Buckeye State Blog - OH-Sen: Show Me The Money! [CORRECTED] - Comments

Corrupt too.

thomas100 — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:46:36 -0700

Voinovich was defintely a terrible Gov.

The Tom Noe situation was born under his watch.

Now, his state director, Beth Hansen is Kasich's campaign manager (according to someone high up in the would be gov's campaign - although both of us were admittedly three sheets to the wind when I was told about this - LOL) Doesn't Sen. Voino know its illegal for Fed employees to work on campaigns? I tried emailing Thomas Seward (the only person listed on the Kasich site) but received no answer as to who the campaign manager is. Very bizarre.

Voinovich sucked as governor

Independent55 — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:20:03 -0700

I agree with most of Dion's comments, except that from my perspective I don't agree that Voinovich was a successful governor.

Voinovich came into the governor's office denouncing the Ohio workers' compensation system as "the silent killer of jobs." But as a Feb. 4, 2007 editorial in the Cleveland Plain Dealer points out, his administration's "cure" for the system consisted of allowing "politically connected managed care organizations and third-party administrators to feast at the expense of injured workers and their employers." The result has been, as the editorial also states, that "the cure has itself become a silent killer of jobs."

One of the clearest examples of that is the group-rating program the Voinovich administration set up at the Bureau of Workers' Compensation. The program allows employers to join employer groups to receive discounted premiums based on the claims experience of all employers in a group. Although that concept is in itself good, the discounts were set at such unreasonably high levels that employers who were removed from groups saw their premiums skyrocket by 1,000% or more, causing many to go out of business. (Unless they were politically connected or threatened to go to the media, and thus received secret and illegal fixes on their premiums. But that's another story.)

According to BWC's own statistics, the group-rating program has caused thousands of Ohio employers to go out of business each year. Although the program's unreasonably high discounts are inconsistent with insurance principles, they were set at those levels to enrich the group sponsors and third-party administrators who market the groups to employers. Undoubtedly, those special interests returned the favor by giving big campaign contributions to the politicians who allowed this infernal cash-cow to be established and continue.

Such problems in the workers' comp system have significantly contributed to Ohio's dire economic climate and the state's horrendous budget situation. But no one seems to be talking about that connection nowadays. Possibly the silence is because both parties are raking in campaign contributions from the special interests making huge amounts of money off the current unfair and irrational system.

And, of course, Marc Dann is no longer around to expose the workers' comp corruption, and no one has stepped in to fill the vacuum. Certainly not Lee Fisher, who never seemed interested in addressing this workers' comp problem when he was development director.

Truth be told: Brunner Rocks

Intheknow — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:03:06 -0700

As I might have thrown out conversational verbage, I actually do really like Jennifer Brunner and think that she has dione a lot for the State. Especially if you are comparing her to Blackwell. In her short time she has helped Board of Elections on many fronts and like it has been said, 2008 was an excellent run election. Brunners Senate money is weak but her passion and ability is strong. I do hope she kicks the butt out of Fisher who is from the old school and offers very little. It is time for a change in the Senate that Jennifer will bring!

Fisher Will Still Lose [UPDATE]

Dion — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:31:38 -0700

Fisher will need to raise $2 million plus, to even have a chance.
[UPDATE] Republican Rob Portman raised $1.7 million for his U.S. Senate campaign during the second quarter of 2009 - more money than both his Democratic rivals combined.

The 2010 "off" election, is going to be decided by independent voters, undecided voters and women voters.

1. Brunner will cause Lee Fisher to use funds just to get the nomination from ODP, which is smart on her part. The question is, will the ODP recognize that Brunner is more progressive and will do better at the grassroots level and run a better online campaign, where independent, undecided voter get their information.

