Strickland seeks Hillary, Kerry approval

Ted Strickland was busted on Friday, May 19, when he sidled into New York for a fund-raiser hosted by Hillary Rhodam Clinton. To show his deceptiveness, Strickland has said nothing. The May 24 article by Joe Hallet is worth reading in its entirety. It shows the liberal side of Strickland and how his conservativism on guns is fake. Remember the Clintons assaults on the NRA. Hallett writes

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ted Strickland quietly slipped into New York City on Friday for a fundraiser hosted by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.
Known for its openness, the Strickland campaign was unusually tightlipped about the event. Keith Dailey, Strickland campaign spokesman, said it was held at a private residence, but he declined to name the owner, saying only that "it's not anyone famous."
Dailey said about 100 people attended the fundraiser, but he would not say how much money was raised. Gubernatorial candidates can accept individual contributions of up to $10,000.
Clinton came to Ohio to raise money for Strickland's congressional re-election campaign in 1998, when she was first lady.
Saturday night, Strickland was the beneficiary of a fund raiser in Toledo headlined by Sen. John Kerry, of Massachusetts, the 2004 Democratic nominee for president.
Carlo LoParo, spokesman for J. Kenneth Blackwell, Strickland's GOP rival for governor, said Strickland "is a classic tax-and-spend liberal, so it doesn't surprise me that he's holding fundraisers with John Kerry and Hillary Clinton."

The support of Kerry and Clinton shows the true colors of Strickland: liberal blue-state. Which means no tax-cuts, more gov't spending and anti-abortion legislation.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

JKB's legislative influence

Blackwell's influence is showing in his poll gains but also in his getting laws passed, and only as a candidate for governor.

Jim Siegel reported in the Wedneday May 24, 2006 edition of the Columbus Dispatch, page A1, about how JKB influenced the the Ohi0 House, Senate and Governor's mansion to craft modified TEL legislation (more here and here). Siegel writes

The tension and rapid-fire movement finalized a deal between Blackwell and Republican legislative leaders. Blackwell will ask the petition committee to remove his TEL amendment from the ballot -- and the committee assured Gov. Bob Taft yesterday that would happen -- in exchange for lawmakers passing a less-restrictive bill.
In less than 26 hours, the House and Senate approved a Tax and Expenditure Limitation plan that would cap state government spending at 3.5 percent per year, or the combined rate of inflation plus population growth, whichever is greater.
It took only seven hours from start to Taft's signature for a bill giving the petition committee the power to pull the TEL amendment off the November ballot.
Taft had to sign the latter bill quickly because the petition committee must act to pull the TEL amendment off the ballot at least 60 days before the Nov. 7 election -- and the bill does not go into effect for 90 days.

The people were supporting this bill enmasse and the politicos heard the voices. This is political victory for Blackwell, because he also heard the dissenting voices who moaned and complained that they would have millions and billions less funding dollars today than if Blackwel's bill had gone into effect some 15 - 20 years ago. Blackwell got his victory, and in a small sense so did the opponents.

Of course had the bill gone into effect, the tax burden on Ohioans would be a lot less today leaving them more money with which they could grow the economy and thus put more dollars into the coffers. Those complaining and opposing viewed the whole transaction through the Keynesian economics rather than market principles.

Another thing to note is how the newspaper editorialists, i.e, those on the editorial boards have made public their opposition to this bill. Since they run the boards and have some form of influence on the rest of the newspaper production, do not be surprised if the papers continue to come out against Blackwell.

So far, Ohio's opinion leaders oppose JKB. Yet the voters have elected JKB to be (R) candidate, the legislature has approved a candidate's legislation, and the polls are showing some sort of JKB gain. Hmm, we sense a trend.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Blackwell gaining in polls

The Dayton Daily News and AP promote a recent Unniversity of Cinncinati-sponosored poll that shows Blackwell gaining in the polls. This poll of 698 registered Ohio voters has Strickland leading 50 - 44 with 7% undecided/other and a 3.7% margin of error.

Both news networks err in two ways: First No numbers were given about how the poll was weighted, i.e., were there more (R), (D) or (I) voters; and second, neither story mentions that during the primary season JKB trailed TS by 12 points. Blackwell is moving up and it has only taken him about one month.

Plus, polls of registered voters are unreliable indicators of the final outcome. They generally favor (D) over (R), so perhaps JKB is closer than the poll indicates. Regardless of its accuracy, the poll does not help the candidate of either party. The poll was written to fill up column space.

