A Rush to Judgment...

Enquirer: Come Home, Mr. Mayor

Mark Mallory is a good man from a great family. He is a lousy Mayor and an even less effective leader. That has never been more clear than at this moment in our city's history.

The Cincinnati Enquirer editorial board rightfully took a swipe at the Mayor with today's editorial. Check it out here.

The Mayor's recent travels display an arrogance that he is not typically known for. With the city in the midst of a very tough budget crisis and in an election year, he has been globetrotting mercilessly with nothing to show for his travels. It is almost comical if it weren't so brazen.

Brad Wenstrup is well traveled, too. Only his foreign travel doesn't take him to a sister city visit to Japan or to a boondoggle in Portland. He went to Iraq where he helped heal the wounded and serve our great nation.

Mr. Mallory has a great political name. He has a legendary political family. He is, in the end, a nice and decent guy. But, Dr. Brad Wenstrup is the clear choice to bring bold and experienced leadership to our town.

President Obama Acted "Stupidly"

A Race in the 2nd Congressional, etc.

I see even the Democrats are rejecting my arch-nemesis, the ever-angry Mr. Krikorian. They announced a candidate from the mainstream to run in the 2nd Congressional District. Mr. K is unfit for public office of any kind--period. But, he amuses me and for that, I'm grateful.

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A quick blog post today because much happening. But, everyone is entitled to MY opinion regardless of how busy we are.

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This is the first tabloid presidency lead by a man ill equipped to appreciate the gravity and the importance of leadership. Yes, I long for the days of "W" and his class and dignity in the face of scurrilous and silly attacks on his intelligence and character. This President gets a pass from a docile national media in love with his telegenic charm.This President acted recklessly to call any member of law enforcement "stupid" without all the facts. It is pandering of the worst kind and Americans of EVERY race should reject it.

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We have lots happening at GOP HQ. We are putting together the Hamilton County team for John Kasich for Governor. Want to be part of that leadership team? Email Maggie at maggien@hc-gop.org.

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We have a great group of summer interns working hard for our candidates this summer. Special thanks to this great group of young people for their dedication and hard work. More on them later.

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Sen. DeWine announced his intention to run for Attorney General today. I hate intra-party disputes as I think very well of BOTH men running for this important office. Sen. DeWine has an incredible resume. It should be interesting.

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I feel a momentum shift away from big government and it's good for us.

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How many times will the Democrats fumble health care reform?

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Mayor Mallory is in Portland today. Irresponsible.

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Have a great weekend.

Taxing, Spending, etc.

The liberal Democrats who now run the nation are doing what they have always done: taxing and spending. The Democrats in Washington are about to raise taxes on small business owners to pay for health care. Thomas Donohue, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s biggest business lobby, said this: “The intention of this plan is to tax high-income households, but the real victims would be America’s small business owners... [s]ince when does our great free-market country punish success?” Punishing success is un-American and taxing job-creating small business owners is wrong. Government ought to create an environment where seeking and preserving wealth is encouraged--not punished. This is the fundamental difference between the political parties.

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We were pleased to have Justice Judy Lanzinger of the Ohio Supreme Court in Hamilton County yesterday.

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Rob Portman has $4.35 million on hand in his campaign for the U.S. Senate. That far surpasses any of the other candidates. Surprised? Nobody here is. Rob Portman draws wide support from people everywhere because of his intellect, integrity, and competence. He will be a fantastic United States Senator.

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The Dayton Daily News is the latest Ohio newspaper to join the cacophony of criticism dogging failed Gov. Ted Strickland. In an editorial titled, "Strickland couldn't be more wrong" the editorial's first sentence says: "Gov. Ted Strickland is recklessly, obstinately and selfishly putting Ohio on a horrible course." Very harsh words from an ordinarily Democrat-friendly newspaper. Other highlights include:

• "The public vetting of the governor’s decision has been less than what would be required to pass a resolution naming a state worm."
  
  
• "[W]hat we have is a desperate leader proving his unwillingness to use his bully pulpit to speak truth to taxpayers."
  
  
• "And who knows whether the state will ever be able to undo all the ways in which we will surely get snookered."
  
  
• "This is not the Ted Strickland Ohio elected"

Read the entire editorial here.

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Last month, a Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist wrote, "Governor Strickland is doing an appalling job for Ohio." Read more on that here. In May, the Columbus Dispatch said the Governor was "rejecting reality" and we blogged about it here. Governor Strickland has failed to lead Ohio in difficult times and the voters must make a change in 2010.

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The Hamilton County budget mess continues to get worse. Times are tough.

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Democrat Speaker Pelosi wants to tax millionaires. Fellow Democrat Jeff Berding wants to tax panhandlers. At least the Democrats are consistent across the socioeconomic spectrum.

