DaytonDailyNews.com

The Dayton Daily News editorial board conducted an interview via e-mail with former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, designed to deal with questions that are not in the headlines during his current break from elective politics. He served two terms in the U.S. Senate before losing last year to then-Rep. Sherrod Brown, and was lieutenant governor, a congressman and a Greene County prosecutor before that. He has admitted to a continuing interest in being governor.

Q From your experience, what do think people don't understand about Congress that they would be interested in knowing? That is, what's the main misunderstanding?

A Many times all the public sees is the partisan bickering. While there is way too much of that, what is missed is that on any given day (while) the headlines may be of partisan squabbling on one issue, on that very day there are dozens of cases of Democrats and Republicans working together. Virtually every bill and amendment I got passed in the Senate was done by working very closely with a Democrat partner.

Q Who are two people you particularly admire? One D and one R.

A I admire a number of senators of both parties. You don't need to agree with a person on everything to admire them. Here are just a few:

I admire Joe Lieberman (independent Democrat from Connecticut) because he is a man of principle with a lot of common sense and guts. I admire Chris Dodd, D-Conn., as an effective fighter for kids and because he cares deeply about an area we ignore: South America and Central America.

Mitch McConnell (the Republican leader, from Kentucky) is a tough and effective legislator who knows how to get legislation through. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., also has a passion for kids' health and has a big heart.

Q I was wondering if Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., would show up on your list. You have worked with him a fair amount. He seems to like to have Republican co-sponsors. Does he offer real compromises to get them?

A Ted Kennedy is a very tough adversary and a great guy to be in a fight with, as long as you are on the same side! A few years ago, (the late) Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., and I wrote a major overhaul of job training. Once we got Kennedy on board, he brought with him the Democrats and many key interest groups. He is tough, savvy, skillful and has a great sense of humor, which always helps in the Senate.

Q As you take a break from political activity, or at least from being a candidate or officeholder, is there anything you'd like to see change before you jump back in?

A We all know the political system is not perfect, but, frankly, it works pretty well. The best "reforms" are probably those that make things more transparent and more information available to the public.

Q Do you sense any change in the political times that's going on now? I mean, do you expect the politics of the next decade or so to be different in some particular way than, say, the last decade?

A Thirty years ago, few of us would have predicted the rise of the radio talk-show hosts or the power of the single-issue groups. Nor would many 10 years ago (have been able to) understand how the Internet would be used in politics or ever hear of the term blogs! So it is very difficult to predict the future.

We can predict that the methods of communicating with voters will continue to evolve.

Further — and this may be wishful thinking — I believe the voters will demand less partisanship and more results. I heard time and time again last year "stop the partisan bickering and get things done."

Q Would a move away from partisanship mean a move toward the political center? Some indications are that the hardline liberals are ascendant in the Democratic Party and that the right-wingers are already furious about the direction of the Republican Party.

A It could, but people generally care more about results then labels.

Q From your perspective in Washington, how did the Miami Valley do in looking after its own interests? Was it organized enough? Or did it overdo it?

A The Miami Valley has done an excellent job in presenting its case to both Congress and the administration. They have been well organized, aggressive, well-informed and focused.

Q How do you think Gov. Ted Strickland's doing so far?

A Ted and I passed several bills together when he was in the House and I was in the Senate. We also worked on several other projects. He was always good to work with. He has a tough job, and I wish him well. It is just to early to be making any judgments in regard to his job as governor.

Q Are you taking this hiatus from politics to go off in any new directions? New hobby?

A Since I was in college I have wanted to teach. In fact, my degree is in education. I really enjoyed teaching at Cedarville and Miami this past semester and will do so again in the fall. I like to fish and go to Reds games with my kids and grandkids. Fran and I have also seen a few movies at the Little Art theater near our home.

I have always enjoyed biographies and am doing some reading as part of my teaching.

Fran and I just bought the farm next to us, and we are looking forward to planting a number of trees there. We enjoy being home in Greene County full-time and spending time with our parents, children and grandchildren. We watch our daughter Anna run track for Cedarville High School .

Q What did you teach last semester at Miami University and Cedarville College?

A At Cedarville, I taught a seminar based on my years in politics and government. I tried to talk about how elections really work and how the Senate works. For example, we talked about the budget process and earmarks, what filibusters really are and how the impeachment process works.

In regard to elections, I brought in a pollster, a fundraiser, a lobbyist and a journalist. I wanted the students to understand how things really work ... or don't work. I felt they then could decide what they liked, what they didn't like, and what they wanted to change.

I had a much larger class at Miami, but the course was basically the same. At Miami, we read "All the King's Men," and at Cedarville each student picked out a political novel.

Q What can you say about the differences or similarities between the students at the two schools that showed up in your classes?

A I had about 90 students at Miami and 14 at Cedarville, which made the classes a little different. I really did not see much difference between the students I had at Miami and those I had at Cedarville.