Ham Sandwich for Sec. of State 2010

Internal Polling

2009-04-02T15:42:00.002-04:00

We are now engaged in some internal polling over in the sidebar. Express your support for Ham Sandwich over Jon Husted by voting for the least stale candidate for Ohio Secretary of State.

This internal poll will run through May 1st, 2009 or until Jon Husted buys a clue and gets out of this race!

ANNOUNCEMENT: Ham for SOS

2009-04-02T13:15:00.001-04:00

As you all know, Rob Portman has entered the race to replace George Voinovich in the United States Senate. Ham knows Rob to be good and honest man who shares our values, so he has decided to shift his focus to the Great State of Beautiful Ohio and run for Secretary of State. Why? Because by 2010, Ham Sandwich will only be half as stale as Jon Husted is right now.

This campaign's opponent is responsible for the Commercial Activities Tax. The CAT is a MAJOR obstacle facing the Great State of Beautiful Ohio in recovering from the vast failures of Bob Taft and Ted Strickland. Do we really want to elevate a guy who fails to understand his role making our magnificent state one of the worst places to do business in all of the nation?

Ham doesn't think so...

This campaign's opponent railroaded vital anti-illegal immigration legislation that Ham's good friends State Senator Cates and State Rep. Courtney Combs worked so hard on. Do we really want to elevate a guy who fails to protect jobs for Ohioans?

Ham doesn't think so...

This campaign's opponent was Speaker of the House while Ohio spent like drunken sailors on liberty in a foreign port with no laws to speak of. Do we really want to elevate a guy who failed to keep spending in check when he had a chance to do so?

Ham doesn't think so...

This campaign's opponent has no idea where he actually lives. Do we want to elevate a guy who doesn't actually represent the people he is neighbors with?

Ham doesn't think so...

Those are just some of the MANY reasons why Ham Sandwich is running for Secretary of State in the Great State of Beautiful Ohio and he thanks you for your continued support.

Voinovich Makes It Official

2009-01-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

Today, Senator George Voinovich has announced that he will not seek a third term. I support him in this decision and would like to express my appreciation for his willingness to serve his community, his state, and the nation.

Ohio Republicans will now get down to the business of choosing the right candidate to fill the shoes of Senator Voinovich and while we have disagreed on many an issue, one must salute the fact that he has a stunning record of victories in election after election. In his last run, he won all 88 counties in the Great State of Ohio and while a repeat of that performance was highly unlikely it does stand as a testament to his ability as a politician.

Senator Voinovich, I salute you and I wish you the very best in your coming retirement.

Statement on Voinovich Rumors

2009-01-09T12:00:00.003-05:00

It is my understanding that a number of prominent bloggers have been hearing rumors that my nemesis, George "The Crying Man" Voinovich may be realizing that by 2010, I'll be half as stale as he is right now.

These rumors have now made their way in to the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Columbus Dispatch so we have to start taking them seriously.

It has been my intention all along to step aside when a credible candidate presents themselves, but until the day when the "Deficit Hawk who Loves Auto Bailouts" makes it offical my campaign will continue.

While I have been critical of Senator Voinovich, let me say that he has had a splendidly successful political career. It is time for him to go out gracefully, with dignity and honor.

Voinovich's Party Affiliation

2008-08-08T14:39:00.003-04:00

I just took a look at the site stats and noticed a hit from Google on a search for "George Voinovich party affiliation." Now, we at the Ham Sandwich for Senate campaign can certainly understand why someone might be confused because you are just never sure what position our senior (citizen) Senator is going to take. More often than not, you can find The Crying Man standing with the Demcorats on the important issues. I can however assure this reader that George Voinovich is a registered Republican and continues to claim to be a Republican to this day. George Voinovich is, in fact, a Republican...in name only.

I hope this clears up any confusion on the matter...

Pic From Today's Campaign Event

2008-08-08T14:34:00.004-04:00

Here Ham meets with constituents "Curly" F. and Patty C.

BizzyBlog to Voinovich: What About Great Lakes Oil?

