Weapons of Mass Discussion - TROLLS wll NOT be tolerated. Period.
My source speculates the race will be between Treasurer Cordray (D) and Rob Portman (R).
I think either Dewine or Portman would make good candidates, but I would like to see Portman hold off to run in 2010 against Ted.
Kasich for Governor in 2010...Portman for AG...and we might as well do that now.
Hey, I called that Cordray-Portman race last week right here: http://rightrunner.blogspot.com/...-in-
offing.html
Gary, I maybe we talk to the same people. I'll add that link to my blog, so you get some credit.
My friends tell me that Portman is not interested in AG position. Portman really hasn't had much courtroom experience. While that is not a necessity for AG, it is always brought up in campaigns.
I think Mike DeWine is the right guy. First of all, AG's have very little say when it comes to crafting policy. He is a former county prosecutor, bascially built the BCI&I into what it is today when he was Lt. Gov. and directed federal funds to BCI&I to enhance its technology when it comes to fighting crime and conducting investigations.
He is pro-death penalty, well respected by law enforcement, staunch defender of children, etc, etc.
Plus, he has the instant name recognition and can raise money. Remember he raised nearly $17M in his Senate race. Granted he has a short window of time to raise a lot of money, but he can do it.
I'm just a normal Butler County Republican with no inside knowledge of politicians. I would vote for DeWine if he was the choice but I would not be happy about it.
I'm going to be going through my "stuff" on DeWine again...I don't really have an objection to DeWine as AG (at least not at the moment off the top of my head) beyond the fact that Sherrod Brown, of all people, managed to whip him pretty good statewide...
If DeWine is elected to AG, the little narcissist will think we love him and he won't stop until he engages in a nasty primary with Kasich for governor in 2010. He is a power-hungry, moderate little troll and he must not be allowed back in the game.
His [too lengthy] tenure in politics is over. We must look to the future. He lost to a pure-unadulterated socialist for goodness sakes. Gee, why not just bring back Bob Taft (who won his last election, DeWine didn't in spite of having raised and spent $17 million.
If the ORP supports this move, then I will seriously rethink my opinion on Kevin DeWine's potential as a leader. Talk about nepotism! If we don't have someone better than Mike DeWine, then shame on us.
First and foremost, I am not from Butler County. I live in Franklin County.
I know that Mike DeWine will not run for Governor in 2010. Kasich is working hard for that position and he deserves a shot at it. Portman would also make a nice candidate for Governor, but he is not working for it as hard as Kasich. Actually I dont even think he is working for it.
Sherrod did indeed whip DeWine. That was not DeWine's doing. If Blackwell would have even made it a close race, then the down ticket races would have come out even better, maybe even victories. Folks, wake up and realize that Ohio in 2006 was as bad as it could get. 2008 is not going to be as bad, but it will be bad enough.
Rose, he is not a power hungry little troll. He is a decent, honorable servant of Ohio that has no blemishes on his record, professionally or personally. He has instant statewide name recognition for better or worse and can raise money.
Take out Montgomery and Portman, who do you have next? Tim Grendell? Joe Deters?
Folks the only 3 that can win that seat are Portman/Montgomery/DeWine. Montgomery is out, I think Portman is out. That leaves one person. DeWine is pretty damn good choice.
OK, OK, I take back the "little troll" remark...but only that one.
Picking someone based on name recognition and/or whether or not they can win vs. their conservative credentials is EXACTLY why the Republican Party is over.
We need to foster more Jim Jordan's and the like but the ORP won't have it...namely b/c collectively the ORP sits to the left of most [reasonable] democrats I know).
Bringing back DeWine would be like McCain picking President Bush as his veep. Mike should take a note from Betty Montgomery and bow out gracefully. Blackwell's poorly managed campaign had nothing to do with it. Always blaming others the DeWine folks, never looking inward. Mike lost in a fricking landslide to a socialist b/c the people had lost confidence in him. His pro-Amnesty stance, his RIDICULOUS position on ANWR ("I promised my 11 yr. old I wouldn't) and the Gang of 14 (regardless of how anyone wants to spin it) and other birds he flipped the base had nothing to do with it? For the love of God, man, open your eye!
To top it off, his likely opponent is Cordray. No WAY he wins against Cordray, period, end of report.
And the blood letting is not over so let's not bring in any coagulants to exacerbate and prolong the process.
