For Democrats in Ohio, last week's elation of winning an election is starting to fade into the realization that we now have to govern and make choices that people won't like. Make choices supporters won't like.
Just as Congressman-elect Don Leonard, the Democrat, mentions in a Dispatch article, he is unsure about supporting Hakeem Jeffries for House speaker, and he says he's getting all kinds of pressure from establishment Democrats in Washington. Welcome to Congress, Mr. Leonard.
At the Statehouse, Amy Acton and her transition team are building her administration. It is a lot of work, with scores and scores of positions to fill. Lots of people are calling her for jobs.
That's the logistics of a transfer of power, and she faces the prospect of dealing with substantial Republican majorities in both the Ohio House and Senate. Though the GOP majority in the House is smaller than it was, Democrats, if they stick together, can uphold any veto she issues.
This has not happened in a while, 20 years, in fact, when then-Congressman Ted Strickland was elected governor and had to form a state government in quick fashion.
Ted Strickland joins the show.
Snollygoster of the week
You would think politicians would avoid the term lame duck at all costs. Just imagine what a lame duck looks like: a duck nearing the end of its days, struggling to stay afloat, limply waddling away from the shore.
But that's the name of a legislative session when lawmakers have really nothing to lose, after they have lost.
Well, the Republican-dominated Ohio Legislature once again embraces its lame status, especially now that it faces the prospect of having to deal with a Democratic governor in the next session.
Lawmakers have passed a bill taking factory-made sawed-off shotguns off the state's restricted weapons list. They are pushing a bill to make the already difficult process of building wind and solar farms more difficult.
And they are just getting started. Many of these bills would face a veto from future Gov. Acton, so lawmakers are rushing to pass them now while the more friendly Gov. DeWine is in office.
Why we allow outgoing lawmakers to pass laws in a rushed session after an election is beyond logic. But it's pretty shrewd, and for that, lame-duck lawmakers get our Snollygoster of the Week award.