Start Worrying

>I watched a little bit of Republican Mike Huckabee on Meet The Press. It was enough to scare the hell out of me. The more I watch Huckabee, the more I realize that he does not seem to have a complete grasp of the problems and the issues to become president. He is clearly in over his head.

>According to the New York Times, Republican Rudy Giuliani, was back at his familiar mantra: 9/1, 9/11, 9/11. Giuliani must not fully comprehend all of the responsibilities of the President. Giuliani is like that relative you see only a few times per year, and all he does is talk about one topic. What Giuliani refuses to talk about is that his failure to properly equip the NYPD and NYFD with fully working walkie-talkies, increased their deaths on 9/11.

Ohio News

>>> What does Rep. Zack Space (OH-18-D) have that his Republican opponents don't have? Space has money in his campaign war chest.
Dispatch: Through Sept. 30, Space had $591,905 on hand in campaign cash. He has raised $845,570 total for his campaign.
>> U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) had a few things to say about his first year in the U.S. Senate.
Morning Journal:
...Brown also pointed to an increased minimum wage, raised fuel economy standards, and more federal assistance for college tuition as Democratic accomplishments last year.
But he said he was frustrated as other efforts were foiled by filibustered, or in the case of an increase in funding for the State Childrens Health Insurance Program, were vetoed by President George W. Bush.
''It broke my heart, and it's just outrageous to me that Bush made those choices,'' Brown said.
While the Senate had enough votes to override the president's veto of an increase in the S-CHIP program, it failed in the House of Representatives....

>>>> Warning! Even though you thought (and hoped!) that Tom DeLay and Ken Blackwell would crawl back under a rock, they are back. DeLay and Blackwell are trying to do their best to get their extreme right wing views into the public arena. If you see them, don't buy any of their hogwash.

More on Husted

I've written before on Ohio Republican Jon Husted and his nasty temper, demanding attitude, and his ability to get work for his political campaign contributors (Ex.: Oberer Construction + campaign $ = Austin Pike interchange (LINK)). I've been told that nothing gets done in the state of Ohio without Husted's okay. Since Husted has no real plans to do too much on the school funding issue in the state, nothing will get done.

Clearly, the only way to get the state away from Husted and the Republican corruption machine, is to elect Democrats. Husted and his cronies are not planning to help Ohio's children get fair and equal education, but they do like to reward their friends with state contracts. Even though Ohioans voted to put a Democrat as governor, the GOP controlled state legislature has done nothing to move forward on issues for real people.

Wake up, Ohio!

Greetings to all!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

Pray for peace and a Democratic New Year!


GO BUCKEYES!

Is Steve Stivers Still Helping His Banking Friends?

A recent proposal in the the state legislature might help clean up cities but it would also get money to banks a lot sooner. According to the Dispatch, some legislators are hoping to help clean up homes that have been abandoned because of the foreclosure problems in the state. While looking for possible sponsors for the legislation, who else but Steve Stivers offered to jump in and help get things going. Steve Stivers, Republican, probably was happy to help his old banking buddies get some of the money they've lost in the empty homes. Once a lobbyist, always a lobbyist?

What has the Republican controlled state legislature done to fix the school funding problem in the state of Ohio? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Work and Money

>>>> After an exhausting day of work, Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15), can now return to home to rest. (Check my previous posts on Pryce's hectic non-work schedule.)

+ The Democrats are raising more money for the election next year. Politico has this:

The Democratic Congressional campaign committees ended November with nearly five times as much cash-on-hand as their Republican counterparts. This means Democrats will enter 2008 well-positioned to pick up additional seats due to their continued financial advantage and a slew of GOP retirements, largely in highly-competitive districts.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised $4.1 million in November, compared to the $2.7 million brought in by the National Republican Congressional Committee....
....On the Senate side, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ended November with $25.5 million banked, more than double the cash-on-hand of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, with about $10.4 million....

How nice.

Today.....

* Good news! Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15), finally showed up on the floor of the House of Representatives yesterday!!!! According to the list of Roll Call Votes, Pryce voted yesterday on several issues.

* Tom Tancredo is going to announce his withdrawal from the presidential campaign, according to the New York Times.

* I don't have any sympathy for domestic automakers because of the new gas mileage requirements. They've refused to adapt to the changing market and climbing oil prices. They'll either work to catch up or collapse.

