Salon: The Bulls-Eye State (Ohio)

[kskiska]

Susan Sarandon, Bruce Springsteen and an army of lesser-known door-knockers converge on Ohio to swing it Democratic blue.

CLEVELAND -- "You probably haven't been romanced quite so much before," Susan Sarandon told a crowd of about 300 Cleveland-area liberals at a fundraiser in Ohio last weekend. "Don't be let down if you're forgotten. It happens to the best of us."

Indeed, it's doubtful Ohio has ever been so romanced by celebrities, musicians, artists and activists. The state's motto, "Ohio: The Heart of It All," finally has a ring of truth to it, at least until Nov. 2, when American voters will decide what has been touted as the most important presidential election in our lifetime. Ohio is a critical swing state with 20 electoral votes that are up for grabs. The state narrowly voted for Clinton in 1992 and more decisively in 1996. Bush won Ohio in 2000 by 3.5 points with Nader taking almost 2.5 percent of the vote, a much closer election than Al Gore's campaign anticipated, considering he essentially pulled out of the state a month beforehand.

The Aug. 14 fundraiser -- attended by Sarandon, as well as Martin Sheen, Julianna Margulies, Chad Lowe (brother of Rob Lowe), Fisher Stevens and CNN humorist Andy Borowitz -- was organized by Bring Ohio Back, one of more than 33 different PACs and 527s (nonprofit groups whose tax status lets them engage in partisan campaigning, as long as they don't officially consult or coordinate with a candidate) working hard in Ohio to educate and register voters in hopes of unseating President Bush. But BOB, as it's affectionately known, is the only organization that is locally grown and is focusing almost exclusively on the Cleveland-Youngstown area. About half of the Democratic vote must come from this corner of the state in order for Kerry to win.

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http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/08/23/ohio/index.html

[olddem43]

1. We Buckeyes are certainly going to work hard to win. -

One great thing is the fact that no Repug has ever won the presidency without winning Ohio. Dems can and do. Therefore, if Kerry wins in Ohio, it's all over. (west coasters, do please finish voting however)