Ohio. Ohio is why the dem candidate will *likely* win this year.

[cali]

In 2004 the state of Ohio was firmly in the grip of a completely corrupt repuke state party- with help from the corrupt repuke national party. That will not be the case next year. The repuke party in Ohio is more than just in disarray; it's in flames.

In 2004 Ohio had a repuke governor, Bob Taft, who was convicted of ethics violation the next year. He did not help the repuke party in Ohio. Now there is a dem governor, Ted Strickland.

In 2004, Ken Blackwell was the shady and repugnant Secretary of State, and is widely blamed for helping to steal Ohio for team bushco. Now the SoS is Jennifer Brunner who ran, largely, on reforming election procedures.

The repuke party on a National level and in Ohio does not have the bucks or the officials to steal the election this time around.

Does anyone really see the dem candidate this year losing any of the other states Kerry won? I don't. The only candidate who has a chance of doing that is Rudy, and he's in deep shit, not just because of Kerik but because he's highly divisive within his own party. Yes, he's more divisive in the repuke party than Clinton is in the Dem party.

The democratic nominee will win Ohio. And that will probably catapult said nominee into the White House.


* OK, I put little stars around likely, because I shy from making hard and fast predictions.

** OK, I don't think any dem candidate can win: Sadly, I don't think Kucinich could if he got the nod by some miracle. And Gravel obviously wouldn't. But the rest of them? Yeah, I think they could rise to the occasion and win.

[Eric J in MN]

1. Will Ohio have more voting machines in 2008 than in 2004....

...in neighborhoods with many blacks and many college students?

[cali]

2. That's a good question.

It's my understanding that that has improved, but still has a ways to go, and also the repukes are blocking the testing of evoting machines. So there's still work to do.

[Perry Logan]

3. Thanks for the good new. DUers will soon be warning you not to get overconfident.

As if overconfidence were a problem here!

Personally, I think it would do us some good to loosen up and gloat a little, rather than worrying about the hazards of feeling too good.