2010-06-21
Mitch Daniels: Too Short to be President?
Well, I'll confess that I'm already on the bandwagon of Senator John Thune for President. In fact, I've been on Thune's 2012 Bandwagon since I first saw him campaigning for Senate in 2004. If Thune could go 6 years without ticking me off too badly, you know he's something special.
Anyway, while I was at the Indiana Republican Convention this last weekend, more than a few recognizable state-wide figures were calling for Mitch Daniels to run for President in 2012. Let me be absolutely clear about this before we go any further. Mitch Daniels has been an incredible Governor for the state of Indiana and he would make a remarkable President. Although the nut jobs in the Tea Party movement are going to hate him because he supports infrastructure investment and green energy, Governor Daniels is undoubtedly the most fiscally responsible Governor in Indiana history and easily one of the most responsible in American history. The fact that Indiana is the only state other than North Dakota that is still in the black despite the fact that he inherited a massive deficit from his predecessors is a great testament to Governor Daniels' abilities.
If Mitch Daniels is the Republican nominee in 2012, I will do everything humanly possible to send him to the White House!
But the question is whether or not Governor Daniels is electable. Not just because of Mitch Daniels' eagerness for a truce on Social Issues.
First and foremost, as a 6'6" person who believes in "vertical" politics, I'm taking issue with the Governor's height. Or lack thereof. It's pretty well known that Governor Daniels is a short person and as petty as that sounds, the height of a candidate is more important than one might think. Perhaps most obviously, there are idiots in this country who will vote because height portrays power and confidence. If you don't believe me, there have been studies that have repeatedly proven that taller individuals are more likely to be paid more and be promoted in the business world. These are businesses falling for it, you can't tell me that the American Idol Public is going to be smarter.
Heck, I'll even admit that I treat tall people differently than short people. I don't mean to offend any of you, but if you're shorter than six feet tall, you're a tripping hazard and need to get out of my way.
But less obviously, it also plays into the campaign. It's rare that you find a picture of Governor Daniels with someone of my height for the reasons stated above. However, this means the Governor's handlers need to worry about letting the Governor mingle in unfiltered crowds. Likewise, if short stature becomes a job qualification for staffers or if taller staffers are prevented from being seen with the Governor, it's going to cause problems getting the best campaign staffs possible. No, I'm not wanting a job: I'm a Thune guy.
Additionally, the Governor's height will cause problems during the Presidential Debates. If you're a political junkie, you know as well as me that long and intense days go into negotiating the conditions and smallest details of the Presidential Debates. In 2004, for example, Senator Kerry's team went out of its way to secure equal sized podiums for both candidates, which were a suitable height for the taller Kerry (who is 6'4"). Thus, if you look at video from those debates, you'll see that President Bush (5'11") looks a little ridiculous behind a podium that's too high for him.
Although Governor Daniels has never released his height, I would guess he's around 5'4" based on photographs of him relative to other individuals. Folks I know who are short enough to meet the Governor have told me he's anywhere from 5'2" to 5'7" (although, that one came from a huge Mitch fan). In other words, we could be sending a Republican candidate to challenge a Democrat that is as much as 11 inches shorter than Obama (a modest 6'1"). That means Mitch's team is going to be distracted negotiating a further distance between the podiums, shorter podiums, a seated debate behind a desk, higher camera angles, and no handshakes before or after the debate. That leaves the Obama team in a better position to better suit the style, timing, and framing of the debate to better suit his strengths.
As crazy as it sounds, this stuff really matters.
Look at how much shorter Russian Prime Minister Putin is compared to President Obama.
Using Vladimir Putin as a marker, Putin is about half the distance between Mitch Daniels and President Obama... possibly even taller than the halfway mark. If you're using your fingers to measure, remember that we're talking about the top of Mitch Daniels' head, not his face. Mitch Daniels' face would be near Obama's lower chest.
I'm 5 inches taller than Obama. So standing head to head, I would make Obama look like makes Putin look. That's why I don't ever expect to get the opportunity to get a photo taken with Mitch Daniels. I know it's nothing personal, but it will be a campaign issue.
Beyond the height issues, Governor Daniels is responsible for his fair share of controversies here, too. Under his administration, Republicans have been repeatedly cutting education funding as part of their grander plan to keep the state in the black. In a state where Teachers' Unions are not allowed to go on strike, you can bet the family farm that they'll get their revenge on the air waves in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
Likewise, there's a good chance a few candidates might accuse Governor Daniels of being responsible for skyrocketing unemployment in Michigan (the third primary state). Why? Because a very large number of Indiana's new jobs during this recession have come at the cost of businesses leaving Michigan to relocate in Indiana. That's great for us, but it kind of sucks if you were a auto-worker a few hours north. If you don't take it personally, you vote for him because you recognize he was smart enough to do it. But when you're unemployed, you're more likely to take that personally.
As icing on the cake, Governor Daniels has been so committed to Indiana that he hasn't spent nearly enough time out of state supporting other Republicans in order to get the support from community leaders that I suspect he'll need to pull off primary wins in key states.
Like I said, Mitch Daniels has been an incredible Governor here in Indiana; and there's no doubt in my mind that he would make one of the best Presidents in US history. I'm convinced he would solve a good number of the financial problems we have in this country. Unfortunately, I personally don't think he's electable. With that said, he would make an incredible Vice President.
