Ohioans who care about democracy must challenge the state

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Once you accept that you have undemocratic statehouses attacking democracy every week and all you do is play defense on some of those attacks, you have literally set yourself up for guaranteed failure.” David Pepper, former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, has an urgent message for every pro-democracy Ohioan: Go on the offense with your state rep and senator. Now. Find out whose team he or she is on — yours or the gun lobbyists, anti-abortion crusaders, ratepayer-robbing utilities, anti-trans bullies or right-wing operatives scaring the bejesus out of school parents with a fake crisis framed as leftist indoctrination to shame white kids.

Those who side with “the tyranny of the minority” in the Ohio General Assembly are easy to spot. They’re the ones voting for radical bills like enacting a total ban on abortion or waiving a license requirement for packing heat. Statehouse lawmakers pandering to extremists aren’t tackling real-life constituent problems (e.g. livable wages, affordable housing, health care, day care). They’re posturing as would-be autocrats with a ton of power to enact unpopular policy and inflame ridiculous “culture wars” that make life hell for the rest of us.


David Pepper, official photo.
In “Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-up Call from Behind the Lines,” Pepper is clanging the alarm about Ohio’s descent into extremism and corruption. He is desperate for you to hear what he has to say, “because the clock is ticking, and the next two election cycles are key.” He wants you to be freaked out over the autocratic trajectory we’re on with our far-right legislature as it openly engineers a voter-proof lock on minority rule. It’s a scary trend being replicated in statehouses across the country. Radical right politicians are passing laws widely opposed by a majority of voters — and almost no one knows about it.

Works for statehouse autocrats seeding the transformation from democracy to total dominion.

Pepper wrote “Laboratories of Autocracy” to shake up voters in Ohio and other states held hostage to partisan legislatures and to spell out what we stand to lose if we keep putting our heads in the sand. To be blunt: Politicians calling the shots on statewide policy — that affect everything from our quality of life and communities to fair elections — have decided they don’t need public input or consent to govern. The flourishing statehouse autocracies have largely escaped the attention of most people distracted by the 24/7 drumbeat of national politics, the mindless circus on Capitol Hill, the parade of Trump toadies prostrating themselves before the seditionist.

Pepper ruefully admits he feels a bit like Paul Revere racing to warn citizens that their democracy is under assault on the state level and time is running out to rescue representative government. He deftly weaves an insider’s account of Ohio politics with a play by play of great power being wielded with great anonymity. The mix invites misconduct. State politicians, flying under the public radar, know they can conduct the people’s business without scruples or shame — or consequence.

“The fact that [former Ohio House Speaker] Larry Householder gets re-elected amid the worst [statehouse] corruption scandal in Ohio history,” shows what happens when even a disgraced leader, at the heart of an explosive bribery and racketeering scheme, isn’t challenged in his own district, noted Pepper. No choice at the polls is a massive gift to notorious politicians happy to evade a robust debate about their record. No one ran against Householder except for write-in candidates and the indicted kingpin skated to victory.

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