Buckeye State Blog - How did I miss this?!? Dann aides say: "Resign." Dann says: "You first..." - Comments

Toledo Mike

zygela — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:00:12 -0700

You're largely correct, save for two points. First, Dann's downfall had little to do with a "lack of "relevant experience." He had no less "relevant experience" than Betty Montgomery did in '94. Both were little-known state senators who had worked at small offices (Betty, Wood Co. Prosecutor's office - 4 attys.; Dann, small general practice in a strip mall). Though I didn't particularly like Betty, her tenure as AG, despite her limited experience, can hardly be viewed as an abject failure. Bottom line: Betty surrounded herself w/good managers; Dann didn't. Second, Chandra, despite his talents, lacked the base to win. He got clobbered in the primary 70/30. He had never held elected office and, thus, had no name ID. ODP leadership didn't "overlook" Chandra; it concluded that, as an unknown whose first-ever campaign was for a statewide office, he'd never win. I agree that, if Chandra somehow were anointed into the AG's office, the current circus in the office would not have occurred. But in '06 Chandra simply was not a viable alternative. With Chandra as the nominee, we might as well have just handed the keys back to Betty and save everyone the hassle. Rob Burch would have fared better.

It Goes Beyond Ohio, Too

Toledo Mike — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:11:25 -0700

I am extremely disappointed to see that Marc Dann defiantly remains in office against the will of the vast majority of Ohioans. It is also worth noting that this story is now being reported nationally and it distracts from the Democrats' message of bringing competence and integrity back to government after eight years of Republican rule in the White House. In short, there are potential national implications for Democrats in November which should focus the minds of those who have influence in the resolution of this situation.

As a quick aside, one of the unfortunate aspects about this is that there was an opportunity for Democrats to choose someone else in the 2006 primary: Subodh Chandra. The Ohio Democratic Party leadership, when endorsing Dann and therefore effectively securing his nomination, overlooked Subodh's relevant experience (as Cleveland’s law director) and integrity (complete with the public release of his FBI background check), while turning a blind eye to Marc Dann's lack of relevant experience and previous errors in judgment. There is absolutely no way that the current situation engulfing the Ohio Attorney General’s office would have occurred under Chandra's watch, period.

The bottom line: For the good of Ohio and beyond, Dann must go, and he should be given the boot as quickly as possible if he doesn’t have the decency to leave on his own.

Tamber1, how about some examples?

zygela — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:15:28 -0700

No, Tamber, I'm not a staffer, just someone trying to be objective. In any case, why don't you point to some examples of "missed deadlines," besides the one case where the deadline for fell on inauguration day. At least he didn't blame a copier.

And how about an example of achievements properly attributed to Petro? In fairness, there is one -- the Time Warner/AOL settlement. But Dann himself publicly credited Petro for not only filing the suit but also for refusing to join the class-action settlement, under which Ohio would have received far less money.

kjk - your comments.....

Schmennis — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:49:22 -0700

are insulting to Snake-oil salesmen! lol

kJk — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:21:54 -0700

How could you not tell Dann is slime until now?

kJk — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:20:17 -0700

For starters, sorry for these double posts. My browser is a major pain in the ass today...

"Marc Dann is more than a guy of high ambition who fell hard. He's starting to reveal that he was a phony from the beginning. That he played us all for fools, and that he's in this for one reason only- himself. A snakeoil salesman who, after dirting his office, now hides behind the badge of that office as if it were a barrier to questions of his own sleeze."

Modern, How long have you been in this game? Did you grow up physically within the boundaries of a major city, surrounded by friends and family who were also urban dwellers? If you haven't been in politics for really all that long, and if you aren't from a city, I give you a deserved pass.

But otherwise, how could you not tell Marc Dann was a phony and a scumbag the first time you laid eyes on him? I and nearly every Democrat I'm close to saw the true 16 year-old sheister the moment we came into contact with his presence. I and many other unendingly loyal Democrats undervoted in the AG's race because of this. There was a real fear that if he got into office, he'd take down the party with him. But we still wouldn't dare cast a vote for a Republican.

Um.

TAmber1 — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:43:18 -0700

I hate to break it to you, but most of Dann's "innovative" attacks on the industries you listed have gone nowhere. He has missed many filing deadlines on routine matters as well. The feathers in his cap that he always touts, the big settlements with the state in the past year and a half, were begun under Petro, not by him, and the vast majority of the legwork done by Petro's hires.