The DDN spotlighted William Hershey's 5-26 story on page A4 and Julie Carr Smyth's AP story was posted at 5:10 pm EST.

update: NPR's Ohio edition gets it right, when Jo Ingles reports on Blackwell's gain (Real Player req). She does not however list by how many he has gained.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Blackwell the racist: part 1,543,428

The Dayton Daily News runs a May 10 editorial (free reg req) that hints at Blackwell being a racial sell-out and ends up giving him a good-boy, good-dog pat on the head. The opinion begins by noting that the primary race was free of racial overtones and issues. It notes that most people vote (D) because the (R) party does not address minority issues. After all the racial Nixon adopted the "Southern Strategy." The racist Republicans opposed affirmitive action. The racist Bush administration tried to limit law school quotas.

The money quote is the final few paragraphs in the editorial. The newspaper writes,

Mr. Blackwell might also lose votes because he's black, of course. But the race factor didn't seem to hurt him much in a primary where nearly all the voters were white and conservative.
Not long ago, it was conventional wisdom that black candidates did worse in elections than they did in polls, because some people who were planning to vote along racial lines wouldn't admit that to a pollster.
But that was back when black candidates were always Democrats.
It's a new era. That's a good thing. And the people who are grinding their teeth know that better than anybody.

Notice here the condescending congratulations the newspaper gives to the GOP and JKB. It is similiar to an owner who pats his dog on the head for fetching the newspaper. Doggy want a treat?

The newspaper fails to note that conservatives and (R) voters vote on principle and self-achievement more than elecatibility. The opposition to affirmative action falls under the self-inspiration category. Plus it was the Democrats that enacted "Jim Crow" laws and Democrats who opposed the 1964 and 1965 civil rights legislation. Republicans voted for the 1964 & 1965 acts. Because Barry Goldwater and a few other (R) senators voted against the laws based on constitutional opposition, LBJ and the DNC successfully labeled Goldwater and the 1964 GOP as anti-racial.

Of course since the race is out this early, this could signal desperation on the part of the Democrats.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Blackwell the Racist: part 1,543,427

The race card is out after Blackwell's primary victory. The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) ran a May 10 column by Ohio University's Thomas Suddes, wherein Mr. Suddes claims, (via Lexis-Nexis)

[i]n the war to define Republicanism in Ohio, Blackwell ran best in counties most open to harangue-from-the-balcony appeals - of, say, a George C. Wallace in 1968 or of the Detroit Catholic "radio priest" Charles E. Coughlin in the 1930s. (Coughlin was one of the "Demagogues in the Depression," to cite historian David Bennett's study.)

Yes, JKB's victory makes him a racist like presidential contender Wallace and radio host Coughlin. This historical parallel falls apart because JKB is running for governor, not president or Roman Catholic Priest. Secondly, Wallace was based in Atlanta and Fr. Coughlin was a national host (possibly). Mr. Suddes reasoning is more full of DNC talking-points than any worthwhile analysis.

Mr. Suddes deserves credit for using various polling data to support his claims. (Brief side note: did you know that Hitler was a racist?). The chief ground of support underlying Mr. Suddes reasoning process is the numerical fact that

[i]n 1968, no big nonslave state gave Wallace a bigger share of its presidential vote (12 percent, one in eight votes) than Ohio did. And Coughlin's 1936 proxy (William Lemke) ran better in Ohio than [he did] nationally.

Again take note that JKB is not running as a national candidate but as a statewide candidate for governor. The comparisons continue to decay. Mr. Suddes should have found a governor's candidate who campaigned similiar to JKB for the reasoning to work. He did not. He failed.

Mr. Suddes also notes that JKB is not running a "pocket-book" campaign but a "God-guns-gays" campaign. So, Blackwell deserves criticism for choosing principle over donor-slobber? Pointing out the rest of the flaws in Mr. Suddes racist rhetoric is a waste of engergy. Read the column and see for yourself.

One final note: playing the race card so early might be a sign of desperation on the left. Take heart and be of good cheer.

Final exams are done for the semester and so is the senior theses in History. Blogging should improve.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Blackwell is racist: part 1,543,426

An AP report (via Lexis-Nexis) on May 8 stongly hints that Ohio's black state Treasurer Jenette Bradley lost because she is black and female. Her white opponenet Sandra O'Brien toured with JKB for the campaign.

When Bradley said, "Things like race and gender, they can play both ways... Obviously so, since Ken won and I lost," she strongly implied that her race and gender hurt her, but helped JKB. (By the way did you know that Hitler was a racist?)

