Wagoner was the final vote Gov. Ted Strickland needed to get a proposed bill that would delay a state income tax of 4.2 percent out of the Senate.

Wagoner had fighting words for all of state government following the decisive vote.

First, he cracked on Democrats because of their unwillingness to consider republican alternatives, but then came the haymaker on fellow Republican Senators.

As Reported in the Toledo Blade:

“Then he turned his frustrations on members of his own caucus, some of whom, he said, had approached him eager for anyone to cast the deciding vote as long as it wasn’t them.

Word on the street is that Republicans were terrified of ticking off their far right constituents because essentially, the tax delay is a tax hike.

Here’s what Wagoner had to say:

“It’s easier to ask somebody else to take a bullet…If we were all storming the beaches of Normandy right now, very few in our caucus would have gotten off the boat.”

Hey ohhh!

So, now what?

Wagoner expects some fallout over his vote, but it looks like he’s willing to pay the price.

“I’m sure there will be consequences, both political and personal, but leadership is hard…Making tough decisions is hard. I stand by my vote, and I’ll take the heat that comes.”

Will conservatives be mad? Probably, but I give props to Wagoner. Tough people make tough decisions in crunch time regardless of how unfavorable/favorable their actions are.

On the other hand, some candidates proudly declared they voted “No” via Twitter. Thanks for playing it safe John Husted. Smooth sailing up until November I see, Mr. Future Secretary.

In closing, this won’t affect Wagoner in the long run. He’s in office until 2012, and then he’s eligible to run again if he chooses. He got over 60 percent of the vote last time and he’s in the northern part of the state.

Until Later,

T Weed