We’ve all heard the saying, “As Ohio goes, so goes the nation.” Ohio delivered the presidency to GWB in both 2000 and 2004. And many have said that because Ohio went “blue” in 2008, this ensured a victory for Obama.

I am sure that all you readers witnessed the shenanigans in Ohio in the fall of 2008. Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner was helped into office by ACORN  with the “Secretary of State” project, which is a concerted effort to elect Secretaries of State which are “sympathetic” to the Democrats. They weren’t gonna let another Katherine Harris derail their “plans.”  Brunner used all her muscle with the likes of ACORN, ProjectVote and all the cabal that goes along with them to ensure Ohio went for Obama.

Now Ms. Brunner is running for US Senate. How nice. Just what Ohio and DC needs: the #1 ACORN Lady, as I affectionately call her, bringing all her cabal to DC.  Also running for Ohio Senate is GOP Rob Portman, Akron businessman Tom Ganley,  and Dem Lt. Governor Lee Fisher.

Portman will easily win the primary in May. I had predicted that Fisher would win the Dem primary, but unfortunately Ms. Brunner is picking up steam. Portman has a little over $6M in finances. Brunner about $677K. But we all know that money ain’t everything when corruptness, voter fraud and bribery is in the mix. Even if Brunner wins or loses the primary, wins or loses the Senate election; she will still be in control of the election itself. This thought has been extremely horrifying to me because I watched in fascination the trainwreck that Ohio was during Election 2008.

And ever since I have predicted that it would happen again in 2010. And it looks like I am correct.

I received an urgent message today from Rep. Portman. The Dems are going to be “bringing in all the troops” and building a firewall in Ohio to again attempt an assurrance that Ohio stays Dem and will once again assist in the re-election of Mr. Obama in 2012.

Said ODP [Ohio Democratic Party] executive director Doug Kelly, “By keeping Ohio Democratic in 2010, Ohio will be the firewall for Pres. Obama’s re-election in 2012.”

Great! We can look forward, I am sure, to SEIU, MoveOn.org, ACORN, OFA’s “rapid response teams” et al to descend on this battleground state again. And Ohio will be front and center once more on every news station in the country.

To keep its momentum rolling, the ODP has been deploying staffers all across the state for a road show known as the “Knockout” program. [sic] The ODP plans to hold these “Knockout” events in all 88 counties, and in doing so, they’re lengthening their volunteer list. What’s more, ODP field staffers say they’re supplying those volunteers with access to some of their best data to make them most effective now.

Brunner can still lose the primary to Fisher. But my personal feeling is the Dems are drooling at the prospect of having her as a US Senator. She would certainly fit in quite nicely with all the other of her ilk in DC.

Rep. Portman is asking all of us to donate $20 to his campaign. I think we can all afford to “give up a pizza” and make sure the rest of the country doesn’t say:

“Ohioans put another Dem into the Senate. What were you guys thinking?”

Crossposted

[Crossposted at my hopefully-to-be-CPAC Blogger-credentialed blog, Athens Runaway.]

Here we go again!

According to a rumor reborn from the ashes, US Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) was reportedly called by the President about the possibility of changing his vote on health care reform.

Astute readers will remember that RedState’s very own Erick Erickson set the blogosphere ablaze with the insinuation that Sen. Voinovich would be meeting with President Obama about the possibility of Voinovich changing his “no” vote on Obamacare to a “yes” vote.  In the words of Erickson—who is not prone to seeing conspiracies and shadows where none exist—”So George Voinovich is going to meet Obama tomrrow. There’s 1 RINO who’d give 2 arms & a testicle to screw conservatives for Kennedy legacy”

That rumor ended up being just that—a rumor—but let’s be perfectly honest here.  If Voinovich wasn’t such a wobbly Republican, we wouldn’t have to worry about this kind of thing every time he meets with the President.  However, Confucius say that “if if’s and but’s were candy and nuts, what a world that’d be.”

So, in our imperfect world—the world where Voinovich did start crying in front of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee over how he feared UN Ambassador John Bolton was going to destroy the world… or something—we as conservatives do have to worry about this kind of thing happened.

Yes, George may be a principled person, and I’m sure he is, but let’s face it: moral fiber only goes so far when you have no spine.

According to CQ Politics, in 2009, Voinovich did Obama’s bidding 78% of time, and only felt like belonging to the Republican Party 58% of time.

In other words, the only Senators more liberal than Voinovich are the Maine Sisters: Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe.  Not exactly a statistic that’s inspiring to people who doubt his sincerity on something.

With all of that out of the way, I don’t believe the rumors.  Why?  Because even though you can tell that Voinovich is a product of the Ohio RINO Party because he’s inconsistent and spineless, ever since he announced that he wasn’t going to be running for re-election, he’s actually (gasp!) gravitated back towards being more of a Republican.  That’s right folks, it used to be worse.

