The Other McCain

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FROM OHIO: GROUND GAME REPORT

Posted on | October 30, 2012 | 59 Comments

George and Rosemary Cullen of Clermont County, Ohio

CINCINNATI, Ohio
For the past two days, Ali Akbar and I have been talking to Americans for Prosperity about their grassroots organizing effort here in Ohio. We visited their Columbus office Monday night, talked today to AFP’s Ohio state policy director, Seth Morgan, and drove down here to Cincinnati where they hosted a jam-packed meeting — standing room only — at the Eastgate Holiday Inn. I saw a  post by Ace of Spades talking about the Ohio polls, which inspired me to send a few Tweets about what it looks like on the ground here:

 


 

Folks, there is going to be a turnout effort in Ohio like you’ve never seen. George Cullen has been canvassing door-to-door for the past five weeks. He usually hits about 50 doors a day, but only got 25 under the storm conditions yesterday. He’s a West Point graduate who served six years in the Army, and he says, “The conservatives are very energized.”

George is canvassing for the Republican Party. He was at the AFP meeting here with his wife, Rosemary, who will be volunteering on phone banks with AFP. Remember that the organizing push from AFP — which is actually what is known as “voter education” — is in addition to the official Republican get-out-the-vote operation.

This is my third trip to Ohio. I was here in August right after Paul Ryan was announced as the vice-presidential choice, and came back again in late September, when some polls claimed that Obama was leading by 10 points. With a week to go, I believe Romney’s momentum is still increasing, and I think the polls are substantially underestimating how much difference this fired-up grassroots effort can make.

UPDATE (Smitty): Welcome, Instapundit readers!

UPDATE II: Ann Romney is coming to town Wednesday morning for a Victory Rally in Hamilton.

AFP will bring Fred Thompson to Ohio for three events Thursday. You should follow AFP Ohio on Twitter for updates on their grassroots efforts in this crucial battleground state.

UPDATE III: Becca Lower has a report on the AFP event.




 

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Comments

59 Responses to “FROM OHIO: GROUND GAME REPORT”

  1. SMjaniczek
    October 30th, 2012 @ 9:23 pm

    RT @smitty_one_each: TOM FROM OHIO: GROUND GAME REPORT http://t.co/5JRvgV8g #TCOT

  2. SMjaniczek
    October 30th, 2012 @ 9:23 pm

    @smitty_one_each very cool!!!!

  3. John Scotus
    October 30th, 2012 @ 9:40 pm

    We can only pray that what you are seeing on the ground translates into an actual win.

  4. John_Scotus
    October 30th, 2012 @ 9:40 pm

    RT @smitty_one_each: TOM FROM OHIO: GROUND GAME REPORT http://t.co/5JRvgV8g #TCOT

  5. huskerdiva
    October 30th, 2012 @ 9:45 pm

    RT @smitty_one_each: TOM FROM OHIO: GROUND GAME REPORT http://t.co/5JRvgV8g #TCOT

  6. AmericanWoman2
    October 30th, 2012 @ 9:53 pm

    RT @smitty_one_each: TOM FROM OHIO: GROUND GAME REPORT http://t.co/5JRvgV8g #TCOT

  7. Instapundit » Blog Archive » STACY MCCAIN reports from Ohio….
    October 30th, 2012 @ 9:59 pm

    […] STACY MCCAIN reports from Ohio. […]

  8. Paul Lewis
    October 30th, 2012 @ 10:18 pm

    I am in Butler County, tad bit North of Cincinnati. The Romney signs here out number the Obama signs 40-1. I have never, ever, seen so many yard signs. Sherrod Brown signs are pretty much non-existent, well, there is 2 at the local union hall

  9. RebeccaH
    October 30th, 2012 @ 10:23 pm

    Same in Warren County, a bit further north. People are fed up, that’s all.

  10. Bob K.
    October 30th, 2012 @ 10:30 pm

    I’m in Columbiana County, opposite side of the state, south of Youngstown. Most prevalent sign: “Stop the War on Coal.” Very few Obama signs. Even in Youngstown (very blue), lots of local Dem signs, very few Obama signs. Even fewer Brown signs.

