Mitch Daniels possible presidential campaign, 2016
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 Mitch Daniels |
Former Governor of Indiana (2005-2013) Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (2001-2003) |
 Republican candidate: |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
- See also: Mitch Daniels
Mitch Daniels was considered a potential Republican candidate for the office of President of the United States in 2016. Since 2013, Daniels has been the president of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. From 2005 to 2013, he was the Republican Governor of Indiana.[1] Daniels served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under former President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. He worked for various companies and non-profits, such as Eli Lilly and the Hudson Institute from 1987 to 2000. From 1984 to 1986, Daniels was Assistant to the President for Political and Intergovernmental Affairs under former President Ronald Reagan.[2]In January 2015, the Washington Examiner reported that Daniels does not intend to run in 2016. Daniels has, however, discussed his decision to not run for president in 2012 in his biography written by Don V. Gogman, Run Mitch, Run.[3]
In May 2015, Daniels talked about his decision to stay at Purdue, "The best thing I can do now for my home state, the state I love, is to help Purdue succeed."[4] Prior to that, the Washington Examiner reported that Daniels did not intend to run in 2016. Daniels has also discussed his decision to not run for president in 2012 in his biography written by Don V. Gogman, Run Mitch, Run.[5]
On the issues
Economic and fiscal
Taxes
- In 2011, Mitch Daniels signed a bill cutting corporate taxes to 6.5 percent from 8.5 percent.[6]
- In 2008, Daniels oversaw the passing of Joint Resolution 0001, which capped property taxes at 1 percent of the assessed value of a home, 2 percent of the assessed value on secondary residential properties and 3 percent of the assessed value for all other real properties.[7]
- To offset some of the lost revenue because of property tax relief, Daniels signed HB 1001 in 2008, which increased the sales tax 1 percent (from 6 percent to 7 percent).[8]
- In 2007, Daniels signed a bill that increased the cigarette tax that helped fund the Healthy Indiana Plan, which provides health coverage to low-income citizens of Indiana.[9]
- In 2005, Daniels proposed a temporary 1 percent tax increase on all individuals earning $100,000 or more, as a means of solving the state's fiscal crisis. The proposal was not approved by the state legislature, according to The Cato Institute.[10] [11]
- As director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Daniels helped implement the 2001 Bush tax cuts.[12]
International trade
- In a speech in 2010, Mitch Daniels indicated that he would be open to a tariff on imported oil.[13]
- From October to November 2010, Daniels engaged in trade talks with Asian-based companies on developing manufacturing facilities in Indiana. The talks began in Indianapolis and were followed by Daniels traveling to China and then Japan.[14]
- In 2006, Daniels made several trips to Japan to negotiate a $550 million deal with the automaker Honda, which resulted in the building of a Honda manufacturing plant in Greensburg, Indiana.[15]
Budgets
- In 2011, Mitch Daniels signed SB 473, which gave the Governor of Indiana the ability to enter into a contract with a private entity to lease the operation of toll roads.[16]
- During Daniels' tenure as governor, state spending rose 10 percent, according to the Cato Institute.[11]
- Daniels signed a contract with IBM to take over enrollment for welfare recipients. After complaints about quality, he terminated the contract and returned control to the state.[17]
- In 2005, Daniels replaced the Indiana Department of Commerce with a public private partnership organization called the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). The partnership is composed of a board and the chair is the governor-elect.[18]
- Daniels established the state's Office of Management and Budget to review all state programs and examine their cost-effectiveness on his first day in office.[19]
- While director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget under George W. Bush, Daniels was highly critical of congressional budget spending. Daniels is quoted as having said that Congress was responsible for turning a $236 billion annual surplus into a $400 billion deficit within two years, according to Politico.[20]
Agricultural subsidies
- During a 2008 speech at the Hudson Institute in New York, Mitch Daniels stated that farm subsidies should be eliminated because they tended to favor specific regions of the country. However, he viewed ethanol differently, pointing to the need to eliminate the dependence on foreign oil.[21]
