Dems: Job-hopping GOP lives in glass house

In his short tenure as executive director of the Hamilton County Republican Party, Brad Greenberg has mastered the art of the one-paragraph press statement: short, well crafted and almost irresistible to reporters looking for a quote.

On Monday, Greenberg shot out three sentences criticizing Democrat John Cranley for announcing a bid for Steve Chabot's seat in Congress two days after being sworn in for his third full term as a councilman.

Now, Greenberg's Democratic counterpart has gotten into the act. Somewhat less pithy at 10 paragraphs, Chandra Yungbluth's statement in response points out that Chabot has a long history of office-hopping himself.

She notes that Chabot began "testing the waters" for a congressional campaign shortly after being re-elected to City Council in 1987. He lost, was re-elected to City Council in 1989, and then left City Council in 1990 to take an appointment as Hamilton County Commissioner. Then in 1994, midway through serving his first full-term as Hamilton County Commissioner, Steve Chabot ran for Congress again.

Yungbluth also takes issue with Chabot's voted for a term-limit law holding members of Congress to 12 years:

Since Chabot is in his sixth two-year term, when will he announce that he won't seek re-election?

Or does Brad Greenberg think Steve Chabot cares more about advancing his own career than keeping his promises to Ohio's First Congressional District?

Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. John Cranley has officially run for two offices during his distinguished career. Elected three times, with over five years of service on City Council, John Cranley has added more police to the streets, fought blight in neighborhoods, reinvested in the urban core, and balanced biennial budgets.

• Read Yungbluth's full statement on Steve Chabot's political career (in .pdf format).