Ohio, Ohio, Ohio Continued

BushCo has opened their Ohio campaign headquarters up in Columbus with a plan for 12,000 volunteers with plans for the number to grow to 50,000. Now, those are campaign numbers, so when they say volunteers they are including the guy who puts a sign in his yard.

The numbers indicate to me that it is going to be an in your face race here in Ohio. I have seen Bush's commercials already aired on Cincinnati TV stations, which simply may be the case for all media markets this size.

Michael over at Rantophilia disagreed with my concerns about potential violence in the Presidential Race this year. He seems to be dismissing it outright, calling it "silly." Well, blood in the streets is silly; I am not talking about a full civil war or anything here. What I am talking about is a 19th Century style of strong-arm politics with a touch of European Fascism. I predict that in Columbus, for example, it is likely that counter protestors at a rally for one of candidates will go over the edge and start a pushing and shoving match, which if tempers are not in check could end up cracking a few skulls.

I normally would say that those who follow politics are generally pussies, when it comes to actual fisticuffs. We use big words because we generally don?t have the footwork to back up our verbal jabs. This year I see something different. I see more people actually paying attention. I see growth in frothing at the mouth on rally goers. I am very fearful that some idiot will cause a media circus akin to the über-hyped Janet Jackson boob fiasco, thus making people angry that one side started a fight, and then the beatings would really begin. I see American politics as a powder keg, damp, but drying out quickly.

Downs on Politics

Good! Maggie has a column about politics. I hope to read more columns on political and current events issues from Maggie. The Enquirer has no other non-paleoconservative columnists in the Metro section, or at least those that do far more reporting than commenting (like Korte).

Chabot Plays the Shill

Rep. Steve Chabot is leading the charge against Gay Marriage in the House. I wish he would look beyond the end of his nose:

'The people and their elected representatives - and not a handful of rogue judges and officials - should have the right to make decisions regarding marriage policy,' he said.

Now, hmm, Rep. Chabot is concerned about the right of some of the people to tell other people what they can and can't do, but when individuals want to do something that is no threat to him or anyone else, he holds hearings. Almost ironic, if it were not so typical of a politician.

Doug White, State Senator, supports it, but I am perplexed by this:

In Ohio, Senate President Doug White, R-Manchester, said he would help ratify an amendment if Congress acts. He said he would support it for the same reasons he supported the Defense of Marriage Act that passed in January. Gov. Bob Taft signed that bill, making Ohio the 38th state to pass such a law in recent years.

We'll see if Washington acts," White said. "And then we'll see what the will of our citizens are when it gets out here."

Ok, what were the reasons White supported the Ohio law? Why, Why, Why does he and the rest of the law's supporters think homosexual marriage will harm anyone? I have been asking this constantly and it is a bit of baiting question, so I don't really expect an answer. The only answer given is hollow: "Marriage is defined as the union of a man and a woman." That is about all you will hear a politician say.

Well, Steve Chabot, Rob Portman, Mike DeWine, et al: Why do you support this (if you do)? Please be specific. Don't make the reporters answer follow-up questions. If you are going to keep homosexuals as second-class citizens, please have the "courtesy" of being fully honest as to why.

Ad Bitz

Get used to the phrase I am {Insert Candidate's Name Here} and I endorse this message. Ohio will be the dumping ground for every political advertisement possible in the Presidential race. We are in for wall to wall TV commercials that will really start to wear on you. I would get used to it for while. Your only hope is that the polls swing to one candidate's favor over 15%, so the other candidate might give up on us.

City Worker's Racial Slurs

Well, I hope they fire this idiot. This guy sounds like a Klansman. What I hope people understand happened is this:

The suspect even made some of the comments after he was verbally confronted by fire and police personnel who were monitoring the radios.

"Why don't you be a man and identify yourself?" one of them asked.

Now, I hope this is not played up into some wide conspiracy of KKK infiltration of city government. I hope the boycotters don't go McCarthy on us.

Springer Back in Town

Jerry is moving back to Cincinnati, or so says his aides. Maybe Jerry is going to run for Mayor in 2005.

Cranley and Ghiz?

Korte is reporting, well mentions in passing that Leslie Ghiz used to date John Cranley. This is not the first I heard of this, but I thought someone was just kidding around. Damn, the political class in this city sure moves around in small circles.

In the same article Korte writes in what I can assume was Steven Reece corning him and forcing him to listen to him go on and on about the plans he has for his daughter. Statewide office or Mayor? Does she need to learn to walk before she can fly?