Report from 2nd District (OH) CCV Candidates Values Forum, June 3 (Adm Mod-This is NEWS)

The Values Voters Candidates Forum took place at the Montgomery Assembly of God Church in that Northeast Cincinnat suburb from 7-9 PM last night. There was a meet and greet with the candidates afterwards, which I did not attend.

The Forum came together as the result of invitations to every candidate from Citizens for Community Values Action. The small PDF flyer for the event is here.

Outside campaign signage was heavily McEwen, with relatively modest signage from most of the others who attended.

Prerecorded, mellow, crisp, and almost surreal religious piano music filled the room in the 20 or so minutes before the forum began. The crowd, which was in the neighborhood of 200-250 when the forum started, eventually grew to 300-350.

Bob Burney of WTSJ was the moderator, and the forum was simulcast without commercials by that station. I'm not aware of any plans to rebroadcast the forum.

Burney made clear that this was a non-partisan event that would deal with issues and not parties, and made a brief opening statement that he believed values will determine our future, and ticked off life, marriage, family, judicial activism, and freedom of religion as those issues.

Burney then explained the format: not a Q&A, each candidate gets 8 minutes, then each candidate gets two minutes, preselected in random order. Since he had one arm in a sling, Burney made a couple of very cute remarks about how he wouldn't let his other arm get twisted by the candidates, and that he wouldn't be afraid to use his good arm if the candidates went over their time. Overall, he did a very good job of setting a calm, civil, and constructive atmosphere.

The following eleven candidates were present, in alpha order: Bemmes, Brinkman, Fossett, McEwen, Minamyer, Morgan, Parker, Sanders, Schmidt, Sinnard, Smith.

(presented as follows: 8-minute segment score (order of appearance), 2-minute segment score (order of appearance), and total score)

- Brinkman -- 8.8 (5), 8.8 (4), 17.6
- Minamyer -- 9.0 (4), 8.5 (2), 17.5
- Schmidt -- 8.8 (8), 8.5 (8), 17.3
- Morgan -- 8.5 (10), 8.8 (7), 17.3
- Parker -- 8.5 (11), 8.3 (6), 16.8
- Fossett -- 7.5 (9), 7.8 (5), 15.3
- Sinnard -- 6.8 (6), 8.0 (1), 14.8
- Smith -- 7.0 (3), 7.5 (3), 14.5
- Bemmes -- 7.0 (1), 7.5 (11), 14.5
- McEwen -- 6.5 (2), 7.0 (10), 13.5
- Sanders -- 6.0 (7), 7.5 (9), 13.5

Although everyone did a creditable job, I believe the first tier ends at Parker.

In a fair fight, on the GOP side, the first tier plus Pat DeWine would be duking it out, and the rest would figuring out how to recover, or if they can recover. Pat DeWine's absence should hurt him, but in the TV-radio world we live in, probably not much. Again in a fair fight, McEwen would be involved in a major salvage operation, but thanks to the heavy outside help he's still quite viable.

On the Democrat side, Parker bested Sanders by a mile, but the impact on the Dem primary is likely minimal, as it's probable that very few Democrat voters were "in the house" (I mean, church) last night.

My core initial conclusion from last night still stands: "I came away heartened by the quality of the local candidates on both sides of the aisle, and madder than a hornet that the national and "moral" GOP leadership have intervened with their own chosen candidate and are attempting to shut these outstanding local people out."

I'll comment on the first five in detail, and the others in summary form, except for McEwen, whose approach and performance was, considering his political experience, inexplicably ineffective.

A top-notch performance by a guy who clearly knows what he's doing and why he's doing it. Brinkman's brief resume included the fact that he has been willing to fight the GOP establishment and that profamily groups have helped him when that's the case. Connected very well. Noted his big four issues in each segment: prolife (including anti-embryonic SCR), 100% antitax, pro-2nd Amendment, limited government.
- Took credit for the impending end of E-check.
- Comes home every night to wife and kids (ahem to DeWine).
- Against recent filibuster "deal" (sins of the father ahem to DeWine).
- Won't change, won't "grow" in office (that mean he says he won't sell out in case you're wondering--partial ahem to McEwen)
- Pro Marriage Amendment, since courts won't otherwise be reined in.
- Supports CAFTA with caution due to possible side agreements.

