Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Why?

* Why would Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) vote against the Eightmile Wild and Scenic River Act? According to Roll Call 767, Pryce voted against the act. Does Pryce hate rivers? Is she against keeping Eightmile River clean and safe? Is Pryce just following the orders of her Republican leaders?

* According to The Hill, some elected officials don't know where to go or what to do if the Capitol has to be evacuated. Here is what Pryce had to say, as quoted in The Hill:
...Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio), an eight-term lawmaker, said the last planned evacuation she was been a part of occurred a while ago.

“I know where we’re supposed to go if we’re in our office, but how often are we in our offices? … Let’s put it that way,” Pryce said. Lawmakers receive e-mails on their BlackBerry if an evacuation takes place, she said.....

Maybe the last planned evacuation was on a Monday when Pryce stayed in her Upper Arlington home instead of attending sessions of the House of Representatives. She has missed over 60 votes in the House just since January.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Pryce Voted Against Farmers

It is Monday, and Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) actually went to work today! Wow! What a surprise! Maybe she is not as lazy as we all thought! Nah! Just kidding. Pryce did show up in the halls of Congress today even though it is Monday.

This article from NPR is from last week but it clearly shows how Deborah Pryce and the rest of her Republican friends just don't get it:
The House is expected to vote Friday on a far-reaching farm bill. The measure sets policy for crop subsidies, food stamps and many other programs over the next five years. Critics say the bill doesn't do enough to cut those subsidies at a time of near record crop prices, and the measure has drawn a veto threat from the White House....

In order to fund the farm bill, Democrats closed a tax loophole. Guess which Republican Representative went and had a hissy fit about that tax loophole??? Deborah Pryce!

Here is more from the NPR article---
.....Democrats countered that Republicans were exaggerating the tax's impact, and noted that the Bush administration had itself called for the loophole to be closed. Rep. Earl Pomeroy, a Democrat from North Dakota, questioned the political judgment of House Republicans who oppose closing the loophole:

"They'd rather protect the tax cheaters in Bermuda than help the farmers of this country," Pomeroy said.....

Pryce and her GOP friends like protecting those tax cheaters in Bermuda and not the Ohio farmers. We won't forget.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Wishing and Hoping

Are Republicans and Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) wishing and hoping for too much? Are they even capable of dealing with reality?
Here is an excerpt from The Ledger Enquirer:

As ardent Democrats count the days until George W. Bush leaves office, many Republicans in Congress eagerly await the time when their 2008 nominee eclipses the president and, they hope, improves their re-election prospects.

In blunt terms, even Bush's most loyal allies say their fate next year may come to this: Will voters largely forget the president and focus on a nominee who can distance himself from the Iraq war, a beleaguered attorney general and other problems that have sapped Bush's popularity.....

"If the president doesn't move forward, then his hand will be forced here, even among Republicans," Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Ohio, said in an interview in the Capitol. By early next year, she said, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee - no matter who it is - will lift the party's spirits.

The presumptive GOP presidential nominee will lift the party's spirits?????? Are they kidding?????

The Republicans got us into a war in which almost 4,000 Americans have died. Tens of thousands of American military service personnel have been wounded/injured in Bush's war. We will have to carry the billions of dollars of debt for the war for many, many years to come. However, Deborah Pryce thinks everything will be hunky dory once the Republicans have a nominee??????? Is she dealing with reality? Wishing and hoping for a Republican savior will not save their party and bring a change to the country. People will not forget what the Republicans have done.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Nervous Republicans

With President Bush's approval rating sinking lower every week and new Republican scandals being unearthed daily, Republicans are nervous. The fear that their power and influence will be reduced even more with the 2008 election.
THE HILL:
Nine months after Republicans were routed in the midterm elections, campaign observers, K Street lobbyists and political experts say there is little evidence the party can rebound in 2008.

The same bad news — the president’s low approval ratings, opposition to the war in Iraq, and the lingering taint of congressional scandal, from the Jack Abramoff investigation to Sen. David Vitter’s (La.) involvement with the alleged “D.C. Madam” — leave observers skeptical that the GOP can dent Democratic majorities, let alone reclaim power in the next election.
“The only thing that has changed is that everything that was bad got worse,” said Bernadette Budde, political director of the Business Industry Political Action Committee.....

Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) just squeaked by in her last election. With her continued support of Bush's unending Iraq war, will Pryce finally lose her seat in the House?

George Voinovich: Doesn't Care

No matter what Republican Sen. George Voinovich says about ending Bush's war in Iraq, you must remember that Voinovich talks but is spineless when it comes to doing something to end the war.

The Lantern:
Republican Sen. George Voinovich has joined a growing number of Republicans countering the White House policy by calling for a transition to a diplomatic and humanitarian solution to the Iraq war.

Last week, however, Voinovich voted along party lines against a motion to invoke cloture that would end debate on a Democratic amendment to begin to reduce the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq.

In a press release after the vote, Voinovich said the political turmoil surrounding the war in Iraq has hindered substantial debate on solutions to stabilize Iraq....
.....Ohio State political science professor John Mueller said Voinovich is less likely to be concerned about immediate political ramifications of a controversial vote because he is not facing an election in 2008....

In other words, Voinovich doesn't care how many Americans get killed in Iraq because he isn't up for election. What a jerk.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Notes...

According to The Official Woeful Days Countdown, there are 544 days until January 20, 2009.

Campbell Brown is leaving NBC to go into oblivion, I mean CNN.

Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt (OH-2) has made some new friends.
CityBeat:
U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Miami Township) is the target of a campaign by Americans Against Escalation in Iraq (AAEI), which is pressuring her to re-evaluate her stance on the war.

The Iraq Summer Campaign is a nationwide effort to target 40 members of Congress who have supported President Bush in sending an additional 20,000 troops to Iraq. Schmidt has been vehemently hawkish since her first campaign for the House of Representatives in 2005....

....Evidence suggests that Schmidt is out of touch with the desires of her constituents, Barker says.

"When polled, 70 percent of the people in District 2 said they wanted a responsible and speedy withdrawal from Iraq," she says.

Rothenberg says support for withdrawing troops from Iraq has spread.

"This is a really mainstream view," he says. "We're not doing any persuasion here."

A USA Today poll taken July 10 found that seven out of 10 Americans oppose the war.

However, getting Schmidt to change her mind on the escalation of troop levels is a tall order. Even in the face of growing opposition to the war, she has stayed by Bush's side. She voted July 12 against a bill that would require a binding timeline for the re-deployment of troops out of Iraq.....

Schmidt is having difficulty raising campaign money. Could her political career in DC come to an end next year at election time? We can only hope.

Monday, July 23, 2007

63 Missed Votes

I think that every person that reads this should call Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce's office and find out why she refuses to attend sessions of the House of Representatives on Mondays. Yes, folks, Pryce again did not attend votes in the House on a Monday. According to the Washington Post, Pryce missed Vote 687, 688, 689, and 690. Pryce, also according to the Washington Post, has missed 63 votes just since January.

If you can spare a few minutes, call Pryce's office and ask why she has missed so much of her duties.
District Office: (614) 469-5614 Washington, D.C. Office: (202) 225-2015

Working for Change

Governor Ted Strickland and Ohio's Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner, have been very busy.
Enquirer:

Gov. Ted Strickland and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner asked the Ohio congressional delegation this week for help securing federal funds.

Strickland urged the delegation in a letter to support the bill to continue the State Children's Health Insurance Program, calling an increase in funding for children's health coverage a "top federal priority" for his administration.

He said that without adequate federal funding, Ohio's program to provide health care for children will have shortfalls of $6.8 million next year and $98.6 million in 2009.

Brunner, meanwhile, asked Sens. Voinovich and Brown to help the state avoid losing $300 million in federal money for elections, which the Senate Appropriations Committee stripped from its version of a spending bill. The House version includes the funds, and Brunner asked Ohio's senators to do what they can to restore the money in the Senate bill.....

Seeing as how the Republicans in the House and the Senate from Ohio appear to be doing nothing, Ohioans can expect little if any help from them.

