Weird version of poker

Kasich and the Republicans picked this fight, not organized labor.  The Republicans declared that the Democrats couldn’t stop it.  They could pass whatever they wanted.  That is what happened.  Anyone who suggests that the Republicans wanted this to be bipartisan all along is lying.  It wasn’t bipartisan when they pulled Seitz off the committee to pass the bill out.  Or when they twisted all the arms of LaRose and others to get the bill passed.  Then, they let the House Republicans lurch the bill further to the right.  And because Kasich imposed a timeline for passage, they let the House changes stand rather than force the bill into a conference committee.

Then they ridiculed a referendum process as being nothing but union special interests funded.  But then the poll numbers hit.  The Ohio Republican establishment from Kasich on down decided to play a political game of high stakes poker because they looked at their numbers in the General Assembly and concluded that they were sitting on a full house.   Unfortunately, they didn’t realize this was a draw game, and once Kasich signed SB 5, We Are Ohio turned a junk hand into a royal flush.

Now, I’m no expert in poker, or it’s various versions of the game.  However, I’m totally unaware of any version of any card card game wherein a party can fold and then force their opponent to split the pot.  But that’s what the SB 5 supporters are trying to criticize “We Are Ohio” for not agreeing to this rule.

John Kasich went all in with his entire governorship in on SB 5.  Now, realizing the folly of betting the farm, he wants to renege pull the deed from the pot.  Or someone else is trying to save him from his bet.  Regardless, let’s be perfectly clear what’s occurred here.  Kasich bet the farm and now wants to walk it back.   The only reason Building a Better Ohio would try to avoid having Kasich’s bet called is because they know they can’t win and are about to lose it all.