But wait a second, it turns out again that issues and principle swayed the voters. From the get-go O' Brien focused on the differences. O'Brien e-mailed on Day 1,

"[w]ith regards to the social issues, I am pro-life. My opponent is pro-choice. I am a National Rifle Association member and support the Right of all Americans to bear arms. According to published reports, my opponent was against concealed carry in Ohio."

Oops for the AP. Once again (R) voters chose the candidate who agreed with them on the issues of life and guns. Principle over politics. Gender and race had nothing to do with the choice for treasurer.

Plus, Taft appointed Bradley to the office, and voters are sick of the governor's corruption and RINO actions. Genuine conservativism is the cure.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Brief Easter Message

Best Easter Message ever seen on the road sign of a church/school:

FUNERAL CANCELLED.
HE IS RISEN!

See Grandville Christian School for more details.

Full Disclosure: The Editor is not a member nor a financial supporter of the school. JKB is not a member of nor a contributer to the school. The Editor fully endorses the message.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Special CA-Cunningham election results

Presenting: results from race for Rep. Duke Cunningham's 50th District seat

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Poll says JKB

JKB leads JP by a 46% - 32% margin, with 22% undecided says a Survey USA poll. The margin of error is 4.8% The T.V.-station-sponsored vote surveyed 436 Likely (R) voters and found that JKB leads in every
age group,
income bracket,
region and
urban/suburban/rural section.

He leads in the
Conservative vote,
male vote,
any college vote
graduated college vote and
post-college training vote.

He trails by
1% in the chick vote, and
4% in the no-college education vote.

Petro wins the moderate and liberal GOP vote. In order to have the slightest change at victory, Petro must win 18 of every 22 (80%) independent voters to have even the smallest chance of pulling ahead. Since the independent usually splits between 50-50 and 70-30 one way or the other, Petro is pretty well doomed. A 66 - 23 split leaves Petro losing by a 53 - 46 margin.

SurveyUSA's methodology convolutes its poll techniques in a phrase only a poll-junkie could love

In theory, with the stated sample size, one can say with 95% certainty that the results would not vary by more than the stated margin of sampling error, in one direction or the other, had the entire universe of respondents been interviewed with complete accuracy.

Translated into plain English this means that 95% of the time, the poll is 100% accurate, within the margin of error. 5% of the time, Daffy Duck might win.

Here's, instead, to hoping for a Bugs Bunny/Donald Duck dream ticket. Bugs is a character, which a President needs to be, and Donald is the perfect VP: he's less prone to rage than Daffy, more prone to hard work and a family man at that since he mentors his 3 nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Black voters flee Dems

A new Democrat Poll shows Maryland Republican, Michael Steele, getting as much as 44% of the black vote in his run for the US Senate seat of Maryland's Paul Sarbannes.

When Steele is matched up against a generic DNC candidate, he gets 22% of the black vote, and in the '02 election he received 13% of the vote. In all three cases he is trending ahead of GWB by 2%, 11%, and 33%, respectively.

The WaPo got a copy from the Democrats. The number of those polled was 489 but no margin of error was mentioned. Watch for more of the same to happen in Ohio. Almost persuaded, but the trending is hopeful.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

MLB opener: Indians to lose 6- 4

Tonight the Cleveland Indians take on the ChiSox in the opening game for MLB.

I predict the Indians will lose by a score of 6 - 4. The SouthSiders have added a pitcher and JimThome as a slugger. Since Thome played so long for the Indians, he will be motivated both to beat his old team and having spent most of his career hitting AL pitching, he will play like a fish-in-water.
Keep uptodate on live Flash updates at ESPN or CBS. (Javascript required)

CBS has a way better setup. ESPN blows in MLB scoring

Wacky predictions:
1) One fan will be arrested for streaking.
2) Illegal Immigrants will riot.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Blackwell demolishes Petro

Blackwell is beating Petro 39% - 28% with 33% undecided. The A.P. published the Columbus Dispatch's mail-in poll of 2,874 Republican and 2,894 Democrats, all of whom were Registered Voters. The margin of error is 2%. The full poll also looked at the remaining races.

There are problems with the poll. First, polling Registered Voters is less accurate than likely voters.
Second, there are no idependents and the poll should be changed to reflect reality: about 35% (R), 35%(D), and 30% Ind. Third, a phone poll, not a mail-in survey, is more accurate than a mail-in poll when it comes to measuring accurately the voting trends. At home a potential voter can wait and wait, whereas on voting day as on the phone the decision is split-second: I choose candidate A. A voter has minutes, not days to complete a ballot. Change these three characteristics and the sentiments of the voters will be more accurate. The poll is a Good star tbut be wary about reading too much into it. The Dispatch also defended its techniques. There is more statistical stuff for poll-wonks
Blackwell's almost insurmountable lead is a main reason why he will not debate Petro. Plus he is keeping his powder dry until the last few weeks of the season. Plus the voters already know who is the conservative candidate and who is a RINO.

