Danngate: The Dems Chose Wisely

It was a wild and crazy afternoon in Danngate and I missed all of it.

Just to reset the situation, while the Democratic House Caucus in near unanimity (btw, I'm told that State Reps. Miller and Mallory weren't involved because they were not available, not because they objected) filed their nine Articles of Impeachment (some of them stronger than others, all of them rather vague, but collectively a passable pattern of misconduct), Marc Dann was negotiating behind the scenes to stall the investigation of his office by the Voinovich-appointed Inspector General, Thomas Charles, in exchange for his resignation. GOP leaders in both the House and Senate refused, and at the end of the day Dann's spokesman said he was not resigning after all.

After introducing their Articles of Impeachment in the morning, Democrats supported the authorization of the Inspector General investigation in the afternoon and evening. The legislation passed the House 83-13, so a clear majority of Democrats voted for it after a majority on the committee from which it sprang had voted against. In the Senate the bill picked up even more Democratic mojo, passing 32-0, after Governor Strickland and Senate Majority Leader Ray Miller both voiced support for the bill. S.B. 3 having been passed as emergency legislation and signed by Strickland last night, Charles is officially on the job today.

I see the Democrats as having faced several difficult decisions in all of this and having made the right call in each instance. Introducing the Articles of Impeachment quickly, not waiting for the anticipated report on the impeachment process by State Rep. Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) or the Inspector General authorization, regained the spotlight and sent the right message. The Democrats got the good headlines and underscored their message that they are bound and determined to clean their own house, after a lot of talk late last week that their determination had flagged. A story in the Blade indicates that the impeachment resolution already has been shelved by the GOP, but to a large extent it has already served its purpose.

Supporting the Inspector General investigation was the right call as well, although much more difficult in a way. There is the fear that the investigation will spread to unanticipated areas and reveal much new dirt, and there is the concern about a the investigation of a Democratic officeholder dragging on while while the Democrats are gearing up for the elections. But resisting the investigation in any way would have been far, far worse. By supporting it, the Democrats send a clear message that they are holding themselves to the highest standard of conduct and are serious about carrying through with their promise of ending the culture of corruption.

Here's what Strickland said:

"I think it is important that the facts come out as quickly as possible, that they be thoroughly investigated, and that we conclude this matter and get on with the business of the people of Ohio and, more importantly, get on with the responsibility of the attorney general."

Here's what State Rep. Matt Szollosi (D-Toledo), who supported both the impeachment resolution and the inspector general bill, said:

“If we learned anything in 2006, it’s that Ohio’s voters will not stand for a culture of corruption in office. This is Democrats stepping forward and keeping their promise to the voters that we would put a stop to that. The door swings both ways. You can’t just enforce your words and your standards against the opposing party.”

Spot on. Tough choices, good call.

Let's be clear: Danngate is going to hurt the Democrats's chances in the fall. Period. It is what it is, and there is no escaping it. The GOP will run ads with photos of Dann standing next to every Democratic candidate, and then cut to those horrific mug-shot style photos of Guttierez, Jennings, and Utovich that the newspapers are all running. Those ads cannot be prevented. The only question is how effective they will be (and whether the Democratic candidates will have the resources to get their own message out). Even if further investigations were somehow magically avoided, those GOP ads will run. But what the Democrats can do to limit the damage is to publicly and loudly stand up for accountability and transparency, each and every day. Let that continue to be the guiding principle in making these tough choices. That is not a complete inoculation against the Dann malady, but it is the best course of treatment going forward.