Strickland Courts Taft Supporters

Ohio's Viking Spirit blog is reporting that Supporters of unpopular Ohio governor Taft are now supporting liberal Dem candidate Ted Strickland.

While it is unusual for donors and supporters to support candidates in an opposite political party, in this case, ideology and personal vendetta's trump partisanship: Taft and Strickland are both liberals and establishment insiders.

Blackwell, conversely, is a conservative outsider -- in the image of Ronald Reagan.

While Taft's folks may want revenge on Blackwell (for running away from Taft in the GOP primary), they are more likely hanging an albatross around Strickland's neck (talk about the law of unintended consequences!).

And by seeking out the support, Strickland may be setting himself up as a hypocrite; he criticizes Taft publicly, yet is courting the support of Taft's confidants.

Note: It's not just grassroots supporters and donors that Strickland is courting. According to the Toledo Blade, he has sought advice and counsel from "Taft's Brain":

In addition to taking money from the people who propelled Mr. Taft to the governor's office, Mr. Strickland also has met with the controversial architect of the governor's career.

In April, Mr. Strickland attended an event hosted by Brian Hicks, Mr. Taft's former chief of staff who was convicted last year of failing to disclose vacation stays at Noe's Florida home on his annual ethics statement.

Taft's supporters are ironically underscoring Blackwell's argument for him -- that he is the "anti-Taft candidate" in the race.

(Granted, we've always known that -- but now we have a paper trail linking Strickland to friends of the most unpopular governor in American history.)

It occurs to me that Blackwell is darn-near immune from the anti-Republican political environment that is a drag on nearly every other Republican candidate in the nation.

The standard political rules don't apply to Blackwell because he's no standard Republican. More than any other Republican in America, he has the potential to transcend politics and reach what can only be described as "greatness."

In short, for conservatives, he is the great black hope.

Even more interestingly, Strickland's are playing right into this advantage.

If Ohio voters are sick of politics as usual, Blackwell offers the starkest contrast from the corrupt Taft regime.

It is ironic that Taft's supporters are helping make Blackwell's case for him.