Ohio’s ‘Dumb v. Dumber’ Election Campaign
Mere weeks before the travesty known as early voting begins on September 28, and fewer than two months before Election Day, Ohio’s statewide Republican ticket appears to be cruising to a potential electoral sweep. With one clear exception far down the ticket, this state of affairs has come about not because the GOP’s candidates are clearly conservative, but simply because they aren’t Democrats.
Therein lies the problem for sensible conservatives looking for genuine improvement in Buckeye State government.
The Ohio Republican Party, which I prefer to call ORPINO (the Ohio Republican Party In Name Only), should be relieved that the national wave of disgust directed at Democratic political incumbents has washed through Ohio, stirring the electorate to throw the bums out. It certainly deserves none of the credit I’m sure it will claim for the ticket’s currently strong position.
ORPINO’s web site is virtually unchanged since the May 4 primary. A person looking at how its home page appeared on the morning of September 3 would think that the party’s most important candidates in November are establishment favorites Jon Husted and Dave Yost, who are running for secretary of state and auditor, respectively. There is a lovely couple at the bottom right of the home page whose last names are Kasich and Taylor. We’re told that they’re “for Ohio,” but not why they are taking up space. John Kasich and Mary Taylor just so happen to be running for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively. Zheesh.
Husted and Yost occupy the same home page real estate they held during the final months of the primary, when ORPINO was doing everything it could to beat back tea party-supported candidates trying to defeat them, and to keep its central committee as free as possible of tea party insurgents. During that campaign, the party establishment outrageously claimed that go-along, get-along statewide candidates and incumbent central committee members largely responsible for why Ohio has been governed economically like a blue state since the mid-1990s — even while mostly in GOP hands — had “tea party values.” In the process, it spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, possibly even more, protecting its own, both in expensive mailings and Election Day on-the-ground poll operatives.
Like so many other state GOP apparatuses, ORPINO is a philosophical Seinfeld: all about nothing. This explains why, as of late July, Democrats in this instinctively conservative midwestern state held an astonishing 7-point party identification advantage. Democrats had smaller ID advantages in Wisconsin (6 points) and Minnesota (4 points). That’s embarrassing.
ORPINO’s response would be: “Well, we’re all about winning.” Some years that’s a necessarily exclusive outlook, like in 2006, when … oh wait, ORPINO really didn’t try very hard to win that year, because the country-club set didn’t like gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell and his ideas for cutting taxes and controlling spending (you see, the GOP’s Columbus I-270 Beltway establishment only cares about winning if it involves getting their turn at the gravy train). Blackwell, who strongly opposed failed GOP Governor Bob Taft’s tax increases earlier in the decade, had genuine tea party values years before the tea party movement appeared.
John Kasich has been saying the same thing about himself, and it’s mostly justified. The Associated Press duly noted last year that the nine-term congressman “was the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Budget Committee in 1997 that balanced the nation’s budget for the first time in more than 30 years” (I don’t know if it’s true, but I’ve heard that the AP journalist who wrote that is on permanent double-secret probation). Anyone properly assigning credit for the prosperity and federal budget surpluses of the late 1990s has to list Kasich’s name near the top. Kasich likes to say that when he left Congress in January 2001, the GOP establishment was glad to see him go. I believe it; just look at how spending soared once he was gone.
Actually, Strickland won the moron sweepstakes with this comment;
“I intend to do everything within my power to help President Obama win re-election in two thousand and twelve”.
Compared to that, Kasich’s various idiocies, like voting for Clinton’s “Assault Weapon” ban in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1993, look almost insignificant. (Note I said “almost”.)
Also, Strickland talks about Kasich’s lack of an economic plan, and to be fair, Kasich hasn’t stated exactly what he will do. Strickland, by comparison, states that he intends to continue doing what he has done for the last four years; namely, raise taxes while trying to raise spending even faster, while also cutting services. (Most of the increased spending is going to pay for more government employees, who somehow never manage to actually accomplish anything- except maybe joining SEIU.) Kasich has at least admitted that this approach won’t work- which for a RINO, is roughly like a Flat Earther acknowledging the validity of Eratosthenes’ experiment at Syene. (look it up.)
Here in Ohio, we realize that neither party represents the people, and haven’t for a very long time. The difference is, the GOP is less likely to do something exceptionally stupid just because their dogma demands it.
And in the case of some Democrats, notably Lee Fisher and Jennifer Brunner, it’s difficult to decide whether (unlike Jefferson’s dictum) the motivation is simple stupidity or actual malice.
In short, the GOP here actually is “the lesser of two evils”.
Dumb being preferable to crazy, overall.
clear ether
eon
We can assume that the majority of any party in power will be opportunists, i.e., “pragmatic” about their own careers. Strong leadership and a determined, intelligent, principled hare core may steer them in the right direction. That remains to be seen.
What seems certain is that a Republican reversion to short-sighted opportunism will produce a disaster for the party.
I suppose that I can understand why good candidates do not run for public office. However, the public is the loser.
We have allowed the atmosphere that prevails in political campaigns to keep the good guys out, and we end up with stooges, actors wanting attention ..
I live in Ohio, an have donated money mostly to out of state campaigns. I am trying to donate to the max this year, but it is not easy giving to Portman and Kasich. I had a call from Portman’s campaign asking for money. I asked if Portman was promising to do everything possible to repeal ObamaCare. The solicitor did not know. I flipped to the website and Portmans Health Care page mentions the legislation Obama is trying to pass. Evidently Health Care is not a big deal to Rob Portman. I explained I could not give to a campaign that was not committed on its front page to repealing this unconstitutional travesty. Ohio seems to have had a brain drain and the good candidates are not running for high office. Still, I will vote for both. Ohio is vying to become the next Detroit, something I don’t want to even think about.
