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See Mitch Run

I suspect that when Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels was first approached about running for President he probably looked at the people suggesting the idea like they were nuts.  But the more he thought about it and the more he explored the idea, it didn’t seem so crazy after all.   And after looking at events these past few weeks, I am now convinced that the Governor of Indiana wants to run for the Presidency of the United States.  I have read so may tea leaves I feel like the owner of the East India Company.   There are a number of things that have led me to this conclusion.  Here are a few of them…

  1. A recent meeting with Ed Gillespie, the former chair of the Republican National Committee and who ran George W. Bush’s campaign.
  2. The implosion of the current field of Republican candidates.
  3. Cheri Daniels speech at the Indiana Republican State Dinner and the “Run Mitch Run” signs that were up all over the place as he spoke. (That would not have happened without the Governor’s implied approval).
  4. Daniels’ upcoming trip to Washington and unpublished meeting with the Congressional delegation.
  5. 9% unemployment,  $3.90 a gallon gas, $14 trillion in debt.
  6. His accomplishments this past legislative session.
  7. His closet friends and confidants are encouraging him to run.
  8. He hasn’t said “no”.

The  most important one is number 8.  If the Governor wasn’t going to do this, he would have said “no” by now.  And for everyday he doesn’t say “no” I argue the odds increase he’s going to say “yes”.  There are a lot of rumblings that something could happen next week.  I’m not so sure about that now following his recent accident at the gym, but something is coming.

And I don’t think the Governor is being coy or playing political games, per se, when he says a final decision hasn’t been made yet.   He’s stated in the past that a run for the White House has to be a family decision.    So I would not be surprised if he’s sat down individually with each member of his immediate family and spoke to them to get their thoughts and they’re planning to regroup (if they haven’t already) and take a final family vote.  I would also speculate the Governor has told them the decision has to be unanimous or it’s game over.   Running for the White House will totally change the lives of those closest to him and if they’re not on board, forget about it.

Now granted, I could be completely off base on this one.  But this is what the tea leaves are telling me.  Daniels wants to run.  Daniels is planning to run.   Daniels is getting all the final items in place and dotting the “i’s” and crossing the “t’s”.    If he doesn’t run after all this, it will be because of something pretty big.  Either way, after all this I’m giving up tea for a while and going back to coffee.

Stay tuned.

Posted: 05|21|11 at 6:00 am by Abdul Hakim-Shabazz
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  • Think Again

     It’s a free country.  He’s certainly as smart as the rest of the field.  The wife thing is value-neutral.  I’m glad they reconciled.  But the divorce-remarry thing won’t play well in the far-right base.  They’ve got this thing about “sanctity of marriage.”  So much so they want to bludgeon us into accepting a Constitutional Amendment for a religious ceremony.  I know, it’s contradictory.

    Now, Abdul–how about a post on your good friend Todd Rokita?  How many more court rulings do you need, to make you believe that he acted like an absent fool last year, vis-a-vis the White case?

  • Dave

    Ok TA, but here’s another perspective.  

    A stereotypical best guess on “far right,” would seem to be Christians, who know the good book’s a catalog of relationships, that includes marriage, divorce, reconciliation (key to salvation), etc.  

    However, the concern about “sanctity,” is as much about common language as anything else.  ”Union” may well serve as a new term of state, while marriage is reserved for traditions of faiths.

    Our representatives and their families, are entitled to the same privacy enjoyed by us, their equally fallible, fellow citizens.  Abdul’s made this point well; in his discussion of private life remaining so, by not interfering with the duties of office, or any other job.com/usa.  While family values ought be reconciled to lifestyle rather than preaching; we’re all hypocrites (one ‘o the most feared words in socialist orthodoxy- boo), struggling to reconcile our missteps, or is it just… me?  

    There’s legitimate aversion to “do as I say not as I do,” but, that shouldn’t limit the scope of debate or legitimacy of any values discussion; morality being inextricable from prospects for civility or betterment.  The Good Sam Club of humanity, does rely upon a basic, shared set of moral values; irrespective of how comfortable we are, appreciating or debating them.

