Gov: Blackwell (R) Accepts Fundraising By Governor He Called Unethical

Gubernatorial candidate Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R-Cincinnati) plumbed a new low on the hypocrisy scale today by accepting campaign fundraising help from incumbent Gov. Bob Taft (R), the man he called unethical in TV ads during Blackwell's primary campaign against Attorney General Jim Petro (R-Rocky River).

It is almost a year to the day since Bob Taft became the first Ohio Governor convicted in an Ohio courtroom, having pleaded no contest to charges that he violated state ethics laws on August 18, 2005. In an infamous TV ad this past spring, Blackwell charged Petro with having "ethics worse than Taft." At noon today, however, Taft sponsored a Republican Governor’s Association fundraiser for Blackwell and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels at the Columbus Club. So, Blackwell doesn't mind making Taft a political target over Taft's pay-to-play corruption, but when it comes to raising campaign money just keep the checks coming.

In a press release, the Ohio Democratic Party compares Blackwell's apparent reversal on Taft's character to his other major flip-flops:

* Campaigning for the TEL amendment only to reverse course in the face of massive public opposition.

* Opposing the CAT tax before favoring it.

* Opposing expanded gambling but investing in a company that produces slot machines.

Writes ODP spokesman Brian Rothenberg:

“I wonder if Ken Blackwell will lecture Bob Taft about his ethics while he’s collecting checks at lunch. ... 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? It’s simply hypocritical."