Down by the River

I set out once again, under yesterday’s sun-drenched autumn sky, to Clermont county for an afternoon canvass in New Richmond. To get there you drive southeast on highway 52, along a scenic stretch of the Ohio River. Most of the homes on my list were situated in the nearby hills. Most were well appointed, and well maintained, like any home you might find in a wealthy suburb. But some of them were downright palatial, with long winding drives through forest revealing manicured gardens overlooking 100 acre properties. Most of the folks here are living well.

View of the Ohio River from New Richmond.

At my first stop, I was greeted by a man in his fifties wearing a Xavier sweatshirt, who was watering some shrubs while his wife drove around their lawn on a mower. The name on the list was his son, and after I greeted him he smiled and said it was unlikely that I’d be able to win his son’s vote as he was the president of the young Republicans at nearby Xavier University, a Jesuit school in Cincinnati. It was a pleasantly efficient exchange.

Down the road, I drove through a long driveway past a manmade swimming pond to arrive at a gorgeous ranch house. There were a couple of pieces of construction equipment laying in the turnaround, so I parked about 100 feet from the house. Three large, and thankfully, sweet dogs, came bounding over to greet (smell) me. They escorted me to the house.

The owner, Jane, a strong woman in her fifties with a deep voice, who told me she was a lifelong Republican but she and her husband was voting for Sen. Obama this time. I asked why. She said they own a small, high-end, residential construction company and have to pay for health insurance for their family and the costs are skyrocketing. Plus with the economy “in the crapper” they aren’t getting many construction jobs. She’s fed up with the policies of the last eight years and believes Sen. McCain will essentially continue these polices. She also thinks Palin is a dingbat. She couldn’t speak for her 18 year-old-son because he’s “at that stage” where he won’t tell his mother anything.

About a mile away, at another really nice house with a really big, and thankfully, friendly dog (large dog ownership seems to be mandated in New Richmond) the door was opened by a girl of about ten years. I asked for her brother Ted, an 18-year-old, who was on my persuasion list. A bleary-eyed kid came to the door and apologized because he had just gotten up. (It was about 2:30 p.m.) He said his father was going to be mad, but he was voting for Obama. His father, who was watching the Bengals lose again (0-7), shouted “John McCain” as I gave the lad a knowing pat on the arm.

Split households like this are the reason I approach houses on my list even if they are decorated with McCain/Palin signs. There are a lot of spouses, wives mostly, and children who are secretly defying their spouses and parents this election. I like to give them some moral support.

Leaving the hills, I drove back to a section of riverfront houses that were on my list. These were not as fancy as their hillside neighbors, but had lovely views of a wide expanse of the Ohio river. The houses were all built on stilts to withstand what I take it to be not infrequent flooding. One house on my list had a confederate flag flying out front, suggesting a tough sell. But there was a 24-year-old Johanna on the list so I had to try. I rang the iron bell on the ground floor and was greeted by Frank, a crotchety senior who came out to the wraparound balcony. I remained on the ground for the entire conversation. As  I introduced myself, he pointed to the flag, I smiled and said, hey in these tough times you never know. What about Johanna, is she here? Johanna came out, and claimed that she was undecided, by which I think she meant completely uninterested. 

These vignettes, while illustrative, might leave the careful reader with the impression that there was fairly mixed support in Clermont County. Make no mistake. Bush carried the county with 71% in 2004. But we may be able to chip away at that number this time, which combined with the huge increase in new voter registrations, particularly in minority and other Democratic leaning counties, might just put Obama over the top in Ohio.