First, to all you Petro-ites who stayed home, or who voted for Strickland, thank you. Thank you for sending Ohio to the worst business climate in the state. I also want to thank you for sending more jobs to other states. And I want to thank you for taking more of my money and putting it in the State Coffers.
Blackwell lost because, quite frankly, the party organization did not want him to win. He was never a yes man, never bowed to the special interest bloat that plagues this party. He was a breath of fresh air, which of course, Bob Bennett cannot understand because he is from Cuyahoga County. Bob Bennett's reign as chair will go down as a disaster, in that he could not deliver the governorship to us with a strong candidate and strong values.
Blackwell also lost because his campaign did not define his enemy soon enough. They followed the national GOP model of waiting til the last minute, and not letting their candidate get out and define Strickland. All Strickland had to do was parrot Petro's talking points. Thanks so much for that unity, Petrophiles, really.....
Strickland won because he was never defined. He played the faith card, he played the conservative card, and damned if the Republicans waited too late to jump on that. I am ashamed of many in the United Methodist Church who voted Strickland because he was an ordained minister, albeit one who supports partial birth abortion and gay marriage, but if you look at the way the Methodist Church is trending, that is no big surprise. It means my church will be taking some serious looks at leaving the Methodist church.
Strickland won because he was able to take his kook base, get them to be quiet, and create a unified front. They were able to play kook in Cuyahoga, but hardcore conservative in the heartland. Blackwell was too busy trying to gain 1-2 percent of the black vote in nw ohio.
The Ohio GOP will not get this message. Instead of doing what is needed, going further to conservative values: ie, balancing the budget, tax cuts, pro business; we instead will get more candidates in the line of Petro. In other words, look for a wishy washy sack of crap like John Kasich running for governor of Ohio in 2010. And look for another defeat. Until this party realizes that what is needed is a clear difference between us and them, rather than just shades of grayness and crap, you will see this crap.
Of course, no one will listen to us, why? Because we are just bloggers. Sure, we get mentions here and there at their "unity dinners" or at candidate training, but they refuse to listen to us, much to their own detriment.
Friends, maybe it is time we move the SOB to another state....I am thinking somewhere in the South, you know, where ALL THE JOBS are going.....
