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Updated:2006-09-18 13:19:39
Ohio Republicans Go After Defectors
By JULIE CARR SMYTH
AP
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Sept. 18) - The caricature posted online by Republicans shortly after respected GOP attorney Charles "Rocky" Saxbe pulled his support from his party's governor candidate and backed the Democrat was telling.
The cartoon pictured Democratic candidate Ted Strickland as Bullwinkle, the cartoon moose, with Saxbe as Rocky the squirrel. Strickland was pulling Saxbe from a hat that read: Corruption Tax Republicans for Ted Strickland.
The Republicans are connecting defectors from their own party to the same corruption scandal they have been defending against this election season, implying that only Republicans with links to scandal would back the opponent.
An illegal campaign contribution scheme by a prominent GOP donor, who also is accused of stealing from the state's investment in rare coins, has Republicans facing their biggest challenge in years to their control of state government.
The cartoon on GOP governor candidate Ken Blackwell's Web site used a phrase coined by Strickland to describe the Republicans who turned against Blackwell. Strickland uses "corruption tax" to describe the state money he believes has been paid to allies of the Republicans in charge of state government, in exchange for their political support.
The GOP faithful are naturally threatened by Saxbe's defection because of his prominence in the party. He has represented many Republican officeholders and is in his own words, a "fortunate son of Ohio," whose Republican father rose from speaker of the Ohio House to U.S. Attorney General and ambassador to India.
Bowling Green State University political scientist Tom Wiseman said negative tactics against Saxbe and others by the Republicans could backfire with voters.
"It's self-preservation from the party's point of view, preservation of the organization," he said. "They needed to take a strong stand on this, but sometimes less is accomplished with a negative approach than one might hope."
The self-preservation began with a scathing news release titled "Slop & Sour Grapes," which skewered Saxbe and the two other Republicans publicly supporting Strickland: Daniel Slane, Columbus developer and former Ohio State University board chairman, and former Mason Mayor Betty Davis.
The party labeled Saxbe "Tom Noe's defense attorney," in reference to the party pariah sentenced last week to about two years in prison of illegally funneling $45,000 to President Bush's re-election campaign. Saxbe represented Noe, a former coin dealer, for 10 days.
The news release labeled Slane "an associate of the man who authorized state investments in Tom Noe's coin fund." The man who authorized those investments, Paul Mifsud, served at the time as chief of staff to then-Gov. George Voinovich, now a U.S. senator, one of the party's most popular and successful politicians.
It accused Davis of sour grapes because she lost a primary six years ago to Blackwell's running mate, Tom Raga - though she was backed in that race by Ohio Republican Chairman Bob Bennett, for whom she once served as a central committeewoman.
As Saxbe put it, and the same could be said of all three people the party skewered: "If they're going to start judging me on my clients, they're looking in the mirror."
Granted, Saxbe served as lead counsel in the state's $10 billion tobacco settlement, sharing in $265 million in legal fees netted in the deal. But corruption was never suggested.
He has also represented every one of the Republican statewide officeholders, including Blackwell. He is the attorney for Bennett and the party, and, in an odd twist, has also represented the Rev. Rod Parsley, a high-profile religious leader in the state who backs Blackwell for governor.
Saxbe is a political moderate who believes Blackwell's fiscal and social issues are too extreme.
On the day Saxbe announced Republicans for Strickland, he was particularly critical of Blackwell's proposal that was adopted by lawmakers to cap annual government growth and restrict tax hikes for schools, libraries and local governments.
He also said he views Blackwell's positions on abortion and gay marriage as outside the Republican mainstream.
"I don't think any right-thinking Republican believes that people who are supporting choice are murderers, or that people who support gay rights or who are gay are somehow ill-equipped to enjoy the privileges of citizenry in this state," Saxbe told reporters after the event.
Wiseman said the moderate Republicans Saxbe represents seem to be trending toward Strickland, which is bad news for Blackwell.
"It's not so uncommon to see individuals from the other side supporting the other candidate from time to time, but this appears to be a movement with direction," Wiseman said.
Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo said the point is not that Saxbe has been corrupt, but that Strickland is being disingenuous in accepting his support after criticizing Republicans who do business with the government as levying a "corruption tax" on Ohio citizens.
He said Blackwell and the party aren't upset because Saxbe disagrees with them, they're upset that he endorsed a Democrat.
"As far as we're concerned, he's no longer a member of this party. He decided that yesterday," LoParo said the day after Saxbe's event.
Saxbe sees it differently.
"I think they're making the case against themselves with these attacks," he said. "I think it's unfortunate that the message the party is sending out to Republicans is if you don't agree with these fairly radical beliefs of Ken Blackwell then you're scum."
