Reality smacks Ryan in the face

It's the kind of remark that just sucks a political columnist in. Despite all good intentions to take a break today from the subject of the Mahoning Valley's new congressman, a comment from a hard-core supporter during Tim Ryan's swearing in was too good to pass up.
"He's on his way to be president," Reaby McPherson of Warren told The Vindicator's Washington correspondent, David Enrich. McPherson was one the 150 Ryan supporters who traveled to the nation's capital to witness the new congressman's taking the oath of office to start his two-year term.
But it just wasn't an enthusiastic supporter who seemed to embark on that flight of fancy.
Enrich, who works for States News Service and covered former congressman and now federal inmate James A. Traficant Jr. for several years, probably thought he was having a Jimbo moment when he first heard the comment about Ryan's future. So, the reporter thought he'd seek out someone who, by virtue of being on the new congressman's staff, could be expected to be more down to earth.
Might Ryan run for president someday?
"I wouldn't be surprised," said Dean Thomas, one of six members of Ryan's Washington staff.
And we thought Traficant had a bunch of knuckleheads on his congressional payroll.
Blind loyalty
Earth to Thomas: Don't judge Ryan's electability for the nation's highest office on the basis of the support he received from the voters of the 17th Congressional District in last year's election. These are, by and large, the same voters who kept Traficant in office for 17 years and 7 months and even re-elected him to Congress in 2000 after he publicly admitted that he was the target of a federal criminal investigation and expected to be indicted.
Such voters are not to be found in many other parts of the country. That's what makes the Mahoning Valley unique.
McPherson can be forgiven for indulging in such far-fetched thinking. After all, Ryan is king of the political hill to his hard-core supporters.
But Thomas must know that whatever he says reflects on his boss. Thus, when he quips that he wouldn't be surprised if Ryan ran for president someday, it's either that the young staffer is repeating what the congressman has told him, or he's guilty of speaking before thinking. Either explanation is troubling.
Ryan, who served an unimpressive 22 months as a state senator, needs to realize that his being in Washington has less to do with his political fantasies and much more to do with the future of the Valley.
As the editorial in Thursday's Vindicator noted, the 17th District congressman has inherited an issue that will demand his leadership, his guidance and whatever political talents he might possess.
The Bush administration is going forward with its plan to close military installations, and the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna Township could end up on the final list unless Ryan is able to work the same kind of magic that Traficant did in 1995.
It is the 17th District congressman's responsibility to coordinate the campaign in the Valley to prevent the base from being closed, and if the effort fails, it will be his fault. Ryan is the voice of the Mahoning Valley on this issue.
Airlift Wing
Traficant recognized this reality early on in his tenure, which is why he made sure that the Air Reserve Station could not be closed arbitrarily. He secured millions of dollars from Washington for a massive capital improvements initiative, and he doubled the number of Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft assigned to the base, which then bolstered his push for the 910th Airlift Wing designation.
The Poland Democrat also used his connections with Republicans in key committees to funnel massive amounts of money from the Federal Aviation Administration to the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport for construction of runways, taxiways and an upgrade of the passenger terminal.
With such a large investment, Traficant argued, Congress would be reluctant to mothball the Air Reserve Station.
Now, it's Ryan's turn. If he succeeds in keeping the facility off the closing list, he will receive the appropriate accolades. But if he fails, the Valley will not only lose the $70 million-plus annually in payroll, but the 1,500 civilian and military personnel will cease to be active participants in the region's economy.