Ruckus in the Ohio Republican Party
by Jason HartA month after an election with mixed results for the small-government cause, Ohio conservatives are suffering through a very public GOP power struggle. Governor Kasich’s push to replace Ohio Republican Party (ORP) chairman Kevin DeWine has national implications: the Issue 2 campaign proved how low Democrats, Progressives, and unions (but I repeat myself) are willing to go to win the Buckeye state.
Sherrod Brown and Barack Obama would love nothing more than an Ohio divided, so let’s get this over with.
Even without the laundry list of inside-baseball complaints cited by House Speaker Bill Batchelder, it makes more sense than you might expect to oust DeWine despite ORP’s success riding the 2010 tea party wave.
Too many ORP leaders from the Taft era (concluded in 2007 amid scandal, scandal, scandal, and more scandal) were unprincipled go-along-to-get-along “moderates,” and signs abound that Kevin DeWine falls into that category. How could DeWine expect to chair an effective party in 2012 – to say nothing of 2014 – given his fracas with Governor Kasich? Why should anyone in the POTUS field trust that campaign stops with DeWine will reach the voters they need to reach?
Case in point, Romney and DeWine’s botched October visit to a Cincinnati call center, where Romney failed to endorse either of the issues volunteers were working to pass. Commentators speculated that Romney was being used as part of an ongoing DeWine/Kasich feud – not exactly the press coverage you want in a key swing state.
In early 2010, solid conservative candidates lined up for the attorney general and auditor races. ORP had other plans: enter Mike DeWine, Chairman DeWine’s cousin and a former US senator (lifetime ACU rating: 79.8) unseated by Sherrod Brown in a 2006 election fraught with Iraq war fatigue and aforementioned Taft-era scandals.
ORP nudged Dave Yost into running for auditor instead of attorney general, bumping Seth Morgan out of the picture to make room for Attorney General DeWine. DeWine narrowly defeated Richard Cordray – now President Obama’s Vital Bureaucrat of the Week – but DeWine family maneuvering contributed to lingering distrust between ORP and Ohio conservatives.
Chairman DeWine has also taken heat for his allegiance to Jon Husted. Husted, a former speaker of the Ohio House, positioned himself as a conservative during the 2010 secretary of state campaign only to kneecap election reform a year later. When the House tried to pass a photo-ID voting requirement, Secretary Husted opposed the measure, handing a rhetorical victory to the Ohio Democratic Party’s race-baiters and class-warriors.
Whatever DeWine’s merits or Kasich’s mistakes, Ohio needs Republican leaders on the same page going into 2012. DeWine should step down, Kasich should offer a replacement conservatives can rally behind, and we should all get back to work against Sherrod Brown and Barack Obama.
Follow Jason on Twitter: @jasonahart
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
| Tweet this
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Got a Tip?
45 Comments
"and we should all get back to work against Sherrod Brown and Barack Obama."
That applies to every single state and every single American. Anyone, and I mean ANYONE that works to divide a 2012 Conservative push at every level because their "personal brand of conservatism" isn't dominating should just stick an obama bumper sticker on their car. And may history forget that you were ever my countryman.
"…Ohio needs Republican leaders …"
The COUNTRY needs Conservative Leaders who will ACT and take on this Progressive BS establishment!
These tactics by the liberals, socialists, progressives or democRATs (pick your title of them) is to divide the GOP and to dilute the influence of the Tea Party. The GOP needs to really rally around the best candidate and VP to oppose Obama. While no miracle candidate exits, all of the top contenders are better than the WORSE POTUS EVER we have currently. The unions and the liberals are going to support Obama regardless, but remember over 60%+ of the country has control of the vote and Obama will be a one termer.
Well, I guess President Barrack Insane Osama will win Ohio in 2012. All because of these idiots who have their heads up their butts. Way to go guys, way to go.
Appears that there are still too many rinos in the ORP. Let's hope the good folks of Ohio take care of this problem before the 2012 elections.
So now Ohioans must deal with the bitter, destructive effects of nepotism…
The Elite Ruling Class doing whatever is required to keep it ALL in the FAMILY…. so tacky!
.
Starve the ORP make DeWine look very bad as a fundraiser. Contribute elsewhere directly to teaparty and conservative candidates then stay on their backs.
A traitor can do far more damage than armed enemies in the field. Progressive Republicans are traitors to conservatives.
Jason, do you know if DeWine sat on Republican funds during the issue 2 fiasco? The Republicans seemed to not fight back.
Andrew we need to put together a questionnaire for all candidates on both sides of the isle to answer, that would define whether they are a progressive candidate or not. This would be VERY valuable for the conservative movement. I believe that there are many voters who don't understand what a progressive is, and even fewer who know who they are. When the data is published it would also be very helpful to list their voting records on some of the progressive legislation. That would let voters know if candidates are truly progressive or conservative.
