Tuesday morning, Mitt Romney visited a group of volunteers at an Ohio call center working to keep a state bill limiting the collective bargaining rights of about 350,000 Ohio state workers on the books. But what could have just been another stop on the Romney schedule has since drawn an onslaught of accusations that he is "flip-flopping" his stance on Ohio Governor John Kasich's collective bargaining legislation.

When asked about his position on SB-5, a bill scaling back collective bargaining for public employees that was passed by a Republican-controlled legislature and signed by Kasich in April, Romney said he didn't have one.

But in June Romney seemed to be singing a different tune, writing on his Facebook page, "My friends in Ohio are fighting to defend crucial reforms that the state has put in place to limit the power of union bosses and keep taxes low. I stand with John R. Kasich and Ohio's leaders as they take on this important fight to get control of government spending." (read more)

Politicians honoring successful sports teams is nothing new but the Ohio's governor decision to heap praise on the new NBA champs, from Texas, is sure to draw notice for the not-too-subtle jab taken at the basketball star who fled the Buckeye State leaving millions of his fans steamed.

While running for office, Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich had a clear position on LeBron James. Last June, Kasich told Alan Colmes' Fox Radio Show, "We've lost 400,000 jobs out here and the last guy I worry about is LeBron James."

A month later the NBA All-Star announced he was "taking his talents" to Miami, shunning his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers who drafted the Ohio native out of high school. The move broke the hearts of many Cleveland sports fans, who saw James as the key to ending a long running major sports championship drought. The last Cleveland team to win a title was the Cleveland Browns which brought home the (pre-Super Bowl era) NFL title in 1964.

But LeBron moved on...and Kasich won the gubernatorial race.

Then, Sunday night, the James-led Miami Heat lost the NBA title to the Dallas Mavericks. In the next day's Cleveland Plain-Dealer, above the fold, above the masthead was a post-game picture of James solemn-faced, with the headline: "Dallas Leaves LeBron Ringless" (read more)

Protestors shouted "shame" in the chamber Wednesday as Ohio's State Senate narrowly passed a bill that limits collective bargaining rights for public workers. House-side hearings on the proposal could drag on for weeks, and the political repercussions for Governor and potential 2012 presidential challenger John Kasich could reverberate for even longer. But the Republican has four words for that: "I really don't care."

The G.O.P.-drafted bill, which would restrict the collective bargaining rights of some 350,000 teachers, firefighters, and other public employees, passed the Senate 17-16 Wednesday, with six Republicans voting against it. The proposal is now headed to the state House, where Speaker William Batchelder has indicated he intends to hold extended hearings before bringing the measure to a vote.

It's "fine" if the House delays a vote on the bill, Kasich, who supports the proposal as a necessary means to cut costs, told FOX & Friends Friday morning. "Let's find out what the needs are of labor and what the affordability is for the cities and school boards, and then let the people who were elected cast a vote on that. I think that's very, very fair."

"We just don't have any doubt that the bill will come to me. It will be signed into law," he said. (read more)