Gov. Pence: Persuasion, Luck & Allies
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V18, N22 Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013 Gov. Pence: Persuasion, luck & allies sional races to an incumbent Democrat, then took the reins Fledgling governor delivers of the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, where he further honed his skills on the issues. But it was his radio and TV two resounding speeches, but talk shows beginning in 1994 that established Pence as a now comes the hard part gifted communicator and, from that standpoint, both his inaugural address on Jan. 14 and his State of the State ad- By BRIAN A. HOWEY dress Tuesday night graded well on style points. INDIANAPOLIS – There is no question that Gov. Midway through his State of the State, it was strik- Mike Pence is a skilled orator who can craft a great speech. ing to see skeptical Democrats rise when he vowed to fully Hoosiers have now witnessed this twice in the past 10 fund Medicaid, to emphasize an increased funding for Child days. Services, take head-on the national disgrace of the high This is no surprise. After Pence burst onto the Indi- jobless rate of military veterans, and provide transparency ana political scene in 1988, he promptly lost two congres- Continued on page 4 Obama: A liberal payback? By BRIAN A. HOWEY NASHVILLE, Ind. – A little over a week before the New York Times’ Page 1 banner headline would proclaim - “Obama offers liberal vision: ‘We Must Act’ - an acknowl- ‘‘We’re expecting over the next edgement of sorts came forth. U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita, 22 months to be the focus of this a sophomore Republican administration as they attempt to stated the obvious in an HPI interview. Asked if his 4th annihilate the Republican Party.” CD constituents had come to grips with the likely fact that Barack Hussein Obama would - House Speaker John Boehner be president for the next to the Ripon Society four years, Rokita responded, HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013 “I think my constituents understand. President Reagan, using this most Who I hope understands is House Re- conspicuous platform with the whole publican leadership. For my first years world watching to make his case to his in Congress, we weren’t supposed to coalition, vowing to wage the fight. www.HoweyPolitics.com do anything too bold for fear of rock- “Through blood drawn by lash ing the boat before the election and a and blood drawn by sword, we learned chance to get a Republican president,” that no union founded on the prin- Howey Politics Rokita said. “Quite frankly, that time ciples of liberty and equality could sur- Indiana has come and gone. So we have noth- vive half-slave and half-free,” Obama is a non-partisan newsletter ing left but to be bold.” said. “We made ourselves anew, and based in Indianapolis and It was an acknowledgement vowed to move forward together.” Nashville, Ind. It was founded that doing whatever it took to get Obama then cited instances America back to work after the Bush where the federal government bound in 1994 in Fort Wayne. wars and economic disaster took a the nation. “Together, we determined It is published by second seat behind the 2012 election, that a modern economy requires WWWHowey Media, LLC with Senate Minority Leader Mitch Mc- railroads and highways to speed travel 405 Massachusetts Ave, Connell stating the “priority” of making and commerce; schools and colleges Suite 300 Obama a “one-term president.” to train our workers. Together, we To be fair to Republicans and discovered that a free market only Indianapolis, IN 46204 Rokita, the first African-American thrives when there are rules to ensure president, while inheriting a historic competition and fair play,” the Illinois Brian A. Howey, Publisher mess, did not listen, did not schmooze Democrat said. “Together, we resolved Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington and did not take seriously their ideas that a great nation must care for the Jack E. Howey, editor and proposals. vulnerable, and protect its people What followed was an array from life’s worst hazards and misfor- of party-line votes, the rise of the Tea tune. Through it all, we have never Subscriptions Party, threats to shut down the gov- relinquished our skepticism of central $350 annually HPI Weekly ernment and default on its debt. They authority, nor have we succumbed to $550 annually HPI Weekly and accused Obama of perpetrating the the fiction that all society’s ills can be trillion dollar deficits that were nearly cured through government alone. Our HPI Daily Wire. identical to the costs of the military celebration of initiative and enterprise; 'Call Adrian France adventures in Afghanistan and Iraq our insistence on hard work and per- 812.455.4070 or email and forged by President George W. sonal responsibility, are constants in [email protected] Bush. our character.” Bush’s TARP rescue as well as CNN analyst David Gergen fishing General Motors and Chrysler called it one of Obama’s most impor- Contact HPI out of the liquid abyss were to become tant speeches, saying, “It’s a real dec- www.howeypolitics.com Obama’s millstone, as was his precari- laration of principles. He was saying, [email protected] ous stimulus program. ‘Let’s talk about what is essential.’” 'Howey’s Cabin: 812.988.6520 On Monday, President Obama NBC analyst Tom Brokaw ushered in his second term with a called it “part one” of a “two part 'Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 defense of “collective action” and speech,” the second coming with his 'Washington: 202-256-5822 the role of government, though he State of the Union address later this 'Business Office:812.455.4070 acknowledged the limits and “skepti- month in which he will lay out his cism” of central authority. program. © 2013, Howey Politics Indiana. The inaugural speech, coming Republicans fumed. Former All rights reserved. Photocopy- on Martin Luther King Day, was a bow Republican National Committeewoman to his political coalition, but also an Dee Dee Benkie tweeted, “Very scary ing, Internet forwarding, fax- emergence of a second-term presi- speech - get ready , he is going for ing or reproducing in any form, dent looking beyond the wars, terror the throat.” And CNN Republican ana- whole or part, is a violation of threats and economic collapse that lyst Alex Castellanos observed, “This federal law without permission defined much of his first term. Obama was the speech of a warrior. This is from the publisher. v appeared to be taking a page from a guy who is ready to go to combat. HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 3 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013 Your votes are great, but now I need your voices.” be equal as well.” Obama acknowledged the crises he faced when “We will respond to the threat of climate change, he entered office in 2009, with a near economic collapse, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our chil- the potential liquidation of the American auto industry, and dren and future generations,” Obama said. “Some may still wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that had divided the nation. deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can “This generation of Americans has been tested by crises avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience,” Obama drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards said while offering a light at the end of the tunnel. “A sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must begun. America’s possibilities are limitless, for we pos- lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology sess all the qualities that this world without boundaries that will power new jobs and new industries - we must demands: youth and drive; diversity and openness; an end- claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our eco- less capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. My fellow nomic vitality and our national treasure - our forests and Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks. That is it - so long as we seize it together.” how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care Obama cited climate change, immigration and by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our made the case that gay Americans deserve the same rights fathers once declared.” as others, cloaked into the Jeffersonian principles that “All Despite Hurricane Sandy, Henryville, Tuscaloosa, men are created equal.” a crippling drought where Indiana was “We, the people, still an astounding 3 degrees above aver- believe that every citizen deserves age heat, and another one possibly on a basic measure of security and the way, and Lake Michigan at historic dignity,” Obama said. “We must lows, “climate change” has become a make the hard choices to reduce liberal issue. the cost of health care and the size It has been an extraordinary of our deficit. But we reject the cascade of events that an African- belief that America must choose American male named Barack Hus- between caring for the generation sein Obama could rocket to the most that built this country and invest- powerful office in the world and then ing in the generation that will build win a second term after bitter debate its future. For we remember the lessons of our past, when and four years of largely party line votes on crucial issues. twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child Obama is signaling that, yes, he won the election.