WASHINGTON - Voting for Barack Obama was a "fashion statement vote for some people," Gov. Mitch Daniels told a Washington audience Wednesday.
At a panel focused on how to make conservatism politically viable, Daniels said that approach stemmed from the understandable pride that some people felt in helping to choose the country's first black president.
But, Daniels said, some of those voters might now have regrets because of the policies - particularly the stimulus spending - and debt that President Obama has launched.
"A lot of upper income people that I saw vote for him, it was a luxury purchase in the sense that it didn't seem threat a threat economically, there was the history of it, there was the natural desire for change after a period of poor results," Daniels said.
"Quite honestly, it was a fashion statement vote for some people. I'm not disparaging that. People wanted to demonstrate enthusiasm for a society that could elect an African-American president.
"Not sure how that holds up over time," he said.
Daniels said the Republican Party has to spend some time "in the penalty box" for errors in the past eight years. Eventually, he said, voters will again turn to the GOP, but only if the party earns it.
He said conservatives must produces good ideas and demonstrate that the GOP has learned some lessons.
In the meantime, Daniels said, "we must assert with credibility that we understand what is going on in everyday lives."
He recommended the party focus on young people and dismissed as inconsequential a recent poll that said a third of young people endorse socialism. Daniels said young people try out all sorts of ideas.
Daniels said the "terrifying deficits we are staring at" are particularly threatening to young people and "presents an opening" for Republicans.
In the meantime, he said, conservatives should be cautious of inflamed rhetoric.
"Recovery of credibility and eventually trust to lead will require, in the near term, we accept with grace the role of the loyal opposition, which I believe is to root sincerely for the nation's success and express agreement where agreement exists so your disagreements are more credible. And, of course, to leave partisanship at the proverbial shoreline," he said.
Daniels said Democrats will help Republicans regain political power because of their bad policies and their conduct.
"The meanest people in American politics are on the left, bar none. No conservative I know can hold a candle to sheer outright meanness. Of course, that comes from believing that power is everything and winning is the only thing that matters, which we do not believe," he said.
Daniels said conservatives will also make further strides if they embrace his advice: "I think we must be a friendly political movement."
He recalled Ronald Reagan's caution that "we have no enemies, only opponents. We are all Americans, after all."
Daniels said conservatives "must have, deeply at heart, the best interests of fellow Americans, including those who haven't made up their minds … and even those who disagree with us most strongly."
He said that as a young man, he was drawn to conservatism because of its "single most attractive virtue," which said is humility.
"We do not believe that we have all the answers," Daniels said. "We do not believe a fallen human can. We do not believe that we are so smart and superior that we can order lives and all the affairs of our fellow citizens, as our opponents do."
Daniels' speech received louder and more sustained applause than any of the other four panelists, and there were several allusions to the idea that he should run for president.
But Daniels repeated his plan to never run for another office.
sylviasmith@jg.net
