Say it ain’t so, Strickland.
Speculation has mounted that Ohio Governor Ted Strickland is seriously considering selecting State Rep. Jennifer Garrison (D-fense of Marriage Act) as the next Lt. Governor of Ohio. Such a move would be a big mistake and a huge blow to Ohio’s progressive Democrats.
Flashback to 2004. Jennifer Garrison was campaigning against incumbent State Rep. Nancy Hollister (R), a former Lt. Governor herself who served briefly as Ohio’s first woman Governor. Hollister was the ONE Republican in the Ohio House to vote against the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act," which was passed in a year that Republicans were making every effort to use gay marriage as a wedge issue.
How did Jennifer Garrison react to Hollister’s vote? She could have praised her opponent’s principled stand. She could have sat back and been happy that the issue was neutralized.
EDIT: I realize that there was an error with the poll now. Oops.
Instead, Jennifer Garrison made gay marriage the CENTRAL ISSUE in her campaign and sent out MAILERS attacking her Republican opponent on gay marriage. She joined Karl Rove, George Bush, and Bob Taft and made gay marriage a wedge issue in that campaign. The Gay People’s Chronicle (Ohio’s largest LGBT publication) wrote at the time:
Hollister was the only House Republican who voted against the bill. She was also the only Republican to oppose it in 2001 when it passed the House on Halloween. That year, the bill died in the Senate.
Hollister’s Democratic opponent Jennifer Garrison, a Marietta attorney, sent campaign literature to homes in the 93rd district saying, "If you believe marriage is between one man and one woman, there’s something you should know about Nancy Hollister...DOMA was enacted precisely to protect Ohioans from having to accept ‘marriages’ or ‘unions’ entered into in other states. Despite the value of DOMA, Nancy Hollister voted against it... Jennifer Garrison believes marriage is between one man and one woman and will fight to protect our values," according to the card.
According to Hollister campaign manager Marty Kitchen, the mailing was not the first time Garrison tried to attack Hollister with the DOMA vote.
"She started doing it at the county fairs," said Kitchens. "Noble County’s was the first in September, but at the fairs, she wasn’t so blatant about it."
Kitchens said the mailing will probably cost Hollister some votes, especially in Monroe County, but that Hollister will "continue to claim the high ground."
... Garrison, whose web page highlights DOMA as one of the five main issues of her endorsement by the anti-gay Ohio Right to Life, did not respond to requests for comment for this report.
Since when does a Democrat attack a Republican on gay rights and abortion from the RIGHT while the Republican takes the high ground?!? Garrison even attacked Hollister on civil unions! Maybe Garrison also believes that marriage is a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers.
Garrison, in Palinesque fashion, has the support of the National Rifle Association and continues to brag about her endorsement from Ohio Right to Life. That’s exactly what Ohio needs. A woman Lt. Governor who is anti-woman.
I fully expect the same progressives who went nuts over Sarah Palin’s credentials will have the same reaction to a relatively inexperienced, anti-gay, anti-choice, gun-toting Democratic woman being a heartbeat away from the Ohio Governorship.
Strickland has many better choices. If he wants to pick a woman, he could go with Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin, who, as an African-American, would help politically. Democrats in 2006 did an excellent job of balancing their statewide slate of candidates, and having someone from Dayton this time around would boost the ticket in that region. Garrison makes NO SENSE electorally, since she hails from Strickland’s old Congressional district, where he is already extremely popular.
An Ohioan myself, I have nothing but praise for Governor Strickland. Despite having a moderate reputation, has been good to the pro-choice and gay communities. From what I’ve heard, Strickland also has a nephew who is openly gay, and as a former psychologist, is extremely sensitive to the struggles of the LGBT community. Given that he is already perceived as a moderate, he should pick a running mate who shares his philosophy, not someone who is far to the right of him.
As Ohio goes, so goes the nation. This nation can’t afford Jennifer Garrison next-in-line to be Ohio’s Governor.
CALL GOVERNOR STRICKLAND and let him know that Democrats need to stand for basic human liberty: (614) 466-3555
E-MAIL HIM HERE: http://www.governor.ohio.gov/...
And let him know that there are much better choices to be the second in line in Ohio.