The last story Amanda Wurst wants to read.

As Ted Strickland's press secretary, Amanda Wurst, read an article in yesterday's Columbus Dispatch, she had to know it did more to damage her boss than any editorial or column could.

It told a story.

A story about just how bad things have gotten in Ohio.


The article told tale after tale about the woes Ohioans are suffering throughout the state due to the massive shortfall of state services.

In this case, forget pinning blame for this situation on this person or that. It doesn't matter.

As highlighted by William Hershey last week in the Dayton Daily News:

When times are good, incumbents get credit, whether they helped the economy boom or just went along for the ride.

When times are bad?

They get blamed, even if they’re mayors and governors and the economic collapse is national and global.

And why does this matter?

We go to Peter Brown of Quinnipiac:

Voters are much less complex than many of us think. They like things. They don't like things. Most of them don't focus on specifics. [In 2008,] Barack Obama was the antidote to George W. Bush. In Ohio, John Kasich is the antidote to Ted Strickland.

In yesterday's article in the Dispatch, Ted Strickland's name was mentioned only once. For it to damage Ted Strickland, it didn't have to even do that.