Soldiers in our Prayers, Etc.

Our prayers are with the families of those soldiers massacred at Ft. Hood yesterday by an obviously deranged and sick man. It is hard not to jump to conclusions about this based on the limited facts, but we should try not to until there is more complete information. Nevertheless, Michelle Malkin wrote an interesting blog post worth reading. Read it here.

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Much has been said about the New York 23rd House District Race. The GOP in that area made a glaringly obvious mistake by nominating a complete RINO. Scozzafava had no business being in the Republican camp and the events of the 23rd have now resulted in a Democrat taking that seat for the first time in over a century. As a Republican leader locally, I watched that with interest. I do not see it as a "warning shot" as some will say. I see it as a horrible mistake that should not be repeated. The GOP can survive one mistake in one Congressional district and using that one mistake to bash the GOP in general is a mistake in my mind.

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Our GOP comeback will be lead locally by Steve Chabot. Steve Chabot will win his seat back next year. You heard it here first. Steve has the full and complete support of the Hamilton County GOP and we are counting on him to lead us.

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The GOP can elect real conservatives if we do it absent the anger. The image of the angry conservative is not appealing to voters and I am constantly concerned with that image. It is hard not to be angry at what we are watching in Washington and what we sometimes see with our own. It doesn't do any good. Was Ronald Reagan's persona that of the angry warrior? Is Rob Portman running an angry campaign? Did George W. Bush? Does Steve Chabot? The answer to every one of these questions is "no." Each one of these people has a "nice guy" image. It is an important lesson for candidates. We can be angry, but our message ought to be a positive message about what we will do when elected.

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It is hard to believe that President Obama was elected a year ago. Time flies. He has not been a good President. He has not lead. Leadership means asserting what you want and bringing people along. He refuses. On health care, Afghanistan, and on the economy he has regularly failed to lead. If you want the public option, say so and make it happen. We know you are an ideological liberal and that you do not want to add 40,000 troops to Afghanistan despite the desperate need to do so. Then have the guts and the leadership to not do it and explain why. If you think we need a disastrous second stimulus, you're the President, go and do it. The President's reluctance to lead--even on these three critical things where we Republicans are repulsed--will eventually do him in. People crave leadership and if I were a liberal, I would not be happy with the President for not burning the necessary political capital to pass my liberal agenda.

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I am happy to say that I am a Tea Party person. And so should every Republican. The tea party message is very simple and direct: fiscal responsibility, limited government, free markets. For those who wish to paint the Tea Party as a fringe movement, they haven't been to a rally or gathering. The simple message is grounded in the Constitution and in the principles that made our country the greatest superpower in history. The movement is focused on economic issues with a limited focus on the social issues. Social issues are an indispensable part the moral fabric of the GOP, but voting trends tend to prove that the straightforward economic principles espoused by the Tea Party movement will help us win elections. I go to the Tea Party events whenever I can. These folks are sometimes critical of the GOP. So what. I can take it. Sometimes they are right! More often than not, the Tea Party principles will be carried forth by Republicans.

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I follow Chad Ochocinco's tweets. The man is hilarious. He is an entertainer and I will admit to enjoying his nonsense.

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Responsible Republicans need to understand what is happening with the state budget. Our state is going broke. The shortfalls in the current budget can no longer be made up with the smoke-and-mirrors used by Gov. Strickland. The state needs to be turned upside down. Raising taxes and further driving commerce out of this state is the wrong answer. We need a bold and sweeping agenda focused on economic growth in Ohio. John Kasich has that agenda. Strickland is an abject failure.

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Have a nice weekend.

A New Day for the GOP

Congratulations to all the candidates who won races last night. Regardless of political party, public service is noble and people who subject themselves to the rigors of a campaign should be commended for putting themselves into the arena and working hard to serve the public.

We had a good night last night. Of course, there were some disappointments and that is to be expected with the number of races on the ballot. But overall there is reason for Republicans to celebrate and for us to be optimistic about the future.

I am pleased to say that for the first time in nearly a decade, the Republican Party elected three endorsed Republicans to the Cincinnati City Council. We did so during a period where the city is certainly trending against the GOP. This accomplishment can be credited to having two strong incumbents, Leslie Ghiz and Chris Monzel, and three great non-incumbent candidates including our newest member, Charlie Winburn. Leslie Ghiz and Chris Monzel have governed responsibly and have been taxpayer watchdogs on the council. The voters rewarded both of them by comfortably returning them to the city council.

