Monday
Mar032008
Showdown in Ohio
Monday, March 3, 2008 at 1:54PM
By Ellen Ratner
Last Monday, Cleveland, Ohio, had its usual winter snowfall. I was traversing the state from Columbus to Cleveland getting a sense of how the state might vote this Tuesday. The race is on between Sens. Obama and Clinton, and it is a must-win state for Clinton.
It used to be in presidential politics that "So goes Ohio, so goes the nation." But the nation's demographics have changed, and Ohio is not the microcosm of the United States it once was. The United States is about 69 percent Caucasian, but Ohio is 84.6 percent Caucasian. Industry has left Ohio. It was once considered the powerhouse of the Midwest, especially for iron, steel and industry. Fifty years ago, Cleveland was the seventh largest city in the nation; now it ranks around 40.
The Clinton people felt they had Ohio sewn up. Almost all the influential politicians have been stumping for the senator from New York. The governor; the lieutenant governor ( Lee Fisher, whom I have known since childhood) and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the very influential member of Congress from the Cleveland area, have been out for Clinton full time. The problem is that that Ohio has had a very, very hard time lately, and although Bill Clinton is beloved as is Gov. Strickland, their charm and reputations are not able to sooth the sting of General Motor layoffs and NAFTA blowback. In addition, the Ohio plains are littered with closed factories that moved to China. Five years ago, for example, the Ohio Art Company, makers of one of America's all-time top-selling toys, Etch-A-Sketch, moved its factory to China, decimating the town.
Given the demographics of race and age in Ohio, most would assume that it would favor a Clinton candidacy. But Ohio has endured years of disappearing jobs and neglect for developing new industry and technology. As of the latest Sunday polls, Obama was within one point of Clinton.
Growing up in Ohio when it was an industrial powerhouse of the nation, I understood the values that many in Ohio still hold near and dear. So having sat in the debate hall last Monday night, I was not surprised when many of the citizens were furious with Tim Russert for what they considered was an unnecessarily contentious debate. They said they wanted to hear about issues, not his Sunday-style "Meet the Press" "gotcha journalism."
But his questions may have turned the debate and may actually make the Ohio election closer than anyone thought. Here is a play by play of some of the moments inside with Ohioans:
Obama brought up the issue of her campaign making "robo" (automatic calls) after he was attacked for sending out mailers on Clinton's health care plan. She skillfully moved the conversation to getting to his facts on health insurance. Was it that skillful? The audience could not get the dreaded "robo calls" out of their minds. So he sent out a mailer – big deal. Throw it away. Would you rather get a mailer or a "robo" call? There was much seat shifting in the audience at the very mention of "robo" calls.
Then, Clinton says her plan will be affordable. Obama moves his hands in disbelief. The audience chuckles. Clinton nicely goes after the moderators asking why she always gets the first question and invokes the "Saturday Night Live" skit. The audience had been told not to react, but makes a soft booing noise.
Obama warms up Ohio sounding good on trade. She sounds good on green jobs, but doesn't explain what that would look like in Ohio. Clinton delivers her line of the night about him not having one hearing on his subcommittee. He scores on his summary about Iraq, "Once we have driven the bus into the ditch, there are only so many ways you can drive the bus out." The audience loves the analogy. They can relate.
It went back and forth for an hour and a half but Obama used the magic word. No, it was not the "please" and "thank you" that we learned in our Ohio public schools. It was the other word that was present in all of our elementary school teachers' admonitions: "Fair." We were taught to always be fair. Tim Russert takes a page from the Clinton campaign and asks about Obama's changing stance on taking public financing in the general campaign. Obama hits bingo and says if he is the nominee he will sit down with Sen. McCain and makes sure it is fair. That one word won him many votes in Ohio and makes Tuesday's primary a very close race indeed.
Last Monday, Cleveland, Ohio, had its usual winter snowfall. I was traversing the state from Columbus to Cleveland getting a sense of how the state might vote this Tuesday. The race is on between Sens. Obama and Clinton, and it is a must-win state for Clinton.