( l-r) Ted Strickland(D) and Bryan Flannery(D) lunch with Jim Petro(RINO) at the Canton Forum on Wed 3-22-06. (courtesy Daniel Hockensmith of Kent State's 89.7 WKSU)
*Note: File is large @ 616 KB

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Lyn Nofziger dies

Lyn Nofziger, conservative stalwart and Ronald Reagan aide, died today, Mon., March 27 2005 in Falls Church, VA. He was 81 or 71.
Read more in Lynn's obit.
HT: NRO's corner - K.J. Lopez

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Presenting: Your Democratic nominees

Jim Petro sure hints that he wants to bolt into the waiting arms of Democratic party. Wanting to be Republican as opposed to being conservative is one thing, but not even wanting to be with the Republican party is quite a different thing, and a bad one at that.

Here is photographic evidence: ( l-r) Ted Strickland(D) and Bryan Flannery(D) lunch with Jim Petro(D) at the Canton Forum on Wed 3-22-06. (courtesy Daniel Hockensmith of Kent State's 89.7 WKSU)
*Note: File is large @ 616 KB

This is almost as bad a photo as this C-Span photo of Debbie Stabenow's "Dangerously Incompetent" gaffe.

Oops. She just lost the election. And so did Petro!

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

NCAA seeds

*Update: Lessons learned from the tournament:
a) The state of Ohio laid an egg - no team made it past the 2nd round.
b) The Big Ten totally sucked it up - see above. RPI is no help
c) My final 4 was UConn, UCLA, Duke, Boston College.
d) Ignore the East Coast hype - Duke has gone to the last 9 Sweet 16's only to lose 5 out of the last 7.
e) Iowa blows chunks.
f) Should seen that B.C. would lose to a very athletic 'Nova team.
g) Shoulda been seduced by the 4 MVC teams in the tourney, not the six Big 10 teams.
h) your one-stop for the NIT.

Here's a Big Dance bracket:

Because there is more to life than politics, we present the following analysis of team prospects for March Madness Bracketology. Ohio could get 2, maybe 3 teams into the tourney. If a few more win their tourneys than look for better representation in the NCAA's, else the remaining 5 - 7 teams will be in the NIT.

If I missed any teams let me know. We have also put in Strength of Schedule rankings,

• Team Name - Record - RPI stuff - Schedule - Tourney seed
  

1. * Ohio State Univ (24 - 5) #5 - .6400 - 25 - # 2 Minneapolis at large
2. beat #15 Davidson 70 - 62
   
3. lost to #7 G-town 52 - 70
   
4. Cinncinati Cats (18 - 12) #41 - .5895 - 5 - NIT
5. * Kent State Uni (24 - 8) #48 - .5804 - 113 - # 13 Oakland - won MAC
6. lost to #5 Pitt 64 - 79
   
7. Akron Univers (21 - 9) # 70 - .5604 - 159 - NIT
   
8. * Xavier Univers (21 - 10) #79 - .5534 - 106 - #14 Oakland- won A-10
9. lost to #3 Zags 75 - 79
   
10. Miami of Ohio (18 - 10) #83 - .5498 - 138 - NIT
    
11. Ohio University (18 - 11) #99 - .5384 - 139 - low NIT seed
    
12. Toledo Univer (19 - 11) #148 - .5072 - 247 - possible NIT
13. Wright State U (12-15) #180 - .4866 - 160 - nothing
14. Dayton Univer (13 - 17) #183 - .4835 - 112 - nothing
15. Cleveland State (8 - 18) #245 - .4523 - 148 - nothing
16. Bowling Green (7 - 21) #254 - .4474 - 142 - nothing
    
17. Youngstown St (6 - 21) #304 - .4035 - 243 - nothing
    

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

TEL issues

The 3/21/05 Akron-Beacon Journal editorializes about JKB's TEL. The first paragraph coorectly summarizes the TEL's thrust, but the 2nd-paragraph's analysis strikes out. The editorial reads,

Blackwell's amendment would reduce budgeting at all levels of government to this formula: a spending increase of 3.5 percent a year or the rate of population growth and inflation, whichever is greater. To go beyond those limits would require voter approval.

That sounds reasonable enough. But from 1996 to 2005, actual rates of state spending exceeded the TEL limits in all years except 2003. In most years, because of low inflation and low population growth, the TEL limit would have been set at 3.5 percent.

