A guest column submitted by a loyal reader whose opinions I value (who shall remain anonymous) has been surveying the political scene in Indiana the past week and speaking to various informed sources. The consensus is that former Gov. Mitch Daniels played a behind-the-scenes roll in the well-orchestrated take-down of Gov. Mike Pence this past week. The reader's sleuthing confirms my suspicions regarding the Langley, Virginia brain trust, which for whatever reason has decided Pence has to be removed as Indiana's governor. The reader's conclusions were further bolstered when nothing but a bunch of Daniels' cronies showed up this morning when Indiana's legislative leaders announced their fix to Indiana's RFRA law and were immediately crowned as our state's saviors.
The headlines read, “Lawmakers believe they have language in place to fix Religious Freedom Restoration Act, give limited protections for LGBT.” But it won’t fix Pence. He’s as done as an Easter ham.
Last night David Letterman launched into a list of people who Pence look like, including "the guy who makes his dog sleep outside," "the guy whose wife has to tell him he's 'getting a little loud,'" "the guy who keeps a baseball bat in his trunk...."
What is interesting to many observers is that there is no media mention as to what the statute actually says, but only what national reporters imply a statute says. Who is actually behind all of this? The LGBT groups? Nope.
How about former Governor Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr.? Yea, how about Mitch?
He has a lot of connections not only with local media, but he knows national media. These connections go back to the days he worked for Lugar and Lilly and for President Reagan and President Bush '43. A big Rolodex.
Did you notice that when Pence began taking his big media hit, Daniels had nothing but positive media? The same week RFRA blows up for Pence a Fortune magazine article calls Daniels one of the world’s 50 greatest leaders.
How about the Chicago Tribune writing a glowing piece about a Purdue President, or how a Purdue President just happens to feel like giving testimony about alumni funded student loans? What about a relatively unknown media flack writing a book about Mitch almost running for President? Where is all of this coming from?
Is Mitch acting behind the scene helping to fan the flames under Pence? And, at the same time, the media is pumping him up. And this happens at the same time his loyal friend Holcomb runs for U.S. Senate. And Pence doesn’t want Holcomb.
Is Pence and his folks in Mitch’s way? Some say “yes, and on many levels.” Maybe, like Chas White, they need to be taught not to stand between their betters and something that is coveted by their betters. It may be payback time.
Even if Mitch doesn't want to be governor or a senator, his ego wants to control the next governor and senator because of procurement and favors and raw power. He learned that from his mentors Keith Buelen and Dick Lugar.
Mitch may want help to destroy Pence on behalf of that other Bush. This would help him be picked for VP or a cabinet spot if Jeb Bush won. He has the qualifications and was OMB Director for another Bush. Remember Mitch the Knife?
Have you noticed that Mitch and his political minions are being so quiet about RFRA? He doesn't want his fingerprints to appear on this issue in any way. He doesn't care about this issue one way or another because it's ideological and there's no real power or money attached to it.
The only real close friend of Mitch, who came out against RFRA is Angie's List CEO Bill Oesterle. But Bill simply wanted a way out of the long and sordid $18.5 M taxpayer subsidy after he was hit with the second fraud lawsuit in Philadelphia recently.
Purdue is a perfect place for Mitch where he still has some limited excuses to keep up relationships with various corporate interests tied to large donors in the aerospace industry, infrastructure, energy exploration, new energy, military tech and agriculture. Maybe he is already bored with West Lafayette.
12 comments:
I don't see Daniels getting picked as VP! He knows the national press would kill him using his many, many, scandals as governor to destroy him. Cabinet post maybe. VP not happening!
12:53, it seems to me that Mitch doesn't want VP nor cabinet position, but rather prefers to create obstacles and hurdles for Pence to hurt himself on.
This may seem like a stretch for some, but in my experience of knowing him, Mr. Daniels, I would put nothing past him, absolutely nothing is beneath Mitch Daniels.
