Monday, April 25, 2011
Two Reasons Why John Gregg Will Never Be Governor
Democrats are all giddy about the prospect of former House Speaker John Gregg being their candidate for governor in 2012. Gregg should have no problem winning the nomination but he won't stand a chance against Mike Pence, the likely Republican nominee. Why? Before Gregg entered politics, he worked as a State House lobbyist for a coal company. Before he retired from the legislature, he and Senate President Pro Tem Robert Garton snuck through the legislature the biggest legislative perk of all time for retired lawmakers--lifetime subsidized health insurance benefits for themselves and their dependents. After the public firestorm and the defeat of several incumbent legislators, including Garton and long-time Senate Finance Chairman Larry Borst, the plan was eventually scrapped. After leaving the legislature, Gregg returned to his former career as a lobbyist--this time working for a big law firm representing an East Chicago casino, an alcohol trade group and big government contractors, among others. Can Mike Pence boil that down to a 30-second campaign spot that will come to define Gregg on terms contrary to the homespun image that he has spent years building for himself? Do voters hold lobbyists and grafting politicians in contempt? You bet.
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6 comments:
"Do voters hold lobbyists and grafting politicians in contempt? You bet."
Rebuttal in two words: "Dan Coats"
Coats was a Republican running in a Republican state in a landslide Republican year. Gregg will have none of those advantages. Coats managed barely 40% of the vote in the primary as a former senator with high name recognition. If Ellsworth had been running against him in a different year, he would have beaten him. Besides, you have to go back 100 years to find a governor with a mustache.
Okay Advance I got some ammo against your boy Pence. Pence was quoted as saying "Scott Walker ( GOV Wis) is his hero." They are in process of recalling Walker when elegible and polling show's majority of American's believe in right to collective bargain. Secondly Pence wanted the Big 3 auto maker's to go bankrupt. Destroying good blue collar job's. Daniel's got alot of union vote's. PLus is Pence in favor of the RTW bill? I knoww conservative union voter's who were incensed by the push to make Indiana a RTW state.
Firstly, Pence isn't "my boy." He doesn't even include me on his e-mail list so I have nothing to say about his announcement today. Secondly, collective bargaining rights for public employees is an entirely different matter than collective bargaining rights for private employees. Walker's legislative efforts were to rein in collective bargaining rights of public employees ONLY. Even the Democratic legislature in Massachusetts passed legislation this year reining in public employees collective bargaining rights. If you truly believe in free enterprise, then you have to believe businesses must be allowed to fail in the normal course of events. Businesses reorganize in bankruptcy all the time without ceasing business altogether with no assistance from the federal government. Most states already have right to work laws, and those states, on the whole, are faring better than the states without RTW laws.
Firstly, There are only 22 RTW states, so simple math tells us that a majority of states are not RTW. Also , why would a public employee have any less of a right to seek better working conditions. Whether it be pay, pension, insurance , vacation time or sick time. And to say that RTW states are fairing better than non RTW states is just crazy. And as far as John Gregg being a lobbyist. Mr. Pence already has 3 times the campaign contribution money than John Gregg, so obviously he is getting it from big business somewhere.
Pence gets his donated money because Hoosiers believe in Mike Pence. The majority he receives is from private individuals not your conspircacy theory of big buissness.
The reason why Mike Pence will win a landslide against Gregg is because the majority of Hoosiers want a fiscally responsible state, more jobs, and better education for the coming generations. Mike will
have at least a 60% win over Gregg.
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