The Rooster's May Mailbag
Why does Speaker Matt Huffman need an alibi for April 19, 1995? Is Jon Husted really that dumb? And can Dr. Amy Acton really win? All those questions—and more—answered in this month's mailbag.
Before we begin today, I wanted to highlight a recent appearance on The Crewcible podcast hosted by Michael Arace of The Disrespected.
We discussed the extirpation of newspapers (and the downwind effects), the corrupt oligarch Jimmy Haslam, and the NWSL-to-Columbus deal.
If you’re a fan of the Columbus Crew or Columbus Blue Jackets, please give The Disrespected a follow to support new-look, independent media in an underserved market in Columbus.
Welcome to the May Mailbag, where I try to answer the readership’s most burning questions about life, love, and the deteorating material conditions in the increasingly insigifnicant backwater outpost we love to call home.
As always, the questions are in bold with my responses in standard text.
Some questions have been lightly edited for clarity, syntax and grammar.
Another Marion story, please and thank you...
In Oct. 2009, at the height of the Great Recession, I test drove a Chevy Cruze on High Street for a $10 prepaid VISA card. Good money for the day!
That night, my Marionaire friends and I went to the now-defunct downtown Bar Louie.
I offered my bartender the Visa, which at that point, had about $4 left in the tank, to start a tab. She said that she needed to keep my ID as part of the collateral.
I flashed her my passport card and told her I was stopping through town on my way to Detroit as part of the automakers bailout, as evidenced by the credit card reading, “The Chevrolet Company.”
Unfortunately, government policy prevented me from surrendering my ID for obvious reasons.
I smiled. She smiled.
It was Halloween weekend. The bar was packed. She, like me, was probably drunk.
Whatever the circumstances, the ruse worked like a charm, and my friends and I put about $150 of Rum & Cokes on the tab of the generous “Chevy Man” before absconding into the night.
If Sherrod Brown wins the special Senate election, will he run for re-election again, or would he find an heir apparent for 2028? Who could that be?
Sherrod has had 20 years to find an heir apparent. It’s not happening at this stage of the game.
But when it looked like Brown was going to run for governor, I was credibly told that his “bigwig” donors in Southwestern Ohio wanted him to run for Senate, but only to complete the term through 2028.
It seemed like the dumbest possible timeline. But Brown is 74, and it’s unlikely he would relish another statewide campaign in 2028, even if his money allows him to fight that battle through paid media.
The decision will be worth it if the Democrats retake the Senate.
But if Brown had run for governor, as he’d originally intended, we’d already have had several Republicans self-immolate on the Statehouse steps.
What are some good things about Ohio?
We have a world-class library system. And we’re as well-positioned as any other state to weather the effects of climate change.
What is the backstory for why you seek an alibi from Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman on April 19, 1995?
