V 15, N25 Thursday March 4, 2010 Brad Ellsworth’s interesting week Timing, succession U.S. Rep. Brad positioned him for Ellsworth watching a Senate nomination magnet making at By BRIAN A. HOWEY Thomas and MARK SCHOEFF JR. & Skinner INDIANAPOLIS - With the in India- aroma of hot metal in the air and napolis on the workers at Thomas & Skinner Monday. Inc. retreating back to their work (HPI Photo stations, U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth by Brian A. met the press. Howey) “So, you had an interest- ing week?” Ellsworth removed the clear plastic goggles from his plant tour and recounted the pre- vious days when he went from a reelection campaign in the 8th CD to the prized plum of the Hoosier Democratic universe: the probable Democratic U.S. Senate nominee. sources.” “Sen. Bayh shocked us all,” Ellsworth recalled. The Ellsworth Congressional office quickly put out “I was in the middle of my 18-county listening tour. The a statement acknowledging Bayh’s retirment at 2:18 p.m. thing I had to worry about was what my constituents were Feb. 15 just as Bayh was speaking to the press in India- saying and what their mood was. Obviously the phone napolis. Some thought the response was so good that he calls started coming in - ‘Are you interested?’ - from many Continued on Page 3 Big brain, White House By BRIAN A. HOWEY FRANKLIN, Ind. - It’s been fun watching the na- tional press cover Our Governor. Our Man Mitch. They make observations that many of us locals take for granted. Or if we made them, “I don’t know how this plays Jane Jankowski would bar us at the door. For instance, in the recent Polit- politically, but I know it’s right. ico article “Mitch the Knife,” long-time GOP operative and Crown Point native And so I ask Congress to finish Mary Matalin noted that our governor has a “giant brain.” its work and I look forward to This was meant as a compliment. She also said that Daniels has “un- signing this reform into law.” paralleled policy depth combined with - President Obama HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday March 4, 2010 razor sharp political skills.” When I Hubble. heard this description, I kept thinking Politico quoted one of the back to the day when our governor GOP’s “most influential officials” (who called Speaker B. Patrick Bauer a “car could this be? Sen. Scott Brown? Sen. bomber” (still one of my favorite mo- McCain? Arnold?) as saying, “He’s a ments during this governorship). And budget deficit hawk, but he’s also the Matalin said our governor has “steely interesting reformer.” Most reformers courage.” are interesting. Former Gov. Sarah Hoosier GOP operative Palin comes to mind. I can’t name a Anne Hathaway asks, “Do we want a “boring” reformer. Howey Politics president that’s pretty, or do we want “He’s a very plain-spoken poli- Indiana one who can get the job is a nonpartisan, by subscription Inter- done?” I would never call net publication based in Indianapolis our governor “pretty.” and published by NewsLink, Inc. It In fact, I’ve pretty much was founded in 1994 in Fort Wayne. avoided talking about any physical attributes of Columnists articles are independent our governor, or Speaker opinions and do not represent the Bauer (save for an HPI views of the publisher. headline on tax caps that read: To pay or not to Brian A. Howey, Publisher pay) or Jackie Walorski Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington or Charlie Brown or Scott Jack E. Howey, Editor Pelath. Beverly Phillips, As for get- Associate Editor/Business Operations ting the job done, well, there’s just so much Subscriptions: more for this reformer $350 annually HPI Weekly to do in his remaining two legislative cymaker who, often to his own detri- $550 annually HPI Weekly & sessions. He’s been a good, steady ment, will not mince words and I think HPI Daily Wire governor. Greatness still awaits the people are thirsty for that,” said our final two years. own John Hammond III in the Politico Contact Us: The Washington Post’s George article. Agreed. The governor doesn’t Howey Politics Indiana Will has already consigned our gov- mince words. We also learned that 6255 North Evanston Avenue ernor to the title of “President Dan- Hammond and Bob Grand are avail- Indianapolis, IN 46220 iels” in 2013. Will has a mixed track able to put a presidential campaign 317.627.6746 record. He was right on target when together if history beckons. he consigned Michigan Congressman Ross Douthat, the New York www.howeypolitics.com David Stockman as President Reagan’s Times columnist, wrote this past week White House budget director back in that, ”If Romney looks like central [email protected] 1979-80, but I think he missed out casting’s idea of a chief executive, Howey’s Mobile: 317.506.0883 on a couple of others (Dan Lungren Daniels resembles the character actor Washington: 202.256.5822 was supposed to be a future California who plays the director of the Office of Business Office: 317.627.6746 governor while missing the obvious Management and Budget.” If I were Governator). to cast someone to play President ©2010, Howey Politics Indiana. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Daniels in a movie, it would be Ron HPI is a subscription-based publica- Bush calls Daniels “one of the best Howard. tion. All rights reserved. Photocopying, policy-oriented governors in the U.S.” Douthat says something that Internet forwarding, faxing or repro- I might amend that and say the entire no Indiana reporter would ever write: ducing in any form, in whole or part, planet or universe if a giant brained If Daniels were to become president, is a violation of federal law without photo of Daniels was beamed out “he’d be the baldest president since permission from the publisher. across the heavens and somehow, Dwight D. Eisenhower.” First, our gov- somewhere a twin governor from the ernor is not bald. And I don’t believe plant Mazorp was picked up on the we’ve ever had a bald governor. I HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 3 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday March 4, 2010 believe it best to just move on here. And wouldn’t Matalin “There’s still nothing to this Blade for president thing, know more about bald men with giant brains? right?” The response: “Well ...” Our governor told Douthat, “I’ve never seen a So all the talk is fueled by a legitimate power president of the United States when I look in the mirror.” source as well as a giant brain wrapped in a wreath of fine Of course he doesn’t, he sees an aging Opie Taylor. This hair. reminds me of a story about Daniels going to Evansville Here’s my take on this: Our governor does what- and meeting Vanderburgh Sheriff Brad Ellsworth in 2004 or ever it takes to get a Republican Indiana House elected this 2005 and Ellsworth tells him, “I’m the Andy Taylor around November. Then, if that comes to pass, January through here” and Daniels responds “Nice meeting you, Andy.” April 2010 we watch the most extraordinary long session Douthat makes another observation, writing that in modern Indiana General Assembly history. It will be like our governor hasn’t just been a “Dr. No on policy.” Now the Unigov joins Major Moves joins A Plus joins Kernan-Shepard original “Dr. Julius No” was played by Joseph Wiseman. Co- joins Education Revolution 2.0. incidence? And who might play the Sean Connery character If those stars align, and we see the national to the Wiseman character? Eric Holcomb? No, make that GOP on track for a Sarah Palin or a Ron Paul nomination, I Ben Ledo. think our governor antes up. He’d use the reform session When Douthat asked Daniels about the recent to sling him into the national orbit. Our governor has the CPAC convention that was not attended by either Dr. Julius intellectual capacity to build the kind of campaign that the No or Joseph Wiseman or any giant-brained governors, our Obama-Axelrod-Plouffe team did in 2006. governor responded, “I think a lot of Republicans are over- I’ve said this a number of times, but Daniels has reading all of this. They’re a little ahead of themselves, a the ability to play on par with Obama. There are so many little too giddy.” The Republicans, he said, need answers to similarities to the way they govern, the way they campaign, the “what” question, and I don’t think Glenn Beck’s talk on write their own speeches, TV ads, etc. It would be an ex- the terrible progressives plays into Danielesque themes. traordinary show. The Mitch for President phenomenon has more I think the better bet is that a Jeb Bush, Mitt Rom- cred now than, say, the Mellencamp for Senate thing flit - ney or Newt Gingrich emerges as a frontrunner and our ting about the Internet. Since our governor’s reelection, he governor is on the top rung of every veep list out there. and his staff always did the “aw shucks” thing, saying they That’s a three-month campaign as opposed to a two-year were honored to be mentioned. A couple of months ago, I slog that would certainly violate the Cheri Daniels term asked an extremely informed and reliable Daniels’ source, limits. v “A soldier came up to me with his BlackBerry and said, Ellsworth, from page 1 ‘Congressman, I think you may be interested in this.’ I was had prior knowledge.