McCain Camp Mocks Obama On Inflating Tires: GOP Hot Air Spares Ohio Sen. Voinovich

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Guess who sent an e-mail to Ohioans a few days ago urging proper tire inflation as a "commonsense" step to save energy? The answer -- Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich. He said it would conserve gasoline. But if you watch FOX News or read Republican-leaning "news" blogs, you'd think Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was some kind of environmental extremist for suggesting last week that Americans could trim gasoline costs by checking their tires. Turns out that Voinovich -- a former Ohio governor and Cleveland mayor -- is dispensing the same advice. So far, no mockery aimed at him from McCain. Nor NixGuy, the Ohio blogger who contends Democrats don't care about ordinary Americans other than "Oh but maybe they should check their tire inflation." Here's Voinovich on the topic of where the rubber hits the road:

"Conserve what we already have. If every American took commonsense steps to conserve gasoline such as properly aligning and inflating tires, the country as a whole could lower its fuel consumption by nearly a million barrels a day."

Maybe the Republicans ought to retire their attack on Obama. And they might think about checking their air presssure. Voinovich's paean to properly inflated tires is in this message he e-mailed about the energy crisis late in July.

Ohio U.S. Sen. George Voinovich Rewrites History: 'House Prices Never Went Up In The State'

CLEVELAND (TDB) -- Could Voinovich be out of touch with reality? Federal Reserve economic data seems to show that he is way off base because housing prices have actually risen quite dramatically since the late 1980s in Ohio. In the Cleveland area, homes appreciated anywhere from 4% to 6% a year until the housing bust of late. This may come as a shock to the former two-term Republican governor from Cleveland who moved on to the U.S. Senate in 2000. Voinovich wrongly asserts in his current e-newsletter to constituents that home prices in Ohio have been flat forever -- apparently even during the years he was governor:

"Ohio is experiencing a foreclosure crisis that has nothing to do with speculators; Ohio has a foreclosure crisis despite the fact that house prices never went up in the state."

Of course housing has appreciated in value. Ask any Ohio homeowner to dig out his county property tax appraisal from 1999 -- Voinovich's last year as governor -- and compare it to 2008. The records will show a jump. And the the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland has produced a chart about Cleveland area housing prices all the way back to the late 1980s (see above), which portrays the rate of increase that Voinovich says "never" happened. A Fed economist reported:

"In the 1987–2005 period, the home price appreciation in the low end of the Cleveland housing market has been noticeable. Homes that are worth less than $111,071appreciated by more than 6 percent per year. Annual appreciation in the high end of the market was a more modest 4 percent over the same period (nominal figures). However, the health of the market deteriorated dramatically after 2005. Since September 2005, the low end of Cleveland’s housing market has experienced 37 percent depreciation, compared to an 11 percent decline in the high group and a 15 percent decline in the middle group."

And there is recent data showing that home prices in Cleveland are beginning to move up. Voinovich must have missed this report in his hometown newspaper, The Plain Dealer.

Voinovich contends that banks and speculators aren't responsible for a drop in housing prices. He says the culprit is the loss of manufacturing jobs across the state -- fewer Ohioans with good jobs means fewer buyers in the real estate market. He's probably on solid ground there. But he looks absolutely silly to say that "house prices never went up in the state."

Ohio School Supt. Susan Tave Zelman: Schools 'Rudderless' In Voinovich Years

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Ohio's superintendent of public instruction, Susan Tave Zelman, appears to place zero credibility in Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich's oft-repeated claim he was the "education governor." Voinovich served two terms as the state's chief executive before winning the Senate seat in 1998. Zelman took over as the state's top education official not long after Voinovich left Columbus for Washington, and said she found a school program that was adrift, or not following any clear course. Zelman's seems to be grading the Voinovich years with an an "F" -- for failure. Here's what she says:

"Nine years ago, I assumed responsibility for a public agency that was rudderless and ranked 29th nationally on education indicators. Today, Ohio is ranked seventh in the nation. Working collaboratively with governors [Ted Strickland, Bob Taft], leadership in the legislature, and educational stakeholders, I have led systemic reforms that developed a clear statewide vision of higher academic achievement for all students and a mission for the state and school districts to raise expectations, build the capacity for the system to meet those expectations, and improve results."

Zelman outlined her strengths -- and t00k the swipe at Voinovich -- in this three-page letter to officials at the University of Oregon, where's she's a finalist to become dean of the school's College of Education. Voinovich often wanted to be judged by his performance, and said in this 1998 Senate debate, "I'll let the people of Ohio judge my performance when it comes to education." Now we know what Zelman thinks -- "rudderless."

That should be good news to Ohio bloggers Matt Hurley and Tom Blumer who run a Web site called Ham Sandwich for Senate that has questioned Voinovich's claim he was an "education governor." Hurley and Blumer, both conservative Republicans, now have more evidence that Voinovich flunked on that score.

Ohio's Sen. Voinovich: Romney Has Management Skills That McCain Lacks

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich wasn't very kind to his colleague John McCain today, whom he disparaged as lacking management skills: "We need somebody who knows how to run things."

Howard Wilkinson reports that Ohio's senior senator made it clear to the Cincinnati Enquirer's editorial board today that he favors Mitt Romney for the nation's highest elected office. Voinovich, however, stopped short of making an endorsement. But here is some of what Wilkinson reported he said:

"McCain keeps saying 'we need a leader; I can hire managers,' but we need a leader who understand management. There are big differences between being a mayor or a governor and being a legislator. We are facing some serious issues in this country. We need somebody who knows how to run things. There person in this race who has the most management experience in the private and public sectors is Mitt Romney."

