Not that I'm a slave to trends in journalism, but maybe we should just call the latest from the Statehouse in Columbus "TaftGate". Seems fitting.

The WSJ has a view of the political landscape that those of us so close to the forest might not.

Hat tip: Crain's Cleveland Business (you need a paid subscription to get the article itself from WSJ)

The editorial page of The Wall Street Journal has a different take on the undisclosed golf outings and gifts that put Gov. Taft in trouble.

“Yes, the law is the law, and the golf probe is part of a larger investigation into political corruption in Ohio.” The Journal opines.

“The prosecutor said the total value of the gifts Mr. Taft didn't report was $5,800 over four years. On the other hand, if this is the worst that
prosecutors have been able to come up with, then modern politics must be cleaner than we thought. We've been raised never to trust a politician, but we also don't recall meeting any who can be purchased by 18 holes.

“The no-free-golf rule strikes us as the triumph of a certain kind of modern ethicist who thinks even the small favors of everyday life such as a free lunch are corrupting. Ohio's real political crime is an economy listing under the burden of runaway spending and high taxes, but at least its citizens can now be sure that the state's politicians aren't getting a free ride around sand traps.”

If the Democrats can’t take back the governor’s mansion next year,
they’re even more hopeless than they’ve been for the last 16 years of Republican domination. Only the most die-hard Republicans can argue that the party deserves to remain in power.

Hear! Hear!

Let's make one thing clear: The party establishment probably doesn't deserve to be in power. But don't confuse them with average Ohio Republicans and those who voted Republican.