Republicans in the statehouse, as well as Governor Mike DeWine, must decide whether they support Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump or Dick and Liz Cheney’s values.
Senate Bill 1 is the most recent attack on unions in Ohio, but it is not the first. Senate Bill 5, which opposes unions, was signed into law by Governor John Kasich in 2011.
The public was outraged, and they petitioned to have Senate Bill 5 repealed the same year. Who came to Kasich’s aid, you might wonder? Was this Donald Trump? No. It was former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, Liz Cheney.
The Cheneys, like Satan, are known by many different names. They are referred to as necons, RINOs, and corrupt warmongers.
No one calls them true conservatives.
The Cheneys raised and spent millions of dollars through their organization, “Alliance for a Stronger America,” to help Kasich abolish unions in Ohio.
However, none of their propaganda succeeded. Everyday Ohioans overwhelmingly voted to repeal Senate Bill 5 and protect our unions.
In stark contrast, Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump are regarded as true conservatives because their governing philosophy upholds the uniquely American tradition of a hardworking and prosperous middle class.
Historically, this meant putting the people ahead of the landed gentry and rewarding merit over class or status.
Today, we refer to this labor movement as “populism” and support unions. However, far too many politicians who claim to represent the Reagan and Trump parties are unaware of our pro-union roots.
The Republican Party was founded in 1854 by Abraham Lincoln to oppose slavery and to advocate for worker rights.
From 1920 to the 1990s, the national Republican Party platform was clearly pro-union. True, so-called neoconservatives led by the Cheneys were well-known anti-union activists.
However, the neocon movement failed to gain traction in the Republican Party and is now regarded as a minor blip between Reagan’s and Trump’s populist administrations. Before becoming governor or president, Reagan was a union leader.
In fact, he was the Screen Actors Guild of America’s president for seven consecutive terms. In turn, Trump became Reagan’s successor by winning Ohio by a landslide and demolishing the “blue wall” of union votes.
This realignment of union voters is the primary reason for the Ohio Republican Party’s current supermajority in the statehouse. It would be the height of irony if the supermajority elected by unions voted to abolish them.
Let me be clear: Senate Bill 1 is not a gift to conservatives, nor will it reduce liberal bias on campus.
Quite the opposite, Senate Bill 1 gives liberal deans and administrators complete control.
For a moment, pretend you’re a conservative professor. Statistically speaking, you are probably the only conservative in your department. Additionally, your department chair, dean, provost, and president are all liberal Democrats.
Let’s say you want to show your support for Donald Trump and J.D. Vance on Facebook.
“Better not,” your senior colleague cautions. “Thanks to Senate Bill 1, the dean can fire you at will, and the dean hates Trump.”
Tenure and unions protect minority viewpoints, and conservatives make up the tiniest minority on campuses. If Senate Bill 1 is passed without amendment, it will silence the endangered species known as the conservative professor.
Do not let Dick and Liz Cheney get the last laugh.
Take it from Ohio’s most conservative professor: if you truly want to help me and my conservative students, amend or veto Senate Bill 1.
