UPDATED: 9:00 AM
GIBBS CAMPAIGN STRATEGY:
TO AVOID THE TOUGH QUESTIONS & INCISIVE REPORTING?
EXTRACT FROM POLITICO 06/0/2018 & HARBAUGH CAMPAIGN WEBSITE
In the Trump era, as Republican vulnerability has mounted, the GOP has targeted Pelosi yet again. Last summer, when the Democrat Jon Ossoff showed surprising strength in a special election for a House seat in Georgia, Republicans responded with millions of dollars in ads tying him to Pelosi. “Say No to Pelosi’s Yes Man,” a GOP commercial instructed. (Peter Binart, The Atlantic, April 2018)
As The Stark County Political Report (SCPR, The Report) sees it, Ohio 7th Congressional District
- (which includes "most" of Stark County and is the most populous part of the district)
Republican incumbent Bob Gibbs is vulnerable to being unseated in November.
A look at the 2016 numbers for the 7th Congressional District show that a Harbaugh campaign focus on Stark, Lorain (Harbaugh's home county). Medina and Tuscarawas County (63% of the 2016 election vote in the 7th) offers an opportunity for the Democratic candidate to flip the district from Republican to Democratic in 2018.
Undoubtedly incumbent Gibbs would like to tar and feather his Democratic opponent Ken Harbaugh as being a Yes Man supportive of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi becoming speaker once again in the next Congress as many political pundits believe that the Democrats will win a majority in November.
A Ken Harbaugh victory early in national election results on November 6, 2018 would be a clear signal that there the election will produce a Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
A look at the 2016 numbers for the 7th Congressional District show that a Harbaugh campaign focus on Stark, Lorain (Harbaugh's home county). Medina and Tuscarawas County (63% of the 2016 election vote in the 7th) offers an opportunity for the Democratic candidate to flip the district from Republican to Democratic in 2018.
CLICK ON ABOVE IMAGE TO MAKE LARGER
Undoubtedly incumbent Gibbs would like to tar and feather his Democratic opponent Ken Harbaugh as being a Yes Man supportive of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi becoming speaker once again in the next Congress as many political pundits believe that the Democrats will win a majority in November.
A Ken Harbaugh victory early in national election results on November 6, 2018 would be a clear signal that there the election will produce a Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In recent edition of POLITICO, this headline:
As shown in the lead graphic in this blog, Ken Harbaugh is among the 21 Democratic general election 2018 candidates hopefuls, who are on the record as saying that there will be NO on Nancy Pelosi should the Dems capture the House and should she be a candidate for the speakership.
The Politico article credits Connor Lamb winner of a Pennsylvania special election over a bankrolled Republican candidate supported by Donald Trump with a campaign appearance as starting a trend among aspirant Democratic candidates to come out "in-advance" saying, if elected, they will not vote to reinstall Pelosi as speaker.
However, it might be that the attribution to Lamb is incorrect.
This in a communication from the Harbaugh campaign:
"Ken has consistently said that it is time for a new generation of leadership for over a year now."
As evidence of Harbaugh's early stance of "No on Pelosi for speaker," go to this Wall Street Journal LINK.
Moveover, here is a LINK to a CNN piece in March, 2018 a confirming evidence of Harbaugh's "No on Pelosi for speaker" stance.
It could be that Bob Gibbs will ignore the documented stance of Ken Harbaugh on Pelosi and buy into the Republican Party attack line no matter what the evidence is.
If he does so, to the SCPR, such will be evidence that he knows he is in political trouble and is reacting out of desperation.
Hopefully, Gibbs will not engage in political tripe and will vie with Harbaugh face-to-face in joint Town Hall meetings on "real" issues that everyday 7th Congressional District constituents care about.
As evidence of Harbaugh's early stance of "No on Pelosi for speaker," go to this Wall Street Journal LINK.
Moveover, here is a LINK to a CNN piece in March, 2018 a confirming evidence of Harbaugh's "No on Pelosi for speaker" stance.
It could be that Bob Gibbs will ignore the documented stance of Ken Harbaugh on Pelosi and buy into the Republican Party attack line no matter what the evidence is.
