The results are in from the key off year election in Ohio, and they're positively schizoid.
The public employee unions and the Democrats spent almost $40 million to defeat Governor Kasich's Senate Bill 5, which limited public employee union's collective bargaining rights on health coverage costs, pensions and wages and gave city councils and school boards the right to impose a 'take it or leave it' final contract offer if management and the union do not reach a settlement.
The bill unwisely including police and firemen, which gave the unions a major issue to work with that ultimately proved successful.
I'd say this was excellent news for President Obama's re-election except for the fact that Ohioans also passed a major repudiation of the president by approving an amendment to the state constitution blocking any sort of individual health care mandate in Ohio by better than a 2-1 margin.
In Ohio, as in most other locations, ObamaCare is about as popular as poisoning puppies.
So, what do we make out of these disparate results from the Buckeye State?
The way I see it, the president is quite unpopular in Ohio, but no one's exactly fallen in love with the Republican field yet. But given an issue that can be massaged as 'worker's rights' and 'supporting our police and firemen' Ohio voters can still be pushed leftwards, especially in an off-year with low turnout.
I don't think that translates into a great wave of affection for the current occupant of the White House and his policies, but we shall see.
2 comments:
"Schizoid" When I first heard of this, this was pretty much my first thought. What In think may be going on is people generally like for the government to give stuff to them but they don't like government taking it away.
As I understand it, the collective bargaining rights were rights state employees already had. The government proposed to limit them. In other words, certain rights were to be curtailed. In the case of Obamacare, this tramples on patient rights. People don't having rights taken away.
Unfortunately the American people, on the whole, don't realize how dire America's financial situation really is. As such, the limitation on collective bargaining rights for government employees is an absolute must if we are to remain solvent. We simply cannot afford this largess.
To exclude firefighters and police who make a huge part of the government's payroll from the limitations would have been completely meaningless as cuts elsewhere would have been nominal at best and have made no difference at all. Where the Republicans went wrong is in failing to explain to the voters the dire financial straits the state and the country as a whole are in. Of course to do so would have meant Republicans such as Governor Kasich would have had to point some fingers at themselves. Weren't they manning the store so to speak when alot of these financial problems we face were being created. Perhaps they just did not have the stomach to face this.
On balance this is a huge victory for the Obama Administration. One of their base groups gets to maintain collective bargaining rights. The Ohioans voted against Obamacare. So what? The merits of Obamacare will be tried in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will decide in the favor of Mr. Obama. Obamacare will become law of the land lock stock and barrel with no modifications. There simply are not enough justices who want to take the flak that will result from the news media if it is not passed. If I know all of this, the highly paid legal council that states who are fighting this are paying also knows this and they have no doubt advised their clients accordingly.
When Obamacare does become law of the land, what will the states who are challenging this do? Implementation of the plan will result in certain financial ruin and it will destroy our health care system. Mr. Obama, the courts, and the media don't give a whit about such things. Perhaps this is what they want to happen.
The only real option for the states is to seceede from the union. I suppose by not wasting time with a futile court challenge and simply cutting to the chase and seceeding they think this gives them certain political advantages and perhaps an air of legitimacy. After all, "we tried every thing" they will say. Maybe they just don't have the guts to challenge President Obama and have deluded themselves into thinking the courts will somehow throw them a lifeline. Wishful thinking at its worst. I'm sure legal counsel has advised them the court challenge is futile. If I can figure this out, high powered legal council whose job is to monitor court decisions knows this to.
Should some states choose secession, what will the Obama Administration do? Will he call in the military to prevent secession? Assuming he does, will the military commanders and their troops follow his orders? The answers to these questions are not known at this time?
The last time states tried to seceeede President Lincoln used miltary force to prevent it and we had a civl war. I'm pretty sure Mr. Obama will order the military to intervene to prevent secession of any states should some choose this option. What will the military do when this order is given? As some have said, "stay tuned."
ohioans are dumber than a sack of hair. arizona is right there with them in recalling russell pearse.
dumm masses.
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