Dave Yost Wins BIG Over DeWine in Butler County… (Also see Follow-up)
Matt over at WMD has all the details!
Doesn’t get much better than that for a candidate. I expect Warren & Clermont to follow suit.
What degree of “take your head out of your arse” party hack would actually vote for Mike DeWine, the man lost to a socialist with $20 million in his war chest, is beyond me, but I do know this: If the frat boys @ the state GOP blow the opportunity to show good faith by getting behind Yost (after shoving Mr. Samsonite — as in has more baggage than — for Secretary of State down our throats), then they will diminish the political pendulum shift to the point where no one who wins will have the clear mandate that is needed.
If/when that happens, be ready, because they will blame conservatives…they always do. Kevin DeWine did it last year, so all he has to do is change the date of the memo. That guy he is getting to be about as lame as Michael Steele…
_____________________________________________
FOLLOW-UP (from Tom): Here’s some of the Middletown Journal’s coverage by the WMD’s fave, the intrepid Josh Sweigart –
Local GOP snubs DeWine in attorney general bid
Republican panel endorses Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost.Local ties and name recognition weren’t enough for former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine to get support for state office from what one observer called an “angry crowd” at a Butler County GOP meeting Thursday, Nov. 12.
Instead, the party endorsed Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost in the leadup to the Republican primary for state attorney general.Yost called the move a “game-changer” in his bid to challenge incumbent Attorney General Richard Cordray, a Democrat, next year.
…. “Basically, he (DeWine) was paying for his past sins,” said (Butler County Sheriff Rick) Jones, criticizing DeWine as too liberal for, among other things, supporting gun control and being soft on illegal immigration.
“It was an angry crowd,” Jones said of the question-and-answer session preceding the vote. He said DeWine was “shocked” and shook his head as the results came in.
Yost called this evidence that DeWine’s support from Ohio Republicans is waning as the May primary approaches.
…. A poll this summer by DeWine’s campaign showed him with 82 percent of support among Republicans.
But Yost said a poll last week showed that had slipped to 58 percent, or 22 percent when likely Republican primary voters were reminded of DeWine’s voting record.
As detailed in my Comment 1 below, four years ago in the U.S. Senate GOP primary campaign, county endorsement defeats happened repeatedly, and at the hands of virtually unknown challengers, but DeWine took a primary victory by dodging direct contact with his opponents and relying on the power of incumbency.
Those advantages are gone. Dave Yost is in political office, is doing a great job, and holds positions compatible with sensible conservatism and the rising tide of constitutional populism. All DeWine has left, and all DeWine’s defenders can cling to, is “name recognition.” Big whoop — Republican and sensible conservative voters overwhelmingly recognize that the name DeWine has a synonym: RINO.
DeWine’s “shock” should have been in the form or, “Dang, I had no idea I was so out of touch with the sensible conservative mainstream.”
Now you know, Mike. Get out while the gettin’ out is good.
Yost won 119-50, with 5 “no endorsements” and, based on total ballots in other votes, 7 abstains. That’s a serious butt-kicking.
Almost every time Mike DeWine has gotten in front of Republican committees in a legitimate endorsement process during the past four years, he has been beaten like a drum.
Let’s recap, shall we? Here goes — this is from the April 15, 2006 Columbus Dispatch covering the 2006 Senate primary, with blog links to further specifics added within:
To be “fair,” DeWine won Miami County. You don’t even want to know the story behind that fiasco.
Adding strength to the argument:
- In 2006, DeWine didn’t even get past the first ballot in Fulton County against two guys who have never held political office.
- In Hamilton County, DeWine was only “endorsed” because the whole process was rigged to the point of being literally scripted.
- I may be wrong, but I don’t believe Mike DeWine EVER actually spoke on his issue positions or substantively on his political beliefs in a forum where either of his two other challengers were present during the entire 2006 primary season.
Almost four years later, Butler Co. has shown that when you put DeWine up against just one guy who IS in office, he gets trounced.
What part of “no” don’t you understand, Mike? If this were “The Gong Show,” DeWine would have gotten the hook long ago.
If three of OH’s reddest counties indeed go for Yost, as you expect, what does DeWine think he accomplishes by pressing on? It’s not like he’s a new candidate who isn’t known, or who isn’t getting his message out.
Matt’s first post on the county endorsements is also very good, esp his last two bullets (and I do mean bullets).
I would suggest that there is a likely high correlation between those on whom Matt might “bring down the house” and those who support DeWine over Yost, or who sat on the sidelines at crunch time.
Comment by TBlumer — November 16, 2009 @ 10:15 am
Telling are the incumbents who are privately supporting DeWine.
Funny, the “Establishment” tells (”influences”) “important people” to publicly sing the praises of SOS Samsonite but to privately push DeWine. Why? Because they know that the electorate does not want DeWine and as such will reject them both.
Mmmmm-boy, the smell of P*$$ in/around that ORP tent (the whole campsite actually) just keeps getting more unbearable by the minute.
Comment by Rose — November 16, 2009 @ 5:23 pm