GUBERNATORIAL RACE Hagan blasts Taft campaign flier

Hagan called the flier 'predatory politics.'
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Timothy F. Hagan is lashing out against campaign literature he says distorts his position on senior citizen issues.
The flier generated by the campaign of Republican Gov. Bob Taft says in part, "Tim Hagan proposed a plan to cut Medicaid ... Tim Hagan could also cut PASSPORT ... and Tim Hagan opposes the Golden Buckeye Prescription Drug Discount Program."
A copy of the literature displayed Thursday doesn't show who paid for it, but the Taft campaign confirmed authorship and said the Ohio Republican Party paid for and sent it.
"It's a fair and accurate representation of his plan," said Orest Holubec, a Taft campaign spokesman.
Hagan labeled the literature "predatory politics," but there is no immediate plan to file formal elections complaints.
"This is the lowest form of politics. They ought to be ashamed of themselves," Hagan said.
Clarifications
"I am proposing responsible Medicaid reforms that include reducing prescription drug costs through the use of generic alternatives and saving on long-term costs by expanding the PASSPORT program," Hagan said of the state program that helps senior citizens stay in their homes.
Hagan said he supports a prescription-drug discount bill pending in the Ohio Senate, sponsored by his brother, state Sen. Robert F. Hagan, a Youngstown Democrat.
Hagan called Taft's Golden Buckeye Prescription Drug Discount Program an election-year gimmick. The Golden Buckeye program is a plan to provide senior citizens and people who are disabled with a prescription drug discount through the Golden Buckeye Card. A version of it was inserted into the state budget bill and the program will be up and running in the next few months.
The Taft campaign estimates the Golden Buckeye Card program will lead to discounts of between 10 percent and 25 percent.
Under Robert Hagan's bill, the state would have the power to negotiate reduced prescription drug prices for the uninsured or underinsured.
Holubec said the literature in question was distributed statewide and additional literature will be distributed before the election, describing the governor's prescription-drug discount plan, among other things.
Debate planned
Meanwhile, Taft, Hagan and Independent John Eastman of Yellow Springs in Greene County, were to debate today at the Cleveland City Club in the final public debate. Eastman was excluded from debates in Dayton and Columbus.
After the City Club debate, Hagan, a former Cuyahoga County commissioner, and Taft will campaign intensely leading up to Tuesday's vote.
Hagan plans to ride with members of his family to events Saturday in Cleveland, Warren, Youngstown and Canton.
Sunday brings stops in Toledo, Dayton and Columbus.
The governor plans a train tour Saturday from Columbus to Newark to Coshocton and Tuscarawas County. Additional events are planned for Sunday.