A helpful guide for voters

UPDATE BELOW

Ending months of frenzied speculation and nearly unbearable suspense, the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council on Monday announced its slate of endorsed candidates for the 2008 fall election. Hold onto your hats. You may be shocked. The council (drumroll, please) endorsed:

A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. A Democrat. AND …

... A Democrat!

Nice of the council to keep it simple.

UPDATE 5/14:

OK, since the topic of the Enquirer's endorsements has come up, let's finally set the record straight. Despite the conventional wisdom that we "always endorse Republicans," here are the facts on how we stand in contested races:

g In the 2007 Cincinnati City Council election, we endorsed five Democrats, three Republicans and one Charterite.
g In 2006, we endorsed 17 Republicans and seven Democrats, including two of the five statewide Ohio races.
g In the 2005 City Council race, we endorsed four Democrats, three Republicans and two Charterites, plus a Democrat for mayor.
g In 2004, we endorsed 17 Republicans and 11 Democrats, including seven Democrats out of 10 Ohio legislative races.

Let's go back even further into the Enquirer's supposed unyieldingly partisan past:
g In the 2000 election, we endorsed 27 Republicans and 10 Democrats.
g In the 1998 election, we endorsed 17 Republicans and 12 Democrats.

The point is this: Unlike some groups, we don't just "vote" a straight party ticket. In each race, we honestly try to support the person we think is the better candidate, consistent with the Editorial Board's overall philosophy. About 35 percent of the time -- 40 percent during the past four years -- that's a Democrat.