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For U.S. Senate: Lee Fisher

Published: Mon, October 18, 2010 @ 12:00 a.m.

We have become such an impa- tient nation in so any ways, politics included, that it is increasingly difficult to maintain some sort of historical perspective.

It is the tenet of one political party that in the 21 months since President Barack Obama took office, things have moved far too fast toward “socialism” and far too slowly toward “economic recovery.”

The proper response to this, we are told, is change and change now. The direction in which to change is to go back.

No president, and no political party of a president, has ever been held to so stringent a standard for revitalizing a damaged economy in such a short time. Against what appears to be the prevailing conventional wisdom, we are saying, not so fast.

Economies and budgets do not turn on a dime. Ronald Reagan was not held to a 21- month standard in reversing the rising interest rates and unemployment he inherited from Jimmy Carter. Bill Clinton was not held to such a standard in putting the brakes on a pattern of deficit spending he inherited from Reagan and George Bush. And George W. Bush’s eight years, well, we know what the economy was like when he took office and when he left, but the extraordinary events of Sept. 11, 2001, just eight months into his presidency, make it too soon to draw a historical comparison.

All of which is prologue to the subject at hand, The Vindicator’s endorsement in the race between Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Lee Fisher for Ohio’s open U.S. Senate seat.

The candidates

Portman, 54, is a former congressman from Cincinnati who served as U.S. trade representative under President George W. Bush and as Bush’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, both Cabinet-level positions.

Fisher, 59, is a former state legislator from Cleveland, a former Ohio attorney general and the present lieutenant governor. He was also director of the Ohio Department of Development for the first two years of Gov. Ted Strickland’s administration.

Portman and Fisher have several things in common. Both are attorneys. Both boast of solidly successful and supportive families. Both have achieved success on their own merits. Both want very much to succeed retiring Republican Sen. George V. Voinovich. Both sat for interviews with The Vindicator’s editorial board. And neither is without some baggage.

Where they differ is obviously what’s important in this race.

Portman would join his Republican colleagues in repealing the health-care reform bill if given a chance. And while we understand that to be a popular sentiment these days (see the first paragraph reference to our national impatience), Portman already had an opportunity in Congress and in the former administration to pursue health-care reform and chose not to.

Decades of avoidance in addressing the changing dynamics of providing and paying for health care in the United States made one thing clear. Every seven or eight years the cost of health care borne primarily by employers and partially by their employees doubled. Left unchecked, that trend was not going to change.

Fisher sees a need to fine-tune the health-care bill, but recognizes that a reversal is a one-way ticket to unaffordable, unmanageable cost increases and to inequities such as refusing coverage to people for an ever-increasing menu of pre-existing conditions.

Taxes and growth

Portman would extend the tax cuts due to expire in 2011, and suggests, as well, a one-year moratorium on payroll taxes — those taxes that support Medicare and Social Security — for incomes of $50,000 and less. As attractive as that may sound, Portman’s suggestion to fund the cut from “unspent stimulus money” isn’t credible. Every politician in the country has his or her eye on the unspent stimulus money.

Fisher suggests allowing the tax cuts for those making more than $1 million to expire, extending the cuts for those making less than $250,000 indefinitely and extending the cuts for the $250,000-to-$1 million bracket for a year.

Portman’s economic bottom line is that a package of various tax cuts will spur the economy and create jobs. But the Bush-era tax cuts contributed to doubling the national debt and provided eight years of no job growth. George W. Bush inherited an economy with 132.4 million jobs and eight years later there were only 80,000 more jobs. By percentage, it was the lowest job growth for any president since Dwight D. Eisenhower’s second term. Even Franklin D. Roosevelt had higher percentages during all his terms.

There is every reason for Ohioans to be concerned about the nation and its economy. But it is not time to accept the idea that the only way to go is backward.

For that reason — and, yes, we know what the polls are saying — we endorse Lee Fisher for U.S. senator from Ohio.

And for those who like neither of the above, Eric W. Deaton is running on the Constitution Party ticket, Michael L. Pryce is the Independent candidate, Daniel H. LaBotz is the Socialist and Arthur T. Sullivan is a write-in candidate. But they don’t have the answers.


