Moments like this make me think Mike DeWine isn't dumb enough or evil enough to actually be a Republican. He actually has a soul and he'll make his own party double-down on transphobia if they're so committed to it. We should've still impeached him for screwing up the March 2020 primary election, though.
He also hasn’t signed off on any of the proposed changes to the marijuana legislation that the Ohio GOP were trying to push through before 12/7 when the law would go into effect.
he’s being really shrewd here I think, he’s kind of closing the door on the most insane of the transphobe crowd and forcing them to justify their most outrageous and absurd claims if they want to criticize him for blocking this.
I imagine he’s also telling all his colleague in the party “ What the fuck are you thinking, in what world do you think this is an election winning issue to hang our hats on. We’re going to look like a bunch of freaks if we try and make this the next culture war issue!”
DeWine has been nothing but shrewd since taking the governorship. His metered and somewhat displined display during COVID almost guaranteed he wouldnt be unseated by a Dem. His only real major fuckups anyone noticed were with SB6 and the firstenergy scandal. He may yet get caught in that snare. He is still playing out of the adult in the room playbook while not antagonizing the Trumpier parts of the state. Hes is term limited so he could go bananas but I feel like he wont. But if they provide him something he can kind of defend, he will sign it.
While good for now, he wants the legislation to go back on the drawing board to make it more bulletproof for the inevitable court battle. This is a break in the fighting. We didnt win the war.
