A rift in the Ohio Republican Party became public this weekend, raising questions about GOP unity in one of the nation’s most important presidential swing states.
During a speech Friday to the state’s Republican Central Committee, state party Chairman Kevin DeWine accused Gov. John Kasich’s political team of recruiting candidates to oust the party’s central committee members, calling those efforts “the elephant in the room.”
“I’ve spoken with many of you over the last few weeks as the governor’s political team and others have begun aggressively recruiting candidates to challenge those of you in the room. Your emotions range from curiosity to disappointment to annoyance to anger, fear, and disgust,” Mr. DeWine said, according to a transcript of the speech provided by the party. “If we do not address the elephant in the room, then the donkey in the White House will win four more years.”
My emotions range from curiosity to disappointment to annoyance to anger, fear, and disgust when I look at Governor Kasich too, but I’m dealing. I think it’s good Republicans are meeting and talking through feelings, though.
Then this:
In a memo Friday night to the House GOP caucus, Speaker William Batchelder wrote that Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine exhibited “questionable leadership tactics and poor decision making.”
In his memo, Batchelder writes that he had been reluctant to publicly discuss frustrations about state party operations. He concludes that “we cannot have a situation where the state party, and the Governor, and the Speaker of the House do not have a trusting and cooperative partnership.”
And then this response:
In an email response to Batchelder, DeWine wrote that he is troubled that the speaker decided to criticize him and the state GOP “in a very public manner” instead of discussing their problems privately.
DeWine said he was not being critical of the governor in his speech Friday, but rather the people surrounding Ohio’s chief executive. “I referenced Governor Kasich’s team because I worry that are not serving him or our party. Whenever an elected official has people around him who are motivated by ego, power, or profit, friends of that elected official owe him the courtesy of a warning that he deserves better counsel.”
Profit! He just put it right out there.
Hopefully this public dialogue between the two warring factions will continue, and we’ll learn which people “around” Governor Kasich (but NOT Governor Kasich) are motivated by profit.
Soonergrunt
OT admin note–the spam filter seems to be acting up. I’ve emailed John and I’m watching it and clearing the posts as I catch them so there!
Tone In DC
I am positively f*cking GIDDY with schadenfreude right now.
General Stuck
Looks like the Kasich is on schedule in his efforts to piss off every person in Ohio, including many of his republican allies. Not the diehards in Butler county where I was born, and partly raised. Those wingnuts can’t be cracked. Political suicide is painless, it brings on many changes.
MBunge
I’m not exactly sure what caused it, but Kasich has clearly decided he can’t be bothered with the whole “other people get a say” aspect of democracy. Ohio Republicans loved it when that applied to Democrats, but guys who think that way do so about everybody.
Mike
The Moar You Know
I love a good circular firing squad. Looks like they’re about to scale up to fully automatic weapons, which will make it even more entertaining.
Martin
@MBunge: All voters are equal, but some voters are more equal than others.
Rhoda
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Face
A cliche, an pun, or a truism?
Yevgraf
Ah, the price of nationalizing local political entities and issues. The bitter tears they weep constitute the acid in which sweet little dove babies are cooked.
Roger Moore
@The Moar You Know:
It’s so tiring when your side has all the circular firing squads, so it’s nice to see the other guys have one for a change. It certainly couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch.
@MBunge:
The Republicans care a lot more about getting their way than they do about how that comes about. If they can win at the ballot box, that’s great, but if not they’ll use every dirty trick in the book.
Steve
How many DeWines do you people have in politics? Sheesh!
Yevgraf
Not that this message will ever be received, but:
Dear Fox News Republicans:
Your drive to nationalize local races is nihilistic to the point of self-destruction. At the end of the day, municipal officials, county officials and state officials will be expected to actually govern, as people tend to notice when their local governments fail to keep up the necessary local infrastructure and system in order. I realize you’ve made 30 years of Reaganomical coin on a national basis by bleating about “less government”, but people sure in shit notice it when it is down at their immediate level.
As of now, the GOP’s 3 decade old collection of securitized tranches of “gubmint bad” bullshit are failing.
GR
“If we do not address the elephant in the room, then the donkey in the White House will win four more years.”
That’s actually a pretty nice turn of phrase. Are we sure this guy is a Republican?
slag
Wait a second! I thought profit was the motive to trump all other motives. The only pure motive. Or, in the terms of the poet: Profit is truth, truth profit, etc etc. The only motive worthy of reward. That reward being, of course, more profit.
I’z confuzed.
kay
@Yevgraf:
Is Kasich the first Murdoch-owned Governor? I know Fox has provided tens of millions in free advertising for many other GOP governors, but he is the first Fox employee to go from Murdoch to governor.
They may need to work on this. I don’t think it’s going well.
Villago Delenda Est
Yeah, gotta love this internal Rethug conflict crap. SOME GOP types actually remember when they used to support the concept of republican governance, as opposed to neofeudalist asswipes like Kaisch.
Palli
You know the Ohio GOP has fallen below grade when Kevin DeWine (GOP State Chair) sounds like the fair-minded and astute elephant in the room!
http://www.plunderbund.com/2011/08/02/kevin-dewine-officially-abandons-zero-tolerance-policy-for-misconduct/
Yevgraf
@Villago Delenda Est:
Once upon a time, having an eficient DMV, adequate numbers of decently equipped (and polite) cops on the street, quality trash hauling, clean downtowns, good schools and good fire service mattered to local level Republicans. Yeah, you’d squabble about impoverished senior centers, the appropriate ways to deal with panhandlers and youth services and the number of bureaucrats, but by and large, they wanted to do a good job.
Now that they’re effectively untethered from the act of governance itself (due primarily to national level pundit-ideologues), people are seeing the results – and recoiling in disgust.
TOP123
If only Comrade Stalin knew! It is always the scoundrels around the king, isn’t it?
rikryah
couldn’t happen to a more rotten bunch
WaterGirl
I know, I know! ::raises hand:: Call on me!
Bullsmith
This is why the cult of Obama (and Dems in general) vilification is at the core of national republican strategy. Only a truly vile and threatening enemy can serve as a valid reason for actual working Republican local politicians to support the ongoing pillage of the public wealth on behalf of the Kochs and Waltons et. al.
feebog
@ Kay:
I’m pretty sure its only a four year lease agreement. Murdoch may opt to buy at the end if the mileage isn’t too great.
debbie
Ha! Impressive that Batchelder could loosen his liplock on Kasich’s butt to respond to DeWine without fogging up his giant glasses.
Kathleen
@Palli: Kevin DeWine left a robo message on my phone before the election, exhorting me to get out and vote “to take our state back”. Since Rethugs control everything in the State, I was somewhat puzzled. Freudian slip, perhaps?
JGabriel
Adjusted for clarity.
.
Glen Tomkins
We need to start planting the idea right now that the Rs should go with open carry at their convention. If it’s good enough for your local church or bar, both places that R-controlled state leges have rectntly legalized open carry in, it’s sure good enough for the floor of that temple of freedom, the Republican National Convention.
If they have open carry at their convention, and they have disputes like the one this post talks about, by the next day, when the smoke clears, well…
Maybe we’ll finally get some peace and quiet in this town.
Palli
@Steve #11 Rich people go into public “service”. ha ha
The Sailor
Some say “My emotions range from curiosity to disappointment to annoyance to anger, fear, and disgust”
I say “pass the popcorn.”