The Tangled Ironies of Ohio’s Republican Rift: A Lesson in Leadership and Lost Opportunities
A Saga of Missed Opportunities and Intra-Party Strife from less than Conservative Republicans: How Inaction and Retribution Are Reshaping Ohio's Republican Landscape
Alright, folks, gather 'round. I'm here to tell you a tale of politics gone wild. The Ohio Republican State Central Committee, they're the ones who are supposed to be running the show, but boy, have they dropped the ball - and guess what you all should be mad!
In the heartland of America, where values and vigor once aligned like the threads on a well-worn baseball, a saga unfolds that could befuddle even the most astute observers of political theater. The Ohio Republican State Central Committee recently witnessed a spectacle not just of political maneuvering but of irony so thick you could cut it with the gavel used to adjourn their latest in a long line of ineffective meetings.
In what can only be described as a political irony, the Ohio Republican State Central Committee decided (to again) not to levy any meaningful penalties on Speaker Jason Stephens and his cohorts, the aptly named "Blue 22." This decision—or dare I say “a lack thereof”—has left many within the Republican party feeling as though they’re participants in a grand farce, where the curtains refuse to fall.
For those unfamiliar, the "Blue 22" consists of Speaker Stephens and 21 other Ohio House Republicans who, in an unexpected twist, aligned with all 32 Democrats in the Ohio House to secure Stephens' leadership, betraying their prior commitment to elect Derrick Merrin. This alliance has since steered Ohio toward notably more liberal policies, including unrestricted access to abortion and the legalization of recreational marijuana—developments that starkly contrast with traditional conservative values. What we see is easy - it’s what we don’t see that is alarming. We are not seeing the sweeping changes that are needed to right the sinking ship that is Ohio.
Yes, we can put lipstick on a turd - but are you really going to kiss that turd. Big Business is booming in Ohio - we really haven’t had a problem with that. Small business growth is not just anemic - it’s in negative territory!
However, in a turn of events that seems ripped from a satirical play, Speaker Stephens has used ruthlessly used his position as speaker not for reconciliation but for retribution. On May 1st, Stephen’s removed powerful committee chairmen who financially supported the opposition of his cohorts, clearly signaling that dissent within party ranks would not be tolerated and that the party dollars will be used to benefit Stephens personally. This move has not only consolidated his power but has also sowed deeper divisions within the party.
Rep. Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria) was removed as chair and member of the House Agriculture Committee;
Rep. Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) was removed as chair and member of the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee;
Rep. Darrell Kick (R-Loudonville) was removed as chair and member of the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee;
Rep. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) was removed as chair and member of the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee;
Rep. Scott Lipps (R-Franklin) was removed as chair and member of the House Public Health Policy Committee; and
Rep. Marilyn John (R-Richland County) was removed as chair and member of the House State and Local Government Committee.
Let’s keep in mind, the former Ohio Republican Party Treasurer (David Johnson) claimed that the party spent over $200,000 in legal fees to keep 10 members of the State Central Committee from seeing the financial books of the organization they are members of. Yet, the party has since spent less than $100,000 on State Board of Education races and allowed the Democrats to take control and spent less than $50,000 to keep Ohio a pro-life State. Not one dime of State Party money has went to any of the legal fees to stop Stephens’ naked power grab.
On April 26th, the Republican State Central Committee debated a resolution introduced by Josh Brown, which, although lacking in consequences and legal teeth, would have condemned Stephens’ actions in raiding the Ohio House Republican Alliance (OHRA) Fund of more than $3 million. The resolution would have acknowledged that the OHRA Fund is an auxiliary of the Republican Party and is therefore subject to the rules that the party creates. Stephens used the OHRA funds to ruthlessly attack fellow Republicans that opposed the members of the Blue 22, in violation of party rules, with character assassination attacks so vile that they are only surpassed by Democrat attack ads. Despite the resolution’s shortcomings, the resolution could have added weight to the legal challenges against Stephens’ control of OHRA and the over $3 million, to be precise, which he used to secure loyalty for his re-election as Speaker.
The committee’s decision to shelve Brown’s resolution into the bureaucratic oblivion of a yet-to-be-formed resolutions committee is a textbook example of political avoidance. By failing to act decisively, (39 muppet heads of the Ohio Republican Party have said they will support any Republican no matter how much they do not look and act like a Republican) they have inadvertently weakened Representative Phil Plummer’s legal pursuit to regain control of the Ohio House Republican Alliance legislative fund. Their inaction almost assures that Stephens will dominate until the 2027 cycle with an almost guaranteed financial war chest.
But, did the 39 muppet heads on the State Central Committee vote inadvertently? A trained eye and talking with central committee members has revealed that the Ohio Republican State Central Committee Chairman, Alex Triantafilou, is a huge fan of Stephens’ policies and his actions. In fact, most of the more senior members on the Ohio Republican State Central Committee, that are not apart of the establishment, could see the tell tale signs of Triantafilou’s engineering and strategy to make the resolution fail. This was political theater with all the pomp and circumstance of a Vladimir Putin being overwhelmingly re-elected by his fellow countrymen.
This spectacular display of “do nothing Republicans/muppet heads” has resonated with many Republicans as feeling like they are, metaphorically speaking, "peeing into the wind during a typhoon." The committee’s ability to be manipulated by leadership and the subsequent intra-party vendettas have not only dramatically drained financial resources but have also eroded the integrity and credibility of the party as being good stewards of donor contributions. All this while Democrats are chuckling at the inaction of the Republican Party. Come November, it is likely they will be belly laughing at Republicans at the results of the election.
In the broader chess game of political strategy, the Ohio Republican State Central Committee’s passive stance has effectively sacrificed its pawns (those that ran against the Blue 22) without any strategic advancement of its more powerful pieces (disaffiliation of the Blue 22 from the Republican Party.) The necessity for disaffiliation from the "Blue 22" would have been a bold solution, albeit a solution some might perceive as harsh, a move that could have saved millions in campaign funds that propped up the Blue 22 candidates and their opposition. These funds could have been used instead to counter Democrats in the general elections. Yet, the choice for the party to remain inactive almost guarantees a challenging next two years for conservative Republicans who champion smaller government, lower taxes, and traditional values. Why? Because we now have two parties pushing even bigger government - the Democrats and the Republicans.
Ohio’s plight, in recovering from draconian pandemic mandates and seeking legislative reforms to reduce governmental overreach, remains unaddressed amid these political skirmishes. As the state’s economic landscape continues to shift, with declining foot traffic in major retail outlets indicating broader and much more serious economic challenges for Ohioans, the need for visionary leadership is more pronounced than ever. And yet, the Ohio Republican Party is as feckless as ever and has not represented Ohio’s everyday Republicans for more than a decade.
Ultimately, the ongoing saga within the Ohio Republican Party not only reflects the complexities of political alignment and misalignment but also serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of inaction and internal discord. It’s about the 39 muppet heads and their investment in the entrenched leadership. As the party stumbles, so too does the opportunity to enact meaningful change, leaving many to wonder about the potential paths not taken in the Buckeye State’s political crossroads.