2008-08-06T10:30:00.003-04:00

Please note this entry over at BizzyBlog:

Hey Rahm Emanuel, Russ Harding of the Makinac Center and I have an answer to this (”Emanuel Asks McCain to ‘Clarify’ Stance on Great Lakes Oil Drilling”) — Drill in the Great Lakes, ASAP. Michigan’s and Ohio’s economies would both benefit. Did you notice that each state could use something, from somewhere? Memo to recent coastal drilling convert and still Great Lakes drilling opponent George Voinovich: Read Harding’s analysis and come on board. The water’s fine, and it will stay fine.

Is George Voinovich willing to admit that he is as NIMBY as Ted Kennedy and John Kerry are about wind power?

The Voinovich/Obama Energy Plan

2008-08-04T20:01:00.000-04:00

Bill Sloat reminds us that in addition to Barack Obama, George Voinovich also suggested that the way to save dollars at the gas pump was to make sure that your tires were inflated. And while doing so might save you a bit of your hard earned cash, it is not a plan for reducing the price of gasoline. This "commonsense plan" merely reduces, by some fraction, how quickly you will need to return to the gas station for a fill-up. The price of the gasoline that you put in your tank will not be effected by your tire pressure at all. If you need to see proof of this, go to your local gas station and inflate your tires while looking at the sign that says how much gas costs. Now, unless you happen to be there while they are changing the sign, which would be quite a coincidence, the act of putting air in your tires does not lower the price of gasoline.

Of course, Senator Voinovich managed to mention a few other planks in his energy plan that Obama isn't even going to consider but Bill Sloat didn't mention them either...

Follow Ham's Campaign on Twitter

2008-07-21T20:38:00.000-04:00

The campaign has finally decided to Twitter too...

RELEASE: Brunner Outpolls Voinovich

2008-07-21T16:13:00.008-04:00

In response to the reporting from PolitickerOH's Justin Miller indicating that a PPP poll shows that Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner outperforms Ohio's senior senator, George Voinovich, the general chairman of Friends of Ham Sandwich, Matt Hurley, issued the following statement:

Is it really a surprise that even the most partisan Secretary of State in Ohio history can outpoll Senator Voinovich? No. We at the Ham Sandwich for Senate 2010 campaign have known for a long time now that by 2010, Ham Sandwich would only be half as stale as George Voinovich is right now. This poll only confirms what our internal poll suggested earlier this year: George Voinovich is not a tasty candidate. He is, in fact, spolied meat.

Voinovich Still Wants to Surrender

2008-06-18T15:26:00.004-04:00

Check out this AP report, which includes this bit from the Crying Man, our Senator RINOvich...

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, asked President Bush not to include in the agreement any commitment to defend Iraq.

Instead, Voinovich said, the focus should be on efforts to bring U.S. forces home.

Apparently the senator is of the opinion that should Iraq come under attack, the hard work and lives lost in Iraq should just be forgotten. Senator, we need victory in Iraq, not surrender. A safe and secure Iraq is in the best interests of the United States and the Middle East.

Ham Sandwich supports our military and is for victory in the War on Terror.

Libs Are Looking at 2010

2008-06-17T15:30:00.003-04:00

...and they are liking their chances against The Crying Man, our Senator RINOvich... Of course, their poll doesn't take in to account that the Republican nominee is going to be Ham Sandwich.

Liberal Toledo Blade Agrees with Voinovich on Taxes

2008-03-26T07:49:00.003-04:00

Even while smacking him around, the Toledo Blade agrees with George Voinovich on taxes and his desire to raise them on everybody. Oh, sure, the Blade makes it sounds like they only want to raise taxes on the "rich" but as we have already seen, the intentions of their Democrat friends in Congress is to raise taxes on everybody making $31,850 a year. And Georgoe Voinovich voted for that plan too.

Ham Sandwich stands for lower taxes, lower government spending, and less government period. Ham Sandwich believes that you should walk the walk when you talk the talk. Ham Sandwich believes that tax cuts are important for the working American, but he also knows that even with the tax cuts, government also needs to reduce spending. Ham Sandwich knows that you can't budget to spend more money than you have.

And that's why by 2010, Ham Sandwich will only be half as stale as George Voinovich is right now.