With eyes on securing honest elections in Ohio, some changes are being made. Dispatch:

Franklin County spent $14 million for its fleet of high-tech, touch-screen voting machines. Now, officials plan to spend another $1 million for the latest in accurate and secure equipment:

Paper ballots.....

......A recent state directive bans provisional voting on electronic machines and requires paper ballots.

Provisional votes, usually cast when voters don't have valid identification or have moved and not updated their address, are increasingly being challenged in tight races. They became an issue in Ohio's 2004 presidential contest and, last year, in the race for Ohio's 15th Congressional District.

In her directive, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner orders provisional ballots to be cast on paper and sealed in an envelope. That envelope, bearing a name and address, is discarded once the voter is verified -- forever protecting the anonymity of the ballot. With electronic machines, the voter's identification code remains on a ballot printout......

Thank you, Jennifer Brunner!!!!!

However, speaking in opposition was Republican Matthew Damschroder, director of the Board of Elections.

Dispatch:

.....Franklin County already had solid privacy precautions, Damschroder said. "It's very unfortunate that, after spending $14 million on electronic voting machines, we've got to spend another $1 million to accommodate paper.

"We're looking at about $1 million in an agency with a total annual budget of $6 million," he said.....

Damschroder, it should be noted, was once suspended for taking money for the Ohio GOP from Diebold, the electronic voting machine company. (LINK)

Friday, July 20, 2007

Attention on Ohio's 15th

A NY Times article talks about those districts where rematches will occur in next year's election:

If at first you don’t succeed, try again. An old axiom, of course, but one that a growing number of would-be U.S. House members are taking to heart — as they prepare for rematch campaigns in 2008 after falling short of victory in 2006....
....Ohio’s 15th District (Western Columbus and suburbs). It seems clear that Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy will get a clear shot at Rep. Deborah Pryce, who won their 2006 matchup by the very slim margin of 1,062 votes. Democrat Paula Brooks, who also sits on the commission in the county that includes the city of Columbus, had been expected to challenge Kilroy for the Democratic nomination, but decided against it.....

Since Pryce always seems to be able to raise money from her big time lobbyist friends (oil/business/pharmaceutical/insurance), it will be up to the people of the 15th to vote her out. Pryce continues to be a big time backer of Bush's war without end in Iraq. However, this time, Pryce has a few things against her -----
1. The citizens of the 15th are tired of the war, the heavy American losses, and the heavy financial losses.
2. Pryce's attendance in the House of Representatives has been bad.
3. Pryce has done little to help vets. Her votes against expanding medical care for vets and guardsmen have been noticed.

Here is some news about Ohio vets from this morning's Dispatch:
A new report from the government just confirms what the guys at the VFW already knew: It pays more to be a disabled veteran in a state other than Ohio -- any other state....
....What they are unhappy about is spelled out in a newly issued report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For 2005, the most recent year for which figures are available, injured veterans in Ohio averaged $7,556 in annual disability pay, dead last among the 50 states....
....That's a problem familiar to Rep. Zack Space, a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. The Dover Democrat's staff has heard from veterans who say they have virtually the same disabilities and circumstances and live in the same area but receive markedly different benefits.

"I hear from Ohio veterans frequently about not getting a fair shake with their disability claims, and this study objectively confirms exactly what I've been hearing anecdotally," Space said. "What the study doesn't tell us is exactly why our veterans in Ohio are being shortchanged."

Here is Democrat Zack Space, in his first term in the House of Representatives and HE IS RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF OHIO VETS. What the heck has Pryce been doing all this time??????

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

White House Sent Help For Pryce

Do you need more evidence that Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) is in thick with the White House? According to the Washington Post, the White House sent drug officials to accompany Pryce and others at campaign events in 2006.

White House officials arranged for top officials at the Office of National Drug Control Policy to help as many as 18 vulnerable Republican congressmen by making appearances and sometimes announcing new federal grants in the lawmakers' districts in the months leading up to the November 2006 elections, a Democratic lawmaker said yesterday.....
....Waxman cited a memo written by former White House political director Sara M. Taylor showing that John P. Walters, director of the drug control office, and his deputies traveled at taxpayer expense to about 20 events with vulnerable GOP members of Congress in the three months leading up to the elections....

