Ohio 2nd Blog

Republican blogger NixGuy has declared that when it comes to the 2nd special the very skinny lady has sung: (more…)

Very basic coverage by Howard Wilkinson. What’s the point of having press at a press conference if the press doesn’t ask any questions? What’s the point of having a press if the press doesn’t ask any questions?

The Enquirer sleeping through this one has got to be seen as a plus to the Schmidt campaign.

UPDATE: Ohio for Blackwell > Several Organizations Back Schmidt
LOL… strong praise, indeed.

Here’s why

Y’know… I was just thinking of calling the SoS’s office to ask him what that status was of the investigation.

10am this morning at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Cincinnati Cincinnati Right to Life Political Action Committee hosted what I had originally heard being called a unity rally for Jean Schmidt. However, the only candidates from the primary that attended were Steve Austin and Eric Minamyer. Dr. Jack Willke made statements on behalf of Bob McEwen and Pat DeWine.

The biggest surprise no show was Bob McEwen who they had promoted as one of the featured speakers for the event. Tom Brinkman, the candidate whose presence would have helped her the most, wasn’t there even though the legislature wasn’t in session. They announced that Pat DeWine might be able to make it, but he never did.

Random information:

• Jean Schmidt did not speak at all during the press conference, which I thought was strange. She was available afterwards.
• Jean Schmidt raised $60,000 in Washington DC. (“Cash in hand”) I wonder how her fundraising efforts compare to Pat DeWine’s?
• She did not meet with Karl Rove while in Washington, which surprised me. She did meet with White House staffers.
• Two debates are set and they are working on the details for a third.
• Their new web site will be up in a few days.
• Her campaign manager was not willing to say that she backed the President 100% on Iraq. He called that statement overly broad and that while she does support the President and the troops he would have to check with her before making any comments on specifics.
• Details of her position on Social Security will be coming with the launch of the new version of their web site.
• The reason stated that Cincinnati Right to Life didn’t endorse any of the Democratic candidates was because they say that they didn’t have a legislative record that they could judge.
• Eric Minamyer is looking for work and thinking about running for another office.
• No one knows what happened to the blog The Political Influencials.

Thanks to Ms. Schmidt’s campaign manager Joseph Braun for all his help!

Now lets see if The Post goofs on Jean Schmidt as much as they did on Hackett for only having three candidates show up to a gathering devoted to party unity. At least he was able to get the three that got the most votes.

FYI: More photos are available over @ the sites Flickr account.

DFA affiliate Democracy for Greater Cincinnati is asking people to recommend Paul Hackett for Democracy For America’s list of endorsed candidates. They will only endorse candidates who are “fiscally responsible, socially progressive and have demonstrated broad grassroots support”.

You can help prove that Paul Hackett has broad grassroots support by submitting his name at http://www.democracyforamerica.com/candidates/recommendation.php

Schmidt is running this campaign like she is the incumbent, which not only is offensive to liberals, it should offend regular Republicans who don’t want to be taken for granted. Filming a TV ad in Washington? What kind of arrogance does a person have to possess to take off a day of a campaign to fly to DC to shoot a commercial, when she has just over a month before the election? Schmidt should have to earn the seat, not just be awarded it because she pulled off an upset in a divided primary.

Hackett needs cash._(link)

The big question is what will it take to get the beltway Democrats off of their behinds? Sure, Dean talks a good game, but so far it’s been nothing but. Does he have the same vision that Newt Gingrich did back in 1994? Doesn’t look like it. Luckily we’ve got a fighter here in the 2nd.

That’s one thing I’ve got to respect from the Republicans. They get their asses kicked and they learn from it. Nixon gets played in 1960 and he makes sure that it doesn’t happen again. And instead of running from the tough fights, they walk right into them. When Karl Rove wanted to flex his political muscles, he didn’t do it in a nice safe state… he walked into Texas, the dirtiest Democrat controlled state in the Union, and knocked down his opponents like ducks in a shooting gallery.

The Enquirer > Job creation lags – Local companies thrive, but something’s missing

The biggest public companies in Ohio, Kentucky and Southeast Indiana are in their best condition since the recession. Profits have roughly doubled over the last three years, and they’re putting that money into expansions and acquisitions, paying down debt and raising their dividends. So why aren’t more jobs being created?

The top 50 companies in this region had profits of $27.4 billion in 2004, almost double the $14.1 billion they earned in 2001. A fatter bottom line might be expected to lead to fatter payrolls, but neither Ohio nor Kentucky has seen it.

Both states have unemployment rates above the national average: Ohio at 6.1 percent and Kentucky at 5.7 percent. The number of jobs in Ohio remains more than 300,000 below its mid-2000 peak, and Kentucky is 30,000 lower. _(more…)

The Enquirer > Ohio must fix Medicaid funding mess

The League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area believes that a compact exists between the voters and our elected leaders to ensure that essential government services – especially health care for our most vulnerable citizens – are adequately funded. Legislators from both parties have told us that they want to restore health care for vulnerable Ohioans, if only they had the money. In reality, the funding exists. _(more…)

Do you think that maybe the reason that profits for companies are so good and medicare costs are so high could be related? Signs point to yes.

The GOP likes to talk about the free market but what they don’t tell you is that what they mean by free is a free ride for large corporations.

Paul Hackett spent the day canvassing in Pleasant Ridge.

Paul meeting with a woman who’s oldest son just finished a tour in Iraq.

(more…)

The Cincinnati Enquirer > GOP counting on ads, Dems on shoe leather

Republican Jean Schmidt spent part of this week here, meeting with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, attending two $500-a-person fund-raisers held in her honor, and filming a TV commercial in front of the U.S. Capitol.

Meanwhile, back in Ohio, her Democratic opponent, Paul Hackett, held two small fund-raising lunches – which didn’t actually require any campaign contributions – stopped at a softball game in Milford to talk with voters, and went door to door to hand out campaign literature. He doesn’t have any TV commercials, and isn’t planning any at the moment. _(link)

The Dean of Cincinnati > Scmidt takes a victory lap – Hackett Lurks

Jean Schmidt spent much of this week in Washington D.C. No doubt scrounging for beltway dollars to reimburse her personal bank account following her expensive primary victory. Most likely, she also shopped around Washington for an apartment in anticipation of an easy victory against Democrat Paul Hackett on August 2nd.

Meanwhile, Hackett stayed close to home…close to Jean’s home that is.

While Jean was in D.C., her opponent was in Clermont County’s Miami Township.

On Tuesday night, Hackett answered an invitation from the West Clermont Democrat Club to attend a meet & greet at Paxton Ramsey Park.

An estimated 40 to 50 curious voters showed up to meet the Marine. Attendees recognized a majority of Hackett’s admirers as Miami Township republicans and or non-democrats.

As a sign of their apparent admiration, the crowd left behind over $1,000 in campaign contributions. “Not bad,” said one observer who indicated that the generosity shown was “proof enough for me that these are not Democrats”. _(link)

ADDED: ProjectLogic thinks that Schmidt’s trip to Washington is a sign of her clout. Given the level of access available to just about anyone these days, I’m not sure if I’d call it clout

Turns out that the Wikipedia has three excellent articles on the race:

• Ohio Second Congressional District Election, 2005
• Jean Schmidt
• Paul Hackett

Thanks to Al for the tip!