Victoria Wulsin, who is running for Jean Schmidt's seat in Congress, is taking the rhetoric liberals used to criticize Iraq and applying it to Afghanistan.

Perhaps one would be justified in expecting the�birth of an Anti-Afghan War Movement should Wulsin be elected to Congress. The real question is�how many Democrats do you think would jump on board?

From an ORP release:

In what reads more like a memo to the Strickland campaign than an editorial, the left-leaning Toledo Blade seemed a little panicked Sunday that the Democratic gubernatorial candidate hasn't kicked his campaign into gear despite leading in the polls.� Here are the highlights:

Strickland is unknown.
�''[Ohioans] have no idea who Mr. Strickland is.''

Strickland's campaign proposals have no substance.
�''He needs to put a little more meat on the bones of his Turn Around Ohio plan.''

Strickland himself lacks substance.
�''He will need to show that he offers more than the Jimmy Carter formula of good looks and a bit of a southern accent.''

Strickland is a traditional tax and spend Democrat tied at the hip to the labor bosses.
�''The traditional Democratic mantra of tax and spend won't impress many Ohioans; neither will blinding allegiance to state employee unions and organized labor.''

Strickland is running on nothing more than luck.
�''There's a cliche that goes like this: It's better to be lucky than good. Mr. Strickland needs to be both. So far the good fortune part is holding.''

Strickland is even lucky despite being an indecisive flip-flopper.
�''He was in the race, then got out, then got back in, without relinquishing his spot as the front runner for his party's nomination.''

Strickland has no administrative leadership experience.
�''Mr. Strickland's lack of administrative experience does not have to doom his service as governor.''

Strickland is so unfamiliar with how to manage state government that he needs someone else to do it for him.
�''As an outsider, he'll need a chief of staff who is savvy in the ways that Columbus operates… somebody like, say, his running mate for lieutenant governor, Lee Fisher.''

Now, after all that, here's the kicker:�
�''In our view, he is clearly a man of substance.''

What?!� So Ted Strickland is an unknown, unimpressive, tax and spend Democrat who, despite lacking personal substance, administrative management experience, and a plan for Ohio, happens to be one heck of a lucky politician.

That's a pretty pathetic case for electing Ted Strickland.

Apparently it's even harder than I thought for people to rationalize supporting Ted Strickland. Of course, that's not stopping the Blade.

From Openers

Cleveland PR flack Alexandria Johnson Boone, whose clients have included LeBron James, has been appointed by Ken Blackwell as the Republican gubernatorial candidate's African American outreach coordinator.

Boone is the CEO of GAP Communications Group, which she founded in 1994. She has worked with the Blackwell campaign in recent months, coordinating media coverage in March of Blackwell's visit to the United Pastors in Mission, a group of 50 church leaders in staunchly Democratic Cleveland.

"Ken Blackwell is a principled leader with a job-creating economic agenda that will help Ohio families," Boone said in a statement released by the Blackwell campaign. "I am honored to be part of this historic campaign to make Ken Blackwell Ohio's first and the nation's second African-American governor."

He'll need all the help he can get in the Cleveland area.�

From The Cincinnati Enquirer:

Recommendations from a state task force studying eminent domain could allow private entities — like utilities and cemeteries — more leeway in taking private property than government agencies.

State Rep. Bill Seitz, R- Green Township, successfully derailed a recommendation that would have required private companies and organizations to hold public hearings before using eminent domain.

The task force voted 19-6 to require public involvement early in the process for government agencies that take land, but did not extend that requirement to non-governmental entities.

"I don't want to sit here on the last day of a multi-month task force and make changes to long-settled law about the ability of private entities to take land for purposes that have been around since the invention of gas lights," Seitz said. "It's not our job to tell private entities with eminent domain powers for public use how to go about it."

It is the responsibility of Mr. Seitz and every other public servant to ensure that the rights of our citizens are protected. I understand the objection, but the move would seem prudent and might eliminate nasty court battles by opening lines of communication. In addition, to not do so would signal that the entities listed are automatically to be trusted and immediately places the homeowner in the position of underdog.

