Prosper Group Think

My conspiracy rings true? Skillman and Palin together again...

Last week, I posted a conspiracy theory about why Mitch Daniels left it to Becky Skillman to work the 25,000- strong McCain-Palin rally.  I argued that the Guv may have deliberately chosen not to attend the rally in order to give Becky Skillman a chance to build momentum for a future statewide campaign.

I think that my suspicions have been confirmed.  From the Post-Tribune:

Daniels canceled a slated Oct. 17 appearance with Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in Noblesville, citing a scheduling conflict. And he sent Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman to introduce Palin again Saturday in Fort Wayne.

“They make a good team,” Daniels said of Skillman and Palin. “And I don’t want to change my schedule at the last second.” (emphasis mine).

At the Fort Wayne rally, Skillman herself was introduced by Indiana GOP grassroots favorite Dan Coats and then introduced Palin.

I've acquired the photos below from a rally attendee.  Enjoy.

What really happened at the Verizon Wireless Center

We've spent days talking about the size of the crowd and the nature of Palin's speech last week in Noblesville.  Both were impressive.  But, in my humble opinion, a larger story emerges from the event with implications beyond the 2008 Election.

Did Mitch Daniels deliberately miss the event in order to give LG Becky Skillman a more significant role?  Was her resounding introduction of Sarah Palin a preview of what we should expect to see in 2010 or 2012?

It struck me early on that it didn't make sense for Mitch Daniels not to attend.  I know Daniels was attending another event, but where else could he have interacted with 25,000 excited grassroots activists of his own party?  No better time than last week's Palin event exists to motivate the Party to work hard to "Get out the Vote" in these last few weeks.  The Mitch campaign wasn't absent.  His RV was there and the team worked the crowd effectively (and I don't criticize them for their decision- his folks are a lot smarter than me).

Instead, Becky Skillman could be seen working the crowd before and after the event.  She gave a resounding speech introducing Palin.  Perhaps one of the best I've hear from her.  She stood by Palin on the podium after the speech while attendees pressed themselves to shake her hand.

If Daniels would have attended he would have by necessity been a speaker at the event.  Skillman may not have spoken at all or would have simply been a prelude to his speech.  But with him gone, Skillman was as close to the main event as she could have been.  Was it deliberate?

I spoke with a couple of individuals close to Skillman in the days after the event.  No one specifically suggested that this was a planned conspiracy, but neither was it denied.  Everyone held the universal opinion that it was a great moment for her as she considers her future plans.

I've asked Skillman about her plans and it's clear she would rather not entertain the issue so early, but if she was planning to run for statewide office she got a great start last week.

Skillman v Oxley Continued...

OK, I'm tired of summarizing everything, so here is something better.

• Oxley was the first one to directly confront the opponent.  He attacks Skillman for saying Daniels administration inherited a $600,000,000 deficit.  "Our law requires a balanced budget, so how could we have a deficit?" he claims.  I'm sorry Mr. Oxley, but that's just ignorant.  The O'Bannon and Kernan administration have long been fingered for using "fuzzy math" to declare a balanced budget.  I'm so proud of JLT for finding the only person in Indiana more clueless than she is.
• Oxley also said that if there was a deficit, she was on the Finance Committee while in the Senate so she voted for the budget.  So there!!! AHA!! GOTCHA!!
• I'm always struck by the absolute animosity the Democrats have towards Mitch Daniels and Becky Skillman.  I've long decided that it is a result of the fact that Daniels has dominated Indiana politics with his agenda.  He's moved forward without asking Pat Bauer for permission.  Good for him and good for Indiana.
• I'm simultaneously impressed and disappointed in Becky Skillman for not fighting back against Oxley's attacks.  She's classy.  I wouldn't have been.  See the opening, Becky and take it.  You are smarter than this joker.
• Dennie Oxley and JLT seem to have surrounded themselves with a bunch of staffers that look pissed all the time.  They stood in a straight line against the wall the whole time and seemed very unhappy to be here.  Come on folks, get excited about your candidate and act like you are excited about them.  But then again, maybe they are not.
• BTW, how many times will Dennie Oxley say he's from a small town?  He needs to get the chip off his shoulder.

The winner today:  The Indiana State Fair.  It was a beautiful day and having the LG debate here gives attention to the event- one of the premier in the nation.

The loser:  Whoever writes rules for these debates.  They are clearly made in order to make sure they are boring.

