Yesterday, 5200 people arrived at the Ohio Statehouse from all around the state, and found the doors locked.
The State Highway Patrol limited access to the Statehouse today as thousands of protesters stood outside in the cold, many angry they could not get inside to register their opposition to a bill that would eliminate collective bargaining for state employees.
Unless the members of the State Highway Patrol have gone rogue and are occupying the statehouse, someone gave them an order to lock the doors. Presumably, Ohio Department of Public Safety Director and Kasich appointee Thomas Charles did.
Since the statehouse is huge, and the building was all but empty, I’m wondering why Governor Kasich’s appointee kept 5200 constituents standing out in 26 degree cold with no objections from the bold and brave lawmakers who make up the conservative caucus.
With a SWAT vehicle stationed across Third Street from the Statehouse and heavy security across the grounds, the patrol allowed only about 750 inside the Capitol. Seats were placed in the Atrium so the protesters could listen to the scheduled testimony of about 15 opponents to the bill at a Senate committee hearing.
Nothing says “lively debate” like a SWAT vehicle and a heavy police presence. Janitors, teachers, firefighters and clerks are, of course, terrifying. Maybe that was the reason for the lock-out. If they had been able to feel their hands and feet they may have rioted.
If you live in Ohio, call Governor Kasich and ask him if he was aware that 5200 people traveled to their statehouse and were locked out by his appointee, until Democratic lawmakers intervened and threatened an injunction.
(614) 466-3555
Governor Kasich may not be the best contact, as he told CNN yesterday that SB5 is “not my bill”. The buck stops elsewhere.
In the alternative, try this potted plant, Shannon Jones.
She’s the conservative lawmaker who put her name on SB5, but couldn’t find her voice yesterday to stand up and object when dissenters were locked out. Call her up and ask if she’s (now) ready to defend her work.
Shannon Jones (R)
614 466 9737
jayjaybear
Republicans (and some Democrats) would just LOVE for the public to only be political during campaign season, then shut up and go away for the three years after. When the people start being political outside of the carefully controlled world of election campaigns, it makes them nervous. Watching the public work without a (Republican-written) script roils their guts.
RalfW
I need a little Billy Bragg to counteract all this crap.
“There Is Power in a Union” (Traditional, arr. Bragg) 1986, from the album Talking with the Taxman about Poetry
General Stuck
Kasich is Fox News scum. That is all.
Legalize
I just got off the phone with the governor’s office. The polite lady told me that the gov was in Cleveland yesterday with the President, and it’s not his problem – call someone else. She said she didn’t know if the gov approved of locking people out of the statehouse.
Kay
@General Stuck:
He did poorly on CNN.
He was defensive and combative. He also doesn’t seem to know what’s in the bill, because he kept insisting he’s in favor of people having a seat at the table.
As long as they don’t sully the statehouse they own.
Kay
@Legalize:
Okay. So he wasn’t aware 5000 constituents were standing outside the statehouse.
I can see how he could miss that :)
JPL
Mike Luckovich had an appropriate cartoon today.
link
Lobbyists control politicians, if we end the unions, who will stand up for the middle class? This is the bigger question and except for a few blogs, it’s ignored by MSM.
jwb
Thanks for the update!
Calling in the SWAT team? Making a SWAT truck a central prop? Locking people out of the Capitol? In what world does any of this make for good optics? The one thing you can usually count on is the Republican messaging machine not blowing the optics.
kay
@jwb:
Kasich is a horrible politician. So that’s good.
He was swept in on a wave, or I don’t think he would be governor. He’s just not an attractive or appealing person,and I don’t mean physically. He’s suffered through about ten of these unforced errors. They’re now more the norm than the exception.
Llelldorin
@jwb: My impression is that they don’t have that many optics guys–that is, they can nail the optics somewhere if there’s a single fight going on, but not everywhere at once. I think the fact that there are simultaneous fights going on in several states is making it tougher than usual for the Republicans to do their usual stage management.
aimai
Kay,
I’m sorry this post got pushed down the page by the Buffallo Beast story–though that post is worthy. What’s your sense of where this is going to go now? The lockout makes me think of the lockout of “The Cradle Will Rock”
My great aunt was there and remembers walking with Blitzstein to the new location. Sometimes you never know your luck and the lockout may really dramatize things for Ohioans. Take pictures of the SWAT team and put them up all over town with pictures of sweet older women holding signs saying “The governor wants to have me shot for coming to the State House.”
aimai
Kay
@aimai:
I don’t know. Republicans have enough of a majority that it won’t matter if Dems walk, so that’s out. I think they compromise. There are a LOT of people in this state who are state employees and vote GOP. Republicans are feeling pressure.
For me, it’s easy. The most reliably active local Democrats we have are union members (private sector, our public sector union members vote GOP). I know them. They never fail to show up when I’m trying something. There’s just no way I wouldn’t back them.
priscianus jr
@Llelldorin:
Another Commenter at Balloon Juice (fka Bella Q)
@kay: He is so unappealing, and I think more people are beginning to discover that. He’s a nasty little tyrannical douchebag who is only going to have a meltdown as things get more difficult. It did not go unnoticed by the press that when he blew through Cincinnati last month, he met only with business leaders and not with any government folks, in spite of some Rs on council the majority on county commission. It was quite the snub.
