From USAToday

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Two years after the 2004 presidential election, Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell still faces accusations that he made it hard for Democrats to vote. Here at a public housing community center, however, black ministers — many of them Democrats — are showering him with applause, laughter and amens.

The Republican candidate for governor, an imposing 6-foot-4 in this small, packed room, is sharing his experiences as a black person in America. His father was a meatpacker, he says. He grew up in public housing, selling peanuts and helping at a funeral home. He worked in the civil rights movement, and he challenged the lending practices of white bankers in Cincinnati.

He did not, he says, try to suppress minority turnout in 2004. ("Do you think Mrs. Blackwell raised a dumb child? Why would I suppress the black vote when I understood how well I do in the African-American community?") In fact, he says, a record number of blacks voted in Ohio in 2004.

When he's done, several Democratic pastors say they might vote for Blackwell for governor this fall over Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland. Henry McNeil, pastor of Alpha & Omega First Baptist Church, says Blackwell closed the sale. "I didn't come with a made-up mind. It was made while he spoke," says McNeil, who backed Democrat John Kerry for president in 2004.

Was this incident reported in our local press?

A little common sense, really.

An editorial by The Intelligencer:

Oversight of the elections process is more penetrating and relentless than ever before. A candidate using the public office he already holds for some nefarious plot to win election to another post would be spotted quickly -- and would be more likely to find himself in court facing a judge than in the winner’s circle.

That’s why demands by some Ohio Democrats for Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell to, in effect, step down from his post are ridiculous.

Blackwell, a Republican who is the state’s chief elections officer, is running for governor against U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Ohio. Some Democrat leaders in Ohio have suggested that Blackwell should not supervise an election in which he is a candidate for governor. “The person who oversees the rules cannot in fundamental fairness also be the judge of the game,” commented Strickland’s running mate, Lee Fisher.

Someone else should be named to fulfill the secretary of state’s election-related duties, Fisher and others have suggested.

Political party solidarity being what it is, we’re not certain how Fisher and company would find someone who would not face accusations of using the secretary of state’s office improperly. Name a prominent Republican, and Democrats would complain that he helped Blackwell. Pick a Democrat, and Republicans would worry that Strickland was getting some sort of advantage.

Blackwell has handled duties related to elections well and, we believe, impartially. We don’t think Ohioans have any reason to worry about him attempting to make the secretary of state’s office into a tool in his campaign for governor. He shouldn’t bow to those who probably are more interested in embarrassing him than in ensuring that the campaign for governor is conducted fairly.

From the Canton Repository. (Read the whole article, it shows you just how incompetent Brunner is on the campaign trail.)

“We should make it as easy as possible to vote,” said Brunner, a former judge, noting her campaign Web site refers people to the secretary of state’s official Web site for registration purposes.

No, it doesn’t. Neither her Web site nor that of Ted Strickland, her party’s candidate for governor, has a way to help people to register to vote.

This is especially amusing when you consider that Brunner wants to be in charge of the state's elections. She's lucky that Greg Hartmann isn't as crazy as she is, or she just might be accused of trying to suppress the vote!

From the Cincinnati Enquirer:

According to Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, 250 people a day leave Ohio for retirement-friendly Florida, which has no income tax, no inheritance tax and no gift tax.

So how do the candidates for governor compare on spending and taxes? Blackwell's tax and spending limits have been adopted by the general assembly. His Republican primary opponent actually accused him of proposing cuts too deep.

Democrat Ted Strickland gets F's from anti-tax groups. He is rated at 13 percent out of 100 percent by the National Taxpayers Union, and just 3 percent by the National Tax Limitation Committee. Business and industry gave him 14 percent in 2005. The National Federation of Independent Business gave him 8 percent in 2003-04.

The other day I heard an ad on the radio selling the beauty and business-friendly climate of Michigan. It was broadcast in Ohio, to steal our jobs, businesses and residents.

What are we waiting for - a burning river?

Ohio simply cannot afford to elect Taft Strickland.

Make of this what you will. The following e-mail was sent to Blackwell Blogger Matt Naugle from someone claiming to be a paid staffer in Ted Strickland's campaign. It's impossible to know for sure if the person truly holds the position he claims to, but it's interesting either way. You can find the entire e-mail transaction here.

From: Barry Sanders Mailed-By: gmail.com
To: [email protected]
Date: Jun 26, 2006 9:47 PM
Subject: hi matt
Matt,

My name is "Barry". I am employed by the Strickland/Fisher campaign. I serve as a paid staffer in a mid-level assistant position. I am willing to provide you with information that you may find useful.

An example - There is significant internal conflict on the campaign about how to address the Turnpike issue. One camp is saying that we should not disagree with Ken's plan and take the wind out of the sales, and another camp is saying that we should be completely opposed. I am willing to provide you with more if you are interested. I am particularly interested in talking about Lee Fisher and his mental instability. He is a loose cannon and a complete embarrassment to the campaign, internally. In public, he is great and eloquent, but behind closed doors he is a nut case.

