Quite the bruhaha brewing ain't it? Well, I must say that I really do agree with Scott Pullins some, Jill a little bit, and Matt Dole a whole lot. If you bother to read all of that, you'll see that there is some conflict in what these folks are saying.Scott is right to call on Bob Bennett to step down. Not because Bennett is a Republican chairman on a board of elections, but because he's a Republican chairman who needs to focus on being chairman. Also, Bennett doesn't live in Cuyahoga County...Scott's point about Bennett's press conference being in Columbus is right on target.
Jill is right that the Board of Elections is not the place for partisan politics. I'm one of those people who believes that perception is a big part of politics. If high-profile partisans are taking part in managing the elections process, it just doesn't look good.
All of which brings me to Matt... Matt brought up the fact that Montgomery County is in a similar situation as Cuyahoga. The difference is that the high-profile partisan is a Democrat. Where is the outrage? That sound you are hearing from the Democrats is crickets chirping...
I would very much like to have the real debate, which is whether or not high-profile partisans should be on boards of election anywhere in the state of Ohio, not just Cuyahoga County... Anyone think Jennifer Brunner is going to ask for the resignation of Montgomery County's Board of Elections? I'm not holding my breath either...
UPDATE: Want some real evidence of how crazy this is getting? Read this.
