Ohio Dems tilting at windmills

All week long, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald’s campaign tried to shame Republican Gov. John Kasich into participating in a series of debates by sending out letters to supporters and the press with lines such as this:

“John Kasich won’t say the ‘F’ word.

“For months, the Governor has refused to talk about the real issues affecting working families. He won’t even say the word ‘FitzGerald,’ and now he’s refusing to agree to debates all together.”

It’s true that the Republican governor, seeking a second four-year term in the November general election, won’t say the “F” word. To do so would be an acknowledgment that he has a credible challenger.

But Kasich certainly isn’t reluctant to use the “I” word to define his Democratic opponent’s campaign.

Incumbent’s attitude

The “I” stands for “Implosion” — a word that’s meant to reflect the incumbent’s attitude toward FitzGerald’s candidacy.

In a meeting Tuesday with Vindicator editors and writers, the governor was asked why he won’t agree to the debates, and why negotiations have been called off by his campaign. Here’s his answer:

“There were some offers made that were turned down, and then we sat back and watched an implosion. You’ve watched this thing, and I think you know why it doesn’t serve any purpose.” And then he offered this definitive comment: “I see there is no gain from [a debate].”

In other words, the Republican incumbent has moved on.

But that doesn’t mean Kasich isn’t willing to participate in a political forum. He said he is willing to appear before a panel of journalists and answer their questions.

The forum would be aired live on television.

That pledge has sucked the air out of the Democrats’ contention that the governor is ducking. Here’s what the FitzGerald campaign had said:

“Kasich is the first Ohio governor in at least 30 years to refuse to agree to debates. No other Governor in recent memory has been arrogant enough to say to hard working Ohioans, ‘I don’t have to explain my decisions to you.’”

The “he won’t debate” drumbeat got louder as the week progressed, but as The Vindicator editors and writers learned, Kasich is undaunted.

Why? Because his campaign is going great guns — the money is pouring in and the polls show him with a strong lead — while FitzGerald is having difficulty getting political traction.

News reports of his having driven for 10 years without a permanent driver’s license, and his having been found in a car with a woman not his wife in the early morning hours two years ago in Westlake have caused his campaign to implode.

Although key campaign operatives have left, the candidate is boldly carrying on in the belief that the race is still competitive. Indeed, he and other Democratic candidates are funneling money into the Democratic Party’s coordinated campaign.

As to FitzGerald’s contention that the governor is ducking, the 90 minutes Kasich spent at The Vindicator answering every question asked shows that he just doesn’t want to waste his time debating his Democratic opponent.

Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman David Betras, who undoubtedly is being pressured by the FitzGerald campaign to keep the debate issue alive, was squealing like a stuck pig after Kasich’s visit.

Betras was incensed that the newspaper did not insist that the governor debate FitzGerald, but his bluster turned to a whimper when it was pointed out to him that it was his candidate for governor who had triggered the implosion of his own campaign.

Domino effect

Betras has been around long enough to know that when the top of the ticket stumbles, the other candidates also get tripped up.

The chairman’s attempt to blame everyone else but FitzGerald for the dwindling fortunes of the Democratic Party in this year’s statewide election is transparent at best.

Betras, like other Democratic Party leaders, are tilting at windmills when it comes to the Republicans.

Desperation may be setting in, which explains Betras’ dumb move in publicly embracing Mahoning County Auditor Michael Sciortino in his re-election bid. Sciortino, the Democratic nominee, is facing criminal charges stemming from his role in the so-called Oakhill Renaissance Place scandal.

There could be a local implosion.