A couple of years ago, it might have seemed that the GOP would have the Buckeye State locked up. But with the current crop of Republican leaders — including Gov. Bob Taft — winning Ohio is not as simple, according to this story published on the web site of the National Review
EDITOR'S CHOICE: Oct. 29, 2004
Jeff Stacklin
A couple of years ago, it might have seemed that the GOP would have the Buckeye State locked up. But with the current crop of Republican leaders — including Gov. Bob Taft — winning Ohio is not as simple, according to this story published on the web site of the National Review.
Writer David Hogberg suggests that if George W. Bush loses Ohio next Tuesday, it’ll be because of the inept Republican Party in Ohio. The greatest issue on the minds of voters in the state is the dismal state of the economy and unemployment, according to an ABC News poll, cited by Mr. Hogberg.
“Presidents receive a lot of blame when the economy is doing poorly,” Mr. Hogberg writes. “One might object that the president has only limited influence on the economy. But since presidents usually take ample credit when the economy is humming along, fairness demands that they are faulted when it is not.
“Ohio, however, is one state for which Bush should probably take very little of the blame. The real culprit is the Ohio GOP establishment headed up by Republican (In Name Only) Governor Bob Taft. Known among anti-tax activists as ‘Governor Tax,’ he has, with the aid of the Republican-controlled legislature, boosted taxes over $900 million in the last three years. As Sam Staley of the free-market Buckeye Institute puts it, ‘I think the relative state and local tax burden plays a bigger role now in state economic performance than ever before. This is particularly true for older states like Ohio that are struggling to find their niche in the global economy.’
“It is not just Taft's fault. The GOP has been in control of Ohio since 1994, and previous governor and now senator George Voinovich raised taxes in 1997. As a result, Ohio has jumped in the rankings for state and local tax burden from 24th in 1994 to 3rd today, according to the Tax Foundation. (It's even more depressing for Ohioans if they go back all the way to 1970, when Ohio was ranked 47th.) Not only is the tax burden affecting Ohio's job picture, it appears to be chasing away the future. From 2000 to 2003, the Census Bureau shows that the number of people ages 25 to 34 in Ohio has declined by more than 54,000.”
Mr. Hogberg also cites comments from Richard Vedder, an economics professor at Ohio University. (I might add, that Dr. Vedder is one of the OU profs that shaped this reporter’s young mind.) According to Dr. Vedder, "we have one-party rule that is tired and corrupt. The special interests have inordinate control, and the legislature does its best to cater to them."
The article concludes, “Nevertheless, the tight race in Ohio puts Bush's reelection in some doubt. And if Bush doesn't win the Buckeye state, there is little question as to who is to blame. ‘If Bush loses Ohio,’ warns Vedder, "Ohio Republicans are largely responsible.’"
