Right On The Right

I managed to get my hands on an e-mail from Ohio's Family First PAC, a group focusing on social issues and generally endorsing strong Conservatives. They've done the same this time, but they've endorsed a slate which would fair poorly in the General. Here's the slate they propose:

Family First Endorsements for March 2008 Primary:

Tom Brinkman for Congress Dist. 2 www.GoBrinkman.com

Ron Hood for Congress Dist. 7 www.RonHood.com

Matt Miller for Congress Dist. 16 www.MattMillerForCongress.com

Jeanette Moll for Congress Dist. 18 www.MollForCongress.com

I can't speak for Hood's race, because Ohio's 7th is a district I haven't looked at. Brinkman is simply holding Schmidt back from running her race against the Democrat. In Jeanette Moll's race, I have made it clear, Phillips is more thorough and more electable. That's one of the reasons why I endorsed him. I also believe Moll is trying to make this race about social-judicial issues she can dominate the debate in, as opposed to what the voters really are concerned about, like the economy and national security. In Ohio's 16th, I've also said I like Miller, but Schuring has a ground game advantage he can take into the district. He is outraising Miller and he can fight the Dems dollar for dollar. Electability has to be an issue, and Family First has selected a slate that can't win.

I caught a little bit of flack for backing Phil Heimlich over Jean Schmidt. I thought he was more electable and stronger on fiscal Conservatism. Now, I'm back to backing Jean, but only because of this announcement:

I am writing today to let you know I have decided to withdraw my candidacy for Congress.

I entered this race believing that the only way to keep the 2nd District in Republican hands was by our party nominating someone other than the incumbent. I offered to voters my experience as a fiscal conservative and my proven record of success in city and county government.

Not surprisingly, several county party organizations around the district chose to endorse the incumbent, but when Hamilton County’s GOP recently followed suit, I recognized that the party establishment would not be in my corner.

I don't agree with Phil's reasoning behind his drop-out, but he is a man who needs to make his own decisions. Winning primaries is all about getting your name out and articulating a message, and he could've done that without the establishment's support. Jean is still a strong Conservative, so now it's back to supporting her in a fight against her Democrat challenger.

First off, let me make it clear that local Ohio politics is not my usual forte, but in an effort to get some of my grassroots readers more involved, I'm going to focus on some Congressional races that I think are key. It's primary season here in Ohio, so these match-ups are going to be big. As of right now, I have made one endorsement and am juggling candidates in the other races:

Ohio's 2nd Congressional District:

This is the one race where I've actually chosen to stand out and endorse a candidate. Looking at Jean Schmidt's dismal record when it comes to fighting pork, I am supporting Phil Heimlich. This is from Heimlich's most recent press release:

But rather than joining Secretary Gates in digging in and addressing the problems, Schmidt said, “…I think it is wrong to suggest that mold found behind an air conditioner somehow is an excuse to say that all of our veterans are receiving substandard medical care.” -Cincinnati Enquirer, March 21, 2007

Jean might be right if mold behind an air conditioner was the major problem uncovered at Walter Reed. In fact, Jean’s dismissive comments revealed that she did not comprehend the magnitude of the real issues at Walter Reed.

Ohio's 16th Congressional District:

This is a three-way race as of right now between Sen. Kirk Schuring, Ashland County Commissioner Matt Miller, and internet radio maverick Paul Schiffer. I have had an opportunity to talk to people involved in the Schuring campaign, and Matt Miller himself. I've yet to talk to Paul Schiffer, but his issue stances are promising (his site isn't however). First off, from my conversation with Matt:

"There is a universal standard of right and wrong, period... I am a person that does believe that some things are right and some things are wrong."

That pretty much sums him up, as he's a solid Conservative on issues of life and issues of protecting the family. He believes marriage is a religious institution between one man and one woman, and he made it perfectly clear that certain rights were endowed to us by our Creator (he referred to the Declaration of Independence multiple times). The only faults I found were that he didn't have a set position on Guantanamo as of yet, and that he said he had some problems with parts of the USA Patriot Act. I'm hoping he irons out a few of those details throughout his campaign. He said he most resembles Congressman Jim Jordan when I asked him to pick an established figure in Washington. Conservative. He focused on immigration, rebuilding the American military, taxation, and American values. He signed the no new tax pledge, and he closed out his discussion with me by asking me to follow up on the issue with others, because some other candidates can't claim to have never voted for new taxes. That brings us to Kirk Schuring.

