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Y! MyWebWilliam Hershey: McCain invokes JFK's name to stress Ohio's election clout
Sunday, October 05, 2008
COLUMBUS — Nearly 45 years after his death from an assassin's bullet on Nov. 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy remains among the brightest stars in the firmament of Democratic heroes.
Why, then, was Republican John McCain invoking JFK's name when McCain campaigned for president on Monday, Sept. 29, in Bexley?
It has to do with the context for invoking.
At Capital University, McCain reminded the crowd that winning Ohio is key to capturing the White House.
"We must and will win the state of Ohio," declared McCain. "... We need your help... We need you to get out the vote."
The last candidate to win the presidency while losing Ohio was Kennedy nearly half a century ago in 1960, McCain explained to the crowd.
Republican Richard M. Nixon captured the state that year; a bitter reminder to Democrats then and now that Ohio remains a state slightly to the right of the political center.
Even when Democrats win in this state, they just squeak by.
The last Democratic presidential candidate to capture more than 50 percent of the vote in Ohio was Lyndon B. Johnson way back in 1964. LBJ's victory that year over Republican Barry Goldwater was a national landslide, with Johnson getting 61 percent of the vote nationally and nearly 63 percent in Ohio.
Even Bill Clinton couldn't jump the 50 percent fence in Ohio.
His campaigns in 1992 and 1996 both were three-way races that included Ross Perot. In 1996, however, Republican Bob Dole really didn't put up much of a fight and the best Clinton could do was 47 percent, compared to 40 percent for Dole and 11 percent for Perot.
Could this year be different?
Well, just two days after McCain's speech at Capital University, a new Quinnipiac University poll showed Democrat Barack Obama leading McCain 50-42 percent.
That's 50 percent, a number that Republican detractors said Obama never would reach. Other polls don't put Obama at 50 percent but most show him gaining support and McCain losing steam in Ohio.
McCain and his allies have consistently argued in Ohio and across the nation that Obama's lack of experience will keep him from closing the deal with voters. Getting 50 percent is kind of a magic number, said Christopher Duncan, chairman of the political science department at the University of Dayton.
"Breaking that psychological barrier will send the Republicans back to the huddle," Duncan predicted.
Democrats, however, shouldn't get cocky.
Kennedy got the big crowds in 1960, but Nixon won the state.
Kennedy's Catholic religion was an issue in parts of Ohio in 1960 and contributed to his defeat here.
Obama is trying to break through a tougher barrier this time, the racial one. Even Obama supporters express concern that race could be a factor when undecided white voters make their final choice.
Also, Ohio is more important to McCain than it is to Obama. No Republican has been elected president without carrying Ohio and McCain isn't likely to be the first one. His Ohio campaign is expected to get reinforcements after pulling out of Michigan last week.
When Obama gets back to Ohio, he probably will invoke Kennedy's name, too. But he won't talk about what happened in Ohio in 1960.
Contact this reporter at (614) 224-1608 or whershey@DaytonDailyNews.com.
