From wtov9

A new report found Ohio Gob. Bob Taft is one of the worst governors in the U.S. when it comes to spending taxpayer dollars.

The Cato Institute report was released Thursday and looked at spending, revenue and tax rates.The institute said Taft has improved in the last two years, and earned a "C" in his final term for some small income tax cuts.However, over the last eight years, the group said he earned an "F" as his final grade.In 2001, Ohioans received a $350 million tax increase, mainly on businesses. Further, in 2002, a number of tax hikes took effect, including the cigarette tax. Lastly, after his reelection, Taft proposed a tax reform package that would raise taxes by $2.3 billion.

Now, this story will make news, however, if Strickland's Governor and he gets an "F" they'll never mention this study, unless it gives bad grades to a Republican.

From the Enquirer

Regarding the editorial "Free speech vs. bad manners" (Oct. 17): Nikki Giovanni's statements were free speech, but she used her free speech on this auspicious occasion to take the city three steps forward and two steps back in dividing our city once again along racial lines, not to mention the rude attempt at defaming a native son, Ken Blackwell, and slandering the Cincinnati Police Department.

To attack Blackwell and our men and women in blue was not a decent thing to do. Her statement " police who shoot young black men in the back" undermines the racial healing that has taken place since 2001. Evidently she chose to overlook the laudable progress the Cincinnati police have made implementing the Collaborative Agreement.

From yesterday- Ted Strickland in attorney's sights

And from Today- Strickland: Come clean:

According to Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values, Ohio moral conservatives are beginning to answer a question that Rep. Ted Strickland, Democratic candidate for governor, has yet to answer:

If Ted Strickland knew that his 1998 campaign manager had a police report documenting criminal sexual offenses with minors, why didn't Strickland do something about it?

I have now thoroughly documented that at the end of the 1998 campaign, Strickland was sent police reports that documented 1994 criminal offenses in which his '98 campaign manager had committed sexual violations in the presence minors. Specifically, the Athens Police Department report now in this writer's possession charges the former campaign manager with driving to Ohio elementary schools, enticing young girls to his vehicle, then opening his door in order to expose himself and "pleasure himself" in their open view.

According to an anonymous e-mail, "Ohio Concerned Citizen" writes:

The prior criminal history of (the named 1998 campaign manager) was brought to the congressman's attention in 1998. It appears that the congressman was given a copy of the police report from Belpre, Ohio. The congressman claims to have asked the man about it and the man denied the charges were true. What the congressman has not explained is why he did not check further to see if in fact the charges were true. A simple public records request in Ohio would have turned up the case and the conviction.

Mark Mezibov, the former campaign manager's current attorney, has confirmed that police records in Belpre, Ohio, did exist in the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Mezibov also confirmed that the Athens Police Department records identifying the former campaign manager are also valid. The charges in Belpre were ultimately dismissed. The former campaign manager pleaded guilty to a criminal misdemeanor charge in Athens, Ohio, and the court recommended psychological counseling.

Both sets of criminal records were available in 1998, had Ted Strickland bothered to search for them. According to Mezibov, the records in Washington County were sealed only in 2002, as a result of the former campaign manager's request, and the records in Athens, Ohio, were expunged, also as a result of a 2002 request by the former campaign manager.

Weapons of Mass Discussion has the story here.

When you have a friend on MySpace.com, you have to approve them before they are listed as your friend.

On Ted Strickland's myspace page, he approved Dungeon Master as a friend. Here is a pdf of this guy's profile, and here is his picture below

YIKES! Maybe Ted Strickland should be more selective as to which MySpace friends he accepts.

From Vote Our Values:

Ohio Polls Show Republican Gains Among African American Voters

(Atlanta, GA) -- Herman Cain, the Chairman of the Vote Our Values (www.VoteourValues.Com) campaign, an advertising effort bringing conservative voices to African American voters in Ohio released the following statement:

It is increasingly clear that however Ohio Republicans fare in November, the Democrat monopoly over the Black vote in the Buckeye State has been shattered. The same public polls that show Republican candidates trailing show a strong rightward drift in the African American vote.