ABJ Column RIPS Voinovich on Education

2008-03-23T09:42:00.002-04:00

In a three-page story, Beacon Journal staff writer Dennis J. Willard reminds The Crying Man that at one time he declared himself the "education governor" and then proceeded to fail miserably. What brought this on? The same speech where the "deficit hawk" said that anybody who told you that they wouldn't raise taxes wasn't being honest, he also let off some doom and gloom about schools.

"How can America survive when half the kids in the urban districts are dropping out of school?" Voinovich asked.

He is still asking that question 29 years after running for Cleveland mayor promising to address the city's woeful public school system, and 18 years after his successful campaign for this state's top office with the declaration that he would be the "education governor."

Voinovich pledged to make Ohio the envy of other states when it came to education.

So let's accept your challenge to get serious Sen. Voinovich by taking a serious look at your contributions to the primary, secondary and higher education systems that haunt this state today.

Dennis lays the whole thing out over the next two pages...

Voinovich Says: "We NEED To Raise Taxes!"

2008-03-20T10:42:00.006-04:00

Courtesy of Ohio Rangers for Huckabee:

"We're going to have to raise more money in this country. Did you hear me? We're going to have to increase taxes in order to do the job," Sen. Voinovich said. "Anyone that tells you that's not the case isn't being truthful with you. They're not being intellectually honest with you."

At least he's being honest these days on tax issues...but he ought to change his party affiliation because Republicans believe in lower taxes and smaller government.

UPDATE: Voinovich is now back-peddling (Openers):

So, honestly: Does Voinovich think we need to raise taxes?

No, insists his spokesman, Chris Paulitz. The tax hike talk yesterday was a way to get people's attention so they would "realize the crisis we're in," Paulitz said.

It worked. Voinovich is getting attention.

But no Voinovich-backed tax hikes?

"He is making absolutely no attempt to raise taxes," Paulitz insists. "There are no plans in the works, no bills, no nothing." And that's the honest, intellectual truth.

Maybe Voinovich ought to answer this question for himself, Chris...I'm sorry, but I can't trust a staffer on this one. Your loyalty to your boss is admirable and I certainly understand that you are trying to dig him out of a hole, but the senator put himself there and he needs to craft a statement that we can believe. So far, I don't... Why? Voinvocih VOTED to raise taxes on individuals who make $31,850/year. His record shows that either the spokesman is lying or ill-informed as to the record of his boss. Seriously, we aren't going to forget this stuff...

What Was That About 'Emergency' Spending Again, George?

2008-03-14T08:20:00.005-04:00

I noticed on the State of Ohio Blogger Alliance feed yesterday, a post from Eye on the Statehouse that praised George Voinovich for asking for an amendment to curb "emergency" spending.

So imagine my surprise when I saw this piece over at The Courier.com with Senator Voinovich proudly declaring:

"I will continue to fight to make federal funds available to aid Ohioans in their disaster recovery efforts."

Disaster recovery is important, but calling yourself a "deficit hawk" and then securing millions in grants is just not right. Senator, either you are a steward of the taxpayer's money or you aren't. You can not have it both ways.

Senator, you just joined the Democrats in voting to raise the taxes of everybody making over $32,000 a year. You have joined the Democrats in redefining the word "rich" to include average Joes like your constituents here in Ohio. Ohio, you know, they place you are supposed to represent?

Fellow Ohioans, I hope you remember that you do have a choice. You do not have to be represented by liars like George Voinovich. You do not have to keep sending a tax and spender like George Voinovich back to Washington. You do have a choice! Remember, by 2010, I will only be half as stale as George Voinovich is right now...

George Voinovich Wants to Raise Your Taxes

2008-03-13T16:20:00.004-04:00

Ladies and Gentleman, today I charge Senator George Voinovich with the CRIME of wanting to raise YOUR taxes. I can make this charge by citing a few paragraphs of this story in The Politico:

With Democrats united — alongside Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York — the measure failed 52-47, as two Republicans, Sens. Olympia Snowe of Maine and Ohio's George Voinovich, broke with their party on the tax issue.

