Similar piece posted at ProjectLOGIC.
When Ted Strickland was assuring everybody that there's absolutely
nothing special or unique about him by saying he's identical to every other liberal in Ohio, there's one name he forgot to drop: Bob Taft's.
Taft and his sagging popularity will be the 800lb gorilla in this election. The Democrats have tried to compare Blackwell and Taft, but ultimately come up with little more than the fact that they're both state officeholders and they're both Republicans.
That's no good. Anybody who knows anything about Ohio politics knows that Ken Blackwell is the original anti-Taft. While he may share a political party with Taft, he has been a staunch critic of the entire state government. His hardest hitting ads of the primary simply lumped Jim Petro in with the sitting-governor, and he demanded the resignation of House Speaker Larry Householder after a federal grand jury had issued subpoenas to companies that have worked for him as part of an investigation of the speaker's campaign practices.
Ted Strickland defended Bob Taft from then-primary opponent Michael Coleman's assertion that the Governor should resign after being convicted of ethic violations. And that's not the only time that Strickland has stood at the governor's side, so to speak. He is, after all, the logical heir to Taft's economic policies, which are largely responsible for the proverbial wasteland we know as the Ohio economy. Observe:
Ted Strickland defended Bob Taft from then-primary opponent Michael Coleman's assertion that the Governor should resign after being convicted of ethic violations. And that's not the only time that Strickland has stood at the governor's side, so to speak. He is, after all, the logical heir to Taft's economic policies, which are largely responsible for the proverbial wasteland we know as the Ohio economy. Observe:
TAXES
The Standard:
Bob Taft is responsible for the largest tax increase in Ohio history. Citizens for a Sound Economy denounced it, saying that "raising the sales tax will raise prices, hurt job creation, and stifle economic growth." That's exactly what has happened.
Ken Blackwell has fought against the Taft Tax increases for years now.
Ted Strickland says "the jury is still out" on the Commercial Activity Tax. In Congress, he also voted for the national equivalent to the Taft Tax and helped pass the largest tax increase in American history.
SPENDING
The Standard:
State spending has increased over 71% since 1994, notably under George Voinovich and Bob Taft.
Ken Blackwell has been a long-time critic of radical spending no matter what party is responsible, attacking Republicans who "campaign like Ronald Reagan but govern like Dick Celeste." He has also already convinced the Statehouse to legislate key components of his TEL Amendment into law, essentially tackling the issue without even having been elected.
Ted Strickland is campaigning on a laundry list of expensive and redundant promises. Some of my favorites from his Turn-Around Ohio Job Training Program:
A) "Free" Customized Training and Education Program - that will cost taxpayers $15 Million to manage.
B) "Free" Entry Level Certificate to document skills - which will cost taxpayers $25 Million to print and is currently called a "resume."
He's also proposed:
C) "Free" Broadband Internet - which already exists under Bob Taft's Third Frontier Project. Strickland should know that already, since he publicly endorsed Taft's Third Frontier. His only complaint was that it should have spent more money.
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