Charlie Winburn returns to the council after a period out of politics. I am proud of Charlie Winburn. He is a dogged campaigner and fundraiser. His targeted campaign was exactly the right strategy and I am pleased that he will return to City Hall.

Our party was lucky to have George Zamary and Amy Murray on the ticket. Both Amy and George are tremendous people--and tremendous candidates. It is important to remember that Ghiz and Monzel both lost in their first campaigns for city council. I will work hard to be sure that we have not heard the last of George and Amy. They deserve the party’s special “thank you” for their campaigns and for their commitment to the city.

Our efforts also defeated appointed incumbent Democrat Greg Harris. Democratic member Laketa Cole also slid to 9th in the unofficial tally of votes. The defeat of the Democrats' hand-picked successor to Mr. Cranley and the severe slide by Ms. Cole is a real sign that the Democrats have failed the voters in the city and the voters noticed.

I am overwhelmingly proud of what we did in the Mayor's race. President Obama won election in Cincinnati with 76% of the vote. Dr. Brad Wenstrup, a person who has never before held elected office, nearly shocked the world last night. As I write today, Brad Wenstrup came to within 5500 votes of beating an incumbent city chief executive with a golden political name in a city full of Democrats. Brad Wenstrup garnered 46% of the vote by bringing together unions, disaffected African-American voters, moderates, and conservatives. His close finish demonstrates that the GOP is hardly "in the wildnerness" in the city of Cincinnati. We all now know who Brad Wenstrup is and what he is capable of doing. We have not heard the last of Brad.

In general, our strategy to field a short slate of five candidates and to run a strong candidate at the top of the ticket resulted in growing our numbers on the city council and having our two incumbents finish high in the order. By running a qualified and highly capable candidate for the high profile race of Mayor, we have a potential candidate for public office who now has the notoriety and political base to win into the future. We also have two experienced and energized new faces to the GOP in Zamary and Murray.

We also had two fine men running for the Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education. The GOP has not fielded candidates in those races for a long time and it was my strong belief that we should challenge in those races. Although not successful, Chris McDowell and John Banner changed the tone and the debate in those races and this should have a positive impact on how the CPS conducts business.

All things considered, we had a very good night in the city of Cincinnati.

I am most pleased to report that we did very well in the suburban communities that are such an important piece of the Hamilton County GOP. Our successes there were overwhelming.

In Colerain Township, first-time GOP candidate Dennis Deters finished first in the balloting and joins incumbent Jeff Ritter to round out our Republican majority. The Colerain Township election was highly competitive with a well financed and highly organized Democrat challenging for the open seat being vacated by Trustee Fiedeldey. We were able to maintain our majority by adding a new face to our elected ranks in Dennis Deters.

In Green Township, Tracy Winkler and David Linnenberg won reelection easily. The newest Trustee, David Linnenberg joins Tracy Winkler as an up-and-coming candidate with unlimited potential for the GOP into the future.

In Springfield Township, a place not as friendly to Republicans as it once was, Joe Honerlaw and Tom Bryan continue our Republican majority there. Tom and Joe denied a strong Democrat challenge in a difficult place for us.

In Symmes Township, we continue to keep a Republican majority with Jodie Leis George returning to the Board of Trustees.

In Norwood, the GOP now has a majority of city council having won critical races to return Norwood to Republican governance for the first time in many years. Our strong slate of candidates in Norwood included Jane Grote, Jim Stith, Michael Gabbard, Victor Schneider, Steve Thornbury, and Donna Laake.

In Cheviot, the GOP did not lose a race.

In Blue Ash, we did not lose a race.

We did very well in Deer Park, Reading, Mt. Healthy, North College Hill, Sharonville, Greenhills, Montgomery, Madeira, Evendale, Sycamore Township and other places that I may have failed to mention here.

In the end, we had a very strong election night locally and nationally. We held on to most of our seats and made a few gains along the way.

The future of the GOP will be defined by our ability to find, recruit, retain, and promote great candidates for public office. I want to lead a Republican Party that fields the best candidates in every race. I believe we lived up to that in 2009.

Thank you to all of our volunteers, candidates, donors and supporters who made Election Night 2009 go well. Now is the time to continue the momentum and continue the GOP comeback for 2010.

SPECIAL REPORT
Republican Voter Information

Polling Locations Have Changed! Check your polling location today The Hamilton County Board of Elections has consolidated many polling locations. Your polling location may have changed. To find out where you vote on Election Day, go to www.votehamiltoncounty.org and click on "Where Do I Vote?" Questions about polling locations should be directed to the Hamilton County Board of Elections at 513-632-7000.