- In 2004, Daniels initiated a plan to focus on growing Indiana's agricultural economy. The plan included overhauling regulations, marketing Indiana as an agricultural hub and promoting locally produced and grown foods. However, Daniels did not specifically mention subsidies.[22]
Federal assistance programs
- In his book, Keeping the Republic, Mitch Daniels states that he supports means testing for Social Security and raising the age of eligibility for Social Security.[23]
- Daniels, in his book Keeping the Republic, writes that he sees perpetual welfare programs, which run on "autopilot", as incompatible with national solvency. He argues that these programs should be seen as and referred to as "safety net reform."[24]
- In an interview in 2011, Daniels reiterated his support for means testing for Social Security and Medicare. He also spoke about allowing individuals to purchase private insurance as an alternative to Medicare.[25]
- Daniels noted in his book, Keeping the Republic, that the solution to the entitlement issue is to create a "Negative Income Tax" to replace social welfare programs, with the exception of health insurance. He argues that families whose incomes fall below a certain level should receive cash through the tax system. As earnings increase, the amount would drop a fraction.[26]
Labor and employment
- In 2012, Mitch Daniels signed HB 1001, a right-to-work bill. The bill applied to public and private-sector employees.[27][28]
- In 2011, Daniels signed SB 575, which put limits on collective bargaining for teachers.[29]
- As part of Daniels' effort to lower unemployment numbers, Daniels traveled to Asia to negotiate the installation of auto manufacturing facilities in Indiana. As a result, automaker Honda built a facility in Greensburg, Indiana. The facility employs 2,200 employees.[30][31]
Foreign affairs
Military preparedness and budget
- In his book, Keeping the Republic, Mitch Daniels states that defense spending should not be exempt from budget cuts. He argues that there is waste in the Department of Defense.[32]
- Daniels writes, in his book Keeping the Republic, that the U.S. should limit its defense missions to those that are of vital interests to the nation. He states that the U.S. cannot continue to "spread universally the human rights we hold dear."[32]
- In 2008, the Washington Post reported that a report put out by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments noted that Daniels and the Bush Administration stated that the Iraq war would cost between $50 and $60 billion. The report concluded the cost of the war exceeded these estimates.[33]
International relations
- While considering a run for president in 2012, Mitch Daniels admitted that foreign policy was an area in which he had little knowledge, according to Politico.[34]
- In 2010, Ben Smith of Politico noted that during a round-table discussion in Washington, Daniels, when asked about foreign policy, responded by answering questions from a fiscal point-of-view. This response solicited some concerns from conservatives about Daniels' background in foreign policy issues.[35]
Domestic
Federalism
Judiciary
- In 2010, Mitch Daniels appointed Steven David to the Indiana Supreme Court.[36]
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- During an April 2015 interview, Mitch Daniels was asked to comment on Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, but he "didn’t want to comment on the law itself or how it was handled, saying it wasn’t his place to do so," according to The Indy Channel. Daniels said, "When people make big decisions -- where are we going to put this factory, where are we going to put this headquarters, they're looking at what are your taxes, do you have crazy regulations or sensible ones, do you have an out-of-control litigation climate or not? Do you have a lot of infrastructure to get our materials in and our products out or not? And on and on and on, Indiana checks all those boxes, and these are the things that matter the very most, and yes, we want to make sure those perceptions are equally positive."[37]
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- In 2011, Mitch Daniels signed Senate Enrolled Act No. 1, which extended the right of gun owners to protect their homes from "unlawful intrusion by another individual or public servant."[38]
- In 2011, Daniels signed a Senate Bill 292. The bill prohibited local units of government from enacting regulations on firearms.[39]
- In 2010, Daniels signed House Bill 1065, which permitted employees to keep a weapon inside a locked vehicle at their place of work.[40]
Crime and justice
- In a CNN interview with Piers Morgan on September 21, 2011, Mitch Daniels acknowledged that he supported the death penalty, stating that he "believe(s) there are circumstances in which it is warranted."[41]
- During his tenure as governor, Daniels advocated for alternative sentencing for non-violent drug offenders.[42]
Natural Resources
Energy production
| Daniels on Fox News discussing the Keystone XL Pipeline. December 8, 2011. |
