Budget showdown between gov. & speaker

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Republican Governor Mitch Daniels continued his tour of southern Indiana in New Albany where he taunted Democratic House Speaker Pat Bauer for, so far, not calling a House vote on the 2-year GOP budget plan.

"I believe Speaker Bauer is afraid to allow that budget to come to a vote because he knows it will pass and we'd be done, the special session will be over," said Daniels.

On Wednesday, in Terre Haute the governor said he was resisting an attempt to be blackmailed into bankruptcy and Thursday the speaker responded to the blackmail charge.

"That's a very harsh word and it's not necessary. It reminds me of when he called us car bombers. Some of his rhetoric goes over the top. We don't need name calling right now. We need to be here negotiating," said Bauer.

Instead a House/Senate Conference Committee held a second day of public hearings with witnesses comparing the GOP budget to a 1-year Democratic budget that gives schools more money. The governor predicted Thursday that the GOP version will become law.

"By one means or another we'll see it passed or something like it passed," said Daniels.

The speaker's not ready for that.

"I won't call him names. I'll just say come on back and let's sit down and talk," said Bauer.

More public hearings are planned for Friday and Saturday. But as long as conference committee members are in public hearings they are not in meaningful negotiations.

If those negotiations take place Republicans said there is only about $10 million to negotiate over that's in an annual budget of about $14 billion.