If he does so, to the SCPR, such will be evidence that he knows he is in political trouble and is reacting out of desperation.
Hopefully, Gibbs will not engage in political tripe and will vie with Harbaugh face-to-face in joint Town Hall meetings on "real" issues that everyday 7th Congressional District constituents care about.
The SCPR sees Harbaugh about as political centrist of a candidate that Democrats can field.
And in committing to bipartisan if not nonpartisan representation in Congress (i.e. "Country over Party" campaign theme), he makes himself more attractive (than merely being a political centrist) as a new wave type of congressperson.
Here is his statement to The Report:
And in committing to bipartisan if not nonpartisan representation in Congress (i.e. "Country over Party" campaign theme), he makes himself more attractive (than merely being a political centrist) as a new wave type of congressperson.
Here is his statement to The Report:
What I am hearing all across Ohio is that people are tired of a broken Congress that will not work for them.
They want representatives who will reach across the aisle and solve problems for workers and families.
We need a new generation of leadership in Washington, people who have put their lives on the line to serve. That’s what I did in the United States military. And that is the kind of courage we need in Congress today.
We need fighters who will have the tough conversations, who will knock on thousands of doors, who will hold Town Halls, and look voters in the eye. That is the way forward for our country. That is the way forward for Ohio.
Readers of this blog owe it to themselves in the name of getting to know this guy and become a more informed voter, to go to a SCPR blog of March 15, 2018 to see and hear Harbaugh on the many issues he was peppered with at a Town Hall meeting held at the VFW located in Canton. (LINK to second blog on Harbaugh Town Hall)
The Harbaugh campaign readily agreed to allow the SCPR videotape Ken's Canton Town Hall meeting of March 15th.
The Gibbs campaign denied The Report access to his Town Hall meeting in Shelby, Ohio, on April 3, 2108, to wit:
The SCPR's request:
From: Martin Olson [mailto:tramols@att.net] Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2018 10:19 AM
To: Sroka, Will
Subject: Gibbs' Shelby Ohio Town Hall meeting - request for press credentials
Attention Campaign Manager,
The Stark County Political Report (SCPR, The Report has interest in covering the Gibbs' campaign Shelby, Ohio Town Hall meeting scheduled for April 3, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. Here is a LINK1 and LINK2 to the SCPR's coverage of the Harbaugh Town Hall meeting held in Canton on March 23rd for the Gibbs' campaign to get an idea of how The Report covers/reports on events such as political town halls.
If permitted by the Gibbs' campaign, the SCPR is considering covering the Shelby event though (a one hour and one-half hour trip, one way) of course, the preference is to cover a future Stark County sited town hall. The SCPR's videotapes the entire proceeding but does ask for a post-event (after Congressman Gibbs has talked with all his well-wishers) to do about a 5 to 10 [minute] interview, one-on-one.
Is there any plan to have a Gibbs' Town Hall Stark County sited event? If so, an approximate date please? If not, why no inasmuch as Stark County is the largest population locale within the 7th congressional district?
Thank you,
Martin Olson: Stark County Political Report
The Gibbs' campaign denial of SCPR request:
----- Forwarded Message -----From: "Gerber, Dallas" <Dallas.Gerber@mail.house.gov>To: "tramols@att.net" <tramols@att.net> Sent: Tuesday, April 3, 2018 10:16 AM
Subject: Fwd: Gibbs' Shelby Ohio Town Hall meeting - request for press credentials
Martin, this is an official event, not a campaign event. If you would like to be notified of future campaign events in stark, I will forward you your info to campaign staff for that.
Dallas Gerber
Post Shelby appearance local (Shelby media) coverage and SCPR response thereto:
Martin Olson <tramols@att.net> Apr 12 at 9:21
To: Victoria.VanBuskirk@mail.house.gov
[SCPR} Comment: Whatever Mr. Gerber want to call it, the Shelby event dealt with issues/matters that will bear on the question of whether or not Congressman Gibbs gets re-elected.
I have seen the Shelby newspaper's account of the meeting.
I daresay that most 7th Congressional District voters would not agree with Mr. Gerber's characterization of the event not being relevant to Congressman Gibbs effort to remain in office.
