Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has come out strongly in support of a Right to Work law. He has released a one-minute ad touting Right to Work as a vehicle for job creation and economic growth:

This is incredibly important. Without the leadership of the governor, prospects for passage of Right to Work are dubious. Even the governor's muted support or a statement that he'd sign if such a bill reaches his desk are often insignificant. Gov. Daniels' endorsement gives serious momentum to the legislation and puts wobbly Republicans in the legislature on notice. He is assuming significant political risk in pushing Right to Work, and to lose because of some nervous legislators is unacceptable.

Legislative leadership, to their credit, has been great on this issue. They've been making the case for Right to Work for months. With the governor's added boost, passage is much more likely. We saw this with Scott Walker's leadership on collective bargaining last year: His steel spine in the face of vicious attacks made sure that local Wisconsin governments would be given the flexibility to balance their own budgets without tax increases or layoffs, political consequences be damned.

Mitch Daniels is in the same boat with Right to Work, perhaps the most politically toxic idea of our time. He should be commended and supported for his courageous and important stance. It will define a large part of his legacy.

Posted by Joshua Culling on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 2:52 PM EST

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