Yesterday was former Governor and U.S. Senate candidate Ted Strickland’s (D. OH) Birthday and here’s how the GOP decided to wish him Happy Birthday:
National Republican Senatorial Committee Executive Director Ward Baker also "wished" Strickland a happy birthday on Thursday.
The Ohio Democratic Party put out a statement by the Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans, a labor-affiliated group, that described the tweet as an "attack on America's seniors.' In an interview, Party Chairman David Pepper described the tweet as "ageist" and "cynical."
"It says a lot more about the character of those people than it does about Ted," Pepper said.
Strickland's age is a sensitive subject, and generally has been off-limits during this year's race.
Except once. In February, a Super PAC aligned with PG Sittenfeld, Strickland's main opponent in the Democratic primary, ran an ad that described Stickland as "tired" and "unsteady" on the stump. The reference drew a stern rebuke from the Strickland campaign, and turned off some Democratic insiders.
No one should be attacked for their age and this was a low blow from the NRSC. Interesting that the NRSC has to resort to these types of attacks when the Koch Brothers have been doing all the lying and attacking for them:
Gov. Ted Strickland was at the helm when America, and in turn Ohio, faced its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Times were tough for many Ohioans. But how much should Ohioans blame Strickland for a worldwide depression?
The ad from Freedom Action Partners, a conservative super PAC affiliated with the billionaire Koch brothers, would heap most of the blame on Strickland. That's not surprising. Ads run by Gov. John Kasich, Strickland's 2010 gubernatorial challenger, successfully made similar claims. Kasich beat Strickland by 2 percentage points that year.
One of Kasich's favorite campaign pitches is how he brought Ohio's rainy day fund from 89 cents to just over $2 billion. It's accurate that Strickland drained the rainy day fund down to 89 cents to balance the state budget, a requirement under the Ohio constitution. Some argue that was irresponsible, while others say a worldwide financial crisis is the definition of a "rainy day."
It's a stretch to say Strickland was paying for his mistakes. Economists agree that governors get too much blame – and conversely, too much credit – for the economic state of their states. Strickland should not be blamed for irresponsible mortgage lending and risky bank investments. Those weren't his mistakes.
But did he make conditions worse? The ad cites hiked fees on vehicles, trash and healthcare. In 2009, Strickland increased fees rather than eliminating a 21-percent income tax implemented by his predecessor Gov. Bob Taft, a Republican, that was being phased in over five years. The fees included a $1.25 per ton increase for dumping trash, $15 more for vanity plates, $8 more for temporary tags and $19 more for commercial truck plates.
But Strickland ultimately ended up delaying the income tax cut to pay for a budget shortfall of more than $800 million at the end of 2009. So the income tax cut finally took effect on Jan. 1, 2011 – nine days before Kasich took office.
