This week, a roundtable discussion about three big topics.
First, the First Amendment. The murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk fueled a lot of hyperbolic rhetoric. Some liberals celebrated his murder on social media. Republicans, led by President Trump, broadly blamed the assassination on liberal groups and donors, although evidence so far indicates the shooter acted alone.
In other news, Ohio Lt. Governor Jim Tressel announced he will not run for governor, clearing the path on the Republican side for Vivek Ramaswamy.
Speaking of Ramaswamy, he has become a darling of organized labor, in a way, with major unions endorsing him for governor while at the same time endorsing Democrat Sherrod Brown for U.S. Senate.
To wade through all this, we turn to our panel: Statehouse reporter Sarah Donaldson of Ohio Public Radio, the Ohio Hispanic Coalition’s Joe Mas and Republican strategist Mike Gonidakis.
Snollygoster of the week
One sure way to win this award is to compare your opponent to Hitler, Nazis or fascists.
Last week, we called out U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno for referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as the "Führer." This week, we turn to a couple of progressives outside Columbus' ABC affiliate who were protesting its decision not to air the Jimmy Kimmel Show. A couple of them held signs accusing the Trump administration of fascism.
Now, here’s how Merriam-Webster defines fascism:
Fascism: a populist political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and by forcible suppression of opposition.
We’re not there. Congress is still pushing back. Courts have intervened. Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air and not in jail.
Actions of the FCC are controversial and concerning to those of us in the media, but they don’t meet the definition of fascism.