Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher (D) remains unreasonably optimistic about his prospects in the Senate race given his financial disadvantages, his standing in the polls, his campaign staff turnover and the national political environment. While Republican Rob Portman’s record certainly gives plenty for Democrats to shoot at, Fisher’s problems seem even larger. Because of that, we are moving this raced from Toss-up to Toss-up/Tilt Republican. Even this rating may understate Fisher’s problems a little more than two months out from Election Day.
Now the question is: Will the new communications director hired yesterday make it until the end of the month?
What do a roomful of cops do when they expect a politician or his substitute to show up and neither the pol nor his proxy shows?
They endorse the other guy.
Members of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association might have had other reasons Wednesday evening to prefer Rob Portman, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio. But Lee Fisher, the Democrat, could have improved his chances of winning the endorsement of the patrol officers detectives and dispatchers by making more of an effort.
Portman came and addressed the cops. Fisher was supposed to send a substitute. The sub was a no-show.
Well before Wednesday, Loomis received calls in support of Fisher from people whose names he won’t divulge but who came, he says, from the federal, state and local levels. The union told Fisher’s campaign that its members like to hear from the candidates, and the union told the campaign that it hoped to see both Fisher and Portman on Wednesday.
Fisher apparently had a conflict. But, Loomis says, “We were told a representative was going to come up.”
“He would have been better off had he said he wasn’t coming rather than saying he would send a representative,” Loomis says. “We were told that somebody was coming, and nobody did. It gives the impression, although I don’t believe that it’s true, that they don’t give much care to whether we are going to endorse them.”
It’s obviously not true for another reason. Fisher made a personal phone call to Loomis — at 10 p.m. Wednesday night, about three hours too late.
“He was asking me real basic questions, like ‘what is the endorsement process like’ and who does he need to talk to.
“Those,” says Loomis, “are questions that should have been asked two months ago.”
Lee Fisher thought about firing someone because of this, but he really can’t afford more of the endless staff turnover his campaign has been going through.
Democratic nominee Lee Fisher has always been known as a tough boss in Ohio political circles, and his Senate bid is no exception.
His campaign has a high level of senior staff turnover and it’s causing concern among Democrats eyeing a pickup of the current Republican Senate seat this cycle.
Over the course of his 16-month-long campaign, Fisher has employed three campaign managers: Geri Prado, Jay Howser and currently, Lynne Bowman. Fisher’s scheduler, a regional finance staffer, and a research director have also departed the campaign in the last couple months. Most recently, spokesman John Collins announced he was leaving the campaign Friday to work on Democratic nominee Jack Conway’s Senate race in nearby Kentucky.
Fisher and former Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) are virtually tied in public polling, but Fisher’s campaign has a massive cash disadvantage compared to the Republican. With about one-sixth of Portman’s cash haul in the bank, the effectiveness of the Democrat’s campaign matters greatly.
There are actually more staffers who have left, but if you look at campaign finance reports you will see that many were listed as employees at the Ohio Democrat Party, so their departure wouldn’t be easily noticed by Politico.
And the Portman campaign is running the type of ads I wish the RGA would run against Strickland. Not mean stuff, but absolutely devastating:
Yesterday, when posting Rob Portman’s cap and trade TV ad, I explained just why it may not be a good idea to make CO2 emissions into an artificially scarce commodity in a state where 86% of electricity is coal generated: it raises energy prices, does not encourage economic growth, and creates a really ugly market of lobbyists buying and selling favors.
At the end of the ad, Portman claims that he has a better way to protect the environment, and he asks the viewer to check it out on his Web site. I obliged. His plan relies on “support” — read: subsidies and other government interventions — for things that he likes — corn ethanol, nuclear power, natural gas, coal.
Some of these things might become an essential part of weaning the country off fossil fuels. Or not.[...]
On his Web site, Portman criticizes “command-and-control” regulation from Washington. He mentions refraining from choosing winners and losers in the energy debate. He says he doesn’t want Washington “to stifle the ingenuity of American enterprise and our market system through government interference.” But inefficient government interference is his plan.
