Politics and other nightmares

Can't we all just get along?

The next year of city government will likely be full of harmony compared to 2011, the new chairman of City Council said.

Council President Tom Smith, R-1st, said he expects to oversee a “professional” council focused on getting work done without the partisan bickering that dominated much of 2011. Smith was unanimously voted this year's council president Monday in an annual reorganization meeting.

We've never really had real home rule in Indiana. The state parcels out local control in dribs and drabs. Here's the latest favor they're thinking of granting us:

If you want to hear a little political talk about the just-started session of the General Assembly, check out the annual legislative preview edition of WFWA Channel 39's "PrimeTime39." I know I know, that's the same time as "Jeopardy!" But there'll be a link at the PBS39 website if you want to watch it online on your own schedule. The usual panel will be there: Leo Morris of The News-Sentinel (hey, that's me!), Karen Francisco of The Journal Gazette and Andy Downs of the IPFW Downs Political Center. Bruce Haines of WFWA is the moderator.

Some of Newt Gingrich's ideas about how to rein in courts are nutty -- hauling judges before Congress to explain their positions, for example. But his larger point deserves to be debated long after his presidential bid ends:

The presidential primary in 2008 was a rarity for Indiana. The Democratic contest was still undecided by the time of our too-late-to-matter primary in May, so Hoosier votes were actively courted by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Could the same thing happen this year on the Republican side?

The New York Times has taken note of the "gathering storm" over the coming right-to-work legislation in the General Assembly:

Now that Rick Santorum is finally having his turn at a poll surge, I guess we should talk about him, at least for a few minutes. Alas, I think this assessment of him as a "big government conservative" is correct:

Two very different views about the current state of the relationship between the government and the governed. Here's Michael Barone:

Impressive:

Gov. Mitch Daniels is placing his early endorsement of a company that makes giant, mobile LED screens on his "oops list."

Daniels stood with Mayor Greg Ballard in October -- two weeks before Ballard's re-election -- to tout the company, Litebox, whose founder, Bob Yanagihara, had promised to employ 1,100 Hoosiers.