With a heavy-handed top-down approach, the ORP wants to force-feed former U.S. Senator Mike DeWine to you as the GOP nominee for Ohio Attorney General.
Yes, this is the former U.S. Senator who lost to a liberal Democrat, Sherrod Brown, in 2006. For the record, neither I nor my family members voted for DeWine in the GOP primary of 2006. William Pierce and David Smith were both more palatable than DeWine.
In the general election for U.S. Senate in 2006, yes, we voted for DeWine and not Sherrod Brown.
This year, though, if Mike DeWine is the GOP nominee, my family members will be voting for Richard Cordray. Richard Cordray. Let me say that again, because I know that there are some bloggers with a long memory, especially on the left side of the aisle that know I’ve taken jabs at Richard Cordray in the past. Richard Cordray.
If David Yost, who has served as Delaware County Prosecutor, is on the GOP primary ballot, my family will be voting for Yost. If Yost is the GOP nominee for AG in the fall, my family will support Yost.
The Republican Party of a few Ohio counties have made endorsements in the AG race already. So far, those counties have all weighed in on the side of David Yost, including Huron County’s GOP. None have endorsed DeWine. Kevin DeWine, a cousin of Mike DeWine, is the chair of the Ohio Republican Party, and it is readily apparent that he is his cousin’s crony because he is doing everything he can to muscle David Yost out of the GOP primary for AG to clear the way for Mike DeWine to be unopposed in the primary.
But let me say it again, if Mike DeWine is the nominee, my family will be voting for Richard Cordray. I know this because I’ve already had this discussion with my family numerous times.
Boy, will I be eating a lot of crow if I’m endorsing Richard Cordray for AG this fall, but better to eat crow than to vote for Mike DeWine as AG.
And here’s a simple message to Mike DeWine so that he understands at least one principle: A candidate’s views on the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution are, indeed, relevant to making a choice about who should be our next Ohio Attorney General. Sorry, but this is an issue that cannot be swept under the rug or overlooked in an AG race.
Besides the cronyism on full display by ORP chair Kevin DeWine, I suspect that other Washington DC insiders, like Rob Portman and John Kasich, may be complicit in the maneuverings that blocked Mary Taylor from running for U.S. Senate, or even Ohio Auditor, in order to bait a trap for David Yost (who has also served as a Delaware County Auditor) to abandon the Attorney General race and place him in the Ohio Auditor race.
When it comes to the Ohio Auditor race, the ORP dropped the ball. There was a vacuum for the space of a few days. The vacuum can’t remain empty. So Seth Morgan, currently a state rep, declared his candidacy for Ohio Auditor. The most persuasive argument Mary Taylor made during her campaign for Ohio Auditor in 2006, was that she was eminently qualified for the job, because she was an actual CPA. Seth Morgan is also a CPA, and, though he got a late start due to Kasich’s meddling, Morgan can tout that credential as the trump card in the race against the Democrat nominee.
So, to the ORP, don’t bother with recruiting an Auditor candidate now. That problem has already been taken care of. You had the chance, but you fumbled the ball, and Seth Morgan recovered it.
If Seth Morgan and David Yost face off in a primary for Auditor, I will be endorsing Seth Morgan for Auditor. The CPA credential is a persuasive one. But I’d also have to endorse Morgan to punish the ham-handedness of the ORP in trying to pull everyone’s strings.
Am I a lone voice in the wilderness? A solitary blogger in pajamas? According to the counties that endorsed so far for AG, no, I’m not alone. My views on this matter are widely held among the grassroots. Furthermore, for your reading pleasure, I’d like to plug the following blog articles:
At Weapons of Mass Discussion: The Fight for the Very Soul of the ORP
At BizzyBlog: Kevin DeWine, Screwing Up A Perfectly Perfect Storm . . .
At Buckeye Firearms Association: Ohio GOP chair Kevin DeWine attempts to clear path for anti-gun cousin Mike’s return to power
At From the Rust Belt, three posts: 1) Kevin DeWine: Let’s Snatch Defeat From the Jaws of Victory; 2) An Establishment Blog Sides With . . . The Establishment; and 3) Ohio Rages Against the Machine
Some say it would take a bozo of a GOP chair to screw up statewide elections this time around. We may just have a bozo on our hands. We shall see.
Buckeye RINO 
January 23, 2010 at 9:37 pm
Daniel – are you saying that you believe that all these maneuverings are JUST because of Mike DeWine? Gawd – even I’d have a hard time really believing that, though I do see your dot to dot connections. Just want to be sure I understand.
January 23, 2010 at 10:31 pm
In the absence of full transparency on the part of the ORP, why not put it out there like that? If they want to disagree, then come clean about all the backroom dealings wherein Mary Taylor is now a candidate for Lieutenant Governor, and David Yost is having his arm twisted so hard it might get broken. It’s not lost on me that the AG candidate DeWine and the ORP chair DeWine share the same last name.
It could very well be that it’s all about Mike DeWine. I’m very comfortable stating it like that. Where’s the proof otherwise?
