The American Spectator

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p> BOOSIERS br> Re: Ryan L. Cole's Tough Crowd : /p>

This is one Hoosier who voted for Mitch Daniels once and will be happy to vote for him later this year. Yes, he was elected promising reform and to put Indiana on a competitive edge for attracting new business. Yet after voting for Mitch because of his promise to change the way Indiana does business, one interest group after another began to line up against him.

There has been a long standing argument in Indiana about whether the state should be on Eastern or central time. At first, one may think "who cares? What difference does it make"? The difference was basically economic. Indiana does major business with Chicago in the West and Cincinnati and Columbus in the East. Much of the argument was over which city/state would Indiana be in sync. This was no small matter. The time difference of one hour with either Illinois or Ohio throws a wet blanket on commerce. Once Daniels took office, the time zone argument flared up once again for the nth time in the state legislature like clockwork. This time, however, Daniels insisted that the state senators and representatives come to a conclusion. He promised to sign any decision the legislature came up with -- and he did. It was a no win situation, remaining in limbo was hurting the state's economic development, "choosing" one side over the other earned Daniels lasting resentment from the losing side.

The most puzzling grievance against Daniels has been the leasing the state's toll roads. Early in his administration, Daniels and his teems found out that it cost the state more to collect the tolls than the tolls brought in themselves. In what has to be a stroke of genius, Daniels leased the operation of the toll roads to a foreign consortium which would also be responsible for the care and upkeep for the roads while the Indiana kept ownership -- with $3.8 billion upfront going to the State. Highway projects which had been languishing for years for lack of funds were quickly revived and set in motion. Immediately, however, Democrats became enraged and charged Daniels with giving away a cash-cow. As baseless as the complaint against Daniels was, Democrats were able to make it stick with some Hoosiers.

Daniels has flown all over the world -- particularly in Eastern Asia -- to bring new factories and distribution centers back home. By any score, Daniels has been extremely successful. Yet in a peculiar way many Hoosier see things, we tend to focus on the closing of old factories and jobs lost -- especially jobs lost and going over seas. (We are talking about thousands of jobs gained to hundreds lost.) Thus many in the state believe Indiana is the big loser among the heartland states.

The property tax plan Daniels crafted was a response to a crisis in which the latest increase in property tax bills threatened to put thousands on fixed and limited incomes out of their homes. The Democrats brilliant plan was to collect the taxes and then give homeowners a rebate latter. Democrats thought they had a great plan; but, as the Republicans pointed out, you have to collect the tax in order to give some back latter -- the tax many cannot afford now. After stubborn resistance, Daniels passed a formula which reduced property taxes by increasing the sales tax by one cent.

While not a perfect governor, Daniels has changed the political landscape and solved several persistence issues. He has drawn the ire of many who profited under the old arrangements. And, of course, he has run afoul those Hoosiers that can't stand change in principle.

The poll in the Indianapolis Star which showed 37 percent of those polled said they would vote against Daniels in 2008 is essentially meaningless. The poll pitted Daniels against an unnamed, imaginary someone. Now we have two opponents we can contrast with Daniels. Jill Long Thompson is a known politician who has been rejected by the voters several times for several different offices. Her track record is not promising. Jim Schellinger is largely an unknown except perhaps to the business community in Indianapolis. How well he will do with the rest of the state which has a love/hate relationship with Indianapolis is at best 50/50.

p>How well Daniels will do in November may in the end have more to do with the fate of the Republican Party. Leave it to those who have lead the party so poorly. Daniels may be defeated because of the (R) behind his name more than anything else. Naturally, pundits and party officials will draw absolutely the wrong lessons. br> --

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