He's back, Ohio- Blackwell Eyes Senate Run

[n2doc]

By Andy Kroll| Thu Apr. 21, 2011 8:09 AM PDT

Remember Ken Blackwell? He was Ohio's secretary of state in 2004 who was was accused of throwing the presidential vote in that crucial swing state in favor of George W. Bush and overseeing "massive and unprecedented voter irregularities and anomalies" that disenfranchised tens of thousands of voters. Now Blackwell's back—and he's eyeing a place in the US Senate.

Roll Call reports today that Blackwell, who unsuccessfully ran for Ohio governor in 2006, has talked with the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), a heavy-hitter among Senate GOPers, about challenging Democrat Sherrod Brown in the 2012 election. Blackwell said he won't make a final decision about his political future until after his forthcoming book, "Resurgent: How Constitutional Conservatism Can Save America," comes out in late May.

There are plenty of reasons why Blackwell's idea is a bad one. First, he'd be joining two other GOP contenders, among them Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel. And Brown is fairly popular in Ohio. He handily defeated incumbent Sen. Mike DeWine in 2006 by 12 points, and in a recent survey by Public Policy Polling, Brown led all potential opponents by double digits. "Sherrod Brown appears to be in a much stronger position now than he was just three months ago," said Dean Debnam, who heads Public Policy Polling.

Then, of course, there's Blackwell's 2004 debacle. An investigation by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Democratic committee staff concluded that Ohio's voting disaster in 2004 was "caused by intentional misconduct and illegal behavior, much of it involving Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell." Long lines, faulty voting machines, onerous barriers for voter registration, a rigged recount—anything that could go wrong in Ohio did on Election Day 2004.

http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/04/ken-blackwell-ohio-brown-senate

I have a hard time seeing the t-baggers supporting him, but since the votes are rigged there anyway, who knows?

[Blue Owl]

1. Fuck off, Frackwell

You and your election-rigging buddies' 15 minutes are up.

[xchrom]

2. does ken really want to open up all the questions about

ohio voting again?

[ecstatic]

3. Kucinich should run nt

[HughBeaumont]

4. I hope it's him.

The landslide would be so great it'd be comical. Not even Ohio's voters are this dumb (Kasich notwithstanding). Sherrod Brown should be among the 2020 Presidential names.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

5. Oh, shit. This Uncle Tom scares me. We need to work hard, folks! n/t

[liberal N proud]

6. Like a boil on our @$$ that just will not heal

[PearliePoo2]

7. There's a compelling reason to hope he DOES get in...

All his illegal shenanigans come to light again and he gets his ass kicked so hard by Sherrod Brown that he slinks off into the sunset forever. (the fucker actually belongs behind bars for ELECTION FRAUD)

[SoCalDem]

8. They NEVER go away, unless

they are ruinously humiliated , a la Nixon...and even he eventually made a comeback of sorts..

[aquart]

9. This is what happens when you don't put criminals in jail.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. I hope his book fails, and he decides to stay out of the race.

He is a bad dream that just won't go away.

:puke: