Brian Howey: Time ticks away in Thompson’s Democratic house
Submitted by kpaul.mallasch on Fri, 06/27/2008 - 8:47am.
By Brian Howey
NASHVILLE, Ind. - Jill Long Thompson gave a spiritual speech on Saturday at the Indiana Democratic Convention. It was too bad that only one Indiana TV station bothered to send a crew to capture the first female gubernatorial nominee set the tone for her coming campaign. She talked of her family homestead in Whitley County. "That farmhouse really did look the same as it did in the 1930s," she said, noting the time when her family descended on the homestead for remodeling. "The same slate roof, the same sturdy porch, the same white paint. But in many ways it had changed."
Thompson explained, "The rural electric co-op brought electricity to the farm in the 1940s. Running water and the indoor plumbing came in the 1950s. But more significant than the electricity, indoor plumbing and the other changes in the house were changes in the opportunities for the people who lie on that farm and in that community today. Those new opportunities came about because of the leadership and the policies of the Democratic Party and organized labor. From public education to college loans to civil rights and medical leave - and the list goes on and one - our party has made the difference."
Thompson did a nice job in laying out where the Democratic Party has been. Less clear is where she will take the party. She has a "three-tiered" economic plan for counties. She cited big dropout rates and 30,000 lost jobs and the "bad deal" the Indiana Toll Road lease is.
But I am still having a hard time getting my mind around where Jill Long Thompson wants to take us. With Gov. Daniels, there was a fairly explicit picture (literally) with his "Aiming Higher: Roadmap to an Indiana Comeback" poster/brochure of 2004. With Thompson, the picture is muddled. She explains, "In addition to reforming our tax, healthcare, education and infrastructure systems, I want to develop a ‘tier’ system in Indiana to help guide future development efforts. This approach would encourage businesses to build or expand in the state’s most economically distressed areas.”
With Major Moves, Indiana is investing billions of dollars into I-69 to Evansville, a U.S. 31 freeway, Fort-to-Port, Ohio River bridges and the Hoosier Heartland Corridor while other states are frantically looking for infrastructure dollars.
Of her economic development plans, she says, "The real barriers to growth in Indiana include an outdated tax structure and a lack of any real policy to make healthcare affordable and accessible to every Hoosier."
The problem here is that a year ago, just as her campaign was beginning, a property tax crisis emerged. Thompson had most of the summer, all fall and into the winter to fashion a tax reform proposal, just like Speaker Doc Bowen did in 1971-72. Thompson and legislative Democrats took a pass on a tax reform proposal. Gov. Daniels had the only plan in town, which was passed into law with a vote from Thompson’s running mate, State Rep. Dennie Oxley.
I’ve been asking acquaintances this: “What’s the phrase that describes Thompson’s campaign?” It’s a real stumper. Even some of her most loyal fans are at a loss. Three tiers for Jill, perhaps?
Being an executive tied to electoral politics means having a network of relationships, clearly projecting ideas and goals, and execution. I look at how a gubernatorial candidate manages a campaign. If you can’t manage a $20 million campaign, how are you going to manage 6 million people and a $22 billion budget?
There are troubling signs for Thompson here. She managed to qualify her candidacy’s signature requirements just hours before the deadline. She hasn’t been able to raise much money (a $50,000 EMILY’s List contribution is only the seventh above $10,000 since her primary win). She clearly has problems with labor, including the UAW and possibly AFSCME on the fence. Meanwhile, the FOP, firefighters and sheet metal unions are supporting Daniels and there are divisions within building trades, which has benefited big time from Major Moves.
The UAW refused to endorse Thompson at the convention because she didn’t sign off on a retroactive order that would give locals more power. How important is the UAW to a Democrat? It gave $255,000 to Gov. Joe Kernan in 2004 and at least $215,000 to her primary opponent Jim Schellinger, who has not endorsed. The UAW offers one of the best field operations in the state.
"If you do in November what you did in May," Thompson told the UAW members, "we’re going to have a Democratic governor." Danny Ernstes of UAW’s Region 3, explained, “Our intent was never to cause Jill any problems. In fact the UAW met with her Saturday to try and resolve the issue we have. We took a no endorsement until we can get the issue worked out.”
Thompson can win this race, with some polls showing Barack Obama ahead in Indiana and at least one poll showing her only 5 percent down. Thompson hasn’t been able to raise much money or get the Democratic labor house in order. Between her May primary victory and the convention, she had only two press conferences. The week after the convention, the campaign has been silent while the clock in the ol’ farmhouse ticks consistently onward.
Howey is publisher of Howey Politics Indiana at www.howeypolitics.com.
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