Interesting. I was starting to think only the Colorado Republican party was filled with boobs. It seems they have infiltrated throughout.
It sounds like the same people are in charge who were there for Bob Taft and George Voinovich, and we all know how that turned out.
Doesn’t surprise me a bit that the ORP is ignoring the TEA Party – ignoring conservatives goes way back with them to when I was active there a decade ago.
There is no hope for Ohio as long as the state is governed by the Stricklands and the Tafts of this world. There is hope with Kasich based on his overall record in Congress. If you read between the lines of his empty rhetoric it is clear that he understands what has to be done. Ohio has to imitate Texas if Ohio is to enjoy the kind of economy that Texas enjoys. Kasich understands this but I doubt the people of Ohio understand it. So maybe this justifies a shallow campaign aiming towards a landslide victory rather than a Ken Blackwell style campaign that will please the purists like me.
RINOs – disappointing as they are – did not vote for Obamacare and do not keep Pelosi in power. The time for dealing with RINOs is the primaries and the primaries are over. Now is the time for dealing with the Democrats.
BTW, there is a $50 Ohio Income Tax credit for making political contributions for state and local elections. Do it.
Rich Iott is running hard-ish, and while I’ll vote for him sadly I believe Marcy Kaptur will win reelection.
Buck up Buckeyes! All is not despair! Voinovich is retiring and no one can be as clueless as that witless turd (not name calling, just objective description).
Note to Ohio Republicans: The only Ohio politician to respond on topic to emails and letters in a timely fashion is Sherrod Brown. If you want to succeed, engage and respond to citizens. Shocking idea, I know. But, it works.
All I’ve ever gotten from Sherrod Brown is the standard form letter not at all on topic. Actually he’s ignoring me right now. Pity.
I live in Northwest Ohio and am a conservative who usually has to roll his eyes when voting for state GOP candidates. Having said that however I think that in any objective sense Kasich and Portman are light-years ahead of Strickland and Fisher. Strickland has never met a tax he didn’t like and is so far in the pocket of Big Labor that you would need a search-and-rescue team to dig him out. His job creation program has been laughable and his plans for state economic improvement chiefly involve soliciting money from Washington. Business will continue to view Ohio as a no-mans land while Strickland is governor. Lee Fisher redefines the term “political hack” and has no qualifications for high office except the fact that he seems to always be on the ballot having previously been soundly beaten for state Attorney General and Governor.
I too wish that Kasich and Portman could show more fire in the belly but given the miserable performance of Strickland and the Tammany Hall persona of Fisher there is no real choice.
We may finally be rid of Voinovich but now the stench of Mike DeWine has returned, running for State Attorney General. I figure I have 2 options with this one. 1) hold my nose, close my eyes while actually voting for him knowing I’ll vomit later or 2) pretend I never saw that name. I hate vomiting.
The Tea Parties in Ohio are good groups and there is progress here. I became a Precinct Executive in the Cincy area and am now ramping up the effort.
Yes, we are not excited about Portman, but I believe Kasich is a good choice for governor given Strickland has been an absolute disaster.
One step at a time.
1) Win back statewide and federal positions back for GOP.
2) Hold GOP people accountable.
3) Redistricting.
4) Continue to build up the membership and coffers of Tea Party Groups.
5) Continue to win State and County level Committee Member slots so we can vote out the deadwood.
6) Once the State Central Committee has the majority of the 66 members, vote Blackwell or another committed right of center person to lead the OHIO GOP.
7) Primary out mods/leftists from the GOP over the next 4 election cycles.
Yes, the Ohio GOP is a clusterfark, but the Dem politicians are simply EVIL here in this state.
Ohio is bad but Illinois is much worse.
“The Ohio Republican Party, which I prefer to call ORPINO (the Ohio Republican Party In Name Only), should be relieved that the national wave of disgust directed at Democratic political incumbents has washed through Ohio, stirring the electorate to throw the bums out. It certainly deserves none of the credit I’m sure it will claim for the ticket’s currently strong position.”
As some one who worked a couple of years in the state house in the mid-90′s, a part of the Ohio’s RINO problem is the wave of demcocrats suddenly finding their inner-Republican after the 94′ sweep and switching parties after seeing which way the wind was blowing in their districts. Rank and file opportunists, but not to many voters pay attention to state candidates positions on the issues and their past affiliations. Also, most of the House GOP were glad to see Voinovich leave for DC– the man was a RINO before he got to the DC swamp.
There were/are some actual conservatives in the House, but their influence pretty much waned after House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson left. To bad Ohio turned its back on Ken Blackwell– he had a lot of potential.
The Ohio governor’s race would be more interesting if the Strickland campaign adopted a stance closer to Democratic Wisconsin state senator Julie Lassa. Since I agree that Strickland’s campaign strategy is pretty dumb and not likely to improve enough by election time, I am ready to mail in my ballot.
Another candidate for dumb campaign strategies is the AFSCME partisan ads against what is looking like the next Ohio governor. This union needs friends in high places rather than enemies. This union should be spending its money on a PR campaign to repair the tattered relationship between county and municipal employees and the public. A smart PR campaign could save some jobs if they can sway the public that they are part of the solution rather than the source of the problem.