In this week's episode of Snollygoster, Ohio's politics podcast from WOSU, hosts Mike Thompson and Steve Brown discuss how Ohio politicians are responding to the violent breach of the U.S. Capitol building by pro-Trump extremists. Ohio Public Radio Statehouse News Bureau chief Karen Kasler joins the show.
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In this week's episode:
Capitol Coup
An angry mob of extremist Donald Trump supporters broke windows, ransacked offices, and took control of the Senate chamber on Wednesday. Four people died, as one woman was shot and three others suffered fatal medical incidents during the protests.
In the end, Congress did its job. The mob left. Only a handful of people were arrested. The House and Senate went back into session and formally declared Joe Biden the winner of the presidential election.
Of course, Ohio lawmakers were right in the thick of it, sheltering in place or scurrying to safety. After the dust settled, reactions from Ohio Democrats were one version or another of, "We told you so."
The reactions of Republican are the bigger story because, except for a few, they all either downplayed Trump’s false allegation of a rigged election or actively participated in discredited conspiracy theories of voter fraud.
Sen. Rob Portman, for example, took a month to admit Biden was the President-elect and recently called for a commission to investigate unfounded allegations of voter fraud. On Wednesday, he finally took a stand on the Senate floor.
Gov. Mike DeWine, who last Saturday told CNN that we had to satisfy the "people who were concerned about voter fraud,” called yesterday's events "an embarrassment to our country."
When Congress reconvened, many Rebublican senators changed course on certifiying the electoral college results. But five congressman from Ohio still voted to overturn the election: Reps. Jim Jordan, Bob Gibbs, Bill Johnson, Steve Chabot and Warren Davidson.
Proud Boys In Columbus
The protests were not limited to the U.S. Capitol. Pro-Trump protesters, including far-right extremists the Proud Boys, marched on the Statehouse. There was even a bit of violence when one pro-Trump protester sucker-punched a counter demonstrator.
Send questions and comments to snollygoster@wosu.org.
