Thoughts On Ohio Strategy From The Gem City

[andyrowe]

My state is close. Very close. And we will be pivotal as the race tightens. Don't assume we won't need Ohio. This negative crap being flung will unfortunately probably work. We at least need to be prepared for that.

A recent study listed Cleveland as the fastest dying city in the nation. Dayton was listed fifth. Cincinnati is also a crucial part of the state.

As a Dayton resident, and with some knowledge of Cincy, I think the campaign should really attempt to do better at blunting some of the racially-charged sentiment here and throughout the entire southwest region of Ohio. We also really need to maximize our vote in Cleveland.

Some Dayton Facts:

Dayton sadly remains one of the most segregated cities in the nation.

We still have forced busing here and it continues to be a decades-old thorn in the side of race relations here. Dayton also continues to struggle with the great white flight that resulted from this still locally controversial issue.

Montgomery county, where Dayton is located, has been a blue Oasis in the sea of red counties that make up southwest Ohio.

Dayton has one of the worst school systems in the nation.

Dayton has the highest regarded community college in the nation.

Dayton's population shortly after WWII was over 250,000. As suburbs developed in outside counties, the city's population quickly dropped to around 150,000 and hasn't grown much since.

Housing prices here in Dayton have been really really really low for many years now.

Dayton is one of a handful of cities in the nation to have a public transit system comprised of trolley buses powered by a grid of electric power lines. Dayton used to be known as the cleanest city about a half century ago. Dayton is relatively green for a rust belt town.

Dayton's initially become racially segregated after the 1913 flood.

While we're called the gem city (as well as the birthplace of aviation), we also call ourselves the city of invention. What can I say? We invent lots of stuff. Airplanes, pop-top cans, Bart Simpson's voice, ice cube trays, the search engine, the cash register, etc. Obama can really drive the point home here that Dayton is both a symbol of what the nation needs and sadly how far off track the nation has become.

[andyrowe]

1. If I might add...

The mayor of Dayton was one of the primary superdelegates. She caught some flak for coming out for Obama early.