Ohio Conservatives: No good choice for Governor?

A recent Columbus Dispatch story reports that Ohio's more conservative voters say their backing of Taft comes with reservations.

Among other things they list as points of contention, they tell the story of one Ned Burden, 38, a Honda employee from Sidney. Ned spoke for many of us when he told the Dispatch that he backs Taft reluctantly, since he would like the governor to get behind a House-passed bill permitting law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons.

Several people have contacted us this fall regarding our thoughts on a protest vote for liberal Democrat Tim Hagan this November.

While we did promote sending a message to Taft in the primary via protest voting, to let him know that his base is unhappy. But while OFCC PAC will in no way lend financial support to the Taft campaign, we do NOT support the protest vote strategy in the general election.

While the things that are known about Hagan are bad enough (severely anti-gun, severly liberal), it's the unknowns which we really fear.

A veto-proof majority currently exists in the House and Senate. But that majority is not guaranteed if Taft becomes a lame-duck, or if a Democrat Gov. Hagan does the vetoing. Keep in mind - the Republican majority needs some Democrat votes to override a veto. Right now, some of these Democrats like the idea of embarrassing Taft on a conservative issue, and a campaign promise. Those Democrat override votes may very well evaporate if Taft becomes a lame-duck, or if it's a Democrat they're vetoing. Either way, the result of a Hagan win would likely be Ohio CCW dying at the Governor's desk.

Tim Hagan is trailing by as few as 8 pts. depending on the poll, despite his well-published lack of campaign funding. A protest vote may result in at least 4 years of Hagan liberalism and no CCW, just as many believe Perot '92 protest votes resulted in 8 years of Bill Clinton.