2. Lee Fisher is an established losing statewide candidate.
a) The more the economy declines the more Fisher's donations and support will dwindle. Large donors will begin to realize contributing to Fisher's campaign is foolish (which partly accounts for why his family members have given first and the most)
b) Because of the economy, contributions to Republican's will increase and Fisher will receive "token" contributions from supporters hedging their bets. Unless the economy improves Democrats have little chance of gaining offices in 2010. Democrats could potentially lose offices, as they lose influence (such as Kevin Boyce for Treasure). During a budget crisis, Kevin is vulnerable because of the perception that he has Ohio's checkbook. Ohio's budget concerns could hurt Kevin Boyce for Treasurer in the long run. Boyce hasn't "officially" announced (probably because he has no money, less than $10K) Meantime, Josh Mendel has released a $20+ 6 minute video for his announcement. Currently, Ohio Dems are losing!

3. Lee is campaigning for a Senate seat held by a successful, established Republican George Voinovich. Who had the fortune of being in the Gov.'s office during the lowest unemployment in Ohio in 25 years. Voters are not going to send an unsuccessful Democrat to replace a successful Republican and send another Democrat Senator to Washington when Democrats can't even run Ohio.

4. Obama/Democrats are slipping in the polls

5. Strickland (Fisher's boss) is slipping in the Ohio polls and continues to be portrayed by the media as incompetent. Gambling issue, losing NCR.

6. Ohio unemployment is over 11% on the Democrats watch. Read the "Broader unemployment rate" that is more like 18%.

7. Cinematographer Jason Zone-Fisher and his leaked documentary "The Lee fisher Gun Show" isn't/didn't help Candidate Lee Fisher. It demonstrates poor judgment on Lee's part to think it was a good idea to appear on camera shirtless in his sweat pants at 1 AM.

8. Little to no Support from the DNC. Obama will not assist Ted Strickland or Lee Fisher. The best they can hope for is a visit from Joe Bidden (who is an idiot and will make some huge gaffe that will hurt more than help) Strickland didn't support Obama, he supported Hillary and Obama and the DNC won't assist in any meaningful way. The only assistance will come from opportunistic professional campaigners that only care to collect a consultation fee and really don't care if Fisher or Strickland win. Fishers campaign is displaying focused stratigizing, which is the only thing giving him an edge. Once Fisher's campaign finances start running out, so will the high paid campaign DC consultants. And true to form, Fisher has hired some campaign staff losers of his own.

Brunner running grassroots, influencing independent voters, undecided voters and women voters, has the best hope of winning.

Uh, Hello McFly: the 2008 election was largely error-free!

BuckeyeNation — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:07:56 -0700

And uh, Jennifer Brunner made Ohio an exemplar for the 2008 election.

Get it?

A far cry from Blackwell's tin-foil hat brigade and their "accomplishments"at the SOS office before Brunner had to come in, clean up and straighten it out.

Baloney: Brunner has turned the state office around!

Intheknow — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:06:57 -0700

How in the hell does anyone think that she has turned the Secretary of State's Office around. My God, she was running for Senate barely after serving a half of her term. What has she done?

Baloney. Jennifer Brunner will Win the Democratic Primary

BuckeyeNation — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:58:20 -0700

She will have over 1 million in the bank in January.

Fisher may out raise her, but Lee is stuck with his personality and his inability to win elections. Brunner will be competitive with Fisher over the airwaves, and her record, versus Lee's lack of one worth talking about, will resonante on TV. Fisher's TV will remind Dem voters why they've had doubts about him.

Jennifer Brunner has turned around a state office in 2 years that was once an international laughingstock.

Lee will never mention what his job was the past two years.

As the best candidate, Brunner will win every debate against Lee.

She will then win the Democratic primary and defeat Rob W. Portman in the fall.

