Ohio's Republican-Left Hydra

In spite of the many-headed Hydra that is the Ohio Republican-left establishment, one Herculean warrior shines through.

From Governor Taft, unto Chairman Bennett, former Speaker Householder, former Senate Leader Doug White, Senate Pro Tem Jacobson, Minority Whip Fedor, and on down to the least powerful legislator, this RINO-left establishment soothes the voter with talks of tax-cuts, family values, individual rights, and limited government. Their actions, however, are just the opposite.

This establishment has one fatal flaw, just as did the Hydra: light, or fire, keeps them from returning, which is to say, the one fatal weakness of the RINO-lefts is, the people do not support them. As Ellen Belcher opines in her Feb 13, 2005, Dayton Daily News Column, page B6,

this is what it has come to: Ken Blackwell hasn't been elected governor, hasn't even been chosen by Republicans to run as their gubernatorial candidate, and already he's setting the tone and making policy. It's so inarguable, so transparent.

Does anybody, even for a second, think the cautious, plodding, moderate Bob Taft would suggest tying the hands of all future governors and legislatures if Ken Blackwell weren't threatening to go over Taft's head and directly to voters with his spending limit amendment?

Taft is not the only one who is running scared of him. Moderate Republican legislators are, too.

The interested reader asks why are Ohio legislators running scared? The answer is Blackwell's constitutional amendment to limit spending appeals unto the public and the seats of the tax-supporters are in jeopardy. Belcher reports that at a recent luncheon with Taft, the governor admitted that "the [spending] growth rate has to be slowed and sometime soon he'd put out his own plan to do just that, also via the constitution."

After asking the question why Taft is imitating Blackwell (perhaps to save his own neck), she answers affirmatively to the truism that Taft does care about the votes of the citizens. The truth of the Taft's plan, when he & the RINO-left establishment have made a 20% increase in the state-sales tax plan from 5% up to 6%, is that moderates

have never been excited about making the temporary 1-cent sales tax hike permanent, but they were frightened to death that if they did, Blackwell would successfully spearhead a repeal.

Blackwell is right that Ohio can't tax itself out of its economic problems, but what he's not acknowledging is that spending too little is also a good way to run a place in to the ground. And he has no intention of granting that fact.

She concludes that unless Taft argues for increases in government spending, i.e., Keynesian economics, he is lying about decreasing spending, restraining spending increases, and cutting taxes, thereby breaking his boy-scout values.

They talk tax-cuts, yet raise taxes. They talk family values, but do not support FMA. They talk individual rights but set out to "take down" (here, here, and here) Blackwell politically for criticizing a tax-increase. They preach limited government but legislate and editorialize for a nanny-state. In short, Taft, Bennet, Jacobson, Fedor (D), White, and Householder are Republican-left Hydras.

Only the truth, that is the light of conservatism will set we the people free. White and Householder are gone now and they criticized Blackwell. It is a testament and warning that those who criticize conservatives, Arlen Specter excepted, tend to lose.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.