Gov't spending is bad. Gov't spending below 3.5% is good. Remember that Voinovich-Taft raised Ohio's state Tax burden to 3rd in the country because high spending required more taxes to pay for it. Knowing of this high tax burden, people fled the state. Had the high tax-rates been low, the income-earners would have stayed, had familes and then gov't spending would have gone higher. If health care spending becomes too high, make gov't employees pay a co-pay. That is what happens the real world.

The one problem with TEL is it's Keynesian rebates. The rebates should permanently lower either the state sale's tax rate or income tax-level by .5% - 1%. This would be a supply-side tax-cut.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Oh, So Close

The web-site's First Pinocchio Award Winner , James P. Trakkas has dropped out of his political race. He will no longer be Secretary of State. We express our disappointment that this blog was not mentioned as the reason. Apparently we are not ornery enough.

Goes to show: we know how to pick 'em.

There are thus far Five Pinocchio award winners.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Desperate Petro whines for debates

Read the Associated Press (AP), Dayton Daily News (DDN), Cleveland Plain Dealer (CPD), and The Columbus Dispatch (TCD) to get the impression that Blackwell is runnin' real scar'd of Petro by refusing to debate him publicly. The CPD put Reginald Field's 552-word article on page A1 of its Friday 3/24/06. The DDN put the William Hershey's 436-word article on page B1 of its Friday, March 24, 2006 edition. TCD seems to have placed Joe Hallet's 340-word article on its website but does not in its paper. The AP's 222-word links Blackwell with rejecting the non-partisan City-Club (via Lexis-nexis).

Contra these publications, the money quote in DDN comes from John Green, political scientist & head of Akron University's Bliss Institute of Applied Politics -

There's very little to gain from a debate and there's always a possibility they'll make a mistake and give the other candidate a chance to get back in (emphasis added).

The CPD has more quotes from Green:

Whatever candidate is behind tends to want debates because it gives them a chance to score points and catch up... Front-runners tend to want to avoid debates because there isn't enough to gain... And the perception is that [Blackwell, CPD] is ahead (emphasis added, EIC).

Neither the TCD or AP quote Green or any other authority. Thus they leave out the fact that Petro is L-O-S-I-N-G. TCD was the only paper to note that the debate-request came some time before March and Petro had desperately accepted by March 3. The stories leave the impression that Blackwell changed his mind, but JKB's no is his first public utterance on the matter.

Keep in mind Blackwell's endorsement by Miami County's grass-roots voters in the open primary.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Black Conservatives: almost persuaded.

Claude Allan is a black conservative traitor, writes Erin Aubry Kaplan in the LA Times (free reg. req.), and he stole because he's black. Expect Blackwell to get the same treatment from the media.

Eugene Volokh dstroys the barely-concealed racism of Kaplan. Kaplan's piece inadvertently lets the world know that she is just another patronizing liberal.

Eugene Lindgren examines the number of black conservatives and concludes that the number is around 30% - 45%. He also reports that blacks are social, but not economic, conservatives. The key stas come at the end of the article. Lindgren writes

In general, however, African American conservatives seem to be somewhat more like other African-Americans than like other conservatives, but things vary a lot depending on the issue. Indeed, 57% of African American conservatives report being Democrats, compared to only 10% who view themselves as Republicans. Another 4% of black conservatives are independents who lean Republican.

Almost persuaded. When the number of blacks who vote for a Republican increases to 15% - 20%, then one can claim that there are black conservatives. Economic Conservatives, Foreign-policy conservatives, and judicial conservatives will need to vote for the GOP. Right now the socially conservative blacks are not voting (R) but (D). This means the number of black conservativism is limited, since conservativism is both intellectual and measurable by voting-habits. Blackwell is the best hope to inspire blacks to change their votes.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.

Top Dem Stafferet indicted

Here's what happens when a Republican who is conservative and black runs for office.
The Washington Post hides the following Thur 3/16/06 story of John Wagner on page B4: Lauren B. Weiner, a staff member for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Comittee (DSCC), will be indicted by federal prosecutors for fradulently obtaining the credit report of Maryland's Lt. Gov Michael A. Steele.

Ms. (Mrs.?) Weiner got the document while doing opposition research on Mr. Steele. The Republican Steele is running to replace retiring Democrat Senator Paul Sarbannes, co-sponsor of the economically bad, and post-Enron legislation Sarbannes-Oxley. The law has not only increased accounting & auditing costs for public companies but also discouraged foreign compines from paying the entry fee to list on the NYSE. They list instead on London's stock exchange.

Do not be surprised if the same to happen to Blackwell.

Please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief with any questions.