by Sunnyjane
Since 1966, it has been traditional for the opposition party
to select one of its own to respond to the sitting president’s State of the
Union Address. Regardless of which
party’s turn it is to take part in this little ritual, it is a rehash of party
pap presented by someone their respective leadership has determined worthy of
the task – and an opportunity for that individual to get a little face-time
with their fellow Americans, of course.
Beginning in 2009, when the Obama administration reached the
White House, we have been blessed with three GOP spokespersons in the
appropriate category of “deemed worthy” to present this annual rebuttal. Bobby
Jindal, the governor of Louisiana,
was so bad in 2009 that there are seven pages of videos featuring commentary
and parodies on YouTube; only three videos are of the actual speech.
In 2010, the GOP trotted out newly inaugurated Gov. Bob
McDonnell of Virginia. Having learned a hard lesson with Jindal, it
is easy to assume that McDonnell was told to keep it dull, which he certainly accomplished.
Americans were subjected to the economic astuteness of House
Budget Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin
in 2011, he who penned the controversial GOP budget which would, among other
anti-middle-American actions, reform entitlements that include transforming
Medicare into a premium-support system; read: privatize this government program. Of course, by this time, the Tea Party had commandeered
the House of Representatives, and their caucus decided to put forth the
Chairperson of that group to rebut on their behalf. And it came to pass that Michele Bachmann, at
the vexation of the GOP leadership but armed with full color chart-and-graph
enthusiasm, directed her response to her home planet somewhere out in deep
space. (It’s been rumored that her
people speak through their eyeballs, but that’s never been verified.)
So here we are in 2012, and the Tea Part has, in all its wisdom, invited Herman Cain, who has returned from his unfulfilled expedition to find Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan, to give their response. (Lord, don't let him sing Imagine There's No Pizza or mention his 999 Tax Plan more than five times, OK?)
But
the Republican who will deliver the official GOP rebuttal will be Mitch
Daniels, governor of Indiana.
Why this ‘Obscure Midwestern Governor’?
In early 2011, Mitch
was being touted publicly, and pursued privately by GOP insiders, by as a
potential candidate for president in 2012. But in May, he dashed the hopes of supporters by sending them a heads-up email that read, in part, The counsel and encouragement I received from important
citizens like you caused me to think very deeply about becoming a national
candidate. In the end, I was able to resolve every competing consideration but
one, that the interests and wishes of my family is the most important
consideration of all. If I have disappointed you, I will always be sorry. In so doing, he ended all speculation that
he would make a run for the White House.
Mitch’s reluctance to put his family – and their private issues – through the rigors of a harsh campaign does not mean that he has been
idle. On the contrary, the governor has
been busy carrying out the ruthless policies of the current cut-and-slash Republican
leadership.
It was not mere rhetoric when John Boehner said,
in a statement announcing the “chosen one” this year, Mitch Daniels is a fierce advocate for smaller, less costly, and more
accountable government, and has the record to prove it. As governor, he has turned deficits into surplus, reformed
government from top to bottom, and created a better environment for
private-sector job creation.
And ain't THAT the truth!
Support of Labor Unions Betrayal
In 2006, Gov. Daniels opposed making Indiana a right-to-work state. In a speech to the Teamsters 135 Union Stewards Dinner that year, he stated, We cannot afford to have civil wars over issues that might divide us and divert us from that path. I have said over and over, I'll say it again tonight: I'm a supporter of the labor laws we have in the state of Indiana. I'm not interested in changing any of it. Not the prevailing wage laws, and certainly not the right to work law. We can succeed in Indiana with the laws we have, respecting the rights of labor, and fair and free competition for everybody.
Like every other governor in the Midwest who last
year received "the memo" from the Koch Brothers on how to run their
states, Daniels decided that things were so bad in Indiana that one action that would solve the problems was to slash union rights. So intense has been the reaction from
right-to-work advocates and opposing union leaders that the legislature has
been in a state of turmoil for more than a year.
The issue is so divisive that Republican union
leaders are fighting back. Just last
week, a group calling itself Lunch Pail Republicans PAC has sent a
letter to all Indiana House Republicans promising to support them in their
fight against the bill to slash union rights: Though the Lunch Pail Republicans PAC was
formed to run candidates against incumbents who vote for overreaching
legislation like ‘right to work’, we are prepared to use our resources to
protect incumbents who are attacked for voting against this bill. I implore you to vote based on the merits of
this bill, and I assure you that you will not be alone if you vote against it.
Planned Parenthood Defunded
Back when Mitch saw himself only as a governor, he called for a "truce" on all social issues during the 2012 election cycle. However, as soon as he was considering a run for the presidency, he signed a bill defunding Indiana Planned Parenthood, the first state to do so. This horrendous bill against the rights of women cuts off federal
money allocated through the state to Planned Parenthood. It also requires
physicians to show a fetal ultrasound to the pregnant woman, unless the woman
requests in writing not to view it. It increases the mandatory wait-period for
a woman seeking an abortion, requires a physician to tell a woman that
receiving an abortion carries health risks and requires a physician to inform a
woman wanting an abortion that the fetus is able to feel pain at or before 20 weeks.
A Cozy-Up to Big Business
Just how corporate friendly can one state be, huh?
End Note
When you see the mild-mannered Mitch Daniels doing his thing tonight after the President's address, remember what he's really like -- just another puppet of the Koch-run GOP.
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