Kasich and Scott from Florida tied for worst governor ratings...Scott Walker not far behind.  Factor in Sarah Palin probably running and being a frontrunner.  Add in Cain/Bachmann and the rest - It's almost like the GOP is trying to give Obama the election in 2012

 

Is it really?  Is it just that plain & simple to you?  The longer the economy stays in the gutter, the longer our foreign policies get muddled, the longer the Democrats refuse to take action on the debt crisis, the more beatable Obama is, regardless of whom the GOP candidate is.  Palin will never be a front runner - the news media just loves to report on her because she's so polarizing and she frequently makes an ass of herself, makes her much more interesting to put on the air than some ho-hum guy like Rick Santorum....

 

And I don't think Kasich ever thought for a minute that he was going to be a popular guy with his slash & burn approach, so quoting some ratings from a popularity poll among governors doesn't  prove a thing.  Besides, I could probably craft a poll showing he was extremely popular if I chose to only poll older wealthy white folks in rural areas...

 

Here's the way I look at it.  Kasich and Scott are in two critical swing states for 2012.  These governors are single handedly turning life long republicans into democratic voters.  For example, Obama was down in Florida in the presidential election poll 41-38 just last month.  Now he is up 44-37.  That swing, I believe, has to do with Scott. 

Now you are absolutely right, so many things can change between now and November, but the damage is gonna be pretty hard to undo in some of these swing states.  We're talking historical approval rating lows for these governors.

 

The dems are playing politics just like the republicans.  The dems have essentially shifted the debate focus from the economy, at least temporarily, to republicans wanting to "slash medicare"(dems words).  At the moment, the republicans are on the defensive.

 

We got a long time before the 2012 elections, but I do think we're are going to see Ohio vote overwhelmingly democrat thanks to Kasich and GOP controlling everything

^Ohio will never be "overwhelmingly" democrat.  Wait till the vote on SB5 before you make these bold predictions.  All that's being reported now is all the union folks up in arms and them screaming how outraged they are and how the working class families are getting screwed.  What isn't getting reported is all those in the silent majority who can't wait to cast their vote to uphold it and stick it further down the craw of public employee unions.

What isn't getting reported is all those in the silent majority who can't wait to cast their vote to uphold it and stick it further down the craw of public employee unions.

 

I guess we'll see in November.... because petitioners are having NO problems with getting signatures for the SB5 repeal petition.

Of course they aren't.  They don't even have to go door knocking, just put a petition at every teachers lounge, firehouse, police station, water department, etc.  Keep in mind, public employees are less than 10% of the population.  SB 5 will be upheld.  Wait till the tv ads come out, it's going to be brutal.

I think you are underestimating the fact that while only 10% of the population are in public employee unions, other people in Unions will more than likely support their public employee brethren. Additionally, people in public unions have family and friends who are not in unions and support SB5 repeal.

^And don't forget people like me who are not in a public union and who do not know anybody in a public union and will still vote for its repeal.

^^^And then there are those who allow their conscience to come into the equation at the voting booth, and take into account considerations beyond their own or their family's financial interest.  Believe it or not, the repeal of SB5 is distinctly against MY personal financial interest.... moreso than most every person in this state.  SB5 has the potential to make me a lot of money given what I do for a living.  I will still vote to repeal it because that is the right thing to do.

 

The polling, BTW, which show overwhelming support for repeal, is hardly limited to union members and their family.  The "stick it in the craw" attitude towards our dedicated civil servants is indeed a distinct minority mostly representated by the die-hard conservatives who would get behind Kasich no matter what direction he wanted to take this state in.  Mostly, as you put it, elderly white rich rural folk.   

Mostly, as you put it, elderly white rich rural folk.   

 

Who are also the most reliable sector of the voting block...

Right.  Thanks for mobilizing some of the least reliable sectors  :laugh:

 

You seem to have missed the point of why this was crammed/jammed/bammed/rammed/whammed down our throats so quickly.  If Kasich & crew did not get the legislation signed by April, then the referendum would have went on the 2012 ballot and the RNC wanted NO part of that.

