Things That Make Me Happy, the "Run Mitch Run" Version

It's not easy to be a Republican in my neighborhood. Last weekend, I canvassed a one-block radius from my house with my kids, seeking signatures to help David Oh get on the ballot for City Council at Large. Because he is running as a Republican, only registered Republicans can sign the petition. I was given a list of 800+ names (they don't clean these rolls very well - there were names from my house, for example, who haven't lived there in over 10 years), and only 40 were R's. We hit those houses and found none of them. And I was not surprised by this at all.

I admit that some in my party have said and done things that are cringe-worthy. But I still believe in the essential tenets of that party. But I do not often have those tenets backed up by the words I take in from those people I tend to interact with or those media outlets I tend to frequent. So it is nice to find someone serious who affirms them, and who does it so persuasively and humbly and gravely. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the wonky Republicans' choice for President in 2012: Mitch Daniels.

Read this speech, which he gave last week to the Conservative Political Action Conference. Here is a fundamental view of government, as described by someone who put it into practice at a state level and who would like to see it happen more at a national level. I would like to hear more. But what I've heard so far makes me happy.