In one corner of the Statehouse ring is a House that, at least off and on, is run by a coalition of Republicans and Democrats, thanks to a split in the House’s GOP caucus. The coalition elected Lawrence County Republican Jason Stephens speaker in January, though a faction of self-styled House GOP conservatives (de facto allied with the Senate) is dedicated to vexing Stephens. The budget debate is a chapter in that book.
In another corner of the Statehouse arena is a Senate whose Republicans have run their chamber continuously since 1985. For 38 years they’ve gotten used to having their rings kissed. The Senate’s GOP leader is President Matt Huffman, of Lima, who’ll be term-limited out of the Senate in 18 month and wouldn’t mind returning to the House and replacing Stephens as speaker.
All the blather about conservative vs. liberal budget amendments is camouflage for a fight about who calls the Statehouse shots.
Meanwhile, this power-hungry legislature, via State Issue 1, on Aug. 8′s statewide ballot, wants to make it harder for voters to directly amend the Ohio Constitution.
No surprise. After all, Statehouse Republicans have drawn General Assembly and U.S. House districts that effectively favor Republican candidates.
That’s why the last barrier to a runaway legislature is the Ohio Constitution’s guarantee that Ohioans can directly amend the state constitution via a petition drive and statewide vote. Since 1912, a proposed amendment, to become part of the Ohio Constitution, has had to attract the votes of at least 50% plus 1 of the Ohioans voting on it.
Now, the GOP-run legislature, via Issue One, wants voters to in effect surrender that constitutional right by making the required majority 60%.
There’s an array of bogus arguments the pro-60% crowd makes, except the idea that’s really behind it: The legislature doesn’t exist to do the people’s will — the people exist to do the legislature’s.
That’s the kind of dictatorial thinking a gerrymandered, safe-seat legislature readily develops, as Ohio’s has. After all, if rigged districts mean a Republican legislator, once nominated in a GOP primary, is elected unopposed in November, why should she or he give a hoot about what a district’s other voters think?
And today’s legislature really doesn’t. That’s precisely what Issue 1 is about. It isn’t just about abortion, though that’s a part of it. A part that’s as big or bigger is that voters might amend the constitution to require fair General Assembly districts — that would make legislators work to stay elected. And one thing our well-paid, full-benefits legislature doesn’t relish is full-time Statehouse work.
When this appears, the General Assembly will have gone home for the summer — or soon will. It’ll return for a week or two in September or October (for fund-raising events), then maybe for a week or two in November — when voters are distracted by Ohio State football and the holidays and may not notice the incumbent General Assembly’s specialty: Obnoxious legislation.
Thomas Suddes is a former legislative reporter with The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and writes from Ohio University. You can reach him at tsuddes@gmail.com.
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