Dean Gone

Wes Flinn Comments.

Dean was an interesting candidate. He had too much of a media infused campaign and paid the price for it. His organization was big but lacked experience and influence inside the Democratic Party’s core voting block.

More from Calpundit and Oliver Willis and the Hegemo.

Traffic Tickets Are People Too

An FBI agent testified in court that LaShawn Pettus-Brown sometime over the last year paid off a Cincinnati Traffic Ticket. I guess he could either find the City Hall mailing address or the City’s website, but could not find a phone number to call and say why he had not done anything about the near $200K he wasted away. Will he have any defense at all?

His lawyer seems to want to blame the city:

Pettus-Brown's lawyer, Kenneth Lawson, said his client did nothing wrong and should be freed from jail. He said mismanagement by Cincinnati city officials was the real reason the theater project collapsed.

It is amazing what a Lawyer will try and claim to try and get a client off. Lawson would try and claim the Ohio River was running with Vodka, if it could help a client.

Convergys and Betty Hull Sitting in a Tree

Greg Korte writes City Council lobbyists requirement to file an annual registration statement. He reports that:

Marie Gemelli-Carroll of Communications in the Public Interest, Louise Hughes of Procter & Gamble, Lynn Marmer of the Kroger Co., Doug Moorman of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and Victor A. Needham of Cinergy Corp.

Greg points out that no lobbyist from Convergys filed a statement. That refers to John Dowlin's recent commercial suggesting that Pat DeWine was or is dating a lobbyist for Convergys, namely Betty Hull. DeWine's campaign has denied that Hull was a lobbyist for Convergys.

Perplexing situation. Shouldn't it be easy to determine who was a lobbyist or not? Couldn't the city subpoena Convergys and find out? Will the City do so?

Cause for Protest?

A teenage kid was killed after loosing control of an allegedly stolen car while being chased by police. The sawed-off shotgun under the seat is the biggest concern for me. Where do teenagers get such a thing?

Correcting Conservatives

In a letter to the Enquirer a neighbor of mine wrote:

Borgman cartoon was a cheap shot

Once again, Jim Borgman flies his flag with a cheap shot.

The illustration (Feb. 11) of Sen. John Kerry in uniform and medals versus President Bush in uniform with a beer medal is typical Borgman.

I don't recall in 1991 the same scene with ex-president Bush in uniform and medals versus Borgman's man Bill Clinton the draft dodger and his conquests.

An illustration of Kerry and his many faces would be interesting.

Edward Mohr, Mount Washington

Mr. Mohr should rethink his timing. In 1991 no one thought Bill Clinton was going to be nominated for President, let alone win. If you had put 1992 in your situation might have been reasonable. What you seem to forget was the HUGE flack Clinton got. He was called a draft dodger by every fire-breathing Conservative out there. Now we get Bush, who unlike his father, pulled strings to get into the National Guard. I would have done the same, so I don't personally mind that fact. What I do mind is Bush prancing around on an aircraft carrier like he was his father, who was a war hero. I don't hear many conservatives complaining about Bush's less than stellar military career.

Oh, Borgman is not being inconsistent, he is being Ironic.

Dancing Bronsons

Bronson ponders why two GOP primary candidates can't realize that they both can carry on the conformist views of the local Republican party. I was waiting for Bronson to dig out the old Ron Reagan axiom "Thou Shalt Not Speak Ill of Any Other Republican." I guess the Golden Rule is a double edge sword in internal GOP politics.

Boycott Over?

The National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc. has announced that it will hold its 2008 national convention in Cincinnati.

The only caveat is that in February 2002 they said they would hold a convention in Cincinnati, only to come back in March of 2002 and change their minds.

Now, I am sure this post will get Nate's panty's in a bunch, but if this sticks, I think this may be a nail in the boycott coffin that no one can pull out.

Local Passion

WCPO reports on 'local' reaction to Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion." The article does not really report reaction to the movie; it reports what people who are promoting the movie are saying. Where's the local Jewish viewpoint? You walk 10 feet in the local media without stepping on a Catholic touchy feely story.

I was laughing at this quote:

"The message to Hollywood is we want movies like this and we want to see historical truth brought to the big screen," Giroux said.

You can call it religious truth, but to try and say, with a straight face, that biblical stories are 'historical truth' is really just wrong. There is some "historical" fact in the bible, but to say "The Passion" is historical truth is a misnomer. It is not history; it is religion. It might be "true" religion to a particular sect of Christianity, but clearly it is not factually to many Jews, non-Christians, and even various sects of Christianity.

Dowlin Get's Ugly

John Dowlin hit the gutter in his campaign against Pat DeWine. Dowlin raises questions regarding the Convergys deal and DeWine's interests in it:

"There are serious questions about Pat DeWine.

Pat DeWine was a deciding vote in a multimillion dollar taxpayer funded deal.

First, DeWine opposed a tax break for Convergys, calling it a horrible deal.

Then, DeWine voted for it after his own political advisor was hired as a lobbyist by Convergys.

What happened next was shocking.

DeWine left his wife and children for the Convergys lobbyist, whose company received the tax breaks DeWine supported.

Pat DeWine; conflict of interest. Shameful Conduct."

DeWine claims the allegations are false and plans to file a complaint with the Ohio Election Commission. Media reports indicate that the woman in question is Betty Hull.

Oh the humanity. Oh the desperation of Dowlin.

UPDATE: Enquirer's Story.

Race Riots!

Nope. It's not Cincinnati. It is not even in the United States. Sydney, Australia was the scene of riots in what they call an "Aboriginal district.” The riots were reportedly set off by the death of an Aboriginal teenager. The teenager died allegedly after falling off his bike while being pursed by police. Somehow the teenager impaled himself on a metal fence.

