Althouse: Ohio governor balks on new law restricting the collective bargaining rights of public employees.

August 20, 2011

Ohio governor balks on new law restricting the collective bargaining rights of public employees.

"Gov. John Kasich and top Republican lawmakers said Wednesday that they were offering to change a new law limiting collective bargaining in an attempt to keep a repeal effort off the November ballot."

ADDED: Vote in only in one of these 2 polls. The question is: Which one is the Republican?

36 comments:

Triangle Man said...: RINO pussies.

Please pardon the language. These storms here have me a little wound up.; 8/20/11, 7:45 AM
Tea Party at Perrysburg said...: Kasich is NOT a RINO. They're worried about his numbers and the numbers for the repeal of SB5. There are lots of people against SB5, even Republicans. Kasich's efforts have been courageous, IMHO.; 8/20/11, 7:58 AM
DADvocate said...: Kasich's toast. No matter what happens he won't get any votes from union supporters and he's losing votes from people like myself. (I am an Ohio voter.); 8/20/11, 8:03 AM
Chase said...: Let the initiative go forward.

If the people of Ohio are so stupid/apathetic about their own families and about their children's future that they vote the union way, let them have what they want.

Wisconsin will move forward economically because of Scott Walker's standing up to the terrorist tactics of the unions - it is already showing benefits to schools and the rest of the state after breaking down the Public Employees Union.

We'll all compare Ohio and Wisconsin in 2 years.

Public Employee Union members and leaders obviously think the average Anmercan is stupid. Their actions show their blatant contempt for all Americans. Thankfully, they are destined for the ashheap of history.; 8/20/11, 8:08 AM
Curious George said...: Therefore insuring Ohio will continue its free fall into oblivion.

Man up Kasich.; 8/20/11, 8:08 AM
Lincolntf said...: A little early to be throwing in the towel, no matter what the chances of the repeal going through.; 8/20/11, 8:10 AM
Tea Party at Perrysburg said...: Kasich is NOT toast. This what they said about Scott Walker; they just need time for the reforms to kick in. It is difficult when you have teachers and cops whining about their salaries being cut; once people realize, however, that those employees are making considerably more and have considerably better pension benefits, public opinion may change.

One of the problems in Ohio is that the unions have all the money to advertise. They have been paying union employees (the thuggish ones) since May (over 500 of them) to campaign against the reforms.

We'll get a better picture the closer to the election when the pro reform adverts start running and the Tea Party, which is highly organized, gets moving.; 8/20/11, 8:14 AM
garage mahal said...: @DADvocate
Why no love for Kasich?; 8/20/11, 8:19 AM
Anonymous said...: Who needs Shmoos when you've got taxpayers?; 8/20/11, 8:20 AM
Lincolntf said...: Is the poll ? Supposed to be " who is the conservative" ?; 8/20/11, 8:20 AM
DaveW said...: Anyone know what percentage of the voting public in Ohio is union? It seems to me like it would be pretty easy to explain to the public how this has gotten out of hand and what it is doing to budgets.; 8/20/11, 8:34 AM
Mian said...: Kasich has balanced Ohio's budget, which seemed an impossibility when his predecessor (the liberal Dem Strickland) left office.

SB 5 may go down in the upcoming ballot issue but many of its reforms (increased contribution for health and pension by union members) will be enacted by the Republican statehouse regardless of what happens with SB5.

At the very least it's a partial victory for Kasich whom I proudly voted for and will continue to vote for.; 8/20/11, 8:43 AM
Curious George said...: @TPofP:

You do know whats been happening here in WI don't you? Compared to Madison Ohio is like fucking Club Med. Time for Kasich to grow a pair and tell the public unions to fuck off, or you can write Ohio off for another generation.; 8/20/11, 8:44 AM
Mian said...: Curious George:
Why would we want Ohio to be like Madison? I prefer Club Med over Beirut anytime.

Face it - the Wisconsin example of political brawling is nothing to be proud of.; 8/20/11, 8:53 AM
DADvocate said...: Why no love for Kasich?

It's not a "no love" or "love" situation. I'm just calling it like I see it. The union supporters will never vote for Kasich. People like me will be looking for someone more solid in the primaries. "More solid" is ambiguous, probably meaning someone who will stick by their guns better.

Kasich pushed hard to get this law through, now he's back tracking? Something isn't right. It should at least be given a chance on the November ballot. Kasich's fighting the battle like a Frenchman. If the law was so bad, why didn't they go to the table with opponents in the first place?

Ohio had also voted in casino gambling under the previous governor. When Kasich cam into power, he decided to renegotiate the deals with the casino companies, throwing a monkey wrench into the situation and completely halting the construction of the casino in Cincinnati (and others too, I believe).

Kasich's starting to look too much like your typical two-faced politician.

TPP - methinks thou dost protest too much. You've got some sort of hidden agenda.; 8/20/11, 9:03 AM
Tea Party at Perrysburg said...: Ohio is 13% union and they are highly motivated.

I don't care for this poll. I don't think we have to pit two governors trying to restore fiscal sanity against each other. Each case is different.

Politics has to be measured with practicality. Kasich must be seeing some really bad polling numbers. They need to get out and balance all the adverts though.

This they haven't done.; 8/20/11, 9:03 AM
Tea Party at Perrysburg said...: DADvocate--hidden agenda? Geez, I was thinking the same of you.

