Cutting Up Ohio for Themselves

***   There must have been a lot of backroom discussions among Ohio Republicans on how to do the redistricting in the state.  In an effort to reduce the number of congressional districts in Ohio because of the loss of population, the Republicans are making good on their promises to eliminate competitive districts.  Voters are often reminded that elections have consequences. Because of the results of the last election, we are left with the unpopular Republican Gov. John Kasich, an Ohio GOP determined to punish the state's middle class (teachers, firefighters, police officers, state workers, and nurses), and Republicans in control of drawing the congressional map.

Dispatch:

A new congressional map that the Ohio House is expected to take up next week could include a Democratic Columbus district and give Republican U.S. Reps. Pat Tiberi and Steve Stivers safer seats.....

.....Drawing a full district inside Franklin County that incorporates Columbus, where Democrats outnumber Republicans about 31/2-to-1, would leave hearty GOP-leaning suburban territory for Stivers’ and Tiberi’s districts. Stivers recently moved from Columbus to Upper Arlington.....

...Democrats are expected to lose a seat when Cleveland U.S. Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich’s district is absorbed into one or more surrounding Democratic districts. Sources said it appears the other likely reduction will be a Republican seat, with the combining of the 3rd and 7th districts held by Reps. Mike Turner of Dayton and Steve Austria of Beavercreek, respectively.....

What have we learned from this article?  (a)  The Republicans have decided to protect Stivers and Tiberi.  That should make all the bankers happy. (b) Mike Turner and Steve Austria must not be well liked within the Ohio GOP since they appear to be faced with a potential dispute. (c) Republicans will work to solidify their power and do all they can to eliminate Democratic districts.

I just hope that Republicans are the ones that get shocked in future elections.  In the state and nationally, Republican elected officials have yet to pass a jobs bill.  Their only intent appears to be to push forward on their ideological agenda.

Since firefighters, police officers, nurses, teachers, state workers, and average working Ohioans have learned about the anti-middle class agenda of the Ohio GOP, will they ever trust the Republicans again?  Will the essential workers in the state ever vote Republican?  With the rise of corporate support to the Republican Party and the influence of anti-public school, anti-minimum wage, anti-worker rights, anti-science, anti-environment, anti-equality conservative interest groups, can Ohioans really believe anything that comes out of the mouths of Kasich, Husted, DeWine, Jones, Boehner, Stivers, etc.?

 *  Even though there appears to be mutual love and respect for each other in the Ohio Republican Party, the conservative blog, Redstateohio, indicates the fighting and backstabbing continues. 

***  Plunderbund has the mathematical details to prove that Ohio is still going down the drain, even though Kasich and his mouth piece, Rob Nichols, say otherwise.

>>  When will Congressional Republicans come up with their own jobs bill?  When?  Don't forget to email/call their offices and demand some answers.

*  Gov. Kasich had an announcement-----
Thedailyrecord:

Gov. John Kasich used a morning memorial service to call for unity among people of differing opinions....

...."The budget that Gov. Kasich proposed and was passed by the General Assembly is going to cost Ohio 51,000 good-paying jobs that help families survive," said Anthony A. Caldwell, a spokesman for SEIU 1199. "The budget was bad and is hurting working-class families."

In response to Kasich's call for unity and respect for people with different ideas, Caldwell added, "I think that the governor should practice what he preaches. ... When working people were constantly under attack with the budget and other legislation proposed by the governor, where was the unity (then)?"

You don't have to go to some 9-11 memorial service that will have Kasich in attendance. People can remember and honor the victims of 9-11 with family, and friends who actually care.