Thursday, February 21, 2008

Congressman's Akron visit makes for political salad

They were sitting around a long table, but it might as well have been a salad bowl the way everyone was mixed together for a big meeting on the Goodyear deal today.

Try to visualize this with me ...

U.S. Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn) was in town to hear more about the deal; he chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee. As the VIP guest, Oberstar sat close to the center.

Directly across the table from "Jay-Oh" sat the usual political suspects ... Mayor Don Plusquellic, County Executive Russ Pry, and Lt. Governor Lee Fisher. They've all been at the front of the Goodyear deal and know it backwards and forwards.

Yet, on the same side of the table with Oberstar sat Tom Sawyer and Tim Ryan. Now, if you know your local political history, you know that Sawyer was forced out in 2002 by the state's population drop and new district lines; Ryan became the new kid on the block, knocking Sawyer out of a bid to return to a seat he'd held for more than a decade. You with me here?

Now, I have no idea if Sawyer holds any kind of a grudge ... but sitting at the table as a Ohio State Senator just a few feet away from a young gun who now holds your old seat as a U.S. Rep. can't be comfortable.

That's where the GOP -- say it isn't so -- rides to the rescue.

In an odd seating chart, there was one seat between Ryan and Sawyer .. and in it sat Steve LaTourette (R-Ashtabula). Many in Summit County foget that LaTourette is even part of of the Akron political landscape, but he does own his chunk of Sawyer's old district ... so he too was at the table today.

If you can imagine all of that, then you can see why I felt like it was a mixed bowl of greens .. choose your own dressing.

As an FYI: the third tenor in Akron's D.C. Congressional chorus these days is Betty Sutton, who was also at the meeting today .. and will be volunteering at the Akron-Canton Foodbank tommorrow.

I wonder if she'll serve any salad?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Was Betty Sutton wearing the same suit she always does?

Village Green said...

Hey Anon -- If she was wearing the same suit, then she is a true conservationist. I'd much rather vote for someone who chooses not to be a clothes horse than someone who has to put on a fashion display.

Anonymous said...

actually no. She always wears the black suit with the blue shirt. Yuck

Ben said...

It is easy forget LaTourette comes into Summit County. I always think of him as the Congressman from the very NE part of the state only.

Anonymous said...

Nothing like playing right into a stereotype, Village Green. Even conservationists should develop a recognizable sense of humor about some things.

Perhaps you don't remember, but Eric wrote a humorous post a while ago about how Betty Sutton seems to only have one suit.

I guess my memory is just too long for the internet . . . or I am the only one who find it amusing. Probably the latter.