43
Can Ted help Obama win Ohio?
Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, whose strong support of U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton’s bid for the Democratic nomination for president put him in the national political spotlight, Thursday endorsed U.S. Sen. Barack Obama — after it became clear that Clinton had no chance of winning the delegate sweepstakes.
But whether Strickland’s endorsement will be enough to ease the concerns that many Ohioans have about Obama, as evidenced by the March Democratic primary, is anybody’s guess. Indeed, the onus is on the presumptive Democratic nominee for president to find a way of taking advantage of the governor’s respectable approval ratings.
A statewide poll released Wednesday showed that even though 65 percent of the 1,738 respondents said they believe the state’s economy has deteriorated in the year and a half Strickland has been in office, 55 percent approved of the job he is doing. Indeed, 58 percent blamed President Bush and Congress for Ohio’s economic woes.
That’s good news for the Democrats — if the poll numbers remain consistent over the next four months.
The Dann scandal
Even the attempt by Republicans to wrap former embattled Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann of Liberty Township around the necks of statewide Democratic officeholders seems to be failing. A majority of the respondents in the poll linked corruption in state government to Republicans, an indication that “Coingate” during the tenure of Republican Gov. Bob Taft (with the GOP in control of statewide administrative offices and the General Assembly) is viewed as more egregious by Ohioans than allegations of sexual harassment and other misbehavior during Dann’s 16-month tenure as attorney general.
Dann resigned last month in the midst of the growing scandal that involved one of his top lieutenants and a close friend from Liberty Township, Anthony Gutierrez. Two of Gutierrez’s female employees have accused him of sexually harassing them.
Once the details of the activities inside and outside the office became known, Democratic officeholders were quick to publicly criticize Dann and his cohorts and to call for their resignations. The governor’s pointed criticism of Dann and his urging the Democrat to step down received high marks from the public and press.
Ohioans also seem to appreciate the firm stand Strickland took on the electricity rate issue, despite heavy political fire from Republican House Speaker Jon Husted. The governor was seen as being on the side of the angels (the customers), while the Republicans were viewed as being in pockets of the big utility companies.
In the midst of the standoff, Husted and members of his party in the House blinked.
It is against such a backdrop that the presidential campaign in Ohio could be played out between now and the November general election.
Primary sweep
However, it may not be enough to secure a victory for Obama. In the Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton beat him by 10 points, but more significantly carried 83 of the 88 counties. She trounced him in the Democratic strongholds of Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
Did Hillary Clinton carry Ohio with such ease because Democrats have fond memories of her husband, Bill, when he was president? Did the Democratic governor’s popularity and his support for her translate into votes at the polls? Was Obama’s being biracial — black father from Africa, white mother from Kansas — a factor in Democrats’ unwillingness to support him?
The last question looms large.
It has been argued in this space that Ohioans will not vote for a black for governor, nor a black for president.
And, Republicans can be expected to make much of the fact that not only was Obama’s father from Africa, but that the Democratic nominee’s middle name is “Hussein.”
Just as GOP’s gay bashing in 2004 (it was disguised as a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman) enabled President Bush to carry Ohio, and thus win re-election, Republicans will make Obama’s background the issue — covertly, of course. They’ll make sure Ohioans remember that Obama’s middle name is Hussein.