Governor Daniels Exploits Ineptness of Democratic Challengers
Posted by Jeff Pruitt - 3/3/08 @ 1:11 pm - Filed Under 2008 Local Elections, Featured, State Politics
Where have Jill Long-Thompson and Jim Schellinger been? In case they didn’t know running for governor requires a bit more than simply touring the state and asking for money. It’s inconceivable that the two Democratic gubernatorial candidates would not address the #1 voter issue right now - property taxes. They’ve sat back and let the governor front-run for so long it will be extremely difficult to stop his inertia. Not only is HB1001 being received favorably but it’s also become known as “The Governor’s Plan”. Politically, that is a winning combination no matter what one thinks of the bill itself.
Six months ago Daniels was extremely vulnerable and his favoribility rating had dipped to the dangerous sub-50% mark which usually means an incumbent is in deep trouble. But then a January poll showed his numbers had risen dramatically and, while I was skeptical of it’s accuracy at the time, subsequent polls have shown similar trends.
All of this is damning news for whomever becomes the Democratic nominee. Both candidates have raised millions of dollars but still have poor name recognition - which makes me wonder what the hell they’re waiting for. It’s probably unfair to pin all the blame on the two candidates as the state Democratic party hasn’t done much to derail Daniels either. Instead of offering a solution to the property tax crisis they sat back, criticizing the governor for doing nothing, waiting to pounce on whatever plan he put forward. But that strategy backfired when the governor came up with a plan that achieved broad bipartisan support.
I am dumbfounded that state Democrats have allowed this to happen. One would think after their embarrassing Indianapolis losses in the November elections, they would’ve realized that property taxes were important and acted accordingly. People expect their leaders to actually lead and that means offering solutions for the state’s problems. Say what you want about the merits of Governor Daniels’ ideas, but nobody could ever accuse him of not trying.
So here we are, still nothing from the gubernatorial candidates, and only a half-assed, 11th hour counter-proposal from House Democrats. In a few short months the state Democratic party has managed to push Governor Daniels from the brink of political extinction to a near-inevitable re-election. Brilliant!
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6 Responses to “Governor Daniels Exploits Ineptness of Democratic Challengers”
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The Governor’s plan is not good- MOST hoosiers will pay MORE in taxes overall if that plan passes.
That is not a solution, just a redistribution.
Kevin,
There are parts I like and certainly parts I don’t like. The problem is that politically it’s the only game in town and the state Democratic party has nobody to blame but themselves for that. The bill is going to pass, taxpayers are going to read about how great it is and the negatives won’t really be apparent to the general populace until after the November elections.
I really don’t see how they turn the tide on Daniels at this point and make the election about something other than HB1001. And make no mistake they must do that because it’s too late to fight it now.
Nobody offered any ideas and so Daniels seized the day - state Democrats have been playing catchup ever since…
Jeff,
I would disagree.
HB1001 calls for amending our constitution. I do not know that will actually happen.
I also think more and more folks are starting to understand that THIS is not the solution.
Kevin,
I don’t know if hb1001 is “good”, but as for me, I could use a little “redistribution”. I have never seen taxes go down (overall). I am sure that they will not with this, but I do like the idea of everyone pitching in to fund the government. No more free rides! See you at the Ballpark.
[...] I must say it is the worst piece of legislation imaginable. I have said before that they have waited entirely too long to propose solutions and Governor Daniels has only grown stronger because of it. But this latest [...]
[...] when he says the Democrats never put forth a serious counter-proposal. That was something I wrote about here at FWP a few weeks [...]