It was just a joke

The debates between Republican Gov. Bob Taft and Democrat Tim Hagan won't get under way until Tuesday in Dayton. But the two candidates got a little prep work in during an editorial board meeting last week with several Ohio newspapers owned by Gannett, the Enquirer's parent company.

Mr. Hagan said the face-off showed him Mr. Taft has no sense of humor.

He said Mr. Taft bristled when Mr. Hagan accused him of allowing the state to give Bank One - a big Republican contributor - a no-bid contract that cost $16 million more than a contract the state later gave to a different company. "He said, `Are you attacking my integrity?' And I said, `No, I'm attacking your judgment right now,' " Mr. Hagan said, grinning. "But he didn't even laugh. He's so constrained. I kind of feel sorry for him."

Orest Holubec, Mr. Taft's campaign spokesperson, had a different take. Although the governor takes debates "very seriously," he said Mr. Taft does appreciate a good joke.

"If you want to see the governor's sense of humor, check out `Taxin' Tim' on www.governortaft.com," said Mr. Holubec, referring to an Internet cartoon showing Tim Hagan bankrupting the state with a video slot machine.

Mr. Holubec said part of the governor's preparations for the debates will include a mock debate with a Columbus attorney, Mark Landes, portraying Mr. Hagan.

For sheer entertainment value, we would have picked state Rep. Tom Brinkman, R-Cincinnati. The party maverick and arch-conservative has openly criticized Mr. Taft's more moderate views.

Big bully

The Ohio House Democrats know exactly what they think of Republican Speaker Larry Householder - and they want voters to know it, too.

The Democratic caucus spent $8,000 on a video that portrays Mr. Householder, R-Glenford, as a bully. Mr. Householder has been under fire for setting fund-raising quotas for rank and file members, and for buying an $11,000 big-screen TV for his office during the state's budget crisis.

Brett Buerck, Mr. Householder's chief of staff, also landed in hot water in April when he was secretly recorded trying to scare a candidate out of a Cincinnati area GOP primary.

In August, Mr. Householder had to quash dissent even from his own party. In an act of political hardball that is classic Householder, he stripped key committee assignments from three legislators he suspected of trying to overthrow him.

The video lays out Mr. Householder's strong-arm tactics and features House Democratic Leader Dean DePiero asking voters to choose someone who "will halt the kind of negative, divisive leadership that is driving the state into the ground."

The Dems hope to show the video in union halls and other friendly venues, since they won't be spending any money to air it on television.

Republicans say elections are about individuals, not their leader, and dismissed the tape as unimportant.

Bobtaft.com

Online voters looking for more info about the governor might assume "bobtaft.com" is the place to go.

Of course, they'd be wrong.

That particular Web site belongs to Bob Taft the Nevada Realtor.

Visitors to the site can view several pictures of Mr. Taft and his golden retriever, Amber, on their recent Carson River rafting expedition.

While there is no mention of school construction in Ohio, there's plenty of information about the new homes being built in Minden, Nev.

Unlike the governor, Nevada Bob Taft answers his phone directly. He said he's a distant relative of the governor's and that several people have phoned asking him why he's taken the governor's name.

"I tell them I'm probably older than the governor, and I was first," he joked. "So buzz off."

Debra Jasper is Columbus Bureau Chief. Spencer Hunt is a reporter in the Columbus bureau. They can be reached at 614-224-4640 or email djasper@enquirer.com and shunt@enquirer.com