We're supposed to be the party of hard work for pete's sake. If r's want to rally the troops and earn the right to govern again, then stop trying to take the easy (read: moderate/liberal) way out. Find a good, strong conservative, invest in him greatly, send out the field reps introducing him to the strong republican counties who can make the difference (OH-02, 04, 0
, POLITELY ask the county chairs to organize a grassroots team and then go all out and don't stop until election night is over.
If they win great, if not, then at least they're "place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Nothing short of that in any future election will earn republicans any lost respect back from the people they badger for money every election with no reciprocation and then blow off until the next.
As such, DeWine will be a disastrous move for r's...especially if by some miracle he wins.
Rose,
I respect your opinion, but Ohio is bigger than the opinions that sit within your house. A hardcore conservative will not win Ohio statewide, at least for a position of AG or Governor. Blackwell won Sec. of State, but it wasn't on the issues of being a true conservative.
Look, in 2006 Mike DeWine received more of the conservative vote than the "true" conservative candidate for Governor (Blackwell). To me that says one thing, it wasn't Blackwell's fault, it wasn't Mike DeWine's fault. It was Tom Noe's fault, Bob Taft's fault, Bob Ney's fault, George Bush's fault, Mark Foley's fault.
Mike DeWine/Bob Taft/George Voinovich won statewide why? Because the appeal to the middle. Whether you like their politics or not that is why they win/won statewide.
Why did Ted Strickland win? He appealed to the middle. He is pro-gun, not necessarily pro-death penalty, but not anti. He seems to be pro-business so far.
You can't win in Ohio without appealing to the independents. Take this to the bank, Jim Jordan will never win a statewide election. He would never win the Congressional seat occupied by Deb Pryce. I like Jim Jordan, but his politics don't match Ohio as a whole.
Rose, you have a lot to learn to win a campaign statewide in Ohio.
On the other hand, Cleveland ain't all of Ohio either...and its about time we have some representation that looks like the entire state and not just the parts that ought to have been annexed by Michigan.
DeWine got more votes than Blackwell because the so-called moderates in the Republican Party asked conservatives for their vote but couldn't be bothered to return the favor. That's what ticks us off. Everything is about moving to the left with the so-called moderates and it's getting more than just a little bit old. They NEVER do what's right for a conservative, but they fully expect us to keep funding their crusades of mediocrity. It's no wonder Southwestern Ohio is so ticked off at the Republican Party...
Ha!
And you my boy are plagued w/the same curse as the ORP, who would rather ignore the voice of the people (who want more conservative governance) and guess the solution to their losing streak (govern like democrats).
The problem w/the governor's race was that in addition to the Taft issues, we had two, bad candidates, period.
Blackwell lost b/c he had the most poorly run campaign of any candidate I've ever seen (the ORP eventually saw to that). Although a stanch conservative, I was not an avid Blackwell supporter. A lot of fanfare around Ken but not a lot of substance. The condition in which he left his past offices told me all I needed to know about his managerial abilities. In addition, he stumped with the "definition of marriage" issue which had [even] SW voters frustrated as we took care of that issue in 2004.
Then when the ORP took over b/f general, they told him to run back to the middle and the base became even less enthused.
As for DeWiner, we held our nose as usual (we're used to it). What we didn't do was drag 50 people with us...and like it or not, that is what it takes to win in OH now that we are a battleground state... Voinovich will suffer DeWine's fate in 2010, mark my words.
And if "the namby-pamby middle" was so popular, why didn't Petro win? He was at least a better manager of people (not that I was a great fan of his either). Dare I say b/c he was too moderate? Why didn't the mushy middle GOTV for Jim? Answer: B/c by definition, that's not what the mushy middle does...moderates sit on their couch wondering if they should vote that day until I knock on their door and tell them why they should vote for my candidate. Properly motivate the base and that's what transpires. Continue to berate and blame them and you're screwed.
Case in point: Mary Taylor...the only R to kick booty in 2006. Why is that my boy? B/c Mary is a moderate? HA! I knocked on nearly 200 doors for Mary. She is uber-qualified and she is a STAUNCH conservative...Jim Jordan's female [political] twin if you will...
So don't tell me I don't know about state-wide races my little moderate, naive padawan...I may not be a bigshot title-holder in Columbus, but my personal success rate for candidates as well as issue-voting has far surpassed that of the moderate/ORP-worshiping crowd.
Matt H, obviously I was addressing Matt D...
Let not your heart be troubled, Rose, I gathered that... 
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