The streetcar is dead

Dear fellow tax hikers, THEY KILLED OUR STREETCAR!!! 



Just one month after our humiliating Roxanne Qualls defeat we are sitting here crying our eyes out again.  This city is DEAD.  It can't possibly survive. 

Please help us spread the word to all streetcar supporters that the Suicide Hotline is open 24/7.  We're not giving up and neither should you.  We tax hikers are like roaches - we never go away. 

This means some bad things for us.  Worst of all, we'll have to keep riding a putrid BUS to get around instead of a luxury $148 million streetcar.  Or we'll just have to drive our SUV's more often.  But jeez, don't you sometimes have these days that you want to park the SUV and get around in a lovely streetcar? 

We white Young Professionals in OTR deserve something for ourselves, but that evil man John Cranley took it away.  We promise you our movement isn't dead even if our streetcar is.  Someday, we'll bring a streetcar and a huge new Light Rail Tax to Cincinnati - once Cincinnati reverses itself from it's "death". 

It has happened

1% of Qualls supporters gather

Dear fellow tax hikers, those of us who supported Roxanne Qualls for Mayor are pissed off.  We refuse to accept our landslide defeat.  We are going to get our way and we don't care what John Cranley or the 58% who supported him think. 

This manifested itself with our infamous meeting at the Cincinnati Mercantile Library last week.  1% of Qualls supporters gathered to decide how we are going to run the city, and step #1 is to save the streetcar.  We will not let Crowbar Cranley stop our beloved streetcar.

We are determined to govern Cincinnati with the impressive 42% majority that we produced on Election Day.  This photo shows that we're serious. 

It has been settled.  We Qualls supporters are in charge now.  We only have two questions left, and both of the answers are in this picture:

1)  Where's Waldo?
2)  Where's the minority?

A bad, bad week

Dear fellow tax hikers, TGIF because this week can't get much worse.  First we were completely shocked that John Cranley and 7 incoming Councilmen were able to kill the parking deal that we loved so much.  This plan would have taken future parking profits and spent them now, making it more likely that we would see a future tax increase to replace those lost annual revenues.  Our chances of getting a future tax increase have been reduced because of this terrible move to stop the parking plan. 

Then we find out that our awesome City Manager Milton Dohoney has been forced out.  He did not deserve this.  Milton was the guy who came up with the streetcar, parking plan, trash tax, Red Light cameras, and Water Works sale.  Whenever we needed more taxes, more spending, or more streetcars, Milton always came through. 

Worst of all, Crowbar Cranley still wants to stop our streetcar!  But we're not going to let him.  Did you know that 300 Qualls supporters came to a meeting tonight?  At this meeting, we came up with an unbeatable plan to save our streetcar.  Here it is:

Nothing is going to stand in our way.  After we engage residents and businesses, lobby people, and threaten to file lawsuits, Cranley and Council will have no choice to but to abide by our demands.  The streetcar shall be saved!

Roxanne Qualls still surging

Dear fellow tax hikers, we have some wonderful news to share.  Our downtown friends tell us the Qualls campaign is still surging and will catch Cranley any day now.  She has all the momentum!  Are you ready for another weekend of door-to-door in downtown and Over the Rhine?

The Qualls campaign is also organizing a new group to Save The Streetcar.  We will not let Crowbar Cranley kill the streetcar, no matter how many people voted for him to do just that! 

Qualls supporters are also scheduling a bunch of meetings to sit around and talk about how much they hate John Cranley and the 58% who voted for him. 

And finally, 18th-place Council candidate Mike Moroski has announced he will mount a petition drive if and when Cranley and City Council shut down our beloved streetcar.  We are proud to be the first to endorse this campaign.  We will work just as hard on this petition drive as we did to elect Roxanne Qualls.  We have told you for years that we will make these streetcars happen and we will not let you down. 

Dissecting our major loss

Dear fellow tax hikers, we know that all of you - as well as us - are still grieving over the landslide loss of our Stadium Queen Roxanne Qualls.  Yesterday we even fell ill, as it literally made us sick to see Mayor-elect John Cranley celebrating his win and moving to kill our beloved streetcar.  It is important that even as we grieve, we still try to move on.

