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Dining with McKinley
On the side
Bipartisan visit: It’s a coincidence, but it’s still interesting that Ohio’s two U.S. senators — Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Rob Portman — will be in Youngstown at the same time on the same day for different events.
Today, Portman is visiting V&M Star, a Youngstown steel-tube company building a $650 million expansion facility.
It’s Portman’s first visit to the area since he was sworn in as a senator.
Brown, a frequent visitor to the Mahoning Valley, is at the Butler Institute of American Art for the investiture ceremony for new U.S. District Court Judge Benita Y. Pearson.
Brown nominated Pearson for the judicial appointment.
Democrats gather: The North Mahoning County Democrats will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at Lowellville City Hall, 140 E. Liberty St. The guest speaker is county Democratic Party Chairman David Betras.
All Democratic primary candidates are invited to attend and address the group’s membership.
I’m always up for a challenge.
Well, not really, but that sounds a lot better than someone I know gave me a ticket he wasn’t using to get into the Mahoning Valley McKinley Club dinner with Karl Rove as the keynote speaker.
The event was closed to the media at Rove’s request.
I don’t know why Rove wanted the event closed. It was probably more his “people” than Rove because at a press conference before the event he said he could tell a long story, but the media would just hear it again during his speech.
It was then that the media reminded Rove that the event was closed to the press.
I’ve been going to the dinner for years as the club consists of Republicans from Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.
I certainly don’t go for the food.
Political dinner food is typically awful, but even rubber chicken is tastier than the food served at the McKinley Club event.
Every year, salisbury steak with mashed potatoes and vegetables, all of it covered in a funky orange-brown gravy, is served. It supposedly was President William McKinley’s favorite meal. The former president, born in Niles, had horrible taste in food.
A woman at my table was disappointed to see I was sitting next to her.
She was expecting Anita Fraser, president of the Tri-County Tea Party. Fraser’s name tag was by a seat, but those at that table told me to sit because she wasn’t attending.
Also, I learned an important lesson at the McKinley Memorial Auditorium, where the event was held.
From its dais, the men’s room is to the far right and the women’s room is to the left, by the main entrance. I didn’t learn this until it was too late.
A group of about 20 anti-war protesters hurled insults and some choice words at those standing in line to get inside the auditorium.
Robert Heltzel, son of Trumbull County Commissioner Paul Heltzel, led the charge on a bullhorn while the others yelled and banged metal cookie sheets, pots and pans together.
They started back up shortly after Rove started speaking. Heltzel and a few others opened the door, started screaming and trying to get inside.
Niles police showed a lot of restraint getting them out of the auditorium without a single arrest.
It was a sight to see Ohio Auditor Dave Yost jump out of his chair and walk toward the front door with a look like he wanted to throw down.
Heltzel told me he was excited that the state auditor went toward the main entrance and wanted Yost to come out so they could talk politics.
Inside, Rove, who told those inside “don’t worry,” took some verbal shots at President Barack Obama and former Vice President Al Gore. “God, he was annoying,” is how Rove described Gore.
His thoughts on state employees?
“Public employee unions are a problem,” Rove said.
The line received a lot of applause from the largely Republican crowd of about 400.
Most of these dinners are dull. This was definitely one of the more interesting events.