First Posted: 2/25/2015
Why former Gov. Ted Strickland thinks Ohioans would ever trust him again is a puzzle. During his tenure as the state’s chief executive from 2007-11, Strickland gave voters no reason to support him again.
Yet Strickland, a Democrat, has announced he is running for the U.S. Senate in 2016 against incumbent Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who has an excellent record of serving Buckeye State residents.
It is little short of incredible that Strickland recently has been discussing coal policy in an attempt to woo Ohio voters, saying the federal government favors western coal companies at the expense of those in this area of the country. Strickland is president of the ultra-liberal CAP Action Fund — and well aware of the think-tank’s record of aiding President Barack Obama’s war on coal and affordable electricity. While governor, Strickland made excuse after excuse for Obama’s policies, when he should have been defending Ohioans who rely on coal for jobs and electricity.
At the same time, Strickland insisted the state’s budget woes were not all that bad. When he left office, his successor, Gov. John Kasich, had to work with legislators to close an $8 billion budget gap.
Now, with his sorry record still fresh in the minds of many voters, Strickland wants Ohioans to send him to the Senate?
