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Ohio Roundup II: “We are at war with these people”

48 days until Election Day in Ohio, when working families will have the chance to stand up to Governor John Kasich’s war on workers and his war on voting. They’ll also have the chance to show their displeasure with the things he says when he doesn’t think teachers are listening.

Going with the theme set by General – I mean, Governor Kasich, this is your Ohio Roundup: First Blood Part II.

• General Kasich Goes to War. Remember that time Kasich wanted to bring everyone involved in the Issue 2 debate to the table, and arrive at a compromise with union leaders to avoid a costly election?

What a difference a month makes. Dr. Mike Shreffler, the Superintendent of Southeast Local Schools, wrote a letter to some colleagues about a private meeting he attended where the Governor spoke:

[Ohio House Speaker Bill] Batchelder spoke, he told this group point blank that Ohio is in the financial shape it is in because public employees have been bilking the state out of money for years. I promised myself that I would not become outraged to the point where I had to leave, so I stayed.

The Governor spoke for about 5 of the 20 minutes on Senate Bill 5. I thought you might be interested in some of the things he said. He told the audience that public employees do not pay a dime into their pension fund and that they do not pay a dime for their healthcare insurance. As you know, this is a bold face lie…

In addition to greatly stretching the truth about public employees was this:

The Governor said that we are at war with these people. He also said that he wishes they would just accept Senate Bill 5 because he is going to spend millions in tax payer money to defend it in the campaign. He said if it goes down, he and the legislature are going to “ram it through” in other legislation.

Needless to say, it wasn’t before long that the contents of this letter spread virally, and ended up in the pages of Ohio’s major newspapers.

• He Said, She Said. A spokesperson for the Governor has flatly denied the “war”-like, talk, and it’s worth pointing out that we don’t have a recording of Kasich saying “we’re at war with these people.” However, we do have confirmed reports and recordings of him calling a police officer who gave him a ticket “an idiot,” saying he wants to “break the back of organized labor in the schools” and indicating that if his opponents were not on board “the bus” of his agenda, “we’ll run over you with the bus” (which he followed with the clarification, “I’m not kidding”).

The “we’re at war” and “ram it through” statements are consistent with language he has used in the past, and certainly the type of thing he would say to a room supposedly full of his supporters.

Nevertheless, two Issue 2 supporters who say they attended the same private event told The Daily Record that Shreffler’s account is inaccurate. One called Shreffler a “pundit for the teachers’ union.” But Dr. Shreffler has never been a member of a union, says he votes Republican sometimes, and is even in favor for some aspects of Senate Bill 5. He also said “This letter was in no way, shape or form intended for either side of the aisle to use for their advantage or disadvantage.”

• Quick Hits. House Bill 136 is the Ohio Legislature’s newest assault on public education. We Are Ohio launches new ad, while Building A Better Ohio refuses to disclose donors’ contribution amounts. Meanwhile, Ohio’s unemployment went up for the third month in a row.

Tune in next week, Buckeyes. 48 days till we shock the nation.