Stromberg continues his blog post with a specious defense of cap-and-trade. But his general point on Portman’s hypocrisy right and worth keeping in mind.
5. Promote Ohio Bio-Fuels. Ohio is also a leading producer of bio-fuels, particularly corn-based ethanol, which is blended with regular gasoline to reduce vehicle emissions. Research and new technologies are making home-grown bio-fuels more cost effective and should be encouraged. The federal EPA should increase the ethanol content in the standard blend from 10 percent to 15 percent for newer vehicles whose engines are equipped to handle higher ethanol concentrations. This small change would substantially raise the demand for this renewable fuel, which means more production, more jobs for ethanol producing states like Ohio, and make us less dependent on foreign oil. Ohio farmers and bio-fuel plants like the Poet Bio-refining plant Rob visited in Marion will benefit from a renewed commitment to Ohio bio-fuels.
6. Bring Alternative-Fueled Vehicles into the Mainstream. Rob is the owner of a hybrid vehicle – a Ford Escape he purchased in 2006 – and has a strong interest in the technology. Driven by increased consumer demand, manufacturers are now designing “plug-in” hybrid vehicles that supplement gasoline power with electric power from the grid. Availability of these vehicles will be increasingly important as our cleaner energy production markets (solar, wind, hydroelectric, nuclear and clean coal) mature. If we can generate electricity more cleanly, manage it efficiently through the use of smart grids, and use it to power our cars and trucks, then we will have created a sustainable, clean-energy lifecycle. As fuel cell research in Ohio and elsewhere matures, this is another exciting, potential fuel source. The federal government should continue to partner with the private sector to develop the battery and other technologies that make these vehicles possible, ensure manufacturers have access to capital to bring these vehicles to market, and help encourage plug-in hybrids. Along with natural gas vehicles, bio-fuels, and an increased supply of domestically-produced oil, these hybrid and electric vehicles will help lead us to energy independence.
7. Use Ohio’s Manufacturing and Technology Advantage. Ohio’s skilled workforce is a national asset that will help move our economy closer to energy diversity and independence. Unfortunately, Cap and Trade punishes Ohio’s manufacturers when, in fact, they are part of the answer to developing cleaner energy solutions. Ohio’s manufacturing and technological expertise is at the forefront in energy development, research, and production in traditional energy areas and in promoting advanced alternative energy technologies. Ohio is also home to a robust energy manufacturing sector that is at the forefront in solar cell and wind turbine production and has the capacity to be a leader in the manufacture of hybrid and electric vehicles.Government policies that incentivize innovation and entrepreneurship in the energy sector will benefit states like Ohio that have made strategic investments in human capital and advanced-manufacturing infrastructure.
8. Promote Conservation and Efficiency. The cleanest energy of all is the energy we don’t use. Reducing our energy consumption leads to a cleaner environment, and gives rise to entire new industries, technologies, and jobs in energy auditing, insulation, lighting, HVAC, and appliance refits. Improving energy efficiency in buildings and homes could stimulate job growth, eliminate approximately 30% of U.S. crude oil imports, and may be the best short-term opportunity to reduce energy consumption. Conservation should also be encouraged, including supporting ongoing efforts to restore and protect natural habitats across the globe. Deforestation is considered the second-largest source of CO2 emissions behind coal-fired electric plants. Legislation Rob authored, the Tropical Forest Conservation Act, has resulted in the protection of over 60 millions acres of forests worldwide.
I know it’s a Republican talking point, but I don’t see what the big deal is with “energy independence”… The goal should be CHEAP energy, imported from anywhere, to encourage economic growth and activity. Economies are increasingly INTERDEPENDENT, and that free flow of goods and services is responsible for the great wealth our country, despite a serious recession, still enjoys.
Rob Portman supports nuclear energy, which certainly can be a replacement for coal but is still too expensive. But what is most unnerving is his support of “incentives” for wildly inefficient forms of energy such as wind, ethanol and solar, his willingness to send pork to universities for energy research projects, and his endorsement of “command-and-control” policies which encourage the purchase of cars that consumers otherwise don’t want (and remember… Portman also supported cash for clunkers).
