Seriously, who tries this “clean campaign pledge” with such a short-term campaign season? Latta is such a loser, and if he can’t stand the heat, he should get out of the race:

Steve Buehrer’s response is below the fold…

Dear Fellow Republican,

Any time a Republican legislator votes for a massive tax increase to pay for a massive state spending increase, I believe he ought to be compelled to explain that vote to Republican voters.

That’s not negative. It’s accountability.

Instead of explaining his vote for the largest tax hike in Ohio history, Mr. Latta has desperately struggled to avoid accountability by dragging my name through the mud.

His latest ad attempts to paint me as some kind of a criminal because I accepted campaign contributions from the now infamous, Tom Noe.

As a Republican leader, you must know that Mr. Latta’s choice to put Tom Noe’s face back on television isn’t just harmful to me, it’s harmful to all Republicans. In the last year, Republicans have tried to move on from that chapter and now Mr. Latta, through his scorched earth campaign, seems to have decided that if he can’t be elected, no Republican should be elected. He has again made Tom Noe an issue for all Republicans to deal with.

Tom Noe is in our past. Many people, both political and philanthropic, called on Tom Noe to contribute to their cause. Mr. Latta, himself, accepted more than a thousand dollars from Tom Noe. He did the right thing (as did I) and donated that money to the same cause I did when he learned of Mr. Noe’s activities.

Last week, after Mr. Latta launched his new attack ad attempting to link me to Tom Noe, I had an idea to prove that many good people solicited Mr. Noe for contributions. So, my staff called Bowling Green State University to pull records that would point out the irony of Mr. Latta’s negative attack on me. As a paid fundraiser for BGSU, even Mr. Latta’s own wife solicited contributions from Tom Noe. My request was not at all to attack Mrs. Latta, but to prove to Mr. Latta that his attack was unfounded and that many good people - even in his own family (and I believe Mrs. Latta to be a good person) trusted Mr. Noe and were later let down by his actions. My campaign wasn’t digging dirt. We were trying, perhaps indelicately, to prove a point.

Getting back to the campaign -
You should know that over the course of this campaign Mr. Latta and I have interviewed to receive the endorsement of many organizations. Most of those organizations are decidedly conservative, therefore all organizations endorsing to this point in the race have endorsed me.

One of those organizations is The Club for Growth. This group, with many members in Ohio, is a conservative organization dedicated to economic prosperity through lower taxes and less government spending. And, it exists to fight liberal front groups such as MoveOn.org. Mr. Latta worked very hard to receive their endorsement, but his tax & spend record disqualified him from earning their support. Now, Mr. Latta is attacking that organization.

Just so we’re clear: Bob Latta wants me to denounce the organization whose support he worked so desperately to receive.

Paul Gillmor served this district honorably and I believe the campaign to succeed him should focus on the future or our Party and our country. We should take this opportunity to talk about some of the things that frustrate Republican voters about their own leaders. Among those concerns are Republicans who can’t resist the pressure to raise our taxes.

In 2003, the Ohio General Assembly considered a budget that increased spending by billions along with a massive tax increase to pay for it. Mr. Latta and I were both there to vote on it. I voted against that budget. Mr. Latta voted for it.

Other than pointing out that difference in our voting record, I have NEVER mentioned Mr. Latta’s name in my campaign except now to defend myself against his constant attacks on my character.
His latest stunt to “run a clean campaign” would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. In essence he is saying that he’ll agree to stop attacking my character and making me sound like a criminal if I agree to stop talking about his vote to raise your taxes.

So, I’m writing to ask for your advice - from a Republican State Senator to a Republican Party leader - what do you think? How should Republican voters respond to this important issue?

On one hand, we have a Republican elected official who went to Columbus and voted for a massive tax and spending increase. Is it off limits to talk about that? Should he never be held accountable for that vote with the Republican electorate?

On the other hand, what of all the Republicans who showed conviction and courage and refused to give in? I, along with many of my colleagues, voted against that very same bill. The leadership punished us and stripped us of committee assignments because we refused to vote for that tax increase. Should we never point out that contrast?

In your judgment, as a Republican leader, who should be rewarded and who should be held accountable?
Bob Latta knows the answer. That’s why he’s trying to change the subject. That’s why he’s trying destroy my name. That’s why he wants you to think he’s the victim.

So here’s my pledge.

My campaign will be a crusade to strengthen Ohio’s economy by supporting conservative fiscal principles that encourage free enterprise. I will fight for lower taxes and less government spending and I will hold people accountable when they hurt Ohio families by raising their taxes to grow our government. I will battle every day to make positive changes for our families and our future.

Bob Latta may be many things, but he isn’t a fiscal conservative. And, he did vote for a giant tax increase and a huge spending increase that I believe contributed to the decline of Ohio’s economy.

He says he wants me to sign a pledge that I won’t mention his name. What he really hopes is for me to sign a pledge that I won’t mention his giant tax hike vote and similar votes which have harmed our economy. That way the voters won’t know about his true record, and he won’t be compelled to explain himself.

You should be aware, however, that I fully suspect that he knows I won’t sign his pledge. In fact, I think he’s counting on it. He is most certainly preparing campaign ads to wreck my good name but, before he does that, he wants to be able to tell you, “Buehrer made me do it.”

My campaign is about strengthening our economy by fighting for lower taxes and spending.

His campaign is about Tom Noe and who knows what attack is coming next.

My campaign will make the Republican Party stronger. His campaign will destroy it.

But, you’re the Republican leader. Please email me today at [email protected] and tell me what you think.

Thanks for your continued dedication to the Republican Party and to our great country.
Sincerely,

Steve Buehrer
State Senator
P.S. Please visit www.SteveBuehrer.com to get involved in my campaign today. Thank you!

This is far too generous from the Buehrer campaign. Bob Latta runs to the party establishment as if they were the United Nations, and demands a cease fire from anyone pointing out Latta’s extensive record of raising taxes and growing government. Not only should Steve turn down Latta’s offer, he should also bludgeon Bob with his awful record on taxes, without pause or remorse. We may have to put up with plenty of tax-raising Republicans in the Ohio legislature, but why would we want to send one to Congress?