Money, Money, Money

* The Lancaster Eagle Gazette has an article about the fundraising being done for Ohio's 15th congressional district:

.....Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy, a Franklin County commissioner who narrowly lost to incumbent U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce in 2006, will report $356,400 in new contributions this quarter, for a total of $828,361 this election cycle, her campaign said.

Republican state Rep. Steve Stivers has raised $404,703 in just seven weeks since he formalized his candidacy, his campaign said.....

It looks like it will be an expensive election.

* Looks like there will be some cuts coming to the state government.
Canton Repository:

Three positions here, 815 positions there. Gov. Ted Strickland wants to cut 2,700 state jobs as a way to trim $733 million from the two-year budget as national economic conditions saddle Ohio with a financial disaster.....

.....J. Pari Sabety, Strickland's budget director, said a significant amount of the savings will come from cuts and changes in central office operations in state agencies......

Of course, Republican Jon Husted had to chime in------

.....Earlier in the week, House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, told reporters if cuts could be made to state government, he wondered why they weren't made before Strickland proposed and the Legislature approved his two year budget last spring.....

Hmmmmm. I wonder how much money the state of Ohio would have saved if that unnecessary highway interchange in Husted's home district had not been constructed with the help of Husted's political campaign contributor. I bet you wonder too.

Absentee Voting Rush

> Many, many voters are getting absentee ballots. Here is a story from the Dispatch:
Half of all Franklin County voters could cast their ballots before the first poll opens on Ohio's primary election day.....

"It's very possible that we will hit 100,000 absentee votes, a record for a primary," said Matthew Damschroder, director of the Franklin County Board of Elections....

......Franklin County has 780,000 registered voters, though most don't show up for primaries. But Damschroder figures that, given the high-profile local and presidential races, well more than the usual 200,000 might vote in the March 4 primary.....

It should be interesting.

> Karen Gillmor has gotten an endorsement. According to the Dispatch, Karen Gillmor got the Republican endorsement to run for the Ohio Senate's 26th District. Did anyone bother to ask if she lives in the district? Does she still live in Dublin? Does anyone care?

> Popular Blue Jacket, Jody Shelley, has been traded (Star Telegram). He will be missed.

Good Stuff

> Do you remember Ohio State quarterback Joe Germaine? Here is some good news from the Salt Lake Tribune:

It appears that Joe Germaine will be the Utah Blaze's starting quarterback for a long, long time.
Germaine, the former Ohio State quarterback, has agreed to a four-year contract extension that will keep him in a Utah uniform through the 2012 season....
......His 5,005 passing yards broke the AFL record of 4,841 set by San Jose's Mark Grieb in 2007.......

> An interesting poll at 10tv.com asks viewers to grade President Bush's State of the Union speech. Of those responding, 49% did not watch it, 16% gave it an F.

....the likely Speaker of the House....

Ohio Republicans are so sure that they'll retain control of the Ohio legislature that they make decisions based on this assumption. Here is an example from the Newark Advocate:

.... (Rep. Jay) Hottinger has been a member of the House Finance and Appropriations committee since early 2007.

The outgoing chairman, Matt Dolan, R-Cleveland, son of Cleveland Indians owner Larry Dolan, is the likely Speaker of the House in 2009. He resigned Wednesday to prepare to become speaker....

Did you see that------ ...Dolan is the likely Speaker of the House in 2009...? Amazing. Why does Dolan need eleven months to prepare to become Speaker of the Ohio House? What if Dolan loses? What if the Republicans are swept out of office? It could happen.

When Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, she did not need 11 months to train. Something tells me that Pelosi's job is far more complicated than being Speaker of the Ohio House.

Right Wing Blogger Wrong

This blog's content has been attacked by some right wing GOP apologist who hates unions but loves the politics of Bob Taft, Tom Noe, and Bob Ney. Here is what the Ohio Red November had to say about my previous post about Steve Stivers friendship with banks: (I have not corrected his/her spelling errors!)

...Well my friends, here is another fine example here where the lefty blog tries to make a claim about State Senator Steve Stivers, canidate for Congress in OH-15, is “buddies” with the banking community, making a not so veiled attempt to say there is something “smarmy” going on....

1. Fact: Mr. Stivers was a lobbyist for Bank One before he joined the the state legislature. He has met with OBL (the Ohio Bankers League -See post below.) Mr. Stivers has received campaign contributions from PAC committees that are associated with banks, health insurance companies, tobacco, insurance companies (LINK) like American Bankers Assoc., National City, Huntington, Keycorp, Motorists, RJ Reynolds, Medco, Cardinal Health, etc. (Check the FEC.)
2. I never used the word smarmy.
3. My facts have links.
4. The right wing blog writer uses the Editorials of the right leaning Columbus Dispatch newspaper and a letter to the editor to support his/her case. The editorials and the letter are based on opinions.


