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Strickland rallies Dems in Portage visit

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August 30, 2009

By Mike Sever

Record-Courier Staff Writer

RANDOLPH — Gov. Ted Strickland visited the Portage County Democratic Party’s summer picnic Saturday, to plump for state candidates and to address state issues.

Ohio is facing rising unemployment, drastic cuts in the state budget and people worried about their and their families’ futures.

 Strickland thanked the crowd of about 200 gathered at the home of party chairman Craig Stephens for their support and patience.

“I know I have disappointed some of you,” the governor said. “I have at some times and in some ways disappointed myself.” But, he said, he works hard “every day to do the work the people of Ohio deserve.”

Strickland said he finds it heartbreaking “to think of the difficulties good people are facing. They’ve done all the things they’re supposed to -- been good people, good parents. They’ve done everything they know to do and find themselves in difficult circumstances.”

Still, the effects of the recession could be worse, he said, if not for safeguards put in place after the Great Depression, like FDIC insurance on bank deposits, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment benefits and the federal food stamp program.

 “Can we imagine what life would be like without those wonderful, Democratically-designed protections?” Strickland asked. “Thank God for FDR and JFK and LBJ and all the others who worked so hard to give us those protections.”

When he decided to run for governor, Strickland said he had no idea he would be facing the economic challenges he has now.

Ohio is poised to emerge from the recession and prosper, he said, because his administration has focused on education. And the state has the natural resources, the manufacturing base, research institutes and infrastructure it needs. He also pointed to his administration’s two-year freeze on tuition hikes, its property tax cut for senior citizens, the comprehensive education bill, an energy bill and funding for new schools.

“Change is tough,” he said. “We either change or we fall behind. I am convinced Ohio is poised for a bright future.” 

Strickland also spoke about the opposition to national health care changes.

“The opponents are the same people who argued against Medicare and Medicaid. They called it socialized medicine then. How many people want to give up Medicare? I have not met one person,” he said

 




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 10 Total Comments
10.
    Posted by Field Play August 30, 2009
I'm pretty disappointed in Strickland's leadership. It is clear that he does not think he needs to listen to his constituents.

9.
    Posted by Mr. Destiny August 30, 2009
They will all trip over each other!!

8.
    Posted by khoffmann1 August 30, 2009
Will the Real Crooked Politician please step forwward!!!

7.
    Posted by Molly Coddler Exposer August 30, 2009
My, my! Now that picture is of what we call a half gut wrench, that is, a half dozen politicians without nooses around their necks. Just add nooses to make a half good deed!

6.
    Posted by dp August 30, 2009
Every citizen deserves responsible government. Governments (on all levels) were designed to be responsive to the people - that 'of, by and for' concept. What keeps governments responsible? An informed and engaged citizenry.

This is the year of local elections - every township will elect 2 trustees, villages elect 4 council members, two cities elect mayors, school boards elect 2 or 3 members PLUS issues. That's not including the county wide candidates or issues. Only write in candidates are left to be determined in local races.

Do you know who and what will be on YOUR ballot November 3? Now is the time to check out who wants your vote.

5.
    Posted by twins18 August 30, 2009
Nice family portrait....shall we call it the "Good 'ol Boys"?

4.
    Posted by Ship Hits the Sand August 30, 2009
What it means is that the Republican party let itself be taken over by fundamentalists, who subverted conservative values and left true conservatives without a party. Now American politics is divided into two groups of socialists, the only difference between them being the putative beneficiaries of their largesse. Each group causes destruction that arouses envy in even the cruelest terrorists while the American electorate languishes in a stupor while embracing one destroyer or another.

Will Voter van Winkle awake from his long slumber before his life has been consumed by bureaucracy? I doubt it. Perhaps America no longer deserves responsible government.

3.
    Posted by onesmallvoice August 30, 2009
And yet he won the election, as have Democrats across the country. This could only mean one of three things. 1. Republicans need better lawyers to keep elections they lost tied up in court. 2. Republicans need to look harder to trump up charges to get get fairly elected officials impeached. or 3. In our democracy, the majority rules.

2.
    Posted by Gary August 30, 2009
Democrats basicly walk and quack like ducks--come on people wake up before even out local government goes to socialism!!!!

1.
    Posted by AMT August 30, 2009
"The opponents are the same people who argued against Medicare and Medicaid."

Republicans argued against the funding plans for Medicare and Medicaid proposed by Democrats because they knew the funding was unsustainable, and they were right because Medicare and Medicaid are going broke.

Now the Democrats want to repeat their mistakes on a much larger scale.

Leave it to Strickland to tout the failed funding methods of programs that are rapidly going bankrupt.

Democrats richly deserve the electoral disasters everyone sees looming for them on the horizon.

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