ohio governor

John Kasich, who has been busy cutting social services, while increasing his governor staff salaries by a $250,000 per year, also loves using the state’s private planes:

It took Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) less than three months to use state-owned private planes more than former Gov. Ted Strickland (D) used them in 13 months, according to a new report from the Dayton Daily News. Despite unveiling a budget full of painful cuts to vital programs, including education and health care, Kasich has cost taxpayers $31,400 for 20 total trips in his first 81 days in office. In contrast, Strickland spent $31,849 in his first 13 months in office. Ohioans are spending $387.65 a day to support Kasich’s plane habit, compared to just $77.58 a day for Strickland.

But during his 2010 campaign against Strickland, Kasich, through spokesperson Rob Nichols, criticized the incumbent’s use of the plane and questioned whether funding the plane was justifiable at all:

Welcome to the double standard of John Kasich. Given his dismal approval rating, it’s really a shame that Ohio doesn’t have a recall law. We could be rid of this fraud once and for all.

Our new governor here in Ohio has a police problem:

Looking for ammunition against a bill to strip collective bargaining rights, public unions have seized on a verbal insult the Ohio governor used repeatedly last month to describe a police officer who pulled him over in a traffic stop three years ago.

Critics are distributing a video of Gov. John Kasich at the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in January describing a 2008 stop along a state highway in which he was cited for passing too close to an emergency vehicle.

The officer, Robert Barrett, told Kasich he'd face an arrest warrant if he didn't show up in court.

"He's an idiot," Kasich said. "You just can't act that way."

Passing to close to an emergency vehicle is a law in Ohio. It was put in because of the increased number of public safety employees being injured because of cars passing to close when they were out attending to emergencies.

But it gets even better. Kasich was trying to explain away his comments:

"The governor, of course, respects the important work of law enforcement officers and regrets his poor choice of words in describing his frustration in receiving a ticket," Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said in a statement obtained MyFox28 in Columbus, Ohio. "The point of the governor's remarks to Ohio EPA employees was to stress that all public employees must provide better, more response service to taxpayers."

And that’s exactly what the officer who gave Kasich the ticket was doing, yet for providing better service, he gets called an “idiot” by the man now running this state. This is Republican governance in all its glory.

Yesterday news broke of how Blackwell has taken a new low in his dead run for Governor. They are now (and once again) making claims that Strickland is gay and comparing Strickland to Mark Foley because of a former staffer Strickland had who was convicted of a misdemeanor for exposing himself to minors.

One of the key figures behind this new attack is Jerome Corsi. Corsi gained national attention during the 2004 election when he co-authored "Unfit for Command", the book that was swift boating Kerry. Corsi has also been a highly controversial figure:

In August 2004, during Corsi's collaboration with the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, the liberal website Media Matters for America reposted a number of anti-Muslim, anti-Catholic, and anti-gay comments [1] made by Corsi at the forum threads of the conservative website Free Republic, dating from 2001 through 2004

So why is this man, who has always been on the national stage, now becoming so interested in the race for Ohio Governor? The actions of the Blackwell campaign and Corsi could put them in legal trouble. The records of Strickland's former staffer were sealed by a court in 2002, so now the question is raised of how they got this information.

Perhaps people need to start asking why Corsi is so involved? Strickland is ahead by a 2-1 margin and Blackwell has never been ahead in the polls. Even the National Republican Governors Association has written off this race as a loss for them. Could Corsi be giving payback to Blackwell for delivering Bush Ohio in 2004? Why else would he be risking legal problems for such a losing campaign?

Paul Hackett announced today that he will challenge Republican Mike Dewine
next year.

From today's

Cincinnati Enquirer:

Hackett aims for Senate Democrat

will challenge DeWine in 2006 election

By David Hammer The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Paul Hackett, the Iraq War veteran who was hailed by
national Democrats for his narrow loss this summer in a heavily Republican
House district, will challenge Sen. Mike DeWine in 2006.

"Paul Hackett is running for U.S. Senate," said spokesman David Woodruff,
who served as Hackett's campaign manager in his special election campaign
against Rep. Jean Schmidt.

Hackett is planning to officially announce his decision Oct. 24 in his
hometown of Cincinnati, then begin a bus tour through Ohio, Woodruff said
Monday.

Hackett wasn't immediately available for comment. He was flying back from
Washington on Monday after meeting with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid
of Nevada, who gave Hackett the confidence to run, Woodruff said.

"He found overwhelming support from the leaders of the Democratic Party,
campaign organizations and staff," Woodruff said.

Hackett drew national attention after receiving 48 percent of the vote
Aug. 2 in southern Ohio's 2nd District, which voted 64 percent for President
Bush last year. Schmidt and other Republicans have said a summer special
election shouldn't be considered as a bellwether.