Tag: Ted Strickland

Apr 30 2010

Scandal may sink Strickland’s chances for re-election.

According to a report issued by the office of Ohio’s inspector general Thomas P. Charles, one of governor Ted Strickland’s cabinet members perjured herself to protect his boss from a criminal investigation.

As reported in The Columbus Dispatch and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Public Safety Director Cathy Collins-Taylor put the kibosh on an investigation into Strickland’s apparent laxness of supervision in an inmate work program at his home.  Prisoners are alleged to have used the opportunity afforded them to smuggle tobacco products and weapons from Strickland’s residence and into prison.

“Lt. Joseph Mannion, Strickland’s top personal security officer,” according to the Plain Dealer article, was accused of lying under oath to investigators during the course of their probe into the matter.  

Politics Daily recently reported that Strickland is so far maintaining only a “shaky lead” over Republican rival John Kasich.  That his top aides lied under oath to state investigators, thereby breaking the law, to protect their boss’s reputation has had the opposite effect – Strickland’s campaign may now have suffered a terminal blow going into the November election.

Feb 22 2010

Sunday Train: Attacks on HSR in Flyover Country

Burning the Midnight Oil for Living Energy Independence

Today’s Sunday Train is focusing on attacks that have been launched against Ohio’s 3C plan, which was granted $400m in the HSR round of Stimulus II grants. There are attacks from Republicans, engaged in their usual games of negotiating in bad faith and basing critiques on focus group testing of talking points rather than substance. There are attacks from “transport experts”, calling for all of our HSR spending to be focused on the coasts with no systems developed to serve the needs of flyover country.

There is even an attack launched against the award of funds to Ohio by President Obama’s Department of Transportation paradoxically by a kossack who goes by the name of “Ohiobama”.

So today is focused on examining the attacks and seeing what there is to them. And lest it seem that this is a single-state issue, many of these same arguments may be used against all of the plans already in place between the Rockies and the Appalachias, as well as the Pacific Northwest and the South Atlantic Coast.

In honor of the “3C” project (Cleveland/Columbus/Cincinnati), I have Three C’s of Attack” the “Conservative” attack, a “Claim-to-Fame” attack, and a “Clown-Train” attack.

Feb 21 2010

Green Party candidate Dennis Spisak is running for Ohio Governor.

Being from Ohio, elections here are especially important to me as they have a more direct impact on the Buckeye State than do federal elections.  So it was heartening to read at USelections.com that there is an independent candidate from the left who is running for governor and who isn’t culled from the pools of Big Business.  His name is Dennis Spisak, and he is running for governor this year.  You can check out his web site by clicking this LINK.

Other candidates for governor are incumbent and Democrat Ted Strickland, Republican and businessboy John Kasich, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for U.S. president in 2000, and building contractor Ken Matesz on the Libertarian Party ticket.

May 11 2008

Potential Democratic VP picks.

Assuming Barack Obama actually gets the nomination (we cannot rule out Clinton somehow nabbing it at the brokered convention), I think there are perhaps three politicians who could possibly add to his ticket going into the general election:

John Edwards – His populist talk and devotion to working class issues, combined with his skills as an attorney, make him an ideal vice presidential candidate.  He managed to sell himself as one in 2004, and although he didn’t get enough footing to remain in contention for the nomination this year he still has a base of supporters who could help bridge the divide between Obama’s followers and Clinton’s.  But this is unlikely, because Edwards is an economic populist, and corporate Democrat Obama blew it big time when he tried to finagle an endorsement only to end up angering Donna Edwards by attacking her husband’s health care plan.

Christopher Dodd – Dodd has the stones to go toe to toe with adversaries on the campaign trail, and he has shown leadership in the Senate by shaming Obama and Clinton into voting against one of the appropriations bills for the occupation of Iraq.  I see no reason why he couldn’t make a strong ally on the campaign trail.

Bill Richardson – Although I don’t think he’ll add much to an Obama ticket going into November, his executive experience is desperately needed in the White House.  He could be seen to help the senator make a case that he can bring in people who know the ins and outs of governing (as opposed to legislating).

Assuming Hillary Clinton manages somehow to get the nomination at convention, I see only two potential candidates who could possibly help her win in November:

Ted Strickland – Although he has only been governor of Ohio for roughly a year and a half, he has shown he can get things done.  He has also demonstrated an ability to get the GOP in the Buckeye State’s legislature to play ball on things like the budget.

John Edwards – This is a somewhat unlikely pick considering the former senator from North Carolina is an economic populist and Clinton is an economic conservative whose support of NAFTA is likely to continue should she win the White House.  But the two of them are closer on important issue such as health care than either of them are to Obama, and while Edwards did go after her on the campaign trail he didn’t make it personal like the Illinois senator has.

Regardless of which Prima Donna ultimately gets the Democratic nomination, the only way to add to the ticket is to pick a populist vice presidential candidate, or one with executive experience.