Poll shows Ohioans split on whether governor should resign

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05241/561961.stm

A majority of Ohio voters believe Gov. Bob Taft's ethics violations were serious, but the state is split on whether he should resign, according to a poll released yesterday.

The poll, commissioned by The Plain Dealer, found 57 percent of the registered voters questioned rated Taft's performance as poor, while 27 percent said he was doing a fair job.

Taft, a great-grandson of President William Howard Taft, pleaded no contest earlier this month to charges that he failed to report 52 gifts worth nearly $6,000 over four years. He was fined $4,000 and a judge ordered him to publicly apologize for his behavior, which he did.

Respondents were split over whether Taft should resign, with 46 percent saying he should and 44 percent saying he should not. Ten percent said they weren't sure if the governor should leave office.

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. As long as he is anti-gay marriage and anti-abortion

he's OK by the electorate that seems to call the shots in that place.

[Erika]

2. Taft is seriously corrupt

Their diebold machines didn't help.

[still_one]

3. this is why the country is in extreme danger

we have a nation of morans

we are already losing the technological edge

[rodeodance]

19. you are right. When people just shrug their shoulders at stuff like this-

we are all in trouble (we already are, I know).

[MadeinOhio]

4. Give it a few weeks, and let all the evidence come forward.....

70% will be asking for him to resign is my bet, Ohio is coming into its own as the toughest fight.

[cmd]

5. The Ohio dems know what they are doing

We like having a republican in office who has his hands tied. The alternative is wiping the slate clean and another republican takes his place. Just let us stretch this out as long as possible.

[MadeinOhio]

6. I hope you're right, but how many of our Dems are really Dems?

I keep wanting to know the answer to that question as it seems like a whole bunch of conservatives, or fake christians actually infiltrated ohio's democratic party....

I really hope they wake up to this advent and reform them all.

[Kolesar]

7. Please elaborate

I am not sure what you are getting at. ...and welcome to our message board! :)

[MadeinOhio]

11. Look up the history of some of the most well known democrats...

Like the supervisor in Hocking County, Susan Hughes. She has attended multiple what I would call "faux conservative" meetings. A lawsuit has alleged that she was appointed to direct the board illegally.

Multiple workers have admitted to doing whatever the Ohio GOP wanted, specifically Blackwell. In this environment, how is one to be sure of who is really a democrat?

http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2005/1359

http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2005/1284


And alot of these people like the chairman, Bill Anthony, are dismissive of anyone questioning Blackwell or his AG. He's also a frequent visitor to some of these religious right groups. That is very unsettling to me.

I think alot of the problem in Ohio may be bribery and complicit democrats, some who aren't democrats at all and also racketeering.

[Kolesar]

22. I see what you are getting at

(but) This writer could use a stylistic editor: "The uproar of applause at attorney Cliff Arnebeck's serving the Hocking County Board of Elections with a court order not to make any decision regarding the firing of Hocking County BOE whistleblower Sherole Eaton, was in the very least, memorable. " I had to read that three times to figure out what it meant.

[0rganism]

8. Oh Fiddlesticks! If this utter corruption doesn't merit resignation...

...then I don't know what would.

The republican party leaders should be the first ones calling for him to leave office. That way they come across as upstanding and interested in integrity, whatever the reality may be. If they can just sit on this and pretend it never happened, and the people of Ohio let them get away with it, then... well, nevermind.

"Y'all didn't need those pensions anyway, didja? Cause the bush family done made reeeel good use of 'em already. Here's a semi-rare coin, gramps, go buy yourself a soda."

[truthisfreedom]

9. heh. funny people in OH.

[annabanana]

10. state "split" on resignation?

Like the state was "split" in November? I'm sorry but anytime I hear that old 50/50 crap coming out of Ohio, I get suspicious of the counting method,(poll,news outlet).. whoever's pushing it.

"50% of Ohioans think babies are an inappropriate source of protein." -feh-

[0007]

12. Prop this schmuck at the top and let the world see this

for what it is, and show junior and all his trips to Ohio before the 04 election.

I wish Kerry would da stayed, instead of conceding the presidency.

[LittleWoman]

13. Taft is an albatross

hanging around the neck of the Ohio Republican party. I want to see him staying around and reeking to high heaven. If governor doofus resigns now it would give the GOP time to pretty things up and have a hope of electing another of their kind to the statehouse. They could make the case that the party has cleaned up and gotten rid of the corruption. This is of course not credible, but when has that stopped them before. All three of the main GOP candidates for governor have been tainted by this scandal and the longer Taft hangs around, the more likely it is that more incriminating information about these three will come out. At this point it looks like Noe is ready to sing so sit back and enjoy the show.

[MadeinOhio]

14. LittleWoman, they don't need another of their kind......

They are going for putting Blackwell into office by the use of election fraud.

Doesn't that just sound all the better?

Can you say GOVERNOR Blackwell?
:puke: :puke:

And yes that is the plan...the fundies are already waging war for it. Ohio is under attack by them and a fight is pending in court. These people will not ever play fair, and in so doing, if you give them an inch they take up a city block. Taft and his election scheme with the Workers fund was small dough....

