It's been a wild couple of days in local politics, with most of the names on East Side yard signs losing in Tuesday's City Council election. The newbies: Democrats P.G. Sittenfeld, Yvette Simpson and Chris Seelbach. The new Council will include only one Republican, Charlie Winburn, although Chris Smitherman acts like he's from all sorts of political parties. For the first time ever, the Council will be a majority African American, and Seelbach's win marks the first election of an openly gay candidate to Council.
Four members of the conservative majority that spent most of last year either blocking the mayor's initiatives or Twittering — Chris Bortz, Leslie Ghiz, Amy Murray and Wayne Lippert — were ousted, paving the way for Mayor Mallory and the seven Democrats on council to things they want to do. Congratulations “environmentalists and people who use health clinics!”—-
Republican state Sen. Bill Seitz last year warned his fellow Republicans about trying to jam their on the state, saying “When you have a win this big, you have to guard against getting too cocky. You start to think you’re Superman and can forget that in politics, there’s always some kryptonite around the next corner.” Too bad Ohio Gov. John Kasich was saying things like, “That train is dead” and giving away $400 million in federal grants for high-speed rail.
Xavier political science instructor Eugene Beaupre respectfully explains how much of a jerk Kasich was being at the time, according to The Enquirer:
“When people get elected with the kind of narrow margin he had, the day after, they typically speak of their gratitude,” Beaupre said. “But he had his sword out the next morning.”
Students at Penn State University last night protested the firing of longtime football coach Joe Paterno, whose 46-year legacy at the school has been tarnished by allegations of university officials covering up sexual abuse by a former assistant coach. The details are ugly. And college students are dumb.
Rick Perry made a real ass out of himself in a Republican presidential debate last night, forgetting the third of the three federal departments he wants to eliminate once he'd not elected president. Today Perry went damage control, at least as as far as “This ain't a day for quitting nothing” is considered damage control.
A new drug has proven to kill fat cells in monkeys. Me next! Me next!
Kanye West and Nicki Minaj reportedly “rocked the 2011 Victoria's Secret Show.” Whatever that is.
