UPDATE ON GUESTS, Gov. Daniels fires union members

From State Treasurer Jonathan Miller's email to his mailing list:

Kentucky State Treasurer Jonathan Miller will be the guest host for the "Live with Lee" radio program tomorrrow, Friday, January 14 from 3-6 PM EST. Jonathan is filling in for Lee Cruse, who is on vacation.

Jonathan's guests will represent a wide range of political officials and activists -- Democrats and Republicans -- including U.S. Senators Evan Bayh and Joe Lieberman.

If you live in Central Kentucky, simply tune into WLAP-AM, 630 on the radio dial.

Anywhere else, you can hear a live Internet broadcast at www.wlap.com.

Bob Shrum has retired and will move to NYC to begin teaching.

Bob Shrum, one of the dominant Democratic political strategists and speechwriters of the last three decades, said Wednesday that he was ending his formal consulting career and moving to New York, where he would write and teach at New York University as a senior fellow.

"I wanted to reflect on what I've done, not just keep doing it," Mr. Shrum, 61, said in an interview. "And I wanted to draw lessons from what I'd seen and draw implications for the future."

He leaves Washington with a mixed record, having served as an adviser on 26 winning Senate campaigns, perhaps more than any other consultant, but also eight losing presidential campaigns, which may also stand as a record.

Mr. Shrum was a lead adviser to Senator John Kerry's presidential campaign, where he was sometimes a divisive figure and where he occasionally drew more attention from reporters than his candidate did. He was widely criticized as failing to develop a clean, consistent message.

"No one will believe this, but there is a reasonable chance that I would have done this had Senator Kerry won," Mr. Shrum said of ending his formal work as a consultant. "I didn't want to go to the White House or lobby."

He said that while he was leaving his highly lucrative media consulting business, Shrum, Devine & Donilon, he would remain engaged in the issues of the day and continue to dispense political advice, although on his own time. He said he would keep a commitment to Senator Jon Corzine, Democrat of New Jersey, should he seek re-election in 2006.

The moment that cemented Mr. Shrum's reputation came in 1980, when he wrote Senator Edward M. Kennedy's farewell speech at the Democratic National Convention.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern," Mr. Kennedy said from the stage, "the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die."

He starts on February 1, 2005 at the Robert Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Happy Trails, Bob!

Gov. Mitch Daniels, a reform Governor, is on the offensive. An excerpt from yesterday's Indy Star:

Gov. Mitch Daniels canceled union contracts covering nearly 25,000 state workers Tuesday, saying they stood in the way of his efforts to rapidly overhaul Indiana government.

The order, which will end the ability of those employees to negotiate pay, benefits and work rules with state officials, ends a 15-year policy that Daniels' three Democratic predecessors maintained by choice.

Daniels, a Republican, said he was ending bargaining rights partly to form a separate agency to handle child welfare and child support without having to consult with union officials. The state has been criticized for its handling of several highly publicized child abuse cases.

"This is an important day for children in Indiana. . . . It's an important day for reform of government," he said Tuesday, flanked by a group of child advocates outside his office.

The governor said rescinding the state's union contracts would make it easier for him to boost the pay of child welfare caseworkers and high-performing state employees. Daniels' actions won't affect pay raises that state workers are to receive this year.

Reaction from the affected employees, who include state troopers, welfare caseworkers and prison guards, ranged from applause to disappointment.

Union members are considering filing a lawsuit per today's Indy Star:

Union officials threatened to sue on Wednesday, a day after Gov. Mitch Daniels canceled union contracts for nearly 25,000 state workers.

Representatives from UAW Region 3, the Unity Team's Local 9212 and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said they're looking at legal action because they believe the contracts required both parties -- not just the governor -- to negotiate an end to the contracts.

Daniels spokeswoman Jane Jankowski said there's no legal question -- that a governor cannot bind a future governor to an executive order.

House and Senate Democrats, meanwhile, say they'll try to restore collective bargaining rights through legislation. However, House Minority Leader B. Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, admitted it's a long shot given Democrats' weakened power in the legislature.

A reform governor would not cause a mess. Gov. Ernie "Where's Burt" Fletcher fired those with piercings and tatoos.