SOUDER: In Indiana, nice guys finish first
If you are running for a statewide office in Indiana, what matters most: likability or substantive issues?
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GARRISON: Turning the cover on the constitution
The last few weeks have been interesting; for all the hyperbole surrounding the presidential election, some 3 million fewer votes were cast for the president than in 2008. Go figure. As a snapshot of what that means, John McCain got 2 million more votes than Mitt Romney this year, while the president garnered 3 million fewer. In the end, the margin was about 2.5 million votes.
SHELLA: Political lessons learned, and relearned
Ten takeaways from a memorable November election in Indiana:
LEIGHTY: A way forward for the Republican Party
The Republican Party needs a makeover. After the devastating losses suffered Nov. 6, pundits and politicos alike are asking one question: What will become of the party? As a 21-year-old who will be voting for many years to come, I think the party must make major changes to remain relevant and attract votes of future generations.
WESTERHAUS-RENFROW: Lessons from the War on Poverty
America has come so far, having elected a black president to a second term, mainly by women, young and non-whites. Yet, I hear all too often that Indiana companies cannot find qualified African-American workers.
BOEHM: Judicial elections need lawmaker action
Marion County’s trial judges are selected by a process used nowhere else in the state, and, as far as I know, nowhere on this planet. In the May primary elections, the two major parties each nominate only half the number of judges that will be elected in the general election.
MASSON: Marriage amendment is short-sighted
Thomas Jefferson said, “The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”
LONG: Budget, education, criminal sentencing top agenda
As the smoke clears from the election season, Hoosiers have turned their attention back to the Statehouse. The newly elected members of the General Assembly have a long to-do list. Passing a balanced budget, examining education reforms and updating our criminal sentencing structure are just a few.
DOWD: Romney is president…of another country
It makes sense that Mitt Romney and his advisers are still gobsmacked by the fact that they’re not commandeering the West Wing.
MYERS: Indiana a leader in breast cancer fight
Breast cancer is not one disease; it is many diseases. And although it is not limited to women, women over the age of 50 are at the highest risk.
TAFT: Resurrecting Indy’s urban housing market
The recession affected some older Indianapolis neighborhoods differently than it did the larger metro area housing market, with areas of Marion County taking particularly hard hits.
STYRING: A Thanksgiving lesson in communism
The Pilgrims were small “c” communists. Lands were farmed in common and everything went into a common storehouse from which everyone drew sustenance.
RIVERA: Hoosiers’ common-sense triumphs
My generation of Hoosiers has elevated expectations for government. It must be environmentally friendly, embrace technology, help our neediest, treat everyone equally, and manage finances responsibly.
MAHERN: Now that you’ve been elected a legislator…
So, you have been elected to the Legislature. Robert Redford once starred in a movie called “The Candidate.” At the end of the film and after an improbable win for the U.S. Senate, the Redford character asks his consultant, “What do we do now?"
HOWEY: Mourdock camp ran a bad campaign
A couple of days after Richard Mourdock upset U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar in the May primary, Howard County Republican Chairman Craig Dunn called me. Would I be open to a “clear the air” meeting with Mourdock?
KRULL: Voters spoke, but is the GOP listening?
Oh, what strange things partisanship and ideology can be. The day after the votes had been counted in the 2012 election, Republican leaders new and old in state government declared that nothing—not even a pesky upset—was going to stop them from implementing their education agenda.
SWAYZE: Turbo government here for business
Now that Indiana is right-to-work, voters have given Gov.-elect Mike Pence a legislative escort through his Roadmap for Indiana. Super-majorities in the House and Senate will help him build on Gov. Daniels’ success to make Indiana a state that works.
VANE: All in all, state Republicans won big
I simply can’t imagine that there’s been a more interesting era of politics in the Hoosier State than the one in which we are living.
BECK: Republicans received no mandates
A super-majority doesn’t necessarily mean good government.
MUTZ: More campaign disclosure necessary
Who made a campaign contribution and for how much should be public information before the election. Two court rulings since 2010 and creation of several finance vehicles have complicated and confused the situation.