Spent The Weekend with some Ohio Repubs

[heidiho]

and they are NOT going to vote for Bush. Went to a family reunion with my Republican in-laws and others. Several families now live in Ohio.

I asked them (becuase Ohio is now deemed so important) which way they were leaning and they ALL said they would not vote for Bush again. It's not that they are wild about Kerry but just don't like Bush. They may not even vote at all.

One woman, who lives in Dayton, told me that she gets many calls from Republican push-pollers and has had Republicans at her door on several occasions in the past few months distributing literature for the GOP and campaigning for Bush.

My take is that nearly everyone has had it with the Bushes - now Kerry needs to convince them to come over from the dark side.

[THUNDER HANDS]

1. We don't need Republicans to vote Kerry

We just need those Republicans who supported Bush last time to just stay home in November.

That's what happened in 1992.

[waywest]

4. I'd rather they voted with us...

Than just staying home. I want a referendum! I'm even ready to hear about the "Kerry Republicans".

(first time I've typed out that *r word in a long time)

[blm]

7. Yes. It will intimidate the Repubs in Congress to know Kerry has a mandate

to govern that crossed party lines.

We can REALLY get ALOT done next year by uniting this country behind Kerry and a Dem congress.

[otohara]

9. My Fantasy - Landslide Against Bush

so for that, we need anti-bush republican's. They need to send a message too!

[Blue-Jay]

2. What sort of push polls?

I haven't gotten any, and I'd like some advance notice on how to address them with others in my area.

[heidiho]

3. Basically it was - would you vote for Bush IF

there was good job growth?

there was good economic news and/or indicators

the war in Iraq was going well, etc. etc.

I think they find it just so hard to believe that everyone has realized that the Emporor has no clothes - even their beloved GOP loyalists.

[Blue-Jay]

6. Oh. That's not so bad. Karl must be slipping.

I was expecting much worse. Sounds like they're just trying to get information on which ads will be best received in Ohio. That's normal.

[beyurslf]

8. I wouldn't call that much of a push poll. Maybe a little but

I would think of something more like...

"If you knew that Senator Kerry wanted to raise your taxes and President Bush had fought to lower your taxes, who would you be more likely to support in November?"

That's PUUUUUUUUUUSH polling. :)

[Claire Beth]

5. That's great!....

I hear the same thing from people here in Tennessee. More and More are just fed up.

[cmd]

10. I heard the same thing in Hamilton Co. last weekend

and we're hearing that in Tuscarawas Co. I expect to hear it here, but was surprised to hear it in SW Ohio.

[zbdent]

11. Don't people get the correlation? Ohio bled population after 1990

Ohio has been pretty much in the control of the Republicans since 1994 (after the "grass-roots" effort of "term-limits").

The last Democratic party statewide office held was John Glenn, who retired to ride in the shuttle.

Let's see, under the Repubs:

School funding was ruled unconstitutional (1995 or so). Never had any real plan to fund it, despite a billion dollar surplus (under the Clinton years - now facing a huge deficit). So, the reputation of the schools shot.

Generally, when you think of Ohio, you think Cleveland and Cincinnati (not necessarily in that order). Essentially polar opposites in the political spectrum. In fact, the Northeast Ohio region SEEMS to be the last vestiges of progressivism. Most of the money the state generates is being fed away from the more urban areas (like the Democratic stronghold of Cleveland/NE).

Tax abatements to industries that promise to bring jobs. Timken, Goodyear, BFGoodrich, etc. I remember only a few years ago, Cleveland was suckered into the abatement to the biotech industry. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING came of it, because the techies decided within two/three years to drop Cleveland like a hot potato. Or, potatoe, if you like Quayle.

Ohio's been bleeding population partly because of the sucky weather, but I think that there has been an intentional push away, with unintentional results.

In fact, I am almost pushing for the turning of Ohio Red, if it is done after the next census (2010) when the state realizes (after re-electing Kerry in another Dem landslide) that the Repub controlled offices have driven everybody away and lost a large number of electoral votes. As long as I'm already far away. (Vegas looks nice for now; if I hit the Mega Millions, I'm there tomorrow.)