Free Republic

INDIANAPOLIS — The absence of Democratic legislators from the Indiana House extended into the afternoon with several hundred union members at the Statehouse protesting Republican-backed labor bills. Speakers at a midday rally today told the union members that Republicans had declared a “war on labor” with proposals restricting teacher collective bargaining and so-called right-to-work legislation.

The Governors Storm D.C.Daniels and Christie light a fuse under GOP lawmakers. As congressional Republicans mull whether to address the government’s long-term fiscal problems — House Republican leaders are being pushed by the 87 freshmen to do so, while some Senate Republicans are seeking some bipartisan accords with Democratic colleagues — two Republican governors barreled into Washington with the message that the lawmakers better get moving. And that congressional Republicans might do just fine politically if they do. The two Republican governors are Mitch Daniels of Indiana, who spoke to a Conservative Political Action Committee dinner February 11, and Chris...

President Obama's 2012 budget is the numerical embodiment of his State of the Union address - both being systematic distractions from the main, current tasks of governing. President Obama's 2012 budget is the numerical embodiment of his State of the Union address - both being systematic distractions from the main, current tasks of governing. His plan includes, according to Yuval Levin, editor of National Affairs, "no entitlement reform, no tax reform, no significant spending reform, indeed no meaningful change of direction of any sort." All the elements of a status quo budget are present. A dependence on rosy economic assumptions...

CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) no longer includes several significant Conservative candidates, broadcasters, and institutions. Notably absent this weekend were Sarah Palin, Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh, Heritage Foundation, Family Research Council, and Concerned Women of America. CPAC continues to drift apart from the Burkean Conservatism of religious principle and societal order inseparably linked to economic freedom. CPAC's Friday headline speaker, touting the virtue of a balanced budget, was Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, as introduced by George Will who has promoted Daniels as a possible presidential candidate. Mitch Daniels is George Will's Great Male Hope to save his Republican Party from...

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels isn't saying how he feels about a proposal moving in the Legislature that would require police officers in the state to enforce federal immigration laws. Click here to find out more! The sponsor of the bill approved Wednesday by a state Senate committee says it's aimed at having an Arizona-style crackdown on illegal immigration. Daniels told reporters that he wasn't taking a public stance on the bill, saying its provisions were still in flux. Supporters of the legislation say it's needed because the federal government has failed to enforce immigration laws and that...

Indiana Governor, and 2012 hopeful, Mitch Daniels gave what was perhaps the most interesting and important speech at CPAC this year but with greater notoriety comes greater scrutiny.

In a speech that appeared aimed directly at conservatives wary of his stance on social issues, Indiana Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels bluntly warned participants at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday against spurning candidates and issues capable of attracting broad public support. "Purity in martyrdom is for suicide bombers," said Daniels, whose potential 2012 presidential candidacy has been defined by his critique of the some of his party's most ardent activists. He also called not-so-subtly for a shift in the party's political tone. "I submit that, as we ask Americans to join us on such a boldly different course,"...

Full text of CPAC speech here: http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/11/full-text-mitch-daniels-speech-to-cpac/ Video: http://cspan.org/Events/Top-Republicans-Headline-Todays-CPAC/10737419537-2/

The Galen Institute, a conservative think-tank that focuses on health care policy, held a Friday roundtable with Gov. Mitch Daniels, R-Ind., to discuss ObamaCare. Daniels, a former White House budget chief and possible 2012 presidential contender, called ObamaCare a “Fixers Fiesta,” referring to all of the waivers the Dept. of Health and Human Services has given to companies and unions so that their health care policies don’t violate the new regulations. “Get ready for years of this,” Daniels said. “It’s going to be so unworkable in so many ways ... anybody who writes about lobbying is going to have a...

The clearest sign yet that Mike Huckabee is leaning toward another presidential run emerged Thursday. The former Arkansas Governor plans to visit Iowa in June and participate in the Family Leader’s “Presidential Lecture Series”, according to the group’s CEO Bob Vander Plaats. He disclosed that information to a crowd of 50 in Oskaloosa.

Governor Mitch Daniels is a great wonk, a good governor, but it appears that he isn't much of a politician. Earth to Mitch: You don't start out a presidential campaign by alienating 1/3 of your base: The other day on Laura Ingraham's radio show, Daniels re-iterated his call for a "truce" on social issues while America gets its economic house in order. He now says he'd like to "mute" those issues for a little while.Listen here. (You have to go 4 minutes into the clip to hear this) The transcription is below: "If you don't accept that we face a...

