He forgot the Tafts

James Taranto was commenting in his column August 19 about dynasties in American politics, beginning with some folks I‘ve never heard of on the Illinois scene.

“Family dynasties like this [in Illinois] are remarkably common in American politics. President Bush is the son of a president and grandson of a senator. Benjamin Harrison was William Henry Harrison's grandson, and John Quincy Adams was John Adams's son. Sen. Evan Bayh, a leading vice presidential candidate, is the son of a man who held the same Senate seat. Al Gore is the son of a senator. FDR, Barry Goldwater and Ted Kennedy all had sons who served in Congress.”

He overlooked Ohio’s former Governor Bob Taft (Robert Alphonso Taft II) whose Taft fore bearers included a president, senators, supreme court judges, secretaries of war, ambassadors, as well as state legislators. Also, Taft is the 8th cousin once removed of President Bush, and 9th cousin once removed of Vice President Cheney. He came in 50th among the governors in a poll (probably by the press), and was literally hounded out of the country at the end of his second term (term limits in Ohio), not by rumors of a love child, wide stance, angry controlling wife, links to a real estate scandal and unsavory Marxists or multiple affairs, but by ethics convictions for accepting several paltry, miscellaneous gifts that would have embarrassed Bill and Hillary (like a portrait of Zanesville, OH) and an obscure supporter’s misuse of investments in old coins. Really a bland guy by either Democratic or Republican D.C. standards--and especially Illinois'. This allowed Ted Strickland’s supporters to smear Kenneth Blackwell in the 2006 gubernatorial race. But of course, THAT wasn’t racism or negative campaigning.

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Poetry Thursday--a betrayal of trust

Last week I took a writing class at the Rhein Center here in Lakeside with Patricia Mote. One of our assignments was to write an editorial, poem or song lyrics about a fallen person in public life--a president, sports figure or celebrity. I chose Bob Taft (Robert A. Taft, II), our former two-term governor of Ohio, who by the end of his term was ranked 50th of the 50 governors.

He bears one of the most famous names in American politics--Taft. His Taft fore bearers have included a president, senators, supreme court judges, secretaries of war, as well as state politicians. He left office entangled in an ethics scandal (quite mild by standards of other politicians), and he and his wife went to Africa where he had served in the Peace Corps as a young man. He will be at the University of Dayton this fall.

Poor Bob Taft
by Norma Bruce

Gone are the days when our Taft name was strong and great.
Gone are my state house friends who also met my fate.
Gone from Columbus to far off Tanzania,
Peace Corps memories and far off Tanzania.

I'm going, I'm going, this life is still a draft--
I read the Zogby ethics polling, poor Bob Taft.

Why do I weep so, it can now not be improved,
George Bush is my eleventh cousin once removed,
And I'm the ninth cousin of Richard Bruce Cheney;
Yes, in my family, Vice President Cheney.

I'm going, going, before I get too daft--
I hear the ethics charges tolling poor Bob Taft.