The 2020 presidential debate provided one of the most memorable quotes of that campaign: Joe Biden telling then-President of the United States Donald Trump, "Will you shut up, man?"
Next week, the same two men will meet again on the debate stage. CNN will host the first of two scheduled debates at its studios in Atlanta. It will be one of the most closely-watched political events in history. Voters likely will learn nothing new about the two men's policies, but we will see if they are up for the job for the next four years.
Of course, we’ll be watching Joe Biden to see how his 81 years on the planet are catching up to him. And we’ll be watching Donald Trump, who is only three years younger, to see if his convictions and indictments are catching up to him.
In the days leading up to the debate, the campaigns and candidates are preparing, fine-tuning their messages, and trying to anticipate questions from the moderator and attacks by their competitors.
Republican Strategist Terry Casey joins the show to discuss how candidates prepare.
Text or call
In the House Bill 6 Nuclear Bailout Scandal, Gov. Mike DeWine has never been charged with a crime or even seriously implicated in any wrongdoing. However, the connection between the governor and the scandal is clear. He had close ties to FirstEnergy, the utility at the heart of the case, and he appointed Sam Randazzo, the chair of the state's Public Utilities Commission, who was charged with accepting bribes before he died by suicide this spring.
Every couple of months, another drip of evidence of DeWine’s ties to the case leaks out. As first reported by Cleveland.com, DeWine in 2018 texted FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones in the final days of his first campaign for governor. DeWine asked Jones to call him and noted that the Ohio Teachers Union was giving big bucks to DeWine’s opponent, Richard Cordray.
A few days later, FirstEnergy gave $500,000 to a political action group that supported DeWine, and FirstEnergy’s lobbyist told Jones to let DeWine know about the donation.
DeWine told reporters this week that he did not recall the conversation, and strongly denied the donations affected his decision to support the nuclear plant bailouts.
There's no evidence of a crime, just a candidate in a tough race asking for money. But it is another bit of evidence of FirstEnergy’s influence at the highest reaches of state government.
Snollygoster of the week
This week, lawmakers in Louisana passed a requirement that every classroom post the Ten Commandments—but they did not stop there. They mandated the posters be a certain size and have an easily readable font.
If you have a suggestion for our "Snollygoster of the Week" award, a question or a comment, send them to snollygoster@wosu.org.