Pro-life Gonidakis soars in GOP circles

Akron native  Mike Gonidakis  is enjoying the greatest power surge of his career as president of Ohio Right to  Life. The greatest!

As the chummy lobbyist deeply inside Republican circles at the Statehouse, he won the hand of Gov. Kasich for an important appointment to the State Medical Board, which passes judgment on licenses and discipline of physicians -  a neat disconnect inasmuch as he's not a medical doctor while passing judgment on persons who are.

And he has is become a key figure  in  Atty. Gen. Mike DeWine's onslaught of anti-abortion initiatives.  As the recent  piece re-posted below from Plunderbund pointed out, Gonidakis has fared quite well since DeWine entered office four years ago, with his consulting business rising to 19 clients from a mere three.

We particularly were bemused by Gonidakis'  praise of DeWine after  the latter's arrival in 2010:  "Thank God for Mike DeWine and his leadership.   If it wasn't  for Mike DeWine, we would have taxpayer-funded abortions and mandatory funding of abortions in a public option."

In  appreciation of  DeWine's good behavior,  one can expect tens of thousands of campaign fliers to be sent out by ORL during the  AG's reelection campaign, just as the group did four years ago. (At that time, Gonidakis insisted to me that the group was "non-partisan".)

And so we get a strong clue of how cross-pollination works in politics.

But wait:  Gonidakis isn't finished.   Ohio Right to Life has now taken some steps that will not please his some folks in his Republican base.   His office has entered opponents in primaries  against  GOP officeholders:  Congressman David Joyce and State Sen Frank LaRose.

 He split hairs on whether right-to-life congressman  Joyce is pure enough. As for   LaRose, it was retribution for LaRose's proper opposition to Gonidakis' appointment to the medical board  based on his lack of qualifications.  Nothing was more political than Gonidakis' retaliation since it had nothing to do with abortion.