There seems to be this divide here between those who want Sherrod Brown to step in the Ohio Senate Race to challenge Mike DeWine, and those who want Tim Ryan to do the same. I think if you take a look at history and realize that Brown always seems to be "interested" in the seat, but he never moves on it, the choice becomes easier to make. Bottom line? There cannot be a "wait-your-turn" policy any longer. It's time for a breath of fresh air. Enter Tim Ryan.
More on the flip..
A new blog has been set up at
http://ryanvdewine.blogspot.com. The first post goes through and clarifies for Democrats why we need to get moving on Tim Ryan's candidacy instead of waiting around for Sherrod Brown to make up his mind. I'll paste most of it here, and if you'd like, you can check out the rest of the blog on your own at the above address.
Name Recognition
Strength:
Brown has shown that he can win a state-wide race. With eighteen districts in Ohio, Ryan has exposure in only 1/18th of the state. Brown has at least been in the ballot in every district.
Weakness:
Secretary of State 1983-1991? I recall us winning Ohio occasionally a decade or so ago. But clearly yesterday's game plan isn't winning us many victories. This is the 21st century. Clinton showed that being an unknown from the middle of nowhere can be overcome with the proper strategy. Has Brown learned how to win using the techniques of today, or is his experience from more than a decade ago a liability?
Our Type of Liberal
Strength:
If you are reading this blog then it is almost certain that you want DeWine out. And unless you are only angry at him because of his son's tryst, you - like I - are on the left side of the spectrum. Without a doubt, Brown has a lot of the beliefs that I do. And probably the rest of y'all as well. He's our type of liberal.
Weakness:
So was Walter Mondale. Come visit us in Ohio. We don't like 'damned liberals!.' Is it a shame? Yes. But the old "anti-life anti-gun owl-loving liberal' is costing us the votes of Blue Collar workers. In Ohio, Democrat's appeal has always focused on our ability to deliver a strong economy and jobs, but people tend to get caught up in all this talk of "Values". We don't need that here. People are hurting. Schweitzer proved it can be done with his 'Montana Miracle'. I can't see Brown pulling that off here in Ohio.
Age
Strength:
When it comes to the Senate, people are old. Really old. And apparently voters like that and often avoid electing youth to the Senate.
Weakness:
We are a party that is ever growing older. We need fresh blood. A wait-your-turn policy doesn't work. I personally equate age with a decreasing amount of passion. With youth comes inspiration, and to win against DeWine we need somebody capable of awakening Ohio. We need that special spark. Brown is no JFK.
Experience
Strength:
Brown has leadership experience. He's been a leading voice in fighting CAFTA.
Weakness:
Which is why we need to keep him there. You don't remove your strongest leaders. Until we win it back, the House needs Brown.
Establishment
Strength:
Brown is a well-established candidate. He is Ohio's most senior national Democrat, and is the best connected when it comes to the party establishment.
Weakness:
If there is one thing that Coingate has taught us, it is that being around for a long time often has negative repercussions. Ohio has a messy history. Even though the party machines of the old days are gone, they aren't dead yet. This leads to an environment where connections matter more than talent. Unless Brown can get tons of Republican endorsements across the states, his connections are useless in a general election. So what if Brown has the ODP's favor? They don't have much of a winning streak. To win we need to show Ohio that '06 is about starting over. We want a breath of fresh air, and in this election, establishment equals Columbus.
Decent Guy
Strength:
Brown certainly looks like a nice enough guy. Certain people are always mentioning how personable he was.
Weakness:
So was John Kerry. We have nearly twenty million people here. The Democratic candidate will not have an opportunity to shake everybody's hand. This is about image. 'Decent' doesn't cut it.
Charisma
Strength:
I've heard that Brown is fairly charismatic.
Weakness:
Seeing is believing, and the onus lies on Brown. Having a website created doesn't cut it. How will he look during a debate?
Contact Tim Ryan's staff here, and let him know we're depending on him to be a major part of the Democratic sweep in Ohio come 2006!
Update [2005-7-28 21:45:36 by bergerc84]::
As requested, I'm providing reasons why I think Ryan is more than qualified to run against Mike DeWine.
First, he's energetic, youthful, and more importantly, he's a fresh face. I don't care that Sherrod Brown is more experienced, more "electable." If we're going to go with a reform theme, I think Ryan needs to be one of its faces.
Second, while some may claim he's inexperienced, I'd say this is a good thing. He has little political baggage. He's consistently given high marks by labor, education, gun rights groups, and a negative "family" rating from a right-wing Christian group (just as good). There should be very little to tie him up with, as he's had a very principled career as a legislator (both in the Congress and the Ohio legislature).
Next, Ryan does well as the underdog. Both of his campaigns, in 2000 and 2002, were upsets, and they were the result of great organizing. Ryan maximized what money he had, and relied heavily on grassroots politics while beating heavily financed candidates (including U.S. Rep Tom Sawyer) both years.
Ryan is also from an extremely populous part of the state. With the Youngstown/Warren market covered due to his congressional seat, and with his centrist voting record on social issues, he could very easily take a chunk of southern Ohio (more than just Athens Co.) away from DeWine that Brown, with his more liberal social stances, might not be able to do.
Last, just because a poll was taken with Brown in it and doing well matched up with DeWine (with the results released) does not mean he's the only credible candidate. In fact, Ryan was included in the same poll, but the results were not floated, and the poll was undoubtedly largely based on name ID). When DC newspapers discuss the Senate race, most of the articles mention Ryan. If Ryan's the guy who is running (he's definitely expressed interest) and Sherrod ends up not running, we have to get behind Ryan very soon. I'd like to see how Tim Ryan does. I think everyone would be pretty damn surprised if he's given the chance.
