9/20/00 3:25 p.m.
The Playing Fields
Ohio voters are watching sports. The candidates are watching the polls.

By Kevin Holtsberry, freelance writer based in Ohio

he excitement continues here in the Buckeye State — an article in the New York Times about Ohio! — but there are a number of distractions that could keep voters disconnected from the presidential battle going on in their own back yard.

The Cleveland Indians' wildcard chase, Big Ten football, and the continuing saga of the Browns and Bengals are all potential distractions (okay, maybe not the Bengals). Oh, and don't forget the Olympics.

The candidates have no intention of letting up, however, as they continue to crisscross the state. Senator Lieberman is in Columbus and Cleveland today while Bush is scheduled for Cleveland on Thursday. Even embattled Reform Party nominee Pat Buchanan is in the state.

Democrats are taking heart in a Detroit Free Press commissioned poll, showing Bush with a slim lead (35%-34%, +/- 4.9). Comparatively, a University of Cincinnati poll has Bush up 47-43 (+/- 3.9). Whatever the numbers, the Democrats continue to hit the airwaves — and Bush — on health care and education. Gore and Lieberman are emphasizing these issues in person, as well; after a joint education bus tour last week, Lieberman returns to visit a medical center in Columbus and a high school in Cleveland.

Republicans, determined to hold and increase the Bush lead, are also revving up for the final weeks. Gov. Taft officially opened the Bush presidential campaign offices for Ohio on Tuesday, chiding the media for concentrating on "inside baseball" and preventing Bush from getting his message out. Taft, however, remains confident that Ohio will be the "key state that will push Bush over the top." Not content to cede the ad battle, Bush and the Republicans are launching new ads attacking Gore's position and credibility on — you guessed it — education and healthcare.

So what does all this activity, punch and counter punch, ad vs. ad, mean?

With Labor Day behind us and the Olympics in full gear, Ohio will be a daunting but not impossible challenge for Gore. Bush has the benefit of a strong and unified party organization throughout the state that Gore can't count on. Gore must also fight pockets of unrest resulting from unpopular administration policies on steel imports, environmental issues, etc. Lastly, Gore's resentment-oriented themes are unlikely to play well outside of the urban areas.

Ohioans desperately want to be part of the New Economy. They want technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship — not heavy federal involvement. Bush's innovative policy proposals, with their local- and market-based emphasis, combined with his calls for integrity and responsibility, seem best suited to capture this battleground.

The wild card remains the national media. Ohio likes to back a winner. If it seems that Bush is going down to defeat nationwide, that might be enough to shift key independent voters in Ohio towards Gore.

Bush's recent mini-surge has set the stage for an intense battle in October. Voters here would do well to enjoy the sporting distractions of early fall — come October they will have all the politics they can handle.