Pre-Decision 2006: The Results

People have been wandering by the blog all night from Googling various races. Sorry, I've been doing the party scene. You can get results at the Board of Elections, the Secretary of State site or the Beacon Journal.

The Good.

No SMH; Betty Sutton wins the nomination in Ohio 13, 30.5% to 24.9%. Sawyer a distant third. In addition Clair Dickenson wins for Court of Appeals.

The Bad.

Akron School Levy goes down by about 500 votes. God knows how many people just didn't turn the ballot over. Judy Hanna over Kevin Griffith. Hope she doesn't get used to the taste of victory, running as an ultra-liberal in the 27th. Paul Gallagher huge over John Manley.

The Ugly.

Marc Dann 72.9%
Subodh Chandtra 27.1%

_________


So I was 2 for 6 in endorsements. I get it. I'm new at this. It will take some time for you all to trust me. Just wait and see how these people work out.

Pre-Decision 2006: Miscellany and Late Endorsements

A quiet day in the mailbox today. A well-done flier from Kevin Griffith, a levy piece from APS for the wonk set and a Frank Communale for County Council postcard. The April Shower of mailers is over.

Got an odd robo-call from Tom Sawyer. It came from his highest-profile supporter -- Tom Sawyer. After all the calls from this pol in support of that one, it was a little refreshing to hear from the guy himself. In it he took the high road -- let's put aside all the attacks and cast positive votes . . . for Ted Strickland and Sherrod Brown. For a voter innocent of the blogosphere it must have been a headsnapper to hear someone suggest putting aside the bickering to vote for the two guys without credible challengers. Then he mentions in an Oh-by-the-way manner that he'd appreciate your vote for him as well.

Sawyer did one of the best political ads I've ever seen when I worked on his campaign against Lynn Slaby in '94. He looked into the camera, recited the charges Slaby was making and said "He knows it's not true and you know it's not true." In that case the low-key high-road approach worked. This time it sounds almost sad.

Speaking of that Brian-Something guy running against Strickland, if I wasn't so tired of him, I'd be worried for him. I have nothing but respect for someone playing out the string. But an 88 county tour over the last weekend of a race in which you are down 3-1 isn't playing out the string, it's delusional. One could chalk it up to Brian setting himself up as a candidate in future elections, but he burned that bridge when he started making veiled remarks about Strickland's sexuality. He's done in this election and he's done in Ohio politics, so the No Sleep 'til Hammersmith* finish has a creepy feel to it.

One thing I'll give Brian; when he was running the Educate Ohio campaign he attracted a tiny but fanatical following. I wonder if he's so insulated himself within that cocoon that he's able to ignore the reality of his situation. You get the picture of Brian wandering around Wednesday morning muttering "How did that happen?" It's been a long time since I've had any use for him, but if anyone is reading who still cares about him, stand by to catch him when he falls. Someone needs to go to his "victory" party armed with a vial of Wellbrutin and the Suicide Hotline number.

I will probably need both of those things if the Columbus Dispatch's poll of the AG's race holds true and Subodh Chandra goes down big. In round one of Blogosphere vs. ODP, ODP is kicking our ass.

Warm fuzzies to PeppermintLisa for endorsing Issue One on her predominently non-political blog. Surf over and drop her a shout-out.

I meant to mention something in my previous Capri Cafaro post -- that as far as I know from talking to her, Betty Sutton is not in favor of junking the entire trade regime, contrary to what Mike Douglas said yesterday. It's entirely Sutton's fault that her position on trade is mush, but if I thought that was her position I'd be endorsing Sawyer.

As we were doing Honk'n'Wave for the levy this afternoon, two friends bent my ear about the Sutton attacks on Sawyer and today's BJ editorial. No question, too much and too far. She may do well with voters at large from the strategy, but she's lost the sort of people that make up my circle of friends. That's why I have a bunch of unused signs in my garage. On the other hand, it's pretty comical that the BJ is evoking the "earlier version of Sutton." I think their petulant refusal to give her any earned ink over their perceptions of her deficiencies as a state legislator pushed the negative campaign to begin with.

According to people who have voted early, the optical scan ballots make voting take longer and, as Redhorse has reported, no one knows if the machines will work, so give yourself plenty of time to stand in line a bit.

A few last minute endorsements.