  11. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    October 30th, 2012 @ 10:44 pm

    Thank you to all the hard working GOP volunteers in Ohio. We love you. Thank you. Keep up the good work and enthusiasm.

  12. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    October 30th, 2012 @ 10:44 pm

    Thank you GOP supporters, one and all!

  13. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    October 30th, 2012 @ 10:45 pm

    Thanks for the report!

  14. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    October 30th, 2012 @ 10:45 pm

    Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedom!

  15. Paging Mr. Morris « Lower The Boom
    October 30th, 2012 @ 10:50 pm

    […] on the evening tomorrow… also, photos of (among other things) The Other McCain National Affairs Desk. Great to meet you, Ali! -R.J.Lower Share this:TwitterFacebookLike […]

  16. mrb419
    October 30th, 2012 @ 10:51 pm

    I live in Ohio….(northwestern) and I dont see how Obama has a chance here….I think Romney will win buy at least 4 points…..Ohio is basically a “RED” state…..always has been…..2008 was a wild aberration!

  17. Quartermaster
    October 30th, 2012 @ 11:13 pm

    Perhaps you can explain the twin scum bags Metzenbaum and John Glenn? Ohio is a mixed bag when it comes to national politics.

    We also sent King George Voinovich to the Senate as well. Another blot on the Ohio record.

  18. Rob Crawford
    October 30th, 2012 @ 11:19 pm

    If you’re still in the area, make sure you head over to the Jungle Jim’s that just opened across Route 32 from that hotel.

  19. Sharon Calvert
    October 30th, 2012 @ 11:30 pm

    Thanks to AFP’s efforts in Ohio & Florida too, of course… Florida and Ohio will be RED Nov. 6th!
    http://theothermccain.com/2012/10/30/from-ohio-ground-game-report/

  20. mrb419
    October 30th, 2012 @ 11:41 pm

    We have made some mistakes but generally Ohio is fairly red….especially after 2010…..People here have common sense and wants what is best for the majority…..Not the left wing fringes…..We voted down mandatory insurance by 3 – 1…..Obama was a HUGE aberration!

  21. Adjoran
    October 31st, 2012 @ 1:05 am

    Metzenbaum got in on Watergate, Glenn was a war hero & astronaut who was a strong moderate at first – then it becomes difficult to unseat an incumbent Senator, 91% are reelected in their first try, 99% on the second and later. It’s the safest office to hold of any elected office in the world.

    Voinovich had been Governor and apparently left with good approval.

  22. Adjoran
    October 31st, 2012 @ 1:08 am

    This is how the vaunted “preference cascade” forms. It’s not an instant tsunami which suddenly destroys everything in its path with sheer power. It’s more like a dam failure, which starts with a tiny crack and trickle or a little water going over the top. Like Reagan in 1980, once the public was assured by the debate he wasn’t the nut Democrats and media said he was, it turned into a torrent.

  23. Christie Welcomes Obama to the Post-Obama Era « News « @griffinrc
    October 31st, 2012 @ 1:08 am

    […] Democrats and journalists have clung desperately to one illusion after another–first, that Obama was winning in Ohio, until that was no longer true; next, that Obama had an edge in early voting, until that was wrong; and finally, that Obama had a stronger ground game, a fantasy that is falling apart.  […]

  24. Christie Welcomes Obama to the Post-Obama Era | Freedom Report
    October 31st, 2012 @ 1:19 am

    […] Democrats and journalists have clung desperately to one illusion after another–first, that Obama was winning in Ohio, until that was no longer true; next, that Obama had an edge in early voting, until that was wrong; and finally, that Obama had a stronger ground game, until that began to fall apart.  […]

  25. Christie Welcomes Obama to the Post-Obama Era | News
    October 31st, 2012 @ 1:31 am

    […] Democrats and journalists have clung desperately to one illusion after another–first, that Obama was winning in Ohio, until that was no longer true; next, that Obama had an edge in early voting, until that was wrong; and finally, that Obama had a stronger ground game, until that began to fall apart.  […]

  26. Christie Welcomes Obama to the Post-Obama Era | PolitifreakPolitifreak
    October 31st, 2012 @ 1:50 am

    […] Democrats and journalists have clung desperately to one illusion after another–first, that Obama was winning in Ohio, until that was no longer true; next, that Obama had an edge in early voting, until that was wrong; and finally, that Obama had a stronger ground game, until that began to fall apart.  […]

  27. Casey
    October 31st, 2012 @ 2:20 am

    Given that Butler is part of John Boehner’s district (I live in Butler myself) it’s not surprising to see a majority for Romney.

