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Feb
24
I left a comment in this post at Buckeye State Blog (which itself is worth reading, “Those damn conjecturing bloggers”) in response to a sincere comment left by another reader who is feeling the angst over Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Ohio SOS Jennifer Brunner both entering the 2010 Dem primary scene for the senate race nomination:
Ms. Brunners exit [to run for Senate] leaves us with people like Bill Mason…Tyrone Yates…or god forbid Fernsey all of which are unexceptable [sic] to run statewide. This all should have been considered in Brunners [sic] decision, she does her current job extremely well and should stay there!
Here’s what I wrote in response:
Let me ask you a few questions:
Obama is on the record saying that he would serve out his term in the senate and not seek the presidency – should he have stayed? (the tape was just played this weekend on Meet the Press)
If Ted Strickland had been asked by Obama to be his VP on the ticket – or the director of HHS or anything else in the Obama admin, should Strickland have left?
Rich Cordray – was doing an outstanding job as treasurer. Should Ohioans have tried to influence Strickland and the ODP to support a new, different face into the AG role through appointment, rather than give a strong, excellent public servant that advantage or path?
And how about Lee Fisher himself – he is doing a good job as Lt Gov and Director of Development, no? Strickland will have to find TWO replacements, right?
Basically, ultimately, this “should stay there” thing – it’s a red herring:
I am in the same camp as you regarding how I feel about both candidates and how well I feel Brunner does in the SOS job. But the fact is, she is running for US Senate and this argument about how she “should stay there” needs to be stripped from our discussions, especially given the fact that she is a strong female candidate and can improve the abysmal proportion of women to men in the US Senate (only 17 out of 100 senators are women).
In career paths – and public service through elected office is a career, no matter whether we get used to using that as a battering ram (“no career politicians!”) or an accolade (“has been serving the public all his or her life in elected office” read: experience – think: Joe Biden or Rich Cordray for that matter who has held a number of different roles, and did them all well) – we must expect and allow that individuals will make choices for themselves. This is why we want a deep bench, why we want party involvement or recruitment or development of people who do want to spend their career in elected office or in the public service, and we want it to start early.
The military works hard to sell itself – maybe the time has come for PSAs about the value, the meaning and the reward of elected office? Unless of course, you know – that’s a farce. 
In which case, we should be working at overhauling it – but that’s a whole nother thread.
Anyway – the “should stay there” is pretty much over and done with for me and frankly, given the difficulty Obama is going to have over the next four years turning this country around, we need to send our very very best Dems to the Congress.
I am on the record for wishing that Brunner wasn’t interested in the senate seat – I actually didn’t have a clue that she was before a month or two ago. And I was content in my naiveté about this ambition of hers because I support what she’s done as SOS. However, she obviously could not be more serious about wanting to be in the senate race and I have no argument with that – if it’s what she wants, I really don’t see where we have the right to tell her to stay put, especially because of her achievements so far in public service.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:28 am February 24th, 2009 in Campaigning, democracy, Democrats, Elections, Gender, Government, Jennifer Brunner, Ohio, Politics, senate, Voting, Women
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6 Responses to “Drop the 2010 Senate race red herring “Should Stay There!””
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I agree Jill, and plan on putting 100% of my support behind her.
May the best woman win.
The more the merrier. We should encourage robust primaries.
Not quite sure where else to ask this.
If Stephanie Tubbs Jones was still alive, I wonder if she would be running for the Senate. Certainly would’ve made this race even more interesting.
By the way, you can ask Jennifer Brunner a question over at BSB. Just leave it in the comments of this post before 7 P.M.
I find it particularly grating that no one is telling Fischer to stay where he is.
Fisher’s job isn’t critical to the state. I’m not telling Jennifer to stay where she is. I am telling the Democratic party to get on the stick right NOW and come up with a very strong replacement for her who can start fundraising and raising her statewide profile immediately. And yes, Jill, HER, because the number of women we have in statewide office is more appalling than the number we have in the Senate. But really, if you want to get on a soapbox about that issue, let’s talk Cuyahoga County: until Lillian Green was appointed recorder, there wasn’t a single, solitary woman in countywide office. And for that matter, there was only one African American, which unless dealt with will be a deterrent to any regionalism schemes.
Since the PD’s idea that we should elect more Republicans – as if THAT was the problem — isn’t going to happen, what are we Democrats going to do to diversify the sea of white male faces in Cuyahoga County government?