1repeaters(169 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago

Great choices heh? Worse and Worser !!!!

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2UnionForever(1470 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago

Fisher is our Ohio Job Czar - we have only lost 400,000 jobs. As I always say, "The Vindy has never seen a DemocRAT it didn't like".

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3drw122(35 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago

Who are these idiots at the vindicator that make these endorsements?

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4magicman5150(4 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago

I thought the Vindicator might actually get this one right, but once again, I was sadly mistaken.
I have worked on Capitol Square in Columbus for the last 14 years and still follow my hometown newspaper. I am saddened by how obvious their partisanship has become.
I don't believe Betty and the Editorial staff put their collective heads together to write this endorsement. And I say that, because there is no independent facts stated here. It is word for word from Lee Fisher's talking points that they have regurgitated.
What is sad is that the Vindicator can't take off their partisan blinders to see that a Republican could benefit the valley. They ALWAYS overlook the many positive things Mike DeWine and George Voinovich brought to the Mahoning Valley. But they just can't stand to admit that.
Hope I can encourage my parents to cancel their subscription..........

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5Alexinytown(246 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago

The Vindicator's argument is fundamentally flawed on so many levels regarding the healthcare law.

Hate to break it to you, but costs are still going up (premiums included), and there is no evidence to the contrary. And this is ignoring the fact that the law as it is written is unconstitutional. Fisher fine tuning the health care law? Give me a break. He can barely understand it let alone fine tune it.

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6dtoneil(2 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago

Did you people even read the Fisher plan for jobs? He also wants to use unspent stimulus moneys...only difference is the Portman wants to use it to help low-income families. As you guys said people making under $50,000 a year.

A stupid endorsement, Fisher lost all those jobs while responsible for economic development, how the hell is endorsing him not looking to our past?

This is just silly what you guys are doing.

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7m8ke_the_call(104 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago

Wow all these people get it, yet the Vindicator doesn't.

Dont't worry fellow posters! It won't matter on Nov 3rd, because Portman will have won!

I will make a prediction for the rest of the races; they will pick all the democrats.

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8Nonsocialist(710 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago

How profoundly ignorant and dishonest.

The Democratic-Socialist rulers have actively worked to destroy America by :

-Exploding the debt
-Destroying Healthcare
-Expanding Federal power and limiting personal liberties
-Raising taxes via the AMT and expiration of previous tax cuts
-Socialist (by defintion) takeover of previously private businesses

I don't know that their damage can be repaired even if the Democratic-Socialists are fumigated out of our government. Any vote for a Democratic-Socialist is insane.

(D) = Destruction of America

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9cambridge(2904 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago

Nonsocialist....A few comment on your list.

-Exploding the debt.....When Bush became president he was handed a budget surplus and the formula for eliminating the debt. When he left office he handed off a budget that had the debt growing by the minute and now Obama is perceived as a socialist for not following the same path.

-Destroying Healthcare....During the Bush administration healthcare premiums skyrocketed as did bankruptcy due to medical bills. Thousands lost their insurance or were denied coverage every day..

-Expanding Federal power and limiting personal liberties....Bush invaded and waged war along with torture in Iraq, a country that did nothing to us or was any threat at all. As far as personal liberties go he illegally spied and wiretapped who knows how many thousands if not millions of Americans.

-Raising taxes via AMT and expiration of previous tax cuts.....Obama cut personal income tax on the bottom 97% of American tax payers and plans to extend the previous tax cuts to the same 97%.

-Socialist (by definition) takeover of previously private businesses.....On his way out the door Bush wanted to give almost a trillion dollars to the people that wreck Americas economy no strings attached and no payback required. Obama turned it into a loan and stock investments with restrictions until the American taxpayers money was paid back. Obama saved the American auto industry with loans and stock investments. Those loans and investments are on their way of being paid back.

It's hilarious how the republican/teabagger types like to reinvent history and completely ignore facts.