Everyone should read this Rolling Stone article on Fox News, the icing on the cake is a few paragraphs about Kasich.......

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-roger-ailes-built-the-fox-news-fear-factory-20110525?print=true

 

But the clearest demonstration of how Ailes has seamlessly merged both money and message lies in the election of John Kasich, a longtime Fox News contributor who eked out a two-point victory over Democrat Ted Strickland last November to become governor of Ohio. While technically a Republican, Kasich might better be understood as the first candidate of the Fox News Party. “The question is no longer whether Fox News is an arm of the GOP,” says Burns, the network’s former media critic, “but whether it’s becoming the torso instead.”

 

The host of a weekend show called Heartland, Kasich made 42 appearances as a contributor on Fox after he announced his interest in running, frequently guest-hosting on The O’Reilly Factor. He also appeared 16 times as an active candidate, using the network as a platform to make naked fundraising appeals. Most striking of all, News Corp. itself chipped in $1.26 million to the Republican Governors Association, making it one of the largest single contributors to the club Kasich was seeking to join. Murdoch made no bones about why he made such a generous donation to the GOP cause: It was driven, he said, by “my friendship with John Kasich.” Since becoming governor, Kasich has repealed collective-­bargaining rights for 350,000 state workers and killed a stimulus-­funded project to develop high-speed rail for the state.

 

TCK,

 

That was an excellent read. Thanks so much for posting it. I'm sure Kasich is not going to be very pleased with that article.

Everyone should read this Rolling Stone article on Fox News, the icing on the cake is a few paragraphs about Kasich.......

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-roger-ailes-built-the-fox-news-fear-factory-20110525?print=true

 

But the clearest demonstration of how Ailes has seamlessly merged both money and message lies in the election of John Kasich, a longtime Fox News contributor who eked out a two-point victory over Democrat Ted Strickland last November to become governor of Ohio. While technically a Republican, Kasich might better be understood as the first candidate of the Fox News Party. “The question is no longer whether Fox News is an arm of the GOP,” says Burns, the network’s former media critic, “but whether it’s becoming the torso instead.”

 

The host of a weekend show called Heartland, Kasich made 42 appearances as a contributor on Fox after he announced his interest in running, frequently guest-hosting on The O’Reilly Factor. He also appeared 16 times as an active candidate, using the network as a platform to make naked fundraising appeals. Most striking of all, News Corp. itself chipped in $1.26 million to the Republican Governors Association, making it one of the largest single contributors to the club Kasich was seeking to join. Murdoch made no bones about why he made such a generous donation to the GOP cause: It was driven, he said, by “my friendship with John Kasich.” Since becoming governor, Kasich has repealed collective-­bargaining rights for 350,000 state workers and killed a stimulus-­funded project to develop high-speed rail for the state.

 

 

God that was a lengthy read for me but well worth it.  It's very scary how powerful Fox News has become, assuming this article can be trusted.  I wonder what the Governor has to say about this.

 

 

Rupert Murdoch lost billions of dollars when he sold MySpace last month.

I wanted to post something that would make everybody happy.

 

Thanks for the article, Cincinnati_Kid!

I didn't realize Murdoch had 'billions' to lose

Rupert Murdoch lost billions of dollars when he sold MySpace last month.

I wanted to post something that would make everybody happy.

 

Thanks for the article, Cincinnati_Kid!

 

I think you may be a little off, as 1) MySpace hasn't sold yet (they're having difficulty finding buyers) and 2) Murdoch only paid $580MM for it in the first place.

It truly is remarkable how this governor has been able to unite republicans and democrats against him.  Too bad its to the detriment to Ohio

 

Unfortunately, he's gonna rush in all of his agenda between now and 2012.  We're gonna see a lot of crap since he knows the GOP won't have control of the state house and senate for much longer.  One party rule is absolutely disastrous - whether its the GOP or the Dems. 

