Originally posted at 8:25AM on 7/18/07
Updated at 8:45PM 7/18/07
Modern Esquire at BSB provides no links for verification, but he's not one to make statements like this without having worked the problem. He's no Dan Rather is what I'm getting at here...
Apparently, the Democrats savior in OH-02 has donated to Republicans in the past. A lot. And only just recently has Black written checks of any significant amounts to Democrats. In fact, Black donated to Mary Taylor and Greg Hartmann in the last election cycle. He's even given money to Ken Blackwell back in the day.
While liberals are certainly right to be concerned about what this means for what Black stands for, it certainly pegs Black as being something of an opportunist. I mean, a guy who has given money to Ken Blackwell isn't the sort of guy who's views should match up with someone like Barack Obama (whom Black has recently written a check).
What this investigation reveals is that Black is a very conservative Democrat which is exactly the kind of Democrat that the district just might elect. I see this candidate in a whole new light and I suspect that a whole lot of people who actually live in the district will too once this gets out. Does it actually help or hurt Black in the long run? We're going to have to have an election to find out, but I suspect that the liberals who show up for primaries in that district aren't going to be too happy about this development.
If Steve Black wins the nomination, Jean Schmidt could be in for the political fight of her life...and that is saying a LOT since she's already had more than a few electoral scrapes along the way.
8:45PM UPDATE: The Black campaign has responded to BSB and let me tell ya...there's some comedy gold in this one. Be sure to check out the comments... I thought Mary Huttlinger was supposed to be some sort of southern Ohio Democrat political genius or something...??? The reaction to Mary's note is exactly why it is important for campaigns to have somebody on the staff who actually gets what new media is all about...this was a rookie league mistake that should never have happened. The only way this could have been worse is if Steve Black himself replied...
