General Assembly in Crisis Mode
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V26, N15 Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020 General Assembly in crisis mode Speaker As pandemic engulfs state, Todd Hus- ton takes a look at other sessions dealing the oath of office on with extraordinary events Tuesday. He enters By BRIAN A. HOWEY his first INDIANAPOLIS – When Speaker Todd full session Huston walked out of the Indiana House of as speaker Representatives on March 11 with the COVID-19 as the pandemic just beginning to get a death grip on COVID-19 his state, he recalled, “I remember leaving this pandemic chamber believing some- has put Indiana thing historic could be in a crisis taking shape.” mode. Huston’s pre- monitions might have matched those of his predecessors like Repub- lican Speaker Cyrus M. Allen in November 1860, or Democrat Speaker Samuel Hamilton Buskirk who took the reins on Nov. 5, 1862, or Speaker Henry C. Crawford in 1932, James Merrill Knapp in October 1929 and again in December 1941, Speaker J. Roberts Dailey in December 1982, or Speaker Continued on page 3 John Gregg on Sept. 11, 2001. Gregg eyes the chair By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – While Karlee Macer and Josh Owens have broached the sprawling subject as to how the barely credible Indiana Democratic Party recovers its relevance, informed and reliable sources are saying John “I appreciated the vast major- Gregg, former speaker and gubernatorial nominee, is pon- dering the race for the chair. ity, all but two obviously; it does Democratic sources tell HPI that Gregg has begun to reach set the right example. As Dr. Box out to office holders, signaling his says, ‘It works’. It is the state interest in leading the party. Sources tell HPI that policy and it is locally enforced.” Gregg is interested in rebuilding - Gov. Eric Holcomb, on State the party and not using the chair to stage a comeback for office. Gov. Reps. Curt Nisly and John Jacobs’ Eric Holcomb is a former Indiana refusal to wear masks during Republican chairman and defeated Gregg in 2016 during the Donald Organization Day. Page 2 Trump/Mike Pence tidal wave. candidate recruitment efforts and As the Woody Myers guberna- staunch support of candidates run- torial campaign struggled with fun- ning. Second, centralized digital and draising in September, it was Gregg organizing clearinghouse efforts that who lamented that Indiana Democrats are run year-round by state party on “are sitting this election out. It’s a behalf of upcoming campaigns. Howey Politics Indiana missed opportunity.” “Third,” Owens said, “mes- WWWHowey Media, LLC Macer declared for the chair sage focus that strikes at the heart c/o Business Office late last week, saying, “The current of both individual and community PO Box 6553 challenges facing our party are im- needs. Finally, fierce and data-driven mense but not insurmountable. I’m grassroots fundraising that continues Kokomo, IN, 46904 excited to announce that I will be beyond election cycles.” www.howeypolitics.com running for chairwoman of the Indi- Owens finishes:“We must ana Democratic Party. Because now find consensus on a chair that will Brian A. Howey, Publisher more than ever, it’s time to roll up our help us take that first step towards Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington sleeves and get to work.” Last year, these goals. I am of the belief there Macer convened the Democratic ver- is not a perfect person for this job, so Mary Lou Howey, Editor sion of the “Cornfield Con- Susan E. Joiner, Editor ference” with Noble County Democratic Chair Carmen Subscriptions Darland in an attempt to revive the sagging party’s HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 fortunes. HPI Weekly, $350 Mike Schmuhl, who Lisa Hounchell, Account Manager ran Pete Buttigieg’s Demo- (765) 452-3936 telephone cratic presidential campaign, (765) 452-3973 fax took himself out of the run- [email protected] ning, saying in a statement to Howey Politics Indiana, Contact HPI “Since I moved back home [email protected] to Indiana in 2009 to work Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 for Joe Donnelly, electing Hoosier Democrats has been Washington: 202.256.5822 at the heart of my career, Business Office: 765.452.3936 and it culminated in the his- toric 2020 Pete for America © 2020, Howey Politics campaign. While I won’t be Indiana. All rights reserved. a candidate for chair of the state Democratic Party next year, I will we should instead be focused on who Photocopying, Internet forward- do everything I can to help our Indi- can help us get started in building ing, faxing or reproducing in any ana party to gain strength and secure this foundation today. Our success form, whole or part, is a violation victories in the years ahead.” will depend upon how carefully we of federal law without