A Red State (Ohio) Goes Code Blue For GOP - Chicago Tribune

[WillyT]

<snip>

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In the color-coded, Crayola world of politics, Ohio is a red state.

But if one pays close attention--listening to the grumbles of unhappy voters, reading the poll numbers and catching the hang-dog expressions of Republicans--it's almost as if one can hear the drip-drip-dripping of the dye into the electoral paint can, changing the hue of the great state of Ohio ever closer to blue.

Ohio Democrats, who in recent years have shown all the organizational vigor of Chicago Republicans, have a strut instead of a limp in their step these days, less than a month before the election. And they know they wouldn't be in this position without the timely, bumbling generosity of the Republicans.

"The chickens are coming home to roost," said Rep. Ted Strickland, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate who actually lived in a chicken coop for some weeks as a child and is leading in his bid to become the state's first Democratic chief executive in 16 years.

Once again Ohio, credited with giving President Bush a second term two years ago, is the national battleground in miniature. The war in Iraq has left the veteran Senate incumbent, Mike DeWine, surprisingly vulnerable. Rep. Bob Ney pleaded guilty to felony corruption charges Friday, but has yet to leave office. And the Rep. Mark Foley congressional page sex scandal has damaged the campaign of the fourth-ranking Republican in the House, Deborah Pryce, who described Foley as a friend in a recent magazine article.

<snip>

More: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0610140252oct14,1,2904226.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

This bodes well for 2006, AND 2008!!!

:woohoo:

[Toots]

1. "The chickens are coming home to roost,"

I just hope and pray Democrats aren't counting these "chickens" before they actually get there to roost

[WillyT]

3. You Said It Toots !!!

Me too... me too.

:hi:

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Woo! K&R!

[brentspeak]

4. These kinds of articles are useless.

The only results that matter are tangible results -- results of Democratic victories the day after Election Day.

These type of articles are designed to lull people into a state of complacency, make them believe that victory for their Democratic candidates is in the bag, so that they won't get off their loveseats and campaign for their people.

And then the Republicans win.

[City Lights]

5. I agree. IMHO, Ohio was blue in 2004 too, but

the chimp somehow carried it anyway.

In addition into lulling the Dems into complacency, this could also scare repubiclowns into working harder in Ohio.

[WillyT]

6. Wow... Your Negative Vibes Are A real Downer, Ya know ???

It could be also argued that this helps people in the trenches to keep working harder and pushing through to election day. Our family is working on several campaigns and some of us who don't work the campaigns, work polling places every year. We also register newly minted American Citizens to vote. And it's nice to see that our efforts aren't totally futile.

In the last few election cycles, afterward, we wonder if all of our hard work has been in vain. But eventually, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and get out there and do the work of getting Dems elected and making sure people turn out to vote. It's nice to get news of trends that are in our favor, and it causes us to work even harder.

Tell me... do you see a different effect in the campaigns you are working on?

:shrug:

[brentspeak]

7. Didn't mean to bring you down

Good luck with the campaigns in your area. Get Pombo kicked out onto the street, where he belongs.

[WillyT]

8. Thank You... We're Trying Mightily On That One !!!

For Instance... This helps: http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061011/NEWS01/610110323&SearchID=73259838994385

:hi:

[Bill McBlueState]

9. "Ted Strickland ... actually lived in a chicken coop ... as a child"

:wtf:

Like Ted Strickland, I also grew up in southern Ohio. And I've been around enough to know how people in places like Chicago think we all live in chicken coops, chew on straw, and drive our tractors to school. I know it makes city folk feel better about themselves to breathe smog instead of cow farts, but I'm not sure what that has to do with the governor's race.

\rant

Anyway, this is all good news.

[Andrea]

11. Bill McBlueState - whoa buddy, no one is dissing you...

I'm a "city folk" and I don't think any of that stuff about southern Ohioans. I think the reason they mentioned it, though they didn't really make it clear, is because Ted has had hard times and he knows what it's like. He lived in the chicken coop because his family's house burned down.

Also someone up-thread said Ohio was really blue in 2004 and I agree 100%. I like to see an article like this bringing attention to our state and the strong Dem position here this time around, but I wish they wouldn't label us as red. Everybody should know from the aftermath of '04 that we aren't red - we were just sabotaged.

[Bill McBlueState]

12. heh, sorry about that

It was a lighthearted complaint. :) I'm not really upset about the chicken coop thing.

Actually, the Ohio Democrats found the perfect candidate in Strickland, because he can honestly relate to the culture of rural Ohio.

[Andrea]

13. Right, he can appeal to both rural and urban

I originally backed Coleman (he pulled out before the primary), but I'm really happy with Strickland as a candidate.

[Leopolds Ghost]

10. The chickenhawks are coming home to roost

And the fox (Blackwell) is in the henhouse.