- In a December 2011 interview on Fox News, Mitch Daniels argued for the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline and that the pipeline would generate jobs.[43]
- In a CNN interview in September 2011, Daniels stated that "we ought to be wholeheartedly supportive of domestic energy production in every form, absolutely every form."[44]
- In a keynote speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2011, Daniels supported drilling and fracking in order to "unleash in every way the jobs' potential in the enormous energy resources we have been denying ourselves."[45]
Environmental protection
- In 2009, Mitch Daniels wrote an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal opposing cap and trade, which proposed limiting carbon emissions. Daniels argued against the act largely on economic and fiscal issues.[46]
- While touring southern Indiana in 2009, Daniels argued that the burden of the carbon tax would fall on the customers of the utility companies and would hurt the state’s ability to attract new businesses and impact job creation.[47]
Healthcare
- In a February 7, 2011, opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, Mitch Daniels wrote that Obamacare would create "overconsumption and excessive pricing." He also provided several policy changes that could be made to improve the program if it is not repealed, including giving states more flexibility on insurers and waiving costly and unnecessary benefits.[48]
- In 2007, Daniels created a healthcare fund for the uninsured in Indiana called the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP). The funding for the plan is derived from an increased cigarette tax; however, HIP spending exceeded the revenue generated by the cigarette tax. By 2009, HIP's enrollment was 45,460 and 74 percent of the costs of the program were federally subsidized.[49][50]
Immigration
- In 2011, Mitch Daniels signed two bills regarding individuals living in Indiana illegally. The first was Senate Bill 590, which required verification of citizenship. The second bill, House Bill 1402, prohibited in-state tuition to "illegal aliens."[51][52]
- In 2011, Daniels stated that he did not agree with the provisions in the Arizona immigration law, which allowed the detainment of individuals suspected of living in Indiana illegally by law enforcement agencies.[53]
- According to a 2005 Associated Press article, Daniels expressed support for President George W. Bush’s proposal for a guest-worker program.[54]
Education
- In 2012, Indiana received a waiver exempting the state from certain provisions of the No Child Left Behind law. [55]
- In 2011, Mitch Daniels signed SB 0001 into law. The law implemented merit pay for teachers.[56]
- In 2011, Daniels signed HB 1002, which placed charter schools under the same standards as public schools. The law requires charter schools to meet the same accountability measures as public schools.[57]
- In 2011, Daniels signed HB 1003, which extended tax deductions for parents who send their children to private schools or home schools. The bill also extended scholarships to low-income families to place their children in private schools when their designated public school received "low category designations for school performance and improvement."[58]
Abortion
- In a March 2011 column in the Washington Post, Rachel Weiner noted that Mitch Daniels is anti-abortion, and she wrote that Daniels "has a legacy to preserve as an abortion opponent in his state."[59]
- In 2011, Daniels signed HB 1210, which eliminated state funding for organizations that perform abortions. It also prohibited abortions, with some exceptions, from being performed after 20 weeks.[60]
Gay rights
- According to the Indianapolis Star, Mitch Daniels supported a state constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage. In 2007, Daniels said, "As a believer in traditional marriage and a supporter of the law we have on the books now, I agree with the idea of protecting it against some creative judicial ruling in the future."[61]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Mitch + Daniels + 2016
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Purdue University: Office of the President, "Curriculum Vitae for Mitchell E. Daniels Jr.," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Purdue University: Office of the President, "Curriculum Vitae for Mitchell E. Daniels Jr.," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Washington Examiner, "Mitch Daniels: Would have beat Romney, but lost to Obama," January 26, 2015
- ↑ Indy Star, "Swarens: Why Mitch Daniels is staying at Purdue," May 7, 2015
- ↑ Washington Examiner, "Mitch Daniels: Would have beat Romney, but lost to Obama," January 26, 2015
- ↑ IBJ, "Daniels signs 80 bills into law, including budget," May 10, 2011
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "Joint Resolution 0001," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "HB 1001," accessed April 23, 2015