It could be a cabal between 3 Washington DC insider candidates, Portman, Kasich, and DeWine, all wanting to get back in the game with Taylor and Yost as pawns. If the 3 get elected, it is said that Portman may try to run for POTUS in 2016. Kasich may try to run for POTUS in 2012, and perhaps Mary Taylor was tapped as Lt. Gov. candidate because Kasich had to think about gubernatorial succession in case he didn’t serve out his full term. As for Mike DeWine, I’m not sure what his next move would be, but he sure is making an unwanted nuisance out of himself.
Some see DeWine’s candidacy as part of a bigger national picture wherein Senator John McCain is trying to strengthen the bloc of Republican officeholders that adhere closely to his views, with Charlie Crist, campaigning for Senate in Florida, being another McCain ally. Maybe it’s all about DeWine for AG right now because it was all about McCain for President in 2008, and McCain’s tentacles are still everywhere. If such is the case, then, yes, heaven and earth will be moved for DeWine.
I have no desire to see DeWine make a comeback. He can stay gone.
January 24, 2010 at 8:22 am
BR, I agree with you 100% Great Post!
Both DeSlimes should be run out of OH for good!
January 24, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Thanks for chiming in.
January 26, 2010 at 6:03 pm
You are hardly alone.
January 31, 2010 at 8:16 pm
On Monday, February 1st at 6PM, the Ohio Republican party is holding a meeting in Columbus to endorse candidates for State Auditor and Attorney General. As you may already know in the past week, candidate Dave Yost dropped his bid for AG and is running for auditor. This leaves Mike DeWine unchallenged in his race for AG. This also presents a big problem because state rep Seth Morgan from Dayton was already running for auditor. This entire fiascos was engineered by ORP Chairman Kevin DeWine to clear the way for his cousin Mike to run with a free pass. This also pits two conservative candidates against each other in a primary, an unnecessary waste of time, money and we look like fools.
I asked that tomorrow you join me and others from similar organizations to peacefully demonstrate outside the HQ of the Ohio Republican party to encourage members NOT to endorse any candidates, especially before the primary.
Why is this so important? I am a member of the Butler County GOP Central committee and I can’t even get my State GOP reps to return emails or calls, so I have no idea how they will vote tomorrow. I do know that earlier this year our county GOP endorsed Yost over DeWine by a whopping 60%-40%, but that’s before Yost pulled the bait-and–switch to auditor upon Kevin DeWine’s instructions. Mike DeWine has a clear RINO based history and we voted him out last time, and he will loose in November, handing the liberals yet another Ohio victory. The State Central Committee has NOT interviewed or heard from any of the candidates, so what will be the basis for their vote?
While the Tea Parties are not affiliated with the GOP, many of it’s members used to consider themselves republicans until they lost their way. This will not be a Tea Party sponsored event as everyone is encouraged to represent themselves from all walks of Ohio. Bring a homemade sign, call your local GOP reps today and encourage them to vote against this non-sense. I understand this is last minute but many of us are taking off work and driving 2 hours to make this statement. The closer you are, the easier it is to attend.
We will meet in the area of the GOP HQ sometime around 5:15 PM to form a welcoming party for those attending. Dress warm. See attached map.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=211+South+Fifth+Street+Columbus+Ohio+43215&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=32.335236,56.513672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=211+S+5th+St,+Columbus,+Franklin,+Ohio+43215&ll=39.958677,-82.993485&spn=0.003816,0.006899&z=17
Any questions please call.
Mark Haverkos
West Chester, Ohio
Cell 1-800-448-8342
February 1, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Thanks for mobilizing. Thanks for this info.
February 1, 2010 at 3:51 pm
[…] ORP pushing Yost around to clear AG primary for Mike DeWine […]
February 4, 2010 at 1:33 pm
[…] ORP pushing Yost around to clear AG primary for Mike DeWine […]
February 5, 2010 at 2:00 pm
[…] ORP pushing Yost around to clear AG primary for Mike DeWine […]
February 5, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Just wanted to drop a comment that I (a libertarian) will be voting Dem if DeWine is the pub nominee. Does anyone know if there is a legit primary candidate left running against him? I didn’t know about this til I saw it in the Cincinnati Enquirere a couple days ago. Bunch of political hacks.
If the pubs want a “big tent” then it’s time to start pulling up the stakes!
February 5, 2010 at 10:20 pm
We won’t know for absolute certain who will be on the Republican primary ballot until after the petition filing deadline of February 18. There’s a rumor Tim Grendell might file to run against DeWine for the nomination, but it’s only a rumor, and so far, it’s the only rumor I’ve heard about any possible rival for the nomination.
March 15, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I, too, employ a pit-bull who is the most tender animal I have ever owned. Quickly, a fresh dog breed will occur together to the media to blast, because they have carried out rotties and dobies in prior years. Unfortunate that media sensationalism breeds a lot inaccurate details.
April 21, 2010 at 2:53 pm
[…] Yost from AG candidate to ORP-endorsed Auditor candidate don’t pass the smell test, as noted here, here, and here. Posted in State Politics. Tags: State Politics. Leave a Comment […]