More from the Righties--
....Now, word around the town is that this story may only be beginning and that there may be more decisions made in teh near future that will give this “Pay-to-Play” scheme with Mary Jo Kilroy and the Unions even more scrutiny.....

What word around the town?

> Here is another tidbit-----
On January 17, 2007, that same blogger calls members of unions thugs. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Why does the right wing blog writer hate unions? I know many union members and they are not thugs.

Stivers and Banks

** Even as recent as last year, Republican candidate for Congress, Steve Stivers, has continued to court and support his friends at the Ohio Bankers League.

Ohio Bankers League (motto as posted= "Working for Banks and Bankers"):
(4/26/2007)

Foreclosures topped the agenda as more than 60 Ohio bankers descended on Columbus for the annual OBL Day at the Capitol on Tuesday.
OBL Chairman and President & CEO of American Savings Bank, Bob Smith (pictured, center with Representative Chris Widener and OBL VP of State Government Relations Mike Adelman) commented, "With foreclosure rates front and center, this year's Day at the Capitol was more important than ever. The bankers who attended in Columbus yesterday did a great job of educating legislators that banks are not the cause of this problem and that we, as an industry, want to work with elected officials to develop a solution that is good public policy."

Representative Chris Widener (R-Springfield), chairman of the Ohio House Financial Institutions, Real Estate and Securities Committee and Senator Steve Stivers (R-Columbus) briefed bankers on recent developments from the Governor's Foreclosure Prevention Task Force as well as other pressing legislative issues. Armed with this information, the bankers went to the Statehouse for meetings with their state representatives and senators....

If Stivers were elected as a member of Congress for Ohio's 15th district, would he help and protect citizens or banks? Someone needs to ask which he considers more important.

> In 2006, Stivers participated in OBL Day at the Capitol in Columbus.

It seems to me that Steve Stivers just can't shake off those good buddies in the banking industry.

DeWine in a McCain Administration?

* Ohio Republicans are dusting off their resumes in hopes of landing a job with a John McCain administration. First in line is former Republican Sen. Mike DeWine. The Dispatch article said that DeWine could be the Attorney General in a McCain presidency.

* A new study reveals that members of the Bush administration lied in the buildup before the Iraq War. (I think a majority of Americans already knew that information.)
Raw Story:
A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks...
...The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism....
...The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both....

I'm surprised that they found only 935 false statements from the Bush Republican administration.

*** There is some good news out of Missouri! MSNBC:
Gov. Matt Blunt abruptly announced Tuesday that he will not seek a second term, leaving Republicans without a candidate in a race for which the incumbent had stockpiled millions of dollars.

The 37-year-old said he had decided not to seek a second term in November because he had accomplished virtually everything he set out to do when he ran for governor four years ago. Blunt has trailed in the polls, however, behind Democratic Attorney General Jay Nixon, who has been campaigning against him for several years......

Are the citizens of Missouri tired of the Blunt administration, Republicans in general, or both?

Fred and Food

>>> Zzzzzzzzz! Fred Thompson has withdrawn from the presidential race, according to the Toledo Blade. It just seemed that Thompson was not willing to work hard enough to get the nomination. There will be some Ohio GOPers who are going to be very disappointed.

>>> Whole Foods will ban plastic bags, according to Business First. I think it is a great idea. I carry my own canvas bags when I go shopping. It would be great if Kroger would encourage re-usable bags also.

>>> New York has an interesting proposal. Reuters:
New York again sought to force fast food chains to display calorie counts on their menu boards on Tuesday after a federal judge quashed a similar proposal last year.

The rule affects restaurants with 15 or more locations nationwide such as fast-food chains Burger King, McDonald's and Wendy's but also casual dining chains such as Ruby Tuesday and IHOP Corp's Applebee's.....

Fabulous. I'd also like to see restaurants post their grade from their last health inspection.

>>>> Speaking of food......
Republican Mike Huckabee said that he used to cook fried squirrel in his popcorn popper while he was in college. The New York Times has a recipe for fried squirrel if you're interested in following Huckabee's gourmet leanings.

Of Note

* Fun fact--(U.S. Treasury Direct)
On 1/14/2000, the total public debt outstanding was $5,719,849,572,269.03.
On 1/17/2008, the total public debt outstanding was $9,187,584,466,089.71.

* There are more Republican disputes. Oh, goody. CQ Politics:

The winter meeting held by Republican National Committee (RNC) and concluded this weekend did not even seek to compete for attention with the presidential nominating events on Saturday in Nevada and South Carolina. But they did, in a low-profile manner, revive a debate over whether and how to fix a presidential nominating process that many participants and observers view as broken.

The GOP officials meeting in Washington, D.C., did not miss the fact that the Nevada caucuses and South Carolina primary were already the fifth and sixth Republican voting events in the 2008 campaign — by Jan. 19 — with their multicandidate