Rob Portman’s announcement Tuesday that he will resign as White House budget director puts the popular former Cincinnati-area congressman back in play as a force in Ohio politics – and as a potential statewide candidate in coming elections. For a political figure who’s maintained a reputation as an honest, skilled consensus builder while maneuvering through Washington’s power circles, it’s another well-timed move.
By returning to Cincinnati in August “to spend more time with my family,” as Portman said, he makes a graceful early exit from the troubled Bush administration while having helped steer the White House onto what he calls more “fiscally responsible” course. And Portman, who represented Ohio’s 2nd District in the U.S. House between 1993 and 2005, positions himself to be active in local and state Republican politics during the coming presidential election year.
Portman served as U.S. trade representative for a year before becoming budget director in May 2006. “I have been in the midst of the battle here on fiscal issues,” Portman said in a conference call with the Enquirer on Tuesday morning, before his resignation was announced.
“It’s tough to leave a meaningful job where I’ve been able to make a difference. But I’ve been doing this (Cincinnati-Washington) commute for 14 years, and this particular job doesn’t lend itself to commuting. It’s also a good time to leave because it is the start of the new budget process for 2009.”
• Comment: What's next for Rob Portman?
While the timing of his resignation may have been a surprise, it’s not unusual to see White House officials leave such posts before the end of an administration, and it shouldn’t be seen as a step backward in his career.
The real question is what Portman will decide to do next. His career has been distinguished by his ability to collaborate with colleagues in both parties, even those who disagree strongly with his conservative point of view, and craft consensus legislation. In the House he was the key player on reforms of unfunded mandates, the IRS, the tax code and pension policy.
But Democrats’ taking control of Congress last fall – and particularly, winning the Ohio governorship and other statewide offices – changed that calculation. Portman notes that ethics and spending led the list of reasons why independent voters shifted to the Democrats, and why fewer Republicans went to the polls than expected. “A lot of that was attributable to a voter sense that (Republicans) had lost our way on taxes and spending,” Portman said.
He hopes the 2008 election reverses or at least halts the GOP losses. “The president is firmly on record supporting more restraint in spending,” Portman said. “This has the advantage of drawing a distinction between the parties.”
Designated budget successor Jim Nussle, a former Republican House member from Iowa, “will be very well received on the Hill,” said Portman, who added that the change doesn’t signal a different direction for the White House on budget matters. “He will continue our commitment to fiscal discipline – reasonable restraint on the spending side while keeping taxes low.”
Portman said it’s unlikely he’ll run for any office in 2008, and area voters shouldn’t be looking for him to reclaim his old House seat. It’s more likely that he could be a statewide candidate in 2010 – perhaps taking on Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland. “There’s a Senate race in 2010, but (incumbent George) Voinovich I assume will run again. So I’m also looking at 2012, obviously.” That’s when Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, will be up for re-election.
Until then, Portman said, “my immediate focus is going to be my family.” His plans later this summer, after he leaves Washington, include camping and hiking trips with his teenage children.
Portman has served Southwest Ohio and the nation well during the past 14 years, and deserves the break. We congratulate him on his service, and look forward to the next chapter in his career.
Source : news.enquirer.com
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