Congressman John Boehner (OH-8)
U.S. House Majority Leader will host

U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner

at the

2006 EIGHTH DISTRICT FARM FORUM

Saturday, March 4

9:30am - 1:00pm
Edison State Community College
1973 Edison Drive
Piqua, Ohio

From the Post

“Next time you look up “irony” in the dictionary, don’t be surprised if you see Ohio state Sen. Joy Padgett’s smiling face.

Last week Padgett, R-Coshocton and Attorney General Jim Petro’s gubernatorial running mate, let it be known in a Columbus Dispatch interview that the use of negative campaign ads won’t help Petro’s opponent, Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, prevail in the Republican Primary.

“I believe the message of negativity is not the one that’s going to prevail,” Padgett said. “Ronald Reagan was right. Ken Blackwell is wrong.”

On the surface, Padgett’s comment seems inspiring. It appears to be a firm declaration that it is the issues that matter to voters, and not spiteful, underhanded tactics. That “just the facts, ma’am,” is the mantra of Ohioans. And for good measure she even invoked the spirit of everybody’s favorite conservative, former president Ronald Reagan, who advocated not hitting your opponent below the belt in a campaign (although, let’s be honest, he probably didn’t apply that mantra equally to Democrats and Republicans).

For those citizens with short attention spans - except when belaboring President Bush’s alleged college drug problems or a late night drunken drive of Sen. Ted Kennedy - Padgett is the reigning queen of negativity in Ohio politics.

At Tradesports

Thanks for the reader who sent this in.

From Openers

“State Auditor Betty Montgomery, the favorite to win the Republican Party's nomination for attorney general, failed to win the backing of the Miami County Republican Party Sunday, setting off calls for a recount during the convention-style rally that included nearly 500 delegates. ”

“In the end, Montgomery's primary opponent, State Sen. Tim Grendell, trounced her — 292 to 150. Shocked, several Montgomery supporters demanded a recount. It was taken -and didn't change a thing.”

Also, Cuyahoga seems to have abandoned Tim Grendell

“Weaver is quick to point that Montgomery on Monday won the endorsements of former Grendell statewide co-chairmen Dave Harbarger and Bill Seitz, a state representative. Also, Cuyahoga County Republican Party Chairman Robert Frost endorsed Montgomery.”

From his Press release

“In the largest and most hard-fought endorsement battle this year, Republican Secretary of State candidateGreg Hartmann won the coveted Miami County Republican Convention endorsement.This latest achievement places Hartmann well in the lead in May’s PrimaryElection to succeed current Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

Miami County held an endorsement convention with nearly 500 countyRepublican leaders participating and Hartmann won their support by a strongmargin. Just last month, Hartmann earned the endorsement of two otherprominent “Red” counties — Clermont County and Hamilton County.”

From Blackwell’s site

”�“We came from behind to win this crucial convention,”? said Lara Mastin, Ohioans for Blackwell statewide co-chair. ”�“Our team was able to win in spite of Petro backers pushing through last-minute credentials for 49 Teenage Republican Club members. Even with those late additions, we still enjoyed a 10% margin of victory out of the total of 438 votes cast, 241 to 197.”?

Watch the video HERE.

It’s not good…. (from an e-mail we received)

Here are the 10 states with the best business tax climate:
1. Wyoming 2. South Dakota 3. Alaska 4. Florida 5. Nevada 6. New Hampshire 7. Texas 8. Delaware 9. Montana 10. Oregon

Here are the 10 states with the worst business tax climate:
41. Arkansas 42. Iowa 43. Nebraska 44. Kentucky 45. Maine 46. Vermont 47. Ohio 48. Rhode Island 49. New Jersey 50. New York

From the Tax Foundation

From the Dispatch

“Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell and Attorney General Jim Petro, the GOP candidates for governor, cannibalized each other. And the Democrats are living off the scandal-ridden Republicans.

Such twists of fortune are novel since Robert T. Bennett became Ohio GOP chairman 18 years ago. Until now, he magically has arranged statewide tickets by slotting his best candidates so they don't waste their money and good names killing each other in primary campaigns. Not so in 2006.

