Ohio newspaper: Don't support GOP candidate involved in 'nasty' race

Source: CNN

Ohio's largest newspaper on Saturday endorsed the reelection bid of Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, calling him a "good listener and a creative lawmaker."

But the Cleveland Plain Dealer's editorial board also based its endorsement on defeat of Brown's opponent.

"Electing his Republican opponent, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, would reward one of the nastiest campaigns ever waged in this state," reads the editorial, published on the Plain Dealer's website. "It would reward a candidate who hasn't moved beyond partisan slogans and careful sound bites. It would reward ambition untethered to substance."

The paper credited Brown for his "pragmatic support for an infrastructure bank, for advanced manufacturing research, for balanced environmental policies in a state with huge energy resources and needs" and other bipartisan efforts.

Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/06/ohio-newspaper-dont-support-gop-candidate-involved-in-nasty-race/

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http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251123650
Sherrod Brown has earned a second term in the Senate: editorial

(snip)
There's another powerful reason to vote for Brown -- a negative one: Electing his Republican opponent, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, would reward one of the nastiest campaigns ever waged in this state. It would reward a candidate who hasn't moved beyond partisan slogans and careful sound bites. It would reward ambition untethered to substance.

No one runs for the U.S. Senate without a healthy ego or considerable ambition. But raw desire must be balanced by a willingness to study issues and to do the hard work of governing. Mandel shows little interest in either. He's simply not ready for the Senate.

A bit of historical perspective: We preferred the steady if unspectacular incumbent Mike DeWine to Brown in 2006. But we never doubted that Brown would be a "bright, articulate, edgy and energetic" advocate for Ohio. He has been that -- and more.

As anyone might expect who has followed Brown's long career -- Mandel, 35, likes to point out that his opponent first ran for office when Richard Nixon was president -- Brown has been a loyal Democrat in the Senate. When Brown, 59, does go rogue, it is usually because he wants to push the president or his party further left on issues such as health care or taxes. Predictably, Brown has maintained his professed suspicion of trade agreements, opposing even a deal with South Korea that the Obama administration renegotiated and that the United Auto Workers supported.