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "House Enrolled Act No. 1687," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ IN.gov, "2005 State of the State Address," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 The Cato Institute - Policy Analysis, "Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors: 2010," September 30, 2010
- ↑ Newsweek, "Why the GOP Should Listen to Mitch Daniels," November 10, 2010
- ↑ Politico, "Mitch Daniels open to VAT, oil tax hike," October 15, 2010
- ↑ Former Governor Daniels, "Asia 2010," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ IBJ, Bringing Honda to Greensburg highlights a wild year for Daniels," January 1, 2007
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "SB 473," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "A Republican Surprise," February 28, 2010
- ↑ Indiana Economic Development Corporation, "About the IEDC," accessed January 27, 2015
- ↑ Purdue University, "Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. Biography," accessed January 27, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Former Bush OMB director: Deficits were Congress's fault," August 8, 2010
- ↑ Future of Capitalism, "Mitch Daniels on the State of the Nation," March 8, 2010
- ↑ IBJ, "Mitch Daniels Unveils State Agriculture Plan," February 12, 2004
- ↑ Daniels, M. (2011). Keeping the Republic: Saving America by Trusting Americans. New York: Penguin Publishing. (pages 199-200)
- ↑ Daniels, M. (2011). Keeping the Republic: Saving America by Trusting Americans. New York: Penguin Publishing. (page 199).
- ↑ The New York Times, "Q.&A. With Gov. Mitch Daniels," January 5, 2011
- ↑ Daniels, M. (2011). Keeping the Republic: Saving America by Trusting Americans. New York: Penguin Publishing. (pages 218-220)
- ↑ Politico, "Mitch Daniels signs Indiana right-to-work law," February 1, 2012
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "HB 1001," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "SB 575," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ IBJ, Bringing Honda to Greensburg highlights a wild year for Daniels," January 1, 2007
- ↑ Honda, "Numbers Can't Tell the Whole Story," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 Daniels, M. (2011). Keeping the Republic: Saving America by Trusting Americans. New York: Penguin Publishing. (pages 210-211)
- ↑ Washington Post, "Study Criticizes Bush Approach to War Funding, Calls for Changes," December 26, 2008
- ↑ Politico, "Mitch Daniels: Israeli-Palestinian conflict not central in Arab Spring," May 19, 2011
- ↑ Politico, "Daniels avoids foreign policy," June 8, 2010
- ↑ Gubernatorial Press Release, "Daniels selects Steven David to join Indiana Supreme Court," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ RTV 6, ABC, "Former Gov. Mitch Daniels weighs in on RFRA," April 7, 2015
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "Senate Enrolled Act No. 1," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "SB 292," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "HB 1065," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Piers Tonight," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ Mother Jones, "Mitch Daniels Was Once Caught With 2 Shoeboxes Full of Weed?" April 20, 2011
- ↑ Fox News, "Interview by Martha MacCallum," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Piers Tonight," accessed April 21, 2015
- ↑ American Rhetoric, "Mitch Daniels - Keynote Speech to the Conservative Political Action Committee," February 11, 2011
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Indiana Says 'No Thanks' to Cap and Trade," May 15, 2009
- ↑ Greene County Daily World, "Gov. Daniels proud that Indiana has stepped up and passed historic coal legislation," March 27, 2009
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "An ObamaCare Appeal From the States," February 7, 2011
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "House Enrolled Act No. 1678," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ In.gov, "Healthy Indiana Plan: The First Two Years," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "SB 590," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "HB 1402," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Mitch Daniels Opposes Arizona-Style Immigration Law," April 14, 2011
- ↑ Herald Argus, "Daniels backs Bush guest worker proposal," December 5, 2005
- ↑ New York Times, "10 States Are Given Waivers From Education Law," February 9, 2012
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "SB 0001," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "HB 1002," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "HB 1003," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, "Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels’s truce put to the test," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "HB 1210," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Indianapolis Star, "Purdue’s Mitch Daniels declines to join debate on same-sex marriage," October 30, 2013
