A Brief History of the ODP, Vol. 1

From the Toledo Blade:

The low point for Ohio's Democratic Party was supposed to be 1994.

That's when Republicans won the governor's mansion, swept every statewide nonjudicial race, and wrested away a Senate seat…

This year was supposed to be a step back in the right direction.

But instead... Republicans won the governor's mansion, swept every statewide nonjudicial race, and wrested away a Senate seat…

(snip)

"We never had a strong message," said Jim Ruvulo, a former state and Lucas County Democratic chairman [who later would chair the Ohio Kerry campaign]…

"I'm absolutely befuddled," said Paul Tipps, another former state party chairman. "I think they've got to go back to basics and start from there. They've got to figure out what the Republicans are doing that they aren't."

Mr. Ruvulo pinned the blame on the party's lack of a strong message. Democratic candidates were too cautious, he said, and avoided issues that matter to voters… "As the party out of power, you can't play it safe and win."

Democrats, he said, should spend the next two years doing research to find out the topics that truly matter to their voters, and "put together a coherent, strong message. Not just mouthing the phrase `working families' over and over ad nauseum."

(snip)

[Former ODP chairman Paul Tipps said] "They've got to figure out why the Democratic Party in Ohio is not communicating with the public. It's not about personalities."

The Punch Line: This article is from Nov. 1998, five and a half years ago. Would you have known that if I didn't tell you? Is there any reason to believe they won't be saying the same thing every November of every year?