Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

So the biggest gossip is revolving around Ted Strickland and Chris Redfern. The story goes something like this. Redfern is the Dem House minority leader, and recently endorsed Strickland for governor. Then white Resigns right before the holidays, and Strickland immediately endorses Redfern for Chair - and the phone calls to the ODP voting members begins. More suspicion and fuel is added to the conspiracy by the movement of a Redfern aide Mike Culp to ODP a month or so earlier - as preperation for this, so the story goes.

The "plan" being to cement enough votes over the holiday weekend to slide Redfern into the position with a committee vote on the 19th December.

There is much more back story to all this, but that isn't the purpose of this diary.

What we must have is an open transparent selection process so we can pick the best possible chair to lead Ohio into the 2006 midterms and beyond. A candidate with a plan, and ability for us to hold the new chair accountable for the success of that plan.

To that purpose grass roots activists created our own plan - to force ODP to hold 5 regional candidate forums, where the candidates for Chair can lay out their plan and answer questions, much like the DNC chair selection process.

Press releases were issued earlier today, and calls and emails flying around to get candidates and other Democrats onboard with the idea. So far the idea is getting a lot of positive responses from everyone we talk to. Now we have to convince ODP to do it.

The DNC are also open to the idea if we can demonstrate a grass roots movement for this idea.

So. Here is where we need help. Call or email these folks and ask them if they support open candidate forums as part of the ODP chair selection process. Also, if you support this idea, leave your comments in this diary - and reccomend it. This is about winning elections - and we have a golden opportunity in Ohio if this is done the right way, and not the old way.

Ohio Democratic Party 614-221-6563

Michael Culp Executive Director mike@ohiodems.org

Brian Rothenberg Communications Director brian@ohiodems.org

Democratic National Committee Send an Email to DNC 202-863-8000

Ted Strickland for Governor (614) 857-0700 E-Mail: info@tedstrickland.com

Coleman For Ohio 614-221-1999 scampbell@colemancampaign.c om

Sherrod Brown For Senate Campaign 440-282-3314 or 1-800-587-4180. info@sherrodBrown.com

Hackett for U.S. Senate (513) 651-2006 info@hackettforohio.com