The task force will also recommend that the Ohio General Assembly consider shifting the burden of proof in an eminent domain case from the property owner to the government.

Good, then why not do the same in the cases listed above and shift the burden of proof to the entities listed?

The task force -”” which is expected to meet all day today in order to keep a Tuesday deadline -”” also adopted several other recommendations made by Hamilton County Probate Judge James C. Cissell this morning. They include:

Government agencies should be required to share their appraisals with property owners before initiating court action.

Property owners should have the right to repurchase property from the government if the project is abandoned.

Courts should allow an expedited appeal on the government's right to take -”” replacing existing law that a taking cannot be appealed until after a jury trial on amount of compensation.

No changes to the "quick-take" provision that allows the state to take property immediately for roads or other public emergency. That was the mechanism Cincinnati City Council used to take the home of Emma Dimasi, an 80-year-old widow who lived in her home for 47 years, for a $4 million Dixmyth Avenue widening project. Her case is still on appeal.

I stated at the outset of this commission that I worried about the General Assembly's ability to adequately protect the rights of property owners and I am being proved correct. There is still more time, but color me skeptical.

Meanwhile, The Toledo Blade wants to criticize the decision in full force, but cowardly resorts to conservative bashing:

By ruling in favor of three Cincinnati property owners who refused to be bought out for an upscale $125 million development, a politically aware Ohio Supreme Court has emerged in the forefront of a national backlash against the concept of eminent domain.

Fortunately, the court's unanimous decision keeps eminent domain alive in Ohio as an important tool of last resort for aging cities to use in revitalization efforts, as Toledo did in taking property for construction of the Jeep North auto plant in 1998.

Despite the populist appeal inherent in the decision, we continue to believe that eminent domain is fair and proper if used sparingly and only when owners of property are justly compensated, as specified in the U.S. Constitution.

That is so kind, but nowhere in the federal or state constitutions does it give the government the authority to steal land from its citizens and give it to corporate donors.

Ruling in the case of a development in Norwood, an enclave of 22,000 surrounded by the city of Cincinnati, the court issued an unmistakable retort to a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld government power to seize property solely for private economic development purposes. In that 5-4 decision, the nation's highest court left states the leeway to set limits, and the Ohio court responded by summarily reversing a half-century of state law.

Halting use of eminent domain has become a cause celebre for conservatives, especially in the year since the U.S. Supreme Court decision in its now-famous case, Kelo vs. New London, out of Connecticut. That ruling raised protests from property rights advocates, whose howls changed to cheers after Wednesday's ruling in Ohio.

"A smashing victory for property owners, and for common sense," was the verdict from the conservative Weekly Standard. Ken Blackwell, Republican candidate for governor, quickly praised the decision.

Ironically, the Republican-dominated state court — six GOP justices and one lone Democrat — has weakened what once was an article of faith among champions of the exercise of government power to aid private enterprise.

In the Norwood case, the developer was able to buy 66 of 69 parcels of property they sought in an older neighborhood to install a mix of offices, condominiums, and shops like Crate and Barrel. The development was expected to generate $2 million a year in tax revenue.

While it is true that Ohio is dominated by Republicans, there are enough Democrats and RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) around that the defense of liberty remains a full-time job.

Reporting for duty.

And it comes from Democrat Al Sharpton.

From the AP via ONN:

Blacks who have succeeded in the corporate world must not turn their backs on the civil-rights activists and groups who helped open the doors for them, the Rev. Al Sharpton said Monday.

"They are the results of us," Sharpton said during a panel discussion at the annual convention of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. "When people think they are in the suites as an alternative to the streets, they will soon be back in the streets with us in a short matter of time."

Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, and SCLC President Charles Steele were among those who took part in the panel discussion, titled "A Changing Movement: From the Streets to the Suites."

Sharpton lashed out at the notion that blacks in high corporate positions represent the new black power, saying the SCLC and other civil-rights groups paved the way for their success by fighting in the streets for freedom and equality.

