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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2010 > June > 30
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Activists, farmers agree to more humane treatment of farm animals, avoid Ohio ballot issue
By Laura A. Bischoff Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS — Animal rights activists and farmers announced a deal Wednesday, June 30, that they say will phase in more humane treatment of chickens, pigs and cows and curb abusive practices when it comes to puppy mills, illegal cockfighting, exotic pets and sick livestock.
The deal means the Humane Society of the United States will not submit its 500,000 petition signatures to put a farm animal welfare issue before Ohio voters in November.
Gov. Ted Strickland, who brokered the agreement between the HSUS and the Ohio Farm Bureau, agreed to throw his weight behind an anti-puppy mill bill now pending in the Legislature and push for harsher penalties for cockfighting. He also agreed to ban the import of exotic animals, such as alligators, chimps and bears, into Ohio through an executive order. Ohioans with such pets currently may keep them.
The deal calls for phasing out the use of gestational crates for pigs by January 2026 and banning new crates as of Dec. 31, 2010 and placing a moratorium on battery cages used to house layer hens.
Ohio is the second largest egg producing state with 27 million hens and the ninth largest pork producing state. One in seven jobs in Ohio are tied to agriculture, said Jack Fisher of the Ohio Farm Bureau.
The Humane Society has been successful in several other states in passing ballot initiatives or negotiating settlements to implement animal welfare standards.
Voters passed a constitutional amendment last year that established the Ohio Livestock Animal Care Standards Board, which is supposed to establish livestock rules. The amendment had the backing of the Farm Bureau but some environmental groups opposed it, saying the board would simply do the bidding of agribusiness.
The Humane Society this year pushed ahead for a new ballot initiative, which is now moot with the settlement agreement.
Strickland hailed the deal as good for animals and agriculture in Ohio.
“This agreement represents a joint effort to find common ground. As a result, Ohio agriculture will remain strong and animals will be treated better,” Strickland said.
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TweetKasich has narrow lead in new gov race poll
Republican challenger John Kasich has a narrow lead over incumbent Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland among likely voters in a poll released on Tuesday, June 29, by Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, N.C.
Kasich, a former Columbus-area U.S. House member, Lehman Brothers managing director and Fox News host, leads 43-41 percent in the poll, a virtual dead heat with the margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Like the results of a Quinnipiac University poll also released on Tuesday, the results indicate a close race. In the Quinnipiac poll, Strickland led 43-38 percent among registered voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The PPP poll, like the Quinnipiac poll, found that Kasich is relatively unknown. Even among Republicans, 41 percent had no opinion of their party’s nominee.
Voters know Strickland but he is “generally disliked,” according to a PPP press release. Just 37 percent of the voters approved of Strickland’s performance, the poll found.
“There is still a lot of time and a lot of undecided voters in this election,” Dean Debnam, Public Policy Polling president, said in a press release. “But if Kasich gets his name out there and proves that he is change, he could win this election.”
The poll was taken Saturday, June 26 - Sunday, June 27, with 482 likely voters, with the margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
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TweetPresident Obama and his policies “underwater” with Ohio voters
President Barack Obama and two of his major policies - the war in Afghanistan and the health care overhaul - are “underwater” with Ohio registered voters in a Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday, June 30.
In the poll, 49 percent disapprove and 45 approve of the Democratic president’s performance, about the same as an April survey that found 50 percent disapproval and 45 percent approval.
Also, in the new poll, voters disapprove of the federal health care overhaul, 55-36 percent.
Support for the war in Afghanistan is at its lowest level in the poll, with 48 percent saying the U.S. should not be involved and 46 percent saying the U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting in the Asian nation.
Obama, who carried Ohio in 2008, got a flicker of good news. He gets a better grade for handling the economy, 54 disapprove and 41 percent approve, than Gov. Ted Strickland does. 54 percent disapprove Strickland’s handling of the economy, compared to 33 percent who approve.
Among independent voters, a key to winning Ohio elections, Obama is having trouble. 53 percent disapprove of his performance; 40 percent approve. Democrats are sticking with the president, with 79 percent approving and 17 percent disapproving.
Republicans overwhelming turn thumbs down, with an 84-13 percent disapproval rating.
“Given Ohio’s key position in the Electoral College, the White House needs to keep a sharp eye on the President’s numbers in the Buckeye state,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release.
“They aren’t awful, but they aren’t good either.”
The poll was taken from Tuesday, June 22 - Sunday, June 27 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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TweetFisher, Portman in tight race for U.S. Senate
Democrat Lee Fisher and Republican Rob Portman are locked in a tight race among registered voters for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday, June 30.
In the poll, Fisher leads, 42-40 percent, with 17 percent undecided, a statistical dead heat with the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The results are virtually unchanged from April and March polls.
Release of the poll comes with Vice President Joe Biden scheduled to be in Cleveland Wednesday to raise money for Fisher whose campaign treasury was depleted by a tough primary with Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
Voters seem to know little about either Fisher, the lieutenant governor, or Portman, a former Cincinnati-area U.S. House member who served both as budget director and U.S. trade representative under President George W. Bush.
“Even though Fisher has been a figure in Ohio politics for two decades, 54 percent of voters say they don’t know enough about him to form an opinion,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release.
“For Portman, 66 percent can’t rate him. With four months until election day, the Senate race is wide open.”
Looking beneath the poll’s horse race numbers, Portman appears to have an edge in other measures of voters’ attitudes, although not an overwhelming one.
According to the poll, voters say, by a 33-30 percent spread, that they trust Portman more than Fisher to do in office what he promises while campaigning. Also, voters say, by a 36-31 margin, that Portman, rather than Fisher, shares their values.
In the poll, 28 percent view Fisher favorably, compared to 17 percent who give him an unfavorable rating. For Portman, the breakdown is 26 percent favorable, 7 percent unfavorable.
“Those numbers indicate that Portman may have the more growth potential of the two,” said Brown. “On all these measures, Portman does better than Fisher among independents, often a key to Ohio elections.”
Overall support for the candidates shows political polarization and a deadlock among independents voters. Among Democrats, Fisher wins 84-5 percent; among Republicans, Portman leads 81-6 percent. Among independents, Portman squeaks ahead, 39-37 percent.
The poll was taken from Tuesday, June 22 - Sunday, June 27, with 1,107 registered voters and has the margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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