What's up in Ohio governor's race and Repug support for Blackwell?

[DURHAM D]

I was just checking out the Oklahoma County Repug website (relatives active in Repug party in OK) and down at the bottom they seem to be endorsing the Libertarian Bill Pierce over Blackwell. No doubt Blackwell's problem with most wingnuts is the color of his skin but I can't believe an official party site is actually doing this.

Do you think there is an under the radar Repug movement against Blackwell?

[KingFlorez]

1. I wouldn't be surprised

Republicans are getting bolder with their intolerance. Blackwell is obviously their best candidates, but some Republicans will refuse to nominate him because he is black.

[Benhurst]

2. I'm not familiar with Ohio politics, but how could Blackwell

be their best candidate for the office? Surely there must be SOME honest Republicans in Ohio. Blackwell should be in jail, not in office.

[KingFlorez]

7. I didn't say he was a good candidate

The Repukes don't care about honesty, the freepers are drooling over the prospect of have a black Republican governor to combat black democrats. A lot of Ohioans like him and he could cut into the Cleveland vote (i.e. black votes), because he got more than a Republican gets up there in his past elections as SOS.

[pacalo]

3. Blackwell is not suitable for any public office.

[DURHAM D]

4. Granted, but for an official Repuglican Party website to endorse

any candidate prior to a primary is against the party rules. And in this case - they actually endorsed a Libertarian - that is really odd. I think it shows how angry some party members.

If the RNC or the Oklahoma State Republican party sees this thread that endorsement will be down in a heartbeat.

[pacalo]

11. I agree on all the points you made.

Considering Blackwell's key role in getting * a second term, it is interesting that he's not being rewarded.

Either he's being snubbed in spite of his shady favors, since * has become such a liability for their party, or they're snubbing him because he's black. Blackwell apparently doesn't know that today's Republican base is made up of a lot of Dixiecrats wrapped in the confederate flag; he was played. If they didn't fatten his wallet in 2004, surely they would be beholden to at least give him an endorsement.

[OhioBlue]

5. The top 3 on the Repug side

are Betty Montgomery (current State Auditor), Jim Petro (current Attorney General) and Ken Blackwell (current SOS) The last polls I saw were Petro and Montgomery in the teens and Blackwell in the low 30s. They all have their problems. I beleive Montgomery and Petro are more closely associated with Coin-gate and Blackwell seems to be doing a better job of distancing himself from Gov Taft (who recently had an approval rating of 15%). It sucks, unless they bring in a congressman or someone else, I'm not sure Petro or Mongtomery can beat him with both in the race. I'm not comfortable with him winning the Primary. On a better note, most of the rank and file Repugs that I have spoken with are split. Several are in favor of Ted Strickland (Dem Congressman) over any of the Repugs - even most that would vote for any R over D, seem to think that Strickland will probably win. (Mayor Coleman from Columbus is also running for the Dems, but out in rural Ohio, I haven't heard much buzz about him yet)

[DURHAM D]

6. I point I was trying to make is that the entire Republican Party

structure is coming apart. It is absolutely forbidden for a member of the Republican National Committee, a Republican State Committee or a Republican County Committee to endorse any republican candidate during the primary in any state. If a committee member wants to endorse a candidate during the primary season they must resign from the party position.

[OhioBlue]

8. my bad -

i misread your post. I thought you were asking for an update. I would agree with you that the republican party does seem to be coming apart at the seams.

[AntiCoup2K4]

9. Typical of the ungrateful Puke bastard mentality.

Without Cruella Harris and Uncle Tom Blackwell they would have no pResident Chimp. Not that I'd feel the least bit of sympathy for either of them if they were skinned alive and thrown in a hot tub full of lemon juice, but you would think going above and beyond the call of fascism like they did would be worth something to the neocons.

[annabanana]

10. Yeah, He's too STUPID to get away with being that evil!....

They probably want someone with more brains so they can get away with it longer...

[LittleWoman]

12. Blackwell has been a burr under the saddle

of the Republican Party in Ohio for a long time. He tried to get a repeal of sales tax passed by the Rep dominated legislature a couple of years ago. In 2004 he led the campaign for the passage of the anti-gay marriage ammendment to the state constitution. The main stream Reps were publicly against this, saying that gay marriage is against the law in Ohio and this ammendment was not necessary. Blackwell was the state co-chair of the group that wanted to pass this and he used it to shore up his very conservative base for his run at the governorship in 2006.

It is no secret that the powers that be in the Republican Party have had no love for him for years. I don't think it is as much a race thing as it is what he causes to come out from under the rocks. Unfortunately, the coingate scandal does not seem to be harming him because he is not part of the main party establishment and it has been no secret that he does not get along with Taft.