(Columbus) - Gov. Ted Strickland refused again today to accept responsibility for the state's highest unemployment rate in 25 years, claiming Ohioans should not expect him to fix it.
According to The Associated Press:
"Ohio's governor says it's unfair to blame his administration for two big job losses this week. ... Strickland says it's unrealistic to blame Ohio for problems in the auto industry or expect officials to stop a company that is intent on moving." [Associated Press, 6/3/09]
Yet Strickland and Ohio Democrats repeatedly blamed his Republican predecessor for the state's economic condition and, after his predecessor left office, turned their finger-pointing to the incumbent Republican president.
"Gov. Strickland seems fixated on playing the blame game with Ohio's economy," said Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine. "He's totally incapable of accepting his role as Ohio's chief executive and along with it the responsibility for the state's performance. It's amazing how quick he is to point fingers at Wall Street executives for their bad business decisions, but don't blame him for anything that happens on his watch in Ohio. The buck stops with everyone but Ted."
Strickland in 2006:
- "U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, a Democratic candidate for governor, says his Turnaround Ohio plan will rescue the state's economy." [The Columbus Dispatch, 2/25/06]
- "Strickland and Fisher criticized Republicans for lacking a strategic economic plan and for letting Ohio slip among the worst states in key economic indicators, including 47th in job creation, 46th in per-capita personal income and 43rd in bankruptcies." [Columbus Dispatch, 2/15/06]
- "U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, a Democratic candidate for governor, said in a statement: 'Despite the words offered and promises made today, the record of the Taft Administration and one-party rule is clear: job loss, decline, and corruption. Ohioans need and deserve a change.'" [Toledo Blade, 1/26/06]
- "Mr. Strickland, a congressman from southern Ohio, ... gave thanks for Mississippi and Louisiana - the two states he said were keeping Ohio from last-place in economic growth." [Toledo Blade, 3/6/006]
- "Democrats need a disciplined message in response, Mr. Redfern said: 'We must begin and end every sentence with 'jobs.'" [Toledo Blade, 5/7/06]
- "The Democrats rolled into town full steam Sunday afternoon. Saying it's time to change Ohio, hopefuls criticized the Republican party blaming that party's key officials for Ohio's decline in national rankings, the loss of jobs and the loss of voter trust. "I think most Ohioans understand our state is headed in the wrong direction and we are in need of a significant turnaround," said U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Marion, the state's Democratic candidate for governor and headliner of Sunday's event at the city's east side IBEW Hall, home office for the local electrical workers. [The News-Messenger (Fremont, OH), 6/19/06]
Strickland in 2008:
- "So what does Gov. Strickland do? Naturally, he does what everyone else does: He blames President Bush." [Editorial, Hillsboro Times Gazette, 11/10/08]
- "Wilmington's plight became a political football during the presidential campaign this past summer, and Strickland was quick to pin blame on the Bush administration." [The Columbus Dispatch, 1/11/08]
- "Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, a Democrat who supports Mrs. Clinton, blames his state's problems on President Bush. But Ohio's economy has been struggling for years, and most of its wounds are self-inflicted. Ohio now ranks 47th out of 50 in economic competitiveness, according to the American Legislative Exchange Council." [Editorial, The Wall Street Journal, 3/3/08]
- "A common joke is that Ohio lays out the red carpet for companies - when they leave the state." [Editorial, "Texas v. Ohio," The Wall Street Journal, 3/3/08]
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