We're serious too...

"Today we learned the disappointing news that Honda of America has decided to build its newest automotive production plant in Indiana rather than Ohio. However, we can be encouraged that this new plant will be right next door and will lead to job growth right here in Ohio. It is clear that we must work even harder as a state to create job-ready sites and to make sure that our people have access to the best educational opportunities possible. As governor, I will work to establish strong, meaningful relationships with Honda of America and to strengthen Ohio's relationships with the entire automotive industry. And, as governor, I will move aggressively to remove the bureaucratic and regulatory barriers to business growth in Ohio."

1. He was still positive

2. He will work with Hondy

3. The last line sounds like it could have come from a Republican.

4. He'll tick off the UAW and other Union groups by working with Honda

According to Rasmussen Blackwell is only getting 66% of the GOP vote and is down 2 to 1 in Indepdents. These are the GOPers who disliked the TEL and who were close to Petro. Therefore this needs to happen for Ken Blackwell to take the lead...

1. Get up to 80%+ of the Republican vote...it'd shrink Ted's lead to 6-7 points

2. Attract 40% of Independents, then the race becomes a toss up.

3. Hit that 35% of black vote and then you are ahead.

Difficult to do, but not impossible.

This one is also good...

"Ohio has too many impediments to job creation and business expansion. Our taxes are too high, our government is too big and we are not taking advantage of available resources. We must move beyond the status quo and become competitive with neighboring states by cutting taxes and streamlining government, or we will continue to lose jobs and talented young people."

"Ohio's next governor has to embrace bold initiatives. I have proposed such initiatives and I offer the experience and leadership needed to take our state on a path of job creation and economic prosperity."

Blackwell has advocated the following job creating initiatives:

• Create a $6 billion jobs creation and infrastructure improvement fund by leasing the Ohio Turnpike;
• Implement a single rate tax system over a four year period, with a target rate of 3.25 percent;
• Eliminate the stand alone estate tax and increase the definition of residency for tax purposes from the current 120 days to 180 days or more;
• Repeal the sales tax increase of 2003, returning the state sales tax to 5 percent; and
• Privatize the Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

President Bush is coming to Ohio to rally Republicans to support DeWine, but there is a growing group that will protest the event, and these are the growing numbers of Conservatives and Republicans that want DeWine gone.

Across the Ohio liberty blogsphere the sides are clearly drawn among Republican voters; those that will hold their nose and vote for DeWine, and that that are so fed up with him that they will vote for a man of similar qualities but is a Democrat. So what should we do?

I say, vote for Brown. And I say this with complete loathing, but only because DeWine has to be made an example.[1] Otherwise, how will we get rid of Voinovich and ensure our Senators start looking out for the State of Ohio rather than their own selfish interests or the big money lobby groups that finance their campaigns. Furthermore, how do we get the RNC, ORP and county Republican Parties to realize who votes their candidates into office? I say vote them out!

A story that compares results from Zogby and the Ohio Poll in a newspaper that isn't overly kind to Republicans. (Rasmussen is mentioned as an after-thought.)

The University of Cincinnati's Ohio Poll follows a tried-and-true technique, interviewers calling random numbers, making follow-up calls to reach registered voters. Over many years, the Ohio Poll has a solid track record.

Zogby Interactive departs from that approach, using Web solicitations to build a database of those who register for online polls. Just 20 to 50 telephone calls are made to help ensure proper representation of all demographic groups. The most recent Ohio Poll directly contacted almost 700 registered voters.

While both surveys have a similar range of statistical accuracy (plus or minus 3.3 percentage points for Zogby; plus or minus 3.7 percentage points for the Ohio Poll), that's misleading. The university's method has a greater likelihood of finding a representative sample, crucial to accuracy.

...Want to make things more complicated? The Rasmussen poll employs yet another approach (aided by autodialing).

To remind everyone, here's what the Ohio Poll said about the race:

Strickland leads Blackwell by six points, 50-44

DeWine leads Brown by ten points, 52-42

It's also worth noting that in the SurveyUSA poll, which shows Strickland with a 16-point lead, only just over half were likely voters.

(hat-tip to Lincoln Logs. more on the polling lunacy here.)

From The Columbus Dispatch:

Beginning today, Teresa Stevenson will devote her full attention to taking the job of the man who fired her.

The auditor’s office employee, a Democratic candidate for auditor, has been fired by Perry County Auditor Larry Householder, her Republican opponent in the fall election.

Householder dismissed Stevenson effective today at the recommendation of a neutral hearing officer who determined Tuesday that she was a classified civil-service employee.

Ohio civil-service laws generally prohibit classified employees from running for partisan elective office or working to elect candidates.

Householder suspended Stevenson with pay on May 5 to determine whether she participated in partisan politics while on the public payroll.

"I think the county has been very patient," Householder said.

Frankly, I'd like to fire a few of them myself.

From his press release

COLUMBUS - Gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell today named Wilberforce University President and former Congressman Rev. Dr. Floyd Flake a campaign co-chairman.

"I am honored and humbled by Rev. Flake's support of my gubernatorial campaign," said Blackwell. "Rev. Flake is an educator, a statesman and a national leader. He is providing our nation's oldest historically black college with principled, prudent and inspirational leadership. Rev. Flake will bring those same outstanding leadership qualities to my campaign."

"Ken Blackwell is the leader Ohio needs right now," said Rev. Flake. "He understands the challenges faced by institutions of higher education, he understands the importance of home ownership and he understands the power of economic opportunity."

"Ken Blackwell's solid, proven leadership will get Ohio's cities back on track," added Rev. Flake....

From his press release

(Columbus) June 29, 2006 - Greg Hartmann, candidate for Secretary of State, today announced campaign chairs in each of Ohio's 88 counties. The county campaign chairs are responsible for coordinating grassroots efforts and helping inform voters of Greg's background and plan for the Secretary of State's office.

"We're running an aggressive ground campaign," Hartmann said. "This will no doubt be an exciting and challenging campaign season, and I can guarantee you this team will not be outworked."

Hartmann's campaign chairs come from a wide variety of backgrounds including elected officials, farmers, attorneys, and other community leaders.

"Greg's got a great team in place and I'm glad to be a part of it," Hartmann's Hamilton County Campaign Chair Chip Gerhardt said. "Here in Hamilton County, we're developing a very aggressive grassroots effort to turn out the vote and I know that Greg's other county chairs are doing the same throughout the state."

Greg Hartmann represents the next generation of leadership in Ohio. As the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, Greg has earned a national reputation for modernizing the office and making it more accountable to taxpayers. During the last three fiscal years, Greg has returned over $1.3 million to taxpayers. He's also been a leader in protecting Ohioans from identity theft....

The market prices of most used-cars are too low for sellers of those cars to support their families. This fact is especially true for poor people, who, when they sell their old cars, almost always have only old, high-mileage, often dilapidated used-cars to sell. These people aren't selling two-year-old Lexuses or BMWs. They're selling 15-year-old Chevys and 20-year-old Hondas. So let's enact legislation mandating that no used-car can sell for less than, say, $25,000. That way, anyone who sells a used-car is assured that he or she will earn at least enough money to support a family for a year.

I doubt that many people would argue that government should legislate a minumum price for used-cars. But why not? If merely identifying a problem with a low price (such as "At the current minimum wage, even full-time workers can't support a family of four") is sufficient to justify legislative action to raise that price, why won't such action work for used-cars as well as it will work for labor hours?

Exactly!