And my February essay (and illustration!), of course.

Observations: 17 men, three women.  Two people of color (one male, one female).

That cannot, cannot, cannot be the sum total of what 1.3 million people have to offer up as possible leaders.

Wait. Let me restate that:

That must not, must not, must not be the sum total of what 1.3 million people have to offer up as possible leaders.

Last word: Do not be fooled by Martin Zanotti, who claims that the “what” of the transition to the new structure is more important right now than the “who.”  It was the “who” in the old structure that, allegedly, is what compelled people to put Issue 6 over the top to create a new “what.”  If not “right now,” then when, exactly?

I really get the feeling sometimes that politicians in NE Ohio, if not in general, have real phobias about planning in advance, or at least defining what “planning” and “advance” mean, in regard to nearly everything.

Former candidates Angel Rhodes and Julie Hubler mounted vigorous floor fights to win the party’s backing over two newcomers who had been picked by the screening committee.

Rhodes, who ran for Franklin County commissioner against incumbent Paula Brooks in 2008, got the nod to oppose Democrat John Patrick Carney in the 22nd Ohio House District race. The screening committee had recommended Dublin business entrepreneur Kathy Eshelman.

…

Hubler, a Dublin attorney for 24 years, won her floor fight over Jackson Township Trustee Daphne Hawk for nomination for county commissioner. Hubler ran unsuccessfully for Franklin County Common Pleas Court in 2004.

Should these in fact be strong candidates with support from enough Ohioans to continue to win, and enough smarts to succeed overall as legislators and commissioners, I hope that they continue to be supported as they rack up experience.

Here’s The Daily Briefing on what U.S. Senator from Ohio, Sherrod Brown (D) would like:

The Ohio Democrat today unveiled a bill requiring corporations that produce political ads or engage in other campaign activities allowed by the Supreme Court ruling to gain approval of shareholders ahead of any political spending. Brown’s bill, which he dubs the Citizens Right to Know Act, also would require corporate CEOs to make personal disclaimers revealing the company’s sponsorship of an ad, much as political candidates now appear briefly on camera or are heard on a radio ad taking responsibility for a spot.

Brown’s bill also would shore up, he says, protections against foreign companies spending money on U.S. elections, by banning any company that has a foreign entity as a majority owner from making any political expenditures.

…

With the anticipation of a deluge of new spending during the 2010 elections, Brown’s bill is just one of several that has been introduced or will be introduced in the wake of the Supreme Court decision. There were hearings on the topic this week in the House and the Senate.

The post has a fair amount of other info so I recommend reading it.  This topic is sure to be something that everyone has ideas on – I hope it gets action though, and not only ideas.

On one thing, Mr. Gates, Admiral Mullen and Republicans on the committee agreed: many gay men and lesbians are serving honorably and effectively in the military today, despite a policy that has led to more than 13,000 discharges, including those of much-needed Arabic translators.

“I have served with homosexuals since 1968,” Admiral Mullen told the committee. He added, “Everybody in the military has, and we understand that.”

That such an obvious reality must be stated by a top command figure before it can be heard, even by those who have served with gay men and women in the military, demonstrates the ridiculous level of denial that some elected members of our government, and the voters who vote them in, have in regard to the way things are in 2010 – and, as Mullen says, have been for more than 40 years.

GOP continues to starve female leadership pipeline: Sessions’ Young Guns are 12 men, 1 woman

UPDATE: National Federation of Republican Women comments on men outgunning women in “Young Guns”

And just yesterday I blogged about how TIME magazine’s “10 Scott Browns” includes just two women, both of whom are from already very reliable states regarding the support of women in leadership.

And last week I wrote about how South Carolina’s first lady, Jenny Sanford, spent several minutes addressing the lack of women in nearly all areas of South Carolina’s elected government.

So this GOP Still Short on Women thing? Please. (Anyone remember this lame-0 response from Ohio Senate’s Bill Harris from 2007 re: why there are nearly no GOP women in that chamber? In that item, even then-outgoing GOP state senator Joy Padgett said, “It’s important to have several women in the caucus. When you’re looking at representing populations, there just aren’t enough women in the chamber, period.”)

What Jan Larimer really needs to examine and pick apart is this kind of ridiculousness that’s going on in NE Ohio: an article about statehouse seats being swapped among…men, men and more men, unless it’s a man’s wife.  And then she takes his seat and he goes for a different man’s seat. At least Walton Hills Mayor Marlene Anielski is in the mix for the Ohio 17th, as is Kelli Perk.  Woohoo – two women, and one is a Republican.

Where’s the recruiting? Where’s the bringing in new blood? Where’s the leadership succession planning?

In all the talk about the Ohio GOP’s new faces, new names, where are they?  Yeah – no where.  No minorities, few women.  Even the insurgents appear to be men.

Complaining might make good media, but other than getting the ball rolling toward a solution, that’s it.  Time to buck up and work if you want more women in elected office. Folks on the right who complain about how the Ohio Democratic Secretary of State candidate has shaken out might want to take a look at their own conscience when it comes to recruitment and treatment of women.  At least the left side’s spats involved multiple female options.

Sad to say that that’s what progress looks like in the land of women getting into politics. But in a way, it’s a sign that it’s becoming normal.

Come on TIME – can’t you do any better?  Or are you telling us just how lousy the recruiting is going for the right side of the aisle when it comes to women and minorities?

Full List

GOP CONGRESSIONAL CONTENDERS

Momentum 2010: Ohio Women’s Summit will be held in Columbus, Ohio on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2010. Momentum is being coordinated by the Governor’s Office for Women’s Initiatives and Outreach and First Lady Frances Strickland. The Summit will focus on strengthening our families and communities by promoting the advancement of women through education, economics, and health. In addition to our Ohio Women’s Summit we will host a Young Women’s Summit on Sunday March 7, 2010!

Visit their site for information on speakers, including Jennifer Brunner and Connie Schultz.  Hope to see you there.

Hattip to The Daily Briefing.

Video of announcement:

I got to introduce myself to Crowley at the 2008 Democratic debate in Cleveland and also watch her in the spin room. I’m a big admirer of her and wish her great luck. I hope she can make a difference.  I’m not thrilled to read that the show is being cut from John King’s four-hour block to a one-hour version:

Crowley will inherit a markedly smaller “State of the Union,” which will go from a four-hour block (including an hour for “Reliable Sources”) to a one-hour show. Crowley will anchor “State of the Union” at 9AM with “Fareed Zakaria GPS” following at 10AM. Howard Kurtz’s “Reliable Sources” will air at 11AM, and an updated edition of “State of the Union” will air at noon.

Guess we’ll have to see how it shakes out.