Political mailer shows devious side of politics
Lead Summary
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
Today’s mail from the wonderful staff of the Seaman Post Office included a rather disgusting political flier – not that I’m blaming our rural mail carrier whatsoever.
But imagine my surprise to receive an unsolicited 9x12 color flier topped with photos of a sneering President Trump on the left and honorable Adams County Commissioner Brian Baldridge on the right, just above a headline that reads: “President Trump can’t stand career politicians like Brian Baldridge.”
Not that Brian needs me to come to his defense, but let’s cut to the chase. There are most likely two irrefutable facts here:
• One, it’s doubtful that Donald Trump could find Adams County or most of Ohio’s 90th House District with a road map and a two-week head start.
• Two, if he did happen to find us, he would most likely enjoy meeting Brian Baldridge and agree with almost all of his conservative values and political leanings.
The political advertisement includes that it was “paid for by Conservative Alliance PAC” with the Cleveland phone number of (216) 931-0038. The return address is P.O. Box 136, Upper Arlington, Ohio 43221.
The last time I checked, neither Cleveland nor Upper Arlington was part of southern Ohio’s 90th District.
Just for the heck of it, I tried to look up Conservative Alliance PAC and found next to nothing. After looking up the phone number (216) 931-0038, I found, to no surprise, that it’s a “robo-call” number. See https://www.nomorobo.com/lookup/216-931-0038.
This week’s political mailer also chastised Baldridge for allegedly accepting agricultural subsidies. That’s also interesting, given that the Conservative Alliance PAC seems to be working in support of others in southern Ohio who have received considerable farm subsidies. Kind of like the John Deere tractor calling the soybeans green.
Most of us who care to know can take a look at the agriculture subsidies at https://farm.ewg.org and see which families are politically involved.
The flier also calls Baldridge a “career politician.” That’s amusing, too.
As an Adams County resident and former publisher of The People’s Defender in West Union, I can only recall Baldridge serving as a township trustee and a county commissioner – while also farming and serving as a firefighter/paramedic. By no means, does that make him a “career politician” anymore than it makes many other former township trustees and county commissioners “career politicians.”
The slick political flier is not worth the equally slick paper on which it is printed. Lord help us if any voter is swayed by this garbage.
In his campaign announcement for Ohio’s 90th House seat in February, Baldridge said: “I’ve come up through local government, and at each level, I’ve become involved with the next level up. I believe there’s a disconnect between the Statehouse and local governments, and I think it’s crucial that our representative keeps local issues front and center in Columbus. My top priorities are good jobs, education, fighting the drug crisis and cutting government red tape and wasteful spending. I believe our values and our part of Ohio are worth fighting for.
“While the world has changed through the years, what hasn’t changed is our belief in our part of Ohio and the Christian values upon which America was founded,” Baldridge said.
Pardon me for saying so, but Brian sounds a lot like his dad, the late Richard Baldridge.
Four years ago, I wrote a column headlined “Southern Ohio has lost four giants in community service” (see http://www.highlandcountypress.com/Content/Opinions/Opinion/Article/Southern-Ohio-has-lost-four-giants-in-community-service/4/22/21864).
Some were military veterans. Some were businessmen. Some were farmers. Some were educators. All were giants in the realm of community service. They lived a combined 342 years, mostly in Highland and Adams counties.
Simply put, they were what community leaders are all about. Putting "service before self" was not just a catchy phrase for them. It was a way of life.
Today's so-called leaders could have learned so much from these four men. These were not, to be sure, drive-by political opportunists. Lord knows, we have enough of them already.
For those of us who were fortunate to know them, we are not only saddened by their deaths, but also saddened by the realization that we are not, as an American society, seeing such honorable civic-minded individuals today.
In order of age, these four men are:
• Major John Blair Dennison, who passed away at the age of 92 on Feb. 11, 2014;
• Walter E. Garman, who passed away at the age of 88 on Feb. 28, 2014;
• Col. Wayne T. Frye, who passed away at the age of 83 on Feb. 26, 2014; and,
• Richard S. Baldridge who passed away at the age of 79 on Feb. 23, 2014.
Mr. Baldridge had owned and operated Baldridge Hybrids Agricultural Business in Wayne Township for 30 years. He was a 1952 graduate of the former Wayne Township High School in Cherry Fork and was a 1957 graduate of The Ohio State University.
He also was a former president of the Adams County Historical Society and was a former trustee and elder of the Cherry Fork Presbyterian Church. He was a former member of the American Society of Agronomy; and Soil and Crop Science Societies of America; and was a former president of the Ohio Soil Fertility Society in 1972.
Was Richard Baldridge a career politician? No.
Would the gutless wonders called Conservative Alliance PAC from Cleveland or Upper Arlington or Washington, D.C. care to discuss the decades of community service of Richard and Brian Baldridge? Of course not. They’d rather put out an obviously false narrative about a family man of sound principles and real public service.
I try not to make a habit of donating to political candidates not named Bob or Pam. For full disclosure, I have donated to the campaigns of Bob McEwen, Bob Peterson and Pam Limes. There may be one or two more over the last 35 years, but I doubt it.
The next check I’m writing will be to Brian Baldridge, not only because he is an honorable man, but also because this particular tactic in politics is particularly annoying.
Cleveland political action committees have no clue about southern Ohio’s 90th House District. They also have no place here.
