Buckeye State Activism Bodes Well for Fall Battles
Yours truly was privileged to be on a panel with fellow Ohio bloggers Maggie Thurber of Thurber’s Thoughts and Matt Hurley of Weapons of Mass Discussion, with Matt’s co-blogger Mark Garbett pitching in to keep the discussion of blogging and online activism on track. We aim to make the State of Ohio Blogger Alliance at least as potent a force as it was in state politics several years ago, when it can fairly be claimed that we helped save several political offices from being occupied by unacceptable Republicans, unhinged Democrats, or severely conflicted individuals.
We The People organizers are so pleased with the turnout of well over 1,000 and the positive attendee feedback that they’re already beginning to plan next year’s event.
On July 5, I attended the monthly meeting of the Clermont County Tea Party just east of Cincinnati. The group’s guiding principles are simple: “Fiscal Responsibility, Limited Government, and Free Markets.” I was attracted to the meeting by the arrival of the Americans For Prosperity Foundation’s Running on Empty Tour. Apparently, I’m about the only one who had that motivation. Not to knock AFP’s presentation, which was outstanding and important, but the packed meeting room had what I was told is its normal monthly contingent of roughly 300 attendees.
In 75 minutes, in bang-bang fashion, I heard an Ohio Health Care Freedom update, the AFP’s energy presentation, a trucking company owner’s revelations of how skyrocketing and volatile fuel costs have forced him to stop doing business in distant states, an EPA-driven sewage assessment horror story from next-door Hamilton County, an update on soaring water costs visited on Clermont County residents by a bloated water and sewer district with an edifice complex, and a brief overview of how the Community Reinvestment Act and excessive government intervention in the housing market has ruined what had been a well-functioning industry. Whew. This group is clearly near the top of its activist game, so it should be no surprise that reportedly 30% of the signatures necessary to get the health care initiative on the ballot came from Clermont County alone.
That’s the kind of intensity it will take to get the needed results in November, namely preservation of SB5 and voter enactment of the Ohio Health Care Freedom Act. Both desired results would build further momentum for Tea Party-sympathetic candidates in critical 2012 primaries as well as the general election — just in time to ensure that our Punk President and his Gangster Government fail to get four more years. John Fund summed it up when he employed an old but rarely truer bromide at the end of his We The People speech: “Politics is too important to be left to the politicians.”
What encouraging news, Tom – but you missed part of the story which I’m sure Anita was talking upat maximum rate: rVotes was just released in Ohio and will probably prove to be a major tool to help Ohians to victory.
It’s amazing how far Ohio has come with Governor John Kasich leading the way. I wonder if any of these issues would have been on the ballot had Kasich NOT been governor? Kasich will be a big help in swinging this state for the Republicans in 2012.
All States where a ballot initiative is permitted need to now go after a simple directive to our legislators: Education money from State and local taxpayers is to follow the child into any institution the meets State established standards for core curriculum.
Exciting times for Buckeye Conservatives!
Way to go, Buckeyes! It is now or never as far as the thugs in DC go.
Ohio went for Barack in 2008, along with neighboring Pennsylvania whose denizens he had described as “bitter clingers” to a wealthy San Francisco audience.
A week before the 2008 election, Barack told Ohioans, whose electoral votes he desperately wanted…
“”The cost of this economic crisis, and the cost of the war in Iraq, means that Washington will have to tighten its belt and put off spending on things we can afford to do without.
“On this, there is no other choice.”
Oh boy, 4+ trillion in increased debt later…
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
“A one-time $54 dues hike.”
Tone-deaf.
They could just ask for contributions from their membership, but they just do not think like that. Shalt. Thou shalt. Thou shalt contribute.
But don’t worry. It is just a one-time thing. Well, until the next union political power issue comes along, like if we lose this year, we’ll try again next year. We know our members have the money. They can readily afford $54. They won’t mind a bit. Not even a little. Actually, I doubt this paragraph even occurred to them. They never got further than, “Thou shalt contribute.”
The union thugs must be mad as anything if the health care measure is put on the ballot. The article made it sound like there is a possibility it might not happen. I sure hope that’s not the case.
I grew up in Ohio and I’m not as optimistic. Teacher’s unions are very powerful in the state, Gov. Kasich is extremely unpopular, and the last poll I saw Senate Bill 5 being repealed by double-digits in the Fall election. That is a lot of ground against a lot of power to be made up in a few short months.
One thing for sure: Do NOT believe the issue polls in Ohio.
In 2005, the last time ballot measures were present in an off-year election, polls said that two of the Reform Ohio Now measures were supposedly going to pass. One poll predicted +25 and +23, the other said +26 and +36. The actual results for those two measures were polar opposites: -28 and -34.
Even the two that the polls said were going to fail (by -13 and -15) went down by much large margins (-40 for both).
Though results have been closer to what polls predicted during gubernatorial and presidential years, those differences are so radical it’s hard to imagine why anyone would rely on off-year polling this year.