V22, N20 Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017 Holcomb stakes out his own policy Mitch Daniels the comeback kid. New governor taking Gov. Eric Holcomb is, perhaps, different route on taxes, the least known new governor of the modern era, elevated to lieutenant education, opioids governor last March, and then into the gubernatorial nomination on July 26. In By BRIAN A. HOWEY the final November WTHR/Howey Poli- and THOMAS CURRY tics Indiana Poll, Holcomb’s fav/unfavs INDIANAPOLIS – One would had risen to 31/26%, up from 17/14% be hard-pressed to recall an Indiana in the September survey where he was governor who didn’t get off to a good start. Governors first tested. He had 80% name ID, compared to 98% for are elected on a virtual personal basis with voters. Frank Gov. Pence, and 23% had no opinion of him, compared O’Bannon was grandfatherly, Evan Bayh the boy next door, to just 4% for Pence, whose own fav/unfavs stood at Doc Bowen was the family physician, Bob Orr the friendly giant, Mike Pence the sunny favorite son come home, and Continued on page 5 Pence departs on mute By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – He was supposed to be the great Hoosier communicator. But when Mike Pence was finished with Indiana this past week, his galloping ambition fulfilled after a three and a half year run over Hoo- “It was disgraceful that the sier stepping stones, it was a one-way conversation. It was intelligence agencies allowed any a wrap. No exit interviews as information that turned out to be his term came to an end, unlike with exiting Govs. Evan Bayh, so false and fake out. I think it’s Joe Kernan and Mitch Daniels. In December 2012, Gov. a disgrace ... and that’s some- Daniels conducted a series of thing that Nazi Germany would exit interviews in his Statehouse office. Seated around him were have done and did do.” myself, Eric Bradner, Tom LoBi- - President-elect Donald Trump anco, Susan Guyett and Leslie Page 2 Weidenbener. LoBianco asked the last Health Indiana Plan 2.0, or about question: What’s your proudest ac- record employment and investment. complishment? He would ignore the East Chicago lead Gov. Daniels would answer crisis that impacted 1,000 Hoosiers, any question and on this one he or the wave of carfentanyl and heroin responded, “This is the ‘Who’s your that was killing dozens of Hoosiers favorite daughter’ question. I think and sending hundreds into emergency the best way I can answer this is to rooms. say there are several. Opening doors The great Indiana communi- to building a better business climate. cator had transformed himself into a Howey Politics Indiana Because that was always the central mute. It was as if he was saying that WWHowey Media, LLC 405 goal. If it does have staying power, it once he ascended to the Trump ticket, Massachusetts Ave., Suite will lead to all the other good things. the 6.5 million of us had served his 300 Indianapolis, IN 46204 It will lead to jobs, therefore to rev- purpose. Or as an old Boston politi- enues to do the things governments cal operative bluntly put it in a book www.howeypolitics.com should do. It will underpin the success about Tip O’Neill, when the campaign of the state. If it lasts, Brian A. Howey, Publisher establishing Indiana as Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington more of a leadership Maureen Hayden, Statehouse state at least in cer- tain areas, I hope I’ve Jack E. Howey, Editor changed the culture Mary Lou Howey, Editor inside state government Mark Curry, photography to excellence, efficiency and good service, and outside, change the Subscriptions culture and expecta- HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 tions of higher expecta- HPI Weekly, $350 tions. An expectation of Ray Volpe, Account Manager innovation.” Four of the five living governors at the inaugural: Eric Hol- 317.602.3620 For a politician who was supposed to comb, Mike Pence, Mitch Daniels and Evan Bayh. email: [email protected] be the great Indiana Contact HPI communicator, Vice President-elect volunteer showed up at the HQ the [email protected] Pence left us on his own words and day after the election, he was told, Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 terms. What he lacked was the cour- “Thanks a lot kid, now get lost.” age to engage in a dialogue over what During the Indiana Re- Washington: 202.256.5822 had occurred here over the past four publican Convention in June when he Business Office: 317.602.3620 years. Gov. Pence left us with a video was renominated, Pence would not on his final weekend (see page 4), a speak to the press. He took a couple © 2017, Howey Politics brief appearance before the Indiana of questions over the