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 â...â
John Krull commentary: Bread, circuses and Victoria Spartz
U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Indiana, made a good point. Her leaderâSpeaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, R-Californiaâhas 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 â...â
Lee Hamilton commentary: A lawmakerâs impossible task
Wednesday, January 25, 2023 I donât 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 â...â
John Krull commentary: How to seize defeat from the jaws of victory
The early skirmishing over who will be the Republican candidate for Indianaâs U.S. Senate seat in 2024 demonstratesâconclusivelyâthat the GOP of Ronald Reagan is dead and gone. Reagan famously set forth what he called the 11th commandment: âThou shalt not speak ill of an â...â
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 â...â
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. Itâs an exhilarating, exhausting time, and theyâll have plenty of questions about the challenges. But hereâs one thing â...â
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. Holcombâs half-hour speech read and sounded like a term paper. It was loadedâalmost clogged, in factâwith numbers. At times, it seemed as if the governor were reciting â...â
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 â...â
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 stateâs lawmakers to address a pressing problem during the upcoming legislative session. If you missed it, youâre not alone. Chances are, the leaders of the Indiana General Assembly werenât paying at â...â
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 chamberâs recent report, âIndianaâs Leaking Talent Pipeline.â That report noted that the state doesnât perform well when it â...â