At least we're agreed on that point.; 8/20/11, 9:04 AM
Tea Party at Perrysburg said...: The other thing is that many of the reforms passed in SB5 were also included in the state budget, so Issue 2 may not really get the unions what they want.

Personally I think Kasich needs to get his side out more and work with groups willing to fund more air time.

Then, though it feels dirty to me, they need to play the class warfare game that Dems are so good at. That is, let those outside groups advertise how much the regular Joe pays for union employees' pensions and health care and wages.

In that sense, Kasich is folding too early. But no worries on that end. The unions are saying they don't want to even negotiate with him. They are confident they will win. We'll see.; 8/20/11, 9:09 AM
DADvocate said...: DADvocate--hidden agenda? Geez, I was thinking the same of you.

There's nothing hidden about my agenda. You sound too much like a guy pretending to support Kasich when your doing exactly the opposite. Maybe not.

But, Kasich's played too many political games for my pleasure. It's hard to trust a guy who constantly wants to change the rules.; 8/20/11, 9:11 AM
garage mahal said...: @DADvocate
Gotcha. I don't know Ohio politics at all and won't pretend to, but it sounds like your governor is trying to stave off an embarrassing defeat. Wish we had a referendum in this state.; 8/20/11, 9:14 AM
DaveW said...: "Kasich pushed hard to get this law through, now he's back tracking? Something isn't right."

I was struck by the idea that this was perfect political posturing by Kasich for the effort to overturn the law. I read the article and noted the pro-union spokesperson flatly rejected the offer to negotiate.

That being the case, the pro-reformers can take this to the voters with a pretty darn strong argument that the unions are out to bankrupt the state.

Anyway, it's not my state. I'm glad we don't have these problems in Texas.; 8/20/11, 9:14 AM
jacksonjay said...: "You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas!" Davy Crockett

Same place this summer!; 8/20/11, 9:17 AM
Hagar said...: Scott Walker speaks English.

John Kasich tends to babble.; 8/20/11, 9:23 AM
KCFleming said...: Another reason why Ohio is dying, just like Michigan and California.

The creative and taxpayers will leave, the unions and tax eaters will stay. Then the drain-circling begins.; 8/20/11, 9:28 AM
Anonymous said...: OT: "Rove: Palin will run"; 8/20/11, 9:38 AM
Mian said...: Give Kasich a break. He's moving Ohio in the right direction (sounds like a campaign slogan) and S & P -- that wonderful little outfit that everyone loves to hate -- just upgraded the credit outlook from negative to positive.

Kasich balanced a basket-case state budget without raising taxes and recently signed-off on eliminating the state estate tax, which was one of the worst in the country.

The SB5 referendum if it passes will be merely a minor setback in the ongoing destruction of the Ohio welfare state that's existed for decades.

Kasich has accomplished a lot since January and doesn't run for reelection until 2014.; 8/20/11, 10:21 AM
Fr Martin Fox said...: Pogo:

Alas, the drain-circling has been going on for some time in Ohio.; 8/20/11, 10:22 AM
edutcher said...: Agree with Mian.

Kasich's a good guy and has performed prodigies, but, like a lot of Midwestern states, the heavily union urban areas are often able to call the tune. He needs to show the same leadership as Walker. This move is the RINOs in Columbus talking.

And I'm in OH, too.; 8/20/11, 10:34 AM
Teri said...: They should run a full-page ad with the state union employees salaries - not individuals, but the standard payscales - and let Janitor Jake at Acme Moters see what a union janitor makes, and so on. That should be publicly available information.

Include a column with the value of their payroll taxes and benefits, total it up, and let everyone see job by job what these people are making/costing. Then I think you see some of the apathy turn into action - or at least reflect in the polls.; 8/20/11, 10:38 AM
caseym54 said...: This is just positioning -- the unions won't compromise and Kasich knows it. In the fall, the Repubulicans can point to union intransigence.; 8/20/11, 10:40 AM
Carol_Herman said...: Voting buttons are so screwed up you can be in New Hampshire in 1988.

I purposely pressed the NON-REPUBLICAN voter choice. And, picked Walker.

Only to see "NON" disappear.

What's with that?; 8/20/11, 11:32 AM
Anonymous said...: Actually they both are. Kasich is just smarter.; 8/20/11, 11:36 AM
Curious George said...: "Mian said...
Curious George:
Why would we want Ohio to be like Madison? I prefer Club Med over Beirut anytime.

Face it - the Wisconsin example of political brawling is nothing to be proud of."

I'm very proud of our Governor and the GOP in the legislature who stood up to the unions, their goons, and all the selfish public union employees.; 8/20/11, 11:38 AM
Alex said...: The creative and taxpayers will leave, the unions and tax eaters will stay. Then the drain-circling begins.

My experience is the "creative" types are 90% Democrats.; 8/20/11, 12:42 PM
Alex said...: Actually they both are. Kasich is just smarter.

So Walker is politically tone deaf and will be dealt and embarrassing recall defeat next year. Fine, if Wisconsin and Ohio want to screw themselves, they're welcome.; 8/20/11, 12:43 PM
Alex said...: Kasich's toast. No matter what happens he won't get any votes from union supporters and he's losing votes from people like myself. (I am an Ohio voter.)

So what's the answer - vote in a liberal Commie again?; 8/20/11, 12:45 PM