GOP Scandals Transform Ohio From Purple to Blue

Last week, GOP Gov. Bob Taft, the great-grandson of President William Howard Taft, was sentenced for not reporting political contributions, a signature moment in a series of on-going Republican political scandals that are rocking the Buckeye State.

Taft was fined $1,000 for each of four misdemeanor counts and was forced to send an email to state employees apologizing for his misdeeds and to all Ohoians via a statement in the media.

Sounds like a slap on the wrist to us.

“It is an embarrassing and sad time for all Ohioans,” said state Rep. Chris Redfern, the top-ranking House Democrat in the market for a run for some statewide office.

Democrats for the most part have held off calling for Taft’s resignation — he insists he’s staying — preferring to use his woes and the investment scandal in next year’s election. But on Friday, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, who is seeking the Democratic nomination, became the first to publicly ask Taft to step down.

“We cannot afford one more day in which the governor is preoccupied with these scandals at the expense of a focus on creating jobs, reforming education, and moving Ohio forward,” Coleman said in a statement.

Five candidates want Taft’s job, including Coleman and Republican Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, who was criticized for his handling of voting procedures in Ohio’s close presidential race.

Coleman, who has a son in the same Ohio-based unit that lost 14 Marines in two days, suggested the war is a ripe issue for Democrats.

“There is a growing sense of opposition to the policies that led us to this war, but also growing support for the warriors,” said Coleman, who has twice had to wait for hours to learn of his son’s fate following reports of heavy losses.

Lifelong Republican Tim Massaro said he’s not ready to change his political allegiance, saying Taft’s problems reflect a reality of political behavior. But he acknowledges that support for the war probably has waned.

“Just so many people getting killed, and not finding any weapons of mass destruction,” Massaro said.

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