Ohio Gov: Strickland (D) 55%, Blackwell (R) 34% (can Diebold help?)

[kansasblue]

Ohio Sec of State Blackwell

Diebold was committed to delivering Ohio to Bush. Are they committed to deliver Ohio to Blackwell?

That's a big spread. Send the lawyers to Ohio!


http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/12402

[AX10]

1. No, but the GOP could put out some bogus polls.

[AndyA]

2. The polls are wrong.

Why do you hate America?

34% to 55% ain't no big thing for Diebold, you tell it what you want, and that's what you get.

[bullimiami]

3. Surprise!!!

Blackwell in a squeaker!

NO RECOUNTS.

[HughBeaumont]

4. Can't Diebold 19-25 points.

If BootBlackwell wins, OH THERE'S'A TROUBLE GONTER BREW!!!

Not even the complicit media would be able to spin how a religious bag of pistachios like JKB made up a 19 point margin over a candidate that's popular with Eisenhower conservatives as well as with Dems.

Buys the ticket, you takes the ride, Tom! This is what happens when you make mistakes on your own, rather than learn from others' (Kathy Harris comes to mind).

[Zynx]

5. With numbers like that, there would be revolution in Ohio if Blackwell won

[zbdent]

6. Don't forget ...

Blackwell oversees the election ...

He can, with the wave of his hand, disappear any and all ballots that don't go right (or should I say "Right"?) ...

[WCGreen]

23. No he can't......

The elections are all run and certified at the county level...

All Blackwell can do as SOS is provide a tie breaking vote and make rulings which he has done and has had several overturned...

I wish you would look into what really happens instead of just spewing out a talking point that serves only to discourage people from voting...

[dback]

7. If there's a 10-15 point lead, they won't mess with the results.

Call me an optimist or a Pollyanna, but when the spread is a good 10 points (or 15 or 20), you can't mess with the results. A 2-3 point variance you can get away with (and obviously they did in 2004), and people will go, "Gee, I guess a lot of people changed their mind at the last minute, and the polls were wrong." You can't rationalize away a point variance like they currently have, unless the race tightens to within 5 points by election day--which at this point is highly unlikely.

Blackwell and co. will then retreat to Mount Doom to plan their next assault on the Shire in 2008. By then, hopefully, we'll have overhauled and standardized election laws to avoid this nonsense.

[Hippo_Tron]

16. Blackwell will be out of office after this election

So he won't be able to get his hands near the voting machines.

[KingFlorez]

8. Strickland will win

Diebold is not going to do anything to change this election.

[TheDonkey]

9. blackwell is a disgrace

a disgusting man who I can't wait to see defeated.

[Jack Rabbit]

10. In most banana republics, any election can be stolen

But not in this one.

We still expect credible results. Blackwell is down 21 points and even if he cuts that in half by election day, no one is going to believe he won honestly.

[AtomicKitten]

11. still close enough to steal

Keep in mind in 2002, there were some mysterious overnight poll swings, 16+ points. I put NOTHING beyond these evil-doers.

[LynneSin]

12. If Diebold does do anything that means that DeWine will win too

I mean both of them are hurting in Ohio so it would be obvious if Black'not-so'well wins and DeWine doesn't.

But here's a really odd comment, in some small way I hope that Black'not-so'well wins because it would blow the electronic voting out of the water!

[OhioBlue]

18. Blackwell is down to Strickland like 20 points

Ted has more money. Ted has the support. Blackwell doesn't even have the support of his own party.

The Brown v DeWine race is usually within 5. DeWine has more money. Brown and DeWine both have the support of their base. It is very possible that Strickland could win and Brown could lose at this point. I think Brown will win - but in all honesty, this race is close.

So... I don't understand your comments and I have no idea why you would wish a Blackwell Admin on the State of Ohio. It would be horrible for us. We've already been suffering through from the Voinovich/Taft admins. Blackwell would take that destruction to our State to an unimaginable level.

[LynneSin]

20. Oh trust me I don't want Ohio stuck with Blackwell

the comment was more along the lines that if Blackwell does win then we'll know there was a serious fix and I would expect a major outrage. I still think people have not perked up about the problems out there with these election machines :cry:

[violetandblue]

13. If Blackwell wins...

every person in Portsmouth with a hunting rifle will be at the Capital, you can bet on it. I live in Southern Ohio, and this is a chance for one of our own to make it big!

[OhioBlue]

19. Welcome to DU

:hi:

You're not alone in Southern Ohio - Northern Ohio will be up in arms too.

[zbdent]

25. True, but the Northerners would likely be armed for different reasons

if I believe correctly, a lot of the "Southern" Ohioans would be wanting to form a lynch party just on skin color ...

