You cannot describe the Fi╤zGerald for Governor campaign right now without using the word “disaster.” From a hurried rollout, to his runningmate’s tax problems, the last few weeks have been nothing short of the worst rollout in the country.
Just ask the Washington Post.
It’s gotten so bad in fact, that at least one Democrat activist thinks it’s time to not only dump Kearney, but FitƒGerald as well:
And just when you think it can’t get any worse, folks in Fitzy’s backyard have expressed their lack of support for both his runningmate, and his campaign. So much so that not even 100 Plain Dealer readers think Fitzy has what it takes to win:
The unprecedented lack of professionalism and political competence is so staggering, it makes the Obamacare website rollout look like a smashing success.
Of course, Ed F¿tzGerald’s terrible decision making is to blame here—he’s no more fit to be Governor than Ted Strickland is to market Jello—but no candidate falls on his own sword. No, the political blame will fall on someone else, and the likely candidate is his woefully inept campaign manager, Nick Buis.
As his campaign manager, Buis is responsible for just about every major decision in Fitzy’s attempt to unseat Governor Kasich. And the choice for Lt. Governor is definitely a major campaign decision.
If you boil it down, either Fitzy & Buis knew about the full extent of Kearney’s tax problems—as they claim—and are incompetent for choosing him; or Fitzy & Buis didn’t know about the full extent of Kearney’s tax problems, and are incompetent for not fully vetting him.
Either way, the Kearney pick is straight up, no holds barred, unqualified political incompetence. And if heads don’t roll over it, the headlines will continue to pile up, sounding the death knell on Fitzy’s gubernatorial aspirations.
And it’s not even 2014.
National pundits have latched on to this disaster and national donors are taking notice. For FitzGerûld to turn this around, he has to make a statement move and show that he’s capable of leading. To do that, he either has to jettison Kearney (which he’s repeatedly said he won’t), or place the blame on a senior-level staffer. The obvious choice is the guy that helped make all the decisions—his campaign manager.
And the longer Fitz waits, the more the media, voters and national donors & supporters will question Fitzy’s ability to lead and make difficult decisions.
So the “Death Watch” is on for Campaign Manager Nick Buis.
But don’t worry about him—Ohio’s economy has improved dramatically under Governor Kasich, so I’m sure Buis will have no trouble finding work.