This sentence about the area where the rioting took place is interesting

The area is notorious for drug dealing, with heroin being sold openly in a local park.

I wonder if the BBC or any other foreign news outlet reported that the Cincinnati riots that took place in 2001 also were located in an area "notorious for drug dealing, with heroin being sold openly in a local park." OTR just might fit that description.

Much Ado About Nothing

Well, I was surprised to read that basically the Kerry 'intern' scandal was not much of a scandal. The woman in question is denying it. It appears this ends it. This does not mean that something did not go on, but that no laws were broken and unlike Clinton there was nothing to trap him with on an insignificant tangent in a lawsuit.

Cincinnati Post DOA After JOA Dies in 2007?

The Cincinnati Business Courier reports that most analysts think Scripps will likely close down the paper after the 2007 JOA with Gannett ends in 2007. Cox Newspapers, which owns the Dayton Daily News, was considered a possible suitor, but the article reports Cox in not interested.

I think that is mistake for Cox. They could kick the Enquirer's ass if they wanted to. With their small papers in Hamilton, Middletown, and really small Oxford, as well as other local weeklies, they could mount a strong hit on the Northern Enquirer Market if they keep the Post around and push its Northern Kentucky edition. The Enquirer is trying to muscle in on West Chester. The DDN should own that with help from the Journal-News. Cox should consider mounting competition online against the Enquirer as well as teaming up with Cincinnati based broadcast outlets. I would bet WLW would team up with the DDN the way the Enquirer does with WCPO.

Silly French Canandains Part Deux

First a boob gets American politicians in a hissy, now Conan O'Brien's is still pissing off Canadian politicians, who can go toe to toe with us Americans in the art of grandstanding.

Toronto Businessman Peter Soumalias summed up the issue with what I think to most people states the obivious:

'It's a silly puppet that tells silly jokes,' Soumalias said. 'Most people find it funny.'"

Was Triumph an agent provocateur? I guess Conan will not get carte blanche on his next trip to Quebec. I thought Conan was fairly chic for a late night show, but will this be a coup de grâce to his career? Conan pulled a great coup d'état when he took over after Letterman left NBC. I thought he was the crème de la crème, but only time will tell.

Portman for Higher Office?

Carl Weiser of the Enquirer insinuates that Congressman Rob Portman's fundraiser with George Bush the Elder this week could be a foundation builder for a run at higher office. Senator, Governor, President????? Portman is a good politician, who fits into the mainstream GOP well, but does not goose-step like Steve Chabot. That makes him more marketable in the State and the Country. He can do this, unlike Chabot, because his district is as safe as anyone's, freeing him up to work on Pension reform, a more innocuous issue that does not push many partisan buttons.

Portman is one who could be Ohio Senator if DeWine steps down. I would not be surprised to seem him run for that seat in the future, but I think Portman has the Presidential bug.

Bush National Guard Story

Kevin Drum looks at the story and specifically at allegations that former Lt. Colonel Bill Burkett made regarding Bush's campaign staff back in 1999.

Will the press let this story die an early death or find out that Bush or his backers fudged things a bit? If Burkett's allegations are true, still an if, then that is something far beyond what may have happened over 30 years ago.

Buress is Infecting Louisville

CCV President and local theocratic fascist, Phil Burress, traveled recently to the Louisville area to try and spread a little censorship. If we offer to give Louisville Simon Leis, do you think they would take the trade? I think we can add some cash to boost the deal.

Am I a Threat?

Via Sadgirlseven I found an Enquirer article about "blogging."

Now, I understand that this was a Tempo section story, which is meant to be fluff. I understand that there are many teens with online journals. That is fine. Why would the Enquirer write about the teenagers and not the blogs with something that is more than who passed a note to whom or the boy from study hall who keeps staring?

I have no problem with a story about teens writing. I just wish this story did not come off as "blogging is for kids."

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: New Series

The Sci-Fi channel has given the go ahead to a new Battlestar Galactica TV series. The December "mini-series" (pilot) did well and was a fresh feel for a space based TV series.

Yes, I have part geek. What person with their own website is not at least a little bit of a geek. Come to think of it, what kind of person at all at least is not something of a geek? I mean, if the end of Revenge of the Nerds is not the single most poignant statement on life, then nothing is.

NASCAR Dads?

Oliver Willis asks the question:

Is there any real difference between "NASCAR Dads" and the GOP's old "Southern Strategy"?

The answer is yes and no. Yes it is different in the sense that targeting NASCAR Dads is not about "race." Targeting NASCAR dads is about culture and regionalism. Race is not totally absent from it, but it is more about targeting southern white men (with their wives in tow) against the horrible "liberals" out to take away their "way of life." Minorities are a scapegoat blamed for much in this new strategy, but the old racist south is not what it used to be. It is more about championing bigotry, as opposed to racism. NASCAR dads, as the stereotype would follow, don't mind blacks or other races, as long as they talk, dress, act and believe just like every other NASCAR dad does.

This way of thinking, kind of a cultural balkanism, is not limited to the GOP or white males. This is an element of humanity. What makes this subgroup unique is the level of conformity. Being like everyone else is the underlying factor of what the GOP is after in this marketing target. Conformity is what drives their lives and the measure they use to value self worth. Unlike other elements in American, where conformity is part of more complex subcultures, here in the NASCAR Dad target market, the GOP has found the ideal point of convergence between cultural ideology and extreme uniformity.

In posting this I do not of course want to demean NASCAR fans. I am not one, and I have my bias, but I am bringing up the point because culturally it is a group with identifiable similarities that is being targeted by political campaigns, mostly Republicans.

Ohio 'Sniper' Still Going

This time it is on I-70 15 miles East of Columbus.