INDIANAPOLIS —
There’s a new phrase starting to emerge in the lexicon of the Indiana Statehouse: “Getting Ritzed.”
It refers to the stunning Nov. 6 victory of political newcomer Glenda Ritz over her giant of an opponent, Tony Bennett, in the race for Superintendent of Public Instruction.
More so, it refers to the kind of campaign that rocketed Ritz past Bennett to win 1.3 million Hoosier votes.
Employing a mastery of social media that tapped into widening skepticism about the K-12 education overhaul that Bennett championed, the Ritz campaign pulled off the seeming impossible: It beat the Republican incumbent in a Republican-loving state and did it with a fraction of the money, TV airtime and powerful partisan pull that Bennett enjoyed. (And, often noted since, the campaign managed to get more votes for Ritz than Gov.-elect Mike Pence.)
Getting Ritzed is the 21st century version of the Biblical tale of David and Goliath. (David Galvin, the engineer of Ritz’s social media campaign, tapped into that analogy in a fascinating article he wrote for the Nov. 15 issue of Howey Politics Indiana.)
If you remember the story from Sunday school, little David picked up that rock and slingshot because he figured out that his coat of mail, his brass helmet and that sword girded to his side weren’t going get him to where he needed.
“I cannot go in these,” David said, as he cast aside the conventional battle plan and scooped up a handful of rocks, “for I am unused to it.”
Hard not to think of that tale when listening to Republicans who are unused to losing.
As first reported by Maureen Groppe of the Indianapolis Star, outgoing Gov. Mitch Daniels — the true champion of the education reforms that the teachers union loathes — is still seething about Bennett’s loss. Speaking at a Washington, D.C., meeting of the Foundation for Excellence in Education last week, Daniels claimed that public school teachers used illegal and improper methods to oust Bennett.
He accused teachers of sending out anti-Bennett emails on school time and trashing Bennett during parent-teacher conferences. “Despite the great progress that’s been made in states like ours, the forces of reaction never quit,” Daniels said. “The last twitch of the dinosaur’s tail can still kill you, and that’s what happened.”
That’s strong stuff, assigning a dinosaur mentality to 1.3 million voters who picked Ritz over Bennett.
It also overlooks the possibility that those votes were neither a massive rejection of reforms that have brought things like more teacher accountability and more parental choice, nor the collective act of tiny-brained creatures controlled by disgruntled teachers.
In emails that I continue to receive, weeks after I wrote a column asking for Republicans to tell me why they voted for the Democrat Ritz, it seems much more complex and nuanced than that.
The changes brought during the Bennett-Daniels era came at schools, students, parents and communities in a fast-and-furious way and they didn’t always seem to make sense to the end-users.
Teacher accountability sounds great, for example, but is more high-stakes testing for students and a complicated A-to-F grading system for schools among the best way to accomplish that?
To mix up the metaphor, Ritz remains a David-like character as she readies herself to walk into the lions’ den that awaits her in the GOP-controlled Statehouse. Too early to know if she’ll get torn to shreds or emerge with hard-earned respect.
Maureen Hayden covers the Statehouse for the CNHI newspapers in Indiana, the Tribune-Star’s parent company. She can be reached at maureen.hayden@indianamediagroup.com
Local & Bistate
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Indiana’s political David and Goliath
Daniels reacts to ‘Getting Ritzed’ with harsh words about teachers
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 23, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Wednesday and Thursday, based on jail records.
-
Relic from another age: Massive find
A mastodon that lived in the Wabash Valley thousands of years ago is making big news today.
-
Game Over: Financial tightening causes VCSC to drop St. Patrick’s from athletic schedule
St. Patrick’s School athletic teams will not have an opportunity to compete against their Vigo County School Corp. middle school counterparts next year.
-
Katelyn Newell finally at home
After nearly five months, 8-year-old Katelyn Newell finally returned home Thursday evening — with a new heart.
-
Indiana State U. Police officer honored with Artz Award
Thursday was a special day for Indiana State University Police Officer Christopher Heleine in multiple ways.
-
City Council considering three for consultant
Three different tax professionals vied Thursday for a chance to become a “financial consultant” to the Terre Haute City Council.