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Strong, independent newspapers are an asset to the political process. Some Republicans rightly bash many newspapers because of the liberal bent of their editorial boards. But, the non-editorial writers and reporters who try to be fair and get it right are critical to how our democracy works. The Enquirer still has many good reporters covering stories from a non-ideological perspective whenever possible. That is good for politics and for government.

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Have you taken notice of St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols? The Enquirer had an excellent story on him two days ago that I can't find to reproduce here. Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball and is also a stand-up man of great character. It is hard for this Reds fan to admit, but Pujols appears to be a great guy. Read his wiki bio here. He has won the Clemente award for service to baseball and his community. Reportedly, he does not drink or smoke and he is an active Christian. Could we actually have a role model in professional sports?

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Have a great Thursday.

Wenstrup Fundraiser, etc.

Dr. Wenstrup will be having a large fundraising event tonight and I'm honored to be introducing him there. If you want to attend and help Brad as he runs for mayor, contact Maggie Nafziger at maggien@hc-gop.org.

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Ultra-liberal Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist, Connie Schultz, is the wife of ultra-liberal Sen. Sherrod Brown. She recently wrote a column about Gov. Palin. Of course, it was highly critical. You can read it here. Why would I link to this trash? Two reasons. First, it is particularly mean spirited. Second, because of a sentence in the article that is worthy of outrage. Ms. Schultz wrote, "But Palin refuses to acknowledge that trotting them [her children] out time and again during the campaign made them vulnerable to attacks, which indicates an enormous lapse in parental responsibility or an astounding lack of political savvy." I ask Ms. Schultz, what is "trotting them out?" Is Ms. Palin somehow complicit in the David Letterman fiasco? Are President Obama's children "trotted out" when we saw them on the campaign trail? How about all the interest in their new puppy? Are the President and First Lady "trotting out" the girls making them "vulnerable to attacks?" Of course not. This kind of nonsense is why America generally rejects liberals. Ms. Schultz making Gov. Palin complicit and responsible for the reprehensible attacks on these children is outrageous and irresponsible. Shame on her.

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The two political parties in America see economics in two different ways. The Democrats believe government drives job creation and wealth. The Republicans believe that government should only create an environment where private business can prosper and create jobs and wealth. Right now, we're trying it their way. Stay tuned.

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I love this website: http://tinyurl.com/.

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The loss of Peter Bronson and David Wells at the Enquirer is bad for journalism and politics. Yes, Wells was sometimes not with us. But, his voice was crucial. Bronson was always with us. They will both be missed until they pop up elsewhere.

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Great woot today. http://www.woot.com/.

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Vice President Quayle (oops, I mean Biden) is in today.

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Short blog today as lots of catching-up to do.

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Have a great Thursday.

Sunday, etc.

Would the above pool be sufficient to meet the needs of city residents like Greg Harris and Laketa Cole who believe that swimming pools are a "necessary basic service" of government? If so, we could save millions. Pools are not and never will be a "NECESSARY basic service" of government and when liberals use race to argue that they are--they are wrong! Millions of underprivileged kids, regardless of race, grew up without the NECESSITY of a free municipal pool. So can Cincinnati's kids IF city government can no longer afford them.

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Thanks to the many people who sent birthday wishes to me yesterday. It was nice to be remembered.

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Governor Palin's decision to resign makes sense for anyone in the public arena. Being in leadership and in the public arena can be highly taxing and I'm sure Governor Palin was just worn out. What we all do to public figures is unfair, but it comes with the territory. Unless you are Barack Obama.

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Are you on Facebook and Twitter yet? If not, you've got to try them out. Typically, information goes around Facebook/Twitter before it hits any major news outlet. Take the tragic death of Steve McNair as an example. People were tweeting and updating on Facebook an hour before ANY major news outlet was reporting the story. The "viral" nature of these social media is incredible. It is an online universe that candidates and politicians must embrace.

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We have a head-to-head race for who will be the next mayor of Cincinnati. Wenstrup v. Mallory. This is a good thing for the GOP as we can lay out a clear alternative to the failed leadership of the current city government. Help Dr. Wenstrup by visiting www.BradWenstrup.com.

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All five GOP candidates for city council have taken C.O.A.S.T.'s no new tax pledge. I'm proud of that. Our candidates are embracing the core principles of our party during a time where the pressure to burden taxpayers will be the greatest. Our party will return to prominence when we embrace our core principles and stick to them. Financial conservatism is at the core of what we ought to be about. The voters demand it and we should deliver.

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The most recent vote at the city council on the budget was 5-4 with the liberal Democrats carrying the vote for more spending and less fiscal sanity.

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"We have a government we cannot afford." What will we do about that?

