GOP on June 1, U.S
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V17, N39 Thursday, June 21, 2012 Democrats take aim at ‘extreme’ GOP On June 1, U.S. Sen. Dan GOP officeholders Coats compared himself to Mourdock saying, “Cause repeat mantra that Richard and I come from the Mourdock is same place,” said Coats. The notion of Mourdock ‘mainstream’ as a radical Republican stemmed not only from his By BRIAN A. HOWEY own rhetoric before Tea Party FORT WAYNE - Once groups - much of it caught again, Republican U.S. Senate on video by Democratic nominee Richard Mourdock ap- trackers - but from the Lugar peared with a fellow Republican campaign and allies during who vouched for the candidate as a bitterly fought primary. being from the “mainstream” of Lugar said in a statement on the Indiana Republican Party. Election Night that while he A week ago, it was U.S. hoped his Senate seat would Rep. Marlin Stutzman. “He remain in GOP hands, he has never been an extremist,” called on Mourdock to “revise Stutzman said. “He is a main- his stated goal of bringing stream conservative Republican. more partisanship to Wash- He was a conservative Republican ington. He and I share many before the Tea Party was even positions, but his embrace around, and he was Tea Party of an unrelenting partisan before it was even cool.” mindset is irreconcilable with The day after Mourdock’s stunning 61-39% win my philosophy of governance and my experience of what over U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar, he appeared with Gov. Mitch brings results for Hoosiers in the Senate.” Daniels, Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and the rest of GOP State- But what is becoming increasingly clear - particu- house officials. Daniels described Mourdock as coming “right from the heart of the party.” Continued on page 3 President Daniels By BRIAN A. HOWEY NASHVILLE, Ind. - Gov. Mitch Daniels was voted in as president of Purdue University this morning by a unani- mous vote from a board of trustees mostly of his own pick- ing. “No institution of any kind means ‘‘Mitch Daniels will be here until our more to Indiana today or tomorrow as last day in office.” Purdue University,” Daniels said. Daniels also vowed to fill out his - Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman full term as governor and will take the helm of Purdue in January 2013 after he leaves office. It isn’t the presidency many Hoo- siers had hoped the sitting governor would win. Many Republicans had HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, June 21, 2012 dreams of Daniels residing at 1600 it should take four years to attain a Pennsylvania Ave. bachelor’s degree. But last winter, HPI heard and On the infrastructure front, speculated on rumors that Daniels had Daniels’ Major Moves legislation in interest in the Purdue presidency, and 2006 ignited what he called a “fully www.HoweyPolitics.com vice versa. It was pretty much hush- funded” 10-year highway program that hush. has seen major strides in the U.S. 31 We get a lot of rumors cir- freeway, I-69 to Evansville, Hoosier Howey Politics culated around the North American Heartland Corridor, and scores of other Indiana headquarters of Howey Politics Indi- improvements across the state. is a non-partisan newsletter ana. But this one made some sense. So for the first time in mem- based in Indianapolis. It was And now that it’s about to happen, it ory, instead of watching a governor founded in 1994 in Fort Wayne. brings some fascinating synergies that with eight years of knowing tens of made the initial rumor credible. thousands of nooks and crannies and In modern Indiana history, researchers around the state and then Brian A. Howey, Publisher we’ve seen other leaving with the Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington governors move on knowledge, we Jack E. Howey, editor to a broader world will have one who Beverly K. Phillips, associate view. Gov. Edgar will preside over Whitcomb literally Purdue University, editor circumnativigated which is an inte- the planet in a gral component Subscriptions sailboat. Gov. Doc of infrastructure $350 annually HPI Weekly Bowen became (Purdue Road U.S. Health and School), agricul- $550 annually HPI Weekly and Human Services ture, engineering, HPI Daily Wire. secretary. Gov. logistics, research 'Call 317.627.6746 Robert D. Orr was and education. named ambassa- Daniels will be dor to Singapore. in a prime position Contact HPI And Gov. Evan to actually follow Howey Politics Indiana Bayh became a up on his corner- 6255 Evanston Ave. U.S. senator. In stone legacies Indianapolis, IN 46220 a way, each left as governor, and www.howeypolitics.com Indiana in the rear continue to impact view mirror. them as president [email protected] Gov. of Purdue. 