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Ohio’s Recovery Not Quite as Kasich Describes

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New York Times: “Ohio has indeed gained several hundred thousand jobs since Mr. Kasich took office, and he turned an imposing budget gap into a surplus while also cutting income taxes, all accomplishments that back up his boasts.”

“But a closer review of his record shows the reality is more complicated. Other states recovered from the recession more quickly than Ohio did. He closed the budget shortfall in part by cutting aid to local governments, forcing some of them to raise their own taxes or cut services. And increasing sales taxes helped make the income tax cuts possible.”


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Lawmakers Get Sick After Legalizing Raw Milk

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“In the weeks after passing a bill, allowing West Virginians to drink raw milk, one delegate brought the drink in to celebrate and, eventually, several lawmakers have gotten sick,” WSAZ reports.

“Some lawmakers say it’s just a coincidence and a stomach bug is going around. But, now, health officials are planning on looking in to how this all started.”

Rick Snyder Need Not Worry About Recall

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This guest piece by Joshua Spivak is only available to Political Wire members.

The political scandal surrounding Flint, Michigan’s poisoned water debacle is showing no signs of slowing down. Prosecutors are now at least talking about filing manslaughter charges against appointed officials. For elected officials, especially Gov. Rick Snyder (R), the revelations have come with a heavy political cost. There have been at least 10 recall petitions filed against Snyder recently, and three have been approved (though one of them is about a school reform law). There is clearly a big push to punish Snyder. And yet, at least as far as the recall goes, he probably doesn’t have much to worry about.

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Lawmaker Claims Rape Doesn’t Result In Pregnancy

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Idaho state Rep. Pete Nielsen (R) claimed that rape doesn’t usually cause pregnancy, the Idaho Spokesman-Review reports.

Said Nielsen: “Now, I’m of the understanding that in many cases of rape it does not involve any pregnancy because of the trauma of the incident. That may be true with incest a little bit.”

He added: “I read a lot of information. I have read it several times… Being a father of five girls, I’ve explored this a lot.”

Bill Would Require Wife’s Consent for Viagra

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New legislation would require that Kentucky men “visit a doctor twice and have signed permission from their wives before obtaining a prescription for Viagra or other such drugs for erectile dysfunction,” the Louisville Courier Journal reports.

Rep. Mary Lou Marzian (D) “said it is merely an effort to protect men’s health and ensure they are informed about a drug with potentially dangerous side effects.”

Pennsylvania Will Try to Impeach Attorney General

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“The Pennsylvania House voted overwhelmingly to begin impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Kathleen Kane (D), who survived a separate attempt by Senate Republicans to oust her using an arcane constitutional procedure not invoked here since 1891,” the New York Times reports.

“The back-to-back votes were the latest turn in an intriguing drama involving Ms. Kane, who has publicized lewd and bigoted emails sent by some of the most powerful figures in Pennsylvania — only to find herself facing perjury charges, with her law license suspended by the State Supreme Court.”

Does Anyone Want Rick Snyder’s Endorsement?

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This guest piece by Susan Demas of Inside Michigan Politics, is only available to Political Wire members.

Republicans have been stingy with endorsements for their super-sized 2016 presidential field.

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LePage Wants to Bring Back the Guillotine

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Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) told WVOM that drug traffickers should be publicly executed.

Said LePage: “I think the death penalty should be appropriate for people that kill Mainers.”

He added: “Actually, if you want my honest opinion, we should give them an injection of the stuff they sell. What I think we ought to do is bring the guillotine back. We could have public executions.”

Investigation Finds Lawmaker Sent Inappropriate Texts

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“Tennessee Republican leaders were told of a potential sexual harassment complaint about House Majority Whip Jeremy Durham’s (R) behavior about a week before an unprecedented House GOP caucus meeting to decide the fate of his leadership role, but the specific concerns were never disclosed to his fellow legislators,” the Tennessean reports.

“The news comes amid a Tennessean investigation into inappropriate text messages from Durham to three women who worked at the statehouse. Durham said Friday he does not remember sending the messages.”

WATE-TV says Durham resigned from his leadership position late yesterday.

Special Elections Set in Kentucky

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Lexington Herald-Leader: “They have only eight weeks to campaign, but the outcome of their political races will greatly affect how Kentucky is governed. The field of candidates has been set for the four special state House elections that Gov. Matt Bevin (R) has scheduled for March 8.”

“Democrats have to win at least one of the elections to keep the majority they have enjoyed since 1921.”

Kansas Lawmaker Imposes Dress Code for Women

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Kansas state Sen. Mitch Holmes (R) “imposed a dress code on Kansans testifying on elections or ethics bills that explicitly prohibits women from wearing skimpy skirts or blouses with plunging necklines while establishing no wardrobe restrictions exclusively for men,” the Topeka Capital Journal reports.

“Holmes said he considered stipulating men had to wear suit and tie when addressing his Senate committee, but decided males didn’t need supplemental instruction on how to look professional.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

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“Now I’m kind of surprised that I’m still here and three more years to go. That is, unless I take my surplus campaign funds and put a ballot initiative on the November ballot to allow fourth-term governors to seek a final, fifth term. Heh heh.”

— California Gov. Jerry Brown (D), quoted by the Los Angeles Times.

Group Seeks Evidence to Convict Snyder

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“Hacking group Anonymous has set its sights on Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R), who is scrambling to address a drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan,” The Hill reports.

“The goal of the campaign is to gather evidence against Snyder and put him in jail. The governor has been widely berated for his slow response to the emergency in Flint, where lead levels in the drinking water have spiked since officials switched the water source to a local river to cut costs.”

Snyder Apologizes to Flint Residents

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Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) “spoke directly to Flint residents and vowed to fix the beleaguered city’s lead-contaminated drinking water, as protesters outside of the Capitol called for his resignation,” the Detroit News reports.

Said Snyder: “I’m sorry, and I will fix it. No citizens of this great state should endure this kind of catastrophe. Government failed you — federal, state and local leaders — by breaking the trust you placed in us. I’m sorry most of all that I let you down.”

New York Times: “The scandal over the water in Flint has engulfed Mr. Snyder in the biggest crisis of his tenure and reverberated far beyond the state’s borders.”

Wonk Wire: Flint’s water crisis underscores the need for big government

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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