[violetandblue]

26. I think it is true...

that there are hidden racist agendas in the southside, but that is only part of it. Strickland is loved down here, especially from Portsmouth on down. He's for unions, and he has busted his butt to save businesses. Every time they try to shut down that Piketon plant, he shows up to save it. He's a hero, deeply respected. And no, Southern Ohioans are not going to go for an urban black man. I spent a year in Columbus, a gangster's paradise of a city, and their black mayor has done nothing to stop criminals from taking over. He touts his "war on crime," yet the crime rate continues to climb. The cops are totally incompetent, and aren't patrolling areas that they are required to. I had my apartment robbed in the middle of the day, and that was supposedly a nice area. I don't think a black mayor will do much for crime - blacks support their own. Any way you cut it, blacks are responsible for the crime in Columbus, and with the unbiased, equal rights sort of crap, nothing will get done. You don't see thugs taking over down here - we don't put up with it. I would rather be in an area with racist attitudes than in one where I don't feel safe at night. I'd rather be in an economically depressed area and struggle to find work than go back up there to work - most here feel the same. Just like blacks, we support our own. Blackwell is going to look out for urban blacks' interests - he always has, supporting their businesses and their causes. There's nothing wrong with that, but Strickland, I believe, will look out for HIS district's folks. It's not just about Blackwell. It's about Strickland, too.

Also, I believe that Cleveland suburbanites are just as racist as southerners. They may have more progressive attitudes up there, but you don't see blacks in several of those suburban areas. I wonder why that is?

[zbdent]

28. I agree that the Cleveland suburbs are very limited in

racial makeup ... in fact, I see a few "Confederate flags" in my own neighborhood ...

But the old adage is that you have Cleveland (northeast), and then you have "the rest of Ohio" - which drags the state into the Repukes, who welcomed the racists with open arms after the "civil rights" measures of the sixties ...

[OhioBlue]

29. Unfortunately racism is present in all parts of Ohio

My comments about Blackwell have nothing to do with race or gender, but solely on his reputation, his history of incompetence and his neo con like theory. Ohio is in trouble. The economy is suffering, education is suffering, etc. We don't need a Gov that will take us backward, but one with vision and integrity like Strickland.

that being said, i would like to address some of your other comments. We all grow up in our own worlds, know what we know and don't know what we don't know. Once in a while, we read something, watch something or experience something that gives us the gift of seeing things from the point of view of a person that grew up in a very different world. For example, most people that grow up in very wealthy families have no idea what it is like to look forward to hand-me-downs from visiting cousins, having to juggle bills b/c your car needs new tires, or how miserable it is to be in a hay mound in July (wearing jeans b/c the hay scratches your legs) stacking bales, dodging bees and sneezing from the dust. They may hear the stories and think they understand, but they didn't live it and don't really have the appreciation such as someone that did experience that life.

Just as those of us that grew up in rural areas, have no idea what it is like to grow up in an inner city in poverty. It is simply not a factual statement to say that blacks are responsible for crime in Columbus. There may be more black people in jail or more black people in the City, but you simply cannot draw a line from A to J without looking at all the other factors. there is racial profiling, unjust mandatory sentencing laws, discriminatory hiring, lack of ancestral wealth (this isn't simply someone willing $ to someone, but is much more complex including handing down trades, helping with education or acquiescence of property, network opportunity, etc.) when one is born into poverty AND has to overcome racist attitudes, it creates a very difficult situation - one that neither your nor I have a great understanding of. And, absent race, anyone who grows up in a poverty stricken inner city will have a different world view than you or I.

I cannot debate the merits or lack thereof regarding Mayor Coleman's war on crime. I'm simply not familiar enough. However, your conclusion that it is b/c he is a black Mayor is really just a knee jerk reaction and doesn't really make all that much sense. If as you say, black people will look out for their own and crime is higher in inner city and black neighborhoods, why wouldn't you conclude that he would be tougher on crime to improve the lives of the people living in these neighborhoods?

And one additional thought. The premise that Blackwell would have an agenda that favors urban and black neighborhoods just isn't true at all. Blackwell's agenda will be aimed solely at the rich and the corporatist. He may talk a good game here and there, but he is a Corporatist first and foremost and a Republican that borders on Libertarian. He is a pay to player. He believes in the "privatization" of Governmental agencies and services that lead to abuses of tax money and the skimming of profits by those that are well connected to the Republican party, all to be laundered into political donations. he will do nothing for anyone that isn't "connected" or wealthy.

[violetandblue]

30. Just because someone...

is born in poverty and is in a bad situation, it doesn't give them the right to steal from others! It's no excuse. I honestly don't have much, either. I worked through college so I could buy some nice pieces of jewelry for myself. I earned what I had, just so some thug could come and take it from me. They broke into my apartment, and that also destroyed my sense of security. I'm sorry, but I haven't had it easy, either, and I DON'T use it as an excuse to steal from others and act like an animal. As it is, I'm struggling to find a job, may not have a place to live much longer, but you don't see me robbing people. And I've lived in Columbus, and I know just who is responsible for the crime there. I went to school in the downtown, and I lived in a neighborhood that's going downhill. I will also not keep excusing blacks from their behavior beacuse, oh, no, no one likes blacks. Well, they weren't thrilled with me moving into a neighborhood that was quickly becoming more and more black. They basically ran me and several white residents out - they are just as racist if not moreso than whites, and I'm done trying to be sympathetic to their plight. It's about time they shaped up. My Irish ancestors were dirt poor and weren't treated well, either, but they didn't steal and they weren't responsible for a large amount of crime. I don't believe all blacks are bad, are criminals, etc., but I am racially aware, and for good reason.

