Touch gloves and come out hugging

The third and final debate in the Indiana gubernatorial race took place Tuesday night. Incumbent Gov. Mitch Daniels, Democrat Jill Long Thompson and Libertarian Andy Horning squared off at a packed roundtable debate in the IU Auditorium. 

Sitting just a few rows back from the front, I waited eagerly, pen and paper in hand, to witness a final stab of the optimistic candidates to win over in-doubt votes before the big day.

If you were also one of those engrossed citizens in attendance, you were probably just as disappointed as I was.

Watching a debate moderated by former Indianapolis broadcaster Tom Cochrun, I sat for nearly an hour hearing only two of nearly fifteen questions asked that actually focused on the issues.  

It consequently comes as no surprise to me that Daniels was perceived as the winner: It was handed to him. 

What was supposed to be a debate between the candidates was spoiled by dull surface questions that focused more on personal heroes and life lessons than it did on the actual issues facing Hoosiers.

During the first two fiery debates that touched upon issues ranging from Daniel’s privatization programs to the Major Moves lease on the Indiana Toll Road, I was required to sit and listen as Libertarian candidate Andy Horning recited the Constitution back to me verbatim. 

Apparently he also holds the record for reading it the most with a brawny figure of 1,787 times. We get it, Andy. You love Jesus and own a copy of the Constitution. Can we please move on?

Had this been an actual debate I would have no doubt expected Daniels to win. It’s very difficult to make a case against an incumbent governor whose impressive record of change and reform speaks for itself. 

Daniels comfortably claims he has achieved the first two honestly balanced budgets, provided the only plan to permanently cut and cap property taxes forever, took the previous administration’s $200 million deficit to a billion-dollar surplus and has made Indiana a national leader in providing health insurance coverage access to 132,000 low-income, uninsured Hoosiers. 

Daniels is tested and experienced. But shouldn’t we at least make him earn the big W?

OK, I’ll be fair; Long Thompson did show some sign of life when she launched a few trash-and-bash missiles toward Daniel’s record.

Throughout the election, this has become the only way she has been able to get attention. And as with most of her prior attempts, they fell short. 

Daniels claimed he wanted to see a “kinder and gentler” version of Long Thompson.
 
As with the previous two debates, Thompson often becomes so focused on attacking that she rarely takes the time to explain just how she would govern if elected. For those of you who recall, in the second debate she stated, “My approach is frankly a very new approach.”

Can anyone please tell me what that approach is?