Tonight, the Democrat candidates for Governor will debate for the first time since Dennis Kucinich and Richard Cordray entered the race. With these two on the stage, one cannot help but draw comparisons to the 2016 presidential primary, which divided Democrats across the country.
On one side, there was Bernie Sanders with a host of (radical) policy proposals. On the other side, was Hillary Clinton with almost zero substance and an heir apparent attitude.
Since Clinton’s loss to President Trump, not much has changed for the Democrats. Tensions between the Bernie and Hillary factions are as high as ever, and substance is still hard to come by from the favored candidate.
Take Richard Cordray, for example. The former Obama bureaucrat and establishment darling has avoided making any substantive proposals since leaving D.C. to enter the race. He even refused to answer a questionnaire from the Columbus Dispatch that every other gubernatorial candidate completed.
Unfortunately, the only positions that Cordray takes are found in his painfully awkward tweets:
Then there is Dennis Kucinich, who is offering plenty of absurd proposals. His promise to ban fracking shows just how radical Democrats have become. Natural gas and oil support more than 260,000 jobs in Ohio, and the industry added nearly $40 billion to the state’s economy in 2015 alone. Do Ohio Democrats really support killing such a vital industry?
That brings us to tonight’s debate.
On one side, operating as though he owes Ohio voters nothing, is Cordray. On the other side, with the backing of Bernie Sanders’ “Our Revolution PAC,” is Kucinich. Welcome to Hillary v. Bernie 2.0.
“Tonight Dennis Kucinich and Richard Cordray will battle for the soul of their party. Cordray can discuss his scandal filled tenure as Elizabeth Warren’s puppet at the CFPB and Kucinich can talk about his credentials as a ‘Bernie Bro,’ but regardless of who wins, Ohioans know that these Democrats are out of touch. When voters go to the polls in November, they will support a proven leader for Governor – Mike DeWine.” – ORP Spokesman Blaine Kelly