Ohio DU posters...are we living in the same state?

[TheBigGuy]

I do notice a real split in opinion here at DU amoung the buckeye posters on how competetive Ohio will be for Bush and the Democrats.

From where im at ..the Dayton-Cincinatti metropolitian area and the surrounding rural expanses in western and southern Ohio, this looks like pretty solid Bush country....about the only Democrats that I know, personally, are either union folks, minoritys, or homosexuals. In fact it seems the only way the Democrats can capture local office around here is if there is a sizeable minority presence in the district or muncipality (around here minoirty means, pretty much, African American).

Now there are DUers around here from the "north coast"...the Cleveland/Akron/Youngstown area...who see a very different Ohio...one where Bush is weak, and the Democrats have a shot at winning.

[graham67]

1. ...

Yes, we're in the same state. The eastern counties very typically vote Democratic. Big city people (said tongue in cheek) seem to forget the Upper Ohio Valley is still part of Ohio. We're hoping the rest of you can turn this mutha around ;-)

[TheBigGuy]

2. Are you talking the Steubenville/Wheeling/Cambridge area?

The "appalachian" part of Ohio?

Yes, that is a fairly good hunting ground for Dem votes. I think that was the part of the state John Glenn was from...from Cambridge, right?

[graham67]

7. Yes, Wheeling...

I'm in the foothills of the Appalachians, about 10 minutes from Wheeling WV. John Glenn is from New Concord...its about halfway between Cambridge and Zanesville.

[Don_G]

15. New Concord Actually

About 14 miles from Cambridge as I recall.

I used to live there when I was a kid; my father worked at an RCA plant making semiconductors for the space program....

Another industry lost overseas!

[ArnoldLayne]

10. Eastern Ohio

I grew up in Bridgeport Ohio In Belmont Co. and now live in Wheeling WV which is 2 miles across the Ohio River from Bpt. Ohio. Most people from Belmont, Jefferson, and Monroe Co. Ohio are staunch Democrats. I am going to put Dean for President bumperstickers on overpasses over I-70, Rt 7 in Ohio and I-70 overpasses and billboards in the Wheeling WV and Rt.2 in the Moundsville WV area when I receive them which should be anyday now. :evilgrin: :crazy: :bounce: :bounce:

[graham67]

19. Well....

howdy neighbor! :hi:

[liberalhistorian]

3. Southern Ohio has always been far more conservative than northern

Ohio. Speaking as a Northeastern Ohio resident (Cleveland/Akron/Youngstown) whose family lives in Toledo, and who has relatives and friends in Columbus and Cincinnati, I can assure you that that is still very much the case. Unfortunately, most of those with power in the state legislature are repukes from Southern Ohio who don't give a shit about the rest of the state, especially not Democratic Northeastern and Northwestern Ohio, and they currently enjoy a stranglehold on the entire state.

But what was strange was that, in 2000, Shrub didn't do nearly as well in the Cincinnati area as you would think and as everyone thought he would, nor did he do as well in Dayton or Columbus.

[Rick Myers]

4. Only eight counties in Ohio

out of 88 are Dem-majorities. Primarily Clevo, Akron, Ytown triangle.

Repukes control state government, and do a fine job of ruining just about everything they touch...

[shirlden]

5. Urban Columbus

is solid Dem, if you can get the voters out. They can carry Franklin County if they get off their TV butts and vote. They did for Clinton and he carried Ohio.
The trick here is to get out the voters......

[spooky3]

6. It happened in Indianapolis

which is like a twin city of Columbus. The current mayor is a progressive Dem and apparently doing quite well. But the suburbs of Cols. as you imply do a better job of turning out the vote, and are pretty dominant and very conservative.

[Rick Myers]

11. Welcome to DU

I'm a Buckeye living in Indianapolis right now!!!