In 2004, George Bush polled 12 percent of African Americans nationwide. But in Ohio, where Americas Pac was active, the Republican presidential ticket polled 16 percent - a difference that much of the difference in the presidential contest.

This year, we are running over 8,000 conservative, pro-G.O.P. ads on African American radio stations in Ohio – urban contemporary, soul, and Black Gospel. And once again, large numbers of conservative Blacks, hitherto voiceless, are responding in record numbers

The University of Akron’s Bliss Institute poll showed that among Ohio African Americans who had made up their mind, 19% were supporting Republican senatorial candidate Mike DeWine. Among self-defined Black Protestants, that number jumped to 28%. An early-October ‘Ohio Poll” by the University of Cincinnati showed that among Black voters who had a senatorial preference, 20% supported DeWine.

Majority Watch, a project of RT Strategies and Constitutional Dynamics, released a series of polls on October 12th for three closely contested congressional districts: OH 2, OH

Places Americas Pac program is running RT Strategies pooled cross-tabs, Oct 12th
	Total Blacks	Strong Republican		Weak Rep,	Undeci-ded	Weak Democrat	Strong Dem	% Rep	% undec	% Dem
OH 15	63	17	0		9	13	23	27.0%	14.9%	58.1%
OH 18	17	3	5		1	5	4	46.1%	4.0%	49.9%
OH 02	41	11	7		3	4	15	45.9%	6.7%	47.4%
Totals	120	31	12		13	22	42	36.1%	10.6%	53.3%

Family values and conservative principles are not the monopoly of any race or creed. Republicans would do well to recognize that there is an untapped wellspring of conservative strength among minorities – both Blacks and Hispanics – nationwide.

From Julie Ponzi on the blog No Left Turns:

Hugh Hewitt and Dennis Prager are on a whilwind tour of crucial election battlegrounds this week and today that had them in Ohio. Ken Blackwell, of course, was featured prominently and--though I’ve been following this from some distance--it was striking to me how clear and powerful his points were and, yet, how deflated he is sounding.

Strickland recently made something of a minor gaffe (minor only because it was conspicuously under-reported) when he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that business is suffering in Ohio because people don’t want to come to a state that is "backwards" in its thinking. Ohio is backwards, in his judgment, because it is unfriendly to the notions of unlimited abortion and government funding for stem cell research. In that same forum (before Strickland’s gaffe) Blackwell argued that businesses weren’t flocking to Ohio because of over-regulation and high taxes. Today on Hewitt’s show, Ken made the cogent point that the difference between him and Ted Strickland is rather simple: Strickland thinks your taxes are fine and your values are wrong. Blackwell thinks your taxes are wrong and your values are right.

That is very clear, and very good. I think Blackwell should say that at every opportunity between now and November 7 but, he needs to say it with greater energy if he wants it to get through. It is time for Blackwell to take off the gloves with Strickland. This guy may not be Sherrod Brown--but he is every bit as dangerous for the future of Ohio. And I, for one, cannot get over how insulting it is for a candidate for governor to say the kind of things Strickland said about the citizens he expects to govern! He thinks you’re backwards?! Really!! Isn’t that interesting? A little anger and indignation would be appropriate here--no matter what the polls say. In fact, in my opinion, the polls would read alot differently if we were seeing more indignation from the real, raw, and un-groomed Ken Blackwell.

Speaking of Ohio’s values . . . it is at least interesting, is it not, that Mr. Strickland (who calls Ohioans backwards for their non-scientific approach to values) has provided us with a taste of exactly where his scientific approach to values might lead. In a July 27, 1999 speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, Strickland refused to condemn a study of the American Psychological Association that suggested adult-child sex might not be very harmful to the child if the sex were "consentual." The APA later withdrew this study. But Strickland (who is also under scrutiny for refusing to investigate a staffer accused of exposing himself to children) did not withdraw his comments. Is this the kind of scientific research that should inform the moral judgment of Ohioans?