His characterization amounts to a "distinction without a difference."
VanBuskirk's response to SCPR:
As promised, forwarding of exchange between SCPR and Gibbs.
(Note: SCPR buttonholed VanBuskirk at a Stark County commissioners meeting she attended about a month ago, more or less) representing the office of Congressman Gibbs which has a seemingly "never open to the Stark County public" presence in the Stark County office building in which, of course, the commissioners' office is located)
Hopefully, Bob Gibbs will hold "joint' Town Hall meetings with Harbaugh across the 7th in which they engage unfiltered questions from "first come, first serve" attendees and "open" to "all" media coverage.
If he runs away and hides from Harbaugh as the SCPR thinks he will do based on his early indication:
The Gibbs campaign denied The Report access to his Town Hall meeting in Shelby, Ohio, on April 3, 2108, to wit:
The SCPR's request:
From: Martin Olson [mailto:tramols@att.net] Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2018 10:19 AM
To: Sroka, Will
Subject: Gibbs' Shelby Ohio Town Hall meeting - request for press credentials
Attention Campaign Manager,
The Stark County Political Report (SCPR, The Report has interest in covering the Gibbs' campaign Shelby, Ohio Town Hall meeting scheduled for April 3, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. Here is a LINK1 and LINK2 to the SCPR's coverage of the Harbaugh Town Hall meeting held in Canton on March 23rd for the Gibbs' campaign to get an idea of how The Report covers/reports on events such as political town halls.
If permitted by the Gibbs' campaign, the SCPR is considering covering the Shelby event though (a one hour and one-half hour trip, one way) of course, the preference is to cover a future Stark County sited town hall. The SCPR's videotapes the entire proceeding but does ask for a post-event (after Congressman Gibbs has talked with all his well-wishers) to do about a 5 to 10 [minute] interview, one-on-one.
Is there any plan to have a Gibbs' Town Hall Stark County sited event? If so, an approximate date please? If not, why no inasmuch as Stark County is the largest population locale within the 7th congressional district?
Thank you,
Martin Olson: Stark County Political Report
The Gibbs' campaign denial of SCPR request:
----- Forwarded Message -----From: "Gerber, Dallas" <Dallas.Gerber@mail.house.gov>To: "tramols@att.net" <tramols@att.net> Sent: Tuesday, April 3, 2018 10:16 AM
Subject: Fwd: Gibbs' Shelby Ohio Town Hall meeting - request for press credentials
Martin, this is an official event, not a campaign event. If you would like to be notified of future campaign events in stark, I will forward you your info to campaign staff for that.
Dallas Gerber
Post Shelby appearance local (Shelby media) coverage and SCPR response thereto:
Martin Olson <tramols@att.net> Apr 12 at 9:21
To: Victoria.VanBuskirk@mail.house.gov
[SCPR} Comment: Whatever Mr. Gerber want to call it, the Shelby event dealt with issues/matters that will bear on the question of whether or not Congressman Gibbs gets re-elected.
I have seen the Shelby newspaper's account of the meeting.
I daresay that most 7th Congressional District voters would not agree with Mr. Gerber's characterization of the event not being relevant to Congressman Gibbs effort to remain in office.
His characterization amounts to a "distinction without a difference."
VanBuskirk's response to SCPR:
As promised, forwarding of exchange between SCPR and Gibbs.
(Note: SCPR buttonholed VanBuskirk at a Stark County commissioners meeting she attended about a month ago, more or less) representing the office of Congressman Gibbs which has a seemingly "never open to the Stark County public" presence in the Stark County office building in which, of course, the commissioners' office is located)
Hopefully, Bob Gibbs will hold "joint' Town Hall meetings with Harbaugh across the 7th in which they engage unfiltered questions from "first come, first serve" attendees and "open" to "all" media coverage.
If he runs away and hides from Harbaugh as the SCPR thinks he will do based on his early indication:
- that he cannot abide the candid coverage of the likes of the SCPR, and
- that he decides to adopt an apparent GOP mid-term congressional election plan to launch Pelosi-esque attacks,
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