Meanwhile, Chris Redfern, the new chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, discovered Bennett's lost pixie dust. On Wednesday night, he sprinkled some on the party's executive committee, and created something the party has lacked for 15 years: discipline.”

However all is not right with the Democrats

“In a frank disclosure to Democratic executive committee members Wednesday, Sykes, the party's unsuccessful 1994 nominee for state treasurer, said, “Let's face it, I am on this ticket because I am a minority.”

Former Ohio Senate Minority Leader Ben Espy of Columbus, a late entrant in the race for Ohio Supreme Court, gave the party a second black candidate on the ticket.

Espy's endorsement was a bitter pill for Peter M. Sikora, a Cuyahoga County juvenile court judge for 17 years who won his most-recent election in the Democrats' most important county with 70 percent of the vote. Sikora, who uses a wheelchair and has a compelling personal story, has been campaigning for the Supreme Court for about a year.”

You’ve got to read this post on Jill Miller Zimon’s blog Writes Like She Talks regarding Capri Cafaro. All we can say is wow!

“IF YOU JUST *&$*#@*& LIVED IN A CITY IN THE DISTRICT YOU WANT TO REPRESENT - NOT TO MENTION, IN OHIO - FOR ANY TWELVE ONSECUTIVE MONTHS FOR EVEN ONE OF THE LAST 13 YEARS maybe you wouldn’t have to spend so much &$&@#%*$$$$$ money to give people an opportunity to get to know you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH.
MY.
GOD.

This is called, BUYING FRIENDS. BUYING EVERYTHING.”

This is great.

From the Dayton Daily News

When the cowbells stopped ringing, the candidates stopped talking and the votes were counted, J. Kenneth Blackwell walked off with the governor’s race ndorsement by 44 votes over opponent Jim Petro.

Also endorsed were Greg Hartmann, secretary of state; Jennette Bradley, state treasurer; Tim Grendell, attorney general; Mike DeWine, U.S. Senate; Diana Fessler, 79th District state representative; and Richard Adams, 5th District state central committee.
Grendell obviously was thrilled by the attorney general endorsement over state Auditor Betty Montgomery.
“With God, and Miami County Republicans, all things are possible,” he said.

Kinda surprising.

From the Dayton Daily News

“Blackwell drew attention partly because he was black in a party dominated by white people and which had a reputation for being less supportive of civil rights than the Democrats. He was the first black to hold statewide nonjudicial office in Ohio.
Race, however, had less to do with why Blackwell stood out than something else, suggested political scientist William Binning of Youngstown State University.
Blackwell, said Binning, is an “issues” candidate and officeholder in a Republican Party that likes to avoid issues.
Binning, a former Mahoning County Republican chairman, also was a supporter of the late Republican Gov. James A. Rhodes, the grandmaster of issueless politics.
Rhodes’ “issue,” said Binning, was “jobs and progress,” which meant whatever it needed to mean.
Blackwell loves issues. In 2004 he helped put a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the ballot and it passed.
Although some Republicans ”” Taft and Petro, for example ”” opposed that amendment, it was fine with most in the party because it brought to the polls the religious conservatives who helped re-elect Republican President Bush.”

From their site

“Bob Taft is a convicted, disgraced Governor whose approval ratings are probably lower than today’s interest rates. He is on his way out the door in a matter of months, and not a single candidate running for Governor has wanted to be associated with him. The campaign to re-elect George Bush distanced itself from Bob Taft. This begs the question. Who cares about a Taft Veto at this point? Ironically, today’s political climate would be friendlier to passing a clean House Bill 12 than any other time in the past seven years of Bob Taft as Governor. If we knew what we know today, we could have bought him some greens time back in 1999..”

They throw no punches at Taft.

Blackwell got it.

From the Chronicle

“Though a fixture in Congress for a decade, Ted Strickland is hardly a household name outside his district in southern and eastern Ohio. And while he's now the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for governor, Strickland won't bring the same level of name recognition as the candidate who emerges out of the Republican primary. ”�“That is, right now, the biggest problem we face,”? said Jim Ruvolo, a political consultant who has helped Democrats in dozens of campaigns since the 1970s. Ask 10 people about Strickland around the state, Ruvolo said, ”�“and you're going to get nine blank stares.”?