* It appears that the CIA will turn over some documents to Congress.
Raw Story:
Under a subpoena threat, the CIA is expected to quickly begin turning over to Congress documents related to the destruction of videotapes showing the harsh interrogation of two terror suspects.

The agency could begin producing the material as early as Thursday, according to senior intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of ongoing investigations into the destruction of the tapes in 2005.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, said Wednesday the CIA had agreed to turn over the documents sometime this week after he prepared subpoenas for former and current CIA officials and attorneys if they don't voluntarily come before the committee to testify about the tapes. The document request includes records related to the 9/11 Commission and to al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, whose attorneys were seeking interrogation videos.....

* Last night, my husband and I watched a replay of the House Judiciary hearings with the young woman who was raped, and held captive by KBR employees while she was in Iraq. She is definitely a brave young woman. It is amazing that the U.S. Justice Department has done nothing to investigate this case. The Philadelphia Daily News has more on this story.

Deborah Pryce-No Show

Republican member of Congress, Deborah Pryce, is enjoying an early vacation. If you call the office of Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15), her staff will tell you that she is working in her district office. However, Pryce is not where she should be working --------> on the floor of the House of Representatives representing her constituents with her votes. According to the Clerk's website, Pryce has missed all 20 of the votes this week.

* Don't tell me there is another Republican scandal in Ohio? This time it involves Republican James Nimz, the Seneca County Engineer.
Toledo Blade:

....Yesterday, the longtime Seneca County engineer resigned the elected position he's held for 17 years and pleaded no contest to ethics violations for employing his wife, giving her raises, and promoting her to chief deputy engineer. Mr. Nimz, 62, of Tiffin, declined to comment following the brief hearing in Tiffin Municipal Court, but his attorney said his client was unaware he had violated the law when he married Caroline Minges in 1996. She had been employed by the county engineer's office since 1991......
..... Visiting Judge Thomas Osborn of Upper Sandusky Municipal Court accepted Mr. Nimz's no contest pleas and found him guilty of the three first-degree misdemeanors....

It is amazing that while the Republicans held the governorship, this went unnoticed.

Ohio's 15th District Turning Blue?

Charlie Cook provides some insight about Republican chances in 2008. Govexec.com:

....Then there are eight or so open-seat races that the GOP is in real danger of losing: those in Rick Renzi's 1st District in Arizona, Jerry Weller's 11th District in Illinois, Jim Ramstad's 3rd District in Minnesota, Jim Saxton's 3rd District and Michael Ferguson's 7th District in New Jersey, Heather Wilson's 1st District in New Mexico, and Deborah Pryce's 15th and Ralph Regula's 16th districts in Ohio. All of these contests are now in the toss-up category.....

Did you notice that two seats "that the GOP is in real danger of losing" are in Ohio----- Regula's 16th district and Pryce's 15th?????????

With the GOP having difficulty recruiting first tier candidates and an almost empty campaign war chest, you can see why they got so nervous about possibly losing the seat vacated by the death of Republican Rep. Paul Gillmor in Ohio's 5th district. The Republicans had to pour big money into a campaign that should have been a completely safe seat.

Ohio's 15th district is turning blue. Deborah Pryce's decision not to run again may have been slightly influenced by family issues. However, her final decision not to seek re-election was based on polls that showed the Democrats and Progressives gaining power in central Ohio. Things are changing in Ohio.

What?

> Apparently Republican Steve Stivers thinks it is okay for payday lenders to rip off people. In a vote this fall, Stivers was against legislation that would put a cap on the interest rate charged by these payday lenders. Legislators wanted to put a cap on the interest charge at 36%. Stivers was against it. (I guess once a bank lobbyist, always a bank lobbyist!) Here are some excerpts from The Columbus Dispatch:

Sen. Steve Stivers, R-Columbus -- Doesn't favor a 36-percent rate cap. "You can't take away people's ability to screw up their own financial situation by taking away the legal loan products, because they'll move to the illegal loans." Wants to encourage competition and avoid having people caught in a debt spiral.

Shouldn't Stivers be voting to protect the consumer instead of financial institutions/corporations?

> Is M*chigan QB Ryan Mallett planning to transfer because of the new coach? Rotoworld said that rumors say it is possible.

> What has happened to Sen. Joe Lieberman? He plans to endorse Republican presidential candidate, John McCain (CNN).

> Smart Cars will start to be delivered in a few months. Yipeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

Preparing for Snow?

