The downfall of Bob Taft is that he accomplished nothing in eight years and shed a bad light on the Ohio GOP, you are correct, and he did nothing to help correct it.
I don’t think there is anyone running for President now that has destroyed the GOP in any way, and I don’t think anyone wants to. MA is a messed up state because of the dems (and has been for decades), not because of anyone else.
A Governor is the man (or woman) ultimately responsible for the success or failure of the party on their watch. To be a success, they either must maintain the majority they have, or grow the party if it is at a minority standpoint. The OH GOP was a powerhouse after being in the doghouse in the ‘80s. Thanks to 2 subpar or outright incompetent Governors, they eviscerated the party to only one statewide officeholder, lost a Senate seat, House seats, and barely retain the legislature.
MA is even worse. From 1991 until 2007, the state had FOUR “Republican” Governors. Beginning with William Weld, the state was competitive at the Presidential level and in 5 out of 10 Congressional districts (winning 3 during the ‘90s), won 5 statewide offices and was 5 seats away from winning a majority in the State Senate. After colossal incompetence, and after Romney’s fleeing from office, the state no longer is competitive Presidentially, no longer competitive for any federal office, holds barely above 10% of the legislature, and holds ZERO statewide offices. That’s not due to the Democrats... that’s due to RINO Governance. Deliberate sabotage. Romney carried out the agenda of William Weld to bury the state GOP as a viable opposition force to the Democrats, and in only 16 years, they made the MA GOP deader than any pre-1960s state GOP in the Deep South... in a state that was once one of the most Republican in America.
If you don’t understand why I’m fighting to keep destructive RINOs like Romney or Taft or the like from EVER being near positions of power, I don’t know what else to tell you, madam.