The 'Ryan factor' gets press attention

There it was, on the front page of Wed-nesday's New York Times, in the lead paragraph: Tim Ryan. Yes, the 17th District congressman got his name in the nation's leading newspaper -- and it wasn't in the context of felony crimes and misdemeanors, like his predecessor, James A. Traficant Jr.
Indeed, Ryan, of Niles, can be proud of veteran political reporter R.W. Apple Jr.'s reference to him. Here's what Apple wrote:
"In May, 2002, Representative Tom Sawyer, an eight-term Democrat, was handed a stunning primary election defeat by 28-year-old Tim Ryan in a district stretching from Akron to Youngstown. The major issue was trade.
"Some people in and around Ohio politics think Senator John Edwards of North Carolina has a fighting chance to do the same thing to Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts in the state's presidential primary next Tuesday. Mr. Kerry remains the strong favorite, but there is no question that free trade, and the loss of jobs, to which it has contributed, could damage him here."
The story carried an Akron dateline.
(If you're waiting for a zinger from this writer, there isn't one. Granted, Ryan has not been treated kindly in this space, but in this instance, he is deserving of a pat on the back.)
The congressman's victory two years ago in the heavily Democratic Mahoning Valley -- call it "The Ryan factor" -- is being used as a template by Edwards, who has blasted Kerry for his vote in favor of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Edwards' position has struck a responsive chord in the region, which has suffered greatly from high-paying manufacturing jobs going to Mexico and other parts of the world.
Blue-collar support
Ryan used Sawyer's pro-NAFTA vote to build support among the rank-and-file of the labor unions and to touch base with those residents who have lost their jobs as a result of American corporations chasing cheap labor abroad. Since taking office in January 2003, the congressman has been true blue on labor-related issues. His stand on the outsourcing of high-technology and other jobs to countries such as India -- the Bush administration contends that outsourcing is good for the American economy -- has strengthened his ties with blue collar workers.
Ryan is assured re-election this year to a second two-year term because no one filed to challenge him for the Democratic nomination in Tuesday's primary, and there is insignificant Republican opposition. The 17th District is heavily Democratic.
Anyone thinking of filing as an independent -- the deadline is Monday -- would be at a distinct disadvantage because Ryan continues to enjoy widespread support despite his glaring misstep of supporting former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Dean's campaign, while energizing a segment of the Democratic Party that has traditionally played a passive role in presidential elections, never ignited enough to secure a win in the early primaries and caucuses, yet Ryan stayed with him.
Dean's withdrawal from the race, after he finished a distant third in the Wisconsin primary, left the Mahoning Valley congressman without a horse in the primary sweepstakes.
His support of Dean was criticized in this space because it suggested an impetuousness and a lack of political foresight. It is, therefore, heartening to see that Ryan has not jumped on the Kerry or Edwards campaign bandwagons. His decision to remain noncommittal will benefit the region.
Whoever secures the Democratic nomination for president will have to win over Ryan, and at that stage the 17th District congressman can wheel-and-deal.
Major battleground
As New York Times reporter Apple noted in his piece last week, the issue in this part of the Ohio, which is shaping up to be a major battleground in the general election, is the loss of jobs since George W. Bush has been in office. Ryan's election is a good example of how that issue can be used for political advantage.
But before he embraces the Democratic nominee, Ryan, a former state senator who won despite a r & eacute;sum & eacute; that paled in comparison to Sawyer's and to that of Republican Ann Womer Benjamin, whom he defeated in the 2002 general election, should cut a deal.
The congressman should get the nominee to promise that the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna Township will be exempt from any nationwide base-closing initiative next year.