*** The TV weather people are predicting a big snow. Since major snowstorm for central Ohio. Citizens are stocking up on snow shovels, food, and other stuff in case they get stuck in their homes.

*** Ohio's Republican lawmakers are concerned about background checks for teachers, nurses, doctors, hairdressers, and others who need licenses/certificates. However, these same Republican lawmakers don't want background checks done on them. What are they trying to hide? Speeding tickets? DUI's? Civil suits? Columnist Ann Fisher of the Columbus Dispatch has the story about the GOP legislators:

State Sen. Jeff Jacobson, a Republican from Vandalia, called it a cheap stunt this week when a Democratic colleague proposed checking lawmakers' backgrounds for criminal offenses.

Stunt or not, the idea isn't implausible.....

...Sen. John Boccieri, a New Middletown Democrat, proposed the amendment to include state lawmakers and also have the results posted on the Internet....

Boccieri's proposal sounds like a great idea!

**** Do you know how many former Ohio State football players are in the NFL? Here is a list that I've compiled (sorry if I missed someone):

Buckeyes in the NFL:

Ravens: Troy Smith
Bengals: (1) Anthony Schlegel, (2) Alex Stepanovich
Browns: Simon Fraser
Steelers: Santonio Holmes

Colts: (1) Anthony Gonzalez, (2) Quinn Pitcock
Titans: (1) Ben Hartsock, (2) Donnie Nickey
Bills: (1) Dustin Fox, (2) Donte Whitner, (3) Ashton Youboty
Dolphins: Ted Ginn, Jr.

Patriots: Mike Vrabel
Jets: (1) Adrien Clark, (2) Nick Mangold, (3) Mike Nugent
Broncos: Kenny Peterson
Raiders: Jay Richardson

Chargers: (1) Shane Olivea, (2) Matt Wilhelm
Packers: (1) A.J. Hawk, (2) Ryan Pickett
Vikings: (1) Mike Doss, (2) Antoine Winfield
Falcons: (1) Tim Anderson, (2) Michael Jenkins

Panthers: (1) Drew Carter, (2) Na’il Diggs, (3) Chris Gamble
Saints: (1) Kevin House, (2) Will Smith
Buccaneers: (1) Joey Galloway, (2) Will Allen

Cowboys: (1) Bobby Carpenter, (2) Terry Glenn
Redskins: Shawn Springs
Cardinals: Rodney Bailey
49ers: Nate Clements

Seahawks: Rob Sims
Rams: Antonio Pittman

Quite a lot of Buckeyes, don't you think? I wonder how many other colleges can meet or exceed this number?

Wednesday's Notes!!!!

> The Ohio State - Michigan game will be different starting in 2009, according to USA Today:

Thanksgiving leftovers and the Ohio State-Michigan game could become a new tradition.

The Big Ten will move to a 13-week schedule beginning in 2009, pushing the rivalry game and the rest of the conference's schedule to the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Big Ten school presidents voted to support a 13-week schedule on Dec. 2, spokesman Scott Chipman said. That will allow teams one week off during the 12-game regular season.....

Awesome!

> Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15th) has extended her long weekends to include Tuesdays. She did not show up for the votes in the House of Representative on Tuesday.

> According to the Ohio Secretary of State's Election web site, Republican Bob Latta has won the election for Ohio's 5th congressional district. Latta won 56% of the vote. Voter turnout was from 12% in Ashland County to 30% in Henry County.

Bankers Love Latta

If you look at the last minute contributions that candidates in Ohio's 5th district receive, you might learn something. Here are lists of recent donations from the FEC, as published in the Toledo Blade:

> Republican candidate Bob Latta's contributors include:
...Henry Gandy ($1,000), a lobbyist/attorney for major blue-chip companies at the Duberstein Group; the Baker and Hostetler Political Action Committee ($1,000); the Franchising Political Action Committee ($1,000); Federal Express PAC ($5,000); TOMPAC, better known as NRCC chairman Tom Reynold's PAC ($5,000); Lafarge Cement PAC ($5,000); Worthington Industries PAC ($1,000); Mortgage Bankers Association PAC ($2,000); Ashland Inc. PAC ($2,000); and the election campaigns of Steve Stivers and Mike Turner ($1,000 each).

Latta himself kicked in another $15,100 on Friday...

Those at the mortgage association want to protect their money, so they donate to a Republican who will speak for them. Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, also threw in some money.

