Indiana

Two For Tuesday

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

Two big items from Tuesday, the Massachusetts Senate Race and Governor Mitch Daniels State of the State Address.  We’ll knock out Massachusetts first.

Massachusetts Miracle

Although it “sent shock waves” through political world, anyone who was paying attention to the dynamics of the race between Republican State Senator Steve Brown and Democrat Attorney General Martha Coakley saw brown’s victory coming.  Although Coakley originally had a 30-point lead, she lost by 5 points.

Frankly, I’m surprised she didn’t lose by more.  She ran a campaign that made Jill Long Thompson look like Karl Rove.  Between going on vacation after the primary, calling Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling a Yankee fan, saying their are no terrorists in Afghanistan, taking the voters for granted and just being plain annoying were all factors.  Throw in an anxious electorate that’s concerned about their jobs.  And most importantly, a state that already has universal health coverage and its citizens don’t want to pay for another plan and this is what you get.

Who’s surpised?

State of the State

Times are tough, but they’ll get better and things are a lot worse next door.  That was the underlying message of Governor Mitch Daniels’ State of the State address.  Daniels spelled out the challenges the state has gone through, but also talked about how Indiana’s moves today were laying the foundation for a stronger recovery tomorrow.

The Governor did touch on jobs, saying he was working to create a climate that is attracting jobs as companies look to downsize and consolidate their operations.   He also praised lawmakers for passing tax caps, pushed for them to pass more government reform, and urged them to end social promotion for third graders who can’t read.

Overall, the Governor struck a tone of optimism, but he did not deny the serious of the state’s situation.  It will be interesting to watch how the year pans out for his agenda.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on January 20, 2010 (boomark / email).