Hey!  It seems that with less than a month until E-Day (and sub-100 days left in a Bush presidency) that Ohio, a state that’s swingier than your grandma’s legs on an elliptical machine, is currently leaning in Barack Obama’s favor.

Barack is up in almost every Ohio poll.

            Even though Ohioans may be more socially conservative overall (from passing a ban on gay-marriage to keeping Ohio gambling-free) people are voting for who they think will help rid them of this current economic curmudgeon.  Most people don’t need to see a sedated Jim Kramer to figure out that things are in bad shape.

            And if you’re one to follow polls:  Although more people have confidence in John McCain when it comes to fighting terror, more people believe Barack Obama has a better plan when it comes to the economy.

            Also, as history tends to go, the party that’s in when the economy is down is usually the party that gets voted out, e.g. Carter and Reagan, Bush and Clinton.  This election is about the economy!

            But also consider not everyone votes on issues like the economy.  Sometimes, you just gotta go with your gut.

            Let’s take two examples of some Cleveland area suburbs to look at some cross-sections of Ohio.  Some points of interest to keep in mind to set the stage:  Cleveland (and the rest of Cuyahoga County) is a solid blue seat in Ohio.  Cleveland also is about 50% black, which is the largest demographic in the area.  The next county south, Medina, is about 95% white and a solid red seat in Northeast Ohio.

My neighbor to the north, Strongsville, Ohio, is the southern most city in Cuyahoga county and also happened to be the first destination on the Straight Talk Express after the second Presidential debate.  McCain and Palin came a swingin’ on through and one local blogger filmed what transpired, which then became somewhat of a viral hit.  Some highlights include people calling Obama an “arab,” “one man terror cell,” or suggesting he could cause “extra” terrorism.  Kind of like Total Extra fiber cereal, except than with more fiber, more jihadists.  The interviewer is confrontational and obviously had an agenda - but I don’t think I would call it “gotcha-journalism”:

             Also, incase you were wondering how to microwave cereal, here are directions from the Kellogg website.

            But it’s not just in Ohio that these Anti-Obamaniacs are surfacing, McCain himself confronted some people in Wisconsin who shared similar sentiments about Senator Obama.  One man confides in McCain that he would be “scared” to raise his child in an Obama nation while another woman tells McCain she can’t trust Obama because he’s an “arab.”

While McCain debunked the crowd and remained courteous, the gesture seems a bit dubious since in the same week you also have Sarah Palin telling crowds Barack Obama is friends with a terrorist and will eat your babies.

            Or that when you go to John McCain’s YouTube channel the featured video is an ad suggesting close ties between Obama and 60’s radical/domestic terrorist Bill Ayers.

            But even if John McCain starts pulling his punches, there will always be people innovating new ways to show off bigotry… like in Medina County, Ohio for instance!

            About a year ago, I made a silly video about my hometown which also included a tribute to my neighbor to the west, Valley City, Ohio, which as I found out happens to be “Frog Jump Capital of Ohio!”

            It also happens to be the home of a guy who made a homemade cardboard yard sign that reads on one side: “Obama… Socialist, Racist, Dangerous” and on the other, “Half Honky, All Donkey”. 

            You can view the video here - it's from a local news station, so bonus obnoxious local ad in the beginning.

           To go with more cereal analogies, it’s kind of like Frosted Mini-Wheats: one side cuts the roof of your mouth and the other side justifies racial slurs if they rhyme.  Well maybe not Frosted Mini-Wheats but whatever it is I should probably stop eating it.

           I was also delighted to see there was an UPDATE to this local news story – where the man put up a new sign to apologize for his first sign.  You can listen to the guy explain how he meant no racist intention with the first sign.

           The new sign reads: “Hating a man based on skin color is as dumb as judging him on eye color or shoe size.”  I totes agree.  In looking out for my fellow Ohioan so that he doesn’t feel embarrassed I put up my own sign up in my front yard that reads: “Hating a man based on skin color is as dumb as stenciling your own political signs on the side of an old refrigerator box and displaying it in your front yard.”  Then I ran out of cardboard, but I’m pretty sure that when people drive by and see my sign that reads “HATING A MAN BASE” they will realize that I’m taking a stand against racism.