Ohio 2nd Blog

Word has it that tonight Bob McEwen defender Jeff Hardin was removed as VP of the Clermont County Republican Club for “un-Republican conduct”.

Concealed within his fortress, the lord of Clermont sees all.

UPDATE: Added a correction from the comments.

Eternal Bob McEwen nemesis BizzyBlog has posted a three part (Part I, Part II, Part III) expose on The Whistleblower’s raunchy attacks on Jean Schmidt. I’m not sure that it will have the effect it was intended. I generally recommend ignoring things that you find distasteful.

Sounds like someone’s been messing with the Republican yard signs. Any photos? (via BSB)

This week Local 12 Newsmakers features Jean Schmidt and Bob McEwen. Looks like they snubbed Deborah Kraus.

I think that if there’s one mistake that McEwen is making in this race is that he’s not positioning himself so as to show any substantial difference between himself and Schmidt. That gives a huge advantage to the incumbant. Bush 43 was good at picking a few issues that were off the beaten path just enough to generate some contrasts. (Note that these have no relationship to his actions as President… luckily Republicans could care less what you actually do just as long as you say the right things.)

BTW, is anyone in the local Democratic Party recruiting Dan Hurley?

Enquirer’s politics extra has the story.

UPDATE: The McEwen campaign has released a comment on the verdict:

Schmidt Found GUILTY of False Endorsements, False Resume Claims Schmidt Suit Against McEwen also Rejected

Columbus – The Ohio Elections Commission has found Jean Schmidt guilty of intentionally falsifying documents, claiming to have degrees not bestowed, and misleading voters about her endorsements. Earlier Thursday, a Schmidt lawsuit against her opponent Bob McEwen was dismissed for the second time in as many days.

McEwen campaign manager Ed Jenkins stated, “Mrs. Schmidt has been found guilty of making false statements. She embellished her credentials and falsified endorsements. If we can’t trust what she says in Ohio, how can we trust what she’ll do in Washington? When she sues a Member of her own party using a liberal Democrat operative, Stan Chesley, to lead the legal team against Bob McEwen and his family, it shows she lacks the conservative values that the good people in the Second District want in a representative. The Republican Party is like a family and she has aired her dirty laundry in the press and got Democrats involved. The house of cards that her political career has been built upon is falling apart.”

The McEwen campaign is also aware of and is awaiting resolution on another Schmidt issue, one in which indictments have already started: the investigation by Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien regarding illegal lobbying activity to which Schmidt was party while in the Ohio House.

Bob McEwen resides in Anderson Township with his wife, Liz. He currently serves as the senior adviser at the law firm of Greenebaum, Doll, & McDonald in both their Cincinnati and Washington, D.C. offices. As Congressman, McEwen championed the lower tax rates authored by Jack Kemp, who was in Cincinnati last month to support McEwen, and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan. He was also selected by his colleagues to serve on the two most coveted committees in the House: the Select Committee on Intelligence, which oversees our nation’s secrets, and the Rules Committee, which has jurisdiction over all legislation brought before the House.

The Blower has posted McEwen’s attack ad on Schmidt. Good times!

Well, well, well… talk about small worlds. Fun bits of rumor and trivia coming out on that now withdrawn lawsuit filed by Schmidt’s Democrat super lawer Stan Chesley. The big rumor on the street is that the judge that was going to hear the suit is also a lunch buddy and big fan of none other that Congresswoman Jean Schmidt. Talk about good timing on getting that assignment! What luck! Course that’s all coincidence, right? It’s not like Chesley’s married to a judge on the court and so has insider information or anything, right?! SNARK I can certainly now see why Schmidt would hire someone like Chesley even given his Clintonesque past.

Unfortunately, as is often the case with complex plans spawned by diabolocal aerobics instructors hellbent on world domination, fortune went against Schmidt and her Democratic flying monkeys. Beckwith ended up being out of town and McEwen pulled the rug out from under her by voting early. Curse you!!! I would have gotten him if it wasn’t for those meddling kids!

UPDATE: Schmidt has also lost her suit against McEwen before the Ohio Elections Commission. Wonder why she used William Todd as her attorney instead of Stan Chesley?

While the two main Republican candidates allied with their pals at the Enquirer have been trying to out disgrace one another, candidates on the Democratic side of the fence have been talking about real issues and offering substantial solutions. Case in point Thor Jacobs.

Yesterday his campaign released his paper The Way Out - My Prescription for Success in Iraq _[PDF] (For those want to cut to the chase, they’ve been kind enough to provide a synopsis _[PDF])

This is no position paper prepared by staffers in order to create a venear of gravitas. This is a document written by an expert expressing ideas fordged by real world experience.

So take your pick Southern Ohio. On one side you’ve got a teacher, a healer, a health care expert, an engineer and a Middle East expert. On the other you’ve got a megalomaniacal aerobics instructor, and a disgraced former Congressman turned lobbyist for third world oppression.

The Enquirer Politics Extra “blog” has two more posts on the 2nd Republican primary. One on McEwen’s new attack ad and the other on his artful dodge of Schmidt’s efforts to prevent him from voting. But what’s really interesting to me is this line from their “blog”:

Thank goodness all of these stories attacking Rep. Jean Schmidt were published in the Enquirer:

“Schmidt’s degrees questioned: Staff says she has hours, if not parchment” (April 1, 2006)

“Schmidt, Chabot spar over support: He says campaign Web site citing his endorsement is wrong” (March 8, 2006)

“Schmidt in a war on words: Rookie lawmaker’s ‘coward’ remarks ricochet” (Nov. 22, 2005)

Because Bob McEwen, who is challenging Schmidt in the May 2 GOP primary, used all of these stories in his new ad, which starts off attacking Schmidt for voting “to raise the sales tax and the gas tax and a new tax on personal services.”

Oh yes, thank you Enquirer for your hard work in making this race one completely devoid of substance. Thank you so very much for making Jean Schmidt the true voice of the Repulican Party. Thanks for not talking about real issues. Thank you for helping make the war in Iraq the nightmare that it is. Your lazy, pathetic brand of journalism is one of the reasons that Ohio is in the mess that it is. Take a bow, Cincinnati Enquirer!

UPDATE: More on the problems @ The Enquirer @ The Beacon. (via BSB)

Collin Rink of the Buckeye Firearms Association has posted some interesting analysis of the Schmidt/McEwen race that focuses on the money. This section stands out:

It is interesting to note the timing of certain expenses. On April 3, Survey USA and WCPO released a poll that showed Congresswoman Schmidt leading McEwen by 25% of the vote. The very next day, McEwen paid $7100 to TelOpinion Research, a polling company. The Report has not seen this poll, and assumes that the McEwen campaign chose not to release it. Two days later, the McEwen campaign paid $3750 to Zogby, another polling company. The results of that poll were released, and showed Congresswoman Schmidt leading Bob McEwen by only a few percentage points. However, the results are suspect and the poll has largely been discredited by the fact that nearly 25% of the respondents identified themselves as not being Republican, among other sampling issues.

Cute tactic. McEwen is certainly a pro.

His conclusion is that Schmidt is doing very well thanks to McEwen’s bad press on residency.

For the record, the Buckeye Firearms Association has endorsed Jean Schmidt, while the Gun Owners of America has endorsed McEwen.

In breaking money news, The Enquirer politics extra “blog” reports that McEwen has given himself another $52,000 for the race.

Also, check out the “Show Me The Money” button on the left to view each 2nd candidates FEC filings. I have yet to get a good answer as to why Wulsin’s numbers only go up to last year.