Ohio Republicans Go After Defectors
By JULIE CARR SMYTH
AP
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Sept. 18) - The caricature posted online by Republicans shortly after respected GOP attorney Charles "Rocky" Saxbe pulled his support from his party's governor candidate and backed the Democrat was telling.
The cartoon pictured Democratic candidate Ted Strickland as Bullwinkle, the cartoon moose, with Saxbe as Rocky the squirrel. Strickland was pulling Saxbe from a hat that read: Corruption Tax Republicans for Ted Strickland.
The Republicans are connecting defectors from their own party to the same corruption scandal they have been defending against this election season, implying that only Republicans with links to scandal would back the opponent.
An illegal campaign contribution scheme by a prominent GOP donor, who also is accused of stealing from the state's investment in rare coins, has Republicans facing their biggest challenge in years to their control of state government.
The cartoon on GOP governor candidate Ken Blackwell's Web site used a phrase coined by Strickland to describe the Republicans who turned against Blackwell. Strickland uses "corruption tax" to describe the state money he believes has been paid to allies of the Republicans in charge of state government, in exchange for their political support.
The GOP faithful are naturally threatened by Saxbe's defection because of his prominence in the party. He has represented many Republican officeholders and is in his own words, a "fortunate son of Ohio," whose Republican father rose from speaker of the Ohio House to U.S. Attorney General and ambassador to India.
Bowling Green State University political scientist Tom Wiseman said negative tactics against Saxbe and others by the Republicans could backfire with voters.
"It's self-preservation from the party's point of view, preservation of the organization," he said. "They needed to take a strong stand on this, but sometimes less is accomplished with a negative approach than one might hope."
The self-preservation began with a scathing news release titled "Slop & Sour Grapes," which skewered Saxbe and the two other Republicans publicly supporting Strickland: Daniel Slane, Columbus developer and former Ohio State University board chairman, and former Mason Mayor Betty Davis.
The party labeled Saxbe "Tom Noe's defense attorney," in reference to the party pariah sentenced last week to about two years in prison of illegally funneling $45,000 to President Bush's re-election campaign. Saxbe represented Noe, a former coin dealer, for 10 days.
The news release labeled Slane "an associate of the man who authorized state investments in Tom Noe's coin fund." The man who authorized those investments, Paul Mifsud, served at the time as chief of staff to then-Gov. George Voinovich, now a U.S. senator, one of the party's most popular and successful politicians.
It accused Davis of sour grapes because she lost a primary six years ago to Blackwell's running mate, Tom Raga - though she was backed in that race by Ohio Republican Chairman Bob Bennett, for whom she once served as a central committeewoman.
As Saxbe put it, and the same could be said of all three people the party skewered: "If they're going to start judging me on my clients, they're looking in the mirror."
Granted, Saxbe served as lead counsel in the state's $10 billion tobacco settlement, sharing in $265 million in legal fees netted in the deal. But corruption was never suggested.
He has also represented every one of the Republican statewide officeholders, including Blackwell. He is the attorney for Bennett and the party, and, in an odd twist, has also represented the Rev. Rod Parsley, a high-profile religious leader in the state who backs Blackwell for governor.
Saxbe is a political moderate who believes Blackwell's fiscal and social issues are too extreme.
On the day Saxbe announced Republicans for Strickland, he was particularly critical of Blackwell's proposal that was adopted by lawmakers to cap annual government growth and restrict tax hikes for schools, libraries and local governments.
He also said he views Blackwell's positions on abortion and gay marriage as outside the Republican mainstream.
"I don't think any right-thinking Republican believes that people who are supporting choice are murderers, or that people who support gay rights or who are gay are somehow ill-equipped to enjoy the privileges of citizenry in this state," Saxbe told reporters after the event.
Wiseman said the moderate Republicans Saxbe represents seem to be trending toward Strickland, which is bad news for Blackwell.
"It's not so uncommon to see individuals from the other side supporting the other candidate from time to time, but this appears to be a movement with direction," Wiseman said.
Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo said the point is not that Saxbe has been corrupt, but that Strickland is being disingenuous in accepting his support after criticizing Republicans who do business with the government as levying a "corruption tax" on Ohio citizens.
He said Blackwell and the party aren't upset because Saxbe disagrees with them, they're upset that he endorsed a Democrat.
"As far as we're concerned, he's no longer a member of this party. He decided that yesterday," LoParo said the day after Saxbe's event.
Saxbe sees it differently.
"I think they're making the case against themselves with these attacks," he said. "I think it's unfortunate that the message the party is sending out to Republicans is if you don't agree with these fairly radical beliefs of Ken Blackwell then you're scum."