Because of the deeply entrenched bureaucracy, Mitch is stalled at Purdue and unlikely to make significant short-term changes. It will take him years and then there is the residence issue. If I may, I would describe his activities at Purdue to be those of a “place holder.” And, if you examine his career record, you might notice that he has not kept the same job for very long. Some think that he is bored. West Lafayette is not a very exciting place for a world leader. Maybe he craves the excitement of big boy politics.
Nothing good has ever come from any brain trust in Langley Va. Unless you hate America, that is.
Also, does Mitch have designs on 1600 Pennsy?
Every inch of Daniels tenure needs a sweep by the DOJ. All accounts of fraud and corruption have been written here. Roob, Health and Hospital, Turners, FSSA, Payne, Highway and Energy land deals, abuse of state helicopters and more, kids living in Gov. Mansion at tax payers expense, pensions, hirings, placements, DCFS, prisons, Ballard, Ethic violations, State Fair Ground incident, and more and more and more.
What exactly is the reasoning behind this again ? I'm not really following along with what you are implying regarding Mike Pence. Mike is hardly a contender for the Presidential position and most certainly not anymore after this debacle. His overall work experience is too thin to even make a case, hence why he took this Governor position.
I don't really see Pence as any type of threat to Daniels. They are not even on the same level.
Anon 3:09, those scandals do not matter.
Just wait a short time. Mitch will start getting stupid awards and he will be named as “educator” "innovator" or "executive" of the year. There will be op-eds published about how much we need Mitch to run something or to run for something. All the efforts will come together to build a case that he should help somewhere he is desperately needed. This might even be modeled on the phony "Draft Mitch" effort he orchestrated in 2003.
When he runs at the Cordova Recreational Sports Center on Third Street, that is where he think and plans. He knows that it is not over. Especially when he sees faculty that cannot keep up with him on the track and mostly dislike him.
Although everyone believes his political career is over, and he will retire at Purdue, I disagree. Mitch does not believe that he finished and he does not want to continue commuting until he retires.
He may think that he has only a small window for one more campaign to get something huge before they forget about him.
One thing I don't think anyone's mentioned here is Mitch can still run for governor for another term. If that doesn't make you shudder, then you've not paid attention the last decade. To quote "Blazing Saddles", he's still "the leading asshole in the state."
I can see Mitch coordinating some of this mess because he would possibly be capable of it and he's evil enough for it, though it'd take a helluva lot to get the stars aligned to get Mitch the glowing media coverage AND the General Assembly to pass RFRA at nearly the same time (that would simultaneously shine the light on the Republican Party in the General Assembly in a not-so-flattering way). I'm not sure that many of Mitch's friends in the GA would be taking the fall for this mess just for Mitch to go after Pence. Mitch wouldn't have been the one to coordinate Mike Pence looking and sounding like a bumbler during his press conferences, though. That was all Mike Pence, who isn't a dumb man, but sure came off like one. He looked incompetent, especially for somebody who knows the media as he does.
Ugh, I just felt sick thinking of Mitch Daniels as governor or ANYTHING important again. He's a wretched human being.
Does Mitch commute from Indy?
Does he show up for work M-F, 40 hours a week?
"Does Mitch commute from Indy?"
Back when Stephen Beering was president at Purdue, there was an office for him to use at IUPUI Conference Center hotel for when he came to Indy for "business". My guess is its still there and that's Mitch's main office and he has someone take him to WL only when needed.
I'm actually with Mitch on income sharing agreements (ISAs) as a substitute for student loans. If a student is bright, why not share in his success (equity) instead of burden him with debt payments? The idea's been around for 60 years and hasn't been tried because the feds have weighed in so heavily in favor of student debt. It's about time somebody speak out for an alternative.
"What is interesting to many observers is that there is no media mention as to what the statute actually says" - it's not "interesting" because I think that most of America already knows that the Media is in bed with the Democrat Party and the agenda of the Democrat Party is the total destruction of the nation.
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