A Step Back: A Wake Up Call to Women

This should be a wake up call to women who don't want to have to die on the orders of the government.

For those of you who support a right of a women to not have the government order her to give birth and who voted for George Bush in 2004 or 2000, you should look back on the damage you have helped cause on the people in this country.

As Kevin Drum points out, the actual ruling doesn't really affect something that happens very often. The ban on IDX always was a political football that was more about symbolism, than change. The problem here is the ruling. How it was decided is bad. How this 5 person majority views personal rights is bad. How they view freedom is bad. If you do nothing else in your lifetime, make sure the next series of Presidents will appoint people to the court who believe in personal freedom.

Endorsement Battle: The Next Day

The Enquirer has a recap of the Dem meeting which confirms my take from last night, but spins it. The news is the fact that there was a significant effort to oust Berding, something the Enquirer played as something that "fizzled." What the Enquirer misses is that the anti-Berding effort indicates that a large portion of the Democratic base is not going to be easily convinced to support Berding. He may not want or need that support, but he is not a lock to win re-election. In the end, Berding will have to abandon Democratic issues and move to the right, which likely will mean he will lose the endorsement fight next cycle.

UPDATE: For a better take on the meeting, check out CityBeat's blog. The best part is the exchange between Kevin Osborne and Berding:

Asked by CityBeat to comment after the meeting, Berding said, “Why? You’re just going to write whatever you want to write.” Pressed to clarify if that was a “no comment,” Berding replied, “That’s a ‘no comment’ to you, yes.”

He sounds like a cocky prick in that exchange. I guess he doesn't want Kevin's vote. A lesson to all politicians: Be nice to the press, no matter what.

Something New For Bella's

Hidden in this article is the news that a new lease is close to being signed for a new business at the Bella's location at 6th and Walnut. That location is just to good not to have some type of restaurant or bar.

City Dems Pick Choices

As I type, the candidates are making their cases for getting the endorsement from the City Dems. Berding as already spoke as of about 7:15PM. He was reported to be humble. All of the candidates are getting 3 minutes to speak.

UPDATE: My source at the meeting gave me an interesting tidbit on Cecil Thomas's speech. In it Thomas stated that the Dems should run the City. The implication Thomas made is that they currently are not running the City. This to me could be viewed as a reference to the "Fiscal Five" on council, which is not a block of Democrats.

UDPATE#2: It appears an effort was made to vote for each candidate separately, but that effort was quashed. This was likely an effort to pull Jeff Berding out from the pack, where he would face much more opposition.

UPDATE #3: The slate passed 75 - 43. It appears that a large group of people were not happy with the slate. Berding clearly must be the cause of most of the opposition. My understanding is that most votes have been rubber stamps in the past.

Indian Hill Crime

Will the people of Indian Hill now be scared to death of Rheinstrom Park because they've read this story in the media? If not, why? Per capita hate crimes must have "jumped" through the roof in Indian Hill.

Easter Again?

Joe Hansbauer writes again about the resurrection of Main Street's bar district. I am looking optimistically at this situation in that not only will it happen, I think it will, but that the focus of these locations will not be to gain the dance club college kids. Instead, it would be something else. What is that something else? I don't exactly know what the target market would be. Who is going to want to go to the Old Jefferson Hall or RBC if they are not remodeled? Also, is there a market for this number of bars, at least the number we talking about this quickly? Over the year, if they stagger the openings, build up buzz through a big media blitz, then you could build a new scene. Can all of this, plus 7th Street/Fountain Square, plus Mainstrasse, plus Newport, plus Northside, plus Mt. Adams, plus Mt. Lookout all be the home of nightlife? Is the market niches wide enough at each to make all of them viable?

Robo-Calls?

Robo-Calls? Who uses the dreaded robo-call in hopes of getting an endorsement? As an incumbent no less!