Ted Strickland: I Blame Bush
For someone who up to now has been politically astute, this is an obvious, and apparently unforced, error:
Strickland, speaking at the 2008 legislative preview sponsored by The Associated Press, blamed budget problems in Ohio on the skyrocketing price of oil, mortgage foreclosures and a national economy that has nose-dived in the last year.
“We are paying the price in Ohio for the debacle that is Washington, D.C.,†Strickland said.
He said letters he’s written to federal officials asking for help have elicited little response. He was bipartisan in his blame. He said U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, a Republican, and Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, have mostly remained silent.
“That request has gone largely unheard or ignored,†Strickland said.
The Democratic name throw-ins aren’t hiding the reality that the governor is primarily engaging in an “I blame Bush” exercise.
Can’t wait to hear why Ohio deserves special treatment.
Meanwhile, Indiana’s momentum, noted here in September, continues. While the national unemployment rate went from 4.4% to 5.0% during 2007, Indiana’s dropped from 4.8% to 4.6% (Ohio’s went up from 5.6% to 6.0%).
In early 2008, it seems that the Hoosier jobs machine is ho-humming and ho-humming along quite nicely. Why?
Ben Keeler has more at The Point, as does Matt at Weapons of Mass Discussion.
Interesting… And Sen. Sherrod Brown was on our local radio this morning also blaming Bush for everything. He also tried to explain why this so-called stimulus plan (which will borrow money the same as Bush has done) is somehow right, even though Bush’s borrowing is wrong.
Who are they going to blame next year when the same problems will still exist?
Interview avaialable here: http://www.wspd.com/pages/fredstop10.html
Comment by Maggie — February 8, 2008 @ 9:41 am
#1, Fred did a really good job with that. He had Brown on the pretty defenseless defensive.
I sense a Howard Dean-driven message campaign behind Strick and Brown saying what they said, and how they said it.
Comment by TBlumer — February 8, 2008 @ 10:00 am
If by “politically astute” you mean inorganically passive, well, yeah. My guess is that he’s pissed because he just figgered out he ain’t gonna be Veep.
Ohioans got what they voted for and were warned about: a career underachiever paralyzed by indecision for fear of his poll numbers going down. Now he’s trying to deflect criticism despite doing nothing for 13 months. All the while, Indiana is prospering in the same economic slowdown by employing the same growth stimuli he poo-pooed during his campaigned. Now he’s riding us headlong to MI/NJ status.
Ohio’s new state motto:
Ohio: Oh what might have been.
Comment by Joe C. — February 8, 2008 @ 11:40 am
#3, to be clear, I agree with very little of what he does.
But, with the BIIIIIIG help of OH Old Media (absolutely necessary ingredient), he’s managed to:
- look like the hero in Datagate instead of the goat that he is.
- look like an antigambling person (last year) after letting the gambling companies give money to people like Dann and turning down their gaming machines.
- then (this year) allowing gambling in under state control and making it look he only did because he had to because of the budget situation.
But political astuteness can only get you so far. At some point, you actually have to do something. And it doesn’t shield you from doing something dumb if the national party demands it and you just go along, as I believe is the case with this gaffe.
Comment by TBlumer — February 8, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
TB, You’re right. The Media got him elected, and are keeping him afloat. The Media is starting to crack, however; as can be seen by a recent increase in newspaper articles critical of Gov. Mulligan. If there’s one thing the Media hate, it’s having to admit that conservatives were right, which makes them look bad.
Comment by Joe C. — February 8, 2008 @ 9:28 pm