Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman maybe should have thought twice about his ad bragging about the anti-heroin bill he backed, then voted against funding. Because if he thought his Democratic challenger, former Gov. Ted Strickland, was going to let that one slide, he was extremely wrong. That’s left Portman's camp trying to explain the situation in just the kind of terms that make a politician seem like a caricature of a politician (or, as the Strickland campaign put it, a “hypocritical, ultimate Washington insider”):
The Portman camp explains that vote this way: The senator voted against the overall budget number in the year-end omnibus bill, as many Republicans did. But he still successfully advocated for the money in the bill targeted at opioid abuse.
I put the money in the bill that I voted against. I mean, okay, if you think that’s a winning argument. Portman is also attacking Strickland on his record on addiction prevention and treatment. Strickland’s camp, naturally, is pushing back:
Meanwhile, the Strickland campaign touts the former governor’s own record on fighting opioid addiction. For example, as governor, Strickland signed an executive order creating the Ohio Prescription Drug Task Force in 2010. The same year, he set aside $250,000 in grant money for law enforcement to target fraudulent or illegitimate prescribers of pain medication. Strickland also increased funding for the state Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services by 4 percent between 2007 and 2011, from about $181.3 million to $188.7 million.
Also, too, Strickland is not the guy who ran an ad bragging about a bill he voted not to fund! That’s kind of the key point here!
Ohio can do better. Please give $3 to help elect Ted Strickland to the Senate.