For Senate in Ohio 27, Kevin Griffith. He's proven himself an able campaigner and Judy Hanna is entirely too liberal to have a prayer against Kevin Coughlin.

For Court of Appeals, Clair Dickenson. I worked with John Quinn -- he in fact hired me to worked in the Summit County Prosecutor's Office, and with Clair in voter protection in '06. Both are excellent people and excellent legal minds. Straight up, Clair is just better. What's more, he's more engaging as a campaigner. And finally, if Quinn is elected, whoever is Governor appoints his replacement in DR court. Unless you want to call Sophie Albrecht "Your Honor," and trust me you don't, vote for Clair.

For Common Pleas court, John Manley. I worked with John as well. A bright and capable man. Paul Gallagher's reputation is consistent with the man who launched the Weeniethon last fall.

I've done my organizing for poll stuff tomorrow. I'll be pretty busy, so don't look for me until late, if at all.

*Good for 35 PhoPoints

The Case Against Cafaro: Back to Basics

With all the endgame noise flying around, it’s easy to get distracted. Yesterday I got a robo-call from County Fiscal Officer John (not an accountant) Donofrio on behalf of Capri Cafaro. He supports her because he thinks her SAW plan would be good for Summit County. I don’t know who a Cafaro nomination would be good for, but I feel pretty confident Donofrio doesn’t really support her because of SAW.

But it made me want, one more time, to lay out the case against Capri. I’ve been pretty consistent in saying the Traficant mess doesn’t mean much to me. I’m grossed out by the Betty Sutton Weak on Pot ad, but Sutton and EM-List haven’t been completely forthright either.

Convention dictates that at this point I say something like “it’s nothing personal, but . . .” Well, it is kind of personal. When Cafaro decided to lie about me and this blog on air to make political points, it became personal. That being said, here are the big three reasons to vote against Capri Cafaro, whether or not you find her as personally distasteful as I.

1. We Can’t Trust Her to Represent Our Interests.

I’ve made much about Cafaro’s district shopping. When I look at the last two years of her life – running in the 14th, heading to New York to set up her PR shop, then coming back here to run, it doesn’t just feel like district shopping. It also evinces a certain disdain for living in Northeast Ohio. I understand – when I was 28 living on the East Coast, didn’t want to come back here either. Things changed and now I love living in Akron. But when I was 28, I did not have the feel for this place necessary to truly represent the people here.

What’s more, to the extent she has learned anything about the 13th District, she’s learned about Lorain Co. I have seen nothing in her campaign, in the Cafaromercials, in her MTB appearance that suggests to me she has made any attempt to understand where the Summit County is going and how to craft a legislative strategy to clear that road. Recently I drove through Barberton – the last truly rust-belt community in Summit. It’s also the only place I’ve seen a proliferation of Cafaro signs. Maybe it was just attacking Sutton at her base, but it also feels like Cafaro’s mentality is purely rustbelt, purely mid-80’s protectionism.

2. SAW is a Tool for Pandering.

One of the few positives I’ve heard about Capri that makes any sense is that her wealth makes her beholden to no one. Well, it certainly doesn’t look that way. It looks like she will say anything to get the love of Old Labor. The SAW plan is so fundamentally silly, her supporters don’t so much support it as make excuses for it – that’s why Donofrio’s call was so jarring. Why spend 55 billion dollars to maintain the status quo? Because spending $56 billion would be stupid.

I suspect that SAW exists primarily as a pretext for running on a platform of junking the entire trade regime – the ultimate sop to the unions. And of course, the fact that all this has exactly zero chance of actually becoming law makes this the very definition of a pander: An insincere proposal to appeal to the hopes and fears of the base. Cafaro’s stance on trade verges on demagoguery.

3. Cafaro is Vulnerable.

What I want in the 13th is not a nail biter, not an uphill battle, not a race where the party is reacting every day to a new presser from the Republican. I want the 13th to have a candidate who can phone it in and ride on the natural Dem advantage in the district. Cafaro guarantees the former, not the latter.

First off, I’m not the only Summit County resident who finds the Tour of Districts Not Held by Tim Ryan to be distasteful. I would probably vote for her – probably – in the general for the sake of working toward gaining power in Congress, but I certainly wouldn’t lift a finger to help and, trust me, she will need many lifted fingers. If she thinks EM-List’s mailings were harsh, wait till the RCCC’s machine starts rolling. All that stuff I say shouldn’t play in – immunity, drug rehab, bad dye jobs – will be flogged relentlessly in mailings, robocalls, megachurch “voter guides” and WNIR.

