Last month, Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s (R) approval ratings plummeted to 30 percent after just two months in office. Kasich has repeatedly balked at transparency, reneged on his own promises to vulnerable constituents, insulted law enforcement and minorities, and muscled through a highly unpopular anti-union bill that dramatically restricts 350,000 workers’ rights. In response to Kasich’s disastrous reign, Democratic state Reps. Mike Foley and Bob Hagan will introduce legislation this week to make Ohio the 20th state to allow voters to remove and replace state officials, including the governor and legislators. The legislation requires a petition signed by 15 percent of the votes cast for that office in the last election. In Kasich’s case, they would need more than 577,870 signatures. While acknowledging that the bill is unlikely to pass in a GOP-led legislature, Hagan said Ohioans deserved a chance to recall a governor who is “hurting the people in this state”
Speaking as a Californian, having the ability to recall a governor is a double-edged sword. While I'm sure that Ohioans are chomping at the bit to rid themselves of the union-busting, stimulus money-rejecting, Medicaid-slashing Kasich before he plummets Ohio's economy even worse for the sake of corporations and the uber-wealthy, you have to remember the law of unintended consequences.
