I'm starting to wonder...

...will we ever see a positive story on Ted Strickland again?

This beauty comes from the Akron Beacon Journal:

With silence rather than an outburst, Gov. Ted Strickland permanently altered his public persona last week with the surprising and unexplained firing of Mike Shoemaker, executive director for the Ohio School Facilities Commission.

[...]

Nice guys don't act like Strickland is acting now.

They don't throw old friends and political supporters like Shoemaker under the bus without even the courtesy of taking a few moments to explain why.

Ouch, eh?

So what kind of supporter was Shoemaker? Well, the kind that steps up and does what's necessary to help an ally.

Or while contemplating whatever problems Shoemaker posed for him, perhaps Strickland should have thought back to the closing days of his 1998 bid for re-election to the U.S. House against then-Lt. Gov. Nancy Hollister.

In the waning days of the campaign, Strickland was nervous and believed he was losing support in Ross County, Shoemaker's home, in large part over a tug-of-war regarding federal funds for highway construction.

So Shoemaker, whose name was in every household because his father had represented Ross County for years before him, was asked to speak in a series of radio spots to bolster Strickland's efforts. He did so without pause.

And this is how Strickland repays him.

Some cynics may respond by saying, "that's politics. It shows that Strickland has a killer instinct, and that's what's necessary if you want to win."

Well, where I come from, loyalty comes first. As the saying goes, 'ya dance with the guys that brung ya.'

But now it looks like Strickland is gonna be dancing by himself.


h/t: Johnny Drama