Cleveland Plain Dealer writer searches for endorsee's key to victory
By Chad D. Baus
Buckeye Firearms Association-endorsee Sandy O'Brien had very little money to campaign for treasurer on.... The OhioGOP worked against her and funded her opponent.... Fourteen Republican county central committees that did endorsements picked her opponent....
These are just some of the reasons for which is why the 52%-48% upset of incumbent treasurer Jennette Bradley is producing a great deal of head-scratching by the establishment media and upset stomachs in Columbus.
Consider the Cleveland Plain Dealer's analysis, which tries to spin it like this:
- ...The Republican primary may have turned not as much on what O'Brien did but on what Bradley didn't do - campaign.
Despite raising $400,000, Bradley sat on most of that money and only campaigned lightly late in the race with mailers and emails but no ads or call banks.
Bradley did not return calls Wednesday. Campaign adviser Mary Anne Sharkey blamed the strategic blunder on Ohio Republican Party boss Bob Bennett.
"The party leader told her that she should conserve her money for the fall campaign," Sharkey said. "Clearly, that was a strategic decision, and it was a mistake."
While it does seem believable that Bob Bennett, long-known for his support of more moderate Republicans versus conservatives, would have underestimated the potential for a pro-gun conservative to win votes, the power of a strong grassroots campaign from pro-gun voters, etc., does not deserve to be glossed over.
It is clear that the writer of this Plain Dealer story, Reginald Fields, hates that possibility. Thus he couldn't resist the chance to take some editorial swipes at Bradley in his "news" story. For example:
Liberal media bonus points to Reggie for squeezing in all the stereotypical anti-conservative slurs. Pro-life! Pro-gun! Anti-gay! (??) Oh, and don't forget she didn't have any qualifications!...
Reggie did hit on the real reasons for O'Brien's success in his story, however:
- It may seem as if she was moving under the radar, but O'Brien said she put more than 40,000 miles on her car, dropping in on Republican functions and picking up endorsements from the Buckeye Firearms Association and Ohio Right to Life, among others.
She ran well despite raising just $40,000 (most of it from herself or her family) and with less than $6,000 on hand a week before the primary.
The facts are that Bob Bennett and the Plain Dealer are out of touch with the people they pretend to speak for. Both find their influence dwindling. Consider that Bennett's OhioGOP endorsed Jennette Bradley, Betty Montgomery and Mike DeWine. Looking at their competition, if ultra-liberals like Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and Ted Kennedy had got to pick from the “Republican” candidates, one would be hard pressed to think any of them would have picked them any different. Liberals are not in charge of Ohio grassroots Republicans, and neither is Bob Bennett or the Plain Dealer.
Grassroots support from gun owners, etc., who did their homework on these two candidates, volunteered their time, and showed up to vote on a rainy Tuesday, are what propelled O'Brien to victory. And don't let the Bob's or Reggie's of Ohio tell you otherwise.
UPDATE: Reggie is Julie Carr Smyth's replacement at the Plain Dealer. Smyth, now with the Associated Press, has her own take on the outcome of this race.
- 2358 reads
