Including Northeast Ohio police unions, the State Fraternal of Police on Tuesday voted unanimously in criticism of President Barack Obama for his remarks in the dispute between Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and James Crowley, the Cambridge police sergeant in Massachusetts.

The Ohio FOP wants Obama to apologize to Cambridge officers for his statement "that law enforcement officers unfairly target blacks and Hispanics."

To read the rest of this blog and learn what local official was recently honored by the Ohio FOP, click here.

Jest in case you haven’t caught up yet with punch lines starting to emerge in Ohio politics:

That is, no kidding, Democrats and Republicans are now trying to make each other a joke as Ohio politics and candidates head for the 2010 ballot.

The Ohio Democratic Party just opened a parody Web site supposedly in favor of former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, who wants to run next year for the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio.

The Democrats' parodies supposedly have Republican Portman talking about his days as the budget director for President George W. Bush. Portman’s depicted as “architect of the Bush economy.”

NOTE: ODP does warn that it’s not really Republican Portman speaking on the Democrats’ Internet page.

Meanwhile, the Ohio Republican Party is trying to make Democrats the joke.

The Grand Ole Party is calling in Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, vice chair of the Republican Governors Association, to headline the GOP’s Sept. 19 session in Columbus. Pawlenty’s the one who said President Barack Obama’s health care reform ideas are “quite a joke.”

There’s plenty of talk about the governor as a 2012 presidential candidate.

All of which has nothing to do with Jack McBrayer, the comic actor of TV’s “30 Rock.”

Hairdo, smile and all, McBrayer looks like a younger deadringer for Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, a Democrat up for re-election next year.

Will Republicans try their own parody of Democrat Cordray?

In New Jersey this week, the corruption probe feds raided offices and homes to confiscate records and on the same day arrested 44 suspects including three mayors, a deputy mayor, some councilmen, a state legislator and five rabbis charged in an alleged wide-ranging public corruption and fraud scheme.

That all led back to Solomon Dwek, a ringleader who Jersey media say got busted in a 2006 $28 million scam, charged but not indicted, then snitched on everybody each year through this week.

That sounds like busts you read about in Racketeering Influential and Corrupt Organizations cases like the RICOish raid by FBI and IRS agents of home and office of a Cuyahoga County commissioner and of the Cuyahoga County auditor and multiple county government and contractor offices.

To read the rest of this blog, click here.

Former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine has thrown his hat in the ring for Ohio Attorney General.

He will likely have competition within the Republican Party, but with his name recognition and connections as a long-time statewide office holder, DeWine may be considered by some to be the favorite for the GOP’s nomination.

To read more about who DeWine faces click here.

U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, R-Bainbridge Township, recently submitted an op-ed to USA Today about congressional efforts to help Chrysler and GM dealers, and the piece was published today.

To read what he wrote and to see whether the national newspaper agreed with his position, click here.

There won’t be any such things as a happy state budget in an Ohio wherein Democrats and Republicans disagree in the Ohio General Assembly in Columbus.

But how about earmarks as something enacted in bipartisan votes and then signed into law by Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat?

To read the rest of this blog, click here.