The Dayton Daily News finally published my letter — on the editorial page (p. 9), under a large headline “On Your Mind”, and under an eye-catching cartoon by Mike Luckivich.

Fifty words, exactly, are cut from the article I sent to the DDN — 50 words from the center of the article and at the center of the message I wanted to deliver. Most of the third paragraph was cut — the very part that I worried most about, because it is the most accusatory and antagonistic sounding. The DDN kept the first sentence of this paragraph and merged it with the fourth paragraph. (The part omitted is in bold.)

 If you are a loyal and active Democrat, you may be scratching your head and wondering why  you’ve never heard about this important meeting. In fact, the lack of any effort of the MCDP to inform the grassroots is an indictment of the MCDP. The insiders want to maintain their right to make endorsements and to hand out patronage jobs, and the prospect of empowering grassroots Democrats to change the status quo is unacceptable. 

Before I finally decided on the 332 words I sent to the DDN, I almost settled on a version that omitted this “indictment” — wondering if a less harsh sounding argument might, in fact, be more effective in interesting Democrats to become involved. It was a close decision and after I sent the letter in, I kept wondering if I should have omitted the very part that the DDN eventually cut.  So, in one sense, maybe cutting these words improved the article, but, it bothers me that the DDN make the decision to omit those words, not me.  And, now the third paragraph seems haphazardly written. The article as it appears in the paper is seen below:

How Grassroots Democrats Can Transform Their Local Party

Every four years, Democrats have a rare opportunity to change the constitution and leadership of the Montgomery County Democratic Party (MCDP) at a “reorganization meeting.” This important meeting is scheduled for June 2014, and the deadline to start the process to become a delegate is February 5.

A reorganization meeting is structured much like a political convention. At this meeting, decisions are made according to the majority of delegates voting. Every precinct can send one delegate, but in 2010 out of 360 possible precincts, only about half elected a delegate.

If you are a loyal and active Democrat, you may be scratching your head and wondering why  you’ve never heard about this important meeting. The big task for the reorganization meeting is rewriting the MCDP constitution. The current constitution harkens back to a time when political parties centered around “bosses.” Today, however, this boss system hinders the success of the party. Democrats now are looking for a 21st century organization that is democratic and inclusive, and that welcomes them into a meaningful and connected community.

The MCDP constitution will not be changed unless a majority of delegates vote for change. The reorganization meeting is a wonderful opportunity for grassroots Democrats to have real influence in setting the course of the local party for the next four years, and in creating a party structure that will encourage and inspire new commitment from Democrats.

Time is running out to meet the February 5 deadline. Any Democrat living in Montgomery County who is interested in being a delegate to this important meeting should contact me at mcbock@me.com.

Mike Bock

Democratic Party, Kettering Ward 4 Leader

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At the Dayton rally announcing her candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio — as the running mate of Ed FitzGerald — Democrat Sharen Neuhardt said that the election will come down to who voters believe will protect the middle class, and that she and FitzGerald are ready to make that case.

Neuhardt said that she has complete confidence in FitzGerald and that she and FitzGerald are both staunch supporters of women. She said women’s issues are issues that impact the whole state — not just women. She said, “When women are making 23 cents less for every dollar earned by a man for a comparable job, that is not just a woman’s issue. That is a family issue, that is an economic issue.”

She said, “When 100,000 women in need can/t get access to basic pap smears and mammogram and birth control they need simply because Republicans want to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, that is wrong.” She said, “Memo to Jonh Kasich: You are going to be really sorry that you messed with women, come November.”  

Excerpts From Sharen Neuhardt’s Speech

I believe in Ed FitzGerald. You are going to love him, a former prosecutor and former FBI man. He came into Cuyohoga County after its largest scandal. He’s done an amazing job. He is going to do great things when elected. He is the reason I am here. So Thank you Ed.

Election will boil down to one question: Who do you trust to protest the middle class in Ohio? I think when we make our case to the voters, the votes will say that it is the Democrats. … In Ohio we are 46 out of 50 states in job growth. Thousands more Ohioans out of work today than were a year ago. Things are not good — not good for the middle class. …

Just this week, I was at the grocery store and heard complaints about the high cost of groceries. … My sister Cheryl lost her job last week — after being with a Dayton company for 26 years — regardless she is the best person in her department….  Too many Ohio jobs are going oversee. I have a vested interest in this fight — I’m going to do it for you, Cheryl.

