Lee Hamilton commentary: A lawmaker’s impossible task
Wednesday, January 25, 2023 I don’t remember when it first occurred to me after arriving in Washington many years ago that at its heart, being a member of Congress meant never being entirely satisfied. And that this state of affairs is baked into our form of government. But des “...”
John Krull commentary: How to seize defeat from the jaws of victory
The early skirmishing over who will be the Republican candidate for Indiana’s U.S. Senate seat in 2024 demonstrates—conclusively—that the GOP of Ronald Reagan is dead and gone. Reagan famously set forth what he called the 11th commandment: “Thou shalt not speak ill of an “...”
Andrew Downs commentary: Ready, set, legislate
This analysis by Andrew Downs (above), emeritus associate professor of political science at Purdue University Fort Wayne, was originally published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle and is republished according to Indiana Capital Chronicle republishing guidelines. Legislators are “...”
Lee Hamilton commentary: A legislator’s toughest job
January 11, 2023 As Congress and many state legislatures get under way for the year, there are lots of new lawmakers out there starting to learn the ropes. It’s an exhilarating, exhausting time, and they’ll have plenty of questions about the challenges. But here’s one thing “...”
John Krull commentary: Holcomb, neither poetry nor prose
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb took a risk with his seventh State of the State address. He dared to be boring. Holcomb’s half-hour speech read and sounded like a term paper. It was loaded—almost clogged, in fact—with numbers. At times, it seemed as if the governor were reciting “...”
John Krull commentary: Mitch Daniels, wooed or wooing
Mitch Daniels likes to be courted. Nearly 20 years ago, a corps of Indiana Republicans waged a prolonged campaign to draft Daniels to run for Indiana governor. They staged events and formulated petitions designed to persuade him to seek the office. It was a desperate time for the “...”
John Krulll commentary: Duck and cover won’t work in this case
Not long ago, the Indiana State Teachers Association issued a call for the state’s lawmakers to address a pressing problem during the upcoming legislative session. If you missed it, you’re not alone. Chances are, the leaders of the Indiana General Assembly weren’t paying at “...”
John Krull commentary: Chamber misses the point
A recent column I wrote about the Indiana Chamber of Commerce must have touched a nerve. In that piece, I took note of the brouhaha raised by the chamber’s recent report, “Indiana’s Leaking Talent Pipeline.” That report noted that the state doesn’t perform well when it “...”
Kevin Brinegar commentary: Krull column misses the point
There are so many things wrong with John Krull’s recent column, “Chamber misses the moment,” that it’s difficult to know where to begin. Let’s start with his premise that our recent Indiana Chamber report, “Indiana’s Leaking Talent Pipeline,” laid the blame for la “...”
John Krull commentary: Chamber misses the moment
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce missed a huge opportunity the other day. The chamber had a chance to transform Indiana’s bitter and unproductive battles over education into a discussion that might lead somewhere and help this state and its people. But the voice of Hoosier busin “...”