That's What Friends Are For

Republican Rep. Bob Ney's (OH-18) friends got together to raise money for the Ohio congressman. Ney, who is under investigation for his ties with Jack Abramoff, is dealing with mounting legal bills while trying to fund his re-election campaign. The Akron Beacon Journal has the story. Here is the excerpt:

A federal investigation of Ohio U.S. Rep. Bob Ney over his ties to an indicted Washington lobbyist hasn't hampered his ability to organize a fund-raiser in Columbus on Thursday.

Three Republican members of Congress, Reps. Deborah Pryce and Pat Tiberi, both of Columbus, and David Hobson of Springfield, agreed to serve as hosts and donate $2,000 apiece to Ney's re-election campaign.

Republican Reps. Deborah Pryce (OH-15), Pat Tiberi (OH-12), and David Hobson (OH-7) are doing their best to bump up poor Bob Ney. Isn't it amazing that they're trying to make Ney look like a victim? While he was living the highlife with Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff, the people in his district were working hard trying to put food on the table. (By the way, Ney's campaign money can be used to help pay for his legal bills.)

Taft's Approval Rating: Really, Really Low at 6.5%

It is hard to believe that Taft's approval ratings could be lower than the teens, but it has happened. According to a story in The Toledo Blade concerning the latest Zogby survey:
• 6.5%: Ohio voters who view Bob Taft very or somewhat favorably. Barely 3 percent said he was “good” or “excellent.’’
• 61%: Number of poll respondents who say Gov. Bob
Taft should have resigned because of ethics convictions.
• 33%: Those who say the Taft administration was the victim of corrupt individuals who scammed the state.
"I'm not aware of anyone who's ever sunk lower," pollster John Zogby said.

What does this all mean to the average Ohioan? We do not have confidence in this governor or his administration, and therefore, we do not believe that they are operating in our best interests. Of course, we didn't need a survey to tell us that the present governor has done nothing to increase jobs, bring new industries/businesses to the state, clean up the "pay to play" method of getting contracts, and allowing political contributors to set policy. Hopefully, the next governor will break away from this culture of corruption that is permeating the state government.

Copy Cats or Liars

Remember when you were a kid, and someone in your class did a report on the topic you picked and you knew he stole it from you? The White House is now involved in the same games that were played in the fourth grade. Are they copy cats or liars?

The White House has claimed they have a withdrawal plan. Really? Where did they get it? How long have they had it? Is it similar to Democratic Representative Murtha's plan? The story is here. The similarities to Murtha's plan are remarkable. Just watch the republicans jump up and down and say the White House plan is brilliant.

I found this at the Upper Arlington Progressive Action site: They had a guest column from The Cincinnati Enquirer. This is an excerpt from the column written by Major David Grundy, stationed in Iraq:
However, a recent local issue disturbed and shocked me so much I feel I must write.

On Nov. 18, Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a retired Marine Colonel who earned a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts during the Vietnam War, stood up on the floor of the House to say, from the heart, that the war in Iraq is a failure and that we should bring our troops home soon. Murtha is no dove. He was speaking from personal experience as a Marine, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a supporter of America's military mission.

Incredibly, our recently elected Rep. Jean Schmidt rose to call him, in effect, a "cut and run" coward...

Schmidt's attack on him is a slap in the face to the deployed troops he has cared for so long and so well, and to all who have borne arms for this country.

I say this to my fellow Ohioans in the Second Congressional District. Let's come to our senses and be honest with ourselves: We made a grave mistake by voting her into office in the first place, instead of Marine Maj. Paul Hackett, a true war hero and a man with a powerful sense of duty, honor and basic human decency. Fortunately, this is a mistake we can soon correct when we show Schmidt the door in the 2006 election.

Ohio's Political Atmosphere Gets Noticed

One of the more popular political weblogs, MyDD has noticed the problems Ohio Republicans are having. Here is part of a recent entry:
Ohio in quickly turning into ground zero for election 2006. Republican Governor Bob Taft, who was convicted on four misdemeanor counts in August, has an approval rating of 15 percent. Leading Republican donor Tim Noe, who "lost" more than $10 million of the state's numismatic investment, has been indicted for laundering money for the Bush campaign. Republican Congresswoman Deborah Pryce has been linked to Jack Abramoff. And Senator Mike DeWine is performing quite poorly against either of his possible Democratic challengers, Sherrod Brown or Paul Hackett.

The last week and a half have not been particularly good for Ohio Republicans either. With the ongoing investigation of Jack Abramoff and the plea bargain of Michael Scanlon, Republican Congressman Bob Ney is looking worse and worse in the eyes of the public, as Pete Yost writes for the AP...

To read the rest of the entry, go to: http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/11/23/152018/95#readmore
Could this be an indication of a change in Ohio? In a recent poll, Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt had an unfavorable rating after her comments in the House of Representatives. Is her seat in jeopardy? http://www.wcpo.com/news/2005/local/11/22/schmidtpoll.html
Are the people in Ohio finally disgusted enough to vote out corrupt Republican politicians? Only time will tell.

Pryce out of touch with district concerns

Republican leaders had meetings with Karl Rove to set the agenda for 2006: source

“We just talked about the agenda for next year … what issues are important in my district,” said Pryce, whose session included King because of a scheduling backlog.
Pryce ticked off the economy, affordable healthcare and the “war on terror” as topics she discussed with Rove, the president’s chief political adviser.
“My suggestions were very different from Peter King’s,” Pryce said. “[Rove’s] job is to sift through that.”

I think that Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) has it wrong. I think that there are three areas of concern in the 15th district:
JOBS,
POLITICAL CORRUPTION, and
GETTING OUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS OUT OF IRAQ SOONER THAN LATER.

