Ryan Takeover Seen As Last Resort

Before I share the scripts I promised last week of video ads designed to turn Ohio voters in the direction of Nan Whaley and the other statewide candidates, I wish to comment on the recently reported turn in public opinion in the direction of the Republicans.

It caused none other than President Joe Biden to suggest that views would change in the Democrats’ direction before the Nov. 8 election.

Economic, immigration and crime issues are behind the red wave, overwhelming women’s rights to control their bodies in recent surveys.

The President thinks that voters can be motivated by fear that a Republican takeover would doom programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare.

Other GOP intentions that might cause the tide to be blue are tax breaks for the wealthy, arming teachers in schools, cutting funds for local government including police, the redistricting mess imposed by Ohio Republicans that threaten continued GOP legislative district dominance, and the rampant corruption of Ohio PUCO and First Energy under the noses of Gov. Mike DeWine and his know-nothing associates.

“Elect Democrats to clean up the Republican mess in Ohio” should be the Democrats’ message.

Democrats might extend their appeal by offering to purge election deniers from the ranks of GOP elected officials and send the MAGA crowd packing along with their discredited leader.

One-party rule by the Republicans has not been good for Ohio. Democracy has not flourished in the Capitol. Time for the Buckeye State to clean house and get a fresh start.

Unfortunately, Ohio Democrats have not been getting the message out and remain underfunded and underorganized, a David trying to knock off a GOP Goliath.

If the Republicans recapture the national government, it may mean the end of U.S. support for Ukraine in its war with Russia and the end of inquiries into the nefarious doings of one Donald J. Trump, who sees Russian dictator Vladimir Putin as a sweetheart.

A One-Two Video Ad Punch For The Win

Nan needs a one-two video ad punch to get back in the governor’s race.

The first ad should go like this:

“Hi. I’m Jeffrey Mims, mayor of Dayton, Ohio. We are sick and tired of Gov. DeWine’s lies about my predecessor, Nan Whaley. She served for 8 years with distinction. She convinced the voters to vote a tax increase to fund pre-school education. That does not make her a tax hiker, Gov. DeWine. You are one. You signed the increase in the gas tax! Nan Whaley led Dayton during exceedingly difficult times. She led the city as it dealt with the massacre in the Oregon neighborhood, and she led the city’s recovery from devastating tornadoes. Most of all, Nan Whaley is a woman of the people. She stands up for working people, schoolchildren, physically challenged, young mothers and our senior citizens. Dear Ohio voters, ignore the cheap shots at Nan Whaley from Gov. DeWine. She was a great mayor and will be a great governor. Her opponent. Not so much.”

Of course, I am presuming that Jeffrey Mims is a Whaley backer and would do such an ad. Other Ohio big city mayors from Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Toledo might chime in, too.

I have written it before, and I will write it again – one more time. Whaley must clear up the distorted record of her mayorship presented in at least three different commercials by DeWine’s minions. She should have done this two months ago when the ads against her began.

The second ad should go like this:

(Nan Whaley standing shoulder to shoulder with her running mate Cheryl Stephens, Sen. Sherrod Brown, and U.S. Rep./Senate candidate Tim Ryan.)

“Hi. I’m Nan Whaley, Democratic candidate for governor. My opponent, Gov. DeWine, wants you to believe the everything is going smoothly in Ohio. He likes to give away billions of tax dollars to large corporations while Ohio’s small businesses and entrepreneurs are closing their doors every day. He is sitting on $10 billion of COVID relief funds that could be used right now to help struggling businesses and struggling families. The biggest issue in Ohio is how we treat one another and the threats to our personal freedoms. While DeWine pretends to be a moderate, he is an extremist in the way he approaches women’s health issues, especially a woman’s right to choose. DeWine regularly sides with the extremists on social, gender and medical issues. If elected, he and his right-wing friends will only infringe more on all persons’ rights. It is time for a change to moderate leadership in Ohio. Please vote for Cheryl and me, for Tim Ryan for Senate and for the entire Democratic ticket. We will do better, Ohio. Thank you.”

Another approach is for Sen. Brown to narrate an ad for Whaley as he did in the primary election. He has shown few signs of being willing to do that and has paid less attention to her general election campaign than he did to her primary race.

Tim Ryan Takeover Could Lead To Stunning Ticket Victory

Rep. Ryan is in the horns of a dilemma. Polls show his opponent, J.D. Vance, is creeping ahead. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee refuses to put any of its millions into Ryan’s campaign. Why? Because it thinks Ohio is too red and thus unwinnable. Ryan needs to do something to turn the tide.

Here is a bold proposal: Ryan proclaims that despite a few differences, he is a true-blue Democrat and that he is adopting the other Democrats running statewide, including Whaley, plus the Democrats running for legislative and county office. He announces a unity campaign, and they all get on a bus and start touring the state. Meanwhile, Ryan changes his advertising to include all the statewide Democrats running in Ohio and proclaims that is time to kick DeWine and company out of office. They have pushed Ohio to the depth of despair and only a new team, led by Ryan can fix it.

Ryan has more charisma than all the other candidates lumped together. He is the perfect point person to get the public’s attention and guide it in a better direction.

Grab the football, Tim, and direct the team down the field to victory.

Whaley May Be Putting Too Much Stock In Abortion Issue

Either Whaley knows something about the Ohio electorate that the rest of us do not, or she is deluding herself over what matters to voters in 2022. Whaley told Gannett Statehouse reporter Jessie Balmert that abortion rights is the most critical issue in the campaign.

Whaley might like that to be the case, but study after study show abortion to be the third or fourth most critical issue to Ohio voters. It is true that registrations and voting intent by women in Ohio rose after the Supreme Court ruling, yet legitimate public opinion polls since the ruling show Whaley is consistently 15-20 percent behind DeWine.

Quickies

Down ballot in Delaware County, my neighborhood, there are two dynamic women running as Democrats for the Ohio Legislature.

Louise Valentine is giving it a go in the 61st House District that consists of eastern Delaware County and a bit of Knox County. Louise ran an exemplary campaign 4 years for the State Senate. As a working mother, she is everything that is right about political participation. He opponent is as MAGA extremist as one can get. Ugh!

Heather Swiger is a straight-talking mother/grandmother who has devoted her life to working in the non-profit sector. She became fed up with the shenanigans of the Republican Party in Columbus and tossed her hat in the ring for the 19th Senate District seat currently held by, in my words, a goofy MAGA extremist. The district consists of all of Delaware, Knox and Coshocton counties and a piece of Holmes County.

Louise and Heather are thoughtful moderates who are women’s rights advocates. They are the kind of folks you would be honored to have over for dinner.

Quickies

-Riddled by more cutbacks, the Sunday Oct. 23 Dispatch newspaper was largely news free. Even the weekly real estate sales listings missing.

(Please send your comments and suggestions for future columns to John K. Hartman, ColumbusMediaInsider@gmail.com)  

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