Also, all my tingling Journalism Senses tell me that unnamed sources and third-hand rumors aren’t enough to kick up a sh!tstorm about, especially in serious matters like these.

But then again, what could it hurt if lots of people called his office at (202)-224-3353 and reminded him why he was elected—to stand up for the Republican values of Ohioans, not to batter with psuedosocialists and sell America down the river.

And just think.  In 2011, when Rob Portman wins Voinovich’s seat, we’ll have someone we know is a principled conservative in there, as opposed to someone who we’re assured is just principled.

DDN has the story on Kilburn filing papers:

Warren County commissioner Mike Kilburn is expected to file petitions today, Jan. 20 to challenge U.S. House Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Miami Twp. in the May Republican primary.

Kilburn, a commissioner for 28 years, said it’s time for a more conservative approach in the 2nd Congressional District, which covers eastern Warren County and a large portion of several other southern Ohio counties.

Kilburn said he will file his petitions at the Hamilton County Board of Elections, the county with the largest population in the 2nd Congressional District. The primary will be held May 4.

He sounds the right notes on spending but also speaks in the third person:

Kilburn has used his conservative roots and his outspoken comments on conservative spending to get elected. Several times he has been challenged by other Republican candidates, but has won by receiving 60 percent or more of the votes each time.

“People want politicians who are going to stick to their values. There’s no one more fiscally responsible than Mike Kilburn. I don’t like to spend my money and I won’t spend others,” he said.

I am not familiar with Kilburn. Anyone have strong opinions on how this will, or should, play out?

Cross posted from

Ohio Right to Life has some new poll data on both the governor’s race and the race for the US Senate in Ohio:

Gubernatorial candidate John Kasich and U.S. Senate candidate Rob Portman lead their respective opponents in a new poll released today by Ohio Right to Life Society. The Wenzel Strategies telephone survey of 1001 Ohio registered voters found Kasich holds a 10-point lead over Governor Ted Strickland. Portman holds a six-point lead over both potential opponents Lt. Governor Lee Fisher and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, the survey found. The results are similar to a Rasmussen Reports survey released last week, and can be found HERE.

The survey was conducted by Wenzel Strategies January 8-12 and included 1001 Ohio registered voters contacted by phone. The poll carries a 95% confidence interval and a margin of error of +/- 3.07 percentage points.

Breakdown below.

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[Cross-posted at Athens Runaway.]

Did you know that the leader of the Ohio Democratic Party is an jerk?

I mean, it’s not like we all didn’t know it. But we finally have photographic proof of it.

Apparently, when he’s not making misogynistic comments about strong conservative women such as calling her “Sarah Palin” and “an absentee auditor”, Redfern apparently spends his time heckling people on Twitter.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer went so far to comment that “Ohio voters deserved better” from Redfern, noting that Redfern was “flippantly dubbing State Auditor—and new John Kasich gubernatorial running mate—Mary Taylor a Sarah Palin clone” and that “maybe that tickles his party’s base.”

A reader wrote in yesterday to say that Redfern personally heckled him over Twitter, more proof that Redfern is something of an Internet Tough Guy.

The reader tweeted that he “was reading @ODPChairman’s tweets. Funny how he just makes personal attacks on Republicans. You don’t see @KevinDewine doing that.” That’s the exact text.

Chris Redfern sent the reader a direct message in which he stated the Ohio Democratic Party’s official opinion regarding the difference between Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine’s attitude towards Democrats, and Redfern’s attitude towards Republicans:

Yep.  Observe that Redfern is being an jerk, and he’ll take the time out of his busy day as head of the state Democratic Party to make fun of you.

Democrats, do you appreciate this kind of incivility?  Is Redfern the kind of guy you want to be your voice?

As I noted earlier, I was able to attend the press conference yesterday after the announcement - via Twitter - that Ohio gubernatorial candidate John Kasich had selected State Auditor Mary Taylor to be his running mate. Do some technical difficulties with YouTube this post was delayed until this morning (and let me apologize for the video quality in advance - I need a tripod).

Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine gave a solid introduction noting how desperate Ohio is for new leadership after years of drift and disaster under Ted Strickland. Then both Kasich and Taylor spoke.

I will let you judge speeches by the video footage, but my gut reaction? This is great news. Kasich-Taylor seems like a great fit personally and thematically. They are focused like a laser on how what has been done in Ohio in the past (under both Ds and Rs) hasn’t worked and bold change and new leadership is needed. They both talked at length about fundamentally changing the way government operates.

