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"What the Hell They Got to Do with Ohio?"

In the Words of Late Ohio Gov. Voinovich

By The New ProgressivesPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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George Voinovich, late Gov. of Ohio, said it best back in 2009 when asked, what is wrong with the Republican Party? He answered: “We got too many Jim DeMints (South Carolina) and Tom Coburns (Oklahoma). It’s the southerners. They get on TV and go ‘errr, errrr.’ People hear them and say, '…these people, they’re southerners. The party’s being taken over by southerners. What the hell they got to do with Ohio?'"

Excellent question, Governor, and a question I want to put to Congressional Democrats today!

Remember the Tide—I Sure Will!

In January this year, before we Buckeyes enjoyed the sunshine of Southern Cal at the Rose Bowl and while Bama fans were thumping their chests about getting into the CFP over us, something Paul Finebaum said stuck in my craw and now I think it’s time to remember the Tide and the SEC.

Full disclosure, I am a dyed-in-the-wool Buckeye fan. I’m not only a fan, I’m the second out of three generations of OSU alums in my family, so it goes without saying, I wanted our team to get into the CFP this year; if for no other reason, for J.T. Barrett to go out his senior year with a National Championship ring of his own. But hell, for a Buckeye fan, winning the Rose Bowl is just as significant.

This year, OSU sat on the outside looking in and one-loss, no conference championship having Alabama took our spot in the playoffs. No sweat. We hit two of our three goals for every football season—the most important goals for Buckeyes—win the B1G and beat Michigan. Done and done.

I probably wouldn’t have even felt the need to write a post like this until I heard Paul Finebaum slip in a little nugget about how if OSU got into the CFP over Alabama, that Tide fans would once again feel slighted after being left out of the 1966 championship game when they believed that they were the best team in the country.

Alabama Slighted?

Let’s clear the bullshit. Alabama could not have possibly been the best team in the country in 1966 because they only played other all-White southern teams. They refused to step on the field with any team that had any black players. And furthermore, Alabama was the LAST team among NCAA D-I schools to have an all-White football team. They only broke the color barrier in 1970 after they got whooped by a bunch of Black dudes playing for USC.

You see, one thing I know about the south is that they don’t like competition in any way shape or form. They like to feel superior without actually being superior (see 400 years of slavery and 100 years of segregation). Their inbred championships all the way up until 1970 only proved how good they were versus other White southern boys. Good on all other schools that refused to play without their entire team.

Northern Teams' 'Gentleman's Agreement' with the SEC

That gentleman’s agreement that northern teams acceded to showed exactly my point. When northern teams did play southern teams, leaving their Black teammates at home, they got thumped. It finally occurred to them, ‘Why should we travel to your home field without our best players?’ Right? Alabama only played northern teams as long as their opponent had one-hand tied behind their backs and called that a game. Give me a fucking break.

ESPN's Unsportsmanlike Alliance

Now ESPN is in bed with the SEC (but there’s no conflict of interest, no SEC bias—ha!) and surprise, surprise, this year there was an all southern college football playoff. In the words of the departed former Gov. of Ohio, George Voinovich:

“We got too many Jim DeMints (South Carolina) and Tom Coburns (Oklahoma). It’s the southerners. They get on TV and go ‘errr, errrr.’ People hear them and say, ‘These people, they’re southerners. The party’s being taken over by southerners. What the hell they got to do with Ohio?’"

That was almost a decade ago. If Voinovich were alive today, he would be even more astonished at how the southern sentiment and sensibility has infected the entire country, from politics all the way down to national college sports. Well I’m sick of it. What the hell do they got to do with Ohio?

Make sure to check out the full episode "Democrats, If Not Now, When?" from The New Progressives Podcast, available on iTunes! Follow us on FB @TNPPodcst and on Twitter @TNPOnlyForward!

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The New Progressives

This is The New Progressives Blog where we talk no shit politics; shaming the devil by telling the truth. We don't pull punches, we don't watch our mouths, and we don't abide dumb shit; fighting to save our democracy!

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