Feeling the Groundswell in Ohio Already...

[NoBushSpokenHere]

Ohio wants change... for those who didn't know or don't remember, Ohio wasn't ever a red state, Ohio was just electronically controlled by the Republicans. The switch was thrown back for honest elections 2 years ago when Ted Strickland won Governor and Jennifer Bruner won Secretary of State. Ohio has been hard hit by job loss, foreclosures and the health care crisis. Food lines are long, people have moved into substandard housing, lost homes, cars, and hope. Ohioans are tired, exhausted, hungry and overdue for a huge change.

Ohio will be dark blue in November and I suspect, will go to Obama on March 4th. His message delivers what Ohio wants to hear. They are tired of Washington politics, corporate greed and will grasp Obama's message with open arms. Regardless, Ohio has lost numerous Republican voters due to Bush's policy and due to the Ohio administration prior to Gov. Ted Strickland taking office. Those former Republicans won't be voting red again, and hopefully this year, all votes in Ohio will count.

I watched someone who was 100% behind Hillary listen to what Obama said in a recent speech. I was amazed the impact it had on him. Not saying he has decided to back Obama just yet, but I expect he will. Have other friends who are staunch Hillary supporters who are listening to Obama's words with great interest.

The ground is swelling here in Ohio.

[DemGa]

1. You've stated every reason they need real solutions,

and Hillary Clinton. Ohio is far too pragmatic to go for pie-in-the-sky Obama.

[NoBushSpokenHere]

2. Oh, but I didn't say Obama is the right solution...

my jury is out on that...believe it or not, I am undecided since Edwards dropped out. Just saying, Ohio is going to vote Obama... Hillary is thought of as being "Old Washington" Ohio is ready for a new day, a total cleansing. I honestly believe she might of been better off disappearing during the Bush years and coming into her campaign as fresh, ready to battle. People associate her (right or wrong) with what is wrong with this country. Obama's fresh face and outlook will be well received here.


(edit was for spelling check)

[hell-bent]

19. Well, when is the reception

going to start? In the latest poll he is 21 and 16 points behind Hillary. Wouldn't you think the people of Ohio would have heard of his Big Mo?

[NoBushSpokenHere]

20. The excitement is starting to build...

and his campaign crew just came to Ohio this past week... watch for a tidal wave in the near future...

[thoughtcrime1984]

3. Pie in the sky?

A little sensational, methinks. Did Ohio enjoy the results of NAFTA? They may not even care that it is Bill, not Hil, who is to blame for that one. The ol' 2 for 1 deal and all.

[NoBushSpokenHere]

6. Ohioans have not forgot NAFTA they also remember

pleading to Congress to investigate Ohio's election in 2004. They associate Hillary as one of the ones who did nothing to help with that. I said back then and I of course am going to say it now... "Ohio will remember who listened and who didn't" John Conyers listened... by the way, has he made an endorsement yet?

[goldcanyonaz]

9. John Conyers is big Obama fan who pushed for the uncommited vote in Michigan.

[NoBushSpokenHere]

16. His endorsement means a lot...ty nt

[sandnsea]

4. Then why hasn't she solved anything

in 35 years?

[elixir]

11. And Obama solved what? How to form a committee to review a study of an analysis?

[sandnsea]

12. Fairer treatment of capital cases

in Illinois. Hospital reporting system to improve quality of care.

Step Up Summer school program, nationally.

Ethics reform in both IL & the Senate.

He has many more accomplishments than she does.

[sendero]

15. I ask this question repeatedly..

.. just what has HRC accomplished? She's famous for being famous. Her actual accomplishments in Washington are nothing to crow about, being almost nonexistent.

[sniffa]

5. Thanks for this thread

I think Ohio (and Texas more so) is going to be one of the Obama surprises - wins outright, or splitting.

[RiverStone]

7. Please share the word on the street....

Being on the ground in OH is far better than listening to the talking heads in the M$M.

We'd appreciate any good news as you hear it.

Gawd, it would be great if Obama can end it on March 4th!!!

If you hear good news, endorsements, or local polls - thanks in advance for sharing.

[NoBushSpokenHere]

13. Imagine this

You were working in Ohio, getting along comfortably...times were good, Bill was President, your first lady promised you health care, and just before the best President of the USA left office, he signed NAFTA ...

You lost your job, had to take a job in a fast food joint, had no health care, lost your home, sold your car for grocery money to feed your family and began walking to work. Your friends and relatives lost their jobs, homes, and some lost their lives because they neglected their health care because they had no insurance. This is reality in Ohio, times are bad here, food lines are long, people are hungry.

You basically liked Hillary, but NAFTA and the failed Universal Health Care Plan gnawed away in the back of your head. Along comes 2004 election, you campaign and see voters in record numbers showing up to vote for John Kerry. He concedes just a few hours after the last person stood in line to vote for him. You knew something was wrong with the election. People held out hope that our good democrats would come to our rescue, people like Hillary. John Conyers listened, but where was the rest? Yes, maybe they were trying to do something that MSM didn't convey to us, but Ohio remembers the absence of their rescue.

You lose hope, you lose faith in the system, you lose faith in your party. Along comes Obama, promising change, instilling hope into those whose eyes were darkened with misery. Those items that gnawed away at you are still there, as you listen to a new fresh face and message.

Ohio remembers NAFTA every day when they see foreclosures, Ohio remembers a failed attempt for Universal Health Care when they know they should go to the Doctor but don't have the insurance or the money to pay.

Now, before you attack me...I have not said the health care initiative was failed because of Hillary. I understand what she was up against when she was fighting for it. But, it appears to me a large part of her attack on Obama is against his health care plan...so she is the one who is making it an issue and stirring up that old grinding gnaw inside of them. When people have lost job after job due to NAFTA, they are not going to forget, especially because those jobs were not replaced with any gainful employment. We have service industry in Ohio, not gainful employment. Ohio will go Obama...

[theHandpuppet]

17. Those religious-type Obama banners give me the creeps

Sorry, but they do. Honestly. The "heavenly Obama" iconography reminds me of my childhood days back in a Southern Baptist church where they had a gigantic mural behind the pulpit with rays coming down from heaven and big bible verses on either side.

Believe! Believe!

Sometimes it's small stuff like this which gives folks those vibes that scream, "Watch out! Cult!" That's the reaction I have to those images on a visceral level and whether some folks want to acknowledge that, for some of us it's quite real.

[usregimechange]

8. Demo data does not favor either candidate, assuming past trends have not changed since Potomac vote

Ohio (161 delegates)
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2006: 2.3% Much less than national average (++Obama)
Black persons, percent, 2006: 12.0% Close to national average (n/a)
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2006: 13.3% Slightly more than national average (+Clinton)
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000: 21.1% Less than nationl average (+Clinton)
(Overall advantage: Neutral)

[blm]

10. You're right. Ohio was always stolen. They couldn't in 2006 because we had a DNC watching

the entire election process closely for a change.

[yeswecan08]

14. OH is an O state - it belongs to Obama!

[theHandpuppet]

18. I Ope not.

I'm a born and bred Buckeye and hopefully my fellow Buckeyes won't fall for the Obama Tent Revival Tour.

[OzarkDem]

21. Ohio loves Clinton

Long tradition, great loyalty, they know which leaders have helped them in the past and they want nothing more than to return to that past.