Bob Taft: Loathe Him or Hate Him

[Alcon]

I've asked this before, but can an Ohioan go into detail about how Bob Taft manages to get a 19% approval rating without publicly devouring children?

[CARLHAYDEN]

He is doing a 'charlie goodell.'

He rode his father's name to his current position and has really angered the Republican base.

This of Ron Reagan JUNIOR.

[WalterMitty]

i stongly support bob taft.

he is far superior to the former governor of ohio, you know the one who recently cried on the floor of the senate when talking about bolton.

[CARLHAYDEN]

i stongly support bob taft.

he is far superior to the former governor of ohio, you know the one who recently cried on the floor of the senate when talking about bolton.

Both of Ohio's Senators have gone a little strange the past couple of years.

The base in Ohio is very unhappy with them.

Both of them opposed the 'gay marriage' initiative which passed overwhelmingly in 2004.

DeWine (via his son) has already had one paddling by the voters, lets see if he and Taft get the message.

[Alcon]

I understand all of that, but 19% means he has lost even many hardcore partisan hacks. What has he done to anger them?

[Joe Republic]

Oh, where do I begin?  The funny thing is that I never used to give a damn about local politics until Bob Taft reared his ugly head.  I'll give you a catalog of just a few aspects of his idiocy.

1. He proposed a really clumsy tax cut, which slashed funding to the essential programs that he promised not to touch (e.g. Medicaid), and left other useless programs intact.  In the end, the tax cut did nothing much to tackle the budget deficit.  Cleveland remains the poorest city in the country, and state-wide unemployment is still sky high.

2. Governor Taft ensured that as much money as he could spare would be poured into essential programs such as the renovation of rural barns (to make the countryside look pretty), and investing public money into a state-run rare coin collection.  This last genius idea has turned out to be tons o' fun, as it turns out that $13 million in those coins disappeared with the guy who managed the scheme, who also happened to make some hefty donations to the Ohio GOP and Taft himself.

3. During a pretty nasty flood season a couple years ago, the honorable Governor decided not to cut his golfing vacation short, and waited a few days before declaring some areas a state of emergency.  I don't remember too many details about this, but it's hardly a sign of vigorous and decisive behavior.

4. You ask why he's so unpopular with both sides?  Well he seems to say all the usual things that piss off the Democrats, but he's even more hated by the Republicans.  Taft now has the unshakeable title of 'RINO', and he won't be losing it.  Grover Norquist (head of the conservative Americans for Tax Reform): "[Taft is] an idiot, stupid, corrupt, dumb, rotten, Republican governor in the state who's been busy looting the state, and raising taxes and lying to gun owners."

5. This is just personal opinion here.  I find him incredibly obnoxious, and unable to take a conciliatory tone in the face of such record disapproval ratings.  Everything he touches turns to sh**t, and he's too arrogant to admit it or do anything about it.  He's a spoiled rich kid who nobody would give a damn about if not for his name.  He's a disgrace and an embarrassment to our otherwise great state.

[danwxman]

The Democrats have a real opportunity to turn into the majority party in Ohio. Right now the Republicans run everything and the state is a mess. Let's see if they can be useful and take advantage of the situation.

[George W. Bush]

 Everything Joe said is all true. As far as Voinovich and DeWine I will gladly suppport a Democrat in there next Elections. I hate all three Ohio Republicans and Would rather have a Liberal that is open about that then three RINO's. Its a shame, we have really good Congressman (the best of them is now the US Trade Rep.) and we have great State Seantors, but the three that get all the publicity are morons.

[A18]

I thought you liked Voinovish, and actually wanted him to run for president.

I wouldn't either him or DeWine RINOs. In fact, they're both reliable GOP votes almost all the time.

[WalterMitty]

it's ironic that so many are calling taft a 'rino'.

wasnt it his grandfather that was dubbed 'mr. republican'?

[George W. Bush]

I thought you liked Voinovish, and actually wanted him to run for president.

I wouldn't either him or DeWine RINOs. In fact, they're both reliable GOP votes almost all the time.

I did and I did. I really liked him but I had no Idea what went on when he was Mayor of Clevland. He trashed Reagan every chance he got, mostly his Social Policy, no body can be a true Republican and not agree with Ronald Reagan on most Social Issues. I still thought he was an OK senator up untill these recent weeks.

[No more McShame]

Taft gets an F from the Cato Institute.  I don't believe Voinovich ever broke a D.  They both seem worthless as far as I'm concerned.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

2. Governor Taft ensured that as much money as he could spare would be poured into essential programs such as the renovation of rural barns (to make the countryside look pretty), and investing public money into a state-run rare coin collection.  This last genius idea has turned out to be tons o' fun, as it turns out that $13 million in those coins disappeared with the guy who managed the scheme, who also happened to make some hefty donations to the Ohio GOP and Taft himself.

