Kimberly Strassel writes today in The Wall Street Journal about the failure of the Democratic Party's attempts to demonize business:

"Entire campaigns were crafted around the approach, no more so than in Ohio. Within hours of Mr. [John] Kasich's nomination, Ohio Democrats declared the race between him and Gov. Ted Strickland 'a battle between Wall Street and Main Street.' Democrats poured millions into the theme, with Strickland ads asking: 'Does Ohio really need a congressman from Wall Street for governor?' One Reuters article declared Mr. Kasich's opponents had painted a 'scarlet 'L' (as in Lehman) on his chest."

Of course in Ohio, as across the country, the effort has failed and Republican Gubernatorial candidate John Kasich currently holds a double-digit lead over incumbent Democrat, Ted Strickland.  There is a genuine sense that many people are waking up, looking around and noticing that things aren't getting better after massive amounts of government intervention.  Maybe business isn't that bad after all?

So it is even more ironic to see the stink raised by energy giant AEP over the Ohio Chamber of Commerce's decision to endorse Kasich over Strickland.  The Chamber's move is groundbreaking - the first statewide race endorsement in its history.  The Chamber has endorsed candidates before but has not made such statewide moves before.  According to the The Columbus Dispatch, AEP is pulling out of the Chamber:

"AEP leaders told chamber officials before the endorsement that they thought it was not appropriate for the chamber to endorse in the race.

'We said that we didn't think it was a good idea,' she said. 'It would create division, it pits businesses against one another, it pits candidates potentially against businesses.'"

I say good riddance to the AEP.  I'm considering boycotting them. . .oh, wait, I can't because of their quasi-governmental status, I have to buy electricity from them as their leaders hover near the top of list after list of the highest paid executives in Central Ohio. . .but who's bitter?

Here is the problem:  Business men and women avoid this stuff way too much.  Unions raise money, endorse and put boots on the ground while business leaders wring their hands and worry about divisiveness while bad policy harms the economic climate.  What the Ohio Chamber of Commerce did is exactly what business organizations should be doing.  It is called leadership and it serves and important role, especially as candidates try to portray themselves as someone they aren't during election time and business organizations know better and can speak up to help educate the public.

Congratulations to the Ohio Chamber for taking a stand.

Aside: Which individual business leaders support which candidate here.