During a Democratic Party dinner in Ohio last week, Strickland told attendees that he couldn’t stay long because he needed to fly to Miami, New York, Boston and Washington to fundraise, a statement that “drew murmurs from the crowd.”
The web ad emphasizes Strickland’s out-of-state schedule and contrasts his itinerary with a past campaign promise to end pay-to-play politics.
Click to watch: Retread Ted’s Road Trip
Retread Ted’s Road Trip
[youtube url = "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYTafJNE-Dk&feature=youtu.be"]
SCRIPT:
Voiceover: “During his last campaign, Ted Strickland sent fundraising invitations advertising special access to state officials.
“The Columbus Dispatch said it, ‘perpetuated a pay-to-play political system Strickland promised to end.’
“Now, Retread Ted is taking his fundraising tactics on the road.”
Ted Strickland: “I’m trying to win this race. So I’m going to the airport and I’m going to Miami,
“I’m going to be in Ft. Lauderdale,
“And then I’m having a fundraiser in New York,
“Then I’m going to Boston,
“And then I’m going back to New York,
“And then I’m going to Washington, DC.”
Voiceover: “Retread Ted: crisscrossing the country to meet with big dollar donors and special interest groups instead of people in Ohio.”
BACKGROUND:
The Columbus Dispatch: “Invitations to two fundraisers for Gov. Ted Strickland’s re-election campaign that advertised special access to state officials appear to perpetuate a pay-to-play political system that the governor promised in 2006 that he would end. A third fundraising invitation by the Ohio Democratic Party to join Strickland and a high-ranking party official ‘to discuss Ohio’s current issues’ raises questions about whether input on public policy can be bought for a political contribution.” (Joe Hallett, “Democrats Rue Choice Of Wording In E-Mails,” The Columbus Dispatch, 11/11/09)