Blackwell Not Making Friends

Ken Blackwell is earning points in his early bid for Governor by holding the GOP to the law by investigating possible abuses of campaign fundraising laws by Republican officials.

This is also political payback to Speaker Larry householder who has targeted Blackwell for a little internal GOP battle royal.

The Balancer

I guess this is how the balancing act works. We get an economic endorsement from the AP for Bush to counter the Kerry Coverage.

Kerry-Edwards

The Enquirer has gone wild with Kerry-Edwards related articles today:
Cleveland, Dayton first stops for Kerry-Edwards
Ky. Democrats pleased with addition to ticket
Edwards brings pluses, risks to Kerry campaign
Analysis: Edwards adds zing
Men, women on the street ponder pick
and an editoral:
Edwards brings excitement to race

You might think some of the editors must be on vacation this week. Otherwise we would have been lucky to get more than one story on the VP Pick.

Kerry's Running Mate

Kerry is reported to being naming his running mate today, first online and then at a rally in Pittsburgh. Tomorrow Bush comes to Ohio and is going to Cleveland and Dayton, not Cincinnati as first reported. I wonder if the threat of little police protection keep him away? Last time he was met with protestors at a rally here that disrupted his speech.

Anyway, it appears that it will be either Edwards or Gephart. Any last minute predictions? I envision the benefits of both, but neither strikes me as a bold choice.

UPDATE: AP is reporting it is Edwards.

Fear, It Works!!!!

Ed Bridgeman writes today that you better be scared to death of al Qaeda right here in Cincinnati. He seems to think that we must be paranoid about the boogieman coming to bomb Fountain Square or some such place.

I don't mind people keeping that mind, but to expend excess time or recourses to defend "terrorism" in Cincinnati would not be to look for Islamists. Instead we are much more open to domestic terrorists. There are not many of those either, so using fear to motivate people only makes people fearful, not safer.

QCF Discord?

Reports are that the removal of Michael Altman as editor of Queen City Forum Magazine was not so cut and dry. A source indicates to me that the structure of the organization was not such as to allow for Mr. Altman's removal without his own approval.

I have the feeling the magazine will be changing greatly. A battle may be brewing for various chunks of the operation. I fear that we will have two opposing magazines and a unified voice will be broken down into competing publications. It is not going to be a smooth transition.

Ouch, That Burn Smarts

The Apostate burns CincyNation with a challenge.

Local News?????

This story was in the local section of the Enquirer's web edition: Uprising leader to resist. Why?

Political Coverage at the Enquirer

Well, we got an article saying that the local Dems suck and one saying that GOP hates Bill Clinton. Gee, we learned a lot today.

We do get a State political story as well.

Earth To DDN

I appreciate the coverage of Cincinnati from the Dayton Daily News, but someone at the DDN needs to buy a map. Hyde Park is not a suburb. The Cincinnati suburbs, like West Chester and Mason, live and die on chain retail stores. DDN reporter Meredith Moss may need to buy an updated map. The last time Hyde Park was a suburb of Cincinnati was early last century.

Ohio, Ohio, Ohio

Ohio is the win or loose state for Bush in 2004 The New York Times reports on the importance and fickleness of the state. We have regionalism that mirrors the rest of the country, but an average quality that sums up the views of Midwest. Ohio polls are the polls to watch this year. If Bush is ahead here, then he is still in it. If Bush is behind here, he is losing the whole thing big. Bush must win Ohio. There is no other realistic way for him to win in November. I still am fearful that Ohio could become rather nasty in late October and early November. Minor violence will happen in this state. I am willing to bet on it. I have said this before, but I am more sure of it now.

Dividing America, Bronson Style

It's just us vs. them or so Peter Bronson wants everyone to think. The heathens vs. the Jesus Freaks. The thinkers vs. the followers. Those who have seen the movie Fahrenheit 9/11 and complain vs. those who just complain about it.

Peter needs read his paper's own editorial page, the one he used to edit, and see that saying Fahrenheit 9/11 is not a documentary is a game that the blood lusting conservatives, not all of them mind you, are playing to counter Moore, instead of countering his opinions.

Bronson’s opening shows his desire to divide America into two groups, those who share his religion, or at least will submit to its rule, and those of us who will not. Bronson's take is that Americans are under "God" or they are not Americans. If you don't submit to be ruled by religion, then you are one of "them."

"Them" as opposed to "They" as opposed to the evil doers or the enemy. And if you don't support "us" in the fight against them, without question, you are one of "them."

I must ask Bronson: if Moore is so "wrong," then tell us what is wrong? Don't just say his “lies are too numerous to list here," and list a bunch of conservative websites to visit. All of those are just as biased as Moore is by the way, not the CBS, NPR, NYT or Frontline. In this case Hitchens is as blood thirsty as the next Republican you see, and then some.