I understand there are many corn growers in Ohio who certainly support ethanol, but not only does the use of corn for fuel dramatically increase the cost of food, it takes more energy to produce ethanol than it creates and has been subsided to the tune of $7 BILLION DOLLARS. Portman has been in Washington long enough to know that, but he also knows where his political support and contributions come from.
And where does Rob Portman think the electricity comes for his hybrid car? COAL BURNING POWER PLANTS!
This is just one more issue that makes me uncomfortable about Rob Portman.
I think this is an important ad released from the Portman campaign today, as Lee Fisher might just be nuts enough to go after Ohio’s coal industry and all Ohio businesses with a crazy scheme which assumes carbon dioxide is pollution…. even though we’re carbon based lifeforms, we emit it while breathing, it’s needed for photosynthesis, et cetera:
Cap and Trade credits are perhaps the worst way to limit so-called “green house gasses,” as they turn energy consumption into a battle between powerful lobbyists… And instead of it being a normal tax, it is a direct transfer of wealth from consumers to energy companies. Also, companies like AEP love this plan as they would be exempt for many years AND increases the barriers of entry for competition… Something that Gov. Ted Strickland and then-Speaker Jon Husted already did for them in 2008 with an unfortunate anti-competition energy bill.
If Democrats weren’t so tied to Wall Street, special interests, and oil companies like BP (the founding member of the cap-and-trade lobby), maybe they would propose a less objectionable Pigouvian tax. Portman clearly understands this issue, while Fisher should do us all a favor and stop exhaling CO2.
The Ohio Senate race between former Republican Congressman Rob Portman and Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher remains very close.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the state’s Likely Voters shows Portman picking up 43% of the vote while Fisher earns 39%. Four percent (4%) would vote for some other candidate and 13% more are undecided.
Portman’s support has stayed within a very narrow 42% to 44% range since February. During the same period, Fisher’s support has stayed within a 39% to 43% range. The two men were in a virtual tie earlier this month and early May.
While Portman holds a double-digit lead among men in Ohio, Fisher holds an edge among women. Among voters in the state not affiliated with either major political party, Portman holds a double-digit edge but a large number of unaffiliated voters are committed to either candidate.
Those unwashed independents are going to vote heavily for Republicans this cycle, which is why I think it’s fair to assume that all polling in the field is underestimating this demographic.
Also of interest is that 57% of Ohioans would like to repeal ObamaCare.
Yesterday, Sen. Jim DeMint offered an amendment that would make the current 15% capital gains tax rate permanent, otherwise it is scheduled to increase to 20% at the end of this year.
The amendment failed, 40-57. “Republican” Senator George Voinovich sided with most of the Democrat to kill the proposal. Sen. Ben Nelson was the only Democrat to make the tax rate permanent.
Thankfully, Voinovich is retiring after this year. He will not be missed.
The current tax rate for capital gains and dividend income must be renewed by Congress rather than increased. If Washington gets its way, taxes on capital gains and dividends and taxes on investments will increase significantly. Taxing investments will kill jobs when we need to add jobs.
Because taxes are always taken out on the corporate level, capital gains taxes is double taxation. In addition, the tax does not account for the risk of inflation, which unfairly punishes the elderly and low/middle class investors, as they can’t easily afford to adjust their investment decision. All of this makes for a higher effective tax rate, which encourages investors to retain assets and inhibits new investment.
Since the best way to stop an activity is to tax it, why would America go out of it’s way to discourage more investment and economic activity?
And while his name-ID is low, Ohio voters aren’t opposed to voting for candidates they probably have never heard of. If you don’t believe me, ask Gov. Ted Strickland.
That blue book can be downloaded here and it’s interesting reading.
On one hand, alarm bells go off when I read about increasing Pell grants, gimmicky proposals to repeal the payroll tax for a year, increased Federal spending on community colleges, gentle China-trade bashing, and green energy poppycock.