Blackwell does support black businesses and causes - I know of blacks who are voting for him for this reason. He is of course, a Republican and will look out for the rich and there interests, but race comes before political party. He will put more blacks in power, and those blacks will support each other and their causes. It's not that I'm not understanding of that, but I'm not black or a Republican, so I have no reason to support him. The black mayors in power in Ohio have done nothing for their cities. They could use their positions as a way to crack down on crime and help the black youth. The truth is that so many blacks grow up in poverty, in fatherless homes, so most of them will amount to nothing if there is no intervention. They need to admit there's a big problem here - not sweep it under the rug. I also don't expect Strickland to crack down on crime, but a Southern Ohioan in the governor's seat is not going to send the same message that a black man would. I believe now that you have to look out for yourself. It's a bad, bad world, and before I move into my next apartment, I'm buying a gun. It was my mistake to not call the police when I saw the thugs around, surveying the neighborhood. I didn't want to think that because they were young black males, they were up to no good knocking on doors with clipboards. My mistake. I don't blame myself for a sick thug's actions, but I do blame myself for being naive and trusting. I should've trusted my instincts, answered that door and told that SOB to get the hell away from my apartment. Maybe then they wouldn't have come back the next day when no one was around and robbed three apartments. Yeah, it was a bad situation, but it did teach me more about the world and how I've got to protect myself against its evils.

[OhioBlue]

31. I never said

that being born into any situation is an excuse for criminal behavior. I was simply trying to help you see that we cannot make blanket assumptions of a group of people because we have not walked in their shoes, nor they in ours. Most intolerance is because of not understanding each other.

I live in a white rural area. The latest thing is for people to break into empty houses and steal the copper plumbing. there is crime everywhere. Criminals are criminals, race doesn't play a role. And, if one really wants to reduce crime, one has to evaluate the societal and circumstantial reasons that can lead to a rationalization in one's mind that the respective crime is okay.

The wealthy and elite have another world view - and some CEO's don't think twice of robbing employees and stockholders by cooking the books or embezzling - is it b/c they see "those" people as a lower class to be servants or pieces in a chess match? I don't know. But, I do believe that crime would be reduced and intolerance would be reduced if we could all see things from each other's perspective.

I'm Irish too. Both Grandpa's were farmers. My maternal grandpa benefited from WW2 GI bill. Paternal Grandpa, had hard luck. He was a farmer with 8 kids, wife (my grandma) died young, they didn't have much. I live paycheck to paycheck. There was a time a couple of years ago, I couldn't have purchased new tires for my car, even working 2 jobs. I was a month away from having to move in with relatives.

[violetandblue]

27. Thanks!

Yeah, politics has never been a great interest of mine, but this election has me taking notice. I am so surprised and happy to see strong Strickland support from all over the state - I figured no one had even heard of him outside of here. I know how Southern Ohioans are generally viewed by the rest of the state. Lord knows I tried to leave here and make it, but it just wasn't worth it to me. I had faith, though, from the beginning, that Strickland could make it all the way. Go, Ted!

[sendero]

14. I've always maintained..

... that an election more than 10 points apart cannot be stolen. I was called all sorts of names and riduculed, but I still believe that.

The folks doing this aren't stupid. The first time they are caught it is GAME OVER. They won't risk it.

[Imagevision]

15. Blackwell the scummiest of the scum, could never win without Diebold

Wouldn't be surprised if he is still nominated, they're crooks and won't stop unless they're exposed!

[MGD]

17. There's still a considerable amount of support for the Republican ideology

in rural Ohio. Strickland's A+ rating from the NRA will be helpful in overcoming that.

[the other one]

21. The election that proves the polls inaccurate.

After Blackwell wins, we will hear calls to get rid of pre-election polling permanently, as it seems to falsely favor the Dems.

[babylonsister]

22. The lawyers are on the way:

Democrats line up lawyers

http://www.dispatch.com/news/news.php?story=dispatch/20...

Republicans say the opposition is exaggerating flaws in previous elections
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Andrew Welsh - Huggins
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Democrats are openly lining up Election Day teams of lawyers across the country to fight what they allege could be GOP efforts to suppress votes.

Republicans quietly say they have their own strategies for potential problems Nov. 7 but won’t give specifics. They say Democrats’ concerns are overblown.

"They’re going to have an awful lot of people standing around with nothing to do," said Bill Todd, a Republican lawyer in Columbus who expects to work for the state GOP on Election Day.

The parties’ efforts come after the 2000 recount in Florida and irregularities in Ohio’s elections two years ago.

Those problems included long lines, a shortage of voting machines and electronic machines that malfunctioned or miscounted votes.

more...

[DemReadingDU]

24. Dems concerns are not overblown

I live in Ohio. I know that the Republicans suppressed the vote in 2004, and they will do it again. They have been perfecting their methods; Dems need to get on the offensive. Be prepared.


oh, I found the same article at this link...
http://www.dispatch.com/election/election.php?story=dispatch/2006/09/26/20060926-D5-00.html