 

Rupert Murdoch lost billions of dollars when he sold MySpace last month.

 

I think you may be a little off, as 1) MySpace hasn't sold yet (they're having difficulty finding buyers) and 2) Murdoch only paid $580MM for it in the first place.

 

Maybe he paid someone a couple billion to take that crap off his hands. :)

WLW-AM-Cincinnati RW radio host Bill Cunningham turns on Kasich.  Cunningham defends the teachers and excoriates the governor for costing the state millions in revenue because of his rash decisions that stopped casino construction.  I am more than surprised.

 

http://www.progressohio.org/blog/2011/06/right-wing-talker-bill-cunningham-threatens-intifada-against-kasich-the-first.html

Everyone should read this Rolling Stone article on Fox News, the icing on the cake is a few paragraphs about Kasich.......

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-roger-ailes-built-the-fox-news-fear-factory-20110525?print=true

 

But the clearest demonstration of how Ailes has seamlessly merged both money and message lies in the election of John Kasich, a longtime Fox News contributor who eked out a two-point victory over Democrat Ted Strickland last November to become governor of Ohio. While technically a Republican, Kasich might better be understood as the first candidate of the Fox News Party. “The question is no longer whether Fox News is an arm of the GOP,” says Burns, the network’s former media critic, “but whether it’s becoming the torso instead.”

 

The host of a weekend show called Heartland, Kasich made 42 appearances as a contributor on Fox after he announced his interest in running, frequently guest-hosting on The O’Reilly Factor. He also appeared 16 times as an active candidate, using the network as a platform to make naked fundraising appeals. Most striking of all, News Corp. itself chipped in $1.26 million to the Republican Governors Association, making it one of the largest single contributors to the club Kasich was seeking to join. Murdoch made no bones about why he made such a generous donation to the GOP cause: It was driven, he said, by “my friendship with John Kasich.” Since becoming governor, Kasich has repealed collective-­bargaining rights for 350,000 state workers and killed a stimulus-­funded project to develop high-speed rail for the state.

 

 

God that was a lengthy read for me but well worth it.  It's very scary how powerful Fox News has become, assuming this article can be trusted.  I wonder what the Governor has to say about this.

 

I don't think Kasich really cares about it. It's an op-ed piece.

I disagree....... about it being an op-ed piece.

It's not that I disagree, but when your byline is: "The onetime Nixon operative has created the most profitable propaganda machine in history. Inside America's Unfair and Imbalanced Network," then it is an opinionated article. If going by the byline alone, and ignoring the body, it could have read: "The onetime Nixon operative has created the most profitable television station in history. Inside America's 'Fair and Balanced Network'."

There is quite a bit of investigative journalism in that piece, which I think DQ's the op-ed moniker.  It is as much of an op-ed piece as the SI article on OSU.  Also, there seems to be this growing urge to maintain a false sense of equivolency when it comes to Fox which compels society to disregard articles like this as opinionated partisanship.  I used to be guilty of that, but now refuse to engage in that charade any longer.

^ Totally agree...the idea that all views should be given equal credence by the media, in order to be considered unbiased, is absurd. When a view can demonstrably be proven untrue, it is no longer okay for an allegedly objective source to put it on an equal field with true or plausible opposing views.

 

Does anyone actually maintain that Fox doesn't have a right wing bias? Treating the "fair and balanced" claim as a plausible proposition on par with any other is not objectivity, it is bad journalism. Journalism's first loyalty should be to the truth, and when the truth is backed into a corner where it is considered partisan by some newspeak crowd, then journalism should rightfully be partisan in order to be objective.

 

I think the crime committed in the headline of that piece is not injected opinion so much as sensationalism, which is another issue.

Journalism's first loyalty should be to the SEARCH FOR truth, and when the truth is backed into a corner where it is considered partisan by some newspeak crowd, then journalism should rightfully be partisan in order to be objective.

 

 

Fixed that for ya. I don't know when we find truth, like finding perfection or the ideal answer. The search for truth is never-ending as there is never absolute perfection or the ideal answer. But I sure do agree that trying to be "fair and balanced" is not more important than searching for truth.