It is time to begin understanding our loss.  We ask you, our loyal readers, to send us your thoughts as to why we badly lost this most important race.  Is it because Cincinnati is dominated by Republicans, Tea Partiers, and COASTers?  Is it because voters didn't understand the awesomeness of the streetcar and parking plan?  Is it because voters weren't aware of all the good work Roxanne did to pass the Bedinghaus Stadium Tax?  Is it because the Qualls campaign blew it in the black community? 

We believe it is all of the above.  Voters were too stupid to understand all of the brilliant ideas Roxanne has produced over the years.  We also believe the one mistake Qualls made was not taking our advice regarding the black vote.  We told her to return their calls.  We pleaded with her to repudiate the comments of her surrogates that Cranley's black supporters were bought off.  What black person would vote for Qualls if her people were accusing Cranley of not hiring enough white people? 

Now it is your turn.  Please share your thoughts why Roxanne Qualls was destroyed Tuesday night.  

Cranley crushes Qualls

Dear fellow tax hikers, it is 6:30 AM and we are still at our computers crying our eyes out at the devastating losses we suffered tonight.  Roxanne Qualls didn't just lose the Mayor's race, she got destroyed. 

This defeat is a huge shock.  We were assured by Qualls supporters that she had closed the gap to within the margin of error.  We were told she had the momentum.  We were advised that Qualls was surging and poised for a win if only we got our people to the polls. 

All of us are in a state of mourning over this terrible tragedy.  But now we must come together to deal with our grief.  This is a safe place for everyone to communicate their feelings of loss and despair. 

Our sense of community will get us through these dark days.  We invite all of you to share your feelings.  We will get through these tough times, together.

Cranley accused of hiring too many black people

Dear fellow tax hikers, in recent days surrogates for Roxanne Qualls have criticized John Cranley for employing too many African-Americans on his campaign.  This shocking allegation was included in a WCPO report that also accused Roxanne Qualls of having a conflict of interest for selling properly along the streetcar line as she was voting to spend more money on the streetcar.

Cranley has piled up an impressive list of endorsements from the black community.  In addition to NAACP President Christopher Smitherman, the following list of black leaders joined to support Cranley:

***Pam and Cecil Thomas have said they support both candidates.***

Even when we exclude Pam and Cecil from this list, Cranley has locked up endorsements from most of the major leaders of the Cincinnati black community.   Dwight Tillery, Alicia Reece, Steve Reece, Laketa Cole, Christopher Smitherman, Doc Foster, Minette Cooper, and more. 

One of these people is employed by the Cranley campaign, and one is a consultant.  The rest don't work for him.  This led to some of Roxanne's white surrogates to accuse Cranley of engaging in "pay to play" and buying his black support.  Apparently they think only white people can make endorsements based on what they think is best for the city.  They really stepped in this one, prompting Steve Reece to lash out:

Steve Reece, Alicia Reece’s father and a longtime Democratic Party activist, called the criticisms from white bloggers offensive.  “I find it insulting and racist to imply we can’t think, and to say money will influence who we will support,” Steve Reece said.

These white Qualls surrogates don't understand what they've done.  Steve Reece is a long-time Democratic activist with deep roots in the black community.  So do many of the others on this list.  Accusing them of pay-to-play not only offends them, but offends their many supporters too.  

As some of Roxy's biggest supporters, we hereby apologize for the borderline-racist actions of a few of our compatriots.  Please forgive Roxanne for their sins, even though she has refused to repudiate them.  We promise to speak with Roxanne tomorrow and implore her to condemn her supporters' offensive behavior.  We expect Roxanne to comment shortly whether she thinks Cranley should hire more white people for his campaign.  We expect Roxanne will soon tell you whether Cincinnati's black leaders are capable of making endorsements without first being paid.  

We are Republicans for Higher Taxes and we approve this message.  And no white person paid us to write it.

Cranley criticizes stadium deal

Dear fellow tax hikers, mayoral candidate John Cranley continues his attack on the Bob Bedinghaus Stadium Tax and all the work Roxanne Qualls did to get it passed.  At the recent WCPO debate, Cranley said the following:

My opponent mentions her judgment. In the ‘90s, she was the lead spokesman for the stadium deal.  She added $100 million in costs by moving the stadium to the west.  She built a $50 million riverfront transit center that's never been used," Cranley said.  "I think we need a new investment advisor in the city, and we need someone who has the experience to know the difference between good ideas and bad ideas.

