Hamilton County Democratic Sample Ballot Election 2010: Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland Leads The Ticket

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CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Here's the Democratic Party line-up that is on the ballot Tuesday Nov. 2, 2010 in Hamilton County, Ohio.  Gov. Ted Strickland heads the list, Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper is there on the card, and U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus. D-01, is the in the middle.  Scan down a bit and you will spot the names of Dusty Rhodes, who is running for reelection as County Auditor, and Jim Tarbell, who is seeking a seat on the Hamilton County Commission.  State Rep. Connie Pillich is after another two-year term in the Ohio House of Representatives.  Her opponent, Mike Wilson, is a founder of the Cincinnati Tea Party.

And don't forget to vote in the the judicial races, including Bill Mallory, Nadine Allen, Jody Luebbers and Steve Black.  You can print out this official Hamilton County sample ballot and take it to the polls operated by the Hamilton County Board of Elections.  The sample ballot is nice and blue.



Tom Brinkman Is Back And Running For Hamilton County Auditor: This Time He's A GOP Regular

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- He was term-limited out of the Ohio House in 2008, and has tried twice to win the Oh-02 congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, a Republican whom he holds in low regard. Brinkman is not your standard issue GOPer -- he endorsed former Gov. Bob Taft's Democratic opponent in 2002. Brinkman has feuded with party leaders, and won his House seat by beating the county party's endorsed candidate. He is a maverick, a conservative maverick. But he's running for Hamilton County Auditor this year under the official Republican banner.

GOP Chairman Alex Triantafilou endorsed Brinkman for auditor this morning. (By the way, some folks pronounce the chairman's surname as "Tryingtofoolyou." The Bellwether likes to call him Chairman Alex.) Chairman Alex made no mention of any past difficulties or Brinkman's sandpaper relationship with the party brass. Maybe he was being Mr. Tryingtofoolyou:

"Tom Brinkman has a history of fighting for lower taxes and to protect life. Instead of playing both sides, Tom has been a loyal conservative fighting for taxpayers. He will continue that fight in the Auditor's office."

Wikipedia has a wonderful biographical entry about Brinkman. The Bellwether has known him for years. He is unique. And with Brinkman what you see is what you get. He is not a phoney. He is not a diva. He says what he believes. You may not like what he says or believes. In fact, what he says and believes drives a lot of people crazy, or leaves them scratching their heads. But Brinkman recognized Bob Taft and Jean Schmidt as flawed figures and lightweights, and spoke up. Few others in his party would break ranks to tell the truth. Long before there was a tea party movement, Tom was Capt. Lipton.

Dem's Hamco Auditor Dusty Rhodes: Socialists Want Progressive Radio

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Don't touch that dial, says a politician with 45 years of radio broadcasting experience in Ohio under his belt. Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes pans the push for progressive talk radio by some members of the Democratic Party -- his party -- as the classic socialist response that demands new levels of government intervention and regulation.
As deejays used to say in the 1960s, when Dusty perfected his patter for the mics, talk radio just finished an on-air round of make-it-or-break-it. The format was smashed like a dud 45-rpm acrylic single because nobody could dance to its tune.

Rhodes' segue into the conversation appears this morning on the Op-Ed page of the morning metropolitan daily in Cincinnati. He contends the reason progressive talk radio flopped was simple: Nobody tuned in and listened. He says Jerry Springer's show should have been a hit in Cincinnati of all places, but that it tanked despite a huge advertising and promotional campaign in Springer's adopted hometown.

Dusty has never been a member of the Dems most liberal wing -- he's a throwback to the era of working class, neighborhood, centrist party leaders who weren't afraid to speak their minds and say whoa! to ultra-left orthodoxy.