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The national news has been quite grim lately. It seems we can't watch any news without a death of some public person being reported. It is a good reminder about the sanctity of life and how precious it is.

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I'm not afraid to say it: ENOUGH of the Michael Jackson story already.

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I'm not afraid to say it: I bought a Big City Slider Station because of Billy Mays.

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I had a Democrat Facebook friend write this to me yesterday, "I hope one year older makes you one year wiser. Maybe you'll learn that answers are better than attacks." This guy, well meaning, doesn't understand my job. It has long been the role of political party leaders to point out contrasts between the political parties. I am an ADVOCATE for my side and, sometimes, that means I must be on the offensive. I don't serve in government. I serve as a party leader. My job is to have Republicans win--everywhere. If you want bi-partisan cooperation for good government, ask a candidate or elected office holder to do that. I prefer Republican candidates who can work effectively with Democrats (i.e. Rob Portman), but my job is to promote Republicans. As Bill O'Reilly says, "wise up!"

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Have a great Sunday.

Necessary Basic Services?

I can't resist...sometimes it is just too easy....

The Enquirer's blog reports that city council member Laketa Cole believes that "pools and recreation centers" are "necessary basic services" of government. Ms. Cole was talking to the Enquirer about the current budget crisis. Here is an excerpt from the blog posting by Enquirer reporter Jane Prendergast:

"She [Ms. Cole] considers pools and recreation centers necessary basic services. She learned to swim at Washington Park pool. She credits her time there and at recreation centers for putting her on the path toward getting her bachelor's degree and now a master's while some of her friends from childhood were having babies as young as 13. Council will have to decide what it considers necessary basic services for the city to provide."

Read the entire blog post here.

Government is out of control when leaders in government make statements like that one. If we get to a point where politicians feel they have to say that swimming pools are a "necessary basic service" to get elected, our democracy is terribly at risk. Swimming pools are not and never will be a "necessary basic service" of government.

Alexander Tyler, an 18th century Scottish history professor, wrote,

"A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result being that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.”

We need to restore sanity to city government--and soon.

Mayor in Japan, etc.

The Enquirer reports that Mayor Mark Mallory is in Gifu, Japan to celebrate 20 years of Gifu being a sister city to Cincinnati. He was in China last summer for a similar celebration. I hope the cost of this trip is not being borne by the taxpayers. I have no reason to think it is, but you can be sure we'll find out. I'll reserve comment until we know.

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Sen. Bob Schuler's Senate seat remains open. The furious lobbying has begun. Sen. Schuler will be missed.

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"Governor Strickland is doing an appalling job for Ohio." Why is this in quotes? Because those words--as true as they are--do not come from me. That is the title of a recent column written by respected political columnist Brent Larkin of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Read his column on Gov. Strickland here. Brent Larkin is not a Republican and hardly a shill for the Ohio GOP. His column is spot-on. About Strickland, he writes, "[N]oboby should believe he's a good governor--because he's not." He then goes on to say, "[t]he lack of leadership this governor has shown throughout this crisis is nothing short of appalling." Tough words. And it doesn't get any nicer after that. Governor Strickland has been a terrible governor of this state. His nice-guy image has certainly worn off as the state faces serious problems that he is incapable of managing. He is playing politics to assure his re-election in 2010 and political observers everywhere are taking notice. The voters are not far behind.

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Speaking of Governors, John Kasich's campaign is in overdrive already. John is a fantastic political candidate and an incredibly intelligent guy. He will be elected our next Governor in 2010.

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Greg Harris voted for the wasteful and unnecessary Environmental Justice Ordinance. He supported Laketa Cole during her dust-up with the police by questioning police tactics rather than condemning her abuse of power. And, now, he is making ridiculous assertions about policing the city. That guy has got to go.

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I can't believe that Al Franken will be a United States Senator. How Minnesotans can get it so right sometimes (Gov. Tim Pawlenty) and so wrong other times (Jesse Ventura and Al Franken) amazes me.

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Back to the Brent Larkin article on Governor Strickland...here are a few more highlights:

• "But that a governor actually advocated a reckless policy that would destroy Ohio's fine system of public libraries shows how completely clueless he is about the state he's lived in pretty much all his life."
  
  
• "Strickland acts as if that future begins and ends with his 2010 re-election campaign."
  
  
• "[H]is administration operates on an inexcusable double standard."
  
  
• "Strickland is, by no small margin, the worst governor for Cleveland in my lifetime."
  
  
• "If Strickland were a Republican, this state's many advocates for children would be burning him in effigy on the Statehouse lawn. But while these folks are extraordinarily well meaning, most are also Democrats. So their criticism of this governor is shamefully gentle. "

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I'm off to the beach.

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Have a great Wednesday.