The first blowaway candidate of the evening for those who never saw him before (includes me). Looked powerful and in command. Read off a no-brag, just-fact resume of solid accomplishment that made you want to crawl under the chair (pew in this case) and wonder what you've doing all your life: A non-professional elected politician for 16 years; 33 years in the Navy or Naval Reserve; served in Gulf War I, Afghanistan, OIF, with two near-death experiences; Inspector General; Hamilton County Deputy Sheriff; Lawyer.
- As IG, focused on matters involving hundreds of millions of dollars, not personal cars and cell phones (ahem to DeWine).
- Won't lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do (minor ahem to DeWine).
- Will live here and return here every weekend (minor ahem to McEwen).
- Wants to bring troops safely home from Iraq.
- Prolife, pro-traditional marriage, will protect Social Security, lower taxes ("look at my record on taxes").
- In 2-minute segment, passionately defended the decision to go into Iraq ("we did the right thing...Saddam is gone, and we have a valuable ally"), and used a police-criminal analogy to defend against the "no WMD" argument (if your best info tells you the criminal is armed, you weren't wrong to go in if the criminal somehow got rid of or destroyed the weapon).
- Lawyers aren't so bad, Portman is one (ahem to Fossett for his cute line about being a "recovering lawyer").

A very passionate and committed pair of speeches by a very powerful orator with one (in my opinion) strategic flaw. Didn't really do the resume thing, except to note presidency of Cincinnati RTL.
- Lives here, works here, entire life here (ahem to McEwen).
- Too easy to lose your way in Washington. Royal treatment goes to their heads, I won't forget you (ahem #2-McEwen).
- 100% prolife, no exceptions.
- Supports charter schools, homeschooling.
- Make tax cuts permanent.
- Only candidate that hit hard on anticrime and antipredator record.
- Mentioned and supports the Adams County high school involved in the 10 Commandments court case.
- Responded to Club for Growth attack ads by saying the tax they cited ends on June 30, and the tax bill also cut $1.7 mil from Planned Parenthood.
- Also contradicted CFG claims that she is against free trade, said she's in favor.
- (in 8-min. segment) Has run 56 marathons, and Congress needs a woman to stand up to Pelosi, Boxer, Feinstein, and Hillary.
- (in 2-min segment) Reiterated need for prolife woman in Washington. (Ed.-Maybe, but it seems a little out of line to ask for a vote for that reason, which conveniently excludes the other 10 candidates on the platform. If the voters reach that conclusion on their own, fine.)
- Occasionally sounded like she was narrating a radio ad instead of speaking to an audience.

The other blowaway surprise of the evening. It's really too bad we can't carve out a separate district with Brown, Adams, Scioto, and Pike counties, and have him go against Parker; that area would be well-served by either man. Has own carpentry business; a 16-year mail carrier; previously spent some time as an environmental sciences professional; also was a substitute teacher; youth leader.
- Conservative, Christian family man.
- Began homeschooling when local school taught evolution as fact. Thanked wife for homeschool efforts.
- Wants legislation to reform the classroom atmosphere and restore discipline.
- 100% prolife and premarital abstinence.
- Prolife marcher in Washtington; fired from local radio station for mentioning prolife and biblical beliefs.
- A you-had-to-be-there example he cited of promoting abstinence by passing a piece of cake through the hands of many kids and asking the last one if they would want to eat that piece of cake.
- A bit fast in spots.
- Pro-2nd Amendment.
- Not rich, but blessed.
- Not a lobbyist (ahem-McEwen) or politician (intended ahem-DeWine).

A very effective performance with a few noticeable flaws by a hard-working, committed man who appears to have some innovative ideas. Currently a Director of Finance at a Chillicothe hospital. Positioned himself as a healthcare expert with a great deal of experience and knowledge. Emphasized Catholicism, Catechism knowledge, and daily morning church prayer. Father was a steelworker.
- A "different Democrat."
- Prolife excluding instances of rape.
- Against gay marriage.
- Pro-2nd Amendment.
- Claimed to "know Medicare and Social Security better than anyone" based on past 14 years of experience, and can fix both in a conservative way. (No details, but tough topic in compressed time frame; another reason it would be nice to pit him against Morgan in just the eastern counties, so he could get the chance in a less-crowded field to explain it all.)
- Argued that he has figured out a way with his healthcare background to fix Medicaid, save money, and improve or maintain services within existing healthcare framework.
- A bit unkempt. Apologized for lateness (wasn't there at very beginning of intros), and said he had just come from a meeting in Adams County.
- Took shots at the high-dollar campaigns (ahem to DeWine, McEwen, Schmidt).