...Appearances also were held with Rep. Deborah Pryce of Ohio in Columbus and with then-Rep. Chris Chocola of Indiana in South Bend. Pryce narrowly won reelection, while Chocola lost in November....

Pryce continues to take her orders from the White House, GOP leaders, and her major contributors in drug/oil companies. On top of all this, poor Pryce just hates to work on Mondays. Isn't it time we had a representative who worked fulltime for the people of the 15th district?

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Is Pryce lazy or does she just not care anymore?

Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) did it again! Pryce did not show up to Monday's session in the House of Representatives. The Washington Post clearly shows that Pryce missed three votes on Monday: Vote 630 (HR 1980), Vote 631 (HR 1982) and Vote 632 (HR 799). As one of her constituents, I'd like to know who gave her permission to miss the Monday session? If there is something she'd rather do than work on Mondays, she should resign and let someone else represent the 15th district.

Pryce has missed quite a lot of votes since the beginning of 2007. See this link at the Washington Post.

Deborah Pryce has missed 59 votes in the House of Representatives since January 2007.

What would your boss do if you had missed 59 business meetings/appointments/work days just since January 2007? Don't we deserve better? When Pryce isn't at work, who is working for us?

Monday, July 16, 2007

Why does Pryce continue to support Bush's Iraq war?

The following is an excerpt from an article mentioned at ICasualties and originally published at Yahoo News:

....(Sgt. Merlin) German's survival is a story of numbers:

Burned over 97 percent of his body.

In intensive care 11 months.

Nearly 17 months in the hospital.

More than 40 surgeries, and counting.....

.....It means learning to walk again because your new skin doesn't allow you the mobility, strength and balance you once had.

And it means looking into the mirror at a ripple-scarred face, learning to make do without fingers (German was a saxophone player) and figuring out, at age 21, what to do with the rest of your life.....

Do Pryce and her Republican war cheerleaders care about the lives of these young people? Do they care that their continuing support for Bush's Iraq war adds more and more fatalities and casualties? If Pryce and her Republican friends really cared about the soldiers and Marines in Iraq, they would have voted to bring the troops home.

Call Pryce's office and let her know that you are tired of her stance on Bush's Iraq war.
>> Columbus, Ohio (614) 469-5614
Washington, D.C. (202) 225-2015

(For more information about the sacrifices of our service members, read the rest of the Yahoo News article.)

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Now We Know

Americablog had this posted story posted about the Iraq withdrawal bill. There was a vote in the House (HR 2956) to withdraw American troops from Iraq within 120 days of passage. The bill passed 223-201 and our own Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) voted against the bill.

From the Clerk of the House of Representatives we have the list of those who, along with Pryce, voted against the bill:
Aderholt
Akin
Alexander
Bachmann
Bachus
Baker
Barrett (SC)
Barrow
Bartlett (MD)
Barton (TX)
Biggert
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Blackburn
Blunt
Boehner
Bonner
Bono
Boozman
Boren
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Brown (SC)
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Buchanan
Burgess
Burton (IN)
Buyer
Calvert
Camp (MI)
Campbell (CA)
Cannon
Cantor
Capito
Carney
Carter
Castle
Chabot
Coble
Cole (OK)
Conaway
Crenshaw
Culberson
Davis (KY)
Davis, David
Davis, Tom
Deal (GA)
Dent
Diaz-Balart, L.
Diaz-Balart, M.
Doolittle
Drake
Dreier
Ehlers
Ellsworth
English (PA)
Everett
Fallin
Feeney
Ferguson
Flake
Forbes
Fortenberry
Fossella
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Garrett (NJ)
Gerlach
Gillmor
Gingrey
Gohmert
Goode
Goodlatte
Granger
Graves
Hall (TX)
Hastert
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Heller
Hensarling
Herger
Hobson
Hoekstra
Holden
Hulshof
Hunter
Inglis (SC)
Issa
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, Sam
Jordan
Keller
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Kline (MN)
Knollenberg
Kucinich
Kuhl (NY)
LaHood
Lamborn
Latham
LaTourette
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
LoBiondo
Lucas
Lungren, Daniel E.
Mack
Manzullo
Marchant
Marshall
Matheson
McCarthy (CA)
McCaul (TX)
McCotter
McCrery
McHenry
McHugh
McKeon
McMorris Rodgers
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Moran (KS)
Murphy, Tim
Musgrave
Myrick
Neugebauer
Nunes
Pearce
Pence
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Pickering
Pitts
Platts
Poe
Porter
Price (GA)
Pryce (OH)
Putnam
Radanovich
Ramstad
Regula
Rehberg
Reichert
Renzi
Reynolds
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Royce
Ryan (WI)
Sali
Saxton
Schmidt
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shadegg
Shays
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Snyder
Souder
Stearns
Sullivan
Taylor
Terry
Thornberry
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Turner
Upton
Walberg
Walden (OR)
Walsh (NY)
Wamp
Weldon (FL)
Weller
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Wicker
Wilson (NM)
Wilson (SC)
Wolf
Young (FL)

