Make no mistake,
The COUNT US! PAC endorsement for Indiana Governor goes to Kenn Gividen.
The endorsement of Mitch Daniels by the
Evansville Courier & Press
is troubling for our side, but we read the same "troubled feeling
regarding I-69" from members of the Evansville newspaper's editorial
board.
Still we have continued to give Mitch
Daniels a higher rating than Joe Kernan. Daniels deserves both
"thumbs-down-and-thumbs-up" because our side too sees the "potential for new leadership"and because of the same sureness of Kernan's support
on the I-69, 3C expressed by the Courier & Press,
"To
his great credit, Kernan has pushed ahead with planning for the
direct I-69 between Evansville and Indianapolis. Just as important, he
believes funding will be available for the $1.8 billion project."
We too would adopt some of the Evansville endorsement's phrasing as our own: "But our decision in this election comes down to the rare opportunity we see in Daniels to awaken Indiana to its full potential. On the question of I-69, we take him at his word - and if he is elected, Hoosiers should hold him to it."...."He is a realist, absolutely fresh in his candor for the uphill struggle facing Indiana,"..." the funding (for I-69) is not there".
| Evansville
Courier & Press For Governor The Issue: Hoosiers will choose top leader on Nov. 2. Our View: Mitch Daniels would bring a fresh perspective to state government. October 20, 2004 When Mitch Daniels met with the Courier & Press Editorial Board on Aug. 23, he was asked what assurances he could give that, if elected, he would keep direct Interstate 69 on course for construction. His answer: "I would hope to accelerate the current schedule." Our question and his answer are critical to how many residents of Southwestern Indiana view the race for governor of Indiana. Daniels, a Republican, is opposed by Democratic Gov. Joe Kernan and Libertarian Kenn Gividen. To his great credit, Kernan has pushed ahead with planning for the direct I-69 between Evansville and Indianapolis. Just as important, he believes funding will be available for the $1.8 billion project. On the other side, Daniels says the funding is not there and that Indiana must look for creative sources of funding, such as tolls, to complete the project. But he does support the highway, calling it the highest-priority infrastructure project in the state. We would not be so concerned about the I-69 question if Daniels did not offer Hoosiers such a refreshing opportunity for new leadership in Indiana. But he does. Otherwise, Kernan's aggressive support of I-69, and his optimism that he can get this important job done, might tilt the choice in his favor. But any election for governor is about more than a single issue. There are simply too many aspects of Hoosier life that are impacted by state government to limit the consideration of candidates to one project, however important we view it. Two other factors weigh greatly in consideration of endorsing Daniels to be Indiana's next governor. One is that potential for new leadership mentioned above, and the other is the stagnation that settles in when one party - in this case, Democratic -has been in control of so important a public office for so many years. On the latter point, we turn to Daniels' own words. He said that the malfeasance, bungling, fiascos and scandals that have haunted Indiana government in recent years are "the inevitable consequence of a long, long regime - 16 years now - gradually running downhill." He pointed to the loss of jobs, the lagging economy, the deficit spending, the high number of bankruptcies and foreclosures and Indiana's failure to live up to the promise of a state that sits at the crossroads of America. He doesn't blame this all on state government, nor on anyone's ill intent. But the situation does, as he says, make the case for a change of leadership. We agree. Daniels is one of the more interesting candidates to come along in many years. He is extremely intelligent, having worked on policy in some very lofty places. That experience, as an Eli Lilly executive and White House budget director, contributes to the business/government background he would bring to state leadership. Yet even with his impressive credentials, the friendly person you meet when Daniels comes calling is down-home casual in a Hoosier sort of way. He is a realist, absolutely fresh in his candor for the uphill struggle facing Indiana, but infectiously positive in his belief that he can get it done. He has run a remarkable - and clean - grass-roots campaign to introduce himself to Indiana over the past year. Indiana cannot lose in this election. Kernan is a fine man in his own right, clearly qualified to continue serving as governor. He and Lt. Gov. Kathy Davis have worked at a quickened pace to reform and restructure state government, cutting away at the cobwebs that come with 16 years of one-party control. But our decision in this election comes down to the rare opportunity we see in Daniels to awaken Indiana to its full potential. On the question of I-69, we take him at his word - and if he is elected, Hoosiers should hold him to it - that he is committed to seeing the highway through to completion. With that, today we endorse Mitch Daniels for governor of Indiana. |
| We thank the Daniels campaign for forwarding this Evansville endorsement as an attachment to one of their mass campaign e-mails. We also Thank Kenn Gividen for being the first to draw our attention to this development. |