    It appears that another well known turnaround specialist, is entering the Presidential race today:  www.hermancain.com/index.asp    

           

  • Wilson46201

    Mitch Daniels isn’t going to run again for public office ever again. He told us so in this TV commercial repeatedly in 2008. Or was he just throwing out empty campaign promises that he never intended to keep?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC9WmB1PNVM

  • Wilson46201

    Mitch Daniels isn’t going to run again for public office ever again. He told us so in this TV commercial repeatedly in 2008. Or was he just throwing out empty campaign promises that he never intended to keep?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC9WmB1PNVM

  • cynical sam

    Thats why he had that “accident” with the door. He can no longer remember saying that and any video is left-wing propaganda. TaDa! 

  • Abdul

     You can follow that storyline on Twitter.

  • Pogden297

    The far-right base certainly doesn’t have a problem with a couple getting divorced and then reconciling and remarrying.  In fact, they’d probably love that party of the story  I’m not sure why you think that TA.  What may be a problem are the facts involved.  It’s not an every day occurence that a mother walks away from four children and moves a thousand miles away.  That’s where the questions are going to be asked.   And contrary to what people say, if Daniels would have been the one leaving the kids and moving a 1000 miles away, the same questions would be asked.  Personally I would prefer they leave the issue alone – I think public officials deserve some privacy when it comes to things like this.  But I realize it won’t.

  • indyernie

     ”was he just throwing out empty campaign promises that he never intended to keep?”

    IF he did and that is arguable, then he just borrowed a play from the DEMOCRAT PLAY BOOK.

  • Pete’s Good Questions

    Assuming Abdul’s tea leaves are accurate, let’s really delve into the future and go out on a limb:

    Who is his running mate?
     

  • http://twitter.com/DKinnamon DKinnamon

    Top 4 potential running mates are: Haley Barbour,  Rick Perry, Paul Ryan or Condaleeza Rice..just my guess

  • Melyssa

    I don’t think he will. 

  • Wilson46201

    That accident of running into a door (or vice-versa) will put quite a crimp into his plans — with all those stitches on his forehead, he will have to avoid cameras for at least a week, if not more. No cameras during the possible run-up to a Presidential campaign is quite a hurdle!

    True, he can use the telephone to conduct all those interviews that the Indianapolis Star runs DAILY saying he still hasn’t made up his mind…

  • Pogden297

    “was he just throwing out empty campaign promises that he never intended to keep?”

    IF he did and that is arguable, then he just borrowed a play from the DEMOCRAT PLAY BOOK.
    Are you kidding me?  How can you make that argument with a straight face (I’m assuming here) while backing Ballard, a guy who hasn’t met a campaign promise he wouldn’t break.

  • Think Again

    Your twitter or just any old twitter?  

  • Think Again

     You said what I meant.  It doesn’t affect my vote.  But the first four primary/caucus states, have GOP voters who are to the right of John Birch.  This pendulum will eventually swing back.  But not by next March–and in the GOP primary fight, it’ll all be over but ht shouting by March 30.  If not before.  They just don’t have the heart to keep up a good inter-party primary fight much longer than 60-90 days.

  • Think Again

     I HOPE the next president isn’t chosen base don personal issues such as this.

    But I don’t hold out much hope given the early stacking of very, very conservative primary/caucus states.  N Hampshire, S Carolina and Iowa….a moderate Republican’s murderer’s row.

  • Think Again

     See, Ernie?  I didn’t even have to make that very factual point. Someone else did.

     And it’s so, so true.

      But this post is about Mitch. Long live Mitch.  

  • Think Again

     Good governor/Bubba, joke of a governor, smart Congressman, unindicted war criminal.  Fantastic choice.  It matters not.  Lambs to the slaughter. 

  • Think Again

     Ah Wilson…the running joke among national press types for years was: “Indianapolis is the only major American city without a daily newspaper.”

      It’s editorial page is finally more balanced, but it’s void of useable content.  Breathless pandering regarding Mitch’s choice, obituaries that cost money…

      Oy vey.

  • Ramon

    Once again, Abdul, your word on the street is worthless.  What street is this that you keep hearing the word?  How many times do your inside info have to be wrong before you quit making up shit to post on this blog?

  • Anonymous

     Well, he’s not running, Abdul.  Guess the family veto came into play.

  • Abdul

     You need to read more carefully.  I said the only thing that would stop him would be his family.  And I was right.  Go back to bed.

  • Rico

    Empty promises are the cornerstone of the Dem Party, Wilson.  I thought this would endear you to Mitch. 

  • Abdul

     And once again, I was right!