“The drama went to Ohio,” said retired political reporter, Bill Hershey, as he reflected on the Buckeye’s state 2012 cliff-hanger Presidential election results. In a narrow but clear victory, Obama won nearly 51 percent of Ohio voter support. When asked, “What sealed the deal for the President,” Hershey replied, “The Get-Out-the-Vote efforts.”
Hershey also felt the President’s auto rescue plan strongly linked UAW workers with Obama support. He commented further that voter turnout across Ohio drew auto workers to the polls, not just from Chrysler and GM, but also Ford.
The battleground states mostly went to Obama, with Romney doing slightly better than McCain in 2008. When asked about GOP pundit, Carl Rove’s concerns that Ohio was called too soon, Hershey felt that Rove “had sour grapes” because he was “heavily invested in Ohio. “
A question about Obama’s position on sequestration for across-the-board defense cuts was asked in regards to preventing an up-coming rise in the debt ceiling. Hershey felt that the President should show stronger leadership moving forward by getting both parties together. He emphasized the extreme importance to the Miami Valley and all of Ohio, for politicians to find common ground in uniting Democrats and Republicans “to avoid this catastrophe.”
Web summary by Ronald Maynard and Lisa O’Hearn