Interesting Byline

When did Kimball Perry start wrting for the Enquirer? Yes, the Bengal's and county might settle their lawsuit tomorrow, that is the news, I guess.

For those who don’t know Kimball Perry is or was at the Cincinnati Post, at least as recently as July 15th. The Post has a JOA deal with the Enquirer that will expire un-renewed on December 31, 2007. Many view that as the point the Post folds. It may stay on as the Kentucky Post. I predict that it will combine with the Sunday Challenger, and create a 7 day a week paper to compete in NKY with the Enquirer, which still have not signaled much on how it will use the Community Press Weeklies they purchased this year.

The Enquirer is already starting to ditch their Downtown HQ. More and more reporters are going to their West Chester and Blue Ash offices.

Maisonette, La Normandie Shut Down

There has to be more here than meets the eye. I find it difficult to believe they had to close up shop over a zoning issue. If their money was that tight, then business has not been good for a while.

More Here.

Attacking Hackett

Someone in the Jean Schmidt's Campaign is talking out of their ass. Hackett is getting lots of press in the home stretch.

More Here, and a ton of stuff at Ohio 2nd.

Slow Day

Hot days bring little blog fodder. I have gotten some leads on guest bloggers that I will follow up on. I am still open for more.

Otherwise chat away on your heat related stories. Try not the panic now, the heat can be cured with a cold beverage.

Middle, Muddle

Running to the center looks like just being a Republican these days when the debate is no longer framed realistically. The DLC has been a thorn in the side of the Democratic Party for a long time. Their message can win on a local level, but on a national level it looks like they are just trying to be Republicans. Why would anyone vote for a GOP Clone, when you can vote for the real thing?

Democrats need to be Democrats. Democrats should define what that means, instead of letting Republicans do it. The biggest failing over the last 5 years is letting that happen. The PR war has been a failure, due to wimpish massagers, a gun shy media, and a Defensive campaigning style. Get on the attack. Howard Dean, I believe, will turn the corner on many of these points.

'Despicable'

I hope police spare nothing and find out who did this. What I hope no one does is use this story for political purposes. Someone will, and likely already has.

Lying or Ignorant Bronson?

Some might say both, but in today's GOP Talking Points from Peter Bronson we get this lie that is directly from the spin from the GOP:

Meanwhile, a lot of the press is trying to lynch someone without evidence. Rove, loathed by the left for masterminding the Bush defeat of John Kerry, is accused of leaking the name of a double-secret CIA agent to get even with the spy's husband, who had criticized Bush in a New York Times op-ed column.

Except that she was no undercover agent when the leak occurred. "Jane Bond" and her husband were so Maxwell Smart "secret," they posed for Vanity Fair celebrity photos. And it looks like Rove never revealed her name. He only offered a helpful tip to a Time magazine reporter - who repaid the favor by trashing Rove. Classy guy.

I have been asking in comments on this topic for a while the same question, and now I will ask it of Bronson. IF PLAME WAS NOT A COVERT CIA AGENT, WHY IS THIS BEFORE A GRAND JURY? Peter might also do himself well to understand that her name was never classified. She was known as Wilson's wife. What was not public was that she was a CIA agent. That was the classified part. That is where someone broke the law. I think Bronson is ignorant on this issue, and is not thinking into the legal aspect of this, only that the Grand Priest Rove must be innocent. The case against Rove is strong. It is obvious to me that Rove leaked Plame’s identity. Saying her name is meaningless. The issue is did Rove repeat something another White House official leaked, or did he initiate the leak? If he just repeated the leak, knowingly, he will skate. The issue pushing this forward now is perjury. That in the end, as history shows, is where he will get it.

Bronson is not always a yes, man, but when it comes to pulling the weight on issues like this for BushCo, he goosespteps along with the rest.

Friickin' Hot!

Hillarity from eric is awesome.

Taft's the Word

Taft won't comment about golf outings. Silence is golden for BobTaft. The drumbeat is starting to get louder on Bob Taft. The big question for Democrats is how well they can link Blackwell, Petro, and Monty to Taft. They are all all "part of his administration," but they were all elected on their own. Dems need to treat them like his personal cabinet, and hang the coingate scandal them.

Petro as the chief law man as the most room to move away from Taft, so look for him to do so. Blackwell's followers hate Taft more than the others and have been making that known for a while. Monty is off in her own world for now. This is going to be a blood bath in next year's primary.

Call to Arms

Vacation is all I wanted. Well, not really all, but it is what I am going
on in early August through the middle of the month. My vacation will mean
that my blogging abilities will be either limited or nil. I hope to do a
little blogging of my trip as I go, but I don't plan on being in touch with
what is going on in town. Because of that I am now putting out the call for a guest blogger, or bloggers, to help fill my shoes while I am gone. Here are the
requirements:

1. Each Blogger must give me their real identity. You don't have to be public on the blog, just to me. I would prefer someone to be public with who they are./li>
   
2. I must have common political views with you. You don't have to agree with everything I say, but we need to be in the generally same camp. Sorry, Conservatives, this is a Liberal Blog and there is no way I am going to leave the keys to you while I am out.
3. I need someone to post everyday.
4. Topics are up to you and open, but I need to have local politics covered.
5. I will not accept current political candidates,nor someone working for their campaign. I try to keep a slight political distance from the campaigns.
6. I will accept another local blogger filling in.

