After John Kasich was elected, he famously stated that people had better get on board his bus, or they’d be run over by it. The exact words were:

“If you’re not on the bus, we’ll run over you with the bus. And I’m not kidding.”

Well, it seems Kasich is in need of a bus with plenty of ground clearance and not so much seating.

While Kasich is still a few weeks from taking office, his approval rating is already tanking. Public Policy Polling finds that a majority of Ohioans already have an unfavorable opinion of the brash new Governor-elect.

Ohio voters don't really like their new Governor...and a plurality of them don't have any opinion about their new Senator. 40% have an unfavorable opinion of John Kasich to just 36% with a favorable one. If voters in the state don't like him, how did he get elected, you might wonder. Simple answer: 2010 electorate not reflective of state's voters as a whole. Meanwhile 39% of voters have no opinion about Rob Portman but those who do generally like him- 35% rate him positively to 26% with an unfavorable opinion.

So, think Kasich will get the hint? Nah, I don’t either.

(Photo Credit: http://urswineaddiction.blogspot.com/2007/12/what-rednecks-do-with-their-inheritence.html)

That’s what I think about outgoing Ohio AG Richard Cordary’s appointment to be the chief of enforcement at the U.S. Treasury Department’s newly created Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. One of the most effective AGs in the country, Rich Cordray will have Wall Street shaking in its boots. This is a fantastic appointment by the Obama administration as it continues to build out this new agency that was created by the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill.

My only disappointment is that the 11.5 million residents of this state will no longer have a tireless advocate for their interests occupying the AGs office. Instead, they will have a retread politician in Mike DeWine who disgraced himself with his shameful 2006 campaign against Sherrod Brown (marijuana laced banana, need I say more?), and who campaigned solely on the fact that Corday refused to join the GOP’s frivolous lawsuits against the Affordable Care Act. I’ll point out this hypocrisy over and over again when GOPers rail against so-called “frivolous” lawsuits in the future.

In any case, congratulations to a fine public servant, Richard Cordray, on this appointment. Hopefully Rich will be have a string of success stories to use in his 2014 campaign for governor.

I know, I’m late to this story. Nick already did a good job covering it here, but I just think a few key points need driven home about Ohio’s loss of rail funding.

So what did John Kasich really accomplish by killing the 3C rail project? He sent 16,000 potential Ohio jobs to other states.

That’s it. That’s the only real result of this. Everything else you’ve been told is just snake oil.

You may remember that back during the healthcare debate, I was livid over what I perceived as “showboating” from Rep. Dennis Kucinich. So far, this kind of showboating is all we’ve seen from John Kasich. And unlike Kucinich, Kasich is singlehandedly hurting people to get what he wants.

John Kasich’s big stand against spending didn’t stop a single dime of Federal money from being spent. In fact, by negating the work that’s already been done, Kasich has actually wasted money and time by not finishing what was started.

And as the nation moves to create a national passenger rail infrastructure, John Kasich has killed our investment in it. The 3C plan was our foundation, a platform we could build and improve on in the future. Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland were just the start.

When we look back at history, we know that towns died or thrived depending on their proximity to the, then new, interstate highway system. As the next generation in land travel infrastructure takes shape, I hope that Kasich hasn’t condemned Ohio to being bypassed.

Former Strickland running mate Yvette McGee Brown has received the appointment to fill Maureen O’Connor’s associate justice seat on the Ohio Supreme Court.

“Yvette is one of the most remarkable public servants I know. Throughout her life, from a humble upbringing to a distinguished career serving others, Yvette has embodied the highest levels of personal integrity and an exceptional intellectual capacity.  Her diversity of experience, work as a former judge, and advocacy for the welfare of Ohio families will add a unique perspective and balanced decision-making to Ohio’s Supreme Court.  I have no doubt that Yvette will provide a wise and compassionate voice for the most vulnerable to our highest court.”

-- Gov. Strickland

Her term will start on January 1, 2011.

Today, the New York Times is reporting that Gov.-elect John Kasich has already cost Ohio $400 million for a critical infrastructure improvement, as well as the 16,000 potential jobs that would have come along with it. Statements of condemnation rained down from Sherrod Brown, Ted Strickland, Tim Ryan, and Armond Budish amongst others. For a guy who spent the entire campaign season personally blaming Ted Strickland for each and every one of the 400,000 jobs that Ohio lost due to the worst recession since the great depression, Kasich is now starting in a hole. Ohio is –16,000 before the guy is even sworn in.

What’s in that nogin, anyways?

It me surprisingly hard today to hear about the untimely passing of Elizabeth Edwards. In my opinion, of her many legacies, Elizabeth Edwards has re-defined the role of the candidates wife as someone who is equally as potent an advocate for issues as her husband-candidate is, someone who is not merely window dressing but in the room with the campaign strategists, someone who is not to be dismissed, but rather is on TV news going toe-to-toe with the conservative activists opposed to her husbands’ views. But Elizabeth Edwards was more than that, she was a tireless advocate for universal health care and working Americans in her own right.