Meanwhile her extreme retrograde stance on trade will mobilize the SummitCo. business community to drop on the Republican candidate all the money they can. And they will tell all their employees what’s at stake. I’ve talked to friends more liberal than I who are appalled by her platform – because they work for tech firms like Goodyear or AES.

A smart, moderate, pro-business Republican will sweep the Republican voters, and take an overwhelming majority of Independents. From there, it doesn’t take a lot of moderate Dems crossing over to swing the election.

Capri doesn’t just have a bad idea, she is a bad idea.

Wondering about Betty Sutton and Marijuana?

I've noticed lots of people finding the blog by Googling candidates. Over the next couple days I'll do what I can with whatever crap is flying around.

Tonight's topic is Capri Cafaro's allegation that Betty Sutton favors legalizing marijuana. ( H/t Ohio 13 Votes) The truth is that Sutton once proposed a medical marijuana legalization bill. Whatever one might think about medical marijuana -- I haven't seen the science to support it yet -- support for medical marijuana is not the same as a support for wholesale legalization.

A Cafaro flak says that because Sutton proposed legalizing up to a half pound, the effect would be the same as legalization. Two things. First, there is a difference between intent and effect. The ad says that Sutton favors legalizing marijuana. That is plainly untrue -- her intent was only to legalize medical use. I believe that Cafaro's SAW plan would engorge the deficit and crash the economy, but I wouldn't proclaim that "Capri Cafaro wants to engorge the deficit and crash the economy." To equate a possible outcome with intent to cause that outcome is fundamentally dishonest.

Second, the half-pound thing must be understood in context. I haven't seen the bill or been in contact with Camp Cafaro about this, but I can fill in the blanks. I assume that Sutton's bill would have legalized possession of misdemeanor quantity -- 200 grams or .44 pounds. (R.C. 2925.11(C)(3)(a-b) for those of you keeping score at home.)

If it's news to you that possession of that much bud was that low level, welcome to the wacky world of Ohio's marijuana laws. Up to 100 grams is a minor misdemeanor. If you smoke more than 100 grams of pot in a year, that's pretty impressive. Depending on quality, you are getting righteously baked 2-4 times a week. That's a Live-in-Mom's-Basement level of usage. But if you are carrying that much marijuana at one time, your offense is literally no more serious than a speeding ticket.

From 100-200 grams, possession is a 4th degree misdemeanor. If you have 199 grams of weed and get caught shoplifting a lighter to fire up a blunt, you are in bigger trouble for the lighter (M1) than the dope (M4). The real question for Betty is why bother to legalize medical marijuana when partytime marijuana is for all intents decriminalized.

But of course, all this is too complicated for any discussion outside BlogWorld. Not only is this a sleazy distortion, it's an eleventh hour sleazy distortion, giving Sutton little time to set the record straight. And since it appears in a commercial that has to have been in production for longer than the EM-List mailers have been going out. And whatever distortions lie in the EM-List mailers, they do not out and out lie like the Cafaro ad.

Those looking to Cafaro as the "positive" candidate may want to reevaluate.

EMILY's List and their Sticky Virtual Fingers

If you haven't heard the story yet, the EMILY's List generated anti-Cafaro flier I posted yesterday featured a photo lifted from Scott Bakalar. Scott had gone to the trouble to obtain and post a Creative Commons license, so lifting without attribution was definitely uncool. What's more, I don't want future MTB subjects to be reluctant to participate because photos may be lifted to make them look bad. I *cough* *cough* I *gag* agree with Pounder (in comments at the 'Billy) that if the Sutton camp had approached me for using the photo, I would have declined. Well, I should have -- would've depended on my mood and the proximity to Cafaro lying about me on air . . .

Like George, I notified the Sutton camp about my concerns and am waiting for a reply.

Here's the thing. The EM-List flier was sent in their independent 527 capacity. My understanding is that in that capacity, EM-List can't spend money in coordination with Sutton's campaign. That's why the disclaimer that "it's not endorsed by any candidate."