 

Anyhoo....

Good point. Even when the truth is found, it's often hard to know. But active inquiry can rule out falsehoods.

Everything you know is wrong.  Some things you know are more blindingly wrong than others.

 

I know the above statement.  Therefore, it is also wrong.

Liar's paradox

Actually it's not that paradoxical, since it introduces degrees of truth (or, more accurately, wrongfulness). The first sentence might be wrong, but not blindingly wrong. So it's at least partially, if not mostly, right. This is allowed by the system, so it solves the paradox. The Liar's Paradox relies on the Law of the Excluded Middle, which is blown apart by the second sentence.

 

At least, that's what John Kasich told me.

Thought I'd share this episode of Mildly Relevant News covering Governor Kasich's budget...

 

http://mildlyrelevantthoughts.com/2011/07/governor-john-kasichs-ohio-of-misfit-toys/

 

Saw a nice clip of Great American Cunningham talking about the street car... Might have to use that for the next one!

Somebody slap me, but it seems now that his shock and awe entrance strategy is starting to come to a close I'm actually starting to like this guy..... a little bit

 

Gov. John Kasich vetoes controversial Lake Erie bill, pledges to work with legislature for new law

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. John Kasich, in an uncharacteristic break from his fellow Republicans that left some disappointed and angry, vetoed a controversial bill on Friday to regulate water withdrawals from Lake Erie.

 

The veto followed intense pressure from environmental groups, two former Republican governors and several other officials to reject the bill, which would have allowed businesses to siphon millions of gallons of water from Lake Erie without permits.

 

"Lake Erie is an incredible resource that demands our vigilant stewardship to maximize its environmental, recreational and commercial potential for Ohioans," Kasich said in a statement. "Ohio's legislation lacks clear standards for conservation and withdrawals and does not allow for sufficient evaluation and monitoring of withdrawals or usage."

 

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/07/post_28.html

Nice to know he has limits.  The huge numbers in this bill were insane, millions of gallons per day per company.

It could be sort of like the whole casino situation.  Hey may not care about the environmental impact, but he wants to make sure these businesses can't use that water for free.  Besides, we have a bunch of treaties between the US and Canada as well as among the Great Lake States that regulate the amount of water diversion.  I find it hard to believe that this bill wouldn't violate those in some way. 

^The provisions in that bill would have violated those agreements and several states, like New York, said legal action could be taken if the bill were to pass.

Who knew? John Kasich is apparently an insatiable bottom.

Oh my...

Glad he vetoed the bill... But an editorial from the PD congratulating him?

 

http://mildlyrelevantthoughts.com/2011/07/governor-kasich-bar-set-at-historic-low-by-the-plain-dealer/

“Gov. John Kasich should be congratulated for having the courage to torpedo a piece of industry-driven legislation that could have plundered Lake Erie water,” is the opening line in an editorial from The Plain Dealer on Friday. Based on their assessment, I can only assume that the bar for making important decisions has been dropped to historic lows. After all, the bill would have faced legal action from Lake Erie neighbor, New York, if passed. Not to mention the bill was co-sponsored by Rep. Lynn Wachtmann, who is the president of a water bottling company, as The Plain Dealer notes. The self-interest is more obvious than the inevitable erection when you’re called up to solve a math problem in front of class.

via joebaur.com.

 

I don't think it takes a great leader to make an obvious, non-partisan call... But that's just me!

Gotta give credit where it's due.  The guy's been horrible and this sticks out as not-horrible.

Gotta give credit where it's due.  The guy's been horrible and this sticks out as not-horrible.

 

You somewhat wrote out my point... Because he has done some pretty unpopular things across party lines, he gets a "pat on the back" editorial for doing something that wouldn't have even made it past the House with previous administrations.

 

Perhaps a very inappropriate comparison - You don't congratulate a serial killer for sparing one life.

