The Statehouse hallways buzzed today with talk about Presidential politics.  Almost every conversation was about the Super Bowl or Super Tuesday.  I’m sure that was the case all over Indiana.

Yet while much of the country will take part in Super Tuesday tomorrow, Indiana voters sit on the sidelines with no prospect for change. 

Governor Daniels says he has an idea for getting Indiana on the national electoral map, but its not ripe yet.  Secretary of State Todd Rokita wants rotating regional primaries agreed to on a national level.  Why would Iowa or New Hampshire play along?

Rep. Brian Bosma thinks we should get involved but isn’t sure how.  He points out that Indiana’s May primary was once at the head of the pack.  Rep. Pat Bauer thinks the feds should change things.  Republican and Democratic party leaders don’t want to pay for caucuses, apparently, and taxpayers don’t want to pay for a second primary.  At least that’s what lawmakers hear.

What if Evan Bayh or some other Indiana politician was running for President?  There’s no help here until it may be too late.

Why won’t somebody do something?

If we can host the Super Bowl as civic leadrs think, we should be able to take part in Super Tuesday. 

State government has a holiday today but Mitch Daniels did some work anyway.  Its official government work that illustrates the advantage an incumbent has in any election (You know that Governor Daniels is up for re-election, right?)

Daniels sent a letter to everyone in the Indiana Congressional delegation urging that they vote against a proposal to hike the gas tax by 40 cents a gallon.  In the letter he spelled out how Indiana has no need for additional road funds because of the Toll Road lease.

Bear in mind that no vote is scheduled.  

Why wait, however, to tout an accomplishment and spell out your credentials as a champion of the taxpayer.

At the same time, you just might grab some headlines on what is a slow news day because state government has a holiday.

What do the fundraising numbers mean in the 2008 race for governor?

-The governor is likely on track to hit (or exceed) his goal of $20 million.

-Jim Schellinger didn’t raise enough to chase Jill Long Thompson out the race.

-Jill Long Thompson didn’t raise enough to kill the talk that she should defer to Schellinger.

-Democrats are on a collision course while the governor may raise enough to erase some the negatives his opponents always talk about.

Late last year I had a speaking engagement where a member of the audience, when invited to pose a question, felt the need to make a statement.  He said, “I enjoy the fact that Mitch Daniels is a businessman and not a politician.”

I responded by pointing out that most of Daniels professional life has been spent in political pursuits.  He has business experience and business success in his background but, I said, “I enjoy the fact that you think he’s a businessman.  That points out just how good a politician he is.”

That’s a long set up to my point that last night’s State of the State was another good example of the governor’s political skills.  All the buildup promised nothing but property tax talk and indeed property tax reform was the sole major initiative presented.  Yet it was wrapped in a campaign speech that devoted more time to spelling out accomplishments than solving problems.

And, here’s the kicker, it was a pretty good speech.

Things to watch for in tonight’s State of the State Address from Republican Governor Mitch Daniels:

-Will his property tax plan change from the plan he announced in October?  I don’t expect that to happen, but, see next item.

-What will he say about repeal?  His position against it seemed to soften in the last week.

 -How much will he speak to the audience at home and how much to the lawmakers in the room?  He needs support from both, but, (and this is a change) his biggest problem may be in the room.

-Will Democrats clap this year?  I mean, more than just at the beginning and the end.  They seem to like the Daniels property tax plan better than Republicans do.

-How much time will Daniels leave at the end?  His staff says he won’t run over the half hour time slot for the first time in four tries.  That leaves time, however, for Democrat rebuttal.  Could it be that he’s not afraid of what the D’s have to say this year?

-How do you make a half hour speech about property taxes interesting?

-Will he sound more like a governor, or a candidate for re-election?

When Governor Mitch Daniels went in for hernia surgery Friday his staff issued a statement saying that he would be back at work Tuesday.

Some people questioned that.  They had no reason to.

Daniels is back in the Statehouse today.  He came in this afternoon and is reported to be in the middle of a quiet afternoon in the office.

He’ll be back in tomorrow, too.

The campaign of Governor Mitch Daniels plans to unveil a significant endorsement tomorrow, one more meaningful than Jim Schellinger’s endorsement by Judy O’Bannon, according to a campaign staffer.

It will come from a (so far) unnamed labor union and, while the campaign promises a “wow” factor, Daniels had a lot of labor support during the Major Moves debate.

Now if its the UAW, or AFSCME….

State Representative Dave Crooks (D-Washington) gushes about his new radio program on WAMW in southern Indiana.  The 60 minute Saturday morning show is devoted to Indiana politics.

Last week’s guest was Governor Mitch Daniels.  Crooks says a friend listening in thought the two of them sounded like fishing buddies.  This week’s guest is House Speaker Pat Bauer.   (Crooks may want to save a favor or two for the campaign season.)

The show has a catchy name.  Its the Dave Crooks show.  You can listen to live or archived shows at davecrooks.com.   I don’t know if he needs all that name ID since he’s not running for re-election, but if I help him here I might just get a guest gig of my own.

  Governor Mitch Daniels says he will start working on the State of the State Address over the holiday weekend.  He already has a main theme:  Property tax relief.  In fact, Daniels says that his 2008 agenda will include property tax relief and “not much” else.  By his assessment (and most others, not doubt), that’s a big departure from previous years.   His plan to privatize the lottery will wait at least until 2009. 

Its more evidence that Daniels recognizes that his re-election may well depend on the delivery of property tax relief.  (He heard the Ballard alarm.)

 By the way, the governor says his family will have turkey on Thanksgiving but this year it won’t be deep fried turkey.