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The news that Mitch Daniels won’t run for President in 2012 comes as a big blow to a lot of people. It should. His decision is a blow to the future of our country.
There will be (there already is) a steady stream of commentary about which candidate he decision helps most. The truth is no one knows for sure who will get the biggest bounce. But one thing is sure: Mitch’s decision not to run hurts not only the GOP’s chances in 2012, it hurts the country.
No other 2012 contender has presented credible evidence that he or she can tackle the biggest issue facing us as a country. Our fiscal crisis is the defining issue of our generation, and Daniels is the one candidate whose track record matches the moment. No one else can convincingly demonstrate that their past experience lends itself well to our country’s growing fiscal mess. Here are five reasons why today is a sad day:
We need a President who doesn't need to be President. Mitch's announcement reflects the reason why so many of us have found him the most compelling prospective candidate: he doesn't need the job. The only others who have this quality have also said they aren't running, such as Chris Christie.
No other contender has gotten into the race out of a deep sense of public obligation. Why is Mitt Romney running? Pawlenty? The others? I’m not suggesting the current field is not sincere or running out of pure political ambition. I’m only suggesting that we all knew why Daniels would be running had he chosen to do so, and his reasons would have met the unique historical moment in which we find ourselves as a country. The others all have reasons for getting into the race, but it’s not yet clear (to me at least) that any of them are really responding to the deeper concerns and needs of the American public.
No other candidate has such broad appeal. There has been a lot of talk about the challenge Mitch would have faced among primary voters. Such a view was justified, but it was overblown. He has the record and political skill – not to mention a chorus of supporters and surrogates who would have taken on the charges of the Grovers and Rushes – to have won the primary. No one else in the current prospective field has the gravitas and wide appeal to pull independents and undecided voters away from Obama. Not only this, but Daniels is the only person (including the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.) capable of having the “adult conversation” the public wants and politicos keep talking about, but which just about all of our prospective candidates seem incapable of.
No other candidate holds as much promise for the working class American family. Tim Pawlenty, the Sam’s Club Republican, might be the best hope for the middle class in the long-run, but Daniels is the only one so far to make the issue a 2012 priority. He doesn’t get as much credit for this as he should. His widely praised CPAC speech made upward mobility for struggling families a central pillar of what the GOP should be about. His mission from day one in Indiana has been to raise the disposable income of Hoosier families (this has proven a difficult task in a recession economy, but it hasn’t forced him to abandon the mission), a mission he would have clearly taken to Washington with him. No one else in the field seems as energized by this theme has he has been.
No other candidate is the anti-Obama candidate. Stubborn unemployment figures and a persistent sense of economic stagnation even amidst positive economic news will be Obama’s biggest 2012 challenge. Obama’s aloofness and tin ear on America’s economic and fiscal situation make him vulnerable. The candidate with the best “anti-Obama street cred” is the GOP’s biggest hope, and Daniels was clearly that person. We don’t have a replacement for him (unless we can change Chris Christie’s mind or convince Paul Ryan to run).
Romney is now the clear new favourite and establishment choice, although not necessarily the nominee. Dare I say his credentials, Harvard grad with top academic credentials who made a fortune in business, are even better than those of Daniels!
Posted by: HYUFD | May 22, 2011 at 08:53 AM
#1 reason for me is that Mitch understands that fighting the national debt should be the focus.
http://goo.gl/CfNoi
Posted by: Conservative No2EU (ToryBlog.com) | May 22, 2011 at 10:02 AM
I take it this rules him out for VP too.
That is a shame because he sounds like he would be an asset to any presidential ticket.
Posted by: nonny mouse | May 22, 2011 at 10:36 AM
The penultimate paragraph is confusing. Is Daniels the candidate for the "working class" or the "middle class"?
They're not the same thing you know.
Posted by: Commenter | May 22, 2011 at 12:51 PM