He is a budget hawk and fiscal conservative and she is a tax cutter and government watchdog. They are personable and comfortable in front of a camera but don’t come off as slick or overly-polished. They both have blue collar backgrounds and have stepped on toes in their own party when they felt principles were at stake. It will make a great top of the ticket in Ohio.

More, including video, below.

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Crossposted at Athens Runaway

Today, I was one of a handful of Ohio bloggers who were invited by the Kasich For Ohio team to cover their press conference at the new KFO headquarters.  Matt Hurley from Weapons of Mass Discussion, Tom Blumer from BizzyBlog, and Mr. Ohio Bigshot himself, Kevin Holtsberry from Ohio Politics Online.

FOX News was also skulking about, as well as ONN and Joe Hallett from the Columbus Dispatch.  Reporters from all over the state were there.

I was a bit late to the party, living in Athens obviously, but I made it, and staked out a spot near Matt (whom I did not recognize, never having seen him in real life.  Ha ha.)

Here’s a few pictures that I snapped.  Thanks to Tom’s industriousness, a partial transcript is available at his site, enough to get an idea of what was said.

Some of my favorite quips before a packed press room in the newly christened Kasich for Ohio Headquarters, in Columbus, Ohio:

• “Nobody gonna push Mary Taylor around,” said John Kasich, with some of that workin’-man dialect.
• “If you want to see a movie star, go to Hollywood. If you want to go see a Ohio entrepreneur, go to Florida. We’re chasing businesses out of the state these days.”
• “Mary Taylor is tough and smart… this is cool. This is very cool.”
• Speaking to his decision to ask Taylor to switch from being a candidate for re-election to Auditor to candidate for lieutenant governor, Kasich said “If you have LeBron James, you don’t leave him on the bench.”

Due to my tardiness, I didn’t get the best view, but here’s some of the shots that I did get, with some d-bag’s head in the way.  More photos will be forthcoming, as I get the time to edit them and work them over for aesthetics.

and…

Kevin DeWine called these two part of an “almost unbeatable ticket” this year, saying that the Republican ticket in Ohio was the best ticket we’ve had here in over a generation.

In light of this, I’ve decided that there’s really only one song that I can think of that conveys the energy and excitement in the Buckeye air this year.

We’re going to be loud, we’re going to be proud, so get used to it, Ohio lefties.
It is with great dignity that I bestow this small honor—nowhere near the honor given to me today by the Kasich For Ohio team, personally inviting me to cover their news event—the honor of being given an Athens Runaway Unofficial Theme Song.  Not everyone has gotten one, so be proud, KFOers.  I know you read this blog.  Turn your speakers up, this election’s going to 11.  11/10, that is.

Without further ado, I declare that the Kasich-Taylor ticket got that… “boom boom pow.”

As the song says, they so three-thousand and eight.  Ted Strickland, you’re so two-thousand and late. Kasich got that rock and roll, that future flow.

I was at the press conference today where Ohio gubernatorial candidate John Kasich announced his choice of State Auditor Mary Taylor for Lieutenant Governor. I have a longer video and post coming but wanted to post this quick take from two people I spoke with today: Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine and Congressman Pat Tiberi.

Perhaps not surprisingly, they both think it means good things and that Ohio is well positioned in 2010:

Rob Portman has been working hard. He is well on his way to visiting all eighty-eight counties in Ohio; and with real meetings and events not just drive throughs. And he has been a fundraising monster; out raising Brunner and Fisher by significant amounts each and every cycle. Soon we will find out just how badly he has beaten the Dems this cycle. I am guessing: DOOM! (OK, it is still early but I wanted to communicate the impending dominance …)

And the polls continue to look good as well:

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the Buckeye State shows the Republican hopeful picking up more votes than he did a month ago and leading both Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

Portman, who also served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Trade Representative under President George W. Bush, now leads Fisher by seven points, 44% to 37%. Four percent (4%) like some other candidate, and 14% are undecided.

You want to know what will really stick in the craw of the netroots? This:

While the candidates are vying to fill the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Senator George Voinovich, both Fisher and Brunner for now appear to be hurt by the strong sentiments against the national health care plan being pushed by President Obama and congressional Democrats.

In Ohio, just 39% favor the plan while 56% oppose it. Those numbers include 18% who Strongly Favor it versus 49% who Strongly Oppose. These findings are virtually identical to voters’ views on the health care plan nationally.

Portman carries more than 70% of the vote of the much larger group who strongly oppose the plan against either Democrat. Brunner and Fisher both carry an even higher percentage of those who strongly favor the health care initiative.

And if you look at the numbers it seems clear that voters know that the current plan is going to cost a fortune and not provide the coverage and quality of care it promises. Which is exactly the message Portman has been focusing on.

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