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10valleyred(1073 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago

The Vindicator simply does NOT get it. They have lost ALL touch with reality.

Portman is a tremendous Senate candidate that is poised to win by nearly 20 points, if not more.

Why the Vindicator would endorse this horrible candidate, and our our horrible Governor, is beyond me.

All I have to say is this area will NEVER IMPROVE if this area let's one party, the Democrats, run the town. It is time for change and we are going to see it at the state level in Kasich and Portman.

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11Nonsocialist(710 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago


Is defending Obama that difficult that you must always refer to GWB?

The debt:

Not even close. Obama is way outspending Bush. If you follow the news even peripherally, you must know this...so why do you mistakenly (or dishonestly) refer to it as the "same path"?



The devastation evident thus far by Obamacare is far more than even I predicted. We now know that premiums will rise for the currently insured, many will lose outpatient and preventative coverage (including children), and the cost of healthcare will rise, and it will grow the debt.





Raising Taxes:

The previous Obama cuts were trivial and will be wiped out by health care expenses, inflation, etc. The DSP-run Congress went on recess without voting on extending the tax cuts for anybody. They could've, why didn't they? Even if they did, raising taxes on employers (hopefully your employer makes > $250K) hurts all of the employed.

The Socialist Transformation:

Banks, Car Manufacturers, Student Loans...all eaten up by the Feds. GM, for example, wouldn't have had to close without the bailout. It could've restructured under bankruptcy and become a more competitive company...not popular with the UAW. GM since it's bailout has continued to lose money (Unpredictable! How's that ever happen!), but has shuffled it dishonestly and lied about repaying money back.



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12borylie(739 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago

My belief is that The Vindicator has learned over the years it's easier to cave into the democrats then to buck them. One of the tactics that has worked forever for the Democrat Party is intimidation. Whether it's demonstrations,riots,boycotts,calling names(racists,homophobic),or like Betras just did:call names and boycott,it's nothing but fear tactics that unfortunately work to silence their foes. The Vindicator in my opinion have to be afraid of the consequences,because year after year they endorse democrats regardless that Youngstown is lost and many of these democrats they endorsed have been corrupt. They should of known. The Vindicator has to co-exist with the democrats in little downtown Youngstown and obviously don't have the courage to look these people in the eyes and tell them how it is.

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13Woody(451 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago


Obama Lied!!

He said that if you make less then $250k a year, you will not see your taxes raised, not one cent.

Yet under his Healthcare take over, starting next year, I cannot use my Health Flex Spending account to buy things like contact lense solution, advil, etc. This inessence will raise my cost of these items 25%.

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14Nonsocialist(710 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago

Destruction of America Update:

Boeing has joined the list of major employers that has cited Obama"care" as a reason the health care premiums will rise. Other businesses have cited the need to drop coverage for their employees altogether.

And, oh yeah, Obama spent >$3,000,000,000.00 thus far, and the debt is expected to continue to escalate. CBS news states,


Free CAT scans of the head are available for those considering voting for a Democrat-Socialist. Just call 1-888-BRAIN-DEAD.



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15walter_sobchak(1703 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago


There you go again, confusing Democrat-Socialsts with facts. That is a very apt term for them. This is not the democrat party of my grandfather.

I'm not happy with the way Bush spent during his presidency on wars that, in retrospect, could have been handled differently. Also, the only bail-out that I agree with is the banks as you need the credit system afloat. But, all of these mega-banks that caused the problems should have been split up and liquidated to properly run institutions in the midwest. The GM bail-out was a pure pay-off to the UAW for their support in the election. GM should have been forced into bankruptcy court as every other poorly run company and forced to be reorganized.

Keep up the good work!

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16Nonsocialist(710 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago



A few questions:

Does Joe Biden dress himself?

Are you as concerned as I am about the unfair and unjust stress that Michelle Antoinette experiences during her travels?

Are those teleprompters powered by green energy?

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17eagleye(51 comments)posted 3 years, 4 months ago

What are you Democrat locksteppers thinking? Lee Fisher????????? How about Alfred E. Neuman?

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