Indiana Democratic Party 1-23-16 Podcast

Chairman John Zody and the 1-23-16 Indiana Democratic Party weekly radio address podcast.

TRANSCRIPT

This week, Mike Pence’s RFRA continues to have long-term effects on the Hoosier economy and Indiana’s “Hoosier Hospitality” reputation.

In a recent survey by Visit Indy, results highlight the negative impact RFRA has had on the State of Indiana, including a staggering figure that shows only 28-percent of those surveyed believed the statement “Indiana Welcomes All.”

Juxtapose that news with Mike Pence’s words on January 3rd – when he said LGBT rights and the Hoosier economy were two “entirely separate” issues – and it seems Mike Pence is pretty out of touch if he believes his long-term discrimination against LGBT Hoosiers won’t affect the state’s economic well-being.

Mike Pence has said countless times that the Hoosier economy is “at its peak”.

Well, his Republican colleague and U.S. Senate candidate Eric Holcomb doesn’t buy it.

During last Saturday’s Republican Senate debate in Kokomo, Holcomb confirmed what everyday Hoosiers already know – that incomes are lower and Hoosiers have given up their job search.

Eric Holcomb said this: “Wage growth is down, the real labor participation rate is down. People have quit looking. People have gone from being worried about a job to being mad about a job.”

Holcomb’s words provide further proof that Mike Pence’s idea to provide a ‘snapshot’ of the state’s economy is failing our state.

The fact is, incomes for Hoosiers have declined, and it’s because Mike Pence believes the quantity of jobs instead of quality of jobs would help him in an election year.

However, Hoosiers are simply fed up with his out of touch ideology and are ready for a leader who will help improve their well-being and help lead Indiana into the future.

And finally this last week, Pence and Statehouse Republicans have finally joined Glenda Ritz in tackling one of today’s biggest problems facing Indiana’s schools.

As a result of Superintendent Ritz’s leadership, both chambers of the legislature have passed what’s known as “hold harmless” legislation for our schools, teachers, and students.

For well over 18 months, Glenda Ritz foresaw the ISTEP+ score problem and called for Indiana to not unfairly penalize our schools and communities for a new, more rigorous exam and standards for which they didn’t have adequate time to prepare.

However, it was Mike Pence who – after ignoring the issue and trying to strip Glenda Ritz of her elected duties – did an about-face and flip-flopped on this issue, an attempt to save himself from another PR crisis.

The truth is, Mike Pence can’t save face on this issue and Hoosier parents and educators know who their real advocate is at the Statehouse: Glenda Ritz.

Hoosiers, we can do better than having Mike Pence as our governor. This begins by electing Democrats who will bring forth commonsense ideas that would help lead Indiana and our country into the future.

We deserve better than Mike Pence and Statehouse Republicans leading our state. We must come together and make sure we elect John Gregg Governor, that we elect a Democratic US Senator – people who will unite and improve the lives of all Hoosiers across Indiana – and we must return Glenda Ritz to the Superintendent’s office in 2016.

Until that time comes, Democrats in Indiana will continue to talk about ways in which we can do better for Indiana’s economy, our education system, and for the overall well-being of Hoosiers.