Response2ModernEsq

ytownboy3 — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:50:36 -0700

ytownboy3 is not a fisher functionary. ytownboy has one objective, preserve Dem influence.....we were in the wilderness too long whilst Repub priorities drove our state off a cliff. strickland inherited that mess and it has handcuffed him from "turning around Ohio." that Ds were united in 2006 made a big difference. then there was the implosion of marc dann which did not help. as much as i think voino is a chump, oh how i wish he had filed for re-election after all. then we would have preserved our unity turning into 2010. as i stated, jen is as entitled as the next person to follow her ambitions....so is lee. i don't give a darn who is lt. gov. i do hate to lose a sure fire winner for an apportionment board seat. however entitled jb is to make the race, it hurts our cause. now it seems we will also have a primary for SOS as well. meanwhile, resentful of being out of power for three years, the other team is uniting with a strong ticket. we can beat her but mary taylor will be tough to beat at auditor. mr. pepper will have to fund his own race. our treasurer is up against a heavily favored oppponent who will raise funds from national sources. because that race will be a lesser priority, our guy will be sacrificed unless ha can win it on his own......meanwhile strickland actually needs a guy like fisher sho can turn out cleve votes, cause right now, the gov is none too popular north of mansfield. apparently that train hath sailed.....whatever chump kasich is, the editorial boards have written strickland off........and they WILL sabotage his re-election bid.... they hate the slots.. ted has painted himself into a corner or his own making..... besides he has given better jobs to repubs than Ds. he has let kim zurz run commerce like her own fiefdom and she has a warm spot for GOPers... it is a fine mess as 2010 approaches. sorry to be cynical but the storm clouds are forming.........we are in trouble.......if repubs rise again. that was my point.......

brunner is toast for 2 reasons:

RMC2000 — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:22:41 -0700

1) her fundraising is terrible: $228 in a quarter are house numbers, not senate numbers; and 2) we all know who votes in ohio democratic primaries: old people (with the occasional college kid), and they know fisher a lot better than they know brunner. the only way brunner tops fisher's name recognition amongst this demographic is by getting on the air early and often, and $400k in half a year (how much on hand?) doesn't get you close. i think brunner would be a better candidate in the general, but let's get real - she's not going to make it past the primary without a huge infusion of cash.

Still Early

Dion — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:18:11 -0700

Brian,

You make a good point about coming out to support Brunner, but do you think that many people are playing a wait- and-see game until we get closer to the election or until the ODP endorses a candidate?

I concur it isn't too soon to start supporting Brunner!

It is sad that a politican with 20 years experience and 4 state wide campaigns, recieves polling responses that state "don't know enough about Lee Fisher." that is very sad.

What have you done to support Brunner?

modernesquire — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:39:43 -0700

I'm just as guilty of this as anyone else, but other than write that you support Brunner, what have you done to support her?

Have you donated to her campaign, held one of the Brunner BBQ fundraisers they encouraged, solicited friends and family to get involved with the campaign? Because we're waiting around for Brunner to do all of this and already you're saying that since she can't do it on her own (no campaign ever has), oh well....

Fisher's fundraising advantage is overstated. A large chunk of that money you're including cannot legally be used in the general election.

Second, Fisher does not have an advantage in statewide name recognition. Look at the latest Quinny poll. 53% of Ohio registered voters say they don't know enough about Lee to say whether they have a favorable or unfavorable impression of him; Brunner's at 56%-- a statistical tie on the name recognition question. Despite 20 years of public service and four prior state-wide campaigns for office, most Ohioans don't know who Lee Fisher is as a candidate. That... is... jaw... dropping.

I'm donating (again) to the Brunner campaign and I'm going to clear my schedule to start doing some offline support for Brunner. Bandwidth alone is not enough to get her elected.

People are not engaged in this election yet, the candidates are in a virtual dead heat among primary voters, and either canidate is still positioned to beat Portman. This campaign is only four months old and it's still the preseason folks. This is as insane as predicting who's going to win the Super Bowl after watching the teams in mini-camp!

Thanks for the Fisher take

modernesquire — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:26:56 -0700

Now, the actual facts. While Fisher hemmed and hawed about running, Brunner was the FIRST to announce her intention to run. So, it's hard for her to be blamed for a lack of unity when it was Fisher who came late to the party.

