Wow -- Ohio GOP Finds New Low?

First, from TAP:

OH GOV: CLINTON STRICKLAND IS GAY.  Apparently Ohio Republicans are taking a page out of the Christina Aguilera playbook because the only kind of campaigns they seem to know how to run are DIRRTY ones. First they try to swift-boat Sherrod Brown with the now infamous fake 9-11 ad. Now they are smearing the Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland, suggesting that both he and his wife are gay. The state GOP’s “social conservative coordinator” sent out an email to supporters noting that the Stricklands do not have children and were married when the candidate was 46. The horror, the horror! The email also linked to a blog that directly questioned their sexual orientations and accuses Ted Strickland of being “soft on those who sexually assault children.”

Party spokesmen swiftly and passionately condemned the email. Wait, never mind. More from the Columbus Dispatch:

Party officials are accepting some responsibility because they did not explicitly tell Lankford he must have all materials approved before sending them, McClelland said. He couldn’t say how many people received the e-mail but said the party would not send out a follow-up e-mail or take any other action to repudiate it besides making public statements.

Oh yes, the state GOP seems really upset, just devastated by this little “mistake.”

Unfortunately I think we can expect to see more and more of these incidents as November approaches; Ohio Republicans are truly desperate. Already a Democratic year, a state-wide GOP fundraising/coin scandal has put Republicans in an even worse position than before in this swingiest of states. Strickland crushes Blackwell according to Rasmussen’s June poll. So put on your raincoats, friends, the mud throwing has only just begun.

Next, from that Columbus Dispatch piece:

The e-mail in question was sent from a computer at Ohio Republican headquarters by Lankford, one of several paid "outreach coordinators" targeting groups such as social conservatives and sportsmen leading up to the Nov. 7 general election, McClelland said. It was labeled "10 Things to Know About Ted Strickland."

[snip]

Lankford, who is also the headmaster of a Christian home school, until recently was listed as a state director of the Ohio Restoration Project. The organization of religious conservatives wants to develop a network of "Patriot Pastors" and sign up 400,000 new "values voters" for this fall’s election.

Calls to the tax-exempt project, which has been named in a complaint to the IRS about its association with Blackwell and Republicans, were not returned. McClelland said Lankford would not comment.

Finally, some past Blackwell hits -- first, about his ties to Lankford's scary "Ohio Restoration Project," and second, his smear on the faith (or lack thereof) of Democrats.

Comments

[CL]

You are a very good writer, Jeff.