A good way to take Ohio's political temperature is to drive down Interstate - 77, about an hour south of Cleveland. Dave Cohen of the University of Akron's Bliss Institute, says prognosticators have long kept an ear to the ground for the political rumble that comes from the I-77 corridor through Stark County.
DAVE COHEN: If you go back to 1980, Stark County has picked the winner of the Presidency every time, except for 2004.
The reason for that is a diverse demographic blend.
DAVE COHEN: It's a mix of urban and rural; it's a mix of manufacturing and agriculture and retail. And a lot of the effects of the national economy, and the Ohio economy, can be seen in the people and the businesses of Stark County.
Greg Wernet runs a hair salon in upscale North Canton. He used to have four beauty parlors. Now he has just one and blames the business’s decline on government over-regulation. The problem, he says, starts at the top with Barack Obama.
GREG WERNET: He's too socialist, too big government. I'm not opposed to paying taxes, but it's all the rules and regulations.
Surveying the GOP field that emerged after this week's Iowa caucuses, Wernet says he's not quite sure who to back.
GREG WERNET: I think Santorum's a good man.
And he’s open to Mitt Romney.
GREG WERNET: I'll vote for anybody with less government.
Our trip down I-77 takes us from the affluent north side of Stark County, down into the heart of working class Canton. Like many once-thriving cities built on an industrial past, the downtown district has pockets of empty storefronts. But, there are also some signs of renewal.
Frames Tavern sits in the shadow of the massive Timken steel plant on Canton's southwest side. The company is spending millions to expand there.
Customers at this blue collar bar say they've seen some local businesses reopen as a result. Carpet salesman Ted Zimmer says he'll back President Obama in November --- something he didn't do in 2008.
TED ZIMMER: I think we're heading in the right direction. And I think he deserves another term. Everybody wants to forget the shape it was in when George Bush was in and the banks were on welfare.
Further down the bar, business consultant Randy Bond also thinks Obama deserves a second chance. But, he'd like him to put a bigger focus on small business.
RANDY BOND: Get these small entrepreneurs what they need. We have the talent. We can't wait for the big conglomerates to hire everybody.
To the east of the I-77 corridor is the conservative community of Alliance, which sits on the edge of rural Stark County. Doug's Classic '57 Diner, along west State Street, has been in operation for 50 years. In the summer this place is a magnet for classic cars from the 1950s and 60s. Manager John Lerario's brings our conversation back to government regulation. Lerario says the President isn’t doing enough to promote oil and gas production.
JOHN LERARIO: I understand his agenda: he wants to move to a green economy. Well, I can't run my car with a windmill. And until I can, the smart thing is to open up the resources.
All the Republican presidential hopefuls favor expansion of traditional energy resources but Larario isn’t necessarily buying it.
JOHN LERARIO: I don't know that I trust any of them, but what politician can you trust? They say the right things, but they never do them.
A number of people I spoke with in Stark County this week --- of all political stripes --- expressed frustration with the gridlock between Republicans and Democrats. Political analyst Dave Cohen says that's another way this region reflects the rest of the state …and the nation.
DAVE COHEN: I think many people in the country are very disgruntled with the political system as it is. That's clearly represented by the fact that 11% in the latest Gallup poll approve of the job that Congress is doing.
The President tapped into that this week and pointed to the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue as the culprit.
OBAMA CLIP: When Congress refuses to act, and as a result, hurts our economy and puts our people at risk, then I have an obligation as President to do what I can without them.
You can bet we’ll hear that theme a lot in 2012. No doubt some Stark County voters will hate it and some will love it…that’s what makes this swing county so interesting to watch.