Call/e-mail members of Congress from your state and tell them what you think of their vote.

UPDATE: Deborah Pryce, according to the Congressional Quarterly, said she would not vote on a deadline. How many more Ohioans have to die because Pryce supports this war? Why does she refuse to admit that this war was based on a lie? Why does she refuse to move work to end Bush's Iraq war? I have news for Pryce. The anti-war sentiment is growing in central Ohio. If she continues to support this war, she'll find herself retired in the next election.

Pryce Votes Against Helping College Students

From the New York Times:
The House on Wednesday approved far-reaching changes in student aid programs, voting to cut $19 billion in federal subsidies to student lenders over five years, while increasing grants for needy students and halving interest rates on federally backed loans with the savings....
....The bill marks a stark reversal of fortune for the student loan industry, which for over 10 years had largely enjoyed unflagging support under the Republican majority. Investigations by Congress, the news media and the New York attorney general bruised the standing of lenders, exposing systems of paying colleges commissions to win business, offering college officials free trips and other perks.....

Sounds like a terrific bill? It passed but it did not get any help from Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15). According to the Washington Post, Deborah Pryce voted against the final passage of HR 2669 (College Cost Reduction Act of 2007). Don't worry because the bill did pass in the House. However, Pryce was joined in her vote against the bill by Steve Chabot (OH-1), Paul Gillmor (OH-5), David Hobson (OH-7), Jim Jordan (OH-4), Jean Schmidt (OH-1), and Pat Tiberi (OH-12).

If you want to thank someone for increasing college grants and reducing interest rates on college loans, you need not thank Pryce, Chabot, Gillmor, Hobson, Jordan, Schmidt, and Tiberi. Apparently, they don't give a damn about helping out college students and their parents.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Bachmann and Pryce


One of President Bush's biggest supporters (besides Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce) is Republican Rep. Michelle Bachmann (MN-6th). Bachmann was in Iraq and faced a little difficulty. St. Cloud Times:

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann continued to stand by President Bush's military surge in Iraq, two days after returning from a congressional trip that put her in the line of fire while visiting Baghdad.

"It hasn't had a chance to be in place long enough to offer a critique of how it's working," said Bachmann, R-Minn....

....The delegation's visit was harrowing at times. While visiting with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker at the U.S. Embassy inside Baghdad's walled, high-security Green Zone on Friday, mortar blasts landed inside the American-controlled territory.

"This recorded message played four times while we were there, asking us to move away from any windows, to get on the ground and move to the center of the building," Bachmann said. "(Crocker) stayed in his seat and kept talking with us the whole time. He never moved."

Bachmann, as you may recall, is an enthusiastic supporter of President Bush. (You can see a picture of Bachmann pawing Bush after a State of the Union speech. The picture is from Minnesota Public Radio.)