These guys want Blackwell to take over, and if we don't fight they will. That's why I'm proposing litigation to remove all these church houses of their non-profit status. They can't be tax exempt, or are legally allowed to be tax-exempt under the law.

[WCGreen]

17. Sorry to dsappoint you, but Perto and Montgomery are

pushing hard and are actually more likely to win the GOP primary....

Blackwell would be a stronger GOP candidate in the General but I still don't see him winning that many votes in the Primary....

There are a hell of a lot of GOP insiders who don't want anything to do with Blackwell...

[MadeinOhio]

18. I know all about it, but I just don't even have faith in the republicans..

I don't even have faith in Ohio's republicans to prevent Blackwell from getting in. He could lose the primary but his office has "connections" to the central tabulator.

The far right has been planning this coup for over a decade, they would never, ever just relinquish their power.

As long as Blackwell's office is counting the votes, it is highly probable he will become governor via election fraud.

Kenneth Blackwell is a criminal on the run now, there is no doubt he will try to steal the governor seat and some mysterious Diebold glitch will give him the race. Unless the reform bill cuts off Blackwell's access, the Ohio GOP will be imploding next, under the guide of Blackwell for Governor.

[converted_democrat]

15. I have a hard time believing that poll.........

Not even two months ago they had a poll in Ohio that rated the over-all approval rating of Taft at like 18-19%. That was before all the damning stuff came out about him. Why on Earth would he have MORE support now? That does not make any sense to me at all.

[mtnester]

16. Taft needs to stay RIGHT WHERE HE IS as a reminder

of the absolute corruption of the entire party for the 2006 midterms. IT WILL work in our favor dang it!

Also, IF (and it is a HUGE if) Taft resigns, it is possible and LIKELY that the Repub dominated Ohio Lege will decide to BYPASS the LT. Governor and appoint BLACKWELL to the governors spot so he can be a SITTING, INCUMBENT governor when he runs. THAT order will come directly from D.C. That will also effectively eliminate Jim Petro and Betty Montgomery from the race.

Folks, we WANT a bloody primary for the Repubs next spring. If you all are offended by Taft, imagine what punitive damages he will inflict on the party next year if the voters in Ohio are as offended? Especially after the primary, where the rest of the corruption will come out...it will be a BLOODBATH for the Repubs.

If he is removed, and Blackwell appointed....that would be the WORST case scenario, but the most likely. The Repubs are DYING for him to resign, which he won't, because they KNOW it will kill them next year.

Taft will never resign, and the Repubs will never impeach him because to do so would be a public admission of the corruption in our state's government. That is why the Ohio Dems backed off impeachement...they made the noise and then "admitted" they could not get it through the statehouse, but they at least made the noise, even though they really did not want to impeach him at all so they can point the bloody finger at him, thus the whole Repub party, for next year.

Oh, and watch...the Republican primary in Ohio will be the most expensive, dirtiest, bloodiest thing this country has ever seen. The Repub party is divided down the line between Petro and Blackwell (Montgomery just muddies the water). Petro is supported by moderate Repubs, and Blackwell by the farthest right. It is already nasty to the point where if Blackwell is coming to a county for a fundraiser, Blackwell's "faction" has to keep it damn near a secret with secret location so the Petro supporters do not show up to disrupt, and vice/verse. It has torn local county parties in half, put Repub neighbor against neighbor, and friends against friends. A higher up lifetime Repub poll I spoke with told me that there is no way they can come to a consensus, and that many Repubs are so disillusioned that the "election day flu" may be a huge event for them. That way they can deny voting for a Dem, even though staying home helps a Dem.

Let's sit back and watch the Repubs in Ohio, and DC, continue to implode.

[LittleWoman]

20. You are so right!

For the first time, I think I will enjoy working at the polls for the primary election. Usually the primaries in Ohio are really dull and the day just drags along. I think 2006 will be different. There is a possibility in Ohio for the perfect storm ( I hate to say that today). The rich and well connected vs. the right wing fanatics. I live in a burb with a lot of the former, Wally Odell lives about a mile from me, and they do not count any Blackwell supporters in their number. I think it is very important that Coleman and Strickland run a clean primary and keep to the issues. They should not give any ammunition to the opposition which they can use in the general election. Either of them would be a good governor. I know there is a lot of feeling that Blackwell has the whole election rigged and I certainly share some of that. I am not so sure how that will play out in 2006. In 2004 the common goal of the republicans was to get W re-elected. This time around there is no common goal, especially in the primary. I don't think Blackwell is as able to rig the primary for himself without getting caught because of all the other republicans who know how the trick is worked. If they think their guy was robbed I think they will blow the whistle big time.

[mtnester]

21. Strickland and Coleman will shake things out before the primary

so there will be no Dem primary. All the money will go toward the general election. The state party will get them together, and the decision will be made on which one runs. The other will run for something else. the DNC will make sure this happens.

[Doremus]

23. Just wait. Fatboy 'forgot' to report some more gifts.

They've found many more golf outings etc. that Taft 'forgot' to report. He was already convicted of 4 ethics violations for the same thing, and will end up back in court no doubt.

The Dems couldn't ask for a better campaign gift than Taft in the governor's office.

[Mari333]

24. Republicans could get caught on tape screwing monkeys

in an orgy, and their followers would close their eyes and hum rather then see the truth.