Blue Buckeye Blog

New polling data shows Democrats in a position of strength

Two new polls have been released in the past few days - Rasmussen and Zogby/WSJ online

Zogby/WSJ:

Brown 45.9%/DeWine 37%

Rasmussen:

US Senate:
Dewine 45% (46%)
Brown 42% (37%)

Governor’s Race:
Strickland 50% (47%)
Blackwell 40% (35%)

Strickland 47% (44%)
Petro 34% (37%)

Herding Democrats in Southeast Ohio

One of the most fascinating anecdotes I heard about the 2004 presidential race in Ohio came from a Summit County government employee with a long background working on political campaigns. The employee, a Democrat, happened to be driving through Southeast Ohio just before Election Day.

Because of the hilly terrain, each small town has its own radio station. As she clicked from one station to the next, this political pro's ears were tuned not to the news, sports and weather, but to the political ads. In each town, she said, the messages seemed to be microtargeted to the Bush campaign's advantage, whether it was guns, God or gays.

The strategy, assisted by a get-out-the-vote drive that reached into the countryside, helped George W. Bush beat John Kerry in Ohio, giving the Republican president the electoral votes he needed for a second term.

The story came to mind during Chris Redfern's recent speech to the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron....

Click here to read the rest of the Akron Beacon-Journal article on Chris Redfern's plans to return the Ohio Democratic Party to its grassroots base.

A plan for Real Security

Today elected Democratic leaders were joined by former Secretary of State Madeline Albright and General Wesley Clark to announce a bold plan for Real Security.

The plan for Real Security will rebuild our military; properly equip and train our first responders and others on the front lines here at home; provide needed benefits to our troops and veterans; fully equip and man our National Guard; promote alternative fuels and lessen our dependence on foreign oil; and restore Americans' confidence in their government's ability to respond in the face of a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

Democrats know that America is best protected, and freedom best advanced, by national security policies - including homeland, energy, and diplomatic strategies - that are both tough and smart.

Download the Real Security .pdf notebook - Protecting American and Restoring Our Leadership in the World: Download Real_Security.pdf

Republicans reject Kaptur's "Truman" amendment that would have investigated waste, fraud, abuse in government contracts

Eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in federal contracts - who would be against that, right?  Apparently, Republicans.

Last week Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur introduced the Truman Committee amendment to H.R. 4939, the War and Hurricane Supplemental Appropriations bill.  The amendment would have created a select committee - based on the Truman Committee that existed from 1941 to 1948 during World War II - to investigate possible waste, fraud, and abuse in government contracts in Iraq and the Katrina recovery.

The Republicans, perhaps because they don't want their no-bid contracts with companies like Halliburton investigated, refused to bring the amendment to the floor for a vote.

"This amendment  would have allowed Congress to oversee exactly how the billions in tax-payer dollars are being spent in Iraq and in the Gulf Coast," said Kaptur.  "Though the Republican leadership did not allow a vote on this amendment, it remains critical that Congress curtail the opportunities for waste, fraud and abuse in federal contracting."

Editorial boards coming out against Blackwell's TABOR/TEL amendment

Under the title, "Approving TABOR could spell disaster," the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette comes out against Ken Blackwell's constitutional amendment we'll most likely see on the ballot this fall. 

On the surface, some will suggest TABOR is a great solution to the Buckeye state's budget problems. But we believe the problems would just be starting if TABOR was enacted.

Don't believe us? Look at Colorado. It enacted TABOR in 1992. It found success at first. Contraction in electronics and telecommunications industries occurred rapidly in 2000 and 2001, shrinking the state economy and tax collections. Then personal income and state employment both shrank, leaving both items with the sixth-worst ranking in the nation.

And as a result of the changes, higher education dropped from 39th to 45th. And immunization plummeted from 20th to 50th. They've spent a number of years revising the law to fix things that don't work.

Still don't understand TABOR? Take the opportunity to learn and get informed. Its implementation could be devastating.

Si Se Puede - Thousands rally in Columbus in opposition to anti-immigrant bill

Thousands of Ohioans came to the Statehouse today to rally against HR 4437, the Sensenbrenner bill that seeks the criminalization of the immigrant community.

Speaking in front of a statue of President William McKinley (whose assassination in 1901 prompted Congress to enact tougher immigration laws, barring immigrants from India, China and Russia)  the crowd heard from local and statewide Latino leaders and also from elected officials, including Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman.

As cries of 'Si Se Pude' rang out, speaker after speaker reinforced the role of the immigrant in American society:  taxpayer, neighbor, worker, proud citizen.

Concerned social justice and Catholic groups were represented, since HR 4437 would criminalize social service programs offering food and emergency shelter, child care, aid to immigrants and refugees, counseling services and computer and job training.

A spokesperson for Diocese of Columbus Biship Frederick Campbell told those gathered, "the people of God walk with you on a march to fair and just immigration reform."

PD's Larkin on Blackwell's TEL Amendment

City councils and school boards will soon begin passing resolutions and mounting campaigns against the Blackwell TEL. Already, the Republican-dominated Board of Trustees at Cleveland State University has unanimously passed a resolution opposing the measure, fearing passage would lead to steep cutbacks in state support. All or most other state uni ersity boards will soon follow suit.

and...

But when kids start bringing home flyers from the librarian warning of deep cuts in spending on books, and if government leaders at the township trustee level convince constituents that the TEL would adversely impact their lives, even the rein-in-government-spending lure of the Blackwell amendment won't work.

...

Bruce Akers, the highly regarded Republican mayor of Pepper Pike, describes the Blackwell plan as "catastrophic." If the Blackwell people think Akers will do an about-face prior to November, they're in desperate need of a reality check.

Near the end of Wednesday's session, WKYC-TV Channel 3 reporter Tom Beres asked for a show of hands from those in the room who believed Blackwell's TEL to be "a damaging measure that could hamper your ability to provide basic services " - services like police protection, good libraries and clean parks.

Everyone in the room raised a hand.

Then, Beres also asked if anyone believed Blackwell's measure to be "a thoughtful, productive way to curb excessive government spending."

Not a single hand went up.

Strickland releases first campaign commerical

Opposition to HR 4437 heats up; Latino, faith-based groups fight bill

HR 4437, also known as the Sensenbrenner-King bill, would provide for the construction of 700 miles of wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, make an estimated 12 million undocumented migrants felons (which includes 1.6 million children), and make all groups (be it church, social agencies or unions) that assist these undocumented migrants felons has passed the US House of Representatives.

The passage has stirred up a diverse mix of social justice groups, religious organizations, and Latino community groups. 

Recently Cardinal Roger Mahoney of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles spoke out against the bill, telling his parishioners he would call on them to commit civil disobedience if HR 4437 passes.

La Prensa, Ohio and Michigan's oldest and largest Latino weekly has devoted extensive coverage to the issue, and will be covering a large rally to be held in Columbus on Sunday to protest and to draw attention to the bill. 

The paper called on readers to vote against Steve Chabot, Jean Schmidt, Paul Gilmore, Steven LaTourette, Deborah Pryce, Ralph Regula and Bob Ney because they voted in favor of the bill. 

Dems, Republicans band together against Blackwell's TEL Amendment

More than 100 local officials - Democrats and Republicans - met Wednesday to begin efforts to defeat Ken Blackwell's TEL Amendment, a devestating proposal to limit government spending.

The Amendment is a "nexus of evil," said John Mahoney, deputy director of the Ohio Municipal League.  The proposal will be on the November ballot.

"The language is broad and fuzzy, it would trump everything else in the Constitution, and would grant everyone the right to sue governments," Mahoney said.

Read more from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.