This time Cranley has gone too far.  How dare he criticize the stadium deal!  How dare he criticize Roxanne Qualls The Stadium Queen for being the leading spokesman for the stadium tax!  How dare he criticize moving the stadium west for another $70-$150 million!  How dare he criticize a majestic $50 million transit center just because it's almost never used!

We all know how successful these stadiums have been for our region, and if Cranley wants to continue attacking the work of Bedinghaus/Qualls it will only hurt him in the end.  If you like the stadiums, you're gonna love Mayor Roxanne Qualls. 

Cranley criticizes Qualls for supporting stadium tax

Dear fellow tax hikers, how dare John Cranley criticize Roxanne Qualls for her pivotal support of the Bob Bedinghaus Stadium Tax!  Cranley had the nerve to do this earlier today during his public chat on WCPO. 

This is unfair criticism.  Roxanne Qualls The Stadium Queen deserves nothing but love for her huge role in passing the Stadium Tax.  The Stadium Tax had failed to crack 50% in the polls until Roxanne appeared in the campaign ads - a theme we detailed in an earlier entry. 

We also object to Cranley criticizing The Queen for her role in moving the Bengals stadium west, thus adding anywhere from $70 million to $150 million depending on who you ask.  Bedinghaus and Qualls had to hide these costs from the public before the vote or else the tax would have been harder to pass.  We tax hikers routinely pull this trick - underestimate the costs to win the vote, then add the costs after the fact when it's too late to go back.

We applaud Roxanne Qualls for everything she did to pass the Bedinghaus Stadium Tax.  Because of Roxy we have been paying that tax for 17 years and we'll be paying for over 20 more, not to mention our enjoyment of all the benefits it has brought.  Cranley has no right to criticize Roxanne for her fantastic work on these stadiums which have brought so much good to Hamilton County.

Get motivated

Dear fellow tax hikers, it's time for us to stop whining and get motivated for this huge mayoral election in November!  After everything Roxanne Qualls has done to push the parking plan, streetcar, stadium tax, and jail tax, we owe her nothing but our best over these next 7 weeks.

To help motivate you, we are going to republish a comment left on this website from a Cranley supporter taunting us after his big victory last week.  Read it and GET MAD!

**************************************************************

Great predictions Qualls streetcar nutjobs. I'd like to remind you of your electoral idiocy on tonight, as John Cranley celebrates an ass-whipping victory of Streetcar Roxanne Qualls...


Game Over, GOP said:
"Cranley's endless pandering to Republicans will cost him dearly tomorrow. Republicans simply will not vote in a Democratic party primary.  Qualls will be seen as the front-runner and the Cranley/Right-Wing Smear Machine will never catch up."
- Is Qualls still the frontrunner after losing by 20 points?

Reality Check said:
"Fun times await us tomorrow night when Roxanne wins and the losers behind this blog are crying in their beers."
- How were your fun times? I hope you weren't crying in your beers.

Let Me Get This Straight said:
"Clearly, the Cranley campaign is flailing about in desperation hoping that something, anything will stick."
- I bet all flailing campaigns wish they could pull off a 20 point win.

Best Ad of the Season said:
"After having established her leadership bona fides, Roxanne Qualls does a sterling job of reminding the voters why they can't stand John Cranley."
- If by sterling job you mean hilariously ineffective then I agree.

Time to Face Reality said:
"The only downside to the thorough defeat that will be administered to John Cranley this Tuesday is that he will use the next two months to spew even more right-wing anger and hatred at all of us."
- Still think that's the only downside to tonight's election? Reality check anyone?

Math is Hard said:
"Roxanne does better among women than Cranley does among men. Unless women turn out less than men, which never happens, there is no way Roxanne can lose."
- Math is hard, which is why I suggest you take a class to brush up on your skills.

