'Jobs Czar' Lee Fisher Joins 591,000 Ohioans Seeking Work: Resume Must Disclose He Was Deadweight Dud On Dem Ticket

Lee Fisher Deserves Some Blame

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- There are those who are saying today that, "Lee Fisher, quite simply, cost Ted Strickland re-election."  The line originated with Tim Russo at Plunderbund.  And the fact is, Fisher's run for the U.S. Senate was punchless, disastrous, callous, inept, a massive display of ego, the mission of a fool.  Ohio's lieutenant governor did nothing to help the statewide ticket -- he could not raise money, he could not inspire voters, he was a human punching bag for Republican Sen.-elect Rob Portman, who pummeled Fisher.  Every campaign spot by Portman had the add-on impact of delivering a body blow to Strickland.  Fisher was in charge of creating jobs in Ohio -- he couldn't even make one for himself.  Now he's headed for the unemployment lines, where he will join 10% of the state's workforce. Fisher deserves to stand in that line; the other Ohioans deserve paychecks and careers.  To call Fisher an albatross around the neck of Gov. Ted Strickland's unsuccessful re-election campaign would be an insult to albatrosses.  Fisher is a loser -- he lost the 1994 race for attorney general, he lost the 1998 race for governor against Bob Taft.  He was pulverized by Portman on Nov. 2, 2010.    

Plunderbund's Russo has a great analysis of Fisher's anthrax-like harm to the statewide ticket. And he wonders why so many of the state's Democratic leaders were blind to his toxic presence:

"Establishment Democrats at the very top of our party were hell bent on preserving Lee Fisher for Rob Portman to destroy.  DSCC chair Bob Menendez was quite explicit in his threats to Jennifer Brunner. The crowning glory was the total abdication by EMILY’s List of their entire reason for being, abandoning a progressive woman statewide office holder in favor of a male establishment pillar built on sand who they must have known was about to collapse.  It’s hard to imagine a more effective way of destroying your organization’s credibility, and EMILY’s List did that for Lee Fisher.
Then, they all went away.  Every one of the people who made threats of lost state business, who acquiesced to those threats, thus stifling Jennifer Brunner’s fundraising, was nowhere to be found as Lee Fisher literally vanished during the summer, then in a last ditch effort to apparently entertain himself, spiraled into self-parody.

"What was Lee’s effect on the rest of the ticket?  Fatal.  My, how we can count the ways….but one stands out.  Blindingly so.  When Lee Fisher demanded and received the double-dip title of  'jobs czar,' neither he nor Ted Strickland probably expected the entire world economy to collapse in 2008.  Well, it did.  At that point, it should have been clear to every Democrat in Ohio, or Washington DC, that Lee’s presence at the top of the ODP ticket in 2010 would make every Rob Portman 'jobs' attack a double dip, too – those ads would hit Ted Strickland just as hard as they hit Lee Fisher."

Karl Rove Is Up To His Sleazy Tricks Again In Ohio: Copycats 2008 Obama TV Spot To Tout Rob Portman

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- To help Rob Portman, Karl Rove is borrowing liberally from Barack Obama. That's a nice way of saying he seems to be have sticky fingers. A Rove-inspired spot that's popped up on Ohio television this week is almost identical to an ad that the Obama campaign used against Sen. John McCain in the 2008 presidential race. The copycat version pushes Republcian Rob Portman for a U.S. Senate seat and is funded by American Crossroads, a group put together by Rove that has collected millions in cash from wealthy conservatives. Some $400,000 was donated by American Financial, the company controlled by Carl Lindner's family in Cincinnati. Ohio Daily posted both versions of the ad today and notes that the Rovian copy shows that Republicans lack creativity. They have resorted to larceny to sell their candidates: "The Republicans aren't just the party of no. They're the party of no new ideas."

The Columbus Dispatch's Jonathan Riskind also has noticed. He says Rove's ad backing Portman "is a high form of flattery". Read on for Riskind's take:

"Analysis: If the astute Ohio political junkie has a sense of deja vu when watching this ad, there's a good reason. It's a near copy of an ad, imagery wise, that Democrat Barack Obama ran against Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential race. The same use of car rear and side view mirrors, of road and highway signs, you name it. Here is a link to that Obama ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML2ki8xEj9c

"On the other hand, political plagiarism is indeed a high form of flattery. Obviously, the American Crossroads folks think the Obama ad was effective, so they are employing the same imagery in an attempt to make Ohio voters think Democrat Lee Fisher in the Senate would be a step backwards for Ohio voters. Ironically, Obama continues to use the car metaphor today from the White House, arguing that voting for Republicans in the mid-term election is like putting a car in 'R' when a vote for Democrats is a vote for continuing to operate in 'D.'

And this link shows where Rove's American Crossroads group has raised its money.

Unfortunate Son? Fisher's Home County Not Endorsing in Senate Primary

By Anthony Fossaceca crossposted on Ohio Daily
The Cuyahoga County Democratic Party will not be taking up the issue of Fisher v. Brunner when they meet this Saturday morning to endorse candidates for state and countywide office for the May primary. According to a spokesperson for the county party, there will not be action taken on an endorsement unless the Ohio Democratic Party chooses to endorse on their own.

While by no means catastrophic to the Fisher campaign, not being able to land the endorsement of his own home county - after decades in elected office - is a rather significant slap in the face. Furthermore, it gives Jennifer Brunner a whole lot of breathing room to maneuver on the ground especially in the western suburbs, the city of Cleveland, and the inner ring communities.

Regardless of whether or not there is an endorsement, Fisher should be able to lock down most of his old state legislative turf in Shaker, Beachwood, and bordering communities. But not having the party support in the toss-up precincts suddenly puts a few more votes into play. And without a party endorsement, precinct captains are essentially freelancing with whomever they choose.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland: Worries A Delta Airlines Merger Impacts 130,000 Cincy Area Jobs

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- With merger talk now in the air between Delta Airlines -- which has an international hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport -- and two rivals, the timing seems right for Gov. Ted Strickland to start worrying about preserving local jobs. Strickland and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who heads the Ohio Department of Development, sent a joint letter to Delta CEO Richard Anderson pledging "our assistance to ensure the future viability of your operations in our region." They said they would deliver a financial aid package to keep Delta if necessary.

Delta reportedly has been discussing a merger with Northwest Airlines, which has a major hub in Detroit, and United Airlines, which has its largest base in Chicago. Any link up is seen threatening Delta's Cincinnati-area operations, which analysts consider vulnerable because both partners are Midwestern giants (Northwest is headquartered in Minneapolis; United in Chicago). Delta is a southern company with its headquarters and main hub in Atlanta. Gov. Strickland said he and Fisher want a meeting with the Delta CEO to find out what is up, and to learn what they can offer.

"The State of Ohio is committed to the future of the Delta hub, as well as over 130,000 jobs in the region that are an outgrowth of this prominent operation. We would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss how the economic success of our region is intrinsically tied to the growth and success of Delta Airlines. As you are aware, the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky hub is one of the ten largest hubs in the country and maintains the positions of Delta's second largest hub."

Strickland noted that more than 300 foreign-owned companies now operate in SW Ohio/Northern Kentucky, and 1,000 other businesses are involved in foreign trade. Those companies might suffer if access to flights are trimmed -- or they might look to move to other locations . Strickland and Fisher also pointed out that Cincinnati ranks as the USA's 22nd largest region as an exporter of products in the global economy. A link to the letter is available here courtesy of Cincinnati.com. Strickland's office had not yet posted a copy on the State of Ohio's online portal.