What about Mitch Daniels in 2012?

(official picture from www.in.gov)

A lot of people have asked me what I think of Mitch Daniels--the Governor of Indiana. He gave an interesting speech at CPAC with his "raison debt" quip. If he won, as a short, bald man, he would defy conventional odds. Mitt Romney would probably feel cheated after all the years of maintaining perfect hair,and a perfect, Presidential appearance.

Daniels won by 18 points in a year when Indiana turned Blue for Obama (2008).
He is recognized for competence. And he is remembered for his tour across the state
during the campaign staying in the houses of Hoosiers across the state.
He definitely appeals to the average man more than Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, and others in the Presidential field.

But he also lacks the necessary charisma and excitement.
These are huge factors in a Presidential campaign. If people don't get excited about you, you generally lose. (See McCain in 2008; see Dole in 1996). Obama is not good at many things, but he is certainly good at energizing his base. Before long, he will be in front of his fans, shouting "Si se puede" and "You fired up?"

Indiana might be balancing budgets (?-help me out here readers), but the state has tons of problems. It is a state built on manufacturing (whether RV's or automobiles). And with those loss of jobs, came a comcomitant increase in crime especially in the cities. Daniels, as chief executive of the state, needs to crack down on criminals and robbers. Indiana is also known for its underground meth industry. He needs to work better with federal authorities to crack down on the meth labs popping up left and right.

How will Daniels do in the debates? Well it depends on who else is there. He will fare well against Sarah Palin. His knowledge about government and budget details (mainly from his time as head of the Office of Management and Budget under George W. Bush)will confuse Sarah Palin who cannot even recall what newspapers she reads on a daily basis (see interview with Katie Couric).

But compared to other possible candidates like Gingrich, Santorum, and Mitt Romney, he will come across as a nice, smart individual---but very unexciting.

Mitch Daniels, we would love to hear more from you. Welcome to the 2012 field. But we suggest you show up to the debates on your motorcycle. You need to increase your excitement level. But we like how you relate to the common man.

The Race for 2012 and Chris Christie's Refreshing Honesty

(From the American Enterprise Institute)

Many people are praising Chris Christie right now.
Not the teacher's unions he battled or the Democrats in New Jersey that can't handle a fair political fight. But Republicans in many circles think he is the GOP's only chance at success. This seems to be Ann Coulter's position. And if I had to guess, if the Editors of the Weekly Standard had to pick a favorite, they would choose Christie or General David Petraeus.

Did you catch Christie's remarks at the American Enterprise Institute? It's very hard to listen to Christie and not warm up to him. He is a very principled "regular guy" that voters can relate to.

One of my favorite of his remarks involved Governor Corzine's response to the
budget crisis several summers back. In response to a government shut down, Corzine famously brought reporters into his office and pointed to a cot that he would sleep on until the crisis ended.

How would Chris Christie handle this?

So I knew these were the same fellas who had been in the legislature when he was there now threatening to do the same thing. So I decided to call them down early on and advise them that the place was under new management. And what I said to them was listen, if you want to pass an income tax increase that's fine, I'm going to veto it. And if you want to close down the government because of that, that's fine. But I want to tell you something-I'm not moving any cot into this office to sleep in here. If you close down the government I'm getting into those black SUV's with the troopers and going to the governor's residence I'm going to go upstairs, I'm going to open a beer, I'm going order a pizza, I'm going to watch the Mets. And when you decide to reopen the government give me a call and I'll come back. But don't think I'm sleeping on some cot take a look at me you think I'm sleeping on a cot- not happening.

Could you imagine one of the other presidential candidates saying this?
It would be too off-color. Too risky.

It's too bad Christie said there was no chance he was running in 2012. Isn't it ironic, that the one political figure the country really needs, isn't going to run?