And if Portman’s plan is to “double Ohio’s exports” to global markets, President Obama may very well take care of this for him simply by devaluing the American dollar through inherently inflationary policies.
BUT, Portman wants to cut America’s wildly uncompetitive business tax rate to 25%, small business tax deductions, killing the “cap and trade” scheme, and a full repeal of Obamacare, he sounds far more conservative than George Voinovich and provides a stark contrast from hairy Lee Fisher.
On Friday, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern launched an assault against Portman.
Pointing out that Portman served as director of the Office of Management and Budget and U.S. trade representative under Bush, Redfern charged that “Bush Trade Czar Portman supported reckless economic and trade policies that sent hundreds of thousands of Ohio jobs overseas.’’
“Wall Street Johnny’’ and “Trade Czar Portman’’ are such obvious attack lines that Greg Haas, a Democratic consultant in Columbus, joked, “I don’t know which is more effective — running against the candidate with Wall Street ties or running against the candidate with George Bush’s trade policy ties.’’
In many ways, the Democratic attacks are an exaggeration. Kasich is not in any way responsible for the collapse of Lehman Brothers. And free-trade policies backed by Bush and Portman helped Ohio become the only state in the country to increase its exports every year from 1998 to 2008 — a fact Fisher and Strickland both have boasted about.
The arguments are just the tired class warfare, anti-trade arguments the Democrats have made for many decades. They are cheap and intellectually dishonest, but are still the most effective attacks the Democrats have.
I would think Ohioans would love to return to the so-called Bush economy, where unemployment was roughly at the full rate of 5%. It was a time when taxes were cut, investment grew after a cut in capital gains, and it was an era when “swelling national debt” by billions of dollars actually sounded like a lot of money.
This tired, old mercantilist argument has to exhaust Ohio voters, and is certainly not a winning message… when it was Gov. Strickland and Job Czar Lee Fisher who saw unemployment DOUBLE on their watch, while income taxes and fees were raised on struggling Ohio families.
Plus, OLDER WOMEN AND MAN BOOBIES! YUCK! YUCK! YUCK!
Hey, people taking off their shirts …. old people, chunky people … to make, uh, a typically dumb/strained Democrat political point, that actually makes no real sense, and is just gross. Go to a website and the Democratic Party will send, uh, a shirt to Rob Portman, because he’s some Bush slimeball who is to blame for the Global Financial Collapse, we guess?
And if you have no job, in Ohio, what you really want is for the f*cking Democratic Party to spend money on f*cking T-shirts to send to Rob Portman’s campaign office, where they’ll sit in boxes until somebody takes them to the Goodwill with all the other shirts donated by broken-up bands and failed campaigns. And then, poor people of Ohio, maybe then you can have a $4 t-shirt again. Jesus f*Fcking christ.
What has been fun to watched is a supposedly outraged Ohio media spend a week covering an ad which was never put on TV… It truly shows you the power that a viral internet video has.
Politics is the new porn. And Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is a purveyor of it.
Rob Portman, Ohio Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, tacitly embraces political porn.
Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, Portman’s Democratic opponent, plays the innocent victim – and then cynically tries to profit from political porn.
There is no gutter deep enough for where this column is headed. If you’re already sick of the 2010 campaign in Ohio, read no further. This might make you barf.
Last week, the National Republican Senatorial Committee created an attack ad against Fisher and ensured that it went viral. The ad was stunningly crass, its sexual explicitness alarmingly vile. The NRSC took footage from Swing State, an otherwise charming documentary by Fisher’s son, Jason, and Jason’s college buddy, John Intrater, about the 2006 race for governor.
Late one night, Jason snuck into his father’s study, John following with camera, and they found Fisher shirtless and hunched over his laptop. “Out, out, out,” Fisher protested, but the filmmakers insisted on interviewing him. After he was elected lieutenant governor, Fisher asked that the bare-chested scene be edited out, but Jason persisted.
Fisher’s instincts told him the footage could end up being used to embarrass him but never fathomed that Republicans would make him the star of their porn movie. Under the guise of criticizing Fisher as “job czar” while 350,000 jobs fled Ohio during a recession, the Republicans created an ad that would make a triple-X starlet blush.
