National Democrats pull more money out of Ohio's U.S. Senate race

[CincyDem]

4. Hey...I said that first. Or should I say "GMTA". :-)

We're working for him here too but it is very much an uphill battle. People around Cincy just "like" Portman. They don't know chit about his policies but, ya know...he's a good guy.

The thing I run into it that Portman's getting a lot of kudos from independents and some Dems who lean independent because of the shift on gender rights. People remember that he came out in favor of gay rights...they forget it was after his son came out. Story around town is that his wife, who is in her own right a force to be reckoned with, explained the facts of life to him and made it clear that he could be a married "flip-flopper" on the issue or a single homophobic senator. He choose wisely.

Response to Strickland is just blah and folks look at him as a personification of a system crash for which he was not responsible.

What I'd like to see is a change at the core of the Ohio Dem Party. David Pepper is a local neighborhood kid. Father was a beloved CEO at P&G, mother is a pretty tireless advocate, fighters, and contributor to a lot of great local social causes. That said, I don't think he's got the background, the demeanor, or the backbone to move this party out of their "more of the same" approach.

When the party picked Lee Fisher over Jennifer Brunner to go up against Kasich, it was a disaster and anyone who ever spent time in a meeting with Fisher knew it. Everyone, that is, expect Chris Redfern and the Ohio Dem Party who threw their support behind Fisher because "he has been a long time Democrat who has served well". Brunner, on the other hand, was responsible for ensuring that Ohio voting laws were inclusionary and upheld at the county level during 2008 and 2012. Given the choice between loyalty and effect...the part chose loyalty. Kasich won (creating a platform that in any other year might have propelled him into the national race) and Redfern resigned (appropriately).

Strickland is going to be Pepper's Fisher. I believe Ohio is fundamentally a blue state at heart but virtually every state level official is red due to the ineptitude of the state party. It's not just weak - it's inept.

Anyway, just wanted to harass you. Have a great day.