2006 Republican Convention

I regret not being with you all today, but I hope I'm where you'd want me to be, and that's pursuing new jobs for Hoosiers over in Asia. I'll mainly miss the chance to see so many friends at one time, but in this job you tend to miss all the fun.

Conventions are times for fun, and transacting important business. But they're also days to redefine for ourselves and our fellow citizens the critical differences between us and our opponents. As the last year and a half has shown, those differences are enormous, and profound.

Republicans are Indiana's party of purpose, at the moment, the only one the state has. We seek public office for one reason only, the chance to build a better state. In 2004, we offered Hoosiers a detailed, specific, positive program of reform; in office, we have surprised some folks by doing exactly what we said we would do.

We are making government leaner, less expensive, and more effective. We are shrinking the waiting lists, cutting the error rates, and improving service levels.

We passed the tightest state budget in fifty-five years. State government has two thousand fewer vehicles, twelve fewer aircraft, and three thousand fewer employees than it had when we arrived. We are balancing its budget and paying off its debts. The state's credit rating has been raised.

We have set high standards for integrity, created the means to enforce those standards, and shown that we will police our own zero tolerance policy when necessary. In short, we are cleaning up the mess we inherited.

And we have launched the Indiana Comeback our people have deserved for so long. Indiana is now a business-friendly state of stable taxes and reasonable, consistent regulation. 2005 was state government's biggest year ever for new job-creating deals, and 2006 will break that record.

From our opponents, there is no comparable vision. In fact, there is no vision at all.

From the very outset, they scoffed at our appeals for bipartisanship. Their answer to every new idea has been the same: "No, hell no, and by the way you are a bad person for suggesting such a thing." They are loud in attacking our proposals, but they are struck mute by the simple question: "Then, what's your plan?" Hoosiers of good will insist on the high road: they know that we'll never build a great state on negativism and personal abuse.

So let this fall's campaign be toe-to-toe. The contrasts of people, performance, and plans for Indiana's future all work for us. Let's debate them aggressively.

And, as I first told you at this meeting two years ago, the way we make our case is important, too. One mean and negative political party in Indiana is already one too many. Let's make the Republican case with ideas not insults, vigor not venom, a smile and not a snarl. That's what Hoosiers deserve, and what they will reward at the polls.

For today, get a little rowdy, enjoy the fellowship, and give a great welcome to my wonderful friend Peggy Noonan. Then get revved up for a positive, optimistic fall campaign in the best tradition of people like Dick Lugar and Ronald Reagan.

Have a great convention!