"You won't last long if we stay out of the streets," he said.

King echoed those comments, saying only some blacks have been blessed enough to become corporate leaders.

"The masses of people in our communities are unfortunately — even in 2006 — still in the streets," King said. "I believe this organization will always be an activist organization, which means that we must never ever abandon the streets."

No one could deny the debt that, frankly, we all owe to those who fought in the struggle, but the 60s are over (THANK GOD!!!!!) and the movement has ended.

The majority of black Americans are not "on the streets," are not poor, are not on welfare, are not in prison nor do they owe their whole lives to men like Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III.

These men did not spend the late nights studying, they did not show up early for work nor did they stay late or the thousands of little things that black Americans have done to become successful.

Though I am not black, please allow me a response to these swelled-headed narcissists: SCREW YOU!!!!!!

NOTE: Cross-Posted from A Face Made 4 Radio, A Voice Made 4 the Internet.

From The Toledo Blade:

Marcy Kaptur has barely dipped a toe into Ohio's U.S. Senate race this summer - or her own heavily favored re-election campaign, for that matter - but she cannonballed into one of the nation's political hot spots last weekend.

In Connecticut. In hopes of unseating a fellow Democrat.

The trip occurred two days after Miss Kaptur, Toledo's representative in the U.S. House, became 1 of only 22 congressmen not to support a resolution condemning Hezbollah's attacks on Israel - and she still had the Middle East on her mind.

Miss Kaptur appeared July 22 in New Britain, Conn., to endorse Ned Lamont, the upstart primary challenger to Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman.

The race has drawn national attention, both as a test of the electorate's mood over the Iraq war - which Mr. Lieberman continues to support and Mr. Lamont and many of his supporters oppose - and because Mr. Lieberman has pledged to run as an independent if he loses the Aug. 8 primary.

Miss Kaptur voted against the war in Iraq, where she says American troops have "lost our moral authority" in the wake of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal.

The only one who I see who has lost moral authority is Marcy Kaptur.

Is it OK to question this fruitcake's patriotism?

UPDATE: Miss Kaptur is not alone. When asked if he was against the terrorist organization Hezbollah, Democrat Representative John Dingell from that state up north responded with a resounding "No."

See it here.

The Athens News reprints a Columbus Other Paper story which purports that Republicans are better at producing negative, slimy campaign ads than Democrats.

The worst two campaign ads ever were produced not by those Republicans hatemongers, but leftist Democrats. The LBJ "Daisy" commercial which claimed that a vote for Barry Goldwater was a vote for nuclear holocaust and, in my mind, the worst of all: the "Chains" ad. Used against George W. Bush in the 2000 campaign, the NAACP accused then Texas Governor George Bush of complicity in the dragging death of a black man.

Compared to that, Republicans are pussy cats.

NOTE: Cross-posted from the State of Ohio Blog Alliance.

From The Columbus Dispatch:

Since Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell kicked his Republican gubernatorial campaign into high gear five months ago, his top lieutenant has assumed some of the key duties of the elected office.

Assistant Secretary of State Monty Lobb, not Blackwell, has signed all of the directives and advisories to county boards of elections sent from Blackwell’s office since March.

State law requires the secretary of state to break such ties and, although Blackwell’s office said the decisions typically are based on the recommendations of the office legal staff, Blackwell has had no input into those handled by Lobb.

Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo said Blackwell remains responsible for the office and keeps in close contact with the staff, but during the campaign, he decided to delegate those duties to Lobb under a state law that says, "The general duties of the assistant secretary shall be such as the secretary of state assigns him."

Blackwell also deemed the move prudent because, as the head of the Republican ticket this year, he wanted "a level of insulation" for the decisions of the office, LoParo said.

But some critics say Blackwell can’t have it both ways: Either he’s fulfilling the responsibilities of the $105,185-a-year job or not.

"I don’t believe our constitution or the statute anticipates allowing the secretary of state to dodge his responsibilities," said Christopher B. McNeil, an adjunct professor at Capital University Law School and an expert on administrative law.

