Sen. Portman on Why Obama Can Claim Credit for Ohio State Championship
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United States Senate(WASHINGTON) — Credit the Ohio State Buckeyes for a tiny slice of bipartisanship in Washington.
President Obama wrapped up a meeting with House Speaker John Boehner last week by pointing out that they agree on the need for a college football playoff — a playoff that this year saw a team from Boehner’s home state win the national championship.
It was a glimpse into the way that sports can sometimes unite opposing parties in politics. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said on the ABC/ESPN podcast “Capital Games” that he’s more than happy to give the president some credit where it’s due.
“We don’t agree on a lot of things, but we agreed on this one,” Portman said. “So I’ll give him as much credit as he wants. He certainly has more influence than I do, or others.”
Portman said Ohio State’s national championship was a “sweeter victory” for the fact that it was earned through the playoff system. He said the Super Bowl-style atmosphere around the championship was great for all involved, including the new champions from his state.
He added that it’s not uncommon for sports to bring politicians together in Washington.
“It definitely makes a difference,” Portman said. “It definitely makes a difference in any relationship, and also on the Hill. A lot of us talk sports, and it’s bipartisan. It’s something that draws people together. You can find common ground.”
Portman added that he spoke with former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, who served on the playoff selection committee, after the championship game.
“I told her she’s already popular in Cleveland,” said Portman, referring to Rice being a fan of the Cleveland Browns. “Now she’s really popular in Columbus.”
The Boehner-Obama relationship has never been particularly close. But the two share a love of golf, and participated in a much-hyped round together in 2011 that quickly became known as the “golf summit.”
Also on the program, ESPN senior writer Don Van Natta Jr. — the author of a book about presidential golf, First Off the Tee — said that round of golf got overly politicized, possibly due to some pregame trash talk from Boehner.
Van Natta also said that, like most golfing presidents, Obama has rarely used the game as a chance to build relationships with lawmakers. The current president has generally golfed with the same small group of longtime friends and White House aides.
“Presidents use golf as an escape,” he said, noting that Obama “forbids talk of politics” on the course.
Van Natta recalled a 2002 round of golf he played with former President Bill Clinton where Clinton’s actual number of strokes was more than twice the number recorded on his scorecard.
He also said that former President Lyndon B. Johnson, who was a “horrible golfer,” was the one president who used golf as a lobbying opportunity, including around the Civil Rights Act.
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