Truth is Bronson's greatest foe. He fears it. He can't bare to think that which he believes in is wrong. He can't grasp that the Iraq War was sold to us as a war to defend America, when Iraq was no threat to it.

Faith is Peter's ally. Faith is the emotional tool to cover up either that which you don't know, of that which you don't want people to find out for themselves.

I find it terrible that some idiots would email Peter and exploit Matt Maupin situation, but Bush does the same thing when he goes out of his way to hug the families of 9/11 victims on camera or makes sure the press knows that he has met with the Maupin family at each recent visit to the city. That little fact has nothing to with using a solider and his family for politics now does it? If Bush wanted to keep it secret, he could have, but no, he let the press find out, and rather easily too.

I also wonder if Peter saw the movie. I still don’t believe he actually “protested” against Vietnam. How can one man go from hating war to wanting to wage it on any country that does not do what Bush says. I wonder if he would Nuke France.

Kerry Back to Ohio

Kerry is planning another swing through Ohio next Wednesday. He will reportedly hit Cleveland and then Cincinnati. No indications have been given on where or when he will appear. Details will likely appear here when available.

Ohio votes are big stakes. I bet Kerry and Bush will be back 10 times each before election day.

GOP Strife

I am so sorry this happened now, instead of after he became Senate President. It could have caused him to resign his seat, not just his bid for the top Ohio Senate spot.

Claufest

Well, Nick and Jessica had a party. The press came. Lots of people came. Charlie Luken came with a date, but the reporter kept her name out of the article. No, I was not invited. It comes as a shock that my invitation was lost in the mail. I was so looking forward to decking out my silver tube top and red pumps. Oh, it would have been a fashion coup.

Did I type that out loud?

I want my Wi-Fi TV!

Well, not TV, but Wi-Fi! Maggie Downs' column calls for Cincinnati to open up its cyberspace to the public. We need this very badly. It will not flock people to the streets in a matter of days, but if the city provides a robust connection covering the whole city, the city will grow. This is the future. Wireless Internet devices will be the norm in a matter of years and it will be soon if cities get on board and create a robust FREE Wi-Fi system.

The bigger worry is that Cincinnati must keep pace, if not exceed, Cleveland. If the Brown Town can get Wi-Fi for the city, we better get on the ball and go beyond what ever they put in place. Competition will hopefully get more on board.

Miller Vs. Saddam

Is this a picture of Saddam Hussein or Dennis Miller? I really can't tell. Have the two ever been seen together? I think the suit makes Saddam look ready to hit the local Starbucks.

Hypocrites

The BushCo machine, aided by Carl Weiser article, are creating a demagogue from the fact that ex-cons are being including in the political movement opposing Bush:

The Bush campaign charges that America Coming Together is the voter registration arm of the Democratic Party and the Kerry campaign. The group has also acknowledged employing felons for the door-to-door canvassing.

'People in Ohio have the right to know whether or not convicted rapists or murderers are showing up at their door registering voters,' said Bush campaign spokesman Kevin Madden. 'It says a lot about their campaign. Ohio voters are going to take that into account when they cast their ballots.'

I have to ask Kevin Madden if he ever campaigned for Ollie North, a convicted criminal, only overturned on a technicality. Does he listen to felon G. Gordon Liddy?

I guess Madden also has checked if anyone in the Bush campaign here in Ohio or anywhere has any investigations pending or has a criminal record?

I wonder how many people working in the Bush campaign have aided directly or indirctly anti-abortion terrorists?

I am sure there is a policy issue for Madden to pull out of his as to why this matters. It surely has nothing to do with smearing anyone who dares oppose BushCo.

Come on Madden, fight fire with fire, get you own gun nuts out going door to door. That makes me more nervous, some hot headed GOP supporter comes to my door packing heat. I call Bush a theocratic fascist and after the gun nut looks up the words in the dictionary they shoot my head off.

Maupin Family Tragedy

I understand the hope wants to keep holding on to, but I personally hope that no one is giving them false optimism, and that they prepare for the worst. I again implore people, including locals not close to family, to leave them alone and don't contribute to their horror by creating a cause or movement, especially while they are in emotional purgatory.

Bronson Puts Out Lies, Again

Hey Peter, John Kerry never said there were "foreign leaders" who endorsed him. He should know that, why get the facts when you can just consume the propaganda and then recycle it. Even though Bronson is only repeating (no pun intended) what someone else said, his motives for using it are simple; he wants the myth to continue. Josh Marshall debunked it long ago.

If Bronson had directly quoted what the man said, I don't think I would have had question his use of it. Here, I think he pulled that out of his bag-o-dogma and created phrasing based on the myth. I am assuming Bronson does pay attention to reports about stories even after the original round of spin. That is a big assumption that I fear I will be wrong on, especially on this GOP talking point.