Should Dems Pull the Plug on Fitz?

[Michael Deneen]

As we all know, the gubernatorial campaign is over.
The only question is how large the margin will be.
The rest of the Democratic ticket is toast, too.

Ohio's election laws require Ed FitzGerald to remain on the ballot this November.
If he were to drop out, there would be no Democratic nominee for Governor.

I'm sure Ed will go through the motions of campaigning from now until Election Day.
Some super-diehard supporters will remain by his side for the remainder of this death march.

At this point, isn't the party best served by cutting off any donations to Fitz, and instead directing all resources to key battles in other swing states?
Any money or volunteer energy spent on this ticket would be much more effectively used in a place like Kentucky, where there is a competitive race for the Senate. (a race which might, in fact, determine control of the entire Senate)

Does anyone disagree?

p.s. Yes, technically this thread should be in the "Global" forum. However, that forum is like an abandoned mall, so I am posting here in the higher-traffic area.

[Gary Rice]

First of all, as a Political Science major in college, I would respectfully disagree.

A party's candidate should be supported.

An election isn't over until the ballots are counted.

Although it may appear to some people at this point that the outcome of this race is all but certain, strange things can happen all the time in the political world.

I've never met a perfect human being. People do understand that politicans, like the rest of us, are flawed. While none of us know for certain all of the facts surrounding some of the recent stories brought to light regarding the gubernatorial race, there's more here to think about than the personalities involved.

People vote not only for the person, but for the priorities and interests represented by that person, particularly in a swing state like ours.

I think that you'll still see a race that will be a good deal closer than you might think it will be for that very reason. Public employees will remember the Issue 5 pension and collective bargaining debates. Business people and unions will have their economic interests. Farm and gas drilling interests will be in play, as will environmental interests, particularly after the Toledo water debacle.

However we might personally feel about either candidate, or for that matter, either political party, it's important to understand that behind all of this superficial smokescreening, there are very real issues that will affect Ohioans for years to come.

The outcome of the governor's race is but one component of all of this, but it is a significant component indeed. I would still have to opine at this point that the outcome may yet be very close.

Back to the banjo.

[Grace O'Malley]

I'm not sure Fitzgerald really had a chance even before the woman and drivers license issues were revealed. He's facing what is perceived as a moderate Republican, in a largely Republican state, who is also the incumbent. The odds were against him unless he really stood out, in a good way.

Whoever the Dems put up this year was a sacrificial lamb. Unfortunately, I think Fitzgerald didn't see that and he actually thought he would win.

[Scott Hargrove]

I agree that it is wise to direct resources towards other more competitive races / states. I would still like to see Josh Mandel lose here in Ohio and that race is still open.

That being said, putting any more money towards Fitz's campaign would be unproductive in my opinion. Fitz pretty much lost me with the Win Tax and the vague populist message he was throwing out there. I agree that he had a uphill battle fighting a moderate republican. I also thought that SB 5 would have more lingering effects among the public unions, but that really hasn't seemed to be the case. He was smart to expand Medicare when he did, and I think that changed the perception of him to many voters.

[Michael Deneen]

According to this PD article, apparently the answer is "yes".
Apparently the party will try to salvage some down-ticket races.

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf ... ge_20.html

However, that is a futile strategy......the top of the ticket is an anchor that will guarantee GOP wins across the board.
Yes, even for Josh Mandel.

[Nadhal Eadeh]

Mike,

When I first heard of Fitzgeralds candidacy, two words immediately stuck out to me:

Enthusiasm Gap

Motivating voters to get out and support your cause is the lifeblood of politics and is crucial in a swing state like Ohio. A long time Lakewood democrat once told me upon hearing of Fitzgerald's candidacy..."I'll vote for him. But can he get me to knock on doors for him is the question ". This isn't meant as a knock on Fitzgerald, just something I continue to hear from staunch democrats.

On a national level, democrats may want to keep this race competitive as Kasich is a dark horse presidential candidate for the GOP in 2016. If Kasich wins by 15 points in Ohio, look for Kasich to be considered in the top 3 or at the very least mentioned as a VP candidate. Over the years, Kasich has moderated his views on several issues to include the expansion of Medicaid. A twice elected "compassionate conservative" from the Midwest would be a tough candidate to run against.

If I'm Fitzgerald, I need to do a better job of weaving my personal narrative into how it meshes with the values of Ohio voters. His messaging has been shaky. I'm still not clear on what he is for and I don't see any innovative ideas coming out of his camp.

