CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The OH-02 blog that was such a ground breaker in Ohio has shut down. Chris Baker and his Mr. Editor persona were cyber superstars in the not so distant past, the summer of 2005 when Paul Hackett was proving that OH-02 was less the GOP bastion than conventional wisdom proclaimed. In fact, there were chinks in the stone walls and blogger Baker pointed out where the mortar was weakest.
Baker was a role model for some who saw his work in the Ohiosphere as a prescient demonstration that showed how to open doors; to discover places that were unexplored and nobody knew existed. There's a straight line from Baker to Plunderbund, and The Daily Bellwether, too, truth be told. I saw his work and thought he was riding a big wave, and how did I paddle out to get in on the fun.
Baker is an adventurer, a pioneer, a pathfinder who actually settled a new continent while the curious peered and followed his progress. A lot of what we see today in the Ohiosphere -- right and left -- is derivative of Baker's voyages as he navigated the digital seas of 2005. He showed everybody that people would tune in when things were hot, and some of what he demonstrated is now being replicated in OH-05, where Bob Latta vs. Steve Buehrer is fiery on the GOP side. It could become superheated in the December special after one of the Republicans survives the Nov. 6 primary to take on Democrat Robin Weirauch -- assuming Weirauch captures her party's nomination.
Anyhow, a toast to Chris Baker. He was a teacher, an eye-opener, a guy who was present and pulled open the curtains to start something fresh and novel in Ohio politics. Hope he comes back, hope he has more to say, hope his fingers race over a keyboard once again. His words should tumble across the Internet.
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