CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Well-placed insiders say that Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, a Republican who once served as Ohio's state treasurer, won't run in the primary for the Oh-02 seat now held by U.S. Rep Jean Schmidt. They said it looks like Schmidt will have to face another challenger from her own party, Hamilton County Commissioner Phil Heimlich, who is leaving office soon after spending a record $1.39 million in a failed reelection bid.
UPDATE, Tuesday, December 19: Just back from making some rounds and several Republicans who are prominent in Hamilton County thought that I should have mentioned Ken Blackwell in this post. They said he has in the past been interested in a congressional seat from his hometown, Cincinnati, and that he ran and lost in 1990 as the GOP nomineee for Oh-01. Then, he wasn't well-known statewide. He also tried to get on the ballot once in the 1980s, but was blocked after running afoul of some complex twist in Ohio's election laws. These GOPers said Blackwell -- who was thumped last month in the governor's contest by Ted Strickland -- should be on the list as a strong possibility for Oh-02 in a primary against Schmidt. They were checking to see how he ran compared to Schmidt did in the district's counties (I have not had time to find this out myself). As far as I know, nobody has heard anything directly from the outgoing Secretary of State about future political ambitions. I haven't. But it is a good question to ask: Might he be thinking about Congress? Bet he won't give a straight answer until long about a year from now. END.
The defeat has not soured his taste for electoral politics, and Heimlich recently told Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Peter Bronson that one reason he went under was, "The anti-Republican tsunami." Bronson has been a Heimlich booster over the years and strangely the column omitted any mention of Heimlich's future plans. Bronson said Heimlich was a straight-A student during his college years at Stanford University, and added that Heimlich "always does his homework."
Here's what Heimlich's homework assignment has been: Schmidt is seen as weak by Democrats and Republicans alike. Deters had been rumored for the 2008 primary, but has small children and isn't interested in moving to Washington, according to what is being whispered around the courthouse these days.
Meanwhile, Schmidt's grip on the House district that stretches east from downwtown Cincinnati -- and touches seven counties -- isn't exactly ironclad. She has barely turned back two novice Democratic challengers -- Paul Hackett and Victoria Wulsin -- in a chunk of real estate that used to be owned by the GOP under her predecessor, Rob Portman. Portman is now the Bush White House budget director. In Oh-02, he squashed Dems like an Abrams tank rolling over a ladybug; Schmidt barely squeezes by. Wulsin missed by an eyelash, and raised a little over $1 million, which shows how competitive Oh-02 has suddenly become.
Here's more from the homework paper: If he does run, Heimlich's assets include strong name recognition across the region. He's probably better known than Schmidt (he's been on TV news for years and his dad, Henry, invented the Heimlich Maneuver). He's a proven money raiser. He is politically ambitious. For a time, he was Jim Petro's lieutenant governor running mate, and passed on the Oh-02 race after Portman resigned so he could remain on the statewide ticket. He bailed on Petro at the urging of local party leaders who worried they would lose his county commission seat if he didn't seek reelection. Now he needs a job and the primary is not even two years out.
There are signs that Heimlich is no fan of Schmidt. He's close to COAST, the anti-tax group that reviles her. Heimlich even helped to emcee a COAST event earlier this year where Schmidt's head was symbolically chopped off a cake.
Bill - You're late to the party. Phil Heimlich's reign of error got overturned. And so did the Heimlich maneuver. After 20 years, the Red Cross just dumped the maneuver as the first response for choking. It's back to backslaps! Here's the Columbus Dispatch article. Misti Crane did a first rate job. You probably also missed this two-part Heimlich expose on ABC Chicago-TV by Emmy award-winning investigative reporter Chuck Goudie. Next time you run pro-Heimlich stories you may want to check with sources other than Chris Finney so you don't keep getting caught with your pants down!
