Dann-O-Mania: Winners And Losers

It was a breathelss day on the Ohio Internets yesterday as we were treated to episode 3 (or was it 4) of the will he, won't he melodrama.

We had wars and rumors of wars yesterday -- well, not wars exactly, but certainly rumors of Dann's arrest, which while not actually happening, made for interesting reading.

So, with a little distance from yesterday's events, here is my take on who won and who lost in this affair (pun firmly intended):

Winner: Ted Strickland

Until a new permanent AG is named, Governor Strickland is clearly the ultimate winner in this drama. He came off as measured, firm and decisive. There is a old saying that if you shoot at the king you had better kill the king. Strickland gathered his forces, followed through on his threat and won the day.

Loser: Marc Dann

I know this is obvious, but it's now he lost that really matters here. If Dann had resigned two weeks ago, he would have mitigated a lot of the damage he now faces. Hanging on for these two weeks, being seen as someone deep in the bunker and in complete denial has taken an already damaged reputation and shredded it. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here and whether he can get on with a big name law firm after this.

Winner: House Democrats

The Democrats in the state house didn't waste much time in creating their articles of impeachment, which was probably the final nail in Dann's political coffin. Their actions gave substance to the threats issued by the statewide Democrats and made it clear to Dann that he was backed into a corner with few good options.

Loser: Jon Husted

Husted seemed almost a bit player in this drama. His "Dann Must Resign" seemed a bit hollow.

Winner: Subodh Chandra

It's clear that Chandra knew what he was walking about during his primary run in 2006. Chandra was heavily supported in the progressive blogosphere and by a lot of people in the grassroots. While that and a quarter will probably get him a gumball, he has to feel good today that he was proven right in his ascertions.

Loser: ODP

It was ODP who foisted Dann on us in the first place with their heavy handed endorsement process. It was a point of discussion elsewhere whether the endorsement was the main reason that Dann got 70.95% of the vote. I believe it is.

Winner: The New AG

While we don't know who this man or woman will be, this person will be handed a great opportunity. The two big names being mentioned are Lee Fisher, our current Lt Gov, and Richard Cordray, our treasurer. Selection of either person would create a minor chain reaction as while they were running for election in Nov 2008 (as they would have to do), they might feel obligated to resign and therefore creating another opening that'll have to be filled and if done before Sept 25th, cause that person to run for election in 2008 as well.

Loser: Kevin DeWine

A no brainer here. DeWine and his team were salivating at this going on and on and they have been cut off at the knees with little of substance to talk about. Just looking at the ORP "blog" (which has always been a joke) you see nothing between 5/9 and yesterday. On and before 5/9 there were a number of manufactured "flip-flops" which were pretty thin gruel at best. The Ohio GOP must be damned depressed at losing a big issue here.

Winner: ODP

Having foisted this mess on us in 2006, the Ohio Democratic Party this year has been firm and clear about cleaning it up. Between the Dann affair and the mess with Matthew Barrett, it shows that Ohio Democrats are serious about self-policing when it is called for. Good on them. Remember the specticle of Bob Taft and Bob Ney hanging on?