Even the "smartest woman in the world," Mrs. Bill Clinton, demanded such a move, and now Sec. Blackwell receives criticism?

Personally, I think that Blackwell should keep his job and continue the day to day, but…

What say you?

I have seen much scorn heaped upon the Republican bill to raise the minimum wage and protect Americans from being taxed when they are no longer extant. I have just learned that Reps. Sherrod Brown and Ted Strickland voted for the bill.

Why?

From cbsnews.com

Republicans muscled the first minimum wage increase in a decade through the House of Representatives early Saturday after pairing it with a cut in inheritance taxes on multimillion-dollar estates.

Combining the two issues provoked protests from Democrats and was sure to cause problems in the Senate, where the minimum wage initiative was likely to die at the hands of Democrats opposed to the costly estate tax cuts. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation next week.

Even though raising the minimum wage is a bad idea, if it does happen, then the Democrats lose a HUGE issue this fall.

From the Blade

The Ohio Turnpike Commission is expected tomorrow to authorize public hearings on its proposed new fare schedule. They ought to be embarrassed to consider toll increases when other issues, specifically E-ZPass, remain unresolved.

Every day the Ohio Turnpike Commission ignores the benefits of E-ZPass is another day Ohio's toll road is an increasingly isolated impediment to progress. The time to turn that around is now.�

We thought the Turnpike was perfect?� Implement E-Z Pass and get rid of some toll collectors and you won't have to raise tolls. ��

From the Cincinnati Post

Meanwhile, in Ohio, the respected Zogby International firm, using an online survey to look at key races across the country, said Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine, a two-term incumbent, is trailing his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown, 37 percent to 45 percent. That poll and two others recently concluded that Democrat Ted Strickland holds a lead of roughly 5 points over Republican Ken Blackwell in the race for the open governor's seat in Ohio. But a recent Columbus Dispatch poll - which is normally on the money - put Stickland's lead at a whopping 20 points.

We know about Zogby, but what is the other one?�

Ranked 402nd in effectiveness, the nicest way fellow Democrats can describe Strickland's Congressional tenure is to say he's "a low-profile member of the minority party."

Typically, that means wallflower. After twelve years in office, that means worthless.

Strickland returned in 1996 and has been what one fellow Democrat calls a low-profile member of the minority party.

The non-partisan Congress.org ranks the former minister the 37th least powerful member of the U.S. House.

Strickland said,“I may not have left deep footprints in the Congress, but I have left very deep footprints in my congressional district.”

And how have you done that, Mr. Strickland?

He said in 12 years, he brought home millions of dollars for highway construction and helped pass multiple pieces of health care legislation and increased veterans’ benefits.

He, of course, didn't write any of that legislation. In fact, Strickland's power ranking shows he has a dismal score of ZERO when it comes to legislating, and a NEGATIVE TWO on influence. That's because not only has he failed to get any bills signed into law, he can't even get them out of committee.

So really, he's bragging that he pushes along other people's legislation. But he doesn't even do that as well as most others do, considering that he rarely shows up to vote. In terms of missed votes, Ted Strickland is ranked third.�But hey, he's brought lots of pork into his district! That's not something just anybody can do, right? … Right?

To put Strickland's record into perspective: Jean Schmidt, the newest member of the Ohio delegation, has been in office for less than a year and she's already had more legislative success than Strickland.

Ranked 402nd in effectiveness, the nicest way fellow Democrats can describe Strickland's Congressional tenure is to say he's "a low-profile member of the minority party."

Typically, that means wallflower. After twelve years in office, that means worthless.

Strickland returned in 1996 and has been what one fellow Democrat calls a low-profile member of the minority party.

 

The non-partisan Congress.org ranks the former minister the 37th least powerful member of the U.S. House.

 

Strickland said,“I may not have left deep footprints in the Congress, but I have left very deep footprints in my congressional district.”

And how have you done that, Mr. Strickland?

He said in 12 years, he brought home millions of dollars for highway construction and helped pass multiple pieces of health care legislation and increased veterans’ benefits.

