Governor Ted Strickland arrived in a large campaign bus at the Montgomery County Democratic Headquarters in downtown Dayton this morning to be greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of local Democrats. There were maybe 150 people in attendance.
Ohio's Governor Ted Strickland, after his address to supporters at Democratic Headquarters in downtown Dayton, spoke with the press.
State Senator Fred Strahorn gave a rousing introduction for the governor that praised Strickland’ s record, and particularly praised Strickland’s work ethic — the hours he spends on his job and the energy he shows in meeting his responsibility as Ohio’s governor. Strahorn said that Ohio has never had such a hard working governor — one who gives each part of his job his full effort.
Secretary of State Candidate Maryellen O’Shaughnessy gave a short impassioned speech prior to Strickland’s remarks. Kettering Republican and former Speaker of Ohio’s House, John Husted, is O’Shaughnessy’s opponent and O’Shaughnessy reminded listeners of the controversy concerning Husted’s residency.
Strickland spoke animatedly without notes for twenty-five minutes, or more, and outlined his case for reelection. He was interrupted many times by the crowd’s energetic applause.
Strickland stated that he feels Dayton — Montgomery County — this year may well be the region that determines the election outcome of the entire state of Ohio. He told his listeners that there was much at stake in this election and that the record of his opponent, Republican John Kaisch, shows that Kasich is not a friend of the average Ohioan. Strickland ridiculed his opponent’s record — his legislative work and the millions he made with Lehman Brothers. He heaped particular scorn on Kasich’s proposal to eliminate Ohio’s income tax, saying it is ridiculous to propose destroying 48% of the funding of state government. He said one result of such a move would be huge increases in property taxes.
Strickland urged his listeners to commit to the fight not only for his reelection, but for the election of the entire Democratic ticket.
My video camera let me down — and my efforts to tape this event, ended up with a tangled tape. I need to move on to new technology — a camera without tapes. (To see my you-tubes of previous Strickland talks see here, here , and here.)
Strickland’s comments were from the heart and he communicated his sense of urgency that this election is not just about him, but about the future of Ohio. Strickland projects a great spirit. After his address, I asked a friend in the crowd, in a more light-hearted way, evidently, than he was ready to hear, “Are you, Fired up?” I expected him to repeat the other part of the chant, “Ready to Go.” Instead, he said, “Mike, I can tell you, hearing the passion of this man, and understanding how important this election is, as the governor was speaking, I felt tears welling up in my eyes.” Yes, I agreed, Strickland delivers a compelling message.
So what has he done to address ongoing human rights violations in public education?
With the new social studies standards and use of one-time money to increase the structural costs of maintaining the status quo, it’s hard to argue that our Governor’s supporters are “pro education.”