ReplyDeleteDear Dean:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the note. For all I know, Hackett, Wulsin or somebody else will jump into the Oh-02 race on the Dem side and whup Phil Heimlich up side the head. What is the current word? Thumpin'. You leaped to a stupid mistake. Just because I said he's thinking about running doesn't mean I plan to vote for him, or can stand his brand of politics. I have witnessed his dad's maneuver and the old man definitely saved that life. BTW, I can remember watching Arthur Murray on TV. Does that make me a Heimlich fan? Jeezer-beezer, man, have you any wits at all.
(Heimlich) passed on the Oh-02 race after Portman resigned so he could remain on the statewide ticket.
ReplyDeleteWrong. Heimlich would have sold his first born for the Portman seat. He was passed over by the party. Heimlich literally cried when he got the news.
It's also shabby of you to call the Dean stupid when you're the one who repeatedly gets it wrong.
Jeezer-beezer, man, have you any wits at all.
ReplyDeleteWell, golly gee willikers, Bill, I do know how to use Google. A quick search would have shown you that the "esteemed" Dr. Heimlich (your word) has been the subject of endless bad press for years.
Guess you also missed the recent front page multi-part Dayton Daily News expose on his drowning quackery. Another recent front pager in the New Haven Register nailed the "esteemed" Dr. Heimlich for presenting a pro-Heimlich maneuver choking study to the American Heart Association without disclosing that he paid for it. But, jeezer-beezer, how did you miss the dozens of other articles debunking Heimlich and Patrick? I guess you also missed the lengthy Detroit newsweekly cover story awhile back on the two of them and their drowning theory called "Off the Deep End"? That article, like several others on this subject, won a journalism award. Gosharoonie, Bill, looks like a whole lot of reporters out there "took the bait" and even won awards. (I haven't even gotten to Heimlich's insane theory that you can cure AIDS and cancer by infecting people with malaria. Look it up, Bill. The New York Times, LA Times, and even the Enquirer clobbered him for that.)
Also, you may want to update your stylebook. Most reporters no longer say Henry Heimlich "invented" of the maneuver. They say he "developed" it or "promoted" it because there are too many questions about its provenance and most reporters don't believe him anymore. Anyway, since the Red Cross no longer even uses the phrase "Heimlich maneuver" - they now call it "abdominal thrust" - and since the procedure seems to be on its way to obsolescence, to be replaced by chest thrusts, maybe the nomenclature is a moot point.
As for Phil Heimlich, your personal opinions about his politics are of no moment. What is pertinent is that you wrote a completely uninformed, lopsided item that managed to avoid what every local political observer noted about his loss in the recent commissioner's race. It wasn't part of a Democrat tsunami - that's face-saving spin coming from Heimlich and Finney. Despite voter anger about the war, Hamilton County reinstalled most Republicans - except for Heimlich. The public wanted him gone, especially the business community, which saw him as an incompetent, unstable bomb-thrower. So did the editorial boards for the Enquirer and the Post, who endorsed David Pepper.
If you want to run a blog, be prepared. People will fact-check you to a fare-thee-well. It's not a one-way conversation like when you were working for the PD.
Yep, I know about doctor Heimlich. Broke a story in 1988 when the Cleveland Clinic and he were arguing about drowing and the Heimlich Maneuver. The clinic docs said it didn't work. And they tipped me to a Heimlich plan to use malaria in Mexico to cure AIDS, which they figured was bogus as did many others who were in the story I wrote on the front page of The Plain Dealer 18 years ago. 18 YEARS AGO!!! It has been recycled endlessly, even by you in a way. He thought the fever would kill the virus. His theory about "malario-therapy" still comes up (and in other guises) and many docs consider it quackery to use one deadly disease to treat another. Face it, Dean, I have forgotten more than you will ever know.
ReplyDeleteStill, I salute you as a solid and important information source. I look at your site often and respect it. Keep up the good work. Just remember that hate and bitterness don't get you anywhere. Being classy will.
Sure, Bill. You're really on top of the story. That's why you called Henry Heimlich "esteemed" and sang the praises of his discredited colleague, Ed Patrick.
