Strickland Not Making Taft's Mistakes

Governor Ted Strickland is not making the mistakes that Taft made which were to look as if he didn't care that Republicans were violating the public's trust. Strickland, by saying that there seems to be a double standard at work in the AG's office when four people lose their jobs but Dann doesn't, is trying to make sure that the damage is limited to Dann.

One of the problems that Dann has is that when you win election by talking about the faults of the other team, your margin of error is substantially reduced. You have to keep out of trouble yourself. You can't afford to be involved in a "romantic" relationship with a 28 year old employee.

The Ohio Constitution allows the Governor to appoint someone to the position of Ohio Attorney General if the position becomes vacant. If Dann resigned and such a vacancy occurred, then, depending on when the vacancy occurred, Strickland's appointee would either run this November in the 2008 election, or would run in the 2010 election.

In a state that usually tilts Republican, and with a Republican party that is usually well-funded by business interests, the Ohio Democratic Party can't afford to keep Dann around as Attorney General. Look for more pressure to be put on him to resign in the coming weeks.