Kasich's hidden basketball trick

No one executes the hidden ball trick - no one - more often  than Gov. Kasich.  From his swift demolition  of former  Ohio GOP chief Kevin DeWine  to bring in  an eco-friendly  crony (Matt Borges)...to Jobs/Ohio...to his friendly appointments to state boards without fanfare, the governor has shown there's nothing too politically sticky that can't be explained by his K-squad.

The latest example arrived by way of Plunderbund, which noted that three of his appointments to the Ohio State Medical Board are avidly anti-abortion with some anti-genetic counseling tossed in.  We're not entirely clear on what Kasich would say, for example,  about the so-called heartbeat bill because he has yet to take a position.  He also was no more than a shadowy figure in the run-up to the anti-union vote on House Bill 5.  In that instance, however, he was said to be  exchanging strategy  with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who left no doubt about his opposition to public unions. As we wrote earlier, the GOP high command  is urging sponsors of right-to-work  legislation to remain silent until after next year's election. Cool.

Did I mention genetic  counseling?  It is the purely neutral expert counseling to couples  about any genes in the couple's history that could lead to problems to a newborn. The pro-life people see such counseling as the gateway to abortions, expertise or no expertise. Ohio Right to Life chief Mike Gonidakis, a Kasich appointee,  even wondered during a board meeting whether such counselors could scare couples into making bad decisions.

Meantime, the neutral governor has presided quietly  as the legislature busily engaged in more abortion restrictions.

Kasich's problem is hidden ball tricks are rarely  used in baseball anymore and are not very successful.  His ball is an outsize baskteball that should be apparent anybody paying even casual attention these days.