Thursday, March 30, 2006

Kasich Nails Ohio's Political Situation

John Kasich--former Republican congressman, Fox News talking head, adjunct faculty member at Ohio State University's distinguished Fisher College of Business, and throwback to the days that Ohio Republicans had intellectual heft and ethical standards--provides as accurate an assessment of the present state of Ohio's politics as one could imagine.

Ohio's Rs, notes Kasich, are divided and corrupt. But before the Ds make plans to move to Columbus, they must note Kasich's conclusion, which sings loudly a SWNID refrain:

The biggest advantage going for Republicans, in purely electoral terms, is the ineptness of the Democrats. They have a long tradition of turning sure things into might-have-beens. This, however, is simply not enough. Democratic incompetence has led to Republican domination, which, with no effective opposition, has untethered the GOP from its first principles. In the absence of these, corruption has reigned. The political lens might be clouded and growing darker; but Ohio Republicans need to decide whether or not they want to stand for something.


To Kasich's flawless analysis we will add a conjecture--or a call to action, depending on how it is read. Ken Blackwell, as a consummate insider who is also an outside, has the opportunity, if nominated for governor, to recreate the party in a more consistently ethical, genuinely conservative mold. The entire political landscape may look different in November if Blackwell gets on his political bulldozer in September.

Principled, decisive leadership can do amazing things in a short period of time. It can make the moribund vital. Since the Ds have few prospects for reinventing themselves, it's the Rs, with skilled renegade Blackwell, with the chance to get Ohio back on track, to coin a phrase.

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