I have lived either in Ohio or within 5 miles of Ohio my entire life. I am young enough to be relatively unfamiliar with the Celeste Administration but old enough to remember the Voinovich Administration. In those years, I can recall no greater anti-Republican sentiment in Ohio. Mr. Hackett must not limit himself in this race. He shouldn't entirely focus on Greater Cincinnati or Cleveland early in the campaign; he should come to eastern Ohio. Jefferson, Belmont, Monroe, and Columbiana counties typically go 55%+ Democrat. Congressman Strickland (who represents a portion of these counties) will have a possibly contentious primary battle with Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman, and I am not certain that State Sen. Charlie Wilson (still first term) would have enough clout to win Mr. Strickland's current district.
Mr. Hackett may recall that the Republican Legislature in Ohio enacted a controversial redistricting for US House seats. Prior to the redistricting, Congressman Ney represented an 18th district that was sensible (roughly the area from Columbus to Bridgeport, East Liverpool to Hannibal). After redistricting, a bare minimum of Belmont County, for example, is utilized for Congressman Ney's district and extends westward to Columbus. It was purposefully drawn to accomodate his residence in St. Clairsville. Following the public exposure of Congressman Ney's ties to Jack Abramoff, he abruptly moved from his native Ohio Valley to Newark. Essentially, there is great anti-Ney sentiment in East Ohio. Mr. Hackett can capitalize on this furor.
US House District map for Ohio prior to 2001.
US House District map for Ohio after 2001.
Mr. Hackett may be aware that Congressman Strickland and State Senator Wilson have made appearances on WKKX radio (AM1600 - Wheeling, WV). My first suggestion is that Mr. Hackett do the same. If he captures East Ohio, it will amalgamate toward Youngstown, Marietta, and Athens. This will be vital to attain victory over Senator DeWine.
My second suggestion to Mr. Hackett (and to the whole of Democratic campaigns/agenda in 2006) is major investment in flood control programs and preventative infrastructure projects. I realize that the Ohio River is controlled by West Virginia and Kentucky, but the Army Corps of Engineers has been seriously harmed by budget restrictions under the Republican-controlled Congress. Some may remember that the Ohio River was completely shutdown for 2 weeks, the first time in its history, to make necessary and immediate repairs on several locks and dams. The Upper and Mid Ohio Valleys (as well as the Miami, Licking, and Scioto basins) have suffered major flooding in the last 3 years. There has been no major effort to work on these floodplains since the 1960s. Additionally, it is something that so many Ohioans (and supporters in surrounding states) can relate to. FEMA failed them, too! But, it did not receive adequate national press coverage. There are still some living in FEMA trailer parks. Mr. Hackett should visit the town of Neffs in Belmont County and see that they are still recovering after an entire year. Countless county, township, and even state roads have been closed since September 2004 because ODOT lacks the funds to repair slips.
Finally, my third suggestion is that Mr. Hackett meet with employees of the Ormet Corporation in Hannibal, OH where a strike has lasted for 11 months. Alleged corporate financial problems have led to a freeze in employee pensions, increase in health insurance premiums, and changing overtime rules. The employees and their families are hurting terribly as a result of the strike, and there has been little to no effort by Ormet to reach a concensus. The rumor is now that Ormet will file for chapter 13 and close for good... sending 2200 jobs to the unemployment line. They need as much encouragement as they can get at Ormet.
I am not a political operative, in fact, my profession has absolutely nothing to do with politics; however, so many (including myself) have had to pay dearly for Governor Taft's and others' incompetence and indifference for seven years. Mr. Hackett must be part of the change and come to East Ohio.