Ohio GOP scandal guarantees the Democrats nothing

[Algorem]

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/thomas_suddes/index.ssf?/base/opinion/112669042883820.xml&coll=2

Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Thomas Suddes
Plain Dealer Columnist

Though the Columbus Establishment is a trifle jittery, Ohio Democrats -- however cheered by GOP woes -- will have no cakewalk back into the Statehouse, even assuming Democrats can reach that destination in November 2006.

Political lore notwithstanding, "scandal" as such doesn't hand control of Ohio from one party to the other. The sad truth is, many Ohio voters, based on sorry experience, probably expect officeholders to be sticky-fingered.

What's more, overall population trends lend Republicans an automatic advantage in Ohio. Hard though it is for Democrats in the party's Western Reserve heartland to accept, Ohio is trending more Republican, all else equal, because Ohioans are moving into outer suburbs. Those villages and townships are overwhelmingly Republican -- and newcomers absorb local atmosphere.

All told, that means any Democrat seeking statewide office in Ohio has at least one demographic hurdle to clear before he or she ever gives that first speech. (And even that assumes that the Democratic state organization can run as smoothly as a Timken bearing -- something not even Democratic cheerleaders would claim.)...

[fasttense]

1. Oh isn't that the truth. bushbots will vote several times over for their

favorite repuke.

[Atman]

2. Ohio scandal? What Ohio scandal?

Signed,
Joe Average,
Clueless, USA

[madmom]

3. thats no shit Atman...

and when they do get a clue they refuse to accept it as that would show thier stupidity.Sometimes I think it's due to all the heavy metal in the air and water.