both TonyRo76 and LasVegasDave.
Posted on 07/19/2009 11:01:42 AM PDT by buccaneer81
Joe Hallett commentary: Primary for U.S. Senate has Democrats walking on eggshells Sunday, July 19, 2009 3:40 AM By Joe Hallett Notice to politicians: We will hunt you down.
Duck us, and we will find you. Then, we will ambush you.
I delivered that warning, albeit more diplomatically, to Geri Prado on June 10, the day her candidate for the U.S. Senate changed his position on gay marriage.
Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who is locked in a bitter battle against Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner for the 2010 Democratic nomination for Senate, simply issued a statement that day confirming that he supported the right of same-sex couples to marry.
"The government should be focused on creating jobs, lowering health-care costs and moving us to alternative energy, instead of trying to stop individuals who want to be in a committed relationship and take responsibility for each other," Fisher said in the statement.
During the 2006 gubernatorial race, Fisher was on record as opposing same-sex marriage. It was the second time during a long political career that he had switched positions on a major social issue. In 1998, when he was the Democratic nominee for governor, Fisher quietly changed his opposition to the death penalty.
Brunner long had supported gay marriage. Did Fisher, worried that her position comported more with the liberal base of the Democratic Party, decide to join her out of political expediency?
So, I asked Prado, can I talk with Fisher about his thought process in arriving at his newfound position on gay marriage? Can we do a phone interview?
No, the campaign manager responded, Fisher would have nothing more to say beyond his statement. I told her that one of these days I would ambush Fisher to delve deeper.
An opportunity came Thursday after Fisher headlined a public event at COSI. Affable and gracious, he had 15 minutes to spare. Why the flip-flop, I asked. He repeated, almost verbatim, his June 10 statement.
Well, then, tell me about your thought process.
"It's fair to say that over a period of time the more I read, the more I thought about it, the more I talked to people, the more convinced I was that this was something I should support."
Critics say you switched to better position yourself with Democratic primary voters.
"I expect others to say those things, and I know the truth. All I worry about is my position and how I came to it, and I don't worry about those who would say otherwise."
You changed your position on the death penalty, too. Critics see a pattern of flip-flops in your political career.
"I would hardly call it a pattern over the course of 30 years. . . .
"These are not decisions that anyone should come to lightly, but I came to them after thought, and I believe that people want their elected officials not just to reflexively come to conclusions based upon what their party says. They should be following their own conscience, and that's what I've done in every position I've taken."
There now, those questions weren't so tough, and the answers were perfectly fine. An ambush should not have been required; this column didn't need to be written.
But that's how this Democratic Senate race is going to unfold, because both the Fisher and Brunner campaigns are so afraid of making mistakes that they won't stop making them. Dirty tricks, dodges and cover-ups already are trumping straightforwardness.
Brunner took a hit when her Senate campaign got caught trying to use office equipment that might have been illegally transferred from a previous campaign. Then, she and her husband, Rick, made it worse with a cockamamie story about a secret agreement permitting the Senate campaign to use the equipment in exchange for a donation to charity.
Fisher's campaign is under suspicion of using a "Joe the Plumber" plant in the Ohio Department of Taxation to dig up dirt on Brunner's husband and leak it to the media. "Completely baseless," Fisher said of the charge.
Fisher has a pile of money, Gov. Ted Strickland's backing and big labor unions behind him. Still, he's virtually tied with Brunner in the polls. This fight will go to the wire, possibly establishing a new political low for internecine warfare.
Watching with amusement is former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, the probable Republican nominee for the Senate. He is stockpiling cash and preparing to ambush whichever Democrat stumbles his way.
Joe Hallett is senior editor at The Dispatch.
jhallett@dispatch.com
Ohio ping!
Considering the fraud that Brunner sanctioned during the presidential election I would say prison is a more suitable place for her.
If the candidate does not want to provide his long form birth certificate for legal or personal reasons, then the people of Ohio should simply tell him that they won't vote for him.
Instead, the people should say that we will go looking for a candidate who is not scared to show his long form birth certificate to voters.
As for bozos, I was talking about the two dems. I like Portman.
Ha! That'll be the day. The big three of the past 20 years...Voinovich, Taft, Dewine. RINOs all.
All I have to say is be sure that you elect a Republican as Sec. of State.
Rob Portman wasn’t my first choice, but so far, he’s making all the right moves.
Are there any sites with more info on that race?If I can find a true conservative running on the Republicratic ticket I may volunteer my time to them.
Sounds like the 2 rats are doing their best to help us out.
Portman is going to win this seat by a very large margin.
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