October 3, 2023
America At Its Best Live at Annual Meeting: Interview with Governor Mitch Daniels
SPN recently held its 31st Annual Meeting in Chicago, with record-breaking attendance and sponsorships. The meeting brings together state leaders from across the country to sharpen their strategies, make connections, and hear stories that inspire them to pursue meaningful reforms that improve lives in their states and beyond.
This year, we had the pleasure of hosting Governor Mitch Daniels as a keynote speaker, where he discussed the role federalism plays in restoring national morale. Mitch Daniels is the former two-term governor of Indiana, former president of Purdue University, and was an advisor to Presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan.
In the latest episode of America at Its Best, we sat down with Governor Daniels to talk about the importance of leadership in the states, how states can serve as a model for the federal government, and how members of SPN’s 50-state Network play a critical role in advancing positive reforms around the country.
Quotables:
“I was excited to be invited because my exposure to some of the member organizations has been uniformly positive, and the most effective lawmakers and administrators will be eager and hungry for those ideas.”
“I would say that the states can, and are in many cases, demonstrating that government should not be an object of contempt. That led properly, responsibly, and honestly and in the general interest can play its necessary role for good in making it possible for people to pursue happiness.”
“I think there’s never been a time when we had a greater need or opportunity for states to step to the front and show what can be done.”
“The federal government is pretty near hopeless in terms of operating competently, but states are not. There’s a reason that when asked, people have a very, very low opinion of the federal government but tend to have a much more favorable opinion of their state government and its leadership.”
“I think one of the great hopes for our country is examples in the states of both competent confidence, inspiring performance, which I think, regardless of one’s philosophy, we owe the free people of a country governed by the consent of the governed.”
To see past episodes or subscribe for more information, please visit spn.org/AAIB.
America at Its Best features powerful stories of hope that bring you good news and groundbreaking solutions from the Network of 63 state-based organizations and over 90 national partners in the State Policy Network. Together, we accelerate the work of these organizations so that state solutions have national impact.