My family will be voting for Brian Baldridge in the May 8 primary.
Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press.
But imagine my surprise to receive an unsolicited 9x12 color flier topped with photos of a sneering President Trump on the left and honorable Adams County Commissioner Brian Baldridge on the right, just above a headline that reads: “President Trump can’t stand career politicians like Brian Baldridge.”
Not that Brian needs me to come to his defense, but let’s cut to the chase. There are most likely two irrefutable facts here:
• One, it’s doubtful that Donald Trump could find Adams County or most of Ohio’s 90th House District with a road map and a two-week head start.
• Two, if he did happen to find us, he would most likely enjoy meeting Brian Baldridge and agree with almost all of his conservative values and political leanings.
The political advertisement includes that it was “paid for by Conservative Alliance PAC” with the Cleveland phone number of (216) 931-0038. The return address is P.O. Box 136, Upper Arlington, Ohio 43221.
The last time I checked, neither Cleveland nor Upper Arlington was part of southern Ohio’s 90th District.
Just for the heck of it, I tried to look up Conservative Alliance PAC and found next to nothing. After looking up the phone number (216) 931-0038, I found, to no surprise, that it’s a “robo-call” number. See https://www.nomorobo.com/lookup/216-931-0038.
This week’s political mailer also chastised Baldridge for allegedly accepting agricultural subsidies. That’s also interesting, given that the Conservative Alliance PAC seems to be working in support of others in southern Ohio who have received considerable farm subsidies. Kind of like the John Deere tractor calling the soybeans green.
Most of us who care to know can take a look at the agriculture subsidies at https://farm.ewg.org and see which families are politically involved.
The flier also calls Baldridge a “career politician.” That’s amusing, too.
As an Adams County resident and former publisher of The People’s Defender in West Union, I can only recall Baldridge serving as a township trustee and a county commissioner – while also farming and serving as a firefighter/paramedic. By no means, does that make him a “career politician” anymore than it makes many other former township trustees and county commissioners “career politicians.”
The slick political flier is not worth the equally slick paper on which it is printed. Lord help us if any voter is swayed by this garbage.
In his campaign announcement for Ohio’s 90th House seat in February, Baldridge said: “I’ve come up through local government, and at each level, I’ve become involved with the next level up. I believe there’s a disconnect between the Statehouse and local governments, and I think it’s crucial that our representative keeps local issues front and center in Columbus. My top priorities are good jobs, education, fighting the drug crisis and cutting government red tape and wasteful spending. I believe our values and our part of Ohio are worth fighting for.
“While the world has changed through the years, what hasn’t changed is our belief in our part of Ohio and the Christian values upon which America was founded,” Baldridge said.
Pardon me for saying so, but Brian sounds a lot like his dad, the late Richard Baldridge.
Four years ago, I wrote a column headlined “Southern Ohio has lost four giants in community service” (see http://www.highlandcountypress.com/Content/Opinions/Opinion/Article/Southern-Ohio-has-lost-four-giants-in-community-service/4/22/21864).
Some were military veterans. Some were businessmen. Some were farmers. Some were educators. All were giants in the realm of community service. They lived a combined 342 years, mostly in Highland and Adams counties.
Simply put, they were what community leaders are all about. Putting "service before self" was not just a catchy phrase for them. It was a way of life.
Today's so-called leaders could have learned so much from these four men. These were not, to be sure, drive-by political opportunists. Lord knows, we have enough of them already.
For those of us who were fortunate to know them, we are not only saddened by their deaths, but also saddened by the realization that we are not, as an American society, seeing such honorable civic-minded individuals today.
In order of age, these four men are:
• Major John Blair Dennison, who passed away at the age of 92 on Feb. 11, 2014;
• Walter E. Garman, who passed away at the age of 88 on Feb. 28, 2014;
• Col. Wayne T. Frye, who passed away at the age of 83 on Feb. 26, 2014; and,
• Richard S. Baldridge who passed away at the age of 79 on Feb. 23, 2014.
Mr. Baldridge had owned and operated Baldridge Hybrids Agricultural Business in Wayne Township for 30 years. He was a 1952 graduate of the former Wayne Township High School in Cherry Fork and was a 1957 graduate of The Ohio State University.
He also was a former president of the Adams County Historical Society and was a former trustee and elder of the Cherry Fork Presbyterian Church. He was a former member of the American Society of Agronomy; and Soil and Crop Science Societies of America; and was a former president of the Ohio Soil Fertility Society in 1972.
Was Richard Baldridge a career politician? No.
Would the gutless wonders called Conservative Alliance PAC from Cleveland or Upper Arlington or Washington, D.C. care to discuss the decades of community service of Richard and Brian Baldridge? Of course not. They’d rather put out an obviously false narrative about a family man of sound principles and real public service.
I try not to make a habit of donating to political candidates not named Bob or Pam. For full disclosure, I have donated to the campaigns of Bob McEwen, Bob Peterson and Pam Limes. There may be one or two more over the last 35 years, but I doubt it.
The next check I’m writing will be to Brian Baldridge, not only because he is an honorable man, but also because this particular tactic in politics is particularly annoying.
Cleveland political action committees have no clue about southern Ohio’s 90th House District. They also have no place here.
My family will be voting for Brian Baldridge in the May 8 primary.
Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press.