Focusing so closely on the Republican presidential candidates, I forgot there is a Fight Club right here in Ohio. The Ohio senate seat will be up for grabs in November. The contenders are Democrat incumbent Sherrod Brown and Republican Josh Mandel.

Brown and Mandel have a 25-year age difference. Age differences mean generation gaps which are represented in astrology by the outer planets. In generation gaps, there will be some common elements such as the older person feeling that things were better in the past and the younger person trying to bring in something new.

Comparing Brown and Mandel is a little like comparing a father and a son. When there are age differences, there are many more interesting aspects than when people are the same age.

Sherrod Brown

I’ve blogged on Brown already. Brown has sun in Scorpio, moon (and Pluto) in Leo, Jupiter in Taurus and Mars in Capricorn. Fixed signs with a little Capricorn tossed in as garnish makes for one intense and driven individual. He’s compulsively ambitious.

Relaxing for this guy means doing his taxes or some other productive project. He’s not one to call off sick, grab a beer and watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in his pajamas.

Brown does have Mercury and Venus in Sagittarius so his pleasure involves travel, philosophy and history. If Brown does take a day off, it might be to buy rare stamps for a Japanese stamp collection.

Josh Mandel

Mandel has sun in Libra and moon in opposite Aries (full moon). Mandel’s Jupiter and Mars are in Cancer, Venus and Mercury in Virgo and Saturn in Leo.

The outer planets are in Libra (Pluto), Scorpio (Neptune) and Sagittarius (Neptune).

Libra-Aries-Cancer is a cardinal T-square. Cardinal signs are the initiators of the zodiac and lots of cardinal means lots of bossiness. This is a person who walks in the room and rearranges your furniture. He’s the new employee who wants to change everything you do although he might not really know how he wants to do it himself.

Libra and Cancer are relaters. Libra is about partnership and Cancer is about family and belonging. Together is a person who wants to be liked and accepted and will do a lot for that acceptance.

The moon in Aries, however, starts firing up and says, “I want independence. I’ll do whatever I want.”

Mandel probably does what everyone else wants, then rebels, then apologizes and does what everyone else wants in an endless cycle.

Saturn in Leo is a lack of true confidence. Mandel can talk to Mitt Romney about this placement.

The Virgo energy (Mercury and Venus) combined with Libra energy makes for a nervous person who remembers every little detail. The details overwhelm and indecisiveness arises.

I would not want to go to dinner with Mandel. He’s probably the kind of person who looks at the menu and has this conversation with the server:

Mandel: “What’s in the vegetable pasta?”
Server: “Zucchini, carrots and onions.”
Mandel: “Can I get different vegetables in the pasta?”
Server: “Yes, what do you want?”
Mandel: “I don’t know. What do you have?”
Server: “We also have corn, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach.”
Mandel: “Do you have peas?”
Server: “No, we don’t have peas.”
Mandel: “How about bok choy?”

Changing the pasta is cardinal. Not knowing what you really want after asking for a change is Libra/Virgo. This conversation would be much longer, but I wanted to give a brief idea.

Current Transits

Brown and Mandel are different in generation and very different in personality. Let’s see how the current transits affect their charts.

Mars in Virgo – Mars is spending a LONG time in Virgo and is currently retrograde. This transit conjuncts Mandel’s Venus/Mercury so we can expect some verbal gaffes from Mandel. He’s probably experiencing some anxiety right now, worrying about every little bitty detail. I’m guessing he’s not sleeping well.

For Brown, Mars in Virgo means he has to talk in detail that he normally avoids. His natal Mercury in Sagittarius likes to talk about what things mean while Virgo wants to talk about what things are.

Jupiter in Taurus – Jupiter is transiting Taurus but will move to Gemini by election day. Brown is experiencing a Jupiter return (his natal Jupiter is in Taurus) meaning he’s having monetary and asset gain. This can indicate gaining weight as well.

Jupiter will oppose Mandel’s Uranus (in Scorpio) and square Saturn (in Leo). I’m sensing that Mandel will make some monetary move that will upset those around him. Or he may be offered some money and not be able to take it for some reason. This is a tense aspect that involves authority in some way. I’m going to watch the news for this one.

