“Extraordinary Move,” “National Attention” and “Empty Rhetoric:” What’s Making Headlines With Republican #OHGOV Candidates This Week
February 22, 2022
February 22, 2022
Good afternoon, and welcome back to Mike Check, your weekly source of all the infighting, conspiracy spewing and corruption that’s making headlines in and around the Republican governor’s race and Mike DeWine’s statehouse, courtesy of the Ohio Democratic Party.
As the gubernatorial race heats up, Republicans are in disarray with Mike DeWine’s popularity dropping by the day, facing attacks both inside and outside of the Republican Party and having to answer for the largest public corruption scandal in state history. It’s hard to keep up with all of the corruption and mess surrounding Mike DeWine and the GOP gubernatorial primary, so here are some stories you may have missed:
‘AN EXTRAORDINARY MOVE.’ In case you missed it, the Supreme Court took what Cleveland.com called ‘an extraordinary move’ this weekend by calling on Mike DeWine and the rest of the Republican-led Redistricting Commission to show the Court why they should not be held in contempt of court for refusing to pass a state legislative map. It’s the third failure of the commission to produce a fair map, and the third failure of Mike DeWine to show any sort of leadership, live up to his previous statements and work with Democrats to pass fair maps. Between the ever-growing HB 6 scandal and now a possible contempt of court charge, Mike DeWine’s actions will force Ohioans to pay the price for political dysfunction at the hands of the GOP.
NATIONAL ATTENTION. DeWine’s inability to pass constitutional maps, as well as a massive conflict of interest involving his son, Pat DeWine, put the national spotlight brightly on Mike DeWine, for all the wrong reasons. NBC News reports: “[T]he GOP led redistricting committee, led by Gov. Mike Dewine, has failed several times to produce fair redistricting maps before a court imposed deadline. And if that’s not enough. Governor Mike DeWine’s son, Justice Pat DeWine, sits on the Ohio Supreme Court and has rebuffed calls to recuse himself from ruling on this politically charged case.” The story goes on to outline how Ohio finds itself amid a constitutional crisis thanks to DeWine’s lack of leadership, and even features a response from DeWine that Ohio reporters are all too used to: “No comment.”
EMPTY RHETORIC. To be clear, Mike DeWine had every opportunity to live up to his word and work with Democrats to pass fair maps. Instead, he caved to political pressure and fell in line with those in his own party, too weak to stand up to his own party. In 2018 DeWine told the Cincinnati Enquirer: “When I am governor there will be an expectation that the new district maps honor the voters’ wishes.” Last month, DeWine released a statement reading in part: “I will work with my fellow Redistricting Commission members on revised maps that are consistent with the Court’s order.” It’s far past time for DeWine to be held accountable for saying one thing and doing another, proving time and time again that he can only be counted on to look out for one Ohioan: himself.
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