Running Scared in Ohio (RINO DeWine Rips Rumsfeld; yet another reason to vote for Bill Pierce)

Salon ^ | April 26, 2006 | Walter Shapiro

[litany_of_lies]

Running scared in Ohio

GOP Sen. Mike DeWine is worried enough about Bush's low approval ratings that he blasted Rumsfeld in an interview. Will the Democrats be able to take control of the state that swung the presidency last time?

By Walter Shapiro

With his neatly combed brown hair, button-down white shirts, middle-aged slouch and soft-spoken manner, Mike DeWine has probably never inspired a TV booker for a Sunday morning talk show to shout excitedly, "We've got the senior Ohio Republican senator. He's hot!" As local Democratic political strategist Greg Haas puts it with grudging respect, "Mike DeWine is Ohio -- a little understated."

So when I sat down with DeWine last Tuesday in suburban Worthington to talk about his tricky reelection battle against antiwar Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown, I was not expecting fireworks. But the sky rockets went off as soon as the topic turned to embattled Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

"Rumsfeld has made some very serious mistakes," DeWine declared, repeating his verdict for emphasis. "Very serious mistakes. I think history will judge him very harshly." Just to make sure that I was really hearing one of the harshest attacks yet on Rumsfeld by a Republican senator, I asked, "Which mistakes?" DeWine, who has never repented his 2002 vote for the Iraq war, gave me a what-planet-are-you-on look before responding, "Clearly not enough troops going in [to Iraq]. That was the biggest mistake. And a lot of mistakes would be covered under that."

DeWine boasts an independent streak: He endorsed John McCain for president in 2000; he joined with a bipartisan group of Senate centrists to work out a 2005 compromise on judicial filibusters; and, according to the National Journal's 2005 vote rankings, he is the ninth most moderate GOP senator. But the vehemence of DeWine's judgment-of-history indictment of Rumsfeld represents something new -- less a change of outlook than a sense of freedom in expressing it. What his comments symbolize are the lengths to which jittery GOP incumbents will go to distance themselves from George W. Bush.

(continued further at link noted above)

[litany_of_lies]

So when the going gets tough, DeWine trashes Rummmy.

For Ohio conservatives, this should be THE LAST STRAW.

What's the point of having a Republican senator if he almost never votes, acts, or speaks like a Republican?

Vote Bill Pierce on May 2 if you're in Ohio, and spread the word -- there's a legitimate conservative alternative who won't undercut our military in public.

The grass-roots does not like Mike DeWine, and I mean REALLY doesn't like him.

The grass roots is responding to Bill Pierce who is a genuine and articulate conservative and will be the citizen legislator our Founders envisioned, in the mold of a Coburn or DeMint.

Bill Pierce needs our support. (Web Site; Pierce Blog; contribute)

More on Pierce's background and positions is at this previous FR post:
HERE

My personal bumper sticker graphic:

Mike DeWine has only two allies: Apathy, and Inertia. Bill Pierce can crush both of them on May 2 if we support him now, and if Ohio conservatives turn out and vote the issues in the voting booth. Pierce for Senate.

[trubluolyguy]

GOP Sen. Mike DeWine is worried enough about Bush's low approval ratings that he blasted Rumsfeld in an interview.

---

SUPORT YOUR LOCAL RINO!



(it's the only way to get your conservative agenda passed)

Nope, it doesn't make more sense the more you say it.

[Paige]

How is Pierce looking in the Primaries?

[litany_of_lies]

The honest answer is that we don't know, because no polls have been taken by anyone since late March, and the one that the columbus dispatch did then used the same methods that were 28 points wrong (i.e., a 56-point swing) last November on the Reform Ohio Now initiatives.

Bill is doing a lot of under the radar things and has near-universal support of the Ohio conservative blogs. Don't forget that Blackwell will bring out a lot of conservatives who might have otherwise skipped the primary if there wasn't a competitive gubernatorial race.

Pierce will be looking better if you vote for him and spread the word. :-->

[Jim Noble]

The question is, should conservatives vote against DeWine in the general?

At some point, guys like this have to lose their jobs.

[Doctor Raoul]

Salon takes "personals" ads.

Anyone want to spend the night with a lonely Joe Conason?

[litany_of_lies]

I have noted before that in the general I would suck it up and vote for DeWine instead of intractable radical Sherrod Brown.

I can't speak for others, except to note that many, esp among 2nd amendment supporters, are intensely angry, and if DeWine takes conservative turnout for granted in Nov., he would be making a big mistake.

But let's not find out. VOTE FOR PIERCE, and SPREAD THE WORD.

[Digger]

What's the point of having a Republican senator if he almost never votes, acts, or speaks like a Republican?

I keep saying for for almost 8 yrs now that we need to get away from this "Two-Party Cartel". They are almost all corrupted by the elitists. They will sell each of us out for 1 more vote. Are you in the streets as the crowd will be on May 1st --Communist day? Seeing Bush on the ILLEGALS side & hearing that his dums-ass father will do another "song & dance" with Bubba ....WHEN WILL YOU ALL see this picture! This is a corrupt government. Let's rid us of the whole group or it will devourer us citizens.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Well, this does indicate that all the calls of Barbra Streisand on polls about Bush's popularity are wrong. Clearly, DeWine has polls he paid for that he believes in that tell him that Bush is unpopular in Ohio.

