Our man, part two

President Bush dubbed him “My Man.” That was after he worked in the Bush administration for just two years. But Monday morning, Mitch Daniels will take the oath of office for another four years and continue his mission as “Indiana’s man.”

Judging by Hoosiers’ overwhelming support for the governor in the past election, it might seem that his next term should largely resemble the first that led him to be reelected by a 17 percent margin. But with the financial crisis wreaking havoc on the state budget, only the crystal ball could guess what is in store during the second act of the Daniels administration. On top of that, Daniels recently promised budget cuts to avoid spending the state surplus, signaling more changes and uncertainty are clearly on the way.

But Daniels has never been an ordinary governor. Unlike the previous O’Bannon and Kernan administrations, Daniels has proved to be a refreshingly competent administrator. His demeanor is professional and he runs the state like a corporation rather than a personal fiefdom. Conservatives have begun throwing out the name of our governor for a presidential run in 2012.

While I respect Daniels for trying to bring Indiana into the 21st century, I have been unable to form a complete opinion of his administration’s record. On one hand, Daniels has supported a number of initiatives that will help Indiana better serve its citizens. His plan, for example, to consolidate school districts with fewer than 1,000 students, would encourage more cost-effective administration practices.

More importantly, it would allow districts to offer their students a better education. Some school districts are currently so small that they cannot offer more than one foreign language or other classes students need to be competitive in college admissions and life.

However, a poll recently conducted by IU researchers found that two-thirds of Hoosiers would oppose the governor’s changes to their own school district. Such limited support for the measure makes it questionable whether Daniels will be able to pull it off.

I have also admired Daniels’ first term independence in respect to tax policy. During his first year in office, he rebelled against fiscally conservative supporters and proposed to temporarily raise income taxes. Furthermore, Daniels has maintained a fairly neutral stance on social issues, refraining from actively campaigning against hot button issues such as abortion.

Even in light of these successes, it’s difficult to tell whether Mitch is a lovable figure. Sometimes his drive to eradicate bureaucratic waste has had real, human costs. Though Daniels argued that privatizing welfare will save the state considerable money, welfare beneficiaries now have to navigate the Internet or use a telephone to retain their benefits. Yet many welfare recipients – especially the elderly and the very poor – may lack the skills to use technology successfully or may simply not have access to a phone or computer.

Even in light of these missteps, it’s difficult to wholly dislike the man who has earnestly tried to rescue Indiana. It’s time to cross our fingers for the next four years. The book’s not closed yet. Daniels’ first term have given us much to be optimistic – albeit cautiously optimistic – about.