The Amanda Wurst Show is getting really old, really fast.
Just an FYI, but I'm sure you know that already.
You do this grandiose f'n State of the State Speech giving no specifics whatsoever and then you and your staff (i.e. Sabety, Wurst...and the list goes on) spend all of February and March giving very few details whatsoever and expect the Legislature to just blindly go along with everything you are advocating for on blind faith (which when you really think about it is absurd since you have lied on raising fees, lied on providing internet access to all Ohioans, lied on fixing our schools in your first term...lies, lies, lies).
You are one smart guy though. I have to give you that. The clock is ticking and every day that goes by is a win for you and a loss for the GOP. You know that you can just keep doing what you are doing and the inevitability of school being over and the itch to go on summer vacation are two of your greatest weapons in your arsenal.
It is no secret that legislators like their summers (especially in odd numbered years)...vacations, golf outings...no session...no committees...ah, what a life.
You are a brilliant guy. You know that Republican & democrat legislators alike will want to get a budget out of the House, then the Senate and get this friggin' abhorrent excuse for a budget into Conference Committee so this budget can be done by the end of June/early July.
You know that so you keep employing every delay tactic you have in that bag of tricks of yours and you and your staff continue to give non-answer answers. You know some of the press will move onto other things (the Blade & Repository) and others will lessen their reporting (ABJ & PD) and very few will stick with it (Dispatch & DDN). You also know that none of the press will really take you to the woodshed like you deserve for not really giving any real details for your grandiose plan.
And why should you?
If I were in your shoes I would be doing the same thing.
It is not like you have an opponent or anything and you know at the end of the day that the GOP will blink in this game of chicken you are playing.
Your fundraising must be going phenomenally right now.
If I were you I'd start every meeting with a prospective major donor with the following:
"Well, in this economy there are not many investments that are sure bets, but my re-election is as close to a sure bet as you are going to get. I have "$X" million on hand right now, "$Y" million more committed to come in for the July 31st filing deadline and I have no opponent to speak of...now if you are about to say 'John Kasich...' then let me please interrupt you for a second. If John Kasich were to get into this race...say the first Tuesday in May...that would give him 17/18 months to raise what everyone would agree is the ballpark he needs to raise to be competitive $15 million and to win $20 million...all at the same time mind you that I have all the benefits that come with the power of incumbency and I'll have at least $15 million to defend myself. This guy is going to basically have to raise $1 to 1.2 million every single month to have a chance to beat me. And, let me remind you that the GOP revisionist history is amazing when it comes to this guy's fundraising prowess. Check the record. Compare his fundraising to others who have held the same position in the U.S. House and you will see that this Kasich fellow's forte is public speaking and not fundraising. Rest assured...I am a safe bet..."
So, again, I tip my hat to you, Ted. The press will not take you to the woodshed. The legislature will bluster, puff out its chest, do press conferences calling for staff firings, do cute press releases, but, at the end of the day your delay tactics and non-answer answers will work magnificently, the House will pass most of what you want, the Senate a bit less, you'll get some things back in Conference and you'll smile all the way to re-election that you got away with all of it.
I must say though that Amanda Wurst's latest comments on the Seth Morgan lawsuit really make me laugh (because you really have to pick between laughing & crying and I choose laughter): "It's regrettable that a legislator has turned to the courts rather than working in a bipartisan manner to have a legitimate public-policy discussion."
You guys roll out this 400-source bibiography (aka smoke screen) that everyone knows is a piece of crap (and the Ohio Academy of Science is even willing to publicly state how big of a piece of crap it is) and say, "Voila! Here are all the answers to all of your questions" when you know darn well that the answers are in fact not there at all.
The set of huge brass you know whats you have are pretty amazing though. I have to admit it. I thought I had seen shameless before, but you have taken it to a new level. It's so incredibly arrogant to be the first Governor to put out your own Public Records Policies and Procedures - and then just out & out refuse to even attempt to comply with it in any way whatsoever - and think no one will call you on it.
Again, like I said, brilliant. Sure wish the GOP had an opponent out there who was announced, filed papers with the SOS and had a campaign committee to raise money into who was out there calling you on this balderdash. I sure wish...
I hope Seth Morgan has a very large room to put all the boxes into when Strickland finally complies to this request many weeks from today. Someone should start a pool to guess how large a room will be needed to house all the boxes Ted dumps on Seth with this request.
My money is on 15' x 20' ... any takers?
