Local Republican candidates seem to have stolen a page from the Bill Clinton tactical manual, and then torqued it a bit, as is their wont.
While Clinton applied the common-sense imprecation "don't ask, don't tell" to the issue of homosexuality juxtaposed with military service, our Ohio Republicans seem to think that if they don't show themselves in public, interactive forums, then the electorate can't tell whether or not they're fit for office, and perhaps will give them the benefit of the doubt and vote for them anyway based on some past fondness for Barry Goldwater or Ronald Reagan.
It's tough being a Republican in Ohio, when the Republican candidates shy away from public debate and largely avoid public forums--Meet.The.Bloggers*, for instance. Personally, I feel that I know the character of Jim Petro, Mike Dovilla, and Wendell Robinson well enough to make, or have made, an informed decision about each of them prior to going to cast my vote.
I have little knowledge about the makeup of any of the other Republican candidates, having not yet had a chance to observe how they interact with their public in a realistic setting--uncanned, ad lib, up close, and candid. If I don't feel that I know them, how can I vote for them? Should I take the word of the hired advertising flaks, or their own political operatives and campaign handlers? Should I trust the newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations to have been fair and impartial on my behalf, to not take the side of the campaigns spending all the advertising dollars?
Should I trust the local blogs, seeing what they've done with Earl Martin of Ohio's 57th House District, branding the poor fellow a thief without the benefit of a full trial?
I think I'd like to have a serious talk with Bob Bennett about why our Ohio Republicans aren't more forthcoming in interacting with their public. Doesn't he live up here in the Cleveland area?
It's my contention that, if they don't interact, they won't have a chance on the political battlefield of the future. It's time to get with the program now, and let the electorate decide the outcome.
Chronic Illness Recovery-One Step At a Time
6 years ago
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Hi Tim,
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great post! You are absolutely right that more GOP folks have to engage their publics, especially during this age of conflict between the promotion of Republican ideals (less government in one's face) and the broadcasting conservative values over how candidates would handle issues (schools, poverty, etc) to establish unity within the party. The opposite seems to be true for the Dems, who engage the public on scattershot liberal issues rather than come to some sort consensus within the party. It makings cating a vote a very tough call.
Working with MeetTheBloggers is teaching me a lot--we need the public forum now more than ever--we cannot afford to limit the dialogue. We must talk about it all, and now.
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