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By DAVID KITCHELL
LOGANSPORT - It says something about an Indiana governor’s race when the fact that the challenger is running a campaign commercial is front-page news. That happened this week when Jill Long Thompson aired her first televised salvo, and Gov. Mitch Daniels’ camp predictably responded calling it a negative ad.
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This has not been your typical Indiana governor’s race. First, you have to consider that both candidates have political backgrounds that feature more time in Washington, D.C., than places like Washington, Ind. Then, you factor in the first female major party candidate in Thompson. Now add an incumbent governor who has already run a campaign commercial with no words, at least not spoken. His boilerplate ad touts bold-lettered benchmarks he wants to promote during his first term. It’s a clever but coy way of saying his record speaks for itself. At no point, do we see the words "controversial toll road deal," "time zone debacle" or "privatization controversy." What we do hear is background music that would be more appropriate for a documentary about the America’s Cup yacht race.
Mind you, Daniels is not, as former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo described Indiana’s Dan Quayle, the Cabin Boy on the Titanic. Yet the economic times suggest that Daniels has been more of a tugboat captain, ferrying big issues between open seas and port, and the seas have been rough.
Daniels last week drew praise in an Indianapolis Star editorial for a high bond rating for Indiana. Yet, a high bond rating in government is akin to having a good driving record if you’re applying for a CDL. It won’t get you rich, but it may get you hired. Whether a bond rating will get Daniels’ rehired is the question in a campaign that won’t make it to Chris Mathews’ "Hardball" show on MSNBC. If anything, this campaign would qualify as a reality show called "Softball," which also is a sport probably played more than baseball in Indiana anyway.
Had this been an actual, issue-based campaign, we might have heard Thompson point out in her initial ad that Indiana’s personal income growth ranked in the bottom 10 states in 2006 and it was one of the worst growth rates in the Midwest. We might have heard Daniels respond that Indiana has the best economic development record in the Midwest.
Thompson could then have countered that the property tax system in the state hit Hoosiers for a loop that probably vaulted a political unknown named Greg Ballard into the mayoralship of one of the most progressive cities in the United States. Daniels could come back with tax reform and his claim that taxes have not been raised, even though the sales tax is higher for everyone in Indiana and property taxes are higher for many.
Thompson could roll out footage of her driving a tractor, and she already has that footage on her Web site. Daniels could answer with footage of biofuels being developed throughout the state, as they are in other states.
Thompson could argue that Indiana needs clean fuels and power plants, and that one environmental organization ranks several Indiana power plants among the worst polluters in the nation. Daniels could shirk that off by claiming his support of the FutureGen zero emissions plant across the border in Illinois will make the region one of the most progressive in the next 20 years.
Thompson could claim the wages in Indiana have not made remarkable progress since Daniels took office, and Daniels could point to a new auto plant in Greensburg as an exception.
But we’re just not seeing this kind of repartee from the candidates, and that’s unfortunate for voters. What we are seeing is a boxing match where the bell has rung and both boxers are still in their corners, a foot from their stools ready to make a charge, but waiting as long as possible. Right now, they’re only shadowboxing, hoping to win by decision after the final bell.
That’s why the Indiana Debate Commission should give Chris Mathews a call. His moderation of a debate with Daniels, Thompson and Libertarian Andrew Horning would liven up what has otherwise been a very low-key governor’s race, even by Indiana standards.
The only place this election is really being waged is on bumpers. The "My Man Mitch" stickers are not as prevalent as they were four years ago, but there are various Democratic responses in the same green-and-white color scheme: "Ditch Mitch", "Not My Man" and the new favorite, "Privatize The Son-Of-A-Mitch.".
The real sticker undecided Hoosier voters could be putting on their bumpers is "Switch Mitch?" For now, the bumpers of undecided voters will look like they do any other year, even if the campaign for Indiana governor does not.
What could change this political climate is fatigue with the presidential race. If John McCain and Barack Obama are as close in October in polls as they are right now, the governor’s race may be off the radar screen, particularly if Indiana is in play in the presidential race. If Obama runs away with it, expect more political contributions to flood to Daniels.
If Chris Mathews lands at Indianapolis International, somebody tell him we’d like our governor’s race to have more traction with voters than Goodyear had last weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Kitchell is a veteran Hoosier journalist from Logansport. His column appears at howeypolitics.com on Wednesdays.
Tags: Chris Mathews, Dave Kitchell, Jill Long Thompson, Mitch Daniels
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This entry was written by and posted on July 31, 2008 at 12:47 pm and filed under HPI Weekly. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.
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