Redstate

Don't let perfect be the enemy of the good

By Kevin Holtsberry Posted in 2006 — Comments (17) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

The mood is dark for Ohio Republicans these days. On the eve of the election it appears that the party is going down to ignominious defeat on a practically every level. Many on the right are content to blame this on a overly liberal slate of candidates and the whiff of corruption. Conservatives seem intent on viewing Ohio as a solid Red State that liberal squishes are throwing away.

This overly simplistic view helps no one. In reality, Ohio is a diverse and complex state that is more purple than red. It took a GOP GOTV effort of historic proportions for President Bush to win Ohio against a very mediocre opponent. The Ohio Republican Party has always been led by a risk averse and moderate group of politicians and the Culture of Corruption charge is an exaggeration that only seems to apply to Republicans.

We can argue about all of this later. The bottom line is that if you are a conservative, or center-right, Republican living in Ohio you need to get out and vote for the Republican ticket. In my mind there is simply no reason not to vote Republican. There are no moral victories to be had tomorrow. We need to fight to win and settle policy disputes later.

If you want more details read on.

Why should you vote for Republicans? Here are some reasons:

- Politicians and parties don't get sophisticated messages. The only message the media will report and people will hear if the GOP loses is voters chose Democrats. That is not a good message.

- The lesser of two evils may get old and it may be uninspiring but it is nevertheless true. Another cliche is also true: Democrats are for higher taxes, more regulation, and a retreat in the war on terror. We need a majority to get things done AND to stop the left. GOP moderates are better than Democrat liberals. Incumbent Republicans may be squishy and maddeningly spineless at times, but they are better than their opponents without question.

Would you really rather have Sherrod Brown than Mike DeWine? Put aside DeWine's actions on the Gang of Four, etc. The simple choice is DeWine or Brown. For any conservative the choice is easy. The fact of the matter is that elections are choices pure and simple. You get A or you get B. You don't get ideal candidates or perfect scenarios. In many districts you will have to choose between an uninspiring moderate and a typical liberal clothed as a sensible centrist. Don't buy it. The GOP moderate is still better. Do you really want the likes Ted Strickland, Sherrod Brown, and Mary Jo Kilroy to be the face of Ohio politics?

Has the Ohio GOP had its problems? Sure. Taft has bumbled his way into historic unpopularity. But his public humiliation has been a little over the top. The Tom Noe fiasco has allowed the media to portray the entire party as corrupt and many on the right seem happy to play along. Bob Ney should have resigned ages ago. But in reality Taft failed to report some golf outings and Noe deceived a great many people including some of his closest friends. Was there some lax over-sight? Yes, but corruption no. Do you really think Taft knowingly winked so Noe could steal millions for a few thousand dollars a cycle in donations? Meanwhile, investment losses on a larger scale go unreported when they connect to big city Democrats.

Yes, Taft and the General Assembly raised taxes to solve the budget crises; most states take this path. But lost in all the noise about corruption and scandal is the fact that the GOP led GA passed a historic tax overhaul which included a large income tax cut. These cuts have since been accelerated thanks to growing tax receipts. Your paycheck is bigger thanks to the the Ohio Republican Party. When was the last time you read that in the paper?

If you want a clear picture of the future under the Democrats look no further than Ohio's large urban centers. High taxes, bloated budgets, bad neighborhoods, rising crime, this is what you get when you vote for Democrats. They are beholden to the unions and to those that live at the public trough (social welfare agencies, non-profits, etc.). Do you really think the Ds would have over-hauled the tax code and cut income taxes after the budget stabilized? Think about this when you are deciding to vote or stay home.

Conservatives and libertarians love to blast Ohio as a high tax state but ignore the fact that state wide taxes are not that high. It is the ability of local and municipal governments to add on taxes at the local level that makes Ohio's overall tax rate so high. And as I mentioned above, the GA recently reformed the tax code and cut income taxes. The libertarian dream of slashed budgets and minimalist government is not realistic.

I will end this rather rambling post and just reiterate the bottom line: at the end of the day Ohio Republicans are the best choice for Ohio and for the nation. Not the perfect choice, just the best choice of the options we have before us.

If you are an Ohio Republican voter considering staying home or not voting for certain candidates please reconsider. The price of losing is just too high.