Keep up the good work. I know of a lot of democrats that are going to vote for Ken. The "Where's Ted?" approach has spooked some folks and has created a negative buzz. In addition to the new Zogby numbers. I will tell you later, my core motivation for pulling this "Benedict Arnold."

Naugle responded with skepticism and wrote it off as a fake. "Barry" insisted his e-mail was truthful even though the name is fake, and explained that while he supports Strickland he hates Lee Fisher. He even said he was thinking about making a blog that had a theme of "Vote for Ted, Not for Lee." And he continued to hammer away that the Strickland Campaign is struggling for a response to Blackwell's TurnkPike initiative, and said that they will "f*** it up" when they finally do have one.

The next day, Blackwell's spokesperson sent the following e-mail to the Strickland Campaign and the the Ohio Statehouse Press Corps.

From: Carlo LoParo
Date: Jun 27, 2006 2:45 PM
Subject: Strickland's disgruntled staffer
To: [email protected]


Jess,

Following is an email exchange between someone allegedly on your staff and our web blogger Matt Naugle. I found it very interesting that someone on your team wants to help our campaign effort. Please tell them no thank you.
We plan to beat you fair and square without the help of your disgruntled staffers. Nonetheless, I think it's only appropriate to let you know that not all is well at camp Strickland. Enjoy.

Carlo LoParo
Press Secretary
Ohioans for Blackwell

The most interesting thing about all of this is that, since the individual used a fake name, it's difficult for anyone - including the Strickland Campaign - to know if he actually holds the position he claims to hold.

This could have been a hoax, but it could also have been a set-up. An attempt to make it appear that Blackwell is seeking out unfair advantages and running a "dirty campaign," a perception that liberals would love to make stick.

Either way, Camp Blackwell handled it well and I am eagerly awaiting Ted Strickland's position on the turnpike issue.

Lee Fisher screwed up. Listen to the audio here.

And here is Blackwell's press release:

Strickland Does Not Understand Tax Policy

Democrat Makes Embarrassing Gaffe on Home Mortgage Deductions

COLUMBUS - In a news release and audio comments distributed yesterday, Congressman and former prison psychologist Ted Strickland’s running mate Lee Fisher embarrassingly and incorrectly stated Ohioans deduct home mortgage interest from their state taxes.

Fisher claimed gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell’s single rate state income tax reform proposal would eliminate the home mortgage tax deduction. Aside from the totally inaccurate description of Blackwell’s tax position, Ohio homeowners know the home mortgage tax deduction is a federal deduction not a state deduction.

“Strickland and Fisher are so misinformed that they think Ohioans deduct home mortgage interest from their state taxes,” said Blackwell campaign spokesman Carlo LoParo. “Homeownership and taxes are real issues that matter to Ohioans. We cannot afford a governor who needs on-the-job training on important pocketbook issues like taxes.”

Fisher also made the strange leap of logic that lowering state income tax rates for middle class Ohioans is a tax increase. A family of four with two wage earners each making $30,000 a year with allowed state deductions pay $1,979 in state taxes, a rate of 3.3 percent. Blackwell has proposed a state single rate of 3.25 percent with exemptions to provide relief for low income Ohioans.

“Strickland has never seen a tax he didn’t like or want to hike,” said LoParo. “Ken Blackwell thinks Ohioans already pay too much in taxes while Ted Strickland wants them to pay more.”

DOH!

From Politics Extra

The third in a series of Enquirer questions to gubernatorial candidates, titled Choice, continued to draw fire today when the executive director of Equality Ohio criticized the Ohio Republican Party for "tired political tactics.''

Lynne Bowman, head of the non-profit group which advocates on behalf of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Ohioans, urged "all the candidates for governor of Ohio to support state employees and their families by providing domestic partnership benefits for those in long-term relationships.''

In response to Thursday's Choice question, "Should live-in partners of state employees receive the same health and pension benefits as married state employees,'' Republican Ken Blackwell and Democrat Ted Strickland both answered "no." Independent candidates Bob Fitrakis and Bill Peirce answered "yes."

The Ohio Republican Party quickly pounced on Strickland for flip-flopping on earlier support of domestic partner benefits, although Strickland said the state's newest constitutional amendment would precent the state from offering live-in partner benefits.

"Like many Ohioans, we believe basic health coverage for all, including Ohio's state workers and their life partners, should be a priority for our next governor," Bowman said in a news statement.

From Rasmussen

In the Ohio race for U.S. Senate, Republican Senator Mike DeWine again enjoys a moderate lead, 46% to 39%, over Democratic Congressman Sherrod Brown. Last month Brown was the leader, 44% to 41%—the first time the Democrat had pulled ahead all year.

Though still below 50%, support for DeWine's candidacy now matches his highest level in 2006. But Republicans should not uncork the champagne just yet. Our three-poll rolling average continues to show a very close race.

DeWine attracts only 73% of GOP voters, versus the 75% of Democrats who support Brown; 9% of GOP voters are inclined to vote for a third-party candidate. (Only 3% of Democrats feel that way.)

There's the Bill Pierce Effect.

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