Commentary: The big lie playbook
The following commentary by Julia Vaughn, executive director of Common Cause Indiana, was originally published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle and is republished according to Indiana Capital Chronicle republishing guidelines. For more than a decade, Indiana has ranked in the b “...”
John Krull commentary: Mitch Daniels’ telling exit
Words matter to Mitch Daniels. They always have. The just-retired Purdue University president and former Indiana governor took pride in penning his speeches and other pieces of writing that bore his name. He wanted to be able to own what he said and have what he said matter. That “...”
John Krull commentary: Bread, circuses and Victoria Spartz
U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Indiana, made a good point. Her leader—Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, R-California—has said he plans to prevent U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, from serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and block U.S. Rep “...”
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 “...”