Fourth of July Indiana. All rights reserved. Republican Central Committee, and a weekend in Noblesville when specu- few state bicentennial events. lation grew that he was on Trump’s Photocopying, Internet forward- Even though Pence drew short list. He took a couple of ques- ing, faxing or reproducing in a paycheck from Indiana taxpayers tions from WTHR-TV’s Kevin Rader at any form, whole or part, is a since Donald Trump selected him for the Republican National Convention violation of federal law without the ticket, as of last May, when his and one subsequent campaign imbed permission from the publisher. ambition kindled into flame as scores flight that cost his station thousands of Republicans shunned a chance to of dollars. Gov. Pence decided not to run with the Manhattan billionaire, the mingle with the Indiana Republican governor simply moved on from the delegation at the Hilton Gardens in Indiana press and subsequently, his Cleveland, perhaps because there own people. were about of dozen journalists in There were no room for ques- tow. He opted for a 15-minute appear- tions about his policies and impacts. ance at a country club breakfast the He would refuse to talk about the day after his acceptance speech. legacy of his prized program, the His media team, headed by Page 3 Marc Lotter who abruptly left the Ballard administration miscalculation, then find his career salvaged by Donald months before, refused to return phone calls, emails and Trump, who presented a dark, brooding vision for a na- texts from Indiana media. Pence’s cell phone number, used tion while earning votes from a disaffected strata of the sparingly by this writer, went dark. Even Pence’s home- electorate who see their communities and lives undergoing town newspaper, the Columbus Republic, was ignored. The change they don’t like or understand. phrase: “The Pence campaign did not respond to requests In President Reagan’s farewell address in January for comment” became the norm this past year. 1989, he observed the tradition of farewell warnings, but Why would the great Hoosier communicator noted a “resurgence of national pride that I call the new fear the press? Perhaps it was that April 2015 day at the patriotism. This national feeling is good, but it won’t count Indiana State Library when the RFRA legislation and the for much and it won’t last unless it’s grounded in thought- clumsy way he signed the act left a bad taste in his mouth fulness and knowledge. An informed patriotism is what we or scared his inner circle. Pence had seriously bungled not want.” only that press conference, but his interview with ABC’s Reagan also noted his persistent reference to that George Stephanopolous that following weekend. Pence’s “shining city upon the hill.” ascension on the Trump ticket brought him new political It’s instructive to hear Reagan’s lasting vision: vitality, a lifeline away from a gubernatorial rematch with “I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I John Gregg many believed he would lose. don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when Reliable sources within the Trump/Pence transition I said it. But in my mind, it was a tall proud city built on tell HPI that there was a blunt political calculation made rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God blessed, and that he had nothing to gain by talking teeming with people of all kinds to Indiana reporters. living in harmony and peace – a Such a calculation only under- city with free ports that hummed scored the widespread notion that with commerce and creativity, and virtually everything he did as Indi- if there had to be city walls, the ana governor was conducted in the walls had doors, and the doors context of a future national campaign. were open to anyone with the will For three and a half years, Pence and the heart to get here.” became the most tightly scripted Mike Pence had an politician to come and pass the scene. opportunity to lend perspective His answers were so predictable that and create a dialogue about his reporters would mouth his responses tenure at the Hoosier helm. His as he said them. own paranoia and that of his staff In covering Gov. Pence, reveal a lost confidence that he the challenge was always to find an could communicate his perspec- original thought beyond his talking tive. points. Traveling with him to Aurora, In his campaign with Madison and Salem in October 2014, Trump, the Pence we knew in the journalistic yield was a series of Congress who created the media fabulous photos and excellent interac- shield, gave way to a politician tions with regular folks and mayors. who went to war against the me- There wasn’t a single curve ball or embarrassing question dia.