Political scientist John Green, an expert on Ohio politics, showed it to students and faculty members at the University of Akron and to a person – Democrat, Republican and Independent – they cringed, adjudging it “uncalled-for,” Green said.
Using provocative music and sexual double-entendres, the NRSC froze an image of Fisher with one hand on his bare chest and the other out of sight below his belt. NRSC applied an undulating effect to make it appear that Fisher was masturbating. Unsubtle messages flash on the screen, saying “He didn’t get the job done,” and, “He was more concerned about his job than yours.”
Mind you, this video was not the basement handiwork of a beer-bellied blogger. This was done by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the official campaign arm of Senate Republicans headed by the purportedly religious Cornyn. The eyes of Texas and the scorn of voters should be on Cornyn and every other member of the Senate GOP caucus for finding a new way to obliterate the boundaries of good taste.
Joe Hallett is an ass, who rotates between 2 column ideas: mud slinging in politics is bad and tax increases are good.
And no matter what a bunch of half-wit kids at Akron University think, negative ads work… The ad had a serious message and it certainly grabbed attention. Team Portman, which totally wussed out by denouncing an ad that they certainly had a hand in, could spend millions of dollars on television in today’s era of DVR and not get nearly as much attention.
I think the exposed nipple stuff is weird enough for it to last into November. The NRSC, which has a rather stiff and formal image, should be congratulated for taking the gloves off and getting serious about winning back the majority.
(For those of you keeping score at home, Jackson Browne was also the musician playing in the background while a shirtless Lee Fisher was working late as his son videotaped him for a stupid documentary. If you knew that, give yourself a gold star for excellence.)
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner announced raising just $144,000 for her Senate campaign in the first three months of the year and ending the quarter with $79,000 in the bank. That compares with a $550,000 quarter and $1.8 million on hand for Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who has held a small advantage in recent Democratic primary polling. That means that the last two weeks of the primary campaign — the election is on May 4 — pit a candidate with a clear fan base and little money (Brunner) against a candidate with superior resources and a less obvious core constituency (Fisher).
Despite his money advantage, Politico put Fisher in the “loser” category on its national list of first-quarter fundraising winners and losers, suggesting that he should have raised more, given the backing of Gov. Ted Strickland and others.
“Democratic strategists believe his weak showing could give Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who has also struggled to raise money, new life and an outside shot at winning the Democratic Senate nomination,” Politico said.
And Lee should have reason to be worried. Not only do women tend to do slightly better than men on the ballot, Democrat activists are almost all support Brunner’s staunch progressivism, since she is far more exciting than a candidate tainted with Cuyahoga County Democrat corruption.
Fisher is a known commodity and and Republicans know how to beat him- He even lost a race to former Gov. Bob Taft. Regardless of fundraising totals, I don’t think it’s any secret that Brunner, in a general election, would be a much stronger candidate.
I truly wish Brunner would respond to Fisher’s TV ad, as not only is Ohio’s Job Czar talking about job creation (unemployment DOUBLED on his watch) but he talks about his work at a non-profit… a “charity” which paid him approximately $400,000/year plus expenses. Instead of buying the Sean Hannity-sounding “Courage Express” bus, why not run an ad on MSNBC and public radio? The liberal Ohio media would certainly promote the ad for free, and then this might actually look like a REAL primary battle.
Come on Jennifer. You punch like a girl. You can do better!
Polls suggest they have a chance, even amid a national political climate that favors Republicans. With Republican Sen. George Voinovich retiring, members of President Barack Obama’s party are hopeful that Democrats can triumph in at least one toss-up state in the midterm elections.
“Regardless of who the Democratic nominee is, the November election will be a competitive one,” says Herb Asher, a political scientist at Ohio State University.[...]
“One of the challenges is how [Portman] presents himself to the electorate,” Asher says.
Just 22% of respondents to a recent Pew Research Center survey said they can trust the government in Washington most of the time or almost always; among the lowest measures in 50 years.