'Howey’s Cabin: 812.988.6520 Daniels is a transformational governor, It is ... well ... a brilliant move. 'Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 particularly when it comes to educa- All Hoosiers will benefit from 'Washington: 703.248.0909 tion and transportation. He initiated his expertise, his vast reservoir of 'Business Office: 317.627.6746 and achieved sprawling reforms in knowledge. education ranging from the funding of I mentioned to Daniels during full-day kindergarten, to changes in an interview once that he probably has © 2012, Howey Politics Indiana. the licensing of principals and teach- seen more corners of the state, met All rights reserved. Photocopy- ers, how they are paid, how they are with more key players and researchers ing, Internet forwarding, fax- reviewed and what kind of resources than anyone. Notinh that the industrial ing or reproducing in any form, they have. He has seen high school revolution began at the advent of the graduation rates increase to record 19th century, flight and ground trans- whole or part, is a violation of high 85 percent. Daniels kicked off portation revolutions in the 20th, and federal law without permission the initiative of allowing high school Google and the iPhone at the begin- from the publisher. v students to graduate early, earn col- ning of the 21st, I asked him what the lege credits while in prep schools, and “next big thing” would be? Would we questioned the historic notion of why even be traveling by cars with rubber HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 3 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, June 21, 2012 tires on the Indiana Toll Road by the time the lease was things ranging from nanotechnology, to genetics and hybrid up? crops, to infrastructure and logistics is an exciting one. “Good question,” Daniels said, but he declined to It will also be fun to watch him press the House speculate on whether we were on the brink of any scientific Ways & Means Committee for funding in future budget breakthroughs. But the notion that he will be at the helm years. of one of the great public research universities that helped President Daniels. It wasn’t what we expected, but project the American space program, has been a leader in this is a great move for all Hoosiers (and Boilermakers). v save the American auto industry. “We didn’t know if the ‘Extreme’ GOP, from page 1 auto plants would survive,” Donnelly told delegates. “We went from almost 5,000 workers to almost nothing.” He larly after the Indiana Republican Convention on June 9 - is said he remembered calling Kokomo constituents to tell that the Indiana Republican party “mainstream” is on a them that Chrysler would survive. “I told them, ‘we won.’ rightward path of its own. But it wasn’t a political decision. It wasn’t about scoring Within the rightward shifting ranks of the Indi- a victory. It was about you know you have a job tomor- ana GOP, the prevalent view for now is to “end the fed” row. Today, 5,000 workers to to work every day in Kokomo as Republican convention delegates chanted as the party building some of the platform was amended greatest transmis- to call for an audit of sions in the world.” the Federal Reserve; to Don- reject bipartisanship and nelly said the “tie compromise as Mour- in” to the Senate dock has repeatedly race comes down said; to reject raising to “extreme par- the federal debt ceiling, tisan politics” and putting the U.S. gov- “Hoosier common ernment in default as sense. Of Richard Mourdock advocated in Mourdock, Donnelly August 2011; to declare said, “He said he’d President Obama as a do it all over again. “socialist”; to question If by now you don’t the 17th Amendment for know that it is a the direct election of U.S. mistake, what kind senators; and to call for of judgment will an end to the U.S. De- you bring to the partments of Commerce, U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly smiles as Indiana Democratic delegates cheered him at U.S. Senate?” Education and the EPA. the state convention on Saturday in Fort Wayne. (HPI Photo by Brian A. Howey) Donnelly described At the Indiana a phone conversa- Democratic Convention tion with former on Saturday, Democrats hammered away at the “extreme” President Bill Clinton. “Joe, I watched Richard Mourdock and “radical” Indiana GOP. “Congressman Pence is allowed on election day. His comments sent chills down my spine. to have his extreme positions, but I wonder why he has If everyone insisted on my way or the highway, we would gotten so quiet about them all of a sudden,” Gregg said. never have gotten anywhere,” Donnelly quoted Clinton. “Now that he is running for governor, he is trying to rein- Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry, hosting the first vent himself on the run. I’ll tell you why.