Friends, Democrats, Patriots,
Here’s the thing making me crazy this morning.
Last night, I saw one of the most one-sided debates in Ohio political history. Eric Fingerhut literally destroyed George Voinovich in Cincinnati.
I was one of the lucky 100 people in attendance and I can tell you that the moods of the two camps differed greatly after the debate. The minute the cameras cut off, we were hugging and beaming. The Voinovich people were in shock. Their faces told the story as their voices were silent. In the hall, a few of us overheard two Voinovich supporters actually saying they hope no one watches the debate. THIS FROM HIS OWN PEOPLE!
The debate DID air last night in Cleveland and across much of the state – at 11:30PM. This isn’t “good enough.” Believe me when I tell you that this debate is the type of performance that can swing an election overnight. It was THAT decisive.
A “Perfect Storm” is building.
First, George Voinovich spent close to four million dollars over one month on TV only to watch his poll numbers stay put (actually he dropped 3 points).
GOOD. Conditions start to change.
Then, feeling pressure from the lack of poll movement and the overall softness of his support, he launched an aggressive, statewide, misleading attack ad.
The ad backfired as the Plain Dealer ripped him for his odd behavior: ““JEERS to Republican Sen. George Voinovich for going negative in his campaign against Democratic challenger Eric Fingerhut. Voinovich has all of the money and all of the name recognition in this race, and he's going to get most of the votes. Bringing out the heavy artillery now - especially after avoiding any debates with Fingerhut - smacks of some weird brand of insecurity. In fact, it's so weird many Republicans are appalled at Voinovich's inexplicable decision.”... (by the way, Republicans actually started calling our offices for yard signs due to this attack)
GOOD. Momentum starting to grow.
Then, last night’s debate. Wow!
GOOD! Hurricane strength!
Now is the final push! I NEED YOUR HELP!
WE MUST GET THIS DEBATE BACK ON CLEVELAND TV (and across the state)!
Here’s my letter to WKYC this morning. Please review for ideas, then go here (
http://tinyurl.com/6p973 ) to write your own letters. WE NEED YOU!!! Please write a letter and encourage two friends to do the same!
- Anthony
Richard Moore
Vice President, News
WKYC-TV 3
Cleveland, OH
Mr. Moore,
As a lifelong Ohioan, I see the condition of the state deteriorating and the lives of regular, hard working people at risk. Over the past year, tremendous focus has been given to the men and women running for President of the United States. However, with our state hanging in the balance, we have seen or heard little about the two men running for U.S. Senate. On my way back form a business trip Friday evening, I accidentally stumbled across a radio broadcast of the Senate Debate that took place earlier that evening in Cincinnati. This morning, I learned that one of your rivals, WEWS, aired the broadcast at 11:30pm Friday night. Clearly, WEWS does not take this issue seriously. If they did, they might have considered running it in a more appropriate timeslot – like Sunday morning when talk shows fill the airwaves. I think WKYC would be doing the public a great service if it considered airing this debate on either Sunday morning (the 24th or the 31st) prior to NBC’s Meet the Press with Tim Russert. With Meet the Press airing Senate Debates from other states, it just makes good sense for WKYC to play an active role in the process here at home.
Please consider airing the U.S. Senate Debate on your station. Ohioans deserve more than 30 second commercials and a few paragraphs in the paper every week. This is an important race and these are important times. Your station can take a lead in educating voters. I encourage you to act.
Thanks!
Anthony Fossaceca
Cleveland, OH
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