permission The party has lost every lift each other up in this transition, from the publisher. statewide race since 2014, controls for it is certain that standing together only two of 11 federal offices and has is our only path to sharing our values super minority status in both General with a larger Hoosier audience.” Jack E. Howey Assembly chambers. It controls only Former St. Joseph County editor emeritus about a third of city halls, around Democratic chairman Jason Critchlow 1926-2019 10% of county commissioners and, observed in a Facebook posting, “I perhaps, fewer than 20% of county think anyone interested in the role courthouse offices. should be looked at admirably and Owens issued an “Open letter be given a fair shake. But, I can’t to fellow Indiana Democrats, laying help but think that the harsh reality out four goals: “I believe the future of of the position may not be register- a winning Indiana Democratic Party ing across the board. The details will have these four areas of near- and daily minutiae are much more term focus: First, intense county-level comprehensive. The first questions Page 3 you will likely be asked are, plan, and strategy might be the easiest ‘Have you ever run a campaign part of being a party chair. The details in Indiana?’ and ‘Have you ever and daily minutiae are much more won a campaign in Indiana?’ comprehensive. If you can’t answer yes to one “You will be responsible for rais- or both, it might not be a deal ing hundreds of thousands of dollars,” breaker, but you should have Critchlow continued. “No one will do a good explanation as to why this for you and it isn’t raised by hold- you feel that significance is ing events. It’s raised by spending overstated.” hours upon hours speaking one on one “I am not necessarily with individuals and convincing them seeking to dissuade would-be to put their trust in you. And you will candidates, but I think every- have to do this without the benefit of one should have their eyes any statewide office holders to assist in wide open to what this position carrying the burden.” entails,” Critchlow continued. Former state chairman Kip Tew “Calling it a ‘thankless’ job where ‘you can’t make every- backed up Critchlow, tweeting, “As a former state Dem one (or sometimes anyone) happy’ is probably doing it a chair and county chair I can say that Jason hit the nail disservice. So these are my friendly warnings to all those right on the head. Let me reiterate 2 points: Raising money who dare enter.” and recruiting, they are by far the biggest part of the job. Critchlow adds: “Believe it or not, having a vision, Elected leaders set policy, not chairs.” v at the desks of governors, mayors and, now, legislative Crisis, from page 1 leaders (President Trump says he bears no responsibility). These were men at the helm of “crisis” General “I severely underestimated the magnitude of the Assemblies, facing a Civil War as in Allen’s and Buskirk’s impact of COVID-19,” Huston told the House chamber after cases, of the advent of the New Deal during the Great being elected by bipartisan acclamation on Tuesday. He Depression and Gov. Paul McNutt’s sprawling reforms in is now poised for history and appears to be borrowing a Crawford’s case, or Speaker Knapp, who page from Raum Emanuel, former Chicago handled the gavel at the beginning of the mayor and presidential chief of staff, who Great Depression and, again, after Pearl once said, “You never want a serious crisis to Harbor. go to waste. And what I mean by that is an In more contemporary times, it opportunity to do things that you think you was Speaker Dailey who watched state could not do before.” revenues plunge in 1982, and Speaker Huston explained, “As we continue Gregg following the al Qaeda terror at- to adjust to life living in a pandemic, it would tacks of 2001. These were the men to be foolish not to consider what we’ve learned found themselves presiding as global from it and what we can do better. We and national events altered the status should never strive to return to a life similar quo, forcing them to grapple with instant to that of March 11, 2020, as that would change and the often bitter economic mean we have not learned from one of the carnage that followed. most monumental and informative experi- Speaker Huston and his Senate ences of our lifetime.” colleague, President Pro Tem Rod Bray, Those lessons include the relative are facing a once-in-a-century pandemic poor health of Hoosiers, the “nimbleness and that has killed more than 4,500 Hoo- flexibility” of the state’s approach to K-12 siers, placed many of its 500,000 small businesses teeter- education, and the need for more broadband to support ing, seen the state mow through much of its $2.1 billion hybrid approaches to schooling, as well as to support busi- surplus, while its jobless rate has spasmed from 3.2% in nesses.