Politics & Policy

Monday Evening Roundup

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Gubernatorial Race

  • So-called “moderates” are urging John Kasich to come clean about his finances, but they are mysteriously silent about Ted Strickland:

The Come Clean Kasich Caravan was in downtown Warren in advance of the two year anniversary of the collapse of the Wall Street firm called Lehman Brothers. The group says Kasich will not disclose how much he made from Lehman brothers in compensation and bonuses.

  • And the Dayton Daily News also seems keenly interested in what Kasich does with his money and connections:

After Republican John Kasich left Congress, three of his top aides were paid $1.73 million by conservative, tax-exempt entities set up by Kasich and financed largely by his business supporters.

When Kasich returned to politics, the three men joined his campaign for governor.

Between 2000 and 2007 the three entities — New Century Project PAC, New Century Project 527, and New Century Project Issues Forum — paid Don Thibaut $656,603, Ben Kanzeg $525,822, and Tod Bowen $553,603, according to campaign finance reports and IRS documents.

  • And the Cincinnati Enquirer seems keenly concerned about Ted Strickland’s chances, given what an adorable Willie Stark look-alike he is.

Senatorial Race

Just last week, the Columbus Dispatch reported that “Republican candidates have grabbed double-digit leads in the races for governor (John Kasich) and the U.S. Senate (Rob Portman), and the swelling red tide could lead to a GOP sweep of statewide offices,” according to a poll conducted by the paper. The Dispatch also noted that supporters of Republican statewide candidates are nearly three times as enthused as their Democratic counterparts. This situation led the Dispatch’s Darrel Rowland to surmise that “[i]f Ohioans’ sentiments favoring Republicans extend to legislative and congressional races, that could mean the GOP will retake control of the Ohio House.”

House Races

Having solid progressives in Congress does far more than give the party an extra vote. The effect they have on other members is hard to quantify but can have real results. Without [Congressman Alan] Grayson, for instance, it’s virtually certain that Congress wouldn’t have approved a broad audit of the Federal Reserve — over the objections of the administration.

If Grayson and other progressives are defeated in November, it sends a signal that standing up for progressive values is at best politically useless and at worst costs a politician at the polls. But if progressives survive, while Blue Dogs are wiped out, the opposite message will be sent: The path to victory requires standing for something.

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