As for the candidates?  Oxley was on the attack.  I don't think he landed a firm punch, but he did make his attempts.  Skillman stuck to her message and didn't respond to Oxley.  That kept the debate rather mild and about the future- despite Oxleys attempt to paint it so grim.

Skillman v. Oxley: Fairground Fight 2008

You can always count on Prosper Group to be in the middle of the action.  Today we are here to see Becky Skillman demonstrate again why she's a key partner in the Daniels administration and why she is primed to replace Daniels in 2012 if she chooses.

The room is full for the LG debate- packed mostly with Mitch Daniels supporters.  Unfortunately for Mr. Oxley, it seems that the room is reflecting what is likely to be the result of this election- a complete and total victory by Mitch Daniels and Becky Skillman.

A side note:  I've been asked several times why Mitch Daniels chose the color green.  It's apparent at events like this one where Daniels supporters stick out like a sore (green) thumb.  I don't see ANY corresponding Long-Thompson wear.  There seem to be a few JLT staffers in the corner looking like their candidate- completely clueless.

Gerry Dick is the moderator for today's debate.  Questioners include Ruth Ann Gordern from WISH TV, Tom Beckman from Indiana Prairie Farmer, Gary Truitt from Hoosier Ag Today and Dave Russel from Brownfield Ag Network.

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Ok, my internet connection totally pooped out on me.

Q to Oxley:  What are your agricultural priorities?  Answer:  We need health care and better education.  Yeah, basically he didn't answer the problem.

Skillman:  We created the office of community and rural affairs.  We've also been working on rural entrepeneurship initiatives.  We've had great partners with state and local leaders to get these things gonig.  We also have a new hometown competitiveness program to work with communities to determine strengths in order to have strong and sustainable operations.

Q to Skillman:  Lots of new dairy farms, etc. but we don't have a strategic plan.  What is your plan and vision for helping the dairy industry?  Answer:  In the early days when we adopted the seven strategies on agriculture, dairy wasn't one of them.  Our department, however, serves as strong advocates for all livestock industry.  We all have a role to play there.  We've had a lot of growth which is why we've announced the ag regulation task force and will be making recommendations to the governor this year.

Oxley:  Our approach to agriculture and livestock.  Bring everyone to the table and make everyone a part.  Livestock operations, however, need to be done in a responsible manner.  The Long-Thompson and Oxley administration won't support bad actors.

Q to Oxley:  One of our strategies was to double pork production by 2020.  Do you support that action and what would you do to make it happen?  Answer:  We will support the increase of pork production, but not only do we want to support pork production we want to support all of the livestock industry.  We believe that not everyone has been adequetly included in the program.

Skillman:  We haven't doubled it yet, but there has been a 22% increase since 2005, but that's still a decrease from 1995.  We've been working on international trade to help increase that production.  We hope that these trips we've been making overseas will help.

Q for Skillman:  Are we tapped out with jobs from overseas or do we need to look at jobs related to research?  Answer:  Indiana is #1 in North America in new international jobs coming to a state.  More than 45,000 new jobs are coming from these international trips.

Oxley:  When O'Bannon left we had 13 trade offices throughout the world.  Today we have five.  At the same time, the department of agriculture has increased its budget 45% while closing these offices.  We also need to be looking into jobs we can create RIGHT HERE.

Q for Oxley:  Something about schools.  Answer:  2005 budget was horrible and took money from schools.  Budget also caused much of property tax problems.  We are also going to work with Congress to change "No Child Left Behind."  We want more flexibility.

Skillman:  We are proposing a lot of education policy changes for 2009.  We want to get more in schools.  We would like to consolidate admin costs through joint purchasing.  We've also proposed immunity for teachers. 

Skillman vs. Oxley: Follow the action on Twitter

We are here at the Indiana State Fairgrounds to cover the Indiana LG Debate.  Follow live updates on our Twitter streams at www.twitter.com/krisluidhardt and for more colorful commentary follow www.twitter.com/kurtluidhardt.

New Skillman website live

Indiana LG Becky Skillman has a new website.  I like it.  The site is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and the content on the secondary pages is well presented.

But here are a few minor suggestions.

1.  Email, Email, Email.  Make it easy for people to sign up for your email list.  Let them do it from the front page.  I score them points, however, for having both a graphic and a button for email updates.

2.  Show me the money.  Make the contribute link red or something like that.  Enlarge it. Tell people what you want.  Don't let them have an excuse.

3.  What's with all the white space?  You get points for not overloading us with a busy site with too many graphics, but then you leave 1/4 of the front page blank?

All in all, the LG's got a great site.  Three out of four stars.