OPEN

Ohio politics news and analysis from The Plain Dealer

Reporters had barely learned how to spell Sarah Palin's name when the first murmurings of the reignited "mommy wars" reached the airwaves.

By Tuesday afternoon -- a mere four days after Sen. John McCain announced he had picked Palin as his running mate -- the topic of the BBC radio show "World Have Your Say" was a Palin-inspired discussion of the "right" age for women to bear children.

By Wednesday, lifestyle blogs glowed bright pink with chatter about whether the Alaska governor, as mother of five, was a symbol of feminism's best do-it-all achievements or of what happens when one's career ambitions overwhelm family needs.

---

• Connie Schultz's view

• Regina Brett's view

---

On rolled the arguments. Palin's pregnant 17-year-old daughter was either an object lesson about maternal hubris or an example of how a loving, supportive family rises to a difficult occasion.

Some wondered: Can she be a good vice president with all those kids, including an infant with Down syndrome? Others wondered: Do we ask whether Barack Obama can be a good president with two young girls to raise?

So here we are again, revisiting the 35-year-old argument about mothers in the workplace. The twist lies in the uncharted territory of a woman with young children standing ready to accept the second-highest office in the land, but the controversies remain the same. Sometimes the question is how family affects a woman's productivity in the workplace. More often it's how work affects a woman's duty to her brood.

Continue reading "Sarah Palin's nomination has put 'Mommy Wars' back in the news" »

RATING
1
on a scale from 0 (misleading) to 10 (truthful)
(Numerical rankings done by The Plain Dealer.)

By Jack Torry
Columbus Dispatch

THE AD: "Alaska Maverick" a 30-second television commercial.

PRODUCER: Sen. John McCain's campaign.

Continue reading "McCain ad is selective on Palin, Obama records - Eye on Ohio" »

Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray, the Democratic candidate for attorney general, picked up a major endorsement Friday from the Fraternal Order of Police, the state's largest law enforcement group.

Attorney general candidates covet support from the FOP, which has more than 25,000 Ohio members. The endorsement also gives nice-guy Cordray -- whose platform has mainly been pro-consumer issues -- a tough-on-crime persona. The attorney general is regarded as the state's top lawyer, top prosecutor and top cop, all rolled into one.

"Richard Cordray was the clear choice," Nick DiMarco, president of the Ohio FOP, said in a statement issued by the group. "Given Cordray's track record of support for law enforcement, commitment to public employees and proven leadership in public office, Cordray will make an exceptional attorney general."

Front-runner Cordray responded by promising, if elected, to give law enforcement the resources it needs to "keep our communities safe, solve crimes and keep criminals behind bars."

Republican candidate Mike Crites, a Columbus attorney, also sought the FOP endorsement. Independent candidate Robert Owens rounds out the field of three in the Nov. 4 election. They are vying to complete the remaining two years of former attorney general Marc Dann, the Democrat who resigned in disgrace in May.

New numbers this morning show that the national unemployment rate is the highest in nearly five years. Political leaders in both parties say the economy is the top issue in Ohio. So here's what Barack Obama and John McCain had to say in statements just issued by their capaigns:

Obama: "Today's jobs report is a reminder of what's at stake in this election - John McCain showed last night that he is intent on continuing the economic policies that just this year have caused the American economy to lose 605,000 jobs. John McCain may believe that the fundamentals of our economy are 'strong,' but the working men and women I meet every day are working harder for less, the typical working age family's income is down $2,000 since George Bush took office, and their purchasing power is as low as it's been in a decade. John McCain's answer is more of the same: $200 billion in tax cuts to big corporations and oil companies, and not one dime of tax relief to more than 100 million middle-class families. If I am president, I will cut taxes for 95% of all working families and provide an immediate $50 billion to struggling states so that they don't have to cut back on health care and education and can rebuild roads and schools. That's the change working families need right now."

McCain: "Americans are hurting and we must act to create jobs. Unfortunately, while millions of Americans are gathering around the kitchen table and questioning how they can keep their homes, pay their medical bills and afford their children's education, Washington has failed to act. As I promised last night, I will fight for those that lost their jobs, savings, and real estate investments. Some Americans have been left behind in the changing economy, and it often seems your government hasn't even noticed. We must prepare every worker for the jobs of tomorrow. We will use our community colleges to help train people for new opportunities in their communities. As president, I will enact a Jobs for America economic plan that creates jobs, helps small businesses, expands opportunities and opens markets to American goods. Washington must stand beside the American people, not in their way.

"Sadly there are those who believe that to grow this economy we must raise taxes, impose costly new mandates and isolate America from the global economy. When our economy is hurting, the last thing we should do is raise taxes as Barack Obama plans to do and has done. The American people cannot afford a Barack Obama presidency."

COLUMBUS -- Faced with the prospect of a nasty fight with a governor they helped elect, a major labor union leading the charge for paid sick days backed down Thursday.

The head of Service Employees International Union District 1199 said a coalition pushing an initiative that would make Ohio the first state to require employers to provide paid sick days would pull the issue from the Nov. 4 ballot.

"We respect the governor's wish to avoid a negative and divisive fight that could hurt Ohio," said Becky Williams, president of SEIU District 1199 in a statement announcing the move.

The effort faced opposition not only from business groups but also from Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat whose 2006 campaign was strongly supported by the SEIU and who last year supported the union's effort to organize home health care workers.

Strickland feared the sick days measure would make it difficult to attract businesses to Ohio and hurt the state's already reeling economy.

Continue reading "Sick-day measure off Nov. ballot" »

Sept. 5, 2008

Friday's postcard is from Matt Riehl, a councilman for the city of Stow and a campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Steven LaTourette. Riehl, 24, is among the 173 Ohio delegates at the convention.

"This has been an unconventional convention and it is going so well. What started as a political rally has turned into a volunteer call for action."

Continue reading "Postcards from St. Paul" »

WASHINGTON - Todd Palin -- oil worker, champion snowmobiler, hunter and commercial fisherman -- also has been boning up on mining lately in his role as Alaska's first spouse.

On two separate occasions last fall, the husband of the Republican vice presidential candidate boarded planes chartered by mining companies that want to dig for gold, zinc and lead in remote Alaska valleys.

The trips cost $1,005, according to Gov. Sarah Palin's financial disclosure forms, which described them as gifts. The travel showcased the niche Palin has filled in his wife's administration -- helping find jobs for Alaskans who, like him, didn't graduate from college.

Continue reading "Alaska's 'first dude' digs into job creation" »