Mike, to further add to your point:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics ... 4-20140814

Nadhal

[Grace O'Malley]

Fitzgerald's arrogance has cost the Democrats big time in this election. Apparently, he never mentioned the police report or the lack of a license to any of his close advisors. Had they known, they could have been prepared to proactively deal with the revelations; instead, they were blindsided. Did he really think that they wouldn't be found, or worse yet, that they were so insignificant that no one would care? Did he think he was so wonderful that he was invulnerable?

I hope the Dems remember what he did and don't reward him with some cushy job. I'm confident voters would reject him.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Washington Post

The remarkable implosion of Ed FitzGerald

This is not Ed FitzGerald. It is a building in Albany, N.Y. Well, it was a building in New York. It's also a metaphor. (AP Photo/Times Union, Will Waldron)

"FitzGerald's collapse is all the more remarkable -- and worrisome for Democrats --
for a few reasons.

Good article...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/08/26/the-remarkable-implosion-of-ed-fitzgerald/


.

[Grace O'Malley]

The latest poll from the Bliss Institute at the a University of Akron shows Kasich leading Fitzgerald by almost 20 percentage points, 46 to 27, with 23 percent undecided.

I suspect a portion of the undecided vote are people like me, who would prefer to vote Democratic, but just cannot hold their nose long enough to vote for Ed. Many of us just may skip that race.

What a shame. I'm feeling pretty angry at the Dems right now, and especially at that boob Fitzgerald. I have to ask , "what were you thinking?" Bad enough you didn't get a license, but you hid it from people that were there to help you and who needed to know.

This is going to be a record loss.

[Paul Schrimpf]

It's really the first campaign he's had to run where simply being a Democrat was not going to be enough to win.

[marklingm]

Not so fast!

From the Fitz! Campaign:

From: Chip Shannon [mailto:info@edfitzgeraldforohio.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2014 11:44 AM
To: Matt Markling
Subject: Bad news for Kasich



Matthew --

If I were working for the Kasich campaign, I'd be worried about today's new poll.

Because despite over $5 million in ads promoting Kasich and bashing Ed, Kasich is still polling below 50%. That's huge. It means Ohioans really, REALLY don't want to give Kasich four more years.

But all of that doesn't mean anything if folks who don't want Kasich don't get out and vote. If you stay home, if women and firefighters and teachers stay home, Ed can't win. It's that simple.

I know it feels easy to sit out right now. But if we do that, we're handing Kasich another four years to hurt average Ohioans while enriching the already-rich. I won't let the last month of bad press keep me from making the next four years better for Ohio, and I hope you won't either.

Will you donate $5.00 to help us turn out every voter who wants better for Ohio?

[redacted]

Firefighters can't afford four more years of Kasich. Women can't afford four more years of Kasich. People in Toledo who were without safe drinking water for two days can't afford four more years of Kasich. Kids in unaccountable, failing charters schools can't afford four more years of Kasich.

This new poll shows us that Ohioans don't like Kasich. But it also shows that if any of us sit this election out, Kasich wins.

Don't sit this one out. Because four years is much more important than one month. Donate today to help us remind voters of that:

[redacted]

Thanks for your support,

Chip

Campaign Manager
Friends of FitzGerald-Neuhardt

Paid for by Friends of FitzGerald-Neuhardt

[redacted]

[marklingm]

From: Chip Shannon [mailto:info@edfitzgeraldforohio.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2014 11:44 AM
To: Matt Markling
Subject: Bad news for Kasich



Matthew --

If I were working for the Kasich campaign, I'd be worried about today's new poll.

Because despite over $5 million in ads promoting Kasich and bashing Ed, Kasich is still polling below 50%. That's huge. It means Ohioans really, REALLY don't want to give Kasich four more years.

Well ... in fairness ... the poll referenced by the Fitz! Campaign shows Kasich's lead is now 19 points, 46 percent to 27 percent, with 23 percent undecided and four percent favoring other candidates.

What are the odds that Fitz!'s poll numbers will dip to 14?

[Michael Deneen]

"Nothing is over until WE decide it is"
--Senator John Blutarsky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep-xgd_eETE

[Bill Call]

"Nothing is over until WE decide it is"
--Senator John Blutarsky

The only issue is the choice between using State and Local resources to provide basic services, education and development or if those resources will be used to pad the pensions of the City employee.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ ... story.html

If the government unions succeed in controlling State and City budgets you aren't going to be able to afford anything else.