During the waning hours of the 2004 presidential election coverage, when pundits and commentators took turns predicting the future, everyone began to realize Ohio was the key. The candidate who took the state would surely be sitting in the Oval Office come January. And, as everyone remembers, Ohio and its 21 electoral votes leaned right.
As the midterm election approaches -
such as energy production and entrepreneurship while bringing us the jobs of the future by making sure we have the most educated workforce possible.
The ramifications for the entire state could be dramatic, especially in Athens, where Strickland has a strong base of support and a long record of service. This county's reliance on social services and the government as a primary employer forces its citizens to rethink electing someone who wants to cut the social safety net. Blackwell, on the other hand, has already had his TEL Amendment rebuffed by the state legislature, and his plan to privatize the Ohio Turnpike is an unreliable and na+ a program to create personal savings accounts for college-bound students. This is an intelligent and innovative plan that creates discussion and furthers thinking, something Ohio politicians do far too rarely.
Many on the left have criticized Strickland's shaky stance on abortion rights and his affable relationship with the gun lobby, specifically the A label given to him by the National Rifle Association. Yes, he is a moderate, not the liberal that many of the disillusioned voters had hoped to champion this election season. But foregoing the lesser of two evils speech
Strickland is a better choice than his Bible-thumping opponent. Remember it was Blackwell acting as secretary of state during the election bungles in 2004. Blackwell is a strong leader, but he wants to strongly lead Ohio in the wrong direction.
The Democratic Party should not fall into the trap of fighting itself and then falling to Blackwell, the divide and conquer tactic that Republicans have been using for years. It's their party that has allowed Ohio to become a backward state, and it is their unresponsive and unwillingness to act that have allowed it to continue. At the same time, Republicans cannot continue to cling to vestiges of power in the Governor's mansion. They must vote for prosperity and change, not down a narrow party line.
The mayors of Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland all have pledged their support for the congressman, with many professional organizations, such as teachers' associations and labor groups, following their lead.
Voters need to take stock of the situation and recognize that things are not better than they were when Fisher narrowly lost to Gov. Bob Taft in 1998. It's time for change, not time to continue down the path to ruin.
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Strickland sports the potential the plan to fix Ohio's economic, education problems
