V17, N19 Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 Charlie’s Duck Soup: another fine mess His disaster ricochets across 3 branches of government, 2 parties and up & down Market St. By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS - It’s not quite “Duck Soup” with Oliver Hardy admonish- ing Stanley Laurel: “This is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into.” But the saga of Secretary of State Charlie White is about to enter a multi- dimensional climax over the next two or three months. And while there have been statewide officer holders who have ended up in career-ending legal predicaments - Supt. of Instruction Harold Negley and Clerk of Courts Dwayne Brown the most recent - the Charlie saga has or could in- The next couple of months will likely bring a sensational end to the Charlie White volve all three branches of government and saga, one of the strangest chapters in Indiana political history. have unpredictable political implications up and down Market Street. voter registration, Class D felony; two counts of perjury, White is facing trial in Hamilton County Superior Class D felony; voting outside of precinct resident, Class D Court on a seven-count indictment for election fraud issued felony; procuring a fraudulent ballot, Class D felony; theft, in March 2011, perjury and theft related to his 2010 prima- Class D felony; and fraud on a financial institution, Class C ry vote in Fishers, allegedly from the wrong residence. The Continued on page 4 charges that will be heard on Jan. 30 include: fraudulent Mitch & Morton’s historic bond By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS - Gov. Mitch Daniels, facing west as he gave his final State of the State address Tuesday, essentially stood back-to-back with the statue guarding the Tuesday’s House Labor eastern entrance of the Indiana State- house – that of Gov. Oliver P. Morton. Committee “did not reflect A slender strand of history now connects the two. After Copperhead democracy’s finest hour.” Democrats won the Indiana General - Speaker Brian Bosma Assembly in 1862, a political reaction to Morton’s backing of the coming Eman- cipation Proclamation, Gov. Morton feared they would pull Indiana out of the Union and he sent Republican leg- HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 islators to Madison, within easy access to Kentucky if Democrats tried to forcibly return them to Indianapolis. Thus, there would be no quorum. In 1863 www.HoweyPolitics.com and 1864, there would be no Indiana General Assembly. And no annual State of the State Howey Politics address. Republicans would win Indiana back control of the legislature in is a non-partisan newsletter the elections of 1864 and soon based in Indianapolis. It was thereafter the American Civil founded in 1994 in Fort Wayne. War would be over. Thus, the annual event of a State of the State address Brian A. Howey, Publisher would be one where Republican Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington and Democrat legislators would Jack E. Howey, editor convene in the Indiana House Beverly K. Phillips, associate to hear the governor’s annual report. Until Tuesday night. editor Most House Democrats Gov. Oliver P. Morton was ruthless in dealing with boycotted Gov. Daniels’ address, Democrats and traitors. Subscriptions a political and emotional reaction half empty chamber (some sena- $350 annually HPI Weekly to what had occurred Tuesday morn- tors took the seats of missing House ing in the House Labor Committee. $550 annually HPI Weekly and Democrats). As the governor spoke, The meeting lasted just six minutes, chanting and yelling could be heard HPI Daily Wire. with Chairman Douglas Gutwein of outside the House chambers. “Walk 'Call 317.627.6746 Francesville, refusing all amendments out! Walk out!” the union members and stymieing all discussion and public chanted. Some yelled insults at First testimony on HB1001, the Right to Contact HPI Lady Cheri Daniels. Work bill. Actually Rep. Fry asked Howey Politics Indiana “You cannot deny process,” a relevant question: “What are you 6255 N. Evanston Ave. Rep. David Niezgodski charged. “What afraid of?” Indianapolis, IN 46220 you’re trying to do today, we object Many of the gathered Repub- www.howeypolitics.com to.” lican legislators – sensing palpable “I think the light of democracy [email protected] fear in the gathering protesters – were just went out in the Indiana House,” packing heat, more so than normal. 'Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 said Rep. Clyde Kersey, D-Terre Haute. But politically, things seem 'Washington: 703.248.0909 “I’ve never seen a charade like this stacked in favor of Republicans. The 'Business Office: 317.627.6746 in my life,” said Rep. John Bartlett, recent Public Opinion Strategies polls D-Indianapolis. House Minority Leader show large margins of support for B. Patrick Bauer observed, “We have © 2012, Howey Politics Indiana. Right to Work. Some 68% of Hoosiers