John Kasich and other Republicans say Ed picked me, basically, because I have ovaries. You and I both know that is not the case. Ed FitzGerald picked me because I have a brain. Kasich and his Republic led legislature thinks we cannot have both. Ed and I are starch supporters of women’s rights. The Republicans want to say that Democrats want to make this all about abortion but the truth is women’s issues are much broader than that.

When women are making 23 cents less for every dollar earned by a man for a comparable job,  that is not just a woman’s issue. That is a family issue. It is an economic issue and it is holding Ohio back. And when 100,000 women in need can’t get access to basic pap smears and mammograms and the birth control they need — simply because Republicans want to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood — that is wrong.  It’s not just a women’s issue, men care about women’s issues too. They care about their family budget, they care about their wives, daughters, family members and friends. Men know that relegating women to second class citizens is bad business for Ohio.

Here is what I say to Governor Kasich and the Republican legislature: I am happy to be a champion for women’s rights …  Women have a memory and we vote. So memo to Joh Kasich: You are going to be really sorry that you messed with women, come November.  …

I know I can count on you.… This is what I need you do: You can’t go home and sit on your hands. We are within seven points of Kasich. Right thinking people across the state are ready to stand up and tell the truth and elect somebody new to our state governorship. And that person is going to be Ed FitzGerald.

Saturday, Ed FitzGerald — the Democratic candidate seeking to replace Republican John Kasich as Governor of Ohio — spoke in Dayton and introduced his running make, Green County resident, Sharen Neuhardt. Over 200 people were in attendance and gave Fitzgerald and Neuhardt enthusiastic encouragement.

FitzGerald said that Kasich has created an inside group that has gained a lot of money and advantages from his policies — and that the poor and middle class Ohioans have been left with the bill. He said that Kasich represents a very small group of people — “And that is not what a democratic form of government should be doing.”

Excerpts From Ed FitzGerald’s Speech

I’ve visited all 88 counties in last year. Ive learned a lot. I’ve heard the same concerns in every county. There’s a lot of people, in a state of more than 11 million people, there’s a lot of people that are really struggling to make it and this is what Sharen and I both understand. We have a governor that does not represent them. He represents a very small group of people.

If you look at all the big issues, what they all have in common, and if you try to diagnose why the governor takes positions on issues that he does, it becomes apparent: the governor is representing a very small group of people. And that is not what a democratic form of government should be doing.

State government has been hijacked for a narrow agenda on all kinds of issues. There is an inside group and an outside group looking in. If you don’t know what group you are in, you’re in the outside group. The people on the inside know it. They love it. You can go through all of the major issues:

• Jobs Ohio — some people benefit, but if you are a small business, an average person, you’re not going to get any help from Jobs Ohio.
• If you are a looking at your tax bill, if you are a wealthy person, congratulations, you got a tax cut. But if you are a working person, or one of the poor, your taxes probably went up. For a small group of persons tax cuts were a great deal but all the other people in this state got stuck with the bill.
• If you care about local government services — police, fire, garbage pick-up or social services —your services got cut. They took those proceeds and used them to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the state.
• If you believe in public education you saw the number of teachers cut dramatically and once again local schools were stuck with the bill.

Over and over in all these issues, you see state government on the side of a very small group of people. And yes it also applies to women’s rights. Republicans get tired of our talking about women’s rights but here is my deal with Kasich: I will stop talking about women’s rights when he stops limiting women’s rights.…

Let’s talk about something real practical. (Republicans) have a big advantage. When you take government and you put it on the side of a very small group of people and when you do some very big favors for a small group of powerful people, they re-pay those favors. They have an enormous about of money. But we have advantages also. We are right on all the issues. We have the people behind us. …

Kasich is representing someone — it’s just not you. It’s not the people that are working and struggling in this state.

The most powerful thing in politics is a conversation between two people about what is really going on. We need millions of conversation. We only lost the last election by 77,000 votes. We have the issues on our side. For all of those people who have not been represented in the last three years, we need to have conversations. Can you help us to that?