Any conservative who is flirting with the idea of supporting Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels for President should read this Politico puff piece on the potential presidential aspirant.  Jonathan Martin of Politico, in a piece titled, "Mitch Daniels: Heartthrob of the Elites", cites elitist columnists and publications that heap praise upon Mitch Daniels for his "gold-plated resume".  After discerning the type of pundits who admire Mitch Daniels, I am more certain than ever that he is not the man with the temerity, grit, or passion to battle the left.  Here is the opening of the article: If pundits and columnists represented...

If pundits and columnists represented the GOP base, Mitch Daniels would be the odds-on favorite for the presidential nomination in 2012. The Indiana governor has been showered with favorable coverage from political thinkers and analysts in recent months, most of which heaped praise on his thoughtful and principled approach to governing while celebrating his serious yet down-to-earth mien. “Of all the Republicans talking about the deficit these days, Mitch Daniels, the governor of Indiana, has arguably the most credibility,” claimed The New York Times’ David Leonhardt in an Indianapolis-datelined economics column recently. Daniels is hardly the first presidential prospect to...

For the first time in PPP's national polling for the 2012 Republican nomination there's a clear leader: Mike Huckabee. Huckabee's at 24% to 14% for Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney, 11% for Newt Gingrich, 8% for Tim Pawlenty, 7% for Ron Paul, 4% for Mitch Daniels, and 1% for John Thune.

Members of Indiana General Assembly leadership introduce legislation promoting photo enforcement. The residents of six cities with a combined population of over 2.7 million voted last year to outlaw the use of automated ticketing machines on their streets. The photo enforcement industry is now working overtime to make up for lost ground by expanding operations into states where neither red light cameras nor speed cameras have been well received. Lobbyists are hopeful that Indiana could be the next state to reconsider. Powerful members of the General Assembly earlier this month introduced legislation to authorize the use of traffic cameras. House...

State Finances: As Illinois passes a draconian tax increase on people and businesses, surrounding states with GOP governors are moving in the opposite direction, ready to pick the Land of Lincoln's bones. The Founding Fathers envisioned the states as laboratories where ideas could be tested and evaluated. Each state would be different and freedom of movement guaranteed that if a citizen of any given state was unhappy, he or she could move to one more hospitable. Well, a great experiment is about to begin, and we may soon witness a migration to rival the exodus from East Germany. At least...

The Indiana governor has a good shot at the nomination. American presidential elections tend to resemble a lunchtime saunter through a grocery store. Most presidential elections since 1968 saw voters looking to satisfy a craving. The craving that voters might have in 2012 seems to help and hurt some potential Republican nominees. One nominee it might help is Mitch Daniels.Richard Nixon won in 1968 largely because Americans were hungry for some law and order — cops willing to beat down the unruly who were torching American cities and disrupting political discourse. The excesses of the year lead to a craving...

To many, the biggest question surrounding the 2012 presidential election remains: Will Sarah Palin run? Regardless of the answer, conservative columnist George Will believes Palin “cannot be elected president because she cannot compete where elections are decided.” On ABC’s “This Week” Sunday, Will explained that Palin will have trouble getting votes in specific parts of the country.

Back in June, Indiana Gov. Mitch Dan iels, whom many think would be an attractive 2012 presidential candidate, was quoted by Andrew Ferguson in The Weekly Standard as saying the next president "would have to call a truce on the so-called social issues." That quickly attracted some harsh criticism from opponents of abortion and same-sex marriage. But Daniels has declined to back down, telling the Indianapolis Star the other day that such issues are secondary to the economy and foreign policy. I think both Daniels and his critics have missed the point. The fact is that there is an ongoing...

Back in June, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who many think would be an attractive 2012 presidential candidate, was quoted by Andrew Ferguson in the Weekly Standard as saying the next president "would have to call a truce on the so-called social issues." That quickly attracted some harsh criticism from opponents of abortion and same-sex marriage. But Daniels has declined to back down, telling the Indianapolis Star the other day that such issues are secondary to the economy and foreign policy. I think both Daniels and his critics have missed the point. The fact is that there is an ongoing truce...