>> Democratic candidate Robin Weirauch's contributors include:
...Jeffrey Boyd ($1,000), executive director of the Ohio Association for Justice; Craig Hall ($2,300), an entrepreneuer and Napa Valley vintner; California congresswoman Barbara Lee's campaign ($1,000); the Congressional Black Caucus PAC ($5,000); Sen. Sherrod Brown's campaign organization ($2,000); Joseph Kanfer of Akron ($2,300), president of GOJO Industries; the Progressive Patriots Fund ($2,500), and the National Education Association Fund for Children and Public Education ($2,000).....

Did you notice that Weirauch doesn't have any bankers' associations listed?

The FEC (Federal Elections Commission) shows that Latta's other PAC friends include BANKPAC, COALPAC, INSURPAC, and various big business PACS. I guess this is an indication of which groups Latta will work for if he is elected.

Latta Did Get Money From Tom Noe

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Republican Bob Latta did indeed take money from Tom "Coingate" Noe. A quick search at the Ohio Secretary of State's website on campaign finance shows the following:

Tom Noe gave $250 to Citizens for Latta Committee on 10/14/2004.
Tom Noe gave $250 to Citizens for Latta Committee on 11/20/2003.
Tom Noe gave $250 to Latta for Ohio Senate Committee on 8/6/1996.
Tom Noe gave $310.03 to Latta for Ohio Senate Committee on 8/6/1996.

If you don't believe me, check out the Ohio Secretary of State's campaign finance site and search yourself.

Robin Weirauch Is The Best Choice for Ohio's 5th District

Anyone who has ever met Robin Weirauch, Democratic candidate for Ohio's 5th district, is always impressed with her intelligence, warmth, and dedication. Weirauch has, according to the Toledo Blade, campaigned "....on protecting factory jobs, pushing for a troop withdrawal from Iraq, and establishing universal health care...."

Voters in the 5th district have to realize that in order to move the district ahead, they have to vote for someone who has fresh ideas, motivation, and a great work ethic. Robin Weirauch has it all.

On the other hand, Republican Bob Latta has been the perpetual candidate. He'll run for anything and smear everyone in the process. What a guy! Latta just wants a job and he is ready, willing, and able to work just like his friends, Tom Noe and Bob Taft (and we know how well they did!).

If the voters in Ohio's 5th congressional district want a member of Congress to just sit and warm a seat, Latta, is for them. However, if the voters want progress, and a real fighter for the district, Robin Weirauch is the best choice for Ohio's 5th District.

Did you know that...

......Republican candidate for Congress for Ohio's 5th, Bob Latta, took over $1000 from Tom "Coingate" Noe.
See You Tube here.
.....the Daily Kos has even more stuff about Latta here.

Great News!

The Plain Dealer has just announced that Ohio State's James Laurinaitis has won the Butkus Award.

Of Concern

> Things are getting bad at central Ohio's food pantries. Even the Mid-Ohio Food Bank is facing shortages. See information additional information at The Dispatch. Visit midohiofoodbank.org or mail checks to Mid-Ohio FoodBank, 1625 W. Mound St., Columbus 43223.

> According to The New York Times, the CIA has destroyed some tapes of their interrogations. How convenient!

> The military families are very upset with President Bush. See the LA Times for the story.

I'll write more later. I have to go move some snow off the driveway......

* President Bush and the Republicans in the Senate are upset that an energy plan that has been approved by the House will cut tax breaks to Exxon Mobil and other big oil companies. President Bush has promised a veto. For more information, see the Bloomberg article. Isn't this just like this administration and the Republicans to protect the oil companies? With gasoline at nearly $3/gal., the oil companies are making enough money ripping off Americans, and now Bush and the Republicans want to protect their tax breaks!!!! Where is that compassionate conservatism?

* I've come to the conclusion that I'd be happy with Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or Bill Richardson as the Democratic nominee for president. I like them all and I think they are all extremely well-qualified.

Items of Note

* I'm just wondering why we haven't seen a website for the Republican candidates for Ohio's 15th congressional district. Do they know about the internet?

* President Bush wrote a letter to Kim Jong-il recently. This follows Bush calling the leader of North Korea a "pygmy" and categorizing North Korea as part of the "axis of evil." (See The Guardian.) Now Bush wants to either make 'nice nice' or start a war with North Korea since a war with Iran didn't pan out.