ReplyDeleteIf you knew Heimlich was FOS in 1988, why are you now giving him and Patrick hummers? You're either an idiot, a liar, or you're on the take.
Everybody around Henry Heimlich has fake credentials and you plead Ed Patrick's case. What kind of newsman cheers on a bogus defamation suit against a newspaper that had the guts to go after a tough story?
Mr. Professional Reporter, did you contact New Times's lawyer to find out what he had to say? No, you didn't, did you?
The PD may hate the CleveScene because they regularly scoop you, but this goes beyond rivalry. You're a disgrace to the profession.
You've got nerve talking down to The Dean. He broke these stories in Cincinnati when you and every other local reporter was too cowardly to take on the Heimlichs.
The PD decided you were inessential personnel. Exactly.
Why attack the messenger? If Phil is thinking about a congressional seat, let be known so that Democrats can prepare to take the seat in 2 years. Mr. Sloat has always been a top reporter and a smart guy. He has more sources than any reporter in Cincinnati.
ReplyDeleteDear Anon:
ReplyDeleteYou asked, at 8:27 p.m., in this "Comment" section if I spoke to New Times' lawyer (you wrote New Times's, which is ungrammatical), and the answer is: I did not. I think you meant to say Cleveland Scene, an entirely different publication. Sort of like mixing up the New York Times with Mad Magazine, but, hey, who cares about details when one is hyper-venting anonymously on a blog.
And no, my dear anonymous venter, I don't hate that weekly newspaper -- rather admire its spunk. Maybe The Plain Dealer hates Cleveland Scene. I don't know. Have you inquired? Of course not. But I will be glad to give you the editor's phone number.
Why attack the messenger? If Phil is thinking about a congressional seat, let be known so that Democrats can prepare to take the seat in 2 years. Mr. Sloat has always been a top reporter and a smart guy. He has more sources than any reporter in Cincinnati.
ReplyDeleteQuick, better tell Redern and Burke, they may never have thought about that brilliant insight. Jeezer-beezer, thank goodness for "top reporter" and "smart guy" Bill Sloat.
You asked, at 8:27 p.m., in this "Comment" section if I spoke to New Times' lawyer (you wrote New Times's, which is ungrammatical), and the answer is: I did not. I think you meant to say Cleveland Scene, an entirely different publication. Sort of like mixing up the New York Times with Mad Magazine, but, hey, who cares about details....
ReplyDeleteCleveland Scene is part of the New Times chain and New Times is named in the lawsuit. Interesting that you cited the court documents in your item, but obviously didn't read them. But as you said, who cares about details?
Also, it's your grammar that's wrong. "New Times's" is correct. Check Strunk & White, bunky.
Like the bumper sticker says, it should hurt to be dumb....
Bill Sloat: And they tipped me to a Heimlich plan to use malaria in Mexico to cure AIDS, which they figured was bogus as did many others who were in the story I wrote on the front page of The Plain Dealer 18 years ago. 18 YEARS AGO!!!
ReplyDeletePlease post the dates of these articles.
According to Strunk & White, 8:27 is correct and Mr. Sloat is incorrect. From the Elements of Style:
ReplyDeleteElementary Rules of Usage
1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.
Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. Thus write,
Charles's friend
Burns's poems
Therefore, the possessive of "New Times" should indeed be "New Times's."
Mr. Sloat?
What have I started?
ReplyDeleteI guess I can throw in my two cents about the grammar here.
Firstly, there are no "rules" to grammar. Instead, "grammar" is a fluid concept related to usage, which changes over time.
As far as the apostrophe goes, you are both right. Either are acceptable.
(Also, as far as I am concerned, "their" is an acceptable gender-neutral, singular pronoun -- but I digress...)
I can imagine, in a news-print culture, going with the shorter of the two in regards to apostrophe-s.
However, Bill Sloat's attempt to condescend his readers with his presumed knowledge is totally laughable, since he failed to recognize these nuances of language. He told me to be "classy," and then he tries to exert status over his blog commenters...
Real classy, Sloat.