You couldn't make that up if you tried... and if you did no one would believe you...

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

What is it with WalterMitty and Republican governors who are otherwise hated by almost everyone, including their own party?

I was often wondering why everyone hated him so much, so thanks Joe.

[WalterMitty]

What is it with WalterMitty and Republican governors who are otherwise hated by almost everyone, including their own party?

I was often wondering why everyone hated him so much, so thanks Joe.

i suppose you are refering to jane swift and bob taft.

well in both cases, the republicans turned their backs on those two.  in fact, i blame the republicans more for swift's downfall than the democrats.

i like swift a lot because my ideology is very similar to hers.

i think taft has made a lot of bad moves (which i dont support).  but as usual a lot of republicans are being assholes calling him 'rino' etc.  his family is synonymous with republican politics, while most of the people calling him a 'rino' are johnny-come-latelys to the party (ie the evangelicals)

[Storebought]

What is it with WalterMitty and Republican governors who are otherwise hated by almost everyone, including their own party?

I was often wondering why everyone hated him so much, so thanks Joe.

(snip) most of the people calling him a 'rino' are johnny-come-latelys to the party (ie the evangelicals)

That's actually not true. Hayseeds and Christian fundamentalists were well represented in the GOP from its founding until the 1930s. It was then that the limosine liberal East Coast set deemed them unworthy of recognition and cast them loose.

For the better part of 50 years, the people who made up Herbert Hoover's 1928 base had no representation in either party.

Since returning to politics as a result of two disastrous Supreme Court rulings (the 1962 case bannning prayer in public school; Roe v Wade), the hayseeds and evangelicals, understandably, have no desire to be shunted back to the political wilderness, least of all by the likes of Bob Taft (and DeWine, and Specter, et. al.)

[Rob]

That's actually not true. Hayseeds and Christian fundamentalists were well represented in the GOP from its founding until the 1930s. It was then that the limosine liberal East Coast set deemed them unworthy of recognition and cast them loose.

Most of the fundies were Democrats, being concentrated in the Democratic South and with no social issues to bother them (with the exception of 1928). Hoover appealed to their simple prejudices, but the New Deal won them over- "limousine liberals" from the East Coast (who weren't "liberal" at all, BTW) had nothing to do with it.

[Storebought]

That's actually not true. Hayseeds and Christian fundamentalists were well represented in the GOP from its founding until the 1930s. It was then that the limosine liberal East Coast set deemed them unworthy of recognition and cast them loose.

Most of the fundies were Democrats, being concentrated in the Democratic South and with no social issues to bother them (with the exception of 1928). Hoover appealed to their simple prejudices, but the New Deal won them over- "limousine liberals" from the East Coast (who weren't "liberal" at all, BTW) had nothing to do with it.

Yes, I was sloppy with calling them 'fundamentalists', who, back then, were snake-handling weirdos. But devout Christians who went to church for two four-hour sermons every Sunday, despised the demon rum, and named their children after Old Testament heroes were absolutely Republican, so long as they lived outside of the deep and upper South.

But you underestimate the effect that the east coast elite sent the GOP hayseeds packing in the 1940s. Between the Wilkie, Dewey, and Eisenhower (who campaigned from NY in 1952) presidential nominations, the conversion of MI Sen. Vandenberg to internationalism, and even Sen. Dirksen's acquiescence to the Great Society, the traditional dry, protestant, small-town conservative had little place in the new party.

[Rob]

Now I understand your position better. I agree with HL Mencken (one of my heroes, and the ultimate libertarian) on the fundamentalists, but in a broader cultural context I agree with you. The small towns of the Midwest voted Republican through World War II and beyond, but isolationism wasn't a driving force in the GOP.

The GOP remained pleasantly secular through 1980. Reagan pulled the evangelicals (who aren't conservative at all) into the Republican Party, but he could control them. The problem is, after he was off the scene they got real power.

[PADem]

I thought you liked Voinovish, and actually wanted him to run for president.

I wouldn't either him or DeWine RINOs. In fact, they're both reliable GOP votes almost all the time.

, no body can be a true Republican and not agree with Ronald Reagan on most Social Issues.

Why not. The Republicans would do well (as would the Democrats) to include a larger range of ideologies within the party. I just can't see why the GOP is maligning a number of their most popular figures in an effort to move to the right. I've flirted several times with being a republican, my political compass will tell you that (socially at least), but the lact of moderate voices is holding me back.