Grousing and complaints about JBru is sowing seeds of division in the party? From who? I know that's the Fisher's campaign communication strategy by ramping up their negative attacks on her. But I've seen no actual evidence of people blaming BRUNNER for the divisiveness. However, I have seen quite a bit of evidence to suggest that people are upset with Fisher's apparently attempt to engage in divisive tactic by getting his friend in the media to hound Brunner's family over trivial and long-resolved tax matters.

How dare a highly qualified woman like Jennifer Brunner aspire for higher office? Such a misogynistic attack that NOBODY is buying.

Lee could have been the first to announce, he could have brought all these endorsements out the gate almost immediately after Voinovich announced he was retiring (many of the endorsements Fisher is "announcing" were folks who were already known to be publicly supporting him, like Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory.)

Brunner's gaining momentum as Fisher's fundraising wanes. She's on track to raise over a $1 million this year alone, more than enough for her to run a competitive primary.

Um, we already control the State House under the Republican drawn districts. And do you really think no Democrat can hold onto that seat but Brunner?

Get new arguments as to why Brunner shouldn't be running. These arguments are tired and worn out.

Umm..no

O-H...I-O — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:21:51 -0700

Fisher holds a 4:1 money advantage, an advantage in statewide name recognition that probably exceeds the ratio of his funding advantage, and the support of the party establishment. I too intend to vote for Brunner -- assuming she is still a candidate when it's time to vote. I can not foresee any way in which she wins; at this point I hope she makes Fisher a better candidate so we're not represented by Rob Portman.

-Brunner supporter

The exact total matters little

Nifty Lawrence — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:09:25 -0700

$435K vs. 228K? Does it really even matter? Fisher's now raised 4x as much as Brunner & we're still a little less than a year away from the primary. Plus he continues to rack up important endorsements from the rest of the Democratic establishment, while Brunner picks up zero of the same.

The Fat Lady is warming up.

(Standard disclaimer - I don't like Fisher & won't be voting for him)

As they advised in law

ytownboy3 — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:43:44 -0700

As they advised in law school: if the law doesn't help your case, argue the facts; if the facts are bad, argue the law. Since when does $435,000 top $1.9million? When the trend is working in your favor. This is not a good sign for Jen, I don't care how you spin it. This race will glam the headlines, but it is truly the lower priority in an apportionment board year when the pencil is crucial to our side's ability to advance a better agenda for Ohioans. Jen is as entitled as the next person to advance her ambitions. I just wish she had not chosen to do it in an all important year with control of the legislature, at least the House, up for grabs. That is not to suggest that Lee is a better candidate for the job. It was probably eaiser to give up a Lt. Gov spot than an apportionment board seat, that is all. Now I am hearing grousing and complaints about how JBru is sowing seeds a division in the party (I don't buy that, but the sentiment is out there for sure). Raising money is going to become more challenging as the crystal ball points to a solid Repub year based upon a united ticket. Hard to believe we Dems have squandered our unity/advantage so quickly. I would have thought we would have something to build on after 2006. Maybe we just peaked too soon. Thus, the Repubs will likely get another decade to draw the lines and choke our potential with their misguided priorities. In the words of Gomer Pyle: "Shame, shame, shame." And all due respect but the trend, since you like that word, all began when JBru aimed higher........sad but true.

OH-Sen: Show Me The Money! [CORRECTED]

David Potts — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:20:56 -0700

Well both of the Democratic Senate campaigns decided to roll out some fundraising numbers, and their largely what we expected.

First out of the box came Lee Fisher, reporting over $900,000 raised last quarter. Soon after came Brunner, with over ~~$435,000~~ $228,000.

So who wins? I’d have to say Brunner. While her haul wasn’t nearly as big as Fisher’s, the trends are on her side. She’s raising more cash, while Fisher missed his previous mark. Probably more important, right now we’re all focused on what role Fisher’s campaign played in pushing the negative story about Brunner’s son.

Fisher may have the cash, but it’s going to be really hard to capitalize on it.

Correction: As noted in the comments, I mistakenly reported Brunner's total fundraising number instead of just what she raised last quarter. Sorry for any inconvenience.