This month's midterm elections represented a political windfall for Republicans, and many right-wingers see the victories as a mandate for smaller government and a public rejection of the Obama administration. Still, former State Rep. Tom Brinkman Jr. says, "The best thing that happened for Republicans, from a political position, is that they did not win the Senate." That gives the new Speaker of the House, Rep. John Boehner, "a tremendous amount of power."  

If the 2010 Congressional races in Hamilton County were remarkable for anything, it was their adherence to what many saw as all-but-inevitable results. In the 1st and 2nd districts, the favorites (Steve Chabot and Jean Schmidt) locked in victory — and concessions from their competitors — before midnight Tuesday.   

If you were to believe some West Side Republicans, State Rep. Denise Driehaus is caught in a predicament that would do Romeo and Juliet proud. The Price Hill version of this tale has Driehaus supposedly asking the Hamilton County Board of Elections if she can deny her father and change her last name on the Nov. 2 ballot, instead using the surname of her husband, Zeek Childers.  

Steve Driehaus was one of many Democratic challengers to grab Barack Obama's coattails in 2008 and sweep into Washington, D.C., handing the party large majorities in both houses of Congress. As he points out, 2008 wasn't a great time to begin your Congressional career ... unless you were interested in solving huge problems. Driehaus speaks with CityBeat about his first term in the House of Representatives; his advocacy for local companies and projects in Washington; his frustrations with the current political climate; his positions on Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and other military issues; and his reelection battle against Steve Chabot.  

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.  

The same people who organized the local Tea Party last month are planning a march from Fountain Square to Cincinnati City Hall on Tax Day, April 15, so I think it's reasonable to broach the topic again. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the latest edition of "Angry White Conservative Pop Quiz," the game show where most contestants would rather demagogue than participate.  

Wow. Has this been some kind of ride. As I write this I sit in the back seat of Steve Driehaus' car at the Delhi Township Senior Center. It's Election Day morning.  

Ohio might have turned Democratic blue Tuesday night, but Hamilton County and the southwestern part of the state sent mixed signals about whether it embraced the tides of change. State Rep. Steve Driehaus unseated seven-term U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot in the 1st District, while U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Miami Township) claimed victory in the 2nd Congressional District.