public all “Americans have given this administration to start the discussion around user fees and come up with build back better,” Buttigieg concluded. “And step one is a combined solution, the sooner they can become a 21st to build. THe U.S. should lead the way. Americans expect century reality and can replace the archaic and insufficient infrastructure week will forever be associated with results, 20th century gas tax.” and no longer a media punchline.” That was in reference In his Vision Zero segment, Buttigieg observes, to President Trump often declaration of a coming “insfras- “The 36,500 people that were killed due to crashes in the ture week” followed by ... noth- United States during 2018, which ing. is obviously well above zero.” To In January 2020, achieve this commitment to zero presidential candidate Buttigieg deaths and serious injuries, he has released his infrastructure plan proposed the following: Incentiv- “Building for the 21st Century.” izing municipalities, counties and Jonathan French, writ- states to provide safe, accessible ing for Medium.com, observed, roads and retrofit existing roads. “Most media outlets pointed to Doubling funding for the Transpor- the overall highlights, but what tation Alternatives Program (TAP) separates his plan from his which would allow for the installa- competition is the level of detail, tion of more accessible sidewalks, specifically the detail of what shared use paths, crosswalks and is proposed for highways and bike lanes to increase pedestrian bridges. I highly recommend and bike safety. Focusing on rural that everyone read the entire road safety as rural roads account plan, but the key components for 50% of all traffic fatalities and that I appreciate the most as a transportation professional are twice as deadly as urban roads.” are as follows: Highway Trust Fund funding reform; cutting French concludes, “Knowing that he was a mayor 50% of the backlog of critical road repairs by 2030; repair- with first-hand experience in implementing infrastruc- ing 50% of structurally deficient bridges by 2030; and ture solutions, I was highly anticipating Pete Buttigieg’s committing to Vision Zero.” infrastructure plan for highways and bridges and it does French observes, “He recognizes that the gas tax not disappoint.