Graham zeroed in on the voters in the 25 percent bracket and higher.

“The current law is 25 percent, and if we don’t pass my amendment the tax will go up to 28 percent in 2011, a 10 percent increase,” he said. “Thirty five percent becomes 39.6 percent. That’s 23 million Americans [who] are going to pay higher taxes.”

Republican primary voters: remember this well! You DO have an alternative; I'm Ham Sandwich and I approve this message.

PRESS RELEASE: Ham Sandwich Trounces Sen. George RINOvich in Internal Poll

2008-03-06T13:56:00.005-05:00

A PANERA STORE SOMEWHERE IN OHIO -- The Ham Sandwich for Senate 2010 campaign released internal poll numbers today that showed the challenger defeating the incumbent 69% to 30%. The poll was conducted January 9, 2008 - March 4, 2008 of very likely Republican voters.

"We think this poll clearly illustrates that by 2010, Ham Sandwich will only be half as stale as Senator George Voinovich is right now." said campaign manager Matt Hurley. "The senator can continue to ignore our campaign at his peril, but we're really cooking and we've only just gotten started. Ham has the fire in the belly to take this thing all the way. Let me guarantee you this: Ham Sandwich will bring home the bacon."

The poll results can be found at the Ham Sandwich for Senate 2010 website.

Your Vote Matters!

2008-01-31T23:59:00.000-05:00

1/9/08: Be sure to vote in our "internal poll" over in the sidebar...

We'd love to run up the score and then be able to say that our internal polling shows that Ham Sandwich is eating the competition alive!

1/10/08: We've been visited by someone from senate.gov...could that account for Sen. RINOvich's 1 vote???

RINOvich - "I aint scared of NO Ham Sandwich"

2008-01-14T11:52:00.000-05:00

This race looks like it is heating up faster than we thought!

It is a known fact in the animal world of politics that RINO's are routinely aggravated by the ticks and lice they consider conservative republicans that get under their thick skin.

A review of the site shows we have tweaked the tip of Sen. Georgie Porgy "I don't always cry" RINOvich and his campaign staffer's political horn. As Matt posted - the Great Horned One - RINOvich has had only one (1) vote in our poll and it is chronologically consistent with a hit from senate.gov.

Team Ham recently received a call from Rocky the RINO Buster of "RINO's to the LEFT of Me" magazine. Rocky wanted to know how our candidate, Ham Sandwich, felt about RINOvich's campaign staff reaction to his entering the race.

Rocky informed us that he contacted RINOvich's Cleveland office on Friday and spoke with an individual regarding the challenger in the upcoming 2010 election. When asked if they had any response or statement regarding the pundit's proclaiming our candidate as "obviously a Tasty Choice" this is what we learned....

"Sen. RINOvich is unaware (Yeah Sure!) of any declared candidates against him." "He stands by his record (Oh Goody!) and is proud of his years served."

"Regarding any statement about this other candidate - we will reserve the right to comment as the election nears."

Only being the Volunteer guy for the campaign I do not want to release any statements on behalf of Team Ham regarding this obvious affront to our candidate. But after checking this site - how can they say they never heard of Ham Sandwich?!?

I am confident that the Campaign Manager, Matt Hurley, and our Political Director, Mark McNally, will meet with Ham Sandwich and deal with this accordingly. If this ridiculous statement (lie) is even dignified with an answer!

Very soon the savanna of politics that RINOvich roams will be filled with "Ham Sandwich Soldiers" and those cute little Ham Sandwich "HAMster's" No matter where he goes there will not be enough tick and lice eating birds to keep us conservative republicans away!

(This site is a RINO Free Zone)

Needed: Ham Sandwich Soldiers

2008-01-14T11:20:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! We here at Team Ham want to welcome you to the site that brings you the candidate that is a "cut" above the rest! Namely Ohio Senator George "Shed a Tear" RINOvich.

Candidate Ham Sandwich is looking for volunteers to become Ham Sandwich Soldiers in this web oriented campaign to oust the Great Horned One!