Portman will be able to point to the fact that it’s Democrats like Fisher or Brunner who control Congress and the White House. He stepped down as OMB director in 2007 and he hasn’t been a congressman since 2005. And he’s hard at work painting his Democratic challengers as would-be accomplices for what he calls “Washington’s failed policies.”
“Ohio continues to fall behind, but Washington refuses to provide meaningful help,” Portman said in a statement last week, after Ohio’s unemployment rate was reported to rise to 11%. “More than 650,000 Ohioans are out of work, and yet Congress continues to pursue a job-killing tax-and-spend agenda. Both Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Secretary of State [Brunner] willingly support that agenda and will be a rubber stamp for Washington’s failed policies.”
With a little more than six months to go before the general election, both the eventual Democratic nominee and Portman have plenty of time to make their cases. The jobs picture could improve, making Democrats look better. But with Democrats competitive in Ohio even with soaring unemployment, the Buckeye State may buck the trend.
Says OSU’s Asher: “Ohio might be one of those rare states where there’s a chance for a pick-up.”
I really enjoyed Professor Asher’s classes at The OSU, but it’s very unfair to not mention he is a long-time Democrat operative. He was the author of the 2005 failed “Reform Ohio Now” ballot issue to redefine how districts are drawn in Ohio, and is a staunch partisan.Too many professors are quite liberal, but Asher takes an extra step with his involvement and it deserves to always be mentioned.
But in this conference call with supporters of Seth Morgan on January 14, 2010, it sure sounds like Gantt endorsed. Take a listen:
Here is the transcript (emphasis added):
Rep. Seth Morgan: Mr. Greg Gantt, uh and uh, Greg we, we turn it over to you for a few words of wisdom.
Montgomery County Republican Chairman Greg Gantt: Thank you Seth. Uhh, my words of wisdom I guess are not so much in go for it, you can do it because I think, uh, I certainly know you would make an excellent candidate and encourage you to, uh, pursue that option and, and go for it. Umm, I guess my comment is more to everybody on the call, uh, on a personal level, that uh, you have begun a great career in the House and certainly you’re poised to win reelection and to say that, uh, myself and others are gonna stand behind you, uh, and support you and encourage you to go for the Auditor’s position, that uh, we stick with you, uh, and push you as hard as we can because you’re…you’re putting yourself out there….uh…..(unintelligible)..you’d have an easier race in a smaller district and continue on your wonderful work at the house and, uh, shoot for state level later and we’re so appreciative and (it’s) so wonderful that you’re considering doing this and uh, just want to let everybody know the fact that you’re putting yourself out there, that I’m willing and hope that other people are willing to put themselves out as well, and uh, and really stay with you, uh, as you pursue this goal. I’m very excited, and uh, very honored to be a part of this and especially, uh, somewhat uh….uh…weird to be in a almost fatherly figure at, uh, my young age of 43 to see some of my, uh, my first two candidates as chairman to get elected and now moving up to the state level and (I’m) very excited, very thrilled and I’m behind you a hundred percent.
Rep. Seth Morgan: Well thank you Chairman, uh, very much, we appreciate you joining us, and uh, your support is important obviously because we need to build a coalition that is uh, as broad as we can…we can make it. Umm…we look forward to continuing to pick up support from the establishment, if you will, GOP along the way and we very much appreciate you being on the call and for your leadership here in Montgomery County.
Gantt, a member of the board of elections, said Friday that he does not endorse candidates. Gantt, who chairs the county board, said that is both personal preference and board policy. He said the county party has not decided whether to endorse Morgan, a former Huber Heights councilman, or Yost for state auditor.
[Rob Portman] rode the ’94 GOP wave back for a full term and won five more, typically with 70 percent of the vote. Portman was popular in Washington, too. His proudest moments in his 12 years in the House, he said, were “when we passed the balanced budget agreement and the welfare reform bill.” Pete Sepp of the National Taxpayer’s Union recalls Portman’s leadership on the IRS restructuring of 1998. “He set a professional work environment that rose above partisanship and ultimately gave taxpayers more rights.”