Saturn in Libra, Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn – I put these three together because they create a cardinal T-square in the sky.

Mandel already has a cardinal T-square so this creates additional cardinal tension in his life. He’s a bossy, edgy guy in the best of times and now he’s probably an impossibly insufferable candidate. I imagine a “bridezilla” type. Maybe it should be called “candidate-zilla.”

Saturn has finished transiting Mandel’s sun so he may have gone through partnership changes recently. Uranus transiting his moon in Aries makes him self-absorbed. Aries is demanding and impulsive so Mandel may have challenged those around him to find him a Zero Calorie Cherry-Lime Dr. Pepper in a 12 oz can at 3 a.m. Some of those people may have brought him a diet Coke and then said goodbye.

Pluto in Capricorn for Mandel would have been an external force trying to make him play by the rules. While Libra wants fairness, Libra is not a rule follower. Libra enjoys its pleasures so the rules are okay, but pleasure is pleasure. It’s almost like a father figure pounding on Mandel to stop smoking expensive cigars.

For Brown, Saturn in Libra is his second Saturn return. Saturn returns are settling down periods, the first occurring at age 29. At age 29 we realize we are children no longer and accept our adult existence and our personal limitations. At age 58, we accept we are in the second half of our lives. Energy shifts to a younger generation often during our second Saturn return we are supporting the younger generation more than supporting ourselves.

Because Saturn and Neptune are conjunct, Brown may also be experiencing disillusionment in partnerships and friendships.

Uranus will be opposing Brown’s Saturn/Neptune several years (three to five) from now and he may break away from even more partnerships and friendships. His social life will be very different in five years than it is now.

Pluto in Capricorn intensifies his already hyper-ambitious nature. Brown may want to do an ethics check on his own actions. Pluto and Mars in Capricorn may feel the end justifies the means. Hopefully Brown will stop and think before attacking.

Neptune in Pisces

Neptune has just entered Pisces a place it feels at home. Neptune and Pisces bring spirituality, mysticism, hypnosis, visual image, fog, illusion and quest for divinity.

Neptune will oppose Mandel’s Venus and Mercury. Mandel should carefully monitor what he says as it will definitely, DEFINITELY, be taken out of context or distorted in Neptunian ways.

Neither man seems strongly affected by this transit. That’s both good and bad. It may be that the people are feeling a need for spiritual guidance and neither candidate can truly relate.

Ohio Senator Fight Club

Astrologically, Brown is definitely the stronger personality. Brown has Mars in Capricorn and Mandel has Mars in Cancer. Those are opposing signs. Pluto in Capricorn enhances Brown’s calculating and ambitious nature and opposes Mandel’s natural urge to belong.

I’m guessing that Mandel will go through a very calculated attack from the Brown campaign. Brown is hard and tough and probably has a Visio flow chart created showing how he plans to take down Mandel.

I see in the news that Mandel has some nice financial backing, but the personal attacks may be highly uncomfortable to him. As a regular human being, I don’t know how political candidates can survive the attacks that occur. If anyone put my romantic history on a TV commercial, I would be hiding under the sofa. Mandel may have that same urge.

Mandel’s Saturn (in Leo) is conjunct Brown’s moon. Mandel will attack Brown’s sense of pride. Mandel may even attack Brown’s children in some way.

Mandel’s Uranus (in Scorpio) is on Brown’s sun. Attacks from Mandel will be sporadic but sudden. They will involve accusations of funny money and sexual misconduct.

Mandel’s Neptune (in Sagittarius) is on Brown’s Mercury so there will be distortions of Brown’s communications. Because Neptune is in Pisces, this will occur to Mandel as well. We’re going to have a lot of “he said” “no that’s not what I meant.” These two better be careful that they do not ultimately confuse the voter while trying to distort each other’s message.

A Very Nasty Fight

I predict a very nasty fight here. These men are so different in personality that there are lots of different angles from which to attack.

Hopefully at some time these two will understand that they need to connect to the voter. Neither seems particularly tuned to this – that he could actually channel the energies of the people and win based on this rather than technique.

As Neptune enters Pisces, they might want to think about it.