First off, Kirk's website is a great one, and touts endorsements often. Also, the person I talked to inside the Schuring campaign was very professional. He gave the image that Kirk is solidly Republican, but not "flamethrowing." That being said, Kirk has a solid stand on moral issues:

Kirk believes in the sanctity of human life, and in Congress he will vote against federal funding for abortion, and will aggressively support policies that promote the protection and defense of our most vulnerable citizens - our unborn children.

Kirk also supports the traditional definition of marriage as a holy union between one man and one woman, and in Congress will oppose any effort to legalize or recognize gay marriage.

Schuring has a solid set of issues listed, and he's more than willing to tout his record in the Ohio Statehouse. I think the question here will be, whether or not Miller and the untested Schiffer can make headway against his experience by bringing up tax increases or differences in policy. Kirk has the endorsement of Congressman Regula, who is vacating the seat, so he has a pretty clear advantage going into this one.

Ohio's 18th Congressional District:

This is another race in which I've been contacted by two of the campaigns. The other two have yet to send me information. It's a cluttered field to challenge Representative Zack Space, who if I remember correctly, I haven't been too kind to. Space is also facing a Democrat Primary challenger. This is via The Neward Advocate, profiling the race:

All four Republican candidates bring impressive credentials, Spain said. Dailey was the director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture for 16 years in the Voinovich and Taft administrations, and Phillips was a lieutenant colonel after 20 years in the Air Force. Moll is a former magistrate for the Guernsey County Court of Common Pleas, and Bromberg is a Newark business manager.

We're looking at a field where anything can happen. The Dailey and Bromberg campaigns haven't sent me anything, but Dailey has an impressive site which speaks for itself. I have to wonder if being tied to the Taft administration is going to hurt his chances however. I've been receiving updates from the Moll Campaign, and she is doing a lot of local events in the month of January. Still, expect to hear a lot here about Paul Phillips, because it's looking like I may have an interview with him coming up on ROTR. Stay tuned. I'm contacting as many campaigns as possible to give equal exposure to the entire field before I make any decisions, especially regarding endorsements. We're looking at some very exciting races, and it's important we put up strong, charismatic Conservatives.

Jean Schmidt made national headlines by calling John Murtha a coward. While this peeved off the left, it excited me, and I became a supporter of Schmidt for a while. This was up until I found out a couple things about Jean's record, that are quite a bit inconvenient. Allow me to close this post out with an excerpt from Heimlich's post on RedState about his announcement:

“While Chabot is a perennial target -- partly because of his district's makeup and partly because Democrats think he is more conservative than his constituents -- Schmidt in the neighboring 2nd has become a top target strictly because of her personality. Schmidt has drawn a serious primary opponent in former Hamilton County Commissioner Phil Heimlich. Democrats and Republicans alike know the seat will only be competitive next year if Schmidt clears the GOP primary.”

In other words, if I win the primary, the seat stays Republican; if Rep. Schmidt wins the primary, it likely goes Democrat.

Aside from the practical political reasons to nominate the strongest candidate, my goal is to work to restore honor and dignity to this position. You deserve a representative in Congress who is respected and who respects others – including those he or she disagrees with.

You also deserve a representative who will be a good steward of your tax dollars. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported recently that Jean Schmidt has become the biggest pork spender in the tri-state congressional delegation. As The Enquirer noted in October, Rep. Schmidt inserted $14.5 million in pork spending in the latest budget — more than any local Ohio, Kentucky or Indiana member of Congress of either party. Among the items Rep. Schmidt has supported through her votes for pork spending are:

* $300 million for sand to replenish beaches in California and New Jersey.
* $75 million for oyster restoration in New York, Maryland, Virginia and Connecticut.
* $229,000 for dairy education in Iowa.
* $180,000 for “hydroponic tomato production.”
* A $500,000 swimming pool in California.
* A million dollars for a “Mystic Aquarium” in Connecticut.

Our neighboring Representative Steve Chabot voted against each of these — just as I would have.