PD: Strickland Likes it Both Ways, Lacks Principle
From the liberal Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial board:
Naked surrender
Monday, May 28, 2007
Were he a member of the legislature, Gov. Ted Strickland says, he would have voted against a strip club bill that imposes “no-touch” restrictions on nude and semi-nude dancers.
So it stands to reason, then, that he would veto the strip club bill sent him by the legislature, no?
No.
Instead, Strickland performed a little lap dance around logic, allowing the bill to become law without his signature.
It’s painfully obvious that Strickland is trying to have it both ways. He wants to side with the majority of legislators - and probably a sizable majority of the public - who support the strip club restrictions. And he wants to send a message to the bill’s opponents that he privately agrees with them.
Nice try, but it won’t work. If Strickland would have voted against the bill, he should have stood on principle and vetoed it - even if he thought the veto would be overridden.
