I'd be real curious what our friends at the Ohio GOP think about this one...personally, I think it is mostly garbage. Here is what the author thinks is the problem:
There are a myriad of reasons why the Republican problems are magnified in Ohio:That last one is my favorite...but the problem is that the author is responsible for the survey...and polling in Ohio has never been good.
* The war in Iraq and President Bush are at least as unpopular in Ohio as both are nationally, perhaps even slightly more so.
* The previous Republican governor, Bob Taft, left office in January with a job approval rating in the teens - the lowest in the country - after an administration beset by scandal and loss of support even among Republicans.
* The Ohio economy is not doing as well as the rest of the country. In fact, two-thirds of Ohioans told a Quinnipiac University poll last month that the state's economy was "not so good," or "poor."
* New Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland has a job approval rating in the same Quinnipiac poll of 53 percent favorable, 12 percent unfavorable.
He's dancing around the issues, but not actually addressing what is plaguing the Ohio GOP... Unlike the RNC, there have been few changes worth noting at Ohio GOP HQ...sure, there have been some musical chairs being played, but we're still on the deck of the Titanic... I was once told something to the effect of: "Hey! There are plenty of changes going on! We're making changes to make things better! Just wait and see..." I've waited...and I've not seen much that is encouraging.
Bob Bennett is more concerned about holding on to a position on the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections than he is in leading the Ohio GOP. The Ohio GOP seem somewhat fixated on helping Bob out, even though they say it isn't their policy to do so...
We're going to have a deputy chair...no we're not...yes we are... Political manuevering behind the scenes abound...and yes, Bob's position with the BOE has a role in this decision too... Is there any real leadership on display? I can't find it with a microscope...
I have a tremendous amount of respect for a number of the folks who work for the Ohio GOP. I'm sure that there is plenty going on behind the scenes; but at this point, the only guy I see making an effort to right the ship is John Kasich...
What we need is a platform of ideas that we can market the Republican brand with... We are not going to win elections by sitting back and waiting for Ted Strickland to implode. We need to be pro-active, pro-growth, and pro-limited government. Somebody needs to step up and start delivering right now. If we wait for Kasich's race for governor in 2010, it will be too late. It looks like the Ohio GOP is giving up on 2008, and I find that unacceptable.
Mr. Bennett, get to work on leading this party or get the hell out of the way!
4/3 UPDATE: NixGuy weighs in...