[litany_of_lies]

I know you're upset with both parties right now, and God only knows you have every right to be. I am too. That's why Pierce's candidacy is so important.

I can personally guarantee you that Pierce would be part of the Coburn-DeMint insurgency, and the more bodies the better.

Don't give up. If you're in OH, vote for Pierce. Whether or not you're in Ohio, consider contributing.

[Common Tator]

How is Pierce looking in the Primaries?

I would say at least 10 percent of the Republican primary voters have heard of Pierce. He is no threat at all to DeWine's winning the Republican nomination.

DeWine is trying to move left in order to win the fall election. Ohio looks more and more like a Democratic sweep in November. Democrat Ted Strickland is a sure winner for Governor. The Democrats will pick up other state offices.

DeWine is trying to distance himself from Republicans so he has a chance in November of bucking a very Strong Democratic tide. The DeWine polling shows that if DeWine hopes to win the General Election he has to move to the left. That is what he is doing.

The DeWine Strategy is to take his half out of the middle. That is what Voinovich showed could be done in 2004. In 2004 RINO Voinovich got 63 percent of the votes while a more conservative George Bush got 51 percent.

DeWine figures if he loses 15 percent off the far right but gains 15 percent to the left of center he can't lose. That would leave the Democrat with a maximum of 35 percent and Dewine with 50 percent and the remaining 15 percent made up of right wing Republicans sitting on their hands.

[litany_of_lies]

Re polls in general, I'm not telling you they're necessarily all wrong, just that the ones in OH on statewide candidacies and statewide issues have been total jokes.

For background on just how bad they were in November, go here:
Worse Than Worthless: Ohio Polls
http://www.bizzyblog.com/?p=804

Whether that translates to polls about Bush's popularity being wrong is something I can't say for sure, but I wouldn't doubt it.

[You Dirty Rats]

The fact that DeWanker is blasting Rummy NOW -- less than a week before the primary -- shows that his problem is not the primary -- it's the general.

Sherrod Brown is about as far Left as Metzenbaum. Replacing DeWanker with Brown would be an unmitigated disaster.

And as for the ridiculous theory some espouse that driving out moderate Republicans for liberals will result in Conservatives eventually winning -- we had Metzenbaum and Glenn and ended up with Voinovich and DeWanker.

I'm no fan of DeWanker's, but better him than son-of-Metzenbaum.

[You Dirty Rats]

I am sorry to say that I think you are right. I think Blackwell will win the primary and then get crushed by Strickland. DeWanker is also in trouble. This could be the worst year for us since 1986.

Remember that it was in 1987 that we lost the Bork confirmation. Had we had Bork instead of Kennedy, Kelo would have gone the other way.

Too many Republicans are willing to lose this fall to make a point to others in the Party. I guess they are nostalgic for 'Rat control of State and Federal Government.

[Paige]

Thanks.... unfortunately sometimes you have to do what you hvae to do. The media has lied to the people so much it is hard to clean up the problem in a short period of time. The Republicans have got to learn to always be on the offensive and keep the message to the public. The media backs the Democrats and without being on the offensive then there is a problem because the Republicans are weak when it comes to PR.

[DrDeb]

NO, I've seen the internal polls in Ohio and the President's certainly more popular than DeWine (and he's particularly strong in the regions of Ohio that DeWine MUST win and win BIG). . . No, DeWine is a McCain supporter and is once again just mouthing McCain's talking points -- and we all know how much McCain despises Rumsfeld!

[BTW: The polls are BS!]

[litany_of_lies]

I think you're underestimating the 10%, and that would be 15% of all Republicans and not Republican primary voters, IMO.

Start with this: John Mitchel took about 20% of the vote from George Voinovich in 2004's Presidential primary, spent $300 and used no new-media techniques that I'm aware of.

DeWine's 2000 challenger took about the same % in the 2000 primary with virtually no money or New Media.

DeWine only won 52% of the vote in the contested 1994 primary when he was the Lt. Gov. of the very popular (at the time) George Voinovich. Mike DeWine has NEVER been popular with the base, but there has never been a viable alternative; NOW THERE IS. Your point about Voinovich is I think weakened by the relative weakness of the candidate he face compared to Sherrod Brown.

Based on past turnouts, the winner next Tuesday will get about 500,000 - 600,000 votes. If Pierce gets 15% of the roughly 3 million GOP registered voters to vote for him Tuesday, that's almost enough, and he has a lot more visibility at the grass roots than you think he does. 20% and he's in.

The point is, it's doable.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

This is a corrupt government. Let's rid us of the whole group or it will devourer us citizens.

So true.....

I'd like to see about 20,000,000 of us march on Washington and run the bums out of town.

90% of Congress would run and hide in such an event!!

[Rumple4]

Unless you want decades of a liberal democrat in office just to teach our party a lesson I'd vote DeWine in the general, Metzenbaum and Glenn were both in office for 20 plus. Hopefully, DeWine loses the primary and we won't have to make the choice.

[Ticonderoga34]

I will be voting for Bill Pierce next Tuesday. That's the good news.

The bad news that I will be voting for DeWino in November. Even DeWino the Rino is better than Sherrod Brown.