Fossett (15.3): A good performance by someone who currently seems better suited for local politics. Stuck with the pro-values litany except to backhandedly support all stem-cell research, and wanting to leave traditional marriage decisions to the states. Specifically said that the Supremes were wrong on Roe in 1973. Good lines about being a "recovering lawyer" (has taught at a high school for the past 5 years), and how "every house needs a Fossett."

Sinnard (14.8): An interesting candidate with a great deal of potential who needs work on his delivery and facts. An experienced transportation engineer who became a stay-at-home dad, which has led to feeling "called," and to help America "carry Sunday into the other days of the week." Spoke a bit, fast, then way too fast. Cited disproven stats on a supposed 25% increase in abortions during W's term and 100,000 casualties in Iraq. Supports prolife ethic that also precludes death penalty. Cited the Beatitudes and their relevance to social justice and the hazards of out-of-control capitalism (Madison Avenue soft-core porn targeting kids, the Internet, and Pope John Paul's thoughts on spiritual threats of capitalism). "Five stones" theme (life, family, justice, responsibility, and security) was good. (though I would bury security in there with justice and stop at four)

Smith (14.5): A promising but Not-Ready-for-Primetime presentation that was a little too narrow for the occasion. Though it was a values forum, except for a brief mention of Fortune 500 business skills in the main segment and of reducing the tax burden in the 2-minute drill, Smith didn't realize that he needed to make brief nods to other issues, or frame them inside "values" as the other candidates did. Was a Scout. Strongly defended values positions on life, marriage, and Christian basis of the country's founding. Opined that "America is in a serious way," and that there are "stormy waters" ahead.

A creditable performance by an enthusiastic guy who also seems more suited to local politics for now, and whose presentation didn't go after the specifics of the values issues. A 21-year teacher, coaches football and wrestling. Not a career politician, can relate to people in the district (ahems mostly to Mcewen, partially to DeWine). A little bit heavy on the "I have integrity" meme. Nice litany of other positions, but didn't touch on life, marriage, or judges. Read from his script and looked less at audience compared to the others, especially in the long segment. Demeanor seemed better suited to a TV ad than this forum.

Geez, nobody's going to believe me when I say that I expected McEwen to hold his own against the Top Three above. So I'll concede right here that he was polished and professional and very good as a presenter, and simply note the things he said and emphasized. Then you decide if you agree with my ultimate conclusion below:

- In long segment--
--- Spent time thanking CCV for its involvement in W's reelection.
--- Quoted Burke's "evil wins when good men are silent" statement, and thanked audience for involvement in W's reelection.
--- Talked briefly of Liz and kids. Noted one son in the military.
--- Recited prolife beliefs. Cited endorsements of Dobson and Burress (CCV head).
--- Noted pro-Second Amendment stance. Cited NRA support.
--- Stated belief in controlling spending. Mentioned endorsement of Anthony Munoz.
--- Told a "do what's right" story from his congressional days. --- Quoted John Adams' "constitution is adequate only for a moral and religious people" statement.

- In short segment--
--- Again thanked CCV.
--- Talked about past redistricting.
--- Spoke of how the country has improved in the past four years.
--- Noted that if he's elected he will be go into his seventh term.
--- Cited Dobson, Burress, and Munoz endorsements again.
--- In an "us vs. them" type of statement, mentioned the seniority status again.
--- Finally, concluded with "Don't splinter our vote."

Someone needs to explain the "splinter" comment to me, because I simply don't get it. E-mail me here. June 4, 6PM Update: GOPinfluential, in an e-mail, theorizes that "he (McEwen) thinks he and another candidate will split the vote and either DeWine or Schmidt will win. Personally, I'm getting tired of 'the GOP establishment' using that scare tactic on Republican voters." That's what McEwen says, and some in his campaign believe it too. But it may be that the split he, and Dobson, et al, are hoping for is between those following things closely and those who just stroll in on Primary Day. The close followers are very likely to split their votes among locals, while the (probably larger) group that strolls in on Primary Day will only remember the radio/TV ads, where, so far, McEwen has the advantage.

