What the hell is wrong with the Dems in Ohio?

There are two items of news today that makes me question just what is going on in the Ohio Democratic Party. The first is the front page story of this weeks The Other Paper entitled Clueless. Last week, the Republicans in the statehouse, who should by all rights be on the ropes themselves, made House Democrats look like idiots by getting them to not only vote against a GOP bill that would have reformed the redistricting process by creating a bi-partisan apportionment board but also, through a clever procedural manuever, got the Dems to vote against a bill they had sponsored years ago that would have done the same thing.

I'm not going to go through all the details, because (1) Dan Williamson's article explains it better than I could and (2) because reading it once was enough to make me sick and I don't want to do it again. Read the article here: "Clueless"

I will, however, make a few comments. When the Reform Ohio Now (RON) ballot initiatives were defeated in 2005, a number of people said they fell because election reform, especially the creation of a bi-partisan redestricting board, is an unsexy and complicated issue that the voters couldn't wrap their minds around. I felt then and I still feel now that nothing could be further from the truth.

The lack of support for the RON amendments by the Democratic leadership was readily apparent to anyone and everyone and the events surrounding this vote show it. Williamson's article sums it up. . .

"Or maybe they like their chances of taking over the apportionment board. Their man Ted Strickland is leading in the governor's race, and Democrats Jennifer Brunner and Barbara Sykes have decent shots at secretary of state and auditor.

If just two of those three could win this year and hold onto their seats in 2010, the Democrats would get to redraw the legislative boundaries after the next census.

Suddenly, it seemed to hit them: Why would we make the process bipartisan when it's about to be partisan in our favor?"

Last November, the Ohio Democratic Party smelled blood in the water and saw their chance to take over coming on quick. So Williamson's right, why would the Dems want to change a system they are about to take over? Because that's what the people want.

Hello! Remember us? The taxpayers, Joe and Jodi Q. Public? Ring any bells?

Nothing could more clearly demonstrate the sad fact that We are not represented by any member of our state government. I don't give a baboon's red butt who gets credit for removing partisan interest from the creation of our voting districts as long as someone does and the Dems should have known that and acted like statesmen and women and not politicians.

Which brings me to my next item. Ted Strickland finally received the endorsements of Mayor Michael Coleman Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin and Warrensville Heights Mayor Marcia Fudge.

Great! Whoopee!

While the Republicans have spent the last month getting everyone on the same page and gearing up to present a unified face to the voters of Ohio, (albeit a face that is breathtakingly corrupt and utterly unconcerned with the plights of the average Ohioan), the Democrats have been squabbling over who gets what when we win. Has anyone ever heard of counting your chickens before they hatch?

Would anybody be surprised to learn that the above incident was the first salvo in the 2006 election cycle? I know I wouldn't. C'mon people lets get our head out of our you know wahts and start concentrating on the task at hand. Fighting the GOP and Diebold is enough of a challenge without adding our own mistakes into the mix. It's this kind of stuff that allows Republicans to make stupid statements claiming that we don't have any ideas and make them stick in the minds of voters who are unlikely to look deep enough to see whats going on. Let's get it, and us together, shall we?