It is late--but not too late--for Blackwell to make significant gains in this race. I think the polls over-estimate the lead Strickland has, but Blackwell, clearly, is not in a good place right now. Still, there is enough time to come out swinging and sway enough undecideds (and perhaps some decideds) to support the only serious candidate in this crucial election.

Listen to this ad, paid for by George Soros.

Some wise advice from Frances Rice, Chairman of the National Black Republican Association:

OCTOBER SURPRISES !!!

And Again, and Again, and Again !!!

The mainstream news media (really just 527 political advocacy organizations for the Democrats) are releasing their October Surprises, just as they did in October 2000, 2002, and 2004.

Remember Dan Rather's "Fake But Accurate" disinformation story about President Bush and the Texas Air National Guard in the 2004 election.

These October Surprises are a mix of stories, some held for months or years to be delivered as "news" in October, some disinformation, and some a mix of both. Initially they sound bad, but in a few days the facts come out and they are revealed for what they are - disinformation (a polite word for lies).

So far we have seen these October Surprises:

* 650,000 Iraqis killed since 2003
* Foley E-mails
* Bob Wordward's book using unnamed "sources" to trash President Bush
* More Gitomo abuse allegations
* More leaked CIA reports
* Almost daily polls telling us to give up all hope
* David Kuo's allegations that President Bush ridiculed evangelical leaders
* With more to come

This disinformation will continue until election day.

The goal of the mainstream news media and the Democrats is to depress Republicans so that we will stay away from the polls. When Republicans stay home, the Democrats win.

Please volunteer to help elect our Republican candidates and please vote.

On to Victory In 2006,

Frances Rice
Chairman

Marc Dann now says he wants to fix Ohio's elections as Attorney General.

Unfortunately, when Marc Dann says "fix," he means it in the Vegas sense of the word...

The story is at Lincoln Logs.

The AP reports

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Democratic governor candidate Ted Strickland voted in the race today, taking advantage of a new early voting rule and trying to avert a controversy over his residency that might have prevented his casting a ballot.

Campaign spokesman Keith Dailey said Strickland, a U.S. congressman, entered the polls in Lisbon just before 9 a.m. and “was welcomed with open arms” in the county elections office that received a challenge to his residency. Dailey said it safe to assume the Democratic gubernatorial nominee voted for himself.

A constituent, Jacquelyn Long, alleged that Strickland does not actually live at an address in Lisbon, a northeast Ohio city in Strickland's district. The complaint claimed that Strickland has declared permanent residency for tax purposes at a condominium in Columbus.

Isn't voting on election day usually a big photo-op for candidates? Ted already said he doesn't pay taxes in Lisbon- Ted obviously wanted to hurry up before it is proven in hearings that Ted Strickland also doesn't live in his district.

Why such desperation, Teddy boy?

You can show up at your county board of elections and vote anytime they are open.

From openers

Republican state treasurer candidate Sandra O'Brien wants you to know she's an award-winning auditor.

When O'Brien and her Democratic opponent Richard Cordray squared off in a pair of debates this week, O'Brien mentioned a certificate for excellence in financial reporting that her office has received for 11 straight years.

Given by the Government Finance Officers Association and entirely suitable for framing, the award is important enough for O'Brien to post a photograph of her with the certificates laid out on her desk on her campaign Web site.

O'Brien found the awards central enough to her candidacy to mention them during the opening remarks of her Columbus debate Tuesday night.

"About 2 percent of the entities receive the award, and it's a very coveted award," said O'Brien. "I'm extremely proud of it because it's objective and it has very, very high standards."

But does it really have such lofty standards?

A quick check of the sponsoring group's Web site shows that in 2004 -- the latest year awards are listed -- more than 300 Ohio entities received the award, including no less than 39 of Ohio's 88 counties. So that would put O'Brien's coveted award on the desks of no less than 44 percent of the county auditors across the state, while Ohio school districts are no less excellent with 100 districts (out of more than 600) receiving the award that year.

Why doesn't the MSM do this investigation for Ted Strickland?

Click here for more.

And make sure to check out Nixguy.com. He has done an excellent job keeping track of the latest developments regarding Ted Strickland's Foley Scandal.