He, of course, didn't write any of that legislation. In fact, Strickland's power ranking shows he has a dismal score of ZERO when it comes to legislating, and a NEGATIVE TWO on influence. That's because not only has he failed to get any bills signed into law, he can't even get them out of committee.

So really, he's bragging that he pushes along other people's legislation. But he doesn't even do that as well as most others do, considering that he rarely shows up to vote. In terms of missed votes, Ted Strickland is ranked third.�But hey, he's brought lots of pork into his district! That's not something just anybody can do, right? … Right?

To put Strickland's record into perspective: Jean Schmidt, the newest member of the Ohio delegation, has been in office for less than a year and she's already had more legislative success than Strickland.

From the Club for Growth

Thanks to Congressman Jeff Flake's 19 anti-pork amendments, we now have every House member on record regarding their positions on earmarks. Before now, House members have been able to avoid scrutiny because their pork was co-mingled with other projects and tucked into the dark corners of big spending bills. Or they were able to withstand the scrutiny because they were attacked as a whole chamber and not directly attacked themselves.

Let's see how Ohio's Delagation did on their anti-pork scorecard.� The higher the number the better…

OH - 1 Chabot ��� 18�� ��� OH - 4 Oxley�� ��� 0��� �� OH - 7 � Hobson � ��� 0� �� �� OH - 10�� Kucinich������� 0 �� �� OH - 14��� LaTourette��� 0���� OH - 17��� Ryan��� 0

OH - 2 Schmidt��� 0�� �� �� OH - 5 Gillmor���� 3�� ��� OH - 8�� Boehner����� 0������� OH - 11�� Tubbs Jones� 1�� � � OH - 15 �� Pryce�� ��� � � 1 � � OH - 18 �� Ney�� �� 0�

OH - 3 Turner��� � 0�� ����� OH - 6 Strickland 0������ OH - 9�� Kaptur�������� 0�� ���� OH - 12� Tiberi������������ 6������ OH - 16��� Regula�������� 0

The sad fact is that Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones scored higher than many in the Republican delagation.

You can see the court's ruling HERE.

Check out my post on the subject here.

Money, money, money.

Ken Blackwell, the Republican candidate for Ohio governor, collected $200,000 at a Stark County fundraising event Wednesday.

The event was hosted by Stark County Republican Party Chairman Curt Braden and Ward J.“Tim” Timken Jr., chairman of the Timken Co.

The local Republican party and its supporters, said Braden,“are committed to giving Ken Blackwell the resources necessary to lead the Republican ticket to victory in November.”

From the Dayton Daily News:

If you've heard Republican J. Kenneth Blackwell speak on the campaign trail, there's a good chance you've heard this story about his college football game for Xavier University against the Quantico Marines in 1969.

It's one of his favorites and always gets a good laugh.

As Blackwell tells it, he took a hit in the chin from a 240-pound Marine fullback, was knocked out momentarily, then was rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital for head X-rays. Blackwell says he returned to the game for the fourth quarter.

"We won that game 7-6," Blackwell told a group of university officials earlier this year. "The next day, The Cincinnati Enquirer, the newspaper of record in my hometown, gave me the most substantial headline of my athletic career. In bold print for my dear mom to read, the headline read: 'Blackwell head X-rays show nothing.' "

First off, Xavier won the game 9-7 that year. Secondly, the Enquirer's only headline about the game was: "XU Zaps Quantico for 1st Win, 9-7."

In the story, Blackwell's mishap and hospital trip aren't even mentioned for his dear mom or anyone else to read.

When told there is no such headline, Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo said, "It's a light-hearted self-deprecating joke. … I think the audiences understand it was a joke. That's why they laugh."

Not surprisingly, the campaign of Democrat Ted Strickland, Blackwell's opponent for governor, takes it a little more seriously.

Spokesman Keith Dailey said, "There's been a series of questionable statements and comments out of the Blackwell campaign that has led many Ohioans to question if they can trust what Ken Blackwell says."

Note to Democrats: Go buy yourselves a friggin' sense of humor!