Blackwell cozies up to Taft to help raise money

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                        August 21, 2006

Contact: Brian Rothenberg, Communications Director                 614-221-6563

Columbus, Ohio – Almost a year to the day that Bob Taft became the first Ohio Governor convicted in an Ohio courtroom, Ken Blackwell reversed course and decided to stand with Taft and his pay-to-play system this afternoon in order to raise money in his flailing campaign for Governor.

Taft is sponsoring a Republican Governor’s Association fundraiser for Ohio Gubernatorial Candidate Ken Blackwell and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels at noon today at the Columbus Club.

“This, of course, is the same Ken Blackwell who attacked his opponent Jim Petro for having “ethics worse than Taft,” said Brian Rothenberg, Ohio Democratic Party Communication’s Director.

“I wonder if Ken Blackwell will lecture Bob Taft about his ethics while he’s collecting checks at lunch,” said Rothenberg.  “Can you really trust Ken Blackwell if he questions Governor Taft’s ethics one minute, and uses his pay-to-play system to raise funds at the same time.”

Pay-to-Play – and hypocrisy – aside, Ken Blackwell has more explaining to do when you consider that:

• “This is the same Ken Blackwell who campaigned for the so-called TEL amendment only to reverse course in the face of massive public opposition including Bob Taft,” said Rothenberg.
• “This is the same Ken Blackwell who was against the Taft-created CAT tax before he was for it,” said Rothenberg.
• And this is the same Ken Blackwell who says he opposes expanded gambling but invested in a company that produces slot machines,” said Rothenberg.

“There is a fundamental integrity problem emerging from the flip-flopping within Ken Blackwell’s campaign. How do you trust Ken Blackwell when he wins a primary by questioning Bob Taft’s ethics, then raises money off of Taft’s fundraising machine for the Fall,” said Rothenberg. “It’s simply hypocritical.”

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