[UPDATE: 5:02 PM -- Matt Hurley at right-leaning Weapons of Mass Discussion quips Voinovich just took himself off the short list for vice president by slamming McCain. Matt reared a scary thought: Will Ohioans have to endure more of those Washington wonk stories suggesting their governor, and now their senator, would be a great addition to the No 2 spot on national tickets of both major parties? That stuff comes up every presidential year; that an Ohioan on the ticket would guarantee Ohio's vote in November -- blah, blah, blah . . .]

Latest Q-Pac Ohio Poll: Sens. Brown And Voinovich Have Virtually Equal Favorables

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- Today's Quinnipiac University Ohio poll indicates Ohioans have not turned against Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, who has been taking a beating from conservatives in his own party and Democrats who see him as a rubber stamp for President Bush's Iraq War policies. In fact, Voinovich's 47% favorable rating statewide measures slightly better than Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown's 46%. Their unfavorables are tied at 21%. Q-Pac said their favorable ratings have climbed by 2% since the last poll in July.

Some Ohio Republicans have taken to calling the former Cleveland mayor and governor "RINOvich," a nickname manufactured from the phrase Republican in Name Only.

Neither senator gets as high a number as Demcoratic Gov. Ted Strickland, at 58%. That is down 3% since July.

Ohio's Sen. Voinovich: Gets Bombed By Pentagon PR Machine

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A Voice of America story produced today by the government's official international news service quoted the Pentagon dissing the president's war-time critics from the Republican Party. Ohio U.S. Sen. George Voinovich is among those who is a GOP doubter. None were named in the VOA report, but they drew flak as amateurs who had no clue about military strategy

Today's statement seems a departure from the days when those who supported the White House were seen as the equals, at least, of Gen.'s Sherman and Grant.

Bryan Whitman was the Pentagon spokesman who "dismissed comments by a growing number of Republican members of Congress." Their concern: President George W. Bush's so-called surge is not delivering results on the ground, and Iraq strategy needs dramatic revision.

Whitman said of the GOP critics:

"None of those people seem to be our military commanders on the ground. And I think they're probably in the best position to make some determinations as to how well the strategy is working."

Whitman said the top brass in Iraq was reporting "significant improvements in security."

MoveOn To Ohio's Voinonvich: Vote No On Surge

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- MoveOn has e-mailed its members to organize a "virtual march" aimed at flooding Ohio's Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich's offices with phone calls today. The strategy is to urge Voinovich to support a Senate resolution against President George W. Bush's plan to add about 22,000 troops in Iraq. MoveOn describes Voinovich as a "key senator" who could help deliver a bipartisan message from the Senate to the White House.

The goal: Flush the Ohioan out of the bushes on Iraq.

An elaborate Web site is tracking calls to senators across the nation. MoveOn wants people to click the link and report their results.

"The best thing you can do when you call is speak from the heart. Just tell the person who answers why it's important to you to stop the escalation and end the war on Iraq, There best way to get your point across is to be brief, firm and polite," MoveOn said in an e-mail to members. "Today is a critical day in the fight to block escalation in Iraq and we could really use your help. Can you call Sen. Voinovich today?"

Here are the phone numbers for Voinovich's Ohio offices:

Cincinnati -- 513-684-3265.
Cleveland -- 216-522-7095.
Columbus -- 614-469-6697.
Nelsonville -- 740 -441-6410.
Toledo -- 419-259-3895.

MoveOn said it's not asking for calls to Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown "because he has already indicated that he will vote to stop escalation in the strongest terms possible."

A Q-Pac University poll released earlier this week shows a large majority of Ohioans consider the war the most important issues facing the nation. It also found there is little support for the addition of troops to Iraq. Voinovich has not said much directly to his constituents, and the freshest "news" on his Senate portal this morning is dated from early December 2006. Clearly, he's playing things close to his vest. Polling shows that Republicans in Ohio still support the war by a slight margin, and Clevelander Voinovich probably is concerned ticking off conservatives in his party. But he also may be setting himself up for a tough race with an anti-war Democrat in four years -- if he seeks re-election.

Ohio's War Supporters: Pledging GOP $$$ Revolt

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The public opinion shift that shows support for the War in Iraq fading is creating serious splits in the Republican Party. Now conservatives who back President George W. Bush's plan to add 21,500 troops are circulating an Internet petition that vows retaliation against GOP senators who question the White House. So far, more than 100 Ohioans have signed the document, and they are from all corners of the state. The number has been growing by the hour.

Meanwhile, Ohio's GOP Sen. George Voinovich appears to be keeping people in the dark. His Web site is silent about the plan to add troops. Others are brimming with statements.

The conservative revolt is aimed at GOP senators who break with Bush to support a non-binding resolution opposing the commitment of additional troops. Organizers contend the resolution would offer aid and comfort to Iraqi insurgents.

"Further, if any Republican senator who votes for such a resolution is a candidate for re-election in 2008, I will not contribute to the National Republican Senatorial Committee unless the Chairman of that Committee, Senator Ensign, commits in writing that none of the funds of the NRSC will go to support the re-election of any senator supporting the non-binding resolution," the petition says. Sen. John Ensign is from Nevada and is straightforward about his position: He supports the president's escalation/surge.

Voinovich isn't on the ballot in 2008. However, he hasn't communicated directly with his constituents about the president's plan to add more troops. In fact, there isn't any fresh news on his Senate portal about anything important since last year.

Voinovich owes it to all Ohioans -- Republicans and Democrats alike -- to say clearly, directly and publicly where he stands. Right now, it looks like he is dodging the biggest issue of the day.