Seriously, people, considering the purpose of the forum and the performance of the other candidates, especially on specifics, how would you rate McEwen's effort? I have three words: OUT, OF, TOUCH.

Sanders (13.5): A passable performance by a man who, despite brave efforts to demonstrate to the contrary, didn't have his heart in it. Charles Sanders makes an impressive appearance, and is clearly a fine, dedicated, and religious man. "The man you know, the person you can trust" is clearly not just a nice slogan. Sanders took the only direct shot of the night at "self-anointed frontrunner" DeWine's absence. Nice recitation of resume. Looked at notes and read from script a lot more than I expected. Sometimes appeared to be going through the motions. Strongly prolife (except rape/incest), traditional marriage (but opposes constitutional amendment), traditional sexual relations, and up-or-down on judges. Pro-Afghanistan, strongly anti-OIF. Moved to a speaking style beyond warp speed in the final minutes of the long segment, almost as if there was a fire in the church. Against high-end tax cut, wants to keep Social Security as is. Spoke of need for "fundamental change," and positioned himself as best person capable to bring the fight to Washington. My suggestion to Mr. Sanders would be to bring the fight to the racially-poisoned atmosphere in the City of Cincinnati. He's way too sensible for his talent to go unused, and his presence in local politics would be hugely beneficial.

Brinkman (17.6)
- Supports CAFTA with caution due to possible side agreements.

Everything about this guy sounds awesome until this last statement. I like the fact it is "with caution" anyway.

What's Mike's stance on CAFTA?

Admin Mod:

I realize this is your sandbox, but I am upset that this post was reclassed into Bloggers after I post it (I'm almost positive) to News & Acitivism.

The local press did not cover a single thing the candidates said at the Forum, instead just noting DeWine's absence.

If this otherwise undisclosed treasure trove of information about an event that took place isn't news, what the bleep is? Just because it's not available unless bloggers blog it, that doesn't make it NOT news.

This is a Congressional Race. Winning these with the right people is at the core of FR's mission. Relegating this to B&P is therefore a tactical mistake, especially in this race, where FR members in the district need to be informed.

Your analysis is a joke. I was there and Jean Schmidt was by no means a "powerful orator". Are you kidding! I have nothing against her but she is not someone that can captivate a listening audience. Maybe against their own will like at the forum but I wouldn't show up to a function where she was going to give a speech. It would be cool to see her fight with Nancy Pelosi though. Tom Brinkman did an excellent job and made great points. I find it hilarious that you ranked Bob McEwen under the magician and just above Colonel Sanders. I can no longer take your comments or political commentary seriously! Keep up the interesting dialogue. I glad someone is talking about this race because the media sure isn't.

All I can say is, you must have been looking for something different. I was looking for candidates to articulate their values.

Schmidt gave two very powerful speeches that "reached" me. In the 8-minute segment, it was the only time of the night I felt like standing up and clapping when she stated her prolife views. If it makes you feel any better, her "I am strong, I am invincible, I am prolife woman" thing is a bit much for me. Guys can defend life too.

As to McEwen, I related what he said at the blogpost. It was incomprehensible to me in that forum, with that purpose, that he would go out of his way to mention his endorsements....twice. This forum was supposed to be about what Bob believes, not who likes him. His hearkening back to the past, and Reagan, and his time in Washington, and his inane "don't splinter the vote" comment at the end of the second speech all richly earned him him his low mark. Like I said at the post...out, of, touch.

I noted in the blogpost that McEwen is a good speechmaker and presenter, but what he gave was an effective ramble. If I didn't know his views already, I would not have learned much, if anything, about them last Friday. I expected a lot better.

Frankly, a few of the rest of the candidates surprised me. Minamyer, wow. Brinkman (as noted), wow. Morgan, borderline wow. The Dem who is from the eastern section of the district, somewhat lesser wow.

If you don't want to take it seriously, fine. That's what makes the world go round.

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