No more clowning around

Of all things that could go wrong, now our man Virgil Lovitt is under attack from a conservative clown! Andy Mellman, who spends his time working as a clown to raise money for burn research at Cincinnati Shrine Hospital, is criticizing Lovitt for using one of his clown photos to attack Lovitt's opponent Connie Pillich as a clown. What a horrible person this Mellman must be! No matter how much money you raise for burn victims or how many children you make laugh, nobody can be allowed to criticize our 2008 Tax Hiker of the Year Virgil Lovitt and get away with it.

This is not a three ring circus. Our ability to make sure we remain a party of higher taxes hinges on great tax hikers like Virgil Lovitt being able to get elected. Mellman is an admitted conservative and that's probably why he's criticizing Lovitt. Conservatives like Mellman oppose higher taxes and more government.

But Lovitt is one of us, a Republican who supports higher taxes and much more spending. Conservatives should feel free to not support Lovitt. We'll win this race by building our own coalition of tax hikers and big spenders. And these Shriner clowns will be back to putting on red noses and doing charitable work. That'll show them.

Sadly this circus act obscures the real problem with this flyer: it once again distorts the fine tax-and-spend record that Virg has worked his entire career to build. We cannot fathom why the Ohio Republican Party continues to insist that Lovitt will cut taxes. Virgil Lovitt has never supported cutting taxes. Moreso than probably anyone except Bill Seitz, Lovitt stands proudly for higher taxes and higher spending, especially for programs like Bob Taft's 3rd Frontier.

One thing that can't be distorted is our commitment to ensure Virgil Lovitt's election as State Representative, so that he can continue the tax-and-spend policies he's advocated for in Hamilton County. We are not clowning around. Lovitt for State Rep.