V13 N2 Thursday, Aug. 17, 2006 HPR Special 2008 Presidential Report Gov. Bayh, 10 years later By BRIAN A. HOWEY The Bayh governorship, which ended with an 80 INDIANAPOLIS - It seems so long ago that we percent approval rating and a virtual coronation into his watched with real an- father’s old U.S. Sen- ticipation Evan Bayh’s ate seat two years Hoosier governorship as later, will become one it commenced in 1989. of the basic planks It began in an era before on the now unfolding e-mail and the Internet. presidential aspira- It was an era where the tions. Evan Bayh was Cold War ended and we an executive for eight talked of the “peace divi- years, making life and dend.” Crack cocaine had death decisions, fight- yet to spread its awful ing crime, educating tide beyond Fort Wayne. the young and forg- We were still executing ing jobs. He created our worst criminals in the the modern campaign electric chair. It was a mode, matching a different administration in relentless message that instead of being the into a communication capstone of a political ca- network that went over reer as we had seen with the heads of legislators most of our govenors, it was just the ambitious beginning. See page 3 Watching Bayh’s first steps ... By DR. LAWRENCE M. BORST INDIANAPOLIS - During all of the years that Evan Bayh served as an elected official for the State of Indiana, I always had the feeling that each progression was just one more step to become the President of “I’m not anti-business. Wal-Mart the United States. Even as secretary of state, has become emblematic of the Evan Bayh and Ed Lewis had charted out his political future. anxiety around the country and the This political future outlined how a Conservative Democrat Governor middle-class squeeze.” from the Midwest could obtain the - Sen. Evan Bayh in Iowa at a Wake-Up Wal- See page 2 Mart rally HOWEY Political Report Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, Aug. 17, 2006 Democrat nomination for President of the United States. As the “new kid in town”, Gov. Bayh’s accomplishments p. 4 he was not deterred by the fact that INSIDE others, such as Frank O’Bannon, had Bayh’s election scorecard p. 5 been around longer and had “paid Features their dues.” Evan felt that he was on a Making a fiscal conservative p. 8 mission and that the Governorship of Indiana was to be his. 100 Days until Bayh declares p. 10 Once elected as governor he formed a Task Force to ascertain how Ticker: Merritt reportedly drops out p. 11 to trim the costs of state government and how to reduce its size. The sav- HPR: Beginning our 13th Year of Analysis ings claimed were dubious but seemed to resonate with the public. He immediately made it forbidden for The Howey Political Report is The Howey Political Report state employees to accept so much published by NewsLink Inc. It PO Box 40265 as a cup of coffee. This edict was Indianapolis, IN 46240-0265. never really enforced, but again, was was founded in 1994. popular with the public. He allowed www.howeypolitics.com [email protected] for the unionization of state employees Brian A. Howey, Publisher and gave them the ability to bargain Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington Indianapolis Office: 317-506-0883. Writer collectively. This was popular with Indianapolis Fax: 317-254-0535. Mark Curry, Washington Writer his campaign financial supporters, but Washington, DC Office: 202-256-5822. Jack E. Howey, Editor then never entered into any meaning- Business Office: 317-254-0535. ful bargaining with the newly formed Subscriptions: ©2006, The Howey Political Report. unions. $350 annually HPR via e-mail; All rights reserved. Photocopying, Internet Gov. Bayh treated his support- $550 annually HPR & HPR Daily Wire. forwarding, faxing or reproducing in any ers with the philosophy: “they need Call 317-254-0535. form, in whole or part, is a violation of me a lot more than I need them.” He federal law. was absolutely right. Publically, Gov. Evan announced many innovations and of being remembered in the history were no more than four people in or changes, new oversight boards and books, as the “Gambling Governor”, out the Bayh administration that could commissions, when in fact most were has not happened, he can campaign speak for the Governor just a re-naming process or the com- nationally as an innovative I think that Gov. Bayh thor- bining of two ex-governor. oughly enjoyed moving the “Capitol” existing boards Gov. Bayh had around the state from time to time. into one with a very little contact He was very good at listening. His new name. He with the Senate guiding policy of “don’t rock the boat” was most intent Finance Com- was good for Indiana at that particular in repealing mittee. I doubt