John Nichols: Ohio’s Pro-Union Vote Sends a Strong Message

John Nichols: Ohio’s Pro-Union Vote Sends a Strong Message

John Nichols: Ohio’s Pro-Union Vote Sends a Strong Message

Ohio voted down Issue 2 yesterday in a major victory for progressives.

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Ohio voted down its controversial Issue 2 yesterday in a major victory for unions and progressives across the state. Now that Issue 2 has been struck down, a law previously introduced by Governor John Kasich that would have banned state employees from collective bargaining will not go into effect. Kasich admitted that "the people have spoken" and said that he would "spend some time and reflect on this."

The Nation‘s John Nichols joined The Ed Show after voting had closed last night to explain what this victory means to Ohioans and Americans. He urges Republicans in other states to take this clear message from Ohio.

Jin Zhao

We cannot back down

We now confront a second Trump presidency.

There’s not a moment to lose. We must harness our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger, to resist the dangerous policies Donald Trump will unleash on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as journalists and writers of principle and conscience.

Today, we also steel ourselves for the fight ahead. It will demand a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis, and humane resistance. We face the enactment of Project 2025, a far-right supreme court, political authoritarianism, increasing inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis, and conflicts abroad. The Nation will expose and propose, nurture investigative reporting, and stand together as a community to keep hope and possibility alive. The Nation’s work will continue—as it has in good and not-so-good times—to develop alternative ideas and visions, to deepen our mission of truth-telling and deep reporting, and to further solidarity in a nation divided.

Armed with a remarkable 160 years of bold, independent journalism, our mandate today remains the same as when abolitionists first founded The Nation—to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom, serve as a beacon through the darkest days of resistance, and to envision and struggle for a brighter future.

The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

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Onwards,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

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