From an e-mail we received

When Ken says Petro’s special counsel budget has gone through the roof, let’s take a look at the facts.

Overall spending on special counsel has gone up just over $1.8 million since Jim took office, about a 4% increase. Now its important to note that NONE OF THAT MONEY actually comes from Petro’s budget, but the budget of other agencies, like the Secretary of State’s office. Petro has NO CONTROL over that spending.

Ken’s amount spent on special counsel, which he has total control over, went up a WHOPPING 145% since taking office ($536,701 under Taft to $778,000 under Blackwell, with another $500,000 budgeted, for a total of $1.2 million).

So, special counsel spending, which Petro has no budgetary control over, has gone up $1.8 million, and ALMOST HALF of that increase is from Ken’s office alone, which Ken HAS TOTAL CONTROL OVER.

From the Blade

“Originally, I thought it was a shrewd move on Jim Petro’s part to air TV ads in late 2005 to promote his run for Ohio governor. At the time, the state attorney general had two high-profile opponents in the Republican primary, Secretary of State Ken Blackwell and Ohio Auditor Betty Montgomery, and he needed to do something to separate himself. (Ms. Montgomery has since dropped out of the race.)
I’ve changed my mind: Mr. Petro’s ads were a waste of money. Mr. Blackwell’s new attack ad ”” in which Mr. Petro is dragged through the mud of the Noe scandal ”” has obliterated any advantage Mr. Petro may have gained
from his early ads.”

Two big challenges are facing Cleveland in 2006 Casinos and Residency Laws, read about them here and here…both stories are from the Plain Dealer

“City and county leaders are already eyeing the split of profits from two downtown casinos, as back-room talks continue between Ohio’s racetrack owners and Cleveland’s business leaders over a casino issue for the November ballot. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson has proposed to the county a 50-50 split of local revenues from two downtown casinos, Cuyahoga County commissioners say. Forest City Enterprises Inc. and developer Jeff Jacobs want to operate the casinos.”

and

“But Gov. Bob Taft signed a bill Jan. 27 abolishing mandatory residency for municipal workers, and Newman and other East 185th Street business owners fear the law will cripple them unless Mayor Frank Jackson is successful in challenging it. The law takes effect in April.”

If you are going to do casinos, do it the right way and do a full scale casino, no slots only casinos…those don’t cut it. Memo to Frank Jackson, work on economic development and if you bring jobs to the city then people will want to live there. Also, redevelope the lakefront!

From the Catholic League

“Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, the Republican candidate for governor, has recently been labeled anti-Catholic by the Ohio Democratic Catholic Caucus. The charge stems from the fact that Blackwell is co-authoring a book, Rebuilding America, with Jerry Corsi, the co-author of a book with John O'Neill about the swift boat veterans. Corsi once made anti-Catholic jokes on the Internet, and later apologized for doing so. This was sufficient grounds for the Catholic Democratic group to say, ”�“The message from Blackwell to Ohio Catholics is clear. Mainstream and faithful Catholics need not apply.”?

Catholic League president Bill Donohue took issue with this today:

”�“Follow the logic: Ken Blackwell, who holds the same positions as the Catholic Church on abortion and school vouchers, and who was vice president and a professor at a Catholic university (his alma mater, Xavier University), is being branded anti-Catholic by an organization which rejects the Catholic Church's stance on abortion and school vouchers, simply because he is co-authoring a book with someone who once made anti-Catholic quips for which he has long apologized. “

From the Buckeye Institute

“Charter schools in Ohio have faced a level of scrutiny and criticism that has far exceeded anything their traditional public-school counterparts have faced in the past few years. Defenders of the status quo, such as the unions, have used every means to undermine the efforts of charter schools, and paint them as failures that are detrimental to the entire education system. In a recently released report, the Buckeye Institute dispelled the myth of charter schools' academic inferiority. Now it is time for a new perspective in the new year, and some new priorities for Ohio's education system.”

Good article.