Union Wars

This could get interesting! Today's updates from the front lines of the union wars:

This morning's Dispatch ran yet another anti-union editorial, this one ripping former Governor Ted Strickland for showing up at the anti-SB 5 rally at the Statehouse on Tuesday. The Dispatch said this was bad form and Ted showed obvious partisanship. Our local editors believe that ex-Governors should find a rocking chair and quietly fade away (like Bob Taft, who cannot speak a complete sentence without the aid of a teleprompter). What bullshit! SB 5 is a big-ass hairy important deal, and Ted's entitled to express his opinion like anyone else. And if you want to see some truly obvious partisanship and blatant bias, look no further than the supposedly neutral (hah!) Columbus-goddam-Dispatch!

More and more, John Kasich reminds me of the fictional Governor Willie Stark in All The King's Men. On Tuesday, his toadies locked the doors of the Statehouse to keep out all the SB 5 protesters. Today, his administration has shut down all email access to state senators. How Orwellian. Fuck those pesky constituents!

This morning, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker ordered State Police to go to the homes of the 14 absent Democratic Senators, hoping to find one or two of them. No dice. They're all still over the line in Illinois. If you look to the east, Scotty, you can see 'em mooning you and flippin' the bird.

All the Democratic members of the Indiana state senate have likewise removed themselves to Illinois. This sudden influx of legislators on the lam has given an unexpected boost to the hotel and restaurant business in the Land of Lincoln. The Illinois Chamber of Commerce is hard at work on a new ad campaign touting the states's hospitality services. Early working tagline: "Our beer is cold, Our food is great, So don't debate, Evacuate!"