Everyone knows Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland got stuck with a clunker of sorts when he was elected in 2006 in a surge for Democrats, who voters turned to after Republicans spawned one scandal after another involving insider dealing that came to be known as "pay to play" politics.
The former Congressman from Ohio's poor Appalachian counties, promised to turn things around, but his hopes and wishes have been tempered by the Great Recession that has T-Boned Ohio on nearly all fronts.
Forbes Magazine's listing of best business states doesn't do Strickland any favors. If job creation is the key to restoring prosperity to Ohio, Buckeyes have big reasons to be worried big time. Job losses in the last year of 160,000 is grim and true, and no one, even the good governor's economic advisers, expect the sun to shine any time soon.