NEWS ITEM: Indiana State Police investigating Capitol Police officer assigned to guard duty at Governor's Mansion for going through underwear drawers, among other things.
Now the one real interesting thing about this story is that a Daniels' spokeswoman was forced to come out an explain why the Guv, and his Missus, had any personal property to rifle when--contrary to Indiana state law, and at an unexamined cost to its taxpayers--he actually lives in a gated community in Hamilton County, the Republican Paris.
For those of you who haven't been following along, or who have better things to do, the Happy Little Danielses refused to move into the Governor's Mansion after he was elected. The thing has been falling apart for years, not surprisingly, since it is a hallmark of modern "Conservatism" to refuse to take care of the things you own if it costs money to do so, but every Indiana Governor had called it home, at least provisionally, until Cheri "Manolo, Before You Make The Next Pitcher of Margaritas Why Don't You See If You Can Find the Tequila?" Daniels pronounced the place a dump, whereupon Husband #1 and 3 announced he'd found a little-known height exemption to the law requiring the Indiana governor to "reside in the seat of government". Then--do not get ahead of me--Team Daniels responded to critics they'd already told to fuck off by turning the whole thing into a chance to promote themselves free repair and decorating services in exchange for turning state property into a temporary billboard. This, in turn, fell through when First Lady Cheri "The Muse" Daniels objected to some of the free wallpaper, or something, and the charity Showplace Tour was cancelled, and replaced by an ad-hoc charity deal, so everybody went home happy, assuming that by "everybody" you mean "Mitch Daniels", same as he does.
Now, sure, a lot of people would say this is a So What? moment, and more than a few bought into the idea that getting people to donate repair work, and decorate to Cheri "Antrax Scare" Daniels' tastes at no cost to taxpayers was some sort of deal. Plus, no surprise, there were a great many people here who suddenly agreed with Daniels' contention that the law doesn't mean anything if you portray its intent as trivial. I, on the other hand…
Well, I live here, and my interest in local politics goes back to the days when Dick "Now I'm Concerned About The Cost Of Military Adventurism" Lugar was Nixon's Favorite Mayor. I'm happy when anyone to the left of Dan Burton wins public office. I was happy Evan Bayh became governor, right up to the moment he gave his victory speech ("I am a better-looking Ronald Reagan!"). I'll compromise. I'll Wait. And See. But the first thing Daniels did was declare his own call for a one-year surtax to pay down the "deficit" inoperative. The second was to call for the creation of a Special Secret Governor's Inspector General In Charge of Blaming Things on Democrats. And the third was to refuse to live in the Governor's Mansion, despite a recent $1.5 mil upgrade. The place wasn't good enough for a guy who, two months earlier, had been riding around Indiana in a fucking RV and a neatly-pressed plaid shirt, pretending to be a hick. It really is the little things that tell you all you need to know.
And this was before his first legislative session, before he flat-out lied to people about Daylight Savings Time (another So What? moment that perfectly illustrates his character, or "character"), before he essentially told the citizens of Indiana he'd sell off their Toll Road if he felt like it, because he knew best (and they weren't "forward thinking"; this from a guy whose legislative agenda six years later is Repeal the New Deal and Replace Public Education with a Series of Catchphrases From the Seventies). It's sure been, well, interesting to watch his Presidential campaign lurch into neutral. Watching him sit atop a state party as fucking looney as the national candidates who'll knock him out of the race? Not so much.
In deference to a commenter at The Star today, "Now someone is really going through Daniel's dirty laundry." I couldn't let that comment go unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteI've said this before, Doghouse Riley, you are a genius. Today's gem brought tears of joy to my eyes. ROTFLMAO!!
ReplyDeleteNot many people remember, but when Ronnie Reagan became governor in California the same thing happened.
ReplyDeleteNancy refused to pretend to live in the governor's mansion, which was a pretty nasty victorian down in the bum-and-soup-kitchen district. She stuck to it, too, and it wasn't until the old goof was president that she felt the need to become the Just Say No lady.
A bunch of Reagan supporters, the same used-car salesmen and shysters who later became cabinet officers, got together and built Ron and Nancy a new mansion up on the river, but they never moved into it. There were construction delays, and by the time the new place was ready Jerry Brown was governor and he chose to sleep on a mattress in an apartment downtown.
The new house was sold, and Governers after Brown lived in rented houses, except for Arnold who stayed in a hotel when he was in town.
Point is, Ronald Reagan never lost a step from Nancy's refusal to live in the mansion, any more than he lost a step when we all learned he had a better accountant than we did and he didn't pay any income tax. Being an asshole never slowed Reagan down a bit as governor, and it's possible that the same thing applies to Daniels.
Bottom line, if you want to take down Daniels, you should probably concentrate on his height and this new Syrian thing. The governor's residence angle is a proven non-starter.
A proven non-starter perhaps: times are worse economically now, and people resent that shit. What it does prove though is to downhome hick crap all these guys put on like make-up every 4 years is just that: crap.
ReplyDeleteHow I wish my Georgia boasted an observer so perspicacious.
ReplyDeleteWhat it does prove though is to downhome hick crap all these guys put on like make-up every 4 years is just that: crap.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever hear the one about the MBA Preznit who was also a Texas cowboy (with a ranch!)?
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