steve driehaus

Make no mistake about it. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the GOP slowly implode since the 2008 elections. Sure they have had what appears to be little upticks, but overall they have been suffering a very slow and painful death. But there is a danger in all that and we are now seeing it.

Today Eric Cantor took to the television cameras to proclaim that the violence aimed at Democrats is the same thing he has been undergoing the past few days. In this instance he highlighted that someone shot out the windows of one of his campaign offices. As more details come out from the local police, we quickly learn that Cantor wasn’t telling the actual story. If this was deliberate or not is something to be debated at a later date, but what we do know is that the bullet that broke through Cantor’s window was a stray, randomly fired in the air and with just enough force to penetrate the window, but not the blinds behind the window.

Then you have John Boehner out there trying to weasel his way out of his “dead man” comment about Rep. Steve Driehaus (and to add a little more interest to that, I literally live on the boundary between Boehner’s district and Driehaus’).

This is the problem with today’s GOP – they have no leadership. Everyone is vying to be the defacto leader of the Republican Party, so they all go out and make their own absurd statements. Imagine if the GOP had a true leader that exhibited common sense. This would be a person that would say “let’s stand beside the Democratic leadership and jointly denounce this activity”. That would have a real impact, but instead we have various high level Republicans making statements that is only worsening the situation.

The right is going after lawmakers who are not holding townhalls during the recess. I believe there is merit to this charge. We have a representative government and townhalls are a perfect opportunity to make sure that representation is well shared. However the list compiled on Hot Air seems to be rather partisan. They have listed a couple of Republicans, but are missing some big names. I’ll take right here in southern Ohio. My own representative, and the House Minority Leader, John Boehner is not holding any townhalls. Add to that the district directly south of me, OH-02, which is represented by Jean Schmidt (R), and our Republican Senator George Voinovich.

The closest townhall the people of southwest Ohio have had is one held in Columbus last week by Senator Sherrod Brown, however Steve Driehaus (D-OH-01) is also planning an event.

I can fully get behind what the right is doing, but I can’t tolerate partisanship in such an endeavor. To me its amazing, yet not shocking that John Boehner isn’t holding one. Boehner is a pro at ignoring his constituency. A few years back during the Medicare debacle his office flat out refused to talk to seniors, even when there was a large gathering only a couple of miles from Boehner’s house.

Welcome Steve Driehaus to the race for OH-01:

Republican Rep. Steve Chabot survived a serious Democratic challenge in the tough political environment of 2006, but it appears he will not get a break from tough competition in the next round. Democratic state Rep. Steve Driehaus, whose potential already is being touted by national party strategists, has taken official steps to organize his anticipated challenge to Chabot in the Cincinnati-based 1st District.

Driehaus, the minority whip in the Republican-controlled Ohio House, formally announced his candidacy Thursday, stating that he filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that will allow him to begin formal fundraising efforts.

[..]

The 1st — which takes in about 80 percent of Cincinnati (which is shared with the 2nd District) and suburbs north and west of the city in Hamilton and Butler counties — has the characteristics of a swing district. Even as Chabot was prevailing in his 2006 election, 1st District voters narrowly favored Democrats Ted Strickland for governor and Sherrod Brown for senator; President Bush edged his 2004 Democratic challenger, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, by just 1 percentage point.

This is close to home for me. I am in OH-08, but right across the street (and I mean literally thanks to gerrymandering), lies OH-01. Once ActBlue adds Driehaus, I will be sure to get him on the IntoxiNation08 page.