:toast:

[spooky3]

17. Thanks, and nice to meet you!

[PeakOil2008]

13. But isn't Columbus' growth a good thing?

It never ceases to amaze me how fast that city is growing, even to the point that it has annexed land beyond its incorporated suburbs, and is actually spilling north, outside Franklin County's borders into the Polaris area of Delaware County. If all that is, or eventually becomes Democratic, then the party's influence will grow to match and trump that of GOP-dominated suburbs.

I should also note, that with the exception of Canton (and even they may not hold out for very much longer), all of Ohio's major cities currently have Democratic Mayors.

[TheBigGuy]

18. I always thought Columbus is fairly progressive compared to Indy.

Indianapolis always seemed to be the more conservative of the two citys...probably because of Columbus' Ohio State scene and the large Cols gay community.

[rexcat]

8. I live in Mason and all I every

hear is repug bull anywhere I go in the area. We moved here in '88 and I have seen the State go further and further to the right.

As far as your comment about the Dayton-Cincinnati metro area and Democrats (only union folks, minorities and homosexuals) there is some truth to that but not all liberal Democrats in the area fit that mold. I am white, straight, married and a small business owner and there are a fair number of liberal democrats in the area that aren't union, minorities or gay. The problem is the Democratic Party in the area is non-existent and there is no forum for us to speak out or for that matter get together as a group.

The only exception is Cincinnati proper and I am not that impressed with the Democratic leadership there. I met Charlie Luken once and that was enough for me. His big thing was he might be a Democrat but he was conservative, being a conservative was much more important that being a Democrat. He is a total idiot.

[InkAddict]

12. What do you mean, your area?

There is a Democratic Club in Trotwood, if you're willing to make a relatively short drive up Rt 75 to NW Dayton. Of course, on sitting in, it did seem a bit anemic on activism. Then, of course, it'll continue to take a little longer to get here since our great Ohio reps don't want to finish the 675 circle (I forget the route # they were going to give it)and, Yep, we're the leaders in Mall rumbles/restrictions, unofficial red-lining, and the "it's such a long trip" syndrome. What, want something a bit closer? Scared of a little diversity, are we?

More to your concern, we're having a hard time nominating venues for political activities north of the city. Our citizens have been systematically alienated or they're ASLEEP!

On a side note, I sure hope that once the economy stablizes, we'll see more investment and well-planned industry/businesses make use of the access that the Rt. 49 "connector" was to have provided even though I worry about the northward creeping ideologies that come with "urban sprawl."

[TheBigGuy]

22. Trotwood sort of makes my point about SW Ohio.

This is a suburban area that has a large African American presence, hence the Democrats are competetive there, and have that Democratic club, as you noted.

And this also makes the point how politics in SW Ohio are polarized around racial lines...much moreso than in places like Kentucky or Chicago, where you would expect that given the history of racial segregation in those two places.

[rexcat]

27. I have no problems with diversity, in fact

the neighborhood we live in is well diversified. The "area" I was referring to was the Greater Cincinnati area which I really don't count the Dayton area part of Cincinnati. I think that would be insulting to Dayton.

I would have a difficult time getting to the meetings. I travel extensively during the week and I do have a family to consider. It would take me over an hour and a quarter to get to Trotwood if I was in town. If there was something in Centerville I would seriously consider going to a meeting of like-minded people.


Edit for spelling

[TheBigGuy]

21. Yes, I was generalizing, but to make a point

...that Democrats are few and far between in this part of the state. Incidentally I am in Centerville..not too far from Mason.

I do think the Democrats usually carry one precinct in Warren County..in Lebanon.

[rexcat]

28. The first Wednesday of the Month

at one of the bookstores in Centerville starting this month there will be "Dean" meetings (go to Dean website for more info). If your not a supporter of Dean it still might be interesting to go to the meetings. I could not go this week becuase the wife was out of the country and I had to take care of the children. I do hope to get to some of the meetings. It would be nice to be with like-minded people.