According to ICasualties, Minnesota has already lost 54 members of the military in Iraq. How many more does Bachmann want Minnesota to sacrifice? Will she be satisfied when her state catches up with Ohio? Ohio has lost 156 service members in Iraq, according to ICasualties. Of those 156, 24 of them were from central Ohio. Despite the large numbers of fatalities with ties to Ohio, Republican Rep. Pryce also continues to support Bush's Iraq war. Why? Isn't it time we told Bachmann, Pryce, and the rest of the Bush war cheerleaders that we've had enough?

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

News from Ohio

Frances Strickland has some interesting talents. The Toledo Blade:
Ohio's First Lady, Frances Strickland, showed yesterday that she also is up to the job of being Ohio's First Angler.
Her husband, Gov. Ted Strickland, had to cancel his participation as Ohio Fisherman Numero Uno in what would have been his inaugural Governor's Fish Ohio Day. He instead, understandably, chose to be at the side of a very close personal friend in Florida during a family health crisis.
So Mrs. Strickland stepped up to the transom and proceeded to lead a fleet of 17 charter boats to a successful fishing trip that has become a yearly promotional extravaganza that focuses on Lake Erie, its world-class fisheries, and widely known tourism opportunities.
The fishing was good. Mrs. Strickland landed two walleyes and two freshwater drum, or sheepshead. And she agreed to bring her husband along next time....

Congratulations, Mrs. Strickland!

-----------
Guess who is coming to Ohio today? President Bush. Needless to say, I won't be part of the pre-approved, invitation only audience. Dispatch:

President Bush will spend much of Tuesday in Cleveland, his 48th visit to Ohio since becoming president in 2001.

The president will arrive at about 10:30 a.m., tour GrafTech International, a fuel cell components company in Parma, and then go to the Cleveland Clinic to discuss health care.

In the early afternoon, Bush will take part in a roundtable discussion at a downtown hotel. An aide said topics likely will include health care and the war in Iraq.

A 'roundtable discussion'? Give me a break!



Sunday, July 08, 2007

Pryce's Focus

Recent news about Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) shows that she is working on only two issues: childhood cancer and a Civil Rights coin. Although we applaud her attention to both of these areas, she has ignored other issues which have consequences for a majority of her constituents. Central Ohio demands and needs an elected member of Congress who has the ability to work on MANY problems facing us, such as --- ending the war in Iraq, bringing full employment to central Ohio, supporting funding for Bush's unfunded No Child Left Behind Act, helping veterans get medical care immediately instead of having to wait months for treatment, assist college students with overwhelming debt, etc., etc., etc. If Pryce is unable/unwilling to provide the help and leadership that we need, then she doesn't need to be in Congress.

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Pryce's Lack of Leadership

Randy Borntrager said it best when talking about Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce's (OH-15) work in the House of Representatives: (Campaigns and Elections)

...Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Randy Borntrager said the real issue is about leadership and accountability in office.

"This issue is more about Deborah Pryce's lack of leadership," Borntrager said. "Scooter Libby is just a symptom of a larger disease."

Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, paid a $250,000 fine Thursday after President Bush commuted the 30-month jail sentence on Tuesday....

Ohio Democrats are seeking real answers from Pryce on her stance on Libby. However, Pryce isn't saying anything. So what else is new???? Pryce only has daily and weekly press releases during her campaigns and the rest of the time she hides out like a hermit. When will she step up and do something that benefits central Ohio instead of just following the footsteps/talking points of the Republican Party?

Friday, July 06, 2007

Ohio Dems Want A Real Response

Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) is doing her part to stay out of the limelight. Pryce is also making an effort to not say/do anything that could be used against her in a campaign ad. That is why the Ohio Democratic Party is demanding that Pryce clearly state her opinion on the Libby situation.
Campaigns & Elections:
This week we learned yet another reason why we need change in Washington when President Bush granted a get out of jail free card to former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby-a sentence he received after lying about matters related to national security. We need representatives in Congress who won't shy away from holding the Bush Administration accountable.

That is why we are calling on Deborah Pryce to clearly state if she agrees with the President's decision to shield Libby from jail time. Does she agree with her fellow Ohio Congressman and Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner who said ""The President's decision on Mr. Libby was the right one..."?

[Boehner backs Bush on Libby sentence, Cincinnati Enquirer Blog, 7/3/2007]

Does Pryce agree with the Ohio Republican Party Chairman Robert T. Bennett who said Bush was "absolutely right"?

[LIBBY COMMUTATION: Sentence fell easily within U.S. averages, The Columbus Dispatch, 7/4/07]


Since Pryce is a lawyer and a former judge, you'd think she have an opinion about Libby not having to go to prison. However, Pryce is a good Republican robot and she'll do and say whatever she is told by the GOP.

Thursday, July 05, 2007

More on Libby...

The Dispatch has an article that provides the opinions of some Ohio politicians' opinions on Bush's decision to let Libby go without prison time for his perjury convictions. Here are some excerpts from the Dispatch story:

President Bush defended yesterday his decision to commute the sentence of former aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby for lying to a federal grand jury and obstructing the CIA leak investigation. Bush even held open the possibility of a full pardon.

Bush called the prison time originally given to Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff "excessive." But when it comes to federal sentences for perjury and obstruction of justice, prison time is the rule, not the exception.

Three out of four people convicted of obstruction of justice serve time in prison, federal court records show....

....Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Upper Arlington, said Presidents Clinton, Reagan and Carter all "utilized the powers of executive clemency hundreds of times." She said Bush's decision "will be evaluated ultimately by the American people for its appropriateness."

Well, guess what! The American people think Bush was wrong! Once again the Republicans are covering up for their party, just like they did in the Ohio Republican scandals (Coingate, Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation, ethics violations, etc.), and now on a national level that brought us to war.

TPM has reaction from people at their Election Central by quoting SurveyUSA's poll on the Libby decision:

• 60% say the prison sentence should have been left in place.

• 21% agree with the commutation.

• 17% say Libby should have been pardoned entirely.


But what has the White House gotten with letting Libby go free? Silence. Libby lied, was convicted, and the truth about the war, Cheney, and the White House's attacks on their political enemies gets swept under the rug.

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

What does Pryce think about Bush letting Libby go free?

*Could someone, anyone in the Columbus media (TV, radio, or newspaper) ask Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) her opinion on Bush commuting Libby's prison sentence? Do you think we could get her on record to see what she thinks? I'm guessing that Pryce will avoid saying anything because she doesn't want to provide campaign material for Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy.

I think that citizens in central Ohio should call Pryce's office to get her opinion.

*Mary Jo Kilroy has been very busy. Kilroy was at the celebration honoring Linden's #1 citizen, Clarence D. Lumpkin (Dispatch). Kilroy and the rest of the Franklin County Commissioners provided money to help in the development of the Linden area, according to the Dispatch.

Kilroy has also been working hard on the designs for the new ballpark that will replace Clipper stadium. The Dispatch has information about the design and capacity of the proposed new ballpark.

Monday, July 02, 2007

Pryce's Focus

Has anyone heard Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) speak recently about her views on the Iraq war? Apparently, Pryce only has things to say during an election year. This means that we won't hear a peep out of Pryce about Iraq until 2008.

How is Pryce doing on other issues? As far as the genocide going on in Darfur, Pryce has scored a "D" for her efforts: DARFUR SCORECARD

Deborah Pryce has received a “D” for supporting very few pieces of Darfur legislation. We need more support from this representative in order to make a difference in Darfur — the issue must become a key congressional priority.....

When one is elected to Congress, one is expected to work on many types of legislation. However, Pryce has just gone for cover since her party lost control of Congress. What the heck is she doing?? She is raising money for her next campaign!

A search of the FEC (Federal Election Commission) shows that Pryce is already raking in the big dough from her PAC's and deep pocket friends. Pryce has already collected over $208,368 for the 2007-2008 cycle. Of the $208,368 she has raised, only $12,400 was from individuals. The rest was from Non-Party/PACs/Other Committees.

Isn't it time that Ohio's 15th congressional district had a person as a Representative who actually worked for us?