Taft refuses to take the bait on Blackwell

You've got to give Gov. Bob Taft credit for staying on message no matter how transparent it is.
When he visited Youngstown on Jan. 30, he said he would spend his last 11 months as governor pushing his legislative agenda, most notably his proposed high school curriculum reform.
As far as politics, Taft said at the time that he wouldn't endorse any Republicans in the May primary.
The reality then and now is no Republican would publicly embrace Taft's endorsement.
The reality then and now is the state Legislature, controlled by fellow Republicans, will consider Taft initiatives they support. Anything the legislators don't like, they will ignore and the governor can't apply any pressure to get them to reconsider.
Taft was found guilty last year of four misdemeanor ethics violations and has record low approval ratings. Taft's problems and the Coingate scandal at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation are among the obstacles facing Republicans in this important election year.
The Taft connection is partly responsible for Ohio Treasurer Jennette Bradley loss in May's Republican primary to relatively unknown Ashtabula County Auditor Sandra O'Brien.
Bradley was Taft's lieutenant governor running mate in 2002, and Taft appointed her to the state treasurer post, effective January 2005, to fill a vacancy.
Five months after his Jan. 30 visit, Taft returned to Youngstown. During last week's appearance, Taft said he would spend his final six months as governor pushing his legislative agenda, most notably his proposed high school curriculum reform.
The Legislature isn't scheduled to return to session until after the Nov. 7 election. Its members will probably not move forward on such a major education initiative from a lame-duck governor who's held little influence over them and will be packing up his office when they return to Columbus after the election.
Taft also plans to spend time campaigning against November ballot initiatives he opposes and for proposals he supports.
I asked Taft about J. Kenneth Blackwell, the Republican gubernatorial nominee who strongly criticizes the governor's leadership of the state and proudly calls himself the "anti-Taft."
It was quite obvious that Taft didn't want to answer the question even though I phrased it about five different ways.
I asked if he would help Blackwell, the secretary of state, on the campaign trail. Admittedly it was a loaded question because Blackwell has zero interest in being in the same city as Taft, much less sharing a stage with the outgoing governor -- and the feeling is mutual.
Taft said he'd campaign for Blackwell if the candidate asked, knowing that Blackwell won't make that request.
He said being upset about Blackwell's critical comments is "not a productive sentiment," and he supports the Republican candidate for governor. As a loyal Republican, Taft would probably support a water cooler for governor if it was the GOP candidate.
The last thing any Republican running statewide wants is to be connected to Taft.
While Republican statewide candidates try to stay far away from Taft, Democrats are doing what they can to link them to the outgoing governor.
"Mr. Blackwell is trying to distance himself from Bob Taft and the poor condition Ohio finds itself in," said U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee. "But [Blackwell's] been part of the political leadership that failed this state. It's too late for him to say he's not responsible because he is."