-
Clay County sheriff warns of bank card scam
The Clay County Sheriff’s Department has received information regarding a scam targeting residents, according to a news release from the sheriff’s department.
-
State Police seek help with Sullivan County homicide
Indiana State Police detectives from the Putnamville Post are seeking help from the public with the nearly six-month investigation into the death of 85-year-old Lowell R. Badger, a rural Sullivan County farmer.
-
Man who attacked Vigo deputy arrested
A Terre Haute man accused of attacking a Vigo County sheriff’s deputy earlier this week is facing felony charges in the Vigo County jail.
-
INDOT to bid final 641 phase
The final construction phase of the 641 bypass is scheduled to let for bids on Dec. 11, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation.
-
District office moves north
The Southwest District office of the Purdue Extension service has been moved north from Vincennes to Terre Haute.
-
Day is done…
The sun sets Thursday evening as seen from south of Terre Haute.
-
Morning update: I-5 bridge collapse caused by truck hitting span
The Washington State Patrol chief says the Interstate 5 bridge collapse into the Skagit (SKA'-jiht) River at Mount Vernon was caused by an oversize truck.
-
UPDATE: I-70 lanes in Putnam County now open
The west-bound lanes of Interstate 70 re-opened Thursday evening after being temporarily closed due to a crash near the Greencastle/Cloverdale exit.
-
22-hospital St. Vincent Health cutting jobs
INDIANAPOLIS — One of Indiana’s largest health systems says it’s cutting an undisclosed number of jobs by June 30 because of increasing economic and competitive pressure on the health care industry.
-
Update: Cleanup from overturned truck in Greene County continues
Fuel spillage from the dump truck hauling gravel that overturned this morning in Greene County at Indiana 54 and County Road 725 East near Ridgeport continues to restrict traffic to one lane.
-
17-pound bone found during Vigo flood cleanup
TERRE HAUTE — Crews cleaning up from Wabash River flooding in Vigo County came across a 17-pound bone that they believe might have come from an ancient mastodon.
-
Duke Energy gives $10K to Wabash Valley Red Cross for Vigo flood relief
Duke Energy is giving $10,000 to the Wabash Valley Red Cross chapter for flood relief from this spring’s heavy rains.
-
I-70 Frye Road overpass contract awarded; construction to begin May 28
The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced the Interstate-70 Frye Road overpass contract was awarded to Halverson Construction Co. Inc. from Springfield, Ill., for $317,166.
-
Banks of the Wabash Festival is more than just yearly entertainment
Pioneers think counterintuitively. Where others see widespread apathy, they focus on the possibility for progress. In a way, the 2013 Year of the River celebration began in the 1970s.
-
Planning session aims to better Terre Haute
It’s not yet clear what will come of it, but dozens of community leaders spent the whole day Wednesday trying to develop a plan – or collection of plans – to make Terre Haute “a better community.”
-
Education funding boost won’t benefit all schools
In the budget bill passed by the General Assembly last month, there is more money allocated for K-12 education over the next two years, but that doesn’t mean every school will get more dollars.
- Day of Action job options open
-
Park Board renames land around Memorial Stadium
Land surrounding Indiana State University’s Memorial Stadium on Terre Haute’s east side has been designated as Veterans Memorial Park, following a unanimous vote Wednesday from the Terre Haute Park Board.
-
Deputy suffers minor injury during incident
A Vigo County Sheriff’s deputy received a minor injury to his hand Tuesday night while subduing a drunken driving suspect who fled behind a North Terre Haute business.
-
Man accused of child neglect gets new trial date
An Oct. 15 trial date has been set for a Terre Haute man arrested in November for child neglect after he and his wife allegedly tied up and confined their adopted children in the family home.
-
Police find meth labs, arrest Pierson Township man
Police uncovered two active methamphetamine labs in southeastern Vigo County on Monday, leading to the arrest of a Pierson Township man.
-
New date set for attempted murder trial
A new trial date has been set for a Terre Haute woman charged with attempted murder.
-
Illinois Senate approves sex education bill
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A proposal that revamps sex education in Illinois public schools to include information about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases has cleared the state Senate.
-
Gregg pondering 2nd run for Indiana governor
INDIANAPOLIS — Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg is pondering another run at the state's top job, but has yet to make a decision.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 23, 2013




