KEN HARBAUGH ENDORSEMENT
(7TH U.S. HOUSE SEAT)
[WHICH INCLUDES "MOST" OF STARK COUNTY
As regular readers of The Stark County Political Report (SCPR, The Report) know, this blogger covers the Board of Stark County Commissioners meetings which are held nearly every Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in the commissioners' meeting room on the second floor of the Stark County Office Building.
Before the meeting begins, there is often "before going-the-record" banter which is exchanged between one or more of the commissioners, the media, other Stark County political subdivision officials and, sometimes, even a Stark County citizen or two.
Knowing that this blogger has been impressed with the Ken Harbaugh for Congress (the 7th Congressional District, which includes most of Stark County, Commissioner Richard Regula (a Republican) asked the SCPR if The Report had seen The Canton Repository endorsement of Democrat Harbaugh of Lorain County over incumbent Republican congressman Bob Gibbs of Holmes County on the October 23rd edition of the paper.
(See a SCPR planned blog featuring a video of the debate on Tuesday, next week)
"No!" this astonished blogger replied.
What's more interesting about this endorsement is that the board likely knows that Gibbs' campaign staffers appear to be strategically placing out "internal" polling indicating that Harbaugh has a 15 point polling lead over Harbaugh.
The SCPR thinks that this "plant" is just that for several reasons.
First, why would Gibbs "all-of-a-sudden" agree to a one-on-one debate with Harbaugh on Monday evening at Ashland University if he has a statistically safe lead?
Secondly, the Harbaugh campaign intensity level, as noted by the editors, is about as striking to local media as we experience. It is hard to believe that the impressive effort is not having an effect to Harbaugh's advantage.
Thirdly, local "organized" Republicans do not mock the suggestion that Ken Harbaugh might be on the brink of pulling one of the biggest political upsets that Ohio has seen in modern times.
They seem confident that Gibbs will win, but dismissively so.
The SCPR thinks that this "plant" is just that for several reasons.
First, why would Gibbs "all-of-a-sudden" agree to a one-on-one debate with Harbaugh on Monday evening at Ashland University if he has a statistically safe lead?
Secondly, the Harbaugh campaign intensity level, as noted by the editors, is about as striking to local media as we experience. It is hard to believe that the impressive effort is not having an effect to Harbaugh's advantage.
Thirdly, local "organized" Republicans do not mock the suggestion that Ken Harbaugh might be on the brink of pulling one of the biggest political upsets that Ohio has seen in modern times.
They seem confident that Gibbs will win, but dismissively so.
Not long ago Repository publisher let it be known in his weekly Sunday column that he is a registered Republican.
To boot, The Rep endorsed Gibbs in the 2016 7th Congressional District race.
Finally, this editorial endorsed far more Republicans in this election cycle season than Democrats.
Finally, this editorial endorsed far more Republicans in this election cycle season than Democrats.
Putting the foregoing multiple points together, it was hard to imagine that Democrat Harbaugh would be getting The Rep's endorsement.
To their credit, the editorial board members thought long and hard about whom the board would endorse.
Of all the candidates in all the races affecting the Stark County area, we’ve found no candidate who matches Harbaugh’s drive, passion and ability to connect with voters the way Harbaugh does. He calls the process “listening, learning, understanding and acting.”
We call it effective and believe it can translate to Washington. For that reason, we endorse Harbaugh for the 7th District seat.
The SCPR does not do endorsements.
However, it is easy for readers to figure out whom among Stark County connected candidates for political office impresses this blogger.
Unfortunately, very few candidates do.
Usually, the SCPR's take on candidates for most races is a mixed bag.
There is no doubt about it.
Over the combined 60 years in the back and forth between the House and Senate to overcome the term limits factor, this duo certainly done some "good' things for Ohio and Stark County.
Oelslager's work on open government and Schuring's on economic development enabling legislature are noteworthy and deserving of "atta boys."
And the SCPR can cite a number of other examples wherein both have stepped up and done democratic-republican system enhancing and civic (not necessarily political party benefiting) actions.
And the SCPR can cite a number of other examples wherein both have stepped up and done democratic-republican system enhancing and civic (not necessarily political party benefiting) actions.
However, there have been some things that have not been "good" for Stark County localities such has joining with Republican governor John Kasich beginning in 2011 to pretty much gut state of Ohio "local government" funding.