Contact Rep. Pryce and tell her to get her priorities straight:
614-469-5614 Columbus, Ohio District Office
202-225-2015 Washington, DC Office
http://www.house.gov/pryce/

Eyes on Ohio's 15th District

The public's unfavorable opinions of this administration and the Republican controlled Congress, have party leaders and political experts watching certain congressional districts. Those districts which are being monitored are OH-15, CT-5, and NY-13. Story here . What other districts can be won by Democratic candidates?

The Democratic Underground has a posting called The Top Ten Conservative Idiots. Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt (OH-2) has recently been added to the list. Congratulations, Jean!

Republicans: We Want Pay Raises!!!

Guess what? While you were sleeping, the Republican controlled Congress gave itself a $3,100 raise. All the Democrats voted against this. The salary raise the Republican voted for came after they passed legislation to make cuts to programs that help the poor and children. The Washington Post has the story and an important quote:
"The Republicans are taking food out of the mouths of children to give tax cuts to America's wealthiest. This is not a statement of America's values," said the Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California. "Democrats believe that together, America can do better," she said, invoking the party's new campaign slogan.

Talking Points

The Republicans must get their talking points on the cellphones or Blackberries. After Democratic Rep. Murtha gave his speech about withdrawing our troops from Iraq, the Republicans all got their panties in a "frist" and starting smearing him.
Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) called Rep. Murtha "highly irresponsible."

Really? Is it more responsible to send more and more of our family members to a war that has no exit strategy? Is it more responsible to send more of our troops to be killed or maimed just because Bush says it is the thing to do?

I found this info on Rep Murtha at The News Tribune:
When he came home from Vietnam, John Murtha had two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and – unlike other vets – no desire to protest the war.
After he won a U.S. House seat from Pennsylvania in 1974, he became one of the most hawkish Democrats in Congress, using his position on the House appropriations committee to help lavish the armed forces with money.
And Thursday, Rep. Murtha, 73, stood before a bank of television cameras and announced, tearfully, that he had decided it was time to start withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. And not soon. Now.
and.....
In a 30-minute news conference, Murtha told stories about wounded troops he visits weekly at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval hospital. He spoke of a soldier who lost both hands to shrapnel from a “bomblet” dropped by U.S. troops. That soldier’s mother complained that her son was ineligible for a Purple Heart because the device was “friendly.”
Murtha, choking up, recounted that he met with military officials. “I said, ‘If you don’t give him a Purple Heart, I’ll give him one of mine.’ And they gave him a Purple Heart.”

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

The Republican leadership in the House of Representatives got a surprise this afternoon!

The New York Times has the story: House Republican leaders were dealt a rare defeat today as Democrats and about two dozen Republicans teamed up to kill a $142 billion health and education spending bill.

Many members said the bill's defeat, by 224 to 209 votes, was the first rejection of an appropriation measure they could recall since Republicans assumed House control in 1995. The loss left the leadership uncertain whether to bring up another budget measure, which calls for $50 billion in cuts over five years.

"We are going to regroup," Representative Deborah Pryce of Ohio (15-R), the chairman of the Republican conference, said after a vote that left many members of the party stunned in their seats on the House floor.

The moderate Republicans can read the polls and they want to save their seats. However, it might be difficult for them to hold back the tough members of the Democratic Party who say, "Enough!"

Former Ohio State Wrestler Killed in Iraq

Marine Major Ray Mendoza was killed in Iraq while on his 3rd tour of duty. Mendoza, 37, was an Ohio State wrestler in the early 1990's. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Karl Rove a Whistle Blower?

Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) once called Karl Rove a whistle blower. Isn't that incredible? Karl Rove is the Republican White House staff member who is being investigated by Patrick Fitzgerald regarding a CIA leak.

Here is the part of the story from CNN: Deborah Pryce, the fourth-ranking Republican in the House, urged patience, saying, "It's premature for anyone to judge Karl Rove on what little bit we know." But she then defended Rove as the "whistle-blower in this situation." She said Rove's conversation with Cooper was aimed at exposing Wilson's "lies."

This was also posted here.

Because of Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation, we know that Joe Wilson was NOT lying. The Republicans are getting very, very scared. They see the indictment of Scooter Libbby and they wonder who is next. Republicans are also watching the American people losing faith in them, as reflected in recent polls.

Growth and Opportunity?

Sometimes I wonder if Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce really represents a district in Ohio. According to a press release on a Commerce Department report, Pryce said, "The rising tide of growth and opportunity is reaching the cities and the heartland, and is reflected in today's upbeat report."

What is she talking about? She represents a district in Ohio! There has been no growth and opportunity here. There are no new jobs here in central Ohio. There are no new businesses moving here. When businesses move out, the buildings remain vacant. College graduates are spending months and months looking for work and many find jobs out of Ohio. Pryce must be talking about jobs and opportunities in Texas.

Improving Ohio

November 2006 seems to be far in the future, but it will be here in no time. Right now, there are two Democratic candidates for Ohio's 15 congressional district: Mark Losey and Mary Jo Kilroy. Both candidates bring common sense, experience, and a plan to make the people of the 15th district heard in Washington, DC. Our congress member, Republican Deborah Pryce, is only following the orders of corrupt Republican Tom DeLay and Republican President George W. Bush. In the weeks and months ahead, I hope to point out how we can take back Ohio and our nation.

Pryce Visited Abramoff's Restaurant Repeatedly

Even though Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) called indicted lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, a creep, she still visited his restaurant frequently. This is from the Columbus Dispatch:
Records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics and Federal Elections Commission show Pryce’s political action "leadership" committee and her re-election committee spent more than $13,000 at Signatures during the past few years, including $2,392 for a fundraiser in May.

$13,000 is a lot of food to consume. If you really thought someone was a "creep," why would you support their business? Wouldn't you stay away?