time in history. everything that that I met with By borrowing the friends Governor him eight times and associates of Ed Lewis, Bayh Orr had accom- in eight years. staffed his administration with able, plished in K-12. Whatever came competent, and honest individuals The A-Plus Pro- out of the I personally wish him good gram was taken legislature, he luck in his present efforts. Evan Bayh apart bit by seemed to ac- would certainly make a better Presi- bit. Since legal- cept. Gov. Bayh dent than some in his political party ization of river always made that are seeking the same office. boat casinos, pari-mutual horse bet- the final decisions. I would never take Personally, once again in Indi- ting, and the state lottery all occurred the word of an underling that “the ana history, the other sitting Indiana under his stewardship, his personal Governor wants this” until I had put in United States Senator would be the fear a call to the Governor himself. There better nominee. v HOWEY Political Report Page 3 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, Aug. 17, 2006 From page 1 reforming welfare in a responsible way, and those kinds of things,” Bayh said. “It probably has to do with the fact that and into the minds of the people. He totally understood the I can speak with some authority about the President’s ef- message and underscored his themes time and again. forts and what he hopes to do for our country.” It’s been 10 years since Bayh walked out of his sec- ond floor Statehouse Fiscal conservatism office. That’s more than enough time for from the bully pulpit Bayh talked about fiscal an assessment. It has conservatism, a moderate been reduced down to social agenda and use of a short, tidy paragraph the gubernatorial bully pul- on Wikipedia and pit as a commanding and history books: More influential view of Hoosier conservative than his society. Bayh strayed infre- liberal Senator father, quently from the themes he Gov. Bayh ushered in talked about at the earliest billion-dollar surpluses, part of his political career. steadily increased His mantra was “no new education funding, cre- taxes,” and while Repub- ated the 21st Century licans like to remind folks Scholars program, the of his cigarette and hospi- Access Indiana website tal tax increase proposals and about 390,000 in 1993, the Bayh years jobs. He never raised U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh on a recent trip to Iowa to campaign for president. produced the kind of fiscal taxes and, in fact, Former House Speaker Paul Mannweiler calls him “well seasoned” after conservatism that back signed the biggest tax his two terms as Indiana governor. (Bayh Flickr Photo) in 1984 would have been cut in state history. The more akin to Doc Bowen. Wall Street Journal Former Republican House summed it up succinct- Speaker Paul Mannweiler, ly in 1992, saying, “Mr. Bayh’s record is one of a genuinely explains, “He wasn’t a very hands on guy. He did a lot of fiscally conservative Democrat.” Political observers in both controlling the message. He was very good at saying what parties - partially out of admiration and some with disdain was popular.” - would call Evan Bayh a “Republicrat.” Both Mannweiler and long-time Senate Finance The late columnist Harrison J. Ullmann - who Chairman Larry Borst say they had few face-to-face meet- was the initial contact between Bayh and Frank O’Bannon ings with Bayh during his eight years. “You dealt with his that forged the mold-shattering 1988 Democratic ticket staff more than anything,” Mannweiler said. - lumped him in with another ambitious man, Stephen Goldsmith, and they became the “Bayhsmiths.” “We have given the Bayhsmiths our governments A talent magnet so they may use Indiana’s public offices to demonstrate to The Bayh staffing has become one of his biggest the rest of America that they are competent for America’s legacies. His political machine not only revived the once highest offices. The Bayhsmith named Evan, returns from moribund Democratic Party, but forged upsets by Secre- conferences of governors to tell us we are envied for our tary of State Joe Hogsett (over Bill Hudnut), Attorneys cheap and tiny state government,” noted Ullmann. General Pamela Carter and Jeff Modisett, the extension of Six months before Bayh left the governor’s office, the Democratic gubernatorial dynsasty to 16 years with he delivered the keynote address before the 1996 Demo- Lt. Gov. Frank O’Bannon’s upset win in 1996 over Stephen cratic National Convention in Chicago. He explained why Goldsmith, and Bart Peterson’s epic derailing of the Marion he believed he was chosen for the keynote in an interview County GOP machine in the 1999 Indianapolis mayor’s with Margaret Warner: race.