On Why My Governor Shouldn't Be President (Again)

As I mentioned yesterday, my state of Indiana was one of two states considering defunding Planned Parenthood. And then, as Misty reported yesterday, the state legislature passed the bill, sending it to Governor Mitch Daniels.

Which puts Daniels in a bit of a conundrum, since he's the one who keeps saying that we all need to leave aside social issues like abortion while we focus on fixing the economy.

Or, it would put him in a conundrum, if he had any principles.

(Don't worry—he doesn't!)

So until he figures out how to navigate this quagmire in a way that makes him look like he's got principles, while simultaneously sorting out what's the most politically expedient response for a bloke considering a presidential run, he's officially remaining undecided about what to do.

Gov. Mitch Daniels said this morning he does not know yet if he will sign House Bill 1210, which makes Indiana's abortion restrictions among the tightest in the nation while also defunding Planned Parenthood.

"I haven't decided yet," Daniels said.

The defunding of Planned Parenthood "has been attached to a bill I strongly supported," he told The Indianapolis Star. "But we've got a little research to do."

...Gov. Mitch Daniels has not said whether he will sign the bill into law. But on a radio show earlier this year, he described his administration as "the most pro-life" in Indiana history.

Spoiler Alert: He will sign the bill.

And Planned Parenthood will lose funding, and low-income healthcare will be scarcer, and access to contraception and abortion will be tougher, and unwanted pregnancies will be more frequent, and pregnant women will be at greater risk, and the already-struggling residents of Indiana—which has an unemployment rate higher than the national average, ranks fifth highest in the nation in bankruptcy filings, and now ranks tenth highest in the nation in foreclosures, after spending years at number one—will have yet one more struggle.

Welcome to Indiana, the Crossroads of America 2.0.