Quick & Quotable (Columns from Washington, 1985-1997)

William Hershey used his weekly columns as the Akron Beacon Journal's Washington correspondent to send letters home from a foreign country with strange and self-important ways. The columns looked at how members of Congress from Ohio contributed to the headlines and what the headlines meant for readers in terms of issues such as the economy, clean air, trade and the United States' place in the world. The columns also kept readers up to date on the victories and setbacks of Ohio's national hero, Democratic U.S. Sen. John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth. They also previewed Ohioans who would go on to become major players in Ohio and national politics, including John Kasich, Rob Portman and John Boehner who became Ohio governor, U.S. senator and U.S. House speaker, respectively. The columns explained how presidential candidates succeeded or failed to woo voters in the nation's premier battleground state. Some columns focused on everyday Ohioans who came to Washington to protest nuclear weapons or speak up for better bus service. From time to time the columns looked beyond the official federal city to the “real” Washington where many residents struggle to just get by in the midst of the federal government's plenty.