Gov. Mitch Daniels, R-Ind., the budget hawk many hoped would run for President, suggested voters not react too strongly to the poor performance of Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, in the Orlando debate Thursday.
In an appearance on State of the Union with Candy Crowley, Daniels responded to a criticism of Perry – that he’s “not prepared” to run a presidential campaign – levied by another Republican, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. “[Perry] hasn’t been in it that long,” Daniels said. “I understand what Governor Huckabee was saying, but I’d cut him a little slack, give him a little time.”
Daniels then acknowledged his disappointment in the Republican field for not talking about “the things that have a lot of zeros attached to them, the ones that are threatening to kill not just an economy but the entire idea of America.” With that in mind, he warned Republican voters and candidates not to “play it safe” in the election against President Obama. Daniels said that to “get elected as the default option, you know, he made it worse, I’m not him, vote for me” would be “a huge missed opportunity because there’s a clock ticking,” adding later, “because it is a mathematical fact that we are headed for debt levels we cannot sustain.”