Vote for Republican Candidates! Who are they? To find out who your Republican candidates are in this election, click here.

Suburban Elections Crucial to GOP Success Many great Republicans running across Hamilton County To find candidates running in great places like Norwood, Colerain Township, Anderson Township, Springfield Township, Blue Ash, and other great suburban communities, click here. There are many critical races, but let us highlight just a few: Colerain Township Jeff Ritter Dennis Deters Green Township Tracyl Winkler David Linnenberg Anderson Township Peggy Reis Albert Peter Symmes Township Kathy Wagner Jodie Leis Delhi Township Mary Brigham Mike Davis Springfield Township Tom Bryan Joe Honerlaw Miami Township Dan Blanton City of Norwood Click here for the Republicans. City of Blue Ash Click here for the Republicans. City of Cheviot Click here for the Republicans. To learn more specific information about who is the endorsed Republican, click here or call Republican HQ at 513-381-5454 with specific questions.

Vote 5 + Wenstrup to Change City Hall! Do NOT dilute your vote When voting for Cincinnati City Council, we urge you to vote for "Five and Stop." We have Five tremendous candidates running for city council. By restricting your votes to these 5, you give them "super-votes" by not helping other non-GOP candidates on the ballot. So, after you vote for Brad Wenstrup for Mayor, go to the city council part of the ballot and VOTE FIVE AND STOP! The Five and Stop Ballot is: Leslie Ghiz Chris Monzel Amy Murray Charlie Winburn George Zamary

Vote Chris McDowell for CPS Board of Ed!
The Hamilton County GOP has endorsed one candidate for the Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education. After all seven Board members supported the election of Barack Obama in 2008, we need some diversity on that Board. Chris McDowell is a tremendous candidate who will instantly become the most intelligent and qualified member of that Board when elected. Learn more about Chris at: www.mcdowellforschoolboard.com.

CPS Board of Education

In last Sunday's Forum section of the Enquire, the paper called for substantial change in the contract with the teachers' union. Despite this call for needed change, the Enquire ignored conservative pro-business candidates who will facilitated the change we need and instead endorsed a slate of three incumbents, whom the Enquirer is currently suing for holding improper closed door meetings, plus a pro-union candidate, Vanessa White. White, who pretends to be pro-business when talking with business leaders, had to be asked several times by Enquirer reporter Ben Fischer what her stance was on prevailing wage before she reluctantly confessed that she favors the current CPS pro-union policy of paying prevailing wage on building contracts.http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2009/10/30/vanessa-white-on-prevailing-wage/ The Enquirer's endorsement of 16 year incumbent Catherine Ingram is also troubling as she is endorsed by the same teacher's union that the Enquirer wants the Board to take a tough stance with. When will the Enquirer learn that if we are to have true change, we must vote for change. The Republican Party has endorsed a pro-kids, pro-business, candidate in Christopher McDowell. When elected to the Board next Tuesday, McDowell will put the interests of children and taxpayers ahead of special interest groups. This is why the Republican Party strongly endorses Christopher McDowell.

Guest Blog Posting by Mark Miller

Mayor Mallory has been obsessed with population numbers. Midway through his term the Census Bureau estimated that Cincinnati was losing population faster than any other US city. The Enquirer profiled thousands of people leaving for the suburbs, and all the reasons Cincinnati wasn't cutting it for them. Mallory's answer? Challenge the estimates.

He hired a consultant to do a "drilldown study" which substitutes convoluted statistical analyses for actual counting. The study miraculously "found" another 69,000 people, erasing the decline to put Cincinnati back on the list of growing cities.

Problem is that monkeying with estimates eventually catches up with you. Every 10 years the Census Bureau does an actual count of each and every person which is both exhaustive and final. So what will the 2010 census show? Was Mallory's paper exercise real or illusory?

Population counters start with addresses and determine how many people live at each address. So has the number of addresses gone up or down in four years? The number of dwelling units built has lagged those demolished for Mallory's entire term. And the city continues to wreck residences with reckless abandon.

How about dwellers within dwelling units, is it up or down? In Over-the-Rhine alone, 3CDC has systematically vacated and barricaded over 100 multi-family residential buildings. Building vacancies have seen a dramatic rise in every other neighborhood as well.

