Pay attention, class! Here's a key political lesson from IPOPA.
How is it possible that a man can spend MILLIONS to own the airwaves unanswered for months, travel the state non-stop for a few weeks as "empathizer-in-chief," and still find himself only five points ahead in his gubernatorial election?
The answer is simple. Personal experience always trumps salesmanship, no matter how much Matt Tully raves about it.
If you have never been a victim of violent crime and your friends haven't either, I can sell you on the idea I reduced crime as your Governor, even if the truth is the exact opposite. But if you've been a crime victim, no amount of persuasion will make you believe things are better.
In the recent past, there are thousands of Hoosiers who have suffered economic violence in the form of layoffs, downsizing, rightsizing, and factory closings, which some (but not all) Republicans write off as "market corrections" while shortening the time during which you can receive unemployment benefits. You see, the free market hand has to put the hammer down on the unruly workforce inntent on preserving its standard of living. Oh, you silly blue collar types with your ridiculous "living wage" expectations!
So Governor Daniels caravans the state sounding like George Bush, Sr. in 1992, when he was telling everybody the economy was on the upswing. But the problem the Governor faces is that too many Hoosiers have lost their jobs, and those who weren't simply cut were "bought out." This means that even though these employees may not feel the immediate pain, they will next year when their retirement money is gone, and they can't find another job with a comparable salary. Apparently, the Governor doesn't think we can see what's coming.
And, respectfully, when you're unemployed and can't find a job, it's not all the comforting to hear the Governor tell you that "we're better than Ohio."
I predicted before (and I'll say again) that Jill Long-Thompson WILL be our next Governor if she can raise 1 dollar for every 2 dollars Governor Daniels raises.
Here's your homework, class.
10 comments:
I can tell you one thing that JLT should do at every campaign stop she makes on the South side of I-70: Ask the crowd what time it is.
The latent anger from "Not My Man" Mitch's meddling with the time zone issue is still palpable for many people in Southern Indiana since it's nearly impossible to travel across the area and maintain any idea of which time zone you happen to be traveling through.
It may be as good of an issue for JLT in the South as the Toll Road will be in the North.
The key is money though. I haven't seen much of her, and that worries me a bit. It is interesting that she's so close, but will that translate to victory in the fall...not so sure...
anonymous Look at your cell phone it will tell you
They sampled more democrats than republicans. Everyone knows that there are more republicans than democrats registered in Indiana.
3:09 AM--Nationwide, and in Indiana as well, Democratic partisan ID is up and Republican ID is down. More independents are calling themselves Dems and more Republicans are calling themselves Independent. This sample is not quite outrageous.
Add to that Obama is contesting the state (for now) as well as McCain's inability to do so (if he has to defend Indiana seriously then it's over for him anyway) and that none of the Democratic congressmen aside from Baron Hill have remotely serious competitors, I think it's safe to say Democrats will do significantly better than they have in the past.
Please change the title of this blog to what it really is: Painfully Partisan Political Pap.
Anon:
Nice alliteration, but I never stated that this blog did not have a partisan affiliation. It is Democrat. The "painfully objective" part is that I don't make apologies for my party when they aren't deserved. If you have actually READ this blog, you'd know that I am as strong a critic of the conduct of my own party, when the same is warranted, as I am of any party. But I'm open minded. Give me some blogs that you feel aren't "partisan political pap." I'd love to see it.
anon 11:30.....I have a suggestion. if this blog is so horrible, dont read it!!!
All Jill has to do is remind everyone of MD's original conclusion that the war would take "60 Billion and 6 Months".
I undertand that JLT's quarterly fundraising may surprise some people. Tonight at midnight is the deadline and the report will come out shortly.
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