As Ham Sandwich Soldiers you will be our front line of defense in our combat to rid Ohio of RINOvich. You will be the messengers for the party tray of information that will be spread on a candidate fresh as a morning loaf of bread. Aren't you tired of the stale loafs we get from RINOvich?

Since Ham Sandwich is loved by people of all ages, we will also have a youth group for supporters called - Ham Sandwich HAMster's. These little HAMster's will be used to combat Baby RINO's.

Please visit our poll on the right side bar and cast a Triple-Decker Dagwood Stacker vote for the candidate that is NOT a stale loaf!

Ham on Bolton

2008-01-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

NixGuy, Dave Stacy, asks:

Will the ham sandwich cry at the thought of John Bolton at the UN?

The answer to that question is simple. Not only would I not cry at the thought, I would throw a party.

My opponent has a history of second guessing this president and then later realizing that he made the mistake, not President Bush. The situation with John Bolton is just another in a long line of mistakes made by my opponent and the fact that he made a spectacle of himself doing it by crying on the floor of the United States Senate only goes to prove that he is no longer fit for office.

Now, I'm not saying a grown man can't cry. I'm saying that a grown man who claims to be a conservative can't cry over the prospects of sending a reformer to the United Nations. John Bolton is a pro-America voice that the United Nations desperately needed. To be perfectly honest, the United Nations needed John Bolton as well.

My opponent realized his mistake after it was too late to fix it. That will not happen on my watch.

I'm Ham Sandwich and I approve this message.

Highland County Chair

2008-01-13T10:05:00.001-05:00

Highland County's Gary Lewis of Right Runner has agreed to head up our efforts in his neck of the woods.

Gary was county chair for Mary Taylor's sucessful run and will be working hard for me now!

Welcome to Team HAM!

Welcome the Campaign's Political Director

2008-01-11T18:24:00.000-05:00

Long time Ham Sandwich supporter Mark McNally of PainDealer has agreed to sign on to the campaign as the Political Director. Welcome to Team HAM!

In other campaign news... We should have our first "Bring Home the Bacon for HAM" fundraiser organized soon, so stay tuned!!!

Mark McNally

2008-01-11T13:16:00.001-05:00

Mark,

Email me (wmdtvmatt - at - yahoo - dot - com) as I lost your email address and want to talk to you about the campaign...

Thanks,
MATT

Check Us Out on Facebook and MySpace

2008-01-09T20:13:00.001-05:00

Yes, this will be a totally web oriented campaign and Ham Sandwich insisted on doing Facebook, so here is the profile. And the MySpace page can be found here.

Action Item for those interested in helping out the campaign: Please add us as "friends" or we'll look silly...or something.

Our First Ad

2008-01-09T19:48:00.001-05:00

Eat Meat MEET the Candidate Night

2008-01-09T18:21:00.001-05:00

I just snapped this quick photo of a quick meet-n-greet / campaign strategy meeting that Mr. Sandwich and I are attending. I thought I'd share the good times from Panera in West Chester...

UPDATE: If the GOP nominee for POTUS is either Huckabee or Romney, campaign advisor Potato Soup may have an announcement of his own to make... Stay tuned!

Deficit CHICKENhawk Maybe...

2008-01-09T16:32:00.000-05:00

Voinovich is no deficit hawk.

Here Voinovich is excited that he secured $45 million for Ohio in homeland security grants.

Here Voinvich is jazzed about $75 million for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) in the 2008 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill.

I'd give you more, but RINOvich scrubbed his website.

Fortunately, we have this thing on the internets called Google...

Voinovich wanted to raid Social Security...

He voted for the Bridge to Nowhere...twice.

Here is $4.5 million for sewers in Columbus...

Matt Naugle pointed out that Voinovich supports government handouts to Big Corn...

RINOvich has a 41 Earmark Reform Rating from Porkbusters on the anti-pork amendments offered in 2007.

And just how much will the War on Invasive Species cost, Senator?

He secured $200,000 for a "weed and seed" program in Toledo. Basically, this program funds police (what are local taxes for again?) to "weed out" the criminal element while a community program "seeds" the area with prevention, treatment, and neighborhood restoration strategies.

He wants funding to have a commission "study" whether or not our critical infrastructure like roads and bridges are deteriorating.

RINOvich is bragging about grants for two fire departments. Sheffield Lake will be receiving $82,830 and Sheffield Township $51,988

RINOvich is also bragging about grants for two hospitals. $420,000 for Toledo Hospital and $349,000 for Bowling Green State University.

Grant total for those keeping score: $903,818...nearly a million dollars in grants from the "Deficit Hawk", the Crying Man, our Senator RINOvich...

Deficit hawk...uh-huh...tell me another funny one, Crying Man.

We Have a Volunteer Coordinator!

2008-01-09T15:45:00.000-05:00

I am thrilled to have the support and help of Ralph King as Volunteer Coordinator. King hates RINOs about as much as I do!

Welcome to Team HAM!

Campaign Treasurer

2008-01-09T14:57:00.000-05:00

I am proud to announce that Tom Blumer of BizzyBlog has signed on to be our campaign treasurer. Tom says that if you can contribute any amount of pork you can afford to send in, it would be most appreciated. This is going to be a long campaign, and I am sure that Tom will keep finding us pork to roll in until we get the job done!

Thanks Tom and welcome to Team HAM!

UPDATE: The campaign is still looking to fill a few key spots on the team. Email hamsandwich2010 - at - gmail - dot - com for more information on how you can join the team. ...Or just leave a note in the comments...

Campaign Buttons Now Available

2008-01-09T14:20:00.000-05:00

Get a limited edition HAM SANDWICH FOR SENATE button and help out the campaign by spreading the word on your favorite item of clothing! Click here NOW!

In Other News...

2008-01-09T14:13:00.001-05:00

AP News Alert:

LAS VEGAS (AP) Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has won the endorsement of Nevada's largest labor group, the Culinary Workers Union, officials say.

Culinary Workers Union? As in sandwich makers? If that isn't the surest sign that the Democrats are up to something sinister, I don't know what is...

Illegal Aliens COULD Be Terrorists

2008-01-09T13:26:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I discussed the Voinovich View on the extent of the threat to national security that is posed by an invasive species known as the zebra mussel.

I shall now contrast my opponent's views on illegal immigration and border security with my own...

An examination of George Voinovich's record will show that he was the lone vote against the funding for the border fence, border agents, and new vehicles for the Border Patrol.

My view? Illegal aliens are sometimes employed as lettuce and tomato pickers. Lettuce and tomatoes are optional ingredients in a ham sandwich. If my candidacy is to survive long enough for me to knock off His RINOness, we need to stop the flow of ingredients. Besides, we never know if an illegal alien is a terrorist.

But feel free to bring on the mayo!

The Zebra Mussel is NOT a Terrorist

2008-01-09T11:59:00.000-05:00

In a piece dated August 3, 2007, George RINOvich penned a "Voinovich's View" article called "The Second Battle of Lake Erie" that was insulting as it was asinine.

In order to provide some context to the senator's remarks, let's review the "First" Battle of Lake Erie:

The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on September 10, 1813 in Lake Erie off the coast of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of Great Britain’s Royal Navy. This ensured American control of the lake for the remainder of the war, which in turn allowed the Americans to recover Detroit and win the Battle of the Thames to break the Indian confederation of Tecumseh.

So when The Crying Man says...

When I was first elected to the state legislature in 1966, I saw firsthand the effects of pollution on Lake Erie and the surrounding region. I was truly startled by the dramatic toll human carelessness was taking on such a magnificent natural resource – Lake Erie was the poster child for a dying lake.

I committed myself to stopping the deterioration of the Lake and wage what I call the “Second Battle of Lake Erie” – the battle to reclaim and restore Ohio’s Great Lake.

...he is literally equating environmentalism with the brave actions of our United States Navy in the War of 1812.

I don't know about you, but this menu item finds that absurd!

Welcome!

2008-01-09T11:12:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the official Ham Sandwich for Senate 2010 campaign blog!

As the campaign progresses, you will be able to come to this blog and read position statements on all of the important issues that matter to you.

For now, know that my opponent, George RINOvich, is an old man and I won't be half as stale in 2010 as he is now!