Cincinnati Ad Guru Michel Keidel: This Year's Crop of Political Ads Deserve Your Contemp

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- He calls himself the admojo on his new blog. And he was a creative force who worked on some of Cincinnati's best-known spots -- those touting pizza from LaRosa's and chili from Skyline. He helped start Bockfest.  With 30 years in the business, Michel Keidel describes himself as sickened by the material politicians are putting on TV these days -- lies, distortions and endless attacks. The grime comes from all parties and all corners of the political spectrum, right and left, Dem and Repub.  The ads are uninspired downers.  They waste money and time and really don't add squat to civic discourse. Here's Keidel:

"There’s only one word for this season’s political advertising…despicable.  I consider my self an expert in the field because of my thirty years of experience building and supporting Cincinnati’s iconic brands. I have created award winning advertising for LaRosa’s Pizzerias, Gold Star Chili, Skyline, Hudepohl Schoenling, it’s a long list. Not one negative ad.

"When running a TV spot, I consider that I have been invited into my customer’s living rooms or with radio into their cars. I consider it an honor and not a place to shout or insult.  There’s nothing honorable about political advertising these days. What’s being played out in my living room is deplorable. The back biting, disclaimer riddled, lies and distortions are fatiguing and down right disgusting. Instead of running for an office and outlining their agenda, offering coherent solutions to the problems we all face, todays politicians use negative comparison approaches that literally turn off their constituents."

That's an expert opinion, and one from someone who says he's a Tea Party supporter.  I've heard a lot of the same from folks who see the same ads on TV.  They are turned off, and tuning out.  Americans have saved whales and rainforests.  They've fought to clean up the environment.  Maybe it's time to roll up our sleeves and save the political ad.    

Tea Party Sues Butler County Board of Elections: Says Supporter Banned From Access To Voters Outside Precinct In Union Hall

CINCINNATI (TDB) --  The Tea Party wants a federal restraining order that would prohibit officials in Butler County -- John Boehner's backyard -- from interfering with supporters who gather petitions opposing President Obama's health care law.  The Tea Party plans to set up outside an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union hall in Liberty Township that serves as a voting precinct.  It says a federal judge should intervene to: "Stop the unconstitutional restrictions imposed by the IBEW in cooperation with the Butler County Board of Elections."  The lawsuit claims a Liberty
Township Tea Party activist, Kathy Dirr, was previously ordered off the property and threatened with arrest last May during Primary Day voting.  U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett has set a 3 p.m. hearing on Oct. 18 at the federal courthouse in Cincinnati on the request for a temporary restraining order.  Lawyers Chris Finney and Curt C. Hartman represent the Liberty Township Tea Party.  The Case is No. 1:10-CV-707 in the Southern District of Ohio.

The Tea Party says Dirr was seeking signatures on a petition in support of the Ohio Health Care Freedom Amendment, which seeks a statewide referendum aimed a limiting the reach of the new federal health care law:

"On the day of the primary election, Ms. Dirr set up a table outside of the electioneering-free zone at the IBEW Local 648 Union Hall from which she could engage in discussing and advocacy with her fellow citizens and solicit signatures on the petition.  Her table contained a sign which announced "Stop Obama Care' and was located outside of the electioneering free zone as was marked by the precinct election officials.  Neither the table nor Ms. Dirr obstructed anyone's access or posed any safety hazard.

"After Ms. Dirr had been at the IBEW Local 648 Local Union Hall and collecting signatures on the petitions for approximately 10 minutes, four precinct election officials (who work under direction and supervision of the Board of Elections) came outside and approached Ms. Dirr, inquiring if she was 100 feet away from the entrance to the hall.  The election officials insisted that Ms. Dirr move her table approximately 10 feet from its initial location, which Ms. Dir did and from this new location continued to solicit signatures for the petition she was circulating.

"Then approximately 10 minutes later, Defendant Jeffrey McGuffey, who is the membership development director for the IBEW, approached Ms. Dirr and demanded that she immediately cease her activities and leave the polling place all together.  But in light of Ms. Dirr's knowledge that the same or similar activities having been allowed to take place outside of the electioneering-free zone during the course of prior elections for at least 10 years, Ms. Dirr indicated that she would not leave until the Butler County Board of Elections indicated that her continued presence at the polling place location was not permissible."

