Sometimes the system works. Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Robert Winkler rejected a request filed by Cincinnati Tea Party leader Mike Wilson, who barely lost to State Rep. Connie Pillich, to question the validity of 589 provisional ballots from Lincoln Heights, Forest Park and Woodlawn — all in predominantly black neighborhoods.  

A favorite political tactic of some Republicans is to try to paint Democrats as weak on national security issues. The ploy mostly has gained popularity since the national Democratic Party publicly tore itself apart in spectacular fashion over disagreements about the Vietnam War in 1968. To counter the strategy, Democrats like to endorse candidates with military experience when they can, and finding such a candidate usually scares the crap out of Republicans.  

The bicycling advocacy group received a $10,000 grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation to help launch a new program to get more people riding bicycles to more places throughout the region. The Bicycle Friendly Destinations Program will work with area employers, retailers, government agencies and arts and cultural organizations.  

Less than 18 months into its existence, the Tea Party movement is in the throes of an identity crisis. It began when the NAACP announced it would consider a resolution at its annual meeting that asked the Tea Party to condemn and expel its racist elements, calling them "a threat to democracy." That was enough to get the temperatures rising of some Tea Party leaders, who certainly are all too willing to dish out criticism but never seem able to take it. But what happened next really lit their fuse.  

I wonder why people who often cite the Bible to justify their opposition to abortion have to knowingly distort or lie when campaigning against politicians they dislike. The latest example involves the Family Research Council and its $500,000 campaign to target 20 Democratic incumbents in Congress, including Ohio 1st District Rep. Steve Driehaus.  

In an event designed to highlight the scope of its influence, the Cincinnati Tea Party hosted a press conference Feb. 24 featuring 101 candidates from precinct captain to Congressional hopefuls lining the stage of the Lakota Freshmen Campus Auditorium in West Chester. "We were very happy with the turnout," says Mike Wilson, Cincinnati Tea Party founder and a candidate for the 28th District Ohio House race, who organized the event. "We're very excited about what the party has been able to do in just a year. We've got a strong voting block."  

WINNER: Through good old-fashioned reporting, Enquirer statehouse reporter Jon Craig helped uncover the identity of the conduit for a shadowy contributor who funded the campaign trying to force a vote on Gov. Ted Strickland's plan to place slot machines at seven Ohio horse tracks.  

The honeymoon might be over between Tea Party followers and Ohio Republicans. Although the Cincinnati Tea Party has long said it’s a non-partisan group, its largest rallies and protests have featured a predominantly GOP slant. But for all of the Tea Party’s deference to Republican officials, the effort hasn’t been reciprocated.