The news that Blackwell has stunningly retreated on the biggest plank of his platform and campaign promise - his
TEL amendment has the
far right in a tail spin of spin.
Somehow this man of conviction and principle backing away from his signature piece of policy and handing the responsibility of state spending over the the GOP legislature he has repeatedly called failures is a victory. It's enough to make your head hurt.
What on earth has Blackwell got to run on now ? The most extreme abortion position it is possible to take ? He would enact a rapists bill of rights - enough to shame even the GOPers in South Dakota.
Or maybe he will run on his incompetence as Sos, revealing thousands of Social Security numbers and only acting once commanded to by a court. Or maybe the failure of elections under his watch to run even remotely smoothly.
Or maybe he just runs on some good old gay baiting.
Whatever he runs on now he can't run from the state legislature and pretend to be an outsider - he just handed his economic policy making over to them. He can't run on being a strong decisive leader of principle - he just buckled under the pressure from the very people he sought to distance himself from.
Ken Blackwell just showed the content of his character and it was filled with cowardice and pandering. A sell out. The very thing he was campaigning against.
It sure didn't take long for this to be revealed. I bet there are a good number of Republican primary voters wishing they had pulled the lever for Petro now. Nothing worse than feeling conned and betrayed.
Meet the new GOP, same as the old. I'll give Ted Strickland the final word
Columbus, Ohio - Ohio gubernatorial candidate Congressman Ted Strickland today offered the following statement in response to Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell's flip-flop regarding his TEL amendment.
"This is one for the history books. I suppose Mr. Blackwell will be able to say he was for the TEL ballot initiative before he was against it."
"I think it's becoming clearer every day that Mr. Blackwell will say and do anything in order to try to win an election. Mr. Blackwell built his entire campaign for governor on the TEL amendment and now he is folding in the face of massive opposition. Mr. Blackwell's flip-flop on the TEL begs the question: If voters can't trust him to stand up for his own ideas, how can they trust Mr. Blackwell to stand up for them?"
"My position on the TEL amendment has been and will remain solid. I am opposed to this unwise approach to our state government, as are business leaders, educators, health care providers, fire departments, libraries and local governments across Ohio."