Pence's Greatest Policy Achievement
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V20, N22 Thursday Jan. 29, 2015 Pence’s greatest policy achievement term when he announced federal approval for his Healthy Potential impact for hundreds of Indiana Plan 2.0. thousands of Hoosiers on Pence’s It comes in a state where a clear majority oppose Obamacare, and it comes to a governor who has repeat- terms, but challenges remain edly vowed to do everything in his power to repeal the Affordable Care Act. So the great, historic irony here is By BRIAN A. HOWEY and MATTHEW BUTLER that Indiana is poised to expand its Medicaid population in INDIANAPOLIS – On Tuesday, Gov. Mike Pence dramatic fashion, putting anywhere from 1 million to 1.4 achieved the greatest potential policy victory of his first Continued on page 3 This Just IN: Duoh! Duoh! By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – Tuesday should have been one of the best days for Gov. Mike Pence and his ambitious administration. He triumphantly announced the Obama adminis- tration’s approval of the Healthy “Not right now. I want him to Indiana Plan 2.0. A fierce critic of Obamacare who advocates be my governor for two terms. I its repeal, Pence took the health think he’s a very honest and plan of predecessor Gov. Mitch Daniels, redrafted a Medicaid reliable man. He doesn’t stray expansion using “market forces” and “consumer options” and much from the Golden Rule.” chalked up a major victory for - Nancy Pence Fritsch, on his state, a unit of government Pence has long declared is the whether her son should run for innovative laboratory for policy. president in 2016 In doing so, his HIP 2.0 will Page 2 extend coverage to 350,000 Hoosiers length about just about any topic a and have billions of dollars of implica- reporter was willing to broach. During tions for the next five years. the Daniels era when the legislature But this major policy vic- was in session, a Friday media avail tory was overshadowed by news of was the norm. the creation of “Just IN,” a state-fund- Pence defeated Gregg by less ed and produced news site that has than 3% in a race many expected him been almost immediately denounced to win in a landslide. At his compara- as a “propaganda” font. Just today, tively tiny victory party at cavernous a number of newspaper editorials Lucas Oil Stadium, reporters were is a non-partisan newslet- blasted the idea. WTHR-TV’s Kevin assigned seats, told to stay there, and ter based in Indianapolis and Rader drove all the way to Mishawaka were charged $40 for internet access. Nashville, Ind. It was founded Wednesday to collar Pence, not about Just days before his inaugura- in 1994 in Fort Wayne. HIP 2.0, but Just IN. tion, Pence and his communications It is the latest It is published by end-around the news WWWHowey Media, LLC media for the Pence 405 Massachusetts Ave., team. His transforma- Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN tion as a member of the 46204 media with a radio/TV talk show to a politician advocating a “media Brian A. Howey, Publisher shield” while in Con- Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington gress to a governor who Jack E. Howey, Editor routinely evades tradi- Mary Lou Howey, Editor tional media coverage has been one of the Maureen Hayden, Statehouse most fascinating aspects Matthew Butler, Daily Wire of this first-term gover- Gov. Pence’s administration became tone deaf on the Just IN nor. Mark Curry, advertising concept. (HPI Photo by Mark Curry) Pence, who Subscriptions returned to the state with the reputation as an expert com- director, Christy Denault, sat in my of- HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 municator, bypassed the news media fice, with the future governor pleading HPI Weekly, $350 for his 2011 gubernatorial campaign for a “do over.” Ray Volpe, Account Manager announcement, instead making his The advice dispensed from 317.602.3620 intentions known to supporters who these quarters to Denault were to email: [email protected] signed up on his campaign website. build relationships with the press, During his 2012 race against Demo- and to let Mike Pence be Mike Pence. crat John Gregg and Libertarian Ru- This advice has mostly been ignored. Contact HPI pert Boneham, Pence conducted just Today, the staff reaction is “dismay.” www.howeypolitics.com a handful of press conferences and Instead, a different kind of [email protected] media availabilities. A reporter seek- media shield has been erected on the Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 ing a travel date with the Republican Statehouse second floor. nominee was either stalled or outright Media access to the gover- Washington: 202.256.5822 rebuffed, as