Round 2: Will the GOP vs. Taft slugfest be good for CCW Reform?

Many of Gov. Taft's fellow Republicans in the legislature are irritated, perplexed, downright angry...with Taft. Amid the budget tumult, GOP lawmakers slammed Taft - and Taft, whose lame-duck status seemed to make him more vocal, lobbed back.

Republicans in the 99-member Ohio House could not point to an overt Taft ally within their 62-member caucus. Some say the rift exists because Taft is much more moderate [read: liberal] than most House Republicans.

Rep. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican who practices in Taft's grandfather's law firm, said Taft's refusal to negotiate with social conservatives within the GOP on video lottery terminals at racetracks and legalizing concealed handguns has hurt his chances at cooperation.

"We feel these are public policies we should be adopting, and he has pretty well blocked both those initiatives," Seitz said. "So it shouldn't be terribly surprising that nobody's banging down the doors to endorse his tax-heavy initiatives that fuel additional spending. It is truly a two-way
street."

For more of the story, and complete analysis click on the "Read More..." link below.

Brian Hicks, Taft's chief of staff, said the governor shouldn't be blamed for the failure of those issues. He said the legislature failed to send a concealed-carry bill to the governor's desk last session - something lawmakers blamed on a threatened veto.

OFCC PAC Commentary
The attempts by Taft's chief of staff to side-step blame for the demise of HB274 defy belief.

Those who responded to an OFCC PAC poll about who deserved the blame for failing to pass CCW reform last December clearly understood where the responsibility lay. Click here to see results, and to place your vote!

Governor Taft has, hopefully, worked himself into a corner in such a way that, as with the budget issue, the majority in the General Assembly will pass a good concealed carry reform bill, and take no stock in the opinions of our dishonest, shape-shifting chief executive. And they must do it with enough votes to override a veto (in the unlikely event that Taft has the intestinal fortitude to send it back).

Click here to read the entire story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.