Sunday, February 13, 2011

Meet Gov. Mitch Daniels

For those of you who do not know my governor, I hope you will make some time and watch this speech given by Mitch Daniels at the CPAC. It's a little over a half hour. First you will need to bear through the short introduction by George Will. Those who know George will know that he is not the most animated speaker you will ever encounter, but he says much in a very short passage.

Although he's more lively than Will, Gov. Daniels is not an oratorical scientist either. He does not use a speech to incite by emotion like our current President did on his way to the White House. There are no rhymes, no abundance of tone fluctuations. What you will find, however, is that he uses intelligent and reasoned statements to inspire and provoke deep and careful thoughts. He uses the power of persuasion to convince, and does it through a deep sense of conviction.

The Governor is not without some fault. As is the case with every human being drawing breath on this earth, he is not perfect.

If he gets serious about a run for the WH, it is certain that the left will dig up something insignificant from his formative years, which is a time when we all were susceptible to poor decisions now and then. And as we all know, the MSM will run with it like he knocked off a gas station and shot a clerk. Those people are despicable and will stop and nothing to distract us from the here and now, and it will be no different with Mr. Daniels.

In the matters of policy, there may be some things he says that may not be agreeable to every conservative--maybe not in this speech, but in another down the road. He may not be as socially conservative as some people will prefer, which means you may not hear him get overly involved in some issues of conscience. But that doesn't mean he is oblivious to them.

The point is, if you listen to this speech carefully, without bias and prejudice, you may discover that this a man who is both qualified capable to lead this nation in the direction it so desperately needs to be led. And to answer the more important questions in your mind, he can beat Barack Obama and he can raise the money it will take to do it.

I am not writing this to sing his praises because he is my Governor. I am presenting this to my readers, in the hopes that they will listen to the speech. I am hoping that it will give cause for many to think about the choice they will face in the 2012 GOP nomination process. Daniels hasn't declared his candidacy yet, but we can still hear what he is saying and use it to make the best informed choice we can... based on everything that is important, not related to pure emotion.

It will not be easy an easy choice to make, when the time comes. By the time it all gets going, there will be a lot being said and the words will be flying everywhere. My hope is that this speech will give you a good overview of who Mitch Daniels is and what he has done for the state of Indiana. And if he ends up being a candidate, you can put him on your short list.

He is down to earth, he rides a Harley, and has spent a lot of time listening to the common citizens of this state. He has executive experience in the private sector, as well as several advisory roles in government going back to the Reagan Administration. And more than anything else, he has not been afraid to do what he thinks is right despite the horrible things the Democrats have said about him, along the way. And the harsh words have been many.

The result of this immeasurable courage has been a solvent state that is in the black, while every state that surrounds it is sinking in a sea of red ink. There are problems here in Indiana, just like anywhere else. The economy has created suffering here too. But it is nowhere near the levels we see in other parts of the country--places where government promotes government solutions, over those of private enterprise.

Here is the full text to read if you choose, with or without the backdrop of the sound. I listened to it twice to make sure I didn't miss something while I was thnking deeply about something he said.

I truly hope you take the opportunity to listen and digest what he is saying.

7 comments:

A.C. McCloud said...

I like this guy. He seems like a doer, not a talker. But from watching his CPAC speech just don't think he's got enough pizazz to get the nomination in our media-driven culture.

LA Sunset said...

You might be right, AC. He's not a great speaker who gets people hooping and hollering. But I have it on good source that Daniels has a lot of big money people lined up behind him, should he decide to run. A lot.

Knowing this, I think he has the opportunity to emerge from the shadows, real fast. If this doesn't translate to voter support, it will translate to influence.

Chuck said...

Sorry, with my work schedule I don't have the time to sit for 30 minutes.

With that said, we need to nominate someone who is the anti-Obama, not some wing-nut.

I like Palin but she cannot be elected. And, quite frankly, I'm not convinced she is qualified to be President. Maybe Chair of the RNC or something like that but not leader of the free world.

Ron Paul has occasional lucid moments but he is our Dennis Kucinich.

John McCain I liked until the last campaign. He seemed tired and used up. Plus there was that whole RINO thing.

We need someone who is a leader.

Obama is not qualified to be President either and if we put someone on a stage with actual leadership, Obama will look small and insignificant beside him (or her).

LA Sunset said...

Chuck....then read the text of the speech. Time is always a concern with me too...during the week especially.

I like Ron Paul for the most part...he's a smart man. But I disagree with him on one major issue. He does not believe that we should kill terrorists where they live before they get to our shores. And like you imply with the Kucinich comment, some of his followers seem to be aliens from another planet.

I like Herman Cain too. Business man through and through, like Daniels. But no government experience at any level yet. Would make a great VP or cabinet member.

Agree w/ your assessment on McCain.

I still think from a pure solutions standpoint, Gingrich is the best candidate. But I know many people think he has too much baggage which could hurt him in the general. And...they may be right.

My purpose here is not to persuade and sell people on Daniels...yet. He hasn't even declared. But I wanted people to start the evaluation process and start looking at those who can truly represent the kind of change we need, someone who can do the job and will stick to his/her guns.

Like Palin, but I cannot support her right now because she is not ready. Her appeal is purely emotional and based on her personality. Plus she has too many family distractions right now at this point in her life cycle. Maybe in a few more years, she can gain the maturity and experience necessary and make a good President.

Catherine Barry said...

I think Gingrich tends to skate along the Progressive line Sunsett. I was really lovin him for a long time until he jumped on the Global Warming bandwagon! I would vote for Newt over MaObama, but I will never trust him again.

Ron Paul was in the thick of "9/11 was an inside job". I find the idea that anyone could believe that in the first place. I think the most fun I ever had was giving a copy of "End the Fed" to my liberal brother for Christmas 2 years ago, so I agree, he is a smart man, but he's weak on national defense as well. My first pick last time was Duncan Hunter and we see how he fared. LOL!!!

I don't think we have to worry, The RNC will "decide who's turn it is to run".

Catherine Barry said...

"I find the idea that anyone could believe (the Truther thing) that tripe, repugnant"!

...[sorry sunset, had to correct my incomplete sentence/thought above.

LA Sunset said...

//I think Gingrich tends to skate along the Progressive line Sunsett. I was really lovin him for a long time until he jumped on the Global Warming bandwagon! //

Probably something he wishes he could take back, like anyone else who has been in the public eye for any real length of time. Sometimes they all get it wrong.

But I have listened to Newt a lot, and I have to say that I don't see a lot of progressive in him.

My major criticism of Newt when he was Speaker was that he got on this impeachment bandwagon, when they really didn't have the votes to to remove. Despite the fact that I don't think Clinton committed an impeachable offense, they wasted a lot of time and money for nothing. All the while, they could have been using their offices to force Clinton's hand on policy issues that could have saved a lot of grief down the road.