Also, they have done nothing to curb and over time eliminate the Ohio General Assembly's:
- penchant for laying "unfunded" state mandates on local governments,
- which in addition to the local government fund cuts,
- combined with the ending of Ohio's Estate Tax and a few other revenue enhancing local government funding sources
to undermine the fiscal viability of the level of government (i.e. cities, villages, townships and boards of education) to which Stark County citizens have the most "influential" connection.
Moreover, both have participated in the Ohio Republican legislative caucuses drive to subvert the financial viability of the public school system (while accepting substantial campaign financial contributions from the "for profit" charter school [including the ECOT online school] movement in supporting legislation that has cost Stark County school districts million upon millions of state of Ohio education K-12 funding.
The Rep has endorsed both.
And based on some of the work they have done over their combined 60 years, the endorsements make sense.
Especially in light of the fact that the Stark County Democratic Party has utterly failed at the hand of the last three or four chairpersons to come up with promising, viable candidates to challenge the duo.
However, in endorsing Oelslager and Schuring, The Rep editorial board fails to mention their respective shortcomings as amply cited in this blog and thereby fail to send the message that they need to do better and Stark County's only countywide newspaper will be holding them accountable (chapter and verse) on the specifics of various matters they act upon.
Just as The Rep and the SCPR and 7th District constituents need to hold Ken Harbaugh accountable for his "Country Over Party" promise to 7th District voters should he be elected.
The "crown-jewel: of Schuring and Oelslager's work in the OGA supported the undermining of "one-person, one-vote" in their support for Republican gerrymandering of Ohio federal (i.e. the U.S. House of Representatives) and state legislative districts.
One of the reasons that Ken Harbaugh faces an uphill battle to win congressional office lies with the Jane Timkens of the world.
She and the likes of Oeslager, Schuring and Christina Hagan (the 50th) have worked to "stack the deck" for a Republican in federal legislative districts.
Not only the 7th. But also the 16th (which Christina Hagan herself tried to benefit from personally in running in 2018 to be the Republican nominee in the 16th And, the 13th which was gerrymandered by Statehouse Republicans to fit as many Democrats as possible in that district and thereby deprive Alliance area registered Republicans and independence an opportunity to hear their voices heard.
Believe me, the SCPR is well aware that there are Stark County "organized" Democratic Party
leaders (e.g. former Stark Dems chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr.) who subscribe to the Timken standard.
The great rejoinder has always been: "the other party does it."
And such has been historically true.
The rebuttal to the rejoinder is: "Both parties have been 'wrong' in that thereby the severely damage the public confidence in the fairness of our system of government as perverted by political parties.
She and the likes of Oeslager, Schuring and Christina Hagan (the 50th) have worked to "stack the deck" for a Republican in federal legislative districts.
Not only the 7th. But also the 16th (which Christina Hagan herself tried to benefit from personally in running in 2018 to be the Republican nominee in the 16th And, the 13th which was gerrymandered by Statehouse Republicans to fit as many Democrats as possible in that district and thereby deprive Alliance area registered Republicans and independence an opportunity to hear their voices heard.
Believe me, the SCPR is well aware that there are Stark County "organized" Democratic Party
The great rejoinder has always been: "the other party does it."
And such has been historically true.
The rebuttal to the rejoinder is: "Both parties have been 'wrong' in that thereby the severely damage the public confidence in the fairness of our system of government as perverted by political parties.
The SCPR applauds The Canton Repository Editorial Board for supporting the notion of "the interests of Americans, Ohioans and Stark Countians" in support of the Harbaugh candidacy.
Republicans, Democrats and independents should take The Rep's endorsement of Democrat Ken Harbaugh to heart in light of The Report's belief that the editorial board would have preferred to be in a position to re-endorse Bob Gibbs for another term.
The Repository Editorial Board put it best with this endorsement language:
Congress needs more representatives who will roll up their sleeves, like Harbaugh did here all those months ago. It needs an infusion of accountability — pick the political party; it doesn’t matter — and more people who are willing to get their nose bloodied. (If you haven’t seen the Harbaugh TV ad, you probably will in the final weeks before Nov. 6.)
“I think the choice is clear,” Harbaugh said. “And voters are remarking about that choice. They don’t want someone who votes with his party 99 percent of the time in a district that’s largely independent.”
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