CCV, the downstate crazies behind the Stripper Bill, today released a poll that they say shows widespread support for their proposed crackdown on strip clubs and other adult businesses.
The timing of the poll’s release was no accident: the Ohio Senate’s Judiciary committee will meet on the bill tomorrow, and is expected to push it to a vote, introduce a substitute bill, or just call off the hearing and head for Pure Platinum for a “special session.”
CCV, author of Ohio’s gay marriage ban and other fine works of oppression, wants lawmakers to pass the bill as is – with a “six-foot rule” prohibiting dancer-patron interaction and a mandate that Precious and Angel keep their tops on after midnight. So they hired Kellyanne Conway — a Republican pollster who once compared being gay to being a slut – to ask Ohioans for their opinions. This is what she reported back, according to CCV’s release:
(1) by a margin of 65-24%, Ohioans would ask their legislators to vote for provisions similar to those of S.B.16, the Community Defense Act;
(2) by a margin of 60-27%, Ohioans support requiring sexually oriented businesses to close between midnight and 6:00am;
(3) by a margin of 68-23%, Ohioans support mandating that nude or semi-nude employees avoid any physical contact with patrons.
Though the poll has a margin of error of 187 percent – since it was conducted among seven people sitting in the front pews of a Cincinnati mega-church — CCV hopes the numbers will help muscle lawmakers into rubber-stamping the bill.
If they don’t, the organization hopes the poll is a sign of things to come: CCV will try to collect signatures and put the restrictions on the November ballot if it doesn’t pass soon. – Joe P. Tone
This article appears in May 9-15, 2007.
Actually, your article should be embarrassing to yourself more than anyone. The people of Ohio are actually quite conservative and it would be foolish to totally dismiss this poll. Sure, it may be a little tweaked considering the source, but you have to remember that most Americans are actually quite conservative and Ohio typifies Middle America.
No, most Americans are NOT conservative. Most Americans are apathetic , selfish simpletons who lack the deductive reasoning required to see how a bill such as SB16 is the beginning of the end of what we consider to be a free country. SB16 is simply the preference of the religious extremists who introduced it. It goes against the fundamental principles of our democracy. The same freedoms which provide these people the right to attend church on Sunday morning also provide someone the freedom to get a lap dance on Saturday night.
We are “at war with religious extremism” but the enemy is not entirely overseas. I am nauseated by the irony the the same people who think they’re spreading democracy in the Middle East are so intent on limiting Democracy in America. What’s next? Dress code? Head scarves? Burkhas? These people need to be stopped.
It is insane that our State legislators have wasted so much time on this absurd policy when there are so many more important if not urgent issues to be addressed including but not limited to an Ohio economy which is on it’s death bed.