Andrew please help us shape this election to save our nation. We need to eliminate the progressive movement in this country if we are going to survive!
There are still some states that are not in it for the long run.
They are traitors to the Republic…..
They ALL need to go….
You are a pathetic small….man?
Read this article dumbbasss. It has nothing to do with Democrats. This divide is self inflicted brought on by losing.
Yes! Please get Dewine out of there! Also…Husted is not a conservative, and will do anything to undermine Kasich.
Since no Republican can win the presidency without Ohio this is not looking good for baggers.
Contributing to teabaggers in Ohio would be a waste of money. Find someone who is sane.
I haven't met a progressive Republican in 15 years.
Can you blame them? The current Republican clown show is enough to make them just stay home.
And re-elect the poser?
Hahahaha. Don't get your hopes up.
It's looking good for four more years. Better buckle yourself up.
I htink the GOP will squabble but in the end Republicans and Independents will vote for the only real choice for the country…whoever runs against the poser.
I can't believe anyone would prefer to see this marxist POS back in the WH.
You amaze and disgust me.
Too bad.
We will defeat you. You and all of your ilk. What's "pathetic" is anyone who is NOT a Conservative in America. It's a testament to your malignant ignorance of what has worked to lift humanity from the scourge of monarchy and oligarchy, into the dignity of individual liberty.
We will destroy you, the same way that we destroy any cancerous cell in the body. You are a cancerous cell in the body politic. Say "goodbye."
Lemme guess… They're not "progressive" until they buy a Che T-shirt?
Almost half of us fall below the 50% line.
Don't be hard on yourself.
You're damn right. There are Progressives in both the Democrat and Republican parties.
You are not a Conservative. The only Conservatives in America are either in the Democratic Party or they are Independents. Your a teabagger.
Howard Baker was a progressive Republican. I don't see anyone like him in the congress who is a Republican. They've all moved over to the Democratic side of the isle.
Helen, you don't mind me calling you Helen do you?
How was Howard Baker progressive?
Can you explain that without having a mood swing or hot flash? You really should pull yourself together. Why not stop and take another handful of midol?
Helen, you don't mind it if I call you Helen do you?
It sounds like aunt flow is really staying for a long visit this time.
Conservatives want the traditional meanings put on the words that govern us. That defends the constitutional freedoms. That defends the limits on government, and that government is here for us, not to control us.
And your cheap little hormone driven insults don't change that.
Now Helen, why don't you go check your bloating and see if it's still getting much worse.
Helen is trying so hard, and still failing in spite of her struggles to be relevant.
Helen, really. You don't mind if I call you Helen do you?
I think you need to have your estrogen adjusted. You just are behaving so badly. It reminds me of "Fried green tomato's" where she rams her car into the other car in the parking lot.
You're just not dealing well with reality here Helen.
Helen, you're upset again. You don't mind me calling you Helen do you?
They said the same things about Reagan and we know how that turned out. You're just desperate to take the last freedoms and choices away from the American People.
When will you start spelling America with a 'K' Helen?
Helen. You amaze me. You don't mind me calling you Helen do you?
You just can't deliberately mean to stoop to foul language do you Helen? Weren't you raised better than that?
And I'm sure your mother would tell you to try avoiding too many scenes while suffering from that time of the month.
Poor, poor Helen. I expected you had at least some early childhood training.
You insult me and then want to be pen pals? Sorry Rog….
Helen. You amaze me. You don't mind me calling you Helen do you?
Why do you want to hold grudges Helen?
Aren't you a liberal progressive that moves beyond those sorts of things?
Oh Helen, what is a person to do when you come here with so much stupid and then want to pretend rationality?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIsl1C6BiKc&fe...
I'm a liberal guy… I forgive you.
Helen. You amaze me. You don't mind me calling you Helen do you?
If you just want to walk away from this, I guess I'm not trying hard enough.
Should I also insult your nails?
She'll need to pack a lunch then.
And who would be able to carry it for her?
I would imagine it to start with 40lbs of potatoes and half a side the biggest pig.
And I thought SoS Jennifer Brunner was a disaster, but at least I expect that from a demoncrat…and she is still wreaking havoc behind the scenes along with Strickland. So far, I haven't seen any change in the election system that I can believe in with our current SoS.
I still have Dave Yost's campaign flier for Attorney General, an occasional reminder of all that stinks in Ohio. DeWine must go.
"Your a teabagger.
And "your" an illiterate.
Maybe the Tea Party should have an internal vote and we put all of our forces behind which ever candidate wins, assuming all would cooperate or that it is even feasible…. or we can continue to wagged like a dog by the left's tactics.
Which is why you were told to post here.
Your masters are scared, little man. Pray you never find out how expendable you are to them.
You must be logged in to post a comment.