a Chinese democracy, joined by a are against the Democratic walkouts. All rights reserved. Photocopy- quest for Chinese wages and Chinese The Republicans have a 60-40 major- ing, Internet forwarding, fax- benefits.” ity in the House and a super majority ing or reproducing in any form, Speaker Bosma, reviewing in the Senate. And there stood Gov. whole or part, is a violation of the hearing tape, acknowledged that Mitch Daniels, the most successful it “did not reflect democracy’s finest union-busting governor in Indiana his- federal law without permission hour.” v tory. from the publisher. Thus ensued the historic He would make the case to snub. Most House Democrats stayed Hoosiers in his speech, saying, “Be- away. Hoosier television viewers wit- cause economic opportunity, and nessed Daniels speaking to an almost building America’s best home for jobs, HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 3 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 is the central goal of all we do, every year should include acted like they had a mandate,” Gregg said. “They came a bold stroke to enhance it,” Daniels said. “This year, the in, and said, ‘Let’s settle some old scores.’ They wanted to choice of actions has become obvious. In survey after get rid of fair share for the teachers, they wanted to do survey, by margins of 2 to 1 or more, Hoosiers support the away with the prevailing wage, the mini Davis-Bacon Act. principle known as Right to Work. After a year of studying Well, there was no reason to mess with fair share. They the proposal, I agree. The idea, that no worker should be just wanted to mess with the teachers and the ISTA. The forced to pay union dues as a condition of keeping a job, one that really baffled me, like it did this time, the building is simple, and just. But the benefits in new jobs would be and trades people, because on a lot of social issues, these large: A third or more of growing or relocating businesses guys were starting to feel real at home because of Ronald Reagan and the social issues, and the Republicans went out and smacked them in their wallet. They did it in ‘95 and they did it this time. It’s amazing. “I became Speaker because of what they did in 1995. And it will make me governor.” Republicans defend the heavy-handed tactics, cit- ing last year’s five-week walkout to Illinois and – at this writing – four days of boycotts this year. There was no need of testimony on Tuesday because there had been five hours of it last Friday, they reasoned. And all the issues had been extensively vetted in 2011. Rep. Jerry Torr, R-Carmel, called the Democratic amendments “showboating” and added, “I suspect they are going to walk out again no matter what we do.” But with every controversial issue – some like Daylight Savings Time fought annually for more than Gov. Daniels greets Minority Leaders Bauer and Simpson prior to his a decade – the process was followed, the testimony State of the State, which was boycotted by many Democrats. heard, even if it had been repeated ad nauseam. Until this month. With both sides digging in, all the other important will not consider a state that does not provide workers this legislation – human trafficking, a statewide smoking ban, protection. Almost half our fellow states have Right-to- an online sales tax, local government reform– is held hos- Work laws. As a group, they are adding jobs faster, grow- tage while Daniels and the Republicans try to finish off the ing worker income faster, and enjoying lower unemploy- unions, which since 2005 had steered $4 million into Demo- ment rates than those of us without a law. In those ratings cratic campaigns. This isn’t so much about job creation as of business attractiveness I mentioned, the only states it is about politics. ahead of us are Right-to-Work states.” As for Democrats, this is what happens when, So if Republicans have public opinion, huge majori- as a party, you become vacuous defenders of the sta- ties and a sympathetic governor on their side, why, then, tus quo and purveyors of campaign political porn. When the heavy-handed tactics that have even some of the RTW a party becomes bereft of ideas and is simply there to proponents shaking their heads? obstruct, the voters will vote for the other guy. That’s why Speaker Bosma has put Right to Work on a Republicans have such big majorities. fast track, thus Gutwein was a loyal foot soldier, deny- As for Rep. Bartlett citing this “charade,” I must ing amendments, debate and testimony. It came after remind that he presided over a House committee a couple the Daniels’ administration tried to suppress the number of years ago and tried to spike a package of local govern- of protesters in the Statehouse, and received a stunning ment reforms, scurried back and forth between the House rebuke not only from columnists, editorial writers, Demo- floor and Pat Bauer’s office to get orders, and then forgot crats and union members, but Constitutional Republicans.