Here at Hiram College we've been trying to arrange a debate between
Lew Katz (D) and Rep. Steve LaTourette (R) for several weeks. Strangely, the LaTourette campaign manager Dino DiSanto has not returned any of our calls: not from me, not from the president of Hiram College, not from the Republican precinct chairs. It is like we don't exist. In fact, a call to the congressional office a few weeks ago led to this exchange:
LaTourette's Washington DC office: "Where are you calling from again?"
me: "Hiram"
LaTourette's office: "Hiram....Hiram....is that in our district?"
Look, I understand that LaTourette won in 2004 with 61% of the vote and in 2002 with 71%, so he probably feels he does not need to campaign. And yes, Hiram is a pretty liberal place, so LaTourette may not get that many votes from here. BUT, that doesn't excuse the fact that he's my Representative, and it would be nice for him to show his face when invited to come speak with the public about the issues: his votes on the Iraq war, his lying about his CAFTA vote, his promise to only serve four terms (he's running for his seventh), etc.
A few days ago, I finally did talk to LaTourette's campaign manager. I told him that we had invited both candidates and would love to have LaTourrette appear jointly with Katz or separately. "There is a lot of interest in this race," I said. DiSanto cut me off. "There is not a lot of interest in this race," he said. "Maybe in other races, but not this one."
There are really only two things that make me angry: ignorance and arrogance. LaTourette's campaign manager Dino DiSanto made me angry the other day, angry enough to sign up for two canvassing sessions for Katz on a Sunday afternoon when my Bengals are playing. That's sacrifice.
Go Katz. I think he can win.
PS For those of you that live near Hiram, a PSA:
This Wednesday, October 4, Hiram is fortunate to be hosting two prominent speakers for the upcoming election.
The first is Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Connie Schultz, who will discuss Ohio's closely contested U.S. Senate race on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in the first floor lounge of Kennedy Center at Hiram College. Schultz, who won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2005, has taken a leave of absence from The Plain Dealer to campaign for her husband U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown. Brown is challenging incumbent Republican Mike DeWine, who has served in the Senate since January 1995.
Schultz, author of the book, Life Happens - And Other Unavoidable Truths, has received many state and national writing honors, including two National Headliner Awards, the James Batten Medal and the Robert F. Kennedy Award for social justice reporting. She was inducted into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame in 2005. Copies of her book are available in the Hiram College Bookstore. Her talk is free and open to the public.
Later that evening Lew Katz, Democratic candidate in Ohio's 14th Congressional District, will be hosting a reception in Hiram called "Katz and Dogs" at the home of Phyllis Gulyas (6801 Hinsdale, two doors down from Bonney Castle). Lew will discuss his plans for our country should he be elected to Congress. The meeting will be Wednesday from 7-9 pm and there will be hot dogs and other refreshments, so stop by for some good food and great conversation. The seat he's running for is held by Republican Steven C. LaTourette, who is in his sixth term representing all of Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties and portions of Summit, Cuyahoga, Trumbull and Portage counties, including the village of Hiram. Lew will also be introducing Connie Schultz earlier in the day when she speaks on campus.