Well said, Dean. Your comment was quite classy, and thoughtful, and I thank you for stopping by. You have been around Blogland for a while now, haven't you? Have you ever seen a downward-headed debate about politics evolve from rants about ''hummers" and being "on the take" to a lucid discusssion over English and grammar?
ReplyDeleteImagine -- from the gutter to Strunk. Apparently people were rummaging through, or reminiscing about, their composition texts at ungodly hours last night. (And, while the Bengals were on national TV.) Dean, I appreciate your participation, and your advice. I don't think it is proper to be condescending, and I hope to avoid any such airs in the future. But I think commenters should mind their manners, too. A sense of civility should particularly apply to those who hide themselves as "Anonymous," which ought not be a cover for rude and offensive behavior.
Okay - now look - many people, me included, get information from ALL the sources noted in ALL these comments, this blog included and the blogs of the commenters. Maybe Time's person of the year wasn't as much of a cop-out as it seems at first: we're here to get news and information and exchange opinion. You want to take up 14 comments to have a my mom's better than your mom argument, hey - it's the Internet. But really, gentlemen. Come on - correcting info - good. Getting so personal? Well - I guess you should count your lucky stars to have the time!
ReplyDeleteNow - Bill - Thanks for posting on this, because without it, the rest of this information wouldn't even be here.
CHAPPY CHANUKA ya'll! :)
Mr. Dean of Cincinnati, maybe you don't know how things work around here but Bill has been to everything and talked to everyone in this area for the last 25 years. He also knows most of the key players on a first name basis all the way up to the people serving in Washington from this area. So if he says something on a political blog, more than likely, he is right.
ReplyDeleteCome on now, he is just reporting the news....
So if he says something on a political blog, more than likely, he is right.
ReplyDeleteLet me get this straight. A reporter holds the same backwater bureau job for 20+ years so we're supposed to assume he's Brainiac?
OK, kids... settle down.
ReplyDeleteI think the Dean is a complete nutjob. All anyone has to is go to YouTube and find his stalking videos of Phil Heimlich. They're downright weird and Heimlich should be commended for not slugging the guy.
All that aside, however, the Dean is correct in that Heimlich's political career took a serious hit when he lost Hamilton County. In looking at any run against Schmidt, one has to ask, "where is Heimlich's base?" Certainly not in Hamilton County. The fact of the matter is that Heimlich simply isn't popular in Republican circles. The real reason his name is being floated is so that he'll be a sacrificial lamb front-runner, allowing others to kill him off before he gets a chance.
And Bill, your talks with "party insiders" missed the real scoop in the 2nd District Race: Michael Keating. Check it out. He's seriously considering a run and real insiders know it. But what no one seems to realize is that Tom Brinkman will be the last man standing come primary day 2008. Keating and Heimlich don't have the cajones to take on Schmidt with Brinkman in the race, and since he has a strong Hamilton County base, a fanatical following among common-sense conservatives, and district wide name idea thanks to his 3rd place finish last time, it's not likely he has any reason to get out of Keating or Heimlich's way.
Interesting analysis of the GOP side, Maggie. And thank you for posting it!!! The Keating name was a strong one, but the brand has sort of been on the shelf since Bill got into the publishing industry. I will start watching.
ReplyDeleteBrinkman, as you know, is eventually facing term-limits out of the Ohio House,and if he wants to stay in elected politics he definitely has to find another spot. Congress? I have heard that some think he might try to take on Pat DeWine for the Hamilton County Commission seat. The question there is: How strong is DeWine on his own since his father is no longer a U.S. senator? A theory floating around is that Pat would be fierce because he is backed into a corner all alone as the lone GOPer on the commish. And the Fourth Street Gang (the old GOP establishment)is said to prefer him over Brinkman (there is Pat's Keating-Muething tie as well).
I have not heard much out of the Dems yet. The last two elections seem to make it clear that OH-02 is within their reach -- the big hurdles are Warren and Clermont counties. Would a hot candidate be able to chip enough away to win a seat in the U.S. House?