More Blackwell victory

Steve Hoffman's post-debate commentary in the Sept. 8 Akron Beacon Journal merits consideration. He basically claims that debates have become so scripted and boring that he would rather have one candidate wildly accuse the other of secretly hiring homosexual sympathizers (see 1986 & Republican Rhodes' accusation of Democratic Celeste ). That part of his article can be ignored, since infamous campaigns differ from intense, involved campaign, but the part examining the debate has value. Hoffman criticizes that

[t]he candidates for governor stuck to the script, with Democrat Strickland bashing Republican Blackwell, Ohio secretary of state, for being part of a corrupt "Taft-Blackwell" administration.

Lame-duck Republican Gov. Bob Taft has some of the worst poll numbers ever seen. But he and Blackwell, while both Cincinnati Republicans, come from very different wings of the party. Mostly, the conservative Blackwell has given the moderate Taft a pain in the neck. But Strickland knows the charge will be effective in a year of growing discontent with all things Republican.

Blackwell went after Strickland, a six-term U.S. House member from Lisbon, by cherry-picking his votes on taxes, a common tactic. Blackwell is trying to hang Strickland as a tax-and-spend liberal, continuing a line of GOP attack on Ohio Democrats that began in 1984. Strickland avoided specifics on his plans for the future (which would invite a GOP cost analysis) and repeatedly denied that he would raise taxes if elected governor.

Blackwell succesfully rebutted TS' charges that Blackwell is part of Taft and Hoffman notes that. TS however never rebutted Blackwell's charges that TS voted some 50 times to increase taxes. TS' next re-rebuttal, that he voted four times to decrease tax-burdens on middle class families, was successfully swatted down by JKB's other semi-official blog, http://www.TelltheTruthTed.com.

This leaves JKB accuracy oints ahead and as having won the first debate.

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