DISCUSSION: ARE EVERYDAYS TO BE TRUSTED?

It was everyday people bashing time at the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce legislative luncheon yesterday! (June 23rd)

No surprise here.

Chamber types are well-known for their disdain for the average person.

Republican Schuring (running against John Boccieri in the 16th Congressional District) and Republican Hagan (running against Pete Ferguson for Stark County commissioner) could pay a political price for being against legislation designed to improve the lot of working class folks who work for employers employing 25 or more people. Why? Because a recent Quinnipiac poll shows that this kind of legislation is widely support across political party affiliation lines (83%, Democrats, 56%, Republicans and 68%, Independents)

The reported comments of Schuring and State Rep. Stephen Slesnick (52nd) clearly indicate they do not trust beneficiaries of this law (if it passes) to handle the new benefit responsibly. The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) is taken aback how openly suspicious of the honesty of working class people that the reported statements of Schuring and Slesnick indicate.

Noted in absence from the event (The Report take to be a distancing maneuver) is state Senator Boccieri. Chamber types want to make it the chamber versus unions issue. But the poll seems to undercut this spin. Boccieri does, indeed, have union support in his 16 District Congression race whereas Schuring virtually has none. So for a number of reasons, The Report believes that Boccieri is at - the very least - neutral on the effort to pass this legislation.

If this law passes a vote of the people in November, scores of Ohioans and, of course, Stark Countians, who currently have no sick leave will be entitled to 7 days in any given year.

Democrat Slesnick, who is a shoe-in [given his heavily Democratic "working class" district] in November and Republican Oelslager, who is running unopposed thanks to Stark County Democratic Party chair Johnnie A. Maier, Jr., will pay no price. One does have to wonder if Slesnick is spawning a Democrat opponent (more friendly to organized labor causes) in the 2010 Democratic primary by taking such a pro-business stance on this issue.

Question: How much is this issue likely to cost Schuring and Hagan in the November, 2008 election? Will it help Boccieri defeat Schuring in November?