were attempts for sit- nor has generally mirrored the cam- Business Office: 317.602.3620 down interviews. paign. There have been only a handful The Pence campaign and of press conferences, a few coffees, © 2015, Howey Politics Indiana. candidate seemed determined to con- and HPI was given the opportunity for All rights reserved. Photocopy- trol a very tightly managed message. a travel date with the governor as he Questions from pesky reporters were traversed Aurora, Madison and Salem ing, Internet forwarding, fax- perceived as a threat to his narrative. last autumn. The yield was an array ing or reproducing in any form, It drew a sharp contrast with Dan- of photos that would have pleased whole or part, is a violation of iels, who conducted dozens of press Reagan media guru Michael Deaver, federal law without permission conferences, media avails, ride-alongs who always saw visual images trump- from the publisher. and would talk extemporaneously at ing the written word, and reporting on Page 3 a series of friendly interactions with supporters and voters. expectations and if this website doesn’t meet my expec- Knowing that an internal tug of war had taken place prior tations of respecting the role of a free and independent to the October ride-along, it begged the question of why press, I will reject it.” Pence’s media operations so tightly restrict one of the The outrage over this idea is not limited to the friendliest and media savvy governors in modern times? press and Democrats. One county GOP chair told me, “If While Pence himself is sunny, pleasant and friend- Gov. Bayh or O’Bannon had tried to do this, I would have ly, the communications wing of his administration seems to been screaming bloody murder.” view the press as an adversary. All of this stepped on coverage of his HIP 2.0 Now we learn of “Just IN” which not only achievement and generated ridicule and scorn on a na- overshadowed his major policy initiative, but has brought tional scale (see Columnists, page 18). “It’s not uncommon derision, a series of mocking tweets, and the inevitable throughout history for governments to do what they can to parody website that will soon be twisting the state-produc- control the message,” Steve Key of the Hoosier State Press tion of “news” into Saturday Night Live-style ridicule. For a Association told the Star’s Tom LoBianco. “Is that done in a governor who advocates “small government,” there have benign way because they’re trying to get more info out to been questions about the $100,000 in salaries for what the public, or is it done with hidden motivations in making was described as a new “managing editor.” sure their message is seen in the best light possible?” Pence did “clarify” Just IN on Tuesday, saying, “I think it’s a ludicrous idea,” said Jack Ron- “It’s meant to be a resource not a news source. I have a ald, publisher of the Portland Commercial Review. “I have great, great respect for the role the media plays, I’ve been no problem with public information services; the Purdue a champion of that my whole career and will make sure University agriculture extension service does a great job. this website reflects that proper role, that information for But the notion of elected officials presenting material that the public and the press, and we’ll let you guys write the will inevitably have a pro-administration point of view is stories.” antithetical to the idea of an independent press.” On Wednesday, Pence seemed to suggest a So Just IN has become a staff-level debacle and runaway staff. “I frankly learned about the memo from a bad idea. Instead of seeing and hearing a great com- press reports late Monday. Using terms like news service, municator, we find control freak administration that doesn’t like news outlet, it’s just not appropriate,” Pence said. “As either realize or trust the most precious and friendly asset governor I can assure you that (the plan) did not meet my it has, which is the Governor himself. v take charge of their health and prepares them to move to HIP 2.0, from page 1 private insurance as they improve their lives,” Pence said at the St. Vincent Conference Center Tuesday morning. million into some type of government health care program. “This has been a long process, but real reform takes work. But Pence did it on his terms. He took the Healthy The expanded and updated HIP 2.0 is Indiana Plan forged by his based on a program that has been serving predecessor and a coalition 60,000 low-income Hoosiers in our state of legislative Republicans and for seven years,” said Gov. Pence. “It is a Democrats, and evolved it proven model for Medicaid reform across into a system of what he calls the nation.” “consumer driven” health care.