Eventually, the lawsuit contends, the county elections director, Betty McGary, sent an e-mail saying that the union could decide who it would allow on its property.  Dirr said she stopped seeking signatures.  The lawsuit says she wants to show up again on Election Day Nov. 2 and resume collecting signatures outside the voting precinct.  The lawsuit says the Tea Party and its members should be allowed to "freely disseminaate information of critical importance to the elections, government and politics on election days outside of the electioneering-free zone at polling place . . . "

House GOP Leader Boehner's Disastrous Dixie Foray: Republicans, Dems, Tea Party Ally To Denounce Alabama Meddling

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A member of the Madison County Republican Executive Committee calls John Boehner "persona non gratia" and recommends he hunker down in a D.C. bunker. Another local GOP official says he's trampling the Alabama leadership. An uncivil welcome appears to be in store for Boehner, the man-with-the-tan from suburban Cincinnati. The Ohio Republican is headed to Huntsville, Ala., to raise money for U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith, viewed by many as a political turncoat who quit the Dems to run for reelection this year as a Republican. Locals are putting together a protest and warning the GOP's House leader to mind his own business and stay out of town. Boehner's decision to headline Griffith's Monday fundraiser has become so controversial in Alabama's 5th Congressional District that it has managed to unite area Republicans, the Tea Party, Democrats, union activists, college students, and the local chapter of Health Care For All -- bipartisanship that crosses all political lines.

The Huntsville Tea Party calls party switcher Griffith an "opportunist who cannot be trusted." It went on to describe Boehner's willingness to raise funds for the former Democrat as "Boehner is displaying the same indifference to local concerns by meddling in the Republican primary. Such behavior deserves no reward."

Republicans sound just as harsh. Hugh McInnish, a member of the county executive committee in Huntsville said: "Mr. Boehner has no business here in North Alabama, and the local Republican Committee has in effect said so. He would be better advised to bunker down within the confines of his Inside-the-Beltway-Fortress and stay there. He is persona non gratia." In neighboring Athens County, the local News Courier newspaper reported that Republican leaders are concerned Boehner is helping raise funds for only one Republican candidate:

“Recruitment of qualified Republican candidates is very difficult and John Boehner has not helped that process,” said Rex Davis, who, along with Don Hudleston, encouraged members of the Limestone County Republican Executive Committee to attend the protest. “Why would anyone want to run for office as a Republican and be trampled by the National Republican Party against the will of the local Republican leadership?” Another protestor said Boehner should not be involved in Alabama politics. “Our message to Rep. John Boehner is stay out of the Fifth District’s business. The Tea Party movement began and is continuing today because the people are being ignored. Government officials have forgotten who they work for and ‘We the People’ are tired of it and determined to take our country back,” said Deborah King, founder of the Athens-Limestone Tea Party Patriots.

Hamilton County GOP Chair To Tea Partiers: 'Welcome' Even If You Hate Our Guts

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- He must have a dagger behind his back. Hamilton County GOP Chair Alex Triantafilou thinks the Tea Partiers can be his kind of traditional Republicans even though they've filed candidates to run against 11 GOP congress people in Texas. Chairman Alex welcomes them in SW Ohio while there's a civil war under way. Of course, he hasn't put any of the insurgents into office locally, nor has he given them any choice party leadership spots. Down in Texas, establishment figures like the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee are being challenged. Even Ron Paul is among those being challenged. Maybe Alex figures they are right and his party has been wrong all along. About Texas, TPM notes:

"Around 20 candidates identifying with the Tea Party movement are running for Congress in Texas, most of them against Republicans. More than half of the Republican incumbents in Texas face primary opponents who claim to be affiliated with the Tea Party movement. That includes big names in Republican conservatives like Rep. Pete Sessions and even Rep. Ron Paul.The tea partiers are [also] taking on NRCC-selected candidates in elections where the seats are held by Democrats, making it tougher for the GOP to focus on flipping the seats to their side."

But Triantafilou extended an olive branch today in Cincinnati:

"I am pleased to report that we have an influx of new energy and excitement coming to our Republican party. Many of those energized by the Tea Party movement are coming into our party and seeking to become precinct executives and to become involved in other ways. My message to these great conservatives is very simple: WELCOME! The energy and enthusiasm demonstrated by this movement is important to what we are trying to accomplish in Hamilton County. While many Tea Party activists are unhappy with the direction of the GOP, I believe that our local effort to recruit, retain, and promote strong local candidates can only benefit from new energy and new ideas from strong conservatives."

Who is Triantafilou kidding? The Tea Party is a grass roots conservative movement begun by people who are fed up with the corporatist wing of the Republican Party, the people who put Bob Taft and his ilk on the ballot and into office. They aren't going to be fooled by the 4th Street Gang that runs the GOP. These people are storming the Bastille.