I see what you mean, and I agree, but I think you still applaud that serial killer for decency if his machete license has three more years on it.  Hopefully the man can be taught compromise and moderation through positive reinforcement.  I applauded W when he agreed to raise steel tarriffs, and when he expressed support for NASA.  And the right should be applauding Obama for his overwhelming centrism, though they never will.  I'll take any opportunity for good policy and less partisanship.

Who knew? John Kasich is apparently an insatiable bottom.

I'm turning in my gay card after reading that!

This whole thread has really gone down hill & needs cleaned up

Glad he vetoed the bill... But an editorial from the PD congratulating him?

 

Yes. It took balls and showed independence. Personally, I'm thrilled. This shows he might be open to dealing with Lake Erie's environmental issues. He made a lot of enemies in his own party in Ohio with that veto, but also saved himself with members of the party in Lake Erie counties. This was likely not an easy decision for him, and probably cost him more votes than it saved.

 

In this day and age in Ohio, that's rare.

i don't know if it cost him votes... i'm sure it undoubtedly cost him guite a bit of campaign contributions.

Definitely didn't cost votes. Ohioans were overwhelmingly against this. Anyone who supported it (both in his party and citizens of Ohio) won't vote for his Democratic challenger anyway.

 

Campaign contributions are questionable for the same reason. It's more likely he lost some money with the veto than votes, but ultimately the folks who funded his campaign would rather see him get another term than any Democrat.

 

So again, I don't think it took much courage to veto a bill that Ohioans wanted vetoed. The people he ticked off will vote for him anyway.

Also, the knock-down, drag-out legal battle with New York and possibly other Great Lakes Compact states would have gotten ugly, expensive, and time-consuming, and Ohio very well might have lost.  That would have kept the issue of his refusal to veto the bill in the spotlight for a very long time.  It wouldn't have been a one-time hit; it would have been an ongoing hit for a good while.

 

Nevertheless, while doing the right thing just because it's the right thing might be more commendable than doing so due to the fear of litigation and/or declining approval ratings or campaign contributions, even doing the right thing out of fear of the consequences of doing the wrong thing is still worth a positive mention.  Many people (and many thought Kasich was one of them) would have simply signed the bill to reward his supporters and trusted those supporters' support to shield him from any serious consequences of the act.

Glad he vetoed the bill... But an editorial from the PD congratulating him?

 

Yes. It took balls and showed independence. Personally, I'm thrilled. This shows he might be open to dealing with Lake Erie's environmental issues. He made a lot of enemies in his own party in Ohio with that veto, but also saved himself with members of the party in Lake Erie counties. This was likely not an easy decision for him, and probably cost him more votes than it saved.

 

In this day and age in Ohio, that's rare.

 

I have heard Kasich being interviewed a few times since being elected Governor and I have always liked what he has said with regard to Lake Erie being an underutilized asset.

Poll: Kasich's approval rating down

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 - 06:53 AM

By Darrel Rowland, The Columbus Dispatch

 

Despite signing a historic budget, Gov. John Kasich's approval rating fell among Ohio voters, a new poll released today shows.

 

Exactly half of Ohioans disapprove of the Republican governor's performance, while 35 percent approve, the Quinnipiac Poll says.  Two months ago it was 49 percent disapproving and 38 percent approving.

 

READ MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/07/20/20_kasich-approval-rating-down.html?sid=101&adsec=politics

Report: Kasich using state plane far more than Strickland

 

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2011/08/03/report-kasich-using-state-plane-far-more-than-strickland/

 

Gov. John Kasich‘s travels by state plane “shows that he is on pace to quadruple the amount of money that his predecessor, former Gov. Ted Strickland, spent on state planes in his last year in office.”

 

 

PUCO is proposing giving major discounts on utilities to some and making all other ohio users of electricity--like you, me, and struggling businesses to absorb 80% of these costs. Is this just another attempt by Kasich to destroy the state of Ohio?

 

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9POGKVO1.htm

Just another way to shift more money to the "job creators caste".