GOP Response to State of the Union Address

I thought this was an excellent speech.  I like Mitch Daniels.  I realize he upset social conservatives, but he sees the danger of the debt and spending.  We need someone who does.  

George Will on Presidential Politics

Indiana GOP on Mitch Daniels

It would seem that the Indiana GOP is pushing to have their own Mitch Daniels for the presidency.  I actually like his record.  He has done very good things for the state.  His medical reforms is something that the rest of the country should be looking at.  He reduced costs with HSA's and market based solutions, saving the tax payers of Indiana millions on the government employee benefit plans.  It is a shame that Obamacare has ripped the usage of HSA's to shreds.  His decision to sign the bill defunding Planned Parenthood and his very good friend Haley Barbour bowing out of the race have only fueled the rumors that he will put his hat into the ring. 

Mitch Daniels at Ronald Reagan Dinnner at CPAC 11

This is a very dense speech, he didn't really leave room for applause lines.  But, if you really listen to what he is saying, you will see it is good stuff. 

I have to be honest there are things that are wrong with him, but he has many good qualities as well.  He has been a very good governor, if he wasn't term limited he would win re election in a walk.   I think this was one of the highlights of the day. 

Enjoy...........  Again it is audio only.  You can watch the full video on the CPAC page, but I can't figure out how to get the embed codes. 

Some More Presidental Hopeful Nuggets

We can glean a little something about the pack of republicans that will be vying for the presidential nomination in 12 by who will be speaking at CPAC at the end of next month:

Gov. Haley Barbour
Amb. John Bolton
Herman Cain
Gov. Mitch Daniels
Congressman Newt Gingrich
Congressman Ron Paul
Gov. Tim Pawlenty
Gov. Mitt Romney
Senator Rick Santorum
Senator John Thune

Are all confirmed speakers as of this morning. 

Gov. Palin and Congressman Pence have yet to confirm.  Palin would not speak at the conference last year due to Birch Society, as they have had issues of racism in the past.  I am not aware if Birch will be joining in on the conference this year or not, nor do I think that it matters as they are almost a non entity at this point in time anyway.  Missing CPAC would be mistake for any presidential hopeful, as this is THE conference for the conservative grassroots movement, especially with all the young people that are attending.  The young are generally the ones with more time on their hands to volunteer for the get out the vote ground work.  If you can get the younger activists to help it will go a long way to help you in winning a national election.  It will be interesting to see if Pence and/or Palin will be making an appearance.  Congressman Pence really doesn't have much a reason to miss it as he will be in the DC area on least one of the days anyway, as congress is in session. 

12 in 12 - Taking a Look at Presidental Contenders

Fox News is doing a series called 12 in 12.  They are interviewing "candidates" for the upcoming presidential election.  Mitt Romney declined to interviewed.  So far they have done two so-called favorites. 

Mitch Daniels did amazing things as Governor.  He reduced the spending, and he reformed the state employees health care with market based solutions.  He doesn't seem to want to run, even though his name keeps coming up.  Another downside is that he did work for the Bush administration, which isn't exactly the best resume enhancer. 



Haley Barbour did an amazing job during Katrina.  His job was proof that New Orleans was much more complicated than the Bush bashing that went on during the crisis.  He just did the job and asked for the federal help right away, instead of having meetings about asking for help.  The down side with him is that he was a lobbyist for a while, that will work against him.  But his views on taxes and spending are solid, especially when you consider that Mississippi is a very poor state.