I don't think Sutton should hide behind this fact, but she has to be careful of it. If she were to issue a statement saying that her campaign made a mistake or even that she takes responsibility for the unattributed use of the picture, it could be read as an admission of illegal coordination. What she needs to do at this point is give the issue to an election lawyer to draft a statement saying essentially that she's sorry people advocating for her but on their own dime did something that infringed on the rights Scott reserved. I sincerely hope this is happening, but fact is it will take time and the Sutton campaign is busy with . . . what's the word . . . campaigning.

Of course, the best outcome would be an abject apology from That Girl's Group with the Stupid Name* for both the insult to Scott's CC license and the embarassment to the Sutton campaign. Given the constant arrogant tone emanating from Chez EMILY, I am officially not holding my breath.

*Good for 10 PhoPoints.

Meanwhile, today's mail brings a second anti-Cafaro flier with a second picture lifted from Scott.

















Plus -- bonus! -- the fake Cafaro newspaper with its fake endorsments page as reported by Ohio 13 Votes:





I need a bath.

Random Ten

"Heavy Rotation, Week 2" Edition

1. “Marching Band,” Death Cab for Cutie
2. “Girl in the Way,” Josh Ritter
3. “I Am Damo Suzuki,” The Fall
4. “Factory,” The Vines
5. “Stormy Weather,” Echo and the Bunnymen
6. “Hurt,” Glass Candy and the Shattered Theatre
7. “I Love to Boogie,” T. Rex
8. “Love Train,” The Woodentops
9. “Fadin’ Away,” Green on Red
10. “Though my Door,” The Muckrakers

Part of the Heavy Rotation project is getting acquainted with bands I’ve been hearing about for years, but haven’t heard much by – Yo La Tengo, Guided by Voices, Woodentops and Green on Red, for example. The liner notes of my Green on Red best of quote a Guardian critic proclaiming them “The second best bar band in the world.” Setting aside the absurd hyperbole as applied to G on R – maybe they crack the top 50 – it got me wondering: Who’s # 1? Who’s the best bar band of all time?

Some guidelines so the discussion doesn’t just become Best Rock Band. To me the fundamental characteristics of Barbandedness are first, rough edges. The Beatles could never be called a bar band, at least not after Stu Sutcliffe left. Second, a degree of amaturishness in instrumentation and/or vocals. Richard Thompson is almost a cartoon of grittiness, but is entirely too fine a guitarist to be in a Best Bar Band. Third, a sound that fits comfortably in a confined, smoky, sticky-floored setting. In researching this post I found a blogcritic citing Cheap Trick as the Best Bar Band. No. Cheap Trick are arena rock incarnate.

I’m still working on my candidates. I have one in particular in mind, but am wondering if they are too good or too BIG for bar bandage.

In Which the Ohio 13 Campaign Wears a Hole in My Soul

I got a break today from EMILY’s List-sponsored anti-Sawyer attack fliers courtesy of . . . an anti-Cafaro attack flier. This one was pretty well done as these things go and if it doesn’t prompt a lawsuit we will know that Betras’s threat was empty. What’s new in this is the reiteration of the charge leveled by AP last week that Cafaro's testimony that she donated money to candidates and was then reimbursed by her father may have violated campaign finance laws.

So yesterday was the City Club debate. Was she asked about it? If she was, the papers didn’t make note. Kucinich gets off his usual “if you did nothing wrong, why did you get immunity” jab, but evidently either doesn’t read the papers or didn’t bother to update his act.

And did anyone point out that Cafaro’s SAW plan would spend $55 billion before accomplishing anything? Well, that’s just a silly question. This is a political campaign; the last thing we want to do is talk about issues. How ‘bout more of Sutton and Sawyer bitching about when is a junket not a junket? Now that’s a campaign.

I like Betty Sutton but Lord am I hating on her campaign. She’s a good person with loads of potential. She deserved better than a beltway hackjob campaign that makes her look like a nippy, yappy toy poodle.

Meanwhile, the BJ’s Carl “Puffathon” Chancellor gets early consideration for this year’s Pot/Kettle award with this lede: “What the noontime faceoff of seven of the eight Democrats vying in the 13th Congressional District lacked in drama, it made up for in predictability.” Well Carl, back atcha. Maybe you want to ask just one difficult question next time you interview a candidate.

And the big news of the night is the new WKYC poll showing Sawyer, Sutton and Cafaro all tied. The only thing potentially more depressing than the possibility that Sutton’s remote-controlled campaign-by-numbers might lose her the primary is the possibility that it might win.