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September/October 2012 –
BizVoice
/Indiana Chamber
33
still got progress that needs to be made.
“What I hear from Hoosiers, irrespective of where they are
on issues related to traditional moral values, is they want to see
the next administration focus on jobs and schools – and that’s
what we’ll do. With one exception. I do believe that the health,
well-being and safety of Hoosier families is foundational to our
economic prosperity. If I’m elected governor, we’re going to
look for ways to encourage two-parent families, to strength the
opportunities that Hoosiers have to raise children in two-parent
families.”
Another political topic of the day, whether in Washington
or Indiana, is bipartisanship – or the lack of it. Pence says he
brings to the table several core values that allow him to have good
relationships with colleagues regardless of their party affiliation.
“I believe that civility, in heavy doses, is essential to
representative democracy. And I’ve always practiced that whether
it’s campaign politics – where I haven’t run a negative ad in the
past 10 years of campaigning – or whether it’s debates in Congress
or the public domain. I’ve always believed that negative personal
attacks had no place in public life and I’ve practiced that.”
After a “rough-and-tumble” campaign in the 1980s in which
he did not win congressional office, Pence notes that he promised
himself any return to the public debate would involve treating
others the way he wishes to be treated. He says he followed that
approach during his radio career and in subsequent public service.
“I hope, as I prepare to leave Congress and apply for a new
job at the Statehouse, that I bring that reputation with me. I’m
someone who has often told leaders of the opposing party, my
district, labor leaders: ‘My door is always open. My job is not
to agree with you about everything – to lead is to decide, as
John F. Kennedy said – but it is my job to
listen
to you.’ I will
set a tone, having served in the majority and served in the
minority, that says to every elected official in the Statehouse:
‘My door is open. I’m going to respect you for the position that
you have. We’re going to look for areas where we genuinely
have common ground and make the decisions that are
necessary to move the state forward.’ ”
I N F O R M A T I O N L I N K
Resource:
www.mikepence.com
“I’m convinced it’s not going to bring these jobs (supporters
are) talking about. I think it will have the adverse effect. It will
lower the incomes of people rather than raise it. I want everybody
to work; and I realize if you’re not working, a 10- or 12-dollar-
an-hour job is good, but that doesn’t sustain, strengthen or
expand the middle class. I want us to expand the jobs in life
sciences, advanced manufacturing.
“I think it was a mistake, but it was something that obviously
the business community, part of the business community, not
all of it, wanted.” Asked whether he would strive to repeal the
law, Gregg says, “The decision to repeal or not is, of course, up
to the Legislature. I wish it wasn’t law, but the reality is that
the Legislature is going to stay overwhelmingly Republican.”
The Democrat adds, “We can disagree on this issue but
that still doesn’t mean you’re not pro-business. It doesn’t take
away, in my case, that I’ve worked for two Fortune 500
companies. I myself have had a business. When I was speaker
(of the House) and Vi was in the (Senate), we did away with
the inventory tax. That was the most dreaded thing at the time.”
Discussing his past experiences, Gregg notes there are many
that have positioned him for this ultimate role in state government.
His father was a small businessman in Linton (in Green County)
for 50 years, including running a union construction shop for
30 years. Gregg himself bought a business (a soda shop) at the
age of 15. He (like Simpson) earned his law degree by going
back to school at night while juggling other responsibilities. Gregg
also served as interim president at Vincennes University (VU).
“I’ve had corporate experience. As an attorney, I’ve been
involved in running the business. I know how to make a payroll.
That’s a huge distinction between me and my career politician
opponent,” he asserts. “When in the Legislature, I learned real
quickly you’ve got to collaborate. This woman (pointing to Simpson),
a Democrat in an overwhelmingly Republican Senate who has
got a lot of stuff done, definitely knows what bipartisan
cooperation means. At VU, we had almost 900 employees, a
$90 million budget and 6,000 students.
“I feel I’m prepared. I’ve spent my whole life here in Indiana.
I’ve spent the last 17 months traveling around the state, over
80,000 miles. I’m in Indiana, I’m from Indiana, I know
Indiana. I’m not a career politician, but I understand state
government. That’s a huge distinction.”
Bringing people together
How will Gregg and Simpson attack the partisanship that
is plaguing government at all levels?
Gregg: “We can do it. We’ve done it before. Her (Simpson)
in 28 years in the Senate; me as the speaker of a divided
House. We are part of the solution. I’m running against the
original flamethrower. We have to work with the business
community and the (Indiana) Chamber is, by and large, the
representative of the business community. There’s going to be
people reading this and not like some of the comments I make,
particularly on right-to-work. We’ve got more that we agree on
than disagree on. If you want somebody that brings people
together and collaborates, we’re your team.”
Simpson: “There used to be a time in the Legislature
where people of different viewpoints got around a table and
figured out solutions. There are folks in the Legislature who
just don’t want to do that anymore, where compromise is a
bad thing, negotiation is a weakness. That’s not how
legislatures work. It’s going to take people like John and me to
reach across the aisle and get things done. You don’t do it by
standing in concrete and saying, ‘My way or the highway.’ ”
I N F O R M A T I O N L I N K
Resource:
www.greggforgovernor.com
John Gregg
Continued from page 28