High-handed op-eds blasted jerk (8)
I believe the answer is:
despotic
'high-handed' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'op-eds blasted jerk' is the wordplay.
'blasted' indicates anagramming the letters.
'jerk' becomes 'tic' (I've seen this before).
'op'+'eds'='opeds'
'opeds' is an anagram of 'despo'.
'despo'+'tic'='DESPOTIC'
(Other definitions for despotic that I've seen before include "Like a cruel ruler" , "Cruelly oppressive" , "Like the Czar" , "Referring to absolute power" , "Authoritarian" .)