But those centrist voters soon let him down: a series of reforms were easily defeated by the big public-sector unions in 2005.

ECONOMIST: A case of right man, right ideas, wrong time, wrong voters?

Sounds ingenious, the problem is the technology is patented, expensive, difficult to achieve in real-world manufacturing, unreliable and easily defeated by anyone with a nail file.

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His anti-slavery bill, introduced every year, is easily defeated, and Wilberforce is getting rained on stinging cold downpours, of the type much favored by movie directors, douse his suffering body whenever he goes out.

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He defeated Metzenbaum's son-in-law, Joel Hyatt, easily in 1994, no doubt helped by the huge national GOP wave that also benefited Republicans in Ohio.

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