Even the number of restaurants and other food-service places licensed by the city declined from 2,525 in 2005 to 2,509 in 2008. As of September, that number is down to 2,429. Cincinnati Public Schools has seen a decline in enrollment which resulted in permanent closure and consolidation of several school buildings.

When you get right down to it, the only thing suggesting any growth in Cincinnati is Mallory's questionable "study". Everything else indicates he shrunk the city.

But Mallory hasn't completed his con job. With a record budget deficit, and the entire city under a hiring freeze, he insisted on hiring a "Census Coordinator" to put his spin on the upcoming federal count.

Do we really want another four years of this? Let's end this fiasco now, and elect a real mayor.

*This guest blog posting was submitted by COAST member Mark Miller.

Inevitable Democratic Tax Increase, Etc.

Democratic city councilwoman Laketa Cole has returned to Cincinnati after a her world travels and now is leading the charge to raise your taxes. That's rich. Ms. Cole took two weeks away during the election season to travel to Hawaii and then to Asia. We've blogged about that before. The process of raising your taxes is a little complicated to understand making it easier on Ms. Cole and the "Furlough Five" to do it without being caught. Let me explain. Every year since 2000, the Cincinnati City Council sets the millage rate to collect taxes at a level that will result in $28.9 million of taxpayer money coming into the city's coffers. Because of changing property values and other such variables, that millage rate is adjusted every year so that taxpayers are not taxed for more than the $28.9 million. This year, Ms. Cole is proposing to set the millage rate at a place where it will cost taxpayers more than the $28.9 million. That, folks, is a tax increase no matter how you explain it! Of course, they want to delay the vote until after the election so as not to have to explain to the voters why they are raising your taxes. Just Democrats being Democrats.

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Brad Wenstrup said this to me last week: "We're going to steal home." I believe him. His campaign has been a thing of beauty and his gentlemanly approach to leadership will carry the day. The GOP is not "in the wilderness" in this city and Brad's strong campaign is proof that we will fight everywhere to bring our ideas to government.

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Our west side fundraiser is set for tomorrow at the Western Hills Country Club at 5:30 p.m. It is not too late to participate and we hope to have you there. For more information, call Maggie at 513-381-5454 or e-mail her at maggien@hc-gop.org.

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I've been around the court system and in trial work long enough to spot a lie. The two pilots who overshot their destination city by 150 miles and who went silent on the radios for over an hour are lying about what was happening in that cockpit. The cover-up is always worse than the crime. Admit the wrongdoing and mitigate the damage. When will people learn?

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I went lit-dropping with Charlie Winburn over the weekend. Charlie's campaign is very organized, targeted, and scientific. Charlie has a political machine that is highly impressive. Charlie's team worked me--hard! It was great to be out on a crisp fall day going door-to-door. We were in a targeted precinct in Madisonville. Charlie is a super-high-energy campaigner and he left me in the dust. It was great to be out with our candidates and I intend to do it again.

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My response to the Enquirer editorial endorsement of the current Mayor was met with great support. Thanks to the many people who called, e-mailed, or otherwise got word to me with your positive thoughts.

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I voted yesterday. Betting my votes are not hard to guess. You can vote, too, at the Board of Elections right now.

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As much as I would like to think that next Tuesday, November 3, is the end of the campaign season--I know better. Most politicos know that Tuesday really marks the beginning of the 2010 campaign. We feel it every day. By the end of 2009, every major candidate for 2010 will have been to Cincinnati for a fundraiser and other events. Of course, Josh Mandel practically lives here!

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Cincinnati has two good football teams.

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Have a great Wednesday.

Wenstrup for Mayor

Vote 5 + Wenstrup

Election Day is only 8 days away. For those Republicans in the city of Cincinnati who wish to bring some sanity back to city government, we want to urge you to NOT dilute your vote by voting for non-Republicans.

How does this work? Every vote you cast for a non-Republican HURTS our Republican candidates in a field race by helping the non-Republicans finish as one of the top nine candidates. That's right, your vote for some of the non-Republicans (who sometimes sound like Republicans--but not often enough to receive our endorsement) dilutes your vote for Republicans and actually hurts our candidates. Every vote for a non-Republican is one more vote they get to finish in the top 9 and these candidates are all competing with our candidates for those top 9 spots. Don't dilute our limited Republican vote in the city.

Mayor -- Brad Wenstrup

Five Council Candidates:

Leslie Ghiz

Chris Monzel

Amy Murray

Charlie Winburn

George Zamary

So, we are urging every Republican in the city to:

Vote Wenstrup, then VOTE 5 AND STOP!