Anonymous Informed Voter said:
"John Cranley's craven political opportunism and his pandering to Tea Partiers, a minority within a minority, will cost him dearly this Tuesday and on November 5."
- Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Sign Watcher said:
"In the past three days, I've gone across the city and back for various reasons. East side, west side, OTR, Clifton, Hartwell, Mt. Airy, no matter where you go there is far more support shown for Qualls than Cranley."
- I suggest you do a more thorough sign count, or become a better liar.

Discussion: Cincinnati Mayoral Primary

Dear fellow tax hikers, we hope everyone has had a chance to calm down after the stunning defeat of our Roxanne Qualls in Tuesday's Mayoral Primary.  If we have any hope of overcoming this setback to win in November we must quickly learn from our failures and rebuild. 

We are asking for reader participation.  Tell us, why do you think Roxanne Qualls lost this primary?  Is it because people didn't know about all the taxes she raised.  Is it because more people weren't aware of her pivotal role in passing the Bob Bedinghaus Stadium Tax?  Is it because people for some reason didn't think it was appropriate for her to run a campaign ad showing a dog pissing on a Cranley sign?  Is it because her legions of supporters simply forgot to vote that day? 

After you explain Roxanne's loss, we'd also like your advice explaining how we can turn this campaign around.  We need Roxanne Qualls to win in November.  If she loses, the streetcar might be stopped, the parking plan might be stopped, and we might not get any new tax increases for a while.  We must turn this around.

Cranley crushes Qualls and Noble

Dear fellow tax hikers, yesterday was a disastrous night for our high-tax goddess Roxanne Qualls.  Widely expected to win last night - even by people who think John Cranley would ultimately pull through in November - Qualls was outright crushed.   Cranley defeated her by a shocking 56-37 margin, with Jim Berns and Sandra Queen Noble pulling the rest. 

We are partially responsible for this horrendous defeat.  We got complacent.  We assumed Roxanne had this in the bag.  We were so certain of Roxanne's victory that we screwed around and published a silly endorsement of Sandra Queen Noble. We thought we were so funny, but the only ones laughing now are Cranley and his supporters.

The games are over effective immediately.  All of us tax hikers, streetcar fans, and Bedinghaus Stadium Tax supporters better unify at once behind Roxanne.  We need to remind the voters she is 100% behind the streetcar.  We need to remind them she is pushing the popular parking plan.  And we must remind everyone that Roxanne Qualls played a HUGE role in passing the Bob Bedinghaus Stadium Tax.

Before we sign off, we have to give credit to the impressive performance of our endorsed candidate Sandra Queen Noble.  Sandra finished with 2.1% of the vote - a huge improvement from the 0.3% of the vote she received in her last run for Mayor.  With our endorsement, Sandra finished with 7 times the percentage of the vote of her last Mayoral campaign!  That's great progress.

Even though we now wish we had sent all those votes to Roxanne, we still thank all of you who helped either Qualls or Queen in yesterday's election.  On to November we tax hikers roll. 

John Cranley opposes Property Tax Hike

Dear fellow tax hikers, we are enormously disappointed in former Cincinnati Councilman John Cranley.  Today Cranley has published a mean editorial opposing Roxanne Qualls' efforts to raise Cincinnati's property taxes!  Not only did Cranley condemn this important tax increase, he also criticized the streetcar project which we believe is necessary for the future of our city.

Roxanne Qualls does not deserve this criticism.  Roxanne has been a tax-hiking goddess throughout her public career.  Roxy was the leading voice for the Stadium Sales Tax increase which has done so much good for our community.  She endorsed the Sales Tax hike for Light Rail.  Roxy endorsed the 2007 Jail Tax which would have raised taxes $777 million for a $198 million jail.  Qualls has also been one of the streetcar's biggest supporters from Day 1.  She supports all the great ideas!

We are very angry at John Cranley.  Cranley and our enemy Chris Monzel were the only two Councilmen who voted against our beloved streetcar.  Cranley refused to endorse the 2007 Sales Tax hike for a big new expensive jail.  And now he is publicly criticizing a property tax increase that we already endorsed. 

We need higher property taxes, both in the city and in the county.  We stand behind Roxanne Qualls as she seeks another one of her wonderful tax hikes.  We are also serving warning to John Cranley that he better stop opposing our agenda of higher taxes and more spending.  He will find our opposition to be a steep encounter to any future candidacy.