This wouldn't happen to be one of his staffers posting, would it? You write an awful lot like one of them that I know...

Modern, you're largely right here

zygela — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:10:00 -0700

But the good work his office is doing IS because of Dann. He inherited many good people, true enough, but he also brought in many others. And then he cracked down on predatory lenders; environmental criminals; Wall Street crooks; Blackwell's illegal severance payments; underperforming charter schools; voting suppression; illegal gambling; lead paint litigation; student loan, credit card, and payday loan scammers, and many more in his short tenure in office. Truth be told, he's been one of the top 4 or 5 most active state AGs in the country. Prior Ohio AGs had good people, too, but none of them can boast even a tenth of Dann's accomplishments -- oh yeah, how about Betty, whose feats include making Ohio the 40th state (rather than the first) to sign on to the tobacco settlement, missing a court filing deadline b/c apparently no copiers in the Rhodes Tower were working, and who can forget her all-important crusade in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to keep "In God All Things Are Possible" emblazoned in front of the State House? Concededly, Dann's latest antics are indefensible, but try not to lose sight of the office's many successes -- these were done at his initiative.

How did I miss this?!? Dann aides say: "Resign." Dann says: "You first..."

modernesquire — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:25:04 -0700

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing this out. I remember reading this story in the Plain Dealer, but I apparently missed this important nugget.

Even some on Dann's staff apparently want him out, if nothing more than to help the office start to regain its reputation.
One Democrat said top attorney general staffers on Monday asked Dann to resign. Dann told them he was staying but that he would accept their resignations.
Office spokesman Ted Hart said no one quit on Monday, and he would not confirm whether there was a confrontation between Dann and his senior staff.

Why should these staffers resign?!? After all, they're the only ones who have been bothering to show up to do actual work. They didn't wait until their exploits became front-page news to "roll up their sleaves" and decide to be professional. While Marc Dann, Guiterrez, and Jennings were trying to make a live-action version of "Old School" out of the AG's office, these people, who have more respect for the office than obviously Dann ever did, kept their heads down and did their work. Work that Dann now wants to take credit for as an excuse for his disgrace and incompetence.

What nerve Dann has to ask these people that they resign inside! What unmitigated gall and arrogance! And yet, Dann would want to entire State to believe that his problems aren't a distraction in his office and it hasn't affected its operations. What utter B.S.

And the thing that is so sickening, so pathetic about Dann, is that it's the work of these top staffers that he has latched onto to justify him staying on the job. These people do fine work, but that's in spite of Marc Dann, not because of him.

And instead of acting like the contrite and apologetic boss he's been trying to portray himself to the media, he tells these people, who have done no wrong except to express their utter disgust at Dann's betrayal of their loyalty to his office, to hit the bricks.

Every day, every story, every second this goes on is yet another exhibit for the unbending ego of Marc Dann. He is in the office today for one reason only: it's not for the people of Ohio, for the Democratic Party, or even to try and rehabilitate the workplace so that his dedicated and professionally employees are no longer embarassed to mention where they work. It's none of that. Dann is doing this for Marc Dann alone. He doesn't care about who he hurts, who is harmed, or what the consequences are.

Anyone else notice that now the media is getting comments from Dann's political campaign, and not just his office? That he's starting to restart his campaign organization to help him fight this. And that he's hired a Texas oppo research guy for him to start digging dirt on Dann's enemies (you know, the world, including some in our own party?) Dann is ready to threatening to take a scorched earth strategy while the rest of us wring our hands as to whether we should just not pick a fight and let him bully his way until 2010.

Marc Dann is more than a guy of high ambition who fell hard. He's starting to reveal that he was a phony from the beginning. That he played us all for fools, and that he's in this for one reason only- himself. A snakeoil salesman who, after dirting his office, now hides behind the badge of that office as if it were a barrier to questions of his own sleeze.

How can anyone still defend this man? How can anyone defend him after hearing hat he told his senior staff that if they wanted him gone, then they should resign when they've done nothing wrong? How many other scapegoats must be sacrificed at the egotistical alter of Marc Dann? When will this nightmare end?