In 2005, George W. Bush named Portman U.S. trade representative, then later budget director. In his year at the Office of Management and Budget, Portman fought to contain spending and earned the sobriquet “Dr. No.” He also pushed for a revised line-item veto bill that would stand constitutional muster, and after consulting with taxpayer groups he established an online listing of earmarks. “He was extremely interested in engaging us and others,” said Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste. Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, confirmed that Portman’s efforts “moved earmarks out of the shadows.”
For years, Rep. Roy Blunt and former Rep. Rob Portman touted their positions of influence in Republican leadership circles in Washington, D.C.
But now both are running for Senate seats and discovering their Washington résumés to be something of a liability at a time when the Tea Party and disaffected fiscal conservatives have new political power.
Blunt, who is running in a GOP primary in Missouri, and Portman, who is running in Ohio, have taken different approaches to explaining their years in Washington.
While Blunt has reached out to Tea Party activists, Portman has kept them at arm’s length so far.[...]
Portman has been more aloof, according to Tea Party organizers in Ohio.
“He has not reached out to our group,” said Rob Scott, founder and president of the Dayton Tea Party.
The Dayton Tea Party has invited Portman to a candidate forum scheduled for March 27 but still has not received confirmation from his campaign.
“They’ve put us off,” said Scott, who added that he will likely support Portman’s candidacy.
Charles Dyer, chairman of the Central Ohio Tea Party Patriots, said he has also found Portman less than enthusiastic to embrace Tea Party activists and voters.
“We’ve had the same experience in central Ohio,” Dyer said. “He doesn’t have any strong challengers on the conservative side so he might not see that as a necessity at this time.”
Portman’s campaign disputes this.[...]
Ohio Tea Party organizers note that before Ganley dropped his bid, he did significantly more than Portman to reach out to them.[...]
Scott, of the Dayton Tea Party, said Portman was “in Congress when Republicans were spending — not as much as the current Congress — but were spending beyond the means of the country.
“Portman was Bush’s OMB director, he was in charge of the budget and he’s going to have to explain that,” Scott added.
Strong words, but I think Scott- who I know well from Ken Blackwell’s 2006 gubernatorial campaign and is now Seth Morgan’s campaign spokesman- is right to raise questions. Just during this campaign cycle, it was rather unnerving when Portman endorsed the Cash for Clunkers program, since opposition to this type of creepy-crawly statist policy is part of what defines “conservatism.”
But The Hill is just making a big fuss out of something that is rather obvious. This is lazy reporting.
And regardless, Rob Portman will still be Ohio’s most right-of-center Senator since conservative icon Robert Taft left office in 1953. I think that’s worth mentioning.
Ohio GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine’s warning is an important one:
Conservatism wins elections. Good policy. Good politics.
Doesn’t Jennifer know it’s not good to leave your dogs in a car for any extended period of time?
And why would Jenny-Benny, an anti-gun God-less liberal, be invited to the National Wild Turkey Federation dinner in Coshocton County, where she gave the dinner prayer? Can you even imagine Jennifer holding a gun?!
The folks who go to this type of event are sportsmen, usually with plenty of disposable income to spend on silent auction items (guns, knives, prints of wildlife scenes, and hunting gear). In other words, not a big turnout of Democrats who vote in primaries.
And I have confirmation that the Pink Pistols were not there. So is Jennifer already in General Election mode?
Please join Americans for Prosperity, OH (AFP-OH), the Columbus Tea Party, Ohio Freedom Alliance, Citizens United to End Ohio’s Estate Tax, Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes, and Ohio Citizens Accounting Standards Board at a rally demanding that Ohio’s legislature get spending under control and stop treating taxpayers like an ATM every time they run out of cash. The rally will be held in front of a 15-foot-tall inflatable ATM machine to drive the point home that Ohio’s citizens are “Already Taxed to the Max.”
I’ve heard that Auditor candidate Seth Morgan and Senate candidate Rob Portman have confirmed that they will attend. Are you going or know of other candidates who will be there? Then please leave a comment. Thank you
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