It’s gonna be a real rocky ride. And he always presents poorly. He got a ticket from an idiot on 315, you know. For those who aren’t aware, he was taped presenting a pep talk to government agency employees in which he bitched about a 2008 traffic ticket he got, and claimed the officer was an idiot for advising him that if he wished to contest the charge as opposed to paying the ticket, he could, but if he failed to appear at the court date provided on the OUTT, a warrant would be issued for his arrest. In other words, for doing his job.
Shorter BellaQ: Kasich is a dick.
kay
@Another Commenter at Balloon Juice (fka Bella Q):
I love that about him. Union members here were absolutely fucking panicked when he ran. They paid no attention at all to the national races. It was all Strickland, all the time. They knew.
When I found out this arrogant douchebag was having them stand out in the cold yesterday, my head exploded. It feels very personal to me. Columbus is four hours from here. After going all that way the slimy, smirking GOP lock them out? I mean, Christ. It was 26 degrees. It’s so godammned disrespectful.
Anyway, I’m a little het up :)
Neldob
Seems to me these people are the Real Tea Party and Real Americans and this is what they get when they show up at town hall type meetings. The Republicans are already cowards even though no one is toting a gun. I send many good vibes to these people and hope everything stays safe and nonviolent.
artem1s
@kay:
that the busloads of people were locked out is no real surprise to me. The GOP in Ohio has always acted as if the NE part of the state was the enemy. It doesn’t matter that’s were most of the state’s money comes from, its also where most of the Democrats and unions members are.
Kasich is a pretty fair example of the robber baron capitalists in the state. They have been slowly taking over all of the media outlets over the last 30 years and now they are starting to believe all of the crap that Clear Channel spews all day long.
The interesting development is the emerging Democratic party in previously GOP dominated areas like Columbus. Kasich is at least a great tool for continuing that trend.
wenchacha
Shit, it’s Ohio. Kasich should call the National Guard.
Violet
@Kay:
Kay, do you think at some point that the national Democrats need to/will come out in more vocal support of the unions? Right now I think Obama and company are being smart by letting the states deal with it, although I would guess they’re in contact with state leaders in some manner. I think they’re smart to stay out of it now and let people on the ground do the work and deal with the issues in their own states, which are all a little different. But eventually if the national Dems don’t come out in support of the unions it could be interpreted as that they’re not really supporting them. Any thoughts?
kay
@Violet:
No, I don’t. As I mentioned, here anyway, a lot of the public union members are GOP voters. I don’t think it should be a national Democratic issue. I think it should be a state issue, about rights and decency and respect for workers in these states within their traditions.
Conservative governors planned a three-state assault on unions, with absolutely no regard for the make-up of the states. I think a national strategy for in-state issues is a mistake on their part, it’s being perceived as manipulative and hyper-partisan. I don’t think national Democrats should make that same mistake. No one wants to be used in some Grand Conservative Strategy. That just sucks.
I love that Walker and Kasich keep babbling about how they talk to each other daily about their national conservative plan. Keep that up, boys.
Obama and the DNC should stay out. This is what we have state parties for.
Violet
@kay: Thanks for the insight. I agree and think Obama and the national Dems are being smart by staying out of it and letting the states do their thing. At some point it could turn into a more national issue and at that point I could see him deciding to comment and/or become more involved. Right now I really like how local it is and how each state is dealing with it a little differently based on history, traditions, etc.
Thanks for the info from Ohio. I don’t live anywhere close to that, so it’s interesting to hear from someone on the ground.
slag
Republicans locking the people out of the statehouse? How poetically apropos.
kay
@Violet:
I just think it’s deadly for conservatives if their governance of Ohio is perceived as some calculated stepping-stone on behalf of the Club For Growth.
Liberals have a little more room, because they’re not the governor, but at the end of the day people resent being used for a national strategy.
You know, none of these men ran on “getting together to break union labor in the Great Lakes states, per the Club For Growth formula”. The Michigan Tea party governor couldn’t run away faster from that idea yesterday. He’s, um, the governor of MICHIGAN. He’d like to make that clear.
Russ Feingold is right when he says Walker is dissing their tradition.
debbie
@ Violet:
I recall Obama did comment last week about Wisconsin, but got reamed as usual by the Republicans, so he’s been silent since. However, I believe we all know exactly where he stands.
Re: Kasich
This morning the Democrats were saying they were going to file a lawsuit about the lock-out. I haven’t heard anything different since.
More interestingly, this morning Mrs. Kasich announced that she and her husband were donating money left over from the inauguration festivities (as if it’s really even theirs to claim) to the Second Harvest Food Bank. She said how important she thought nutrition was for kids and families. I’m waiting, based on the reaction Michelle Obama got for the very same issue, for the uproar from the Tea Party about this betrayal of the Constitution and Republican values.
debbie
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Recall-Ohio-Governor-John-Kasich/201484683199343“
PWL
Well, so much for democracy. Looks like plutonomy’s starting to drop its mask, and reveal its true self…..”Imagine a boot stamping on a human face…”
Nutella
@priscianus jr:
I just wanted to see that line again, thanks.
And as Aimai said, they’re providing GREAT visuals and great stories too. The SWAT team in front of the Indiana state house and the rep from Oshkosh saying he first heard about the Wisconsin bill in a radio ad by a Washington group rather than from anyone in Madison or Oshkosh are powerful illustrations that need to be shown over and over.
Humber Dinglepencker
Perhaps the call to Kasich should be to remind him that the Statehouse belongs to the PEOPLE. He is merely a short-term caretaker.