I am open to more than one person sharing duties. That might in the end work out best anyway. I will also leave open the possibility of those guest bloggers staying on after I return. I have been toying with that idea, but have resisted it. This is my little show, and I want to make sure anyone signing on knows that when it comes to my blog, I am a control freak. When I am out of town and I leave you the keys, well, yea you can drive up the mileage on the Porsche, but just make sure you don't get caught.

I really do hope there are people out there I know who would like step into the blogging world. It is fun and interesting. If you are interested, don't post on this, send me an email at cincyblog@aol.com.

MidPoint Music Festival Venues

It appears that Midpoint has their list of performance venues up for this year. I count 22 stages. I don't know how many of these places will be open all three nights, but it looks like a good list. There are a few places that don't normally have live bands, so how they will work will be interesting.

Endorsements

POWR PAC, the Partnership Of Westside Residents Political Action Committee, has issued their endorsements for city council:

Jeff Berding
John Cranley
John Eby
Leslie Ghiz
Chris Monzel
Cecil Thomas

This group is based in a very Republican area, but with Berding, Cranley, and Thomas listed they show they are crossing over. They put a nail into Sam Malone's coffin though by leaving him off this list. Former council candidate Pete Witte is part of this group, and he publicly voiced his negative views on Malone's actions against his own child. How many other groups who normally support all of the GOP candidates will leave off Malone?

Who Doesn't Know That?

What human being who has heard the song does not know this from Bronson:

"Some '70s bands have lost a half-step. Some were stumbling when they started. Here's a true fact I found on the way to looking up something else: 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' was actually 'In the Garden of Eden,' baby, but the singer was so whacked he slurred the words and a symbol of the nonsequitur '70s songs was born."

It is like he is living in a world where everyone is 80 years old and doesn't know rock music and never watched the Simpson's. Wow, can a man be anymore culturally disconnected than Peter Bronson? I mean every Christian Preacher I know would know this obvious fact. Amazing.

Winburn Pulling Shit Out of His Ass

Charlie Winburn wants 200 more police officers. Well, that greats, if he tells us how to pay for them. That would be great if he can show us what they would be doing, and then make sure they do it. Republicans, outside of Pat DeWine, have no record of telling the police how to do their jobs. The police are not doing a good job of street patrols now, so how will it get better by just adding more cops. Why not pressure the police we have now to do a better job and stop letting FOP Bosshogs from winking and getting a slowdown at will when some assistant chief doesn't get the key to the Mayor's bathroom.

Charlie is known as "the Windbag." Well this idea is nothing but bullshit promises from someone who as no way to act with his ideas. As Korte points out in the article Winburn would have no way to get these officers anyway if he somehow became mayor. His party only nominated 4 to council and they will not get three on council. They will be lucky to get one.

Schmidt's Error

How about hiring a map reader? One of Jean Schmidt's campaign commercials has a visual of Fountain Square in Downtown Cincinnati and right when it appears the announcer says "whether here in the Second District." The problem is that Fountain Square is not the Second District; it is in the First District. So what caused this, total ignorance and incompetence or were they trying to lay claim to the City's most know icon and ignored the fact that it wasn't in the right district? Either one sucks, but there is not really a third option. Jean approved the message, so I think she gets the blame for the error.

Kaldi's to Reopen

Great news for Cincinnati and Main Street comes when Kaldi's reopens under new ownership full time next month. They will have a limited opening late this month. Beer, food and music will all be there. I shall make sure to drop in when I can.

SCOTUS Nomination

Based on reports I have read, reproductive rights have taken a step back. The forces out to control the bodies of women have moved forward. Who gets this blame? Any social moderate who voted for Bush gets the blame in my book.

Have at it on this, but be nice.

Hackett Getting the Heavy Hitters

Carville and Cleland are a sign that Hackett's campaign is getting national Democrats attention.

Luck Be a Luken

Cincinnati Mayor Chaz Luken, I think Chaz for once may be appropriate, is considering a job pushing gambling at Ohio race tracks. He will not leave office for this, but come December 1st, Charlie maybe a lobbyist for a group seeking to get slot machines into horse racing tracks. I can see Luken in a Vegas style outfit belting out Dean Martin songs to Ohio lawmakers. I guess he can start working on the slogans: "What happens at the race track, stays at the race track." I think that just doesn't have that showgirl ring to it.

Hackett Getting Some Blogosphere Notice

A front page post on Daily Kos and big mentions (Here and Here) from Atrios today are surely going to make some people feel good over at the Hackett Campaign. I will be testing the waters on how well it is known or recieved while at Drinking Liberally at the Comet in Northside.