It used to be in presidential politics that "So goes Ohio, so goes the nation." But the nation's demographics have changed, and Ohio is not the microcosm of the United States it once was. The United States is about 69 percent Caucasian, but Ohio is 84.6 percent Caucasian. Industry has left Ohio. It was once considered the powerhouse of the Midwest, especially for iron, steel and industry. Fifty years ago, Cleveland was the seventh largest city in the nation; now it ranks around 40.
The Clinton people felt they had Ohio sewn up. Almost all the influential politicians have been stumping for the senator from New York. The governor; the lieutenant governor ( Lee Fisher, whom I have known since childhood) and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the very influential member of Congress from the Cleveland area, have been out for Clinton full time. The problem is that that Ohio has had a very, very hard time lately, and although Bill Clinton is beloved as is Gov. Strickland, their charm and reputations are not able to sooth the sting of General Motor layoffs and NAFTA blowback. In addition, the Ohio plains are littered with closed factories that moved to China. Five years ago, for example, the Ohio Art Company, makers of one of America's all-time top-selling toys, Etch-A-Sketch, moved its factory to China, decimating the town.
Given the demographics of race and age in Ohio, most would assume that it would favor a Clinton candidacy. But Ohio has endured years of disappearing jobs and neglect for developing new industry and technology. As of the latest Sunday polls, Obama was within one point of Clinton.
Growing up in Ohio when it was an industrial powerhouse of the nation, I understood the values that many in Ohio still hold near and dear. So having sat in the debate hall last Monday night, I was not surprised when many of the citizens were furious with Tim Russert for what they considered was an unnecessarily contentious debate. They said they wanted to hear about issues, not his Sunday-style "Meet the Press" "gotcha journalism."
But his questions may have turned the debate and may actually make the Ohio election closer than anyone thought. Here is a play by play of some of the moments inside with Ohioans:
Obama brought up the issue of her campaign making "robo" (automatic calls) after he was attacked for sending out mailers on Clinton's health care plan. She skillfully moved the conversation to getting to his facts on health insurance. Was it that skillful? The audience could not get the dreaded "robo calls" out of their minds. So he sent out a mailer – big deal. Throw it away. Would you rather get a mailer or a "robo" call? There was much seat shifting in the audience at the very mention of "robo" calls.
Then, Clinton says her plan will be affordable. Obama moves his hands in disbelief. The audience chuckles. Clinton nicely goes after the moderators asking why she always gets the first question and invokes the "Saturday Night Live" skit. The audience had been told not to react, but makes a soft booing noise.
Obama warms up Ohio sounding good on trade. She sounds good on green jobs, but doesn't explain what that would look like in Ohio. Clinton delivers her line of the night about him not having one hearing on his subcommittee. He scores on his summary about Iraq, "Once we have driven the bus into the ditch, there are only so many ways you can drive the bus out." The audience loves the analogy. They can relate.
It went back and forth for an hour and a half but Obama used the magic word. No, it was not the "please" and "thank you" that we learned in our Ohio public schools. It was the other word that was present in all of our elementary school teachers' admonitions: "Fair." We were taught to always be fair. Tim Russert takes a page from the Clinton campaign and asks about Obama's changing stance on taking public financing in the general campaign. Obama hits bingo and says if he is the nominee he will sit down with Sen. McCain and makes sure it is fair. That one word won him many votes in Ohio and makes Tuesday's primary a very close race indeed.
Meeting the press
I sat down with my mom last December, I looked at her seriously, and told her of my one ultimate goal for covering Iowa caucuses. "I just want to get a picture with Tim Russert."
I'm not going to say I idolize people just because they are on TV. I am not going to spout off hero worship. I wanted that picture because the NBC Washington Bureau Chief was the real deal. Tim Russert had a unique style, he was a great writer, and he was one of the few TV people who did journalism. He was tough with everyone. He was a great host of Meet the Press. He did his research. He checked his facts. He was prepared.
If more television journalists did the simple fundamental things Tim Russert did, I would watch more TV news.