I had the great privilege of hearing Elizabeth Edwards speak in the autumn of 2007 in Manchester, N.H. at a DNC meeting, and I remember admiring her wit, intelligence, and stage presence. She will be missed not only by her family, but by all of us who work for a brighter future for middle class Americans. RIP Elizabeth Edwards.

According to Wikipedia the word “caucus” can be defined as:

In United States politics and government, caucus has several distinct but related meanings. One meaning is a meeting of members of a political party or subgroup to coordinate members' actions, choose group policy, or nominate candidates for various offices.

So the Cleveland Plainly Republican has written an editorial slamming 6 of the 11 members of the new Cuyahoga County Council for doing nothing more than the textbook definition of caucusing. They met at Julian Rodger’s residence in Cleveland Heights and held a meeting whose definition fits neatly into the one provided above by Wikipedia. They caucused. Plain and simple. Nothing more, nothing less.

What’s puzzling to me is that Pee Dee thinks this should be a federal case. Why? Because the majority party members of the new Cuyahoga County Council dared to hold a caucus to “coordinate members’ actions” or “nominate candidates for office”? Me thinks that the Pee Dee’s real objection is that there aren’t enough GOPers on the new County Council.

I know this isn’t likely to surprise anyone on our side of the aisle, but the Washington Post is reporting that even GOP “tea party” freshman who were elected on a wave of Anti-Washington sentiment are running directly into the warm embrace of D.C. Lobbyists to help them raise money for their next election, and in some cases, retire debt from the 2010 election:

After winning election with an anti-Washington battle cry, Canseco and other incoming Republican freshmen have rapidly embraced the capital's culture of big-money fundraisers, according to new campaign-finance reports and other records.

Dozens of freshmen lawmakers have held receptions at Capitol Hill bistros and corporate townhouses in recent weeks, taking money from K Street lobbyistsand other powerbrokers within days of their victories. Newly elected House members have raised at least $2 million since the election, according to preliminary Federal Election Commission records filed last week, and many more contributions have yet to be tallied…

…"The lobbyists are all saying, 'Welcome to Washington; let me help pay off your debt,'" said Nancy Watzman, who tracks political fundraisers for the Sunlight Foundation, a watchdog group. "It's particularly interesting when so many of this year's freshmen were running against Washington. But as soon as they get elected, they come to Washington and put out their hand."

With LeBron James scheduled to make his first appearance at Quicken Loans Arena since making his "Decision" to bolt his hometown for South Beach, Cleveland is showing up in the national media.

This feature-length story about Cleveland features a substantial interview with U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich and provides perhaps the greatest perspective on Cleveland ever written by someone who is an outsider to NE Ohio.

This AP wire report, picked up by USA Today, offers a shallower view of LeTratior's return.

...was John Kasich flip-flopping on privatizing the Ohio Turnpike and using one-time money to balance the budget.

Wonder what that bigot Tom Coburn of Oklahoma thought of hearing this on the Senate floor?

I mentioned a couple a weeks ago that State Senator Tim Grendell was refusing to say if he’d actually accept the State House seat he win in last months election. And worse, that he was threatening to keep his Senate seat unless he got a say in who replaced him.

Well the situation has played out, and  it was reported last night that Grendell is staying in the Senate.

While there’s outrage over this situation from all sides, there’s little chance of Grendell facing any serious repercussions from his highly unethical actions. Which is ironic, because Grendell himself likes to lead partisan witch hunts for far more trivial matters…

What a difference a month can make. On the the 24th of October, the Cincinnati Enquirer published the following in its endorsement of John Kasich for governor:

Kasich has shown an ability to offer fresh, innovative approaches to economic growth, job creation and government reform. As House budget chairman in the 1990s, he was a key figure in producing a balanced budget, working with the Clinton administration in a bipartisan effort. He has a refreshingly direct, no-nonsense, often witty approach to policy discussions.

And here’s an excerpt from an Enquirer story posted yesterday, the 24th of November, about Kasich’s attempt to keep applications for public jobs secret:

In a letter hand-delivered to Kasich and Doug Preisse, chairman of the Kasich-Taylor New Day Committee and the Franklin County Republican Party, wrote: “If you refuse to produce the records, please note that The Enquirer intends to file suit to obtain them,” wrote Enquirer attorney John C. Greiner, of Graydon Head & Ritchey.

While it’s very tempting to criticize the Enquirer for this shift, I have to give them credit. I mean who would’ve thought the Cincinnati Enquirer would be the first newspaper to stand up to Kasich so forcefully?