[InkAddict]

9. Divided Ohio?

I am a former resident of NE Ohio transplanted into SW Ohio. Your question is timely and is also of some concern to me. It seems to me that many people in this state are STILL asleep and are just unwilling to discuss the political environment here. One simply cannot legislate the celebration of diversity (and Ohio IS very diversified on many levels of age, education, technological skills, ethnicity, religion, and lifestyle); one can only legislate laws that are either embraced or resented, so many simply close their eyes and hearts to what constitutes the healthy Ohio community and vote accordingly by those misconceived notions of catagorical superiorty/inferiority in any way that people can be grouped. What happens with that thinking pattern is evidenced by the recent events in portions of Cincinnati and by the way the river has always divided Clevelanders. Rural Ohioans don't view the issues of the residents of larger cities as relevant; they view legislation as restrictive to their "pioneer alt. gentleman farmer" lifestyles. On the other hand large city residents seem immune to improving issues that could improve access to services to the poor rural-living Ohioans. The prejudices are highly emotionally charged as some have either emerged out of their circumstances or highly identify with those circumstances though they no longer apply. A higher plane of respect/cooperation is truly needed to effectively motivate Ohioans to act in a unified way.

[TheBigGuy]

24. Ohio is not a poltiical culture.

One of the things I noticed about my part of Ohio is that this is not a polticial culture...by this I mean poltiics is viewed as something remote and "out there"..its not really part of people folk culture or everyday conciousness.

This is very different from both Chicago and Kentucky (places where I lived prior to Ohio), where politics is sort of ingrained in the local folk culture ...where people are somewhat aware of poltiics and politicians at the local and state level, and do not feel it is a remote thing.

This part of Ohio, Southwest Ohio, seems to be very apolitical compared to my expereinces living elsewhere.

[ArnoldLayne]

14. Dean for President

I just received my Dean for President bumperstickers which I am now going to saturate the Ohio Valley with. I am going put them on overpasses near I-70 I-470 and Rt.2 I hope I don't get caught and get in trouble.:evilgrin: :evilgrin: :bounce:

[cmd]

16. Welcome all you Eastern Ohioans

I'm a native of Jefferson County and now live in Tuscarawas County. Our house district has been gerrymandered to keep it in the hand of Freedom Fries Ney. The majority of the people in my county are registered Democrats, but they support the good ole boy in the white house. The steel mills and coal mines have been hit hard in the last two decades. Union membership is not as strong as it once was. We need to hang together in support of our party.

[TheBigGuy]

25. from what folks have posted about Eastern Ohio

...it sounds a hell of alot like Kentucky, politically. A place where there is still alot of strong rural Democratic registration and residual loyalty to the Democrats.

I guess this accounts for Stricklands sucess in defeating Cremeans in those see-saw series of elections after 1990.

[rexcat]

29. Ted Strickland had an odd shaped

district until the last election. When Ohio lost one congressional seat becuase of the census, his district was redone. He actually represented the Mason area before the lines were redrawn. They hated him here in Mason. I miss him. The Mason area got redistricted into Portman' district. I hate Portman. He is a total ass!

[ShaneGR]

20. Cleveland, Colombus, Akron, Youngstown, Toledo

All solidly Dem. If we have heavy turnout we will win.

[messiah]

23. Well

I live in Toledo and it is as about liberal up here as in San Francisco.

[TheBigGuy]

26. yeah, how about that? Toledo.

That town has one of my favorite congresscritters....Marcy Kaptur.

The place also has a very strong union tradition, too. One of the few citys in the USA to undergo a general strike.

[ArnoldLayne]

30. Ohio hopeful for Dems!

I have a sister and her husband from the Lancaster Oh area who are staunch Republicans and loved Bush. I saw them today and they both said they would support Lieberman for Pres. I told them,I myself like Howard Dean who they said was to far left but I will try to work on them. At least they now realize they made a mistake supporting that Dickhead who is in office now. :dem: :toast: