Even Ohio Republican Party chairman Kevin DeWine remarked that holding the party's annual dinner in Democrat-dominated Cleveland was an unexpected move. But he noted that the 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain got more votes in Cuyahoga County than in seven states.
"Some of my friends and allies and supporters from across the state looked at me and said, 'Hey DeWine, why are you doing the state dinner in Cleveland? Why don't you do it in Columbus where it's easy for all of us to get to?' Well, ladies and gentlemen, we're here tonight because Cuyahoga County is critically important."
Republicans toasted their legislative successes so far this year, though Gov. John Kasich, Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor and Speaker Bill Batchelder weren't there to tout them personally. Also absent was Senate President Tom Niehaus, who was scheduled to speak….
"If you're watching this video, it means my visit to the dentist earlier today didn't work out as well as I had hoped."
In the absence of major officeholders, the Ohio GOP showcased two of its young stars. One of them, Secretary of State Jon Husted, spent some of his time praising the other….
"We have a young man who was here earlier tonight that I hope announces that he's going to be our candidate to take on Sherrod Brown and the tax-and-spend agenda of the Democrats in Washington. And that's Josh Mandel."
But Treasurer Josh Mandel did not announce that he will run in the Republican primary for US Senate against former State Sen. Kevin Coughlin of Cuyahoga Falls, who dropped out of the race for governor a month after John Kasich jumped in in 2009. But Mandel did speak at length about the federal debt crisis, noting that US House Speaker John Boehner of Cincinnati and Congressman Jim Jordan of Urbana have been key figures in the talks.
"And the fight that Congressman Jordan, Speaker Boehner, leaders in the Senate like Jim Demint and others, and now Sen. Portman have shown I believe is the right direction for our country."
The keynote speaker was Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who had praise for Ohio's elected Republicans. But he had plenty of fire for President Barack Obama, and though he said Republicans need to work for his defeat next year, they shouldn't hate him.
"I have no doubt that the president is wrong and his policies are wrong for America and I have no doubt that President Obama is leading us down a terrible path that will result in calamity for our nation. I don't question where President Obama is from - I question where President Obama is going."
The attendees weighed in on the current Republican candidates for president with a straw poll that put Mitt Romney first with 25%, Tim Pawlenty at 16% and Michelle Bachmann a point behind. GOP critics seized on the absence of Gov. Kasich, who his office said had scheduling conflicts but who reportedly has issues with party chair Kevin DeWine. But the Ohio Democratic Party suggested another reason in a statement before the dinner - quoting here - "it's quite telling that a Governor with a 35% approval rating would run and hide from his own Party's biggest fundraising