* Democrat Rep. Zack Space is impressing many people in Ohio's 18th congressional district. Space, who won the seat following Republican Bob Ney's Abramoff scandal ties, is doing well. According to CQ Politics, Space has over $800,000 in his campaign war chest. Each of the 3 Republicans who have announced intentions to run against Space, have $50,000 to 76,000 each, according to CQ Politics.

The Ohio Republicans

> You mean the Ohio GOP didn't have ethics and a code of conduct?
Times Reporter:
Angry at inter-party attack ads in a recent congressional primary, the Ohio Republican Party will develop a code of conduct and ethics and a preferred list of vendors and consultants for future primary and general elections, including one next year in Northeast Ohio....
......Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine tried to navigate the difficult primary. He tried to keep it civil, Bennett said. “He tried very hard.”
But to no avail. Now DeWine will develop a code of conduct, which the central committee will discuss at its February meeting. He also will create a list of vendors who will be asked to pledge to abide by that code.....

The Republicans in Ohio have destroyed so much in the state because of their greed. Now they will try to learn some ethics and follow a code of conduct. Interesting.

> Who is to blame for the crumbling of Ohio's cities? If you ask the mayors in Ohio, they'll tell you that former Gov. Taft and the Republican controlled legislature are to blame. Here are some excerpts from the Dispatch:

Much of the blame for Ohio's mortgage-foreclosure crisis goes to the Ohio General Assembly, says Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis.

His county had about 7,000 foreclosures in 2000. Six years later, the number had skyrocketed to 13,000. This year, residents of Cuyahoga County will lose about 17,000 homes.

The shattering of so many dreams didn't have to happen, Rokakis said. Cleveland, like Dayton and Cincinnati, had passed tough ordinances to rein in predatory lenders. But in 2002, the Republican-controlled legislature passed, and GOP Gov. Bob Taft signed, a law wiping out the local ordinances....

Kevin DeWine, Steve Stivers, Jon Husted and the rest of the Ohio Republican legislature have helped create the mess in Ohio's cities. The sad thing is that they really don't care as long as their cronies and campaign contributors get contracts and their help.

Tuesday's News

Democratic candidate for Ohio's 15th congressional, Mary Jo Kilroy, will be getting some special help for her campaign.
CQ Politics:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ’s political action committee has been busily funneling money to House candidates since July, handing out donations that totaled $107,000 as of Nov. 21.
Pelosi’s PAC to the Future ordinarily would not file with the Federal Election Commission until Jan. 31, but a donation it made to Robin Weirauch, the Democratic candidate against Republican state Rep. Robert Latta in a Dec. 11 special election in northwestern Ohio’s 5th District, meant it was required to file early....
...That list includes Mary Jo Kilroy, in Ohio’s 15th District, where GOP Rep. Deborah Pryce is retiring after barely defeating Kilroy last year.....

Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy is running against a career bank lobbyist from the GOP for Ohio's 15th congressional district.

> > >Here is an article about the Bush administration's false drumbeat to war with Iran.

The Sidney Morning Herald:
In an embarrassment for the Bush Administration reminiscent of the weapons of mass destruction saga in Iraq, the National Intelligence Council has reversed its assessment that Iran is intent on developing a nuclear arsenal.

It has declared that the Islamic state halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

"We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003 Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program," said the assessment by the council, comprised of 16 intelligence and security agencies.....

Would we have gone into another war just to fulfill another desire of the Neo-cons in the Bush administration? By the way, check out what Think Progress has on Bush.

We were lied into the war in Iraq. Now they are lying to say they didn't know that Iran's nuclear program was inactive. The President said no one told him!!!!????? Incredible liars!

Monday's Morsels

* GO Buckeyes!!!!

* Ask Ohio Republican leaders their definition of "family values." I think that when someone says that they support "family values" that should mean that they love and respect their spouse, respect the family, and provide a loving, protective home for their children. (There are a few Republicans in the Ohio legislature who have left their first wives for new, younger ones. I'll let you do the research on that.)

* December 11th is the day of the special election to fill the seat of the late U.S. Rep. Paul Gillmor. Vying for the seat are Democrat Robin Weirauch and Republican Bob Latta.

* According to the Dayton Daily News, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has a 65% approval rating among Republicans in the state!

* Don't forget to tune into the new liberal talk radio station in Columbus------ WVKO 1580 AM (you can listen live). Stephanie Miller is back (9am-Noon)!!!!!!