    I am seeing a few more Obama signs out now, in the last week of the election, but not that many.

    Favorite sign seen so far: “Keep America Free: FIRE Obama.”

    Funniest yard so far: one Obama supporter here in Fairfield who put up 3 copies of 3 signs each in their yard. I expect they’re trying to make up for the prog slackers around here. 🙂

    …And you’re right, the signs I have seen are 90-95% Obama, not Brown.

  28. Casey
    October 31st, 2012 @ 2:30 am

    Hey, QM! Careful what you say about Col. Glenn; he’s a great man, even if he is a Democrat. 🙂

    Agree that Ohio isn’t “basically” a Red state. There’s large swathes of Blue around, mostly in the large metropolitan areas. Greater Cleveland comes to mind.

    Hillbuzz writer Kevin DuJan -a Cleveland native- says that the area tends to go for “JFK/Clinton” Democrats, as opposed to progs like Obama. If you don’t like that characterization, go argue with him, not me.:) I can see his point, as Clinton is still highly regarded by what we used to call “Reagan Democrats.”

  29. Micha_Elyi
    October 31st, 2012 @ 5:11 am

    Alas, Metzenbaum and John Glenn are repeated mistakes, kind’a like California sending up Alan Cranston then Princess Di Fi and Barbara “Check Bouncer” Boxer to the US Senate.
    Still, don’t fear that you Ohioans are compleat failures; you’ve joined California, NY and Illinois voters as negative examples that serve mightily to warn the others – at the great personal sacrifice of yourselves and your posterity, I might add. Y’all should get medals. (snicker)

  30. Quartermaster
    October 31st, 2012 @ 6:50 am

    King George was Gov when I moved to Ohio in ’92. He was Gov when things were fat and easy. He really was just an office holder. He was a NE Ohio Establishment Pubbie that wasn’t worth an awful lot. We got his type again in Bob Taft and when things weren’t so great we saw what the establishment’s governing philosophy would get you.

    Voinovich was a pretty senator.

    Casey, Glenn was a scum bag that managed to hide his true colors. His record as a Marine in Korea wasn’t much. He got himself “loaned” to the Air Force instead of doing the real work of a Marine Aviator. He didn’t distinguish himself in WW2 either. His rep as a “war hero” was pretty much election hype. He later sold his soul for Clinton.

    Glenn is scum.

  31. TeaPartyatPerrysburg
    October 31st, 2012 @ 7:18 am

    I have to say we’re all sick of the ads in Ohio. Yesterday alone I received 14 mailers! Phone calls, tv and radio ads. Wow. This state has been blanketed. Energy IS high and what the fools aren’t counting is the ground game of the Tea Party et al movement. Do people not know how networked we all are? What honks me off about all this coverage are the commentators who claim Romney doesn’t have enough offices or whatever. In a way, it’s like saying FEMA’s better than local responders. It’s not just about Romney, who we’ve grown to admire and like. it’s about our WAY OF LIFE. That’s more than a political campaign. That’s survival.

  32. Jag Nation Expat
    October 31st, 2012 @ 7:47 am

    I wish they would coordinate the robo-calls better. Is it really necessary to call the same phone number with the same message 3-4 times per day? It’s counterproductive with undecideds, and annoying as hell for everybody else.

  33. ReaganiteRepublican
    October 31st, 2012 @ 8:07 am
  34. Demoralized as Hell, Morning Joe & the Last Gasp Poll before Realville » Da Tech Guy's Blog
    October 31st, 2012 @ 8:08 am

    […] body language in private conversations that’s pretty bad, by contrast you have Romney people canvasing during the damn storm. Folks, there is going to be a turnout effort in Ohio like you’ve never seen. George Cullen has […]

  35. Bob Belvedere
    October 31st, 2012 @ 8:49 am

    Well…technically, I don’t ‘love’ them volunteers. I respect and applaud them, and thank them for their hard work – however, I’m sure I could love me some of them wimmen volunteers, IYKWIMAITYD,

  36. Becca Lower
    October 31st, 2012 @ 8:50 am

    The vaunted Col. Glenn shut down the nuclear industry in southwestern Ohio because he sided with some nutty environmental activists from out of state. He may have been an astronaut, but that doesn’t give him the right to ruin careers and close power plants.

  37. Bob Belvedere
    October 31st, 2012 @ 8:56 am

    ALL robo-calls are annoying, as are live calls. I don’t understand why campaigns still employ them.

  38. creeper
    October 31st, 2012 @ 9:19 am

    Not to hijack the Ohio thread, but this is what I’m seeing here in Iowa, also…lots of yards with a forest of signs for downticket Dems but Obama signs are conspicuous by their absence. The bloom is evidently off the rose.

  39. Fear And Loathing 2012: I Hear The Drumming « The Camp Of The Saints
    October 31st, 2012 @ 9:25 am

    […] filed a Ground Game Report over at TOM last night, with pics. A highlight: This is my third trip to Ohio. I was here in […]

  40. Lavaux
    October 31st, 2012 @ 12:06 pm

    Go Tea Party, go AFP, go Mitt, go Paul, go Josh! You guys are true patriots.

  41. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    October 31st, 2012 @ 12:09 pm

    I was referring to agape (?????), philia (?????), and storge (??????) forms of love…

    But if eros (????) works for you Bob, fair enough!

  42. Rob Crawford
    October 31st, 2012 @ 1:42 pm

    Talking about Zimmer?

    The environmentalists prevented it from being a nuclear plant — and in exchange a couple hundred acres of forest were changed into flyash pits.

    Oh, and now there’s a hydro plant going in a few miles upstream from there.

  43. Bob Belvedere
    October 31st, 2012 @ 2:14 pm

    It always works for me, IYKWIMAITYD.

  44. richard mcenroe
    October 31st, 2012 @ 3:05 pm

    Glenn flew actual combat missions in Korea, and even had to make a forced landing once due to battle damage, so I won’t criticize his military service.

    That said, too often martial courage on the battlefield doesn’t translate to moral courage in politics. Glenn is an example, Murtha is a glaring one, Tex Cunningham, McGovern when he sucked up to the left, though he seems to have repented in later life.

    Your odds are still better when you vote for the vet, though.

  45. BREAKING NEWS FROM OHIO: REPUBLICAN WOMEN ARE HOT : The Other McCain
    October 31st, 2012 @ 4:39 pm

    […] 31: FROM OHIO: POLLS, POLLS, POLLSOct. 30: FROM OHIO: GROUND GAME REPORTOct. 30: Mark October 30 on Your Calendar: Democrat Panic Hits Pandemic StageOct. 29: SCENES FROM […]

  46. Sue F.
    October 31st, 2012 @ 7:44 pm

    I’ve lived in a suburb of Columbus for 30+ years and have seen it move from solid Republican to leaning Democrat over that time. But I’m really optimistic about our chances this year. There are fewer Obama signs than we had 4 years ago and lots of Romney signs – every day I see a few more. I know a number of dedicated people who are door-knocking, making phone calls, and volunteering for GOTV on election day. I think Ohio will come through for Mitt.

  47. Gary Wm Berner
    October 31st, 2012 @ 8:31 pm
  48. Bryan Burns
    November 2nd, 2012 @ 6:35 am

    Meaning: The Koch Bros AFP. Souls bought and sold for a small amount. Open your eyes, your freind is actually your enemy.

  49. Bryan Burns
    November 2nd, 2012 @ 6:38 am

    A bonk over the head with a large club wouldn’t help you people so you might as well give it up.

  50. Bryan Burns
    November 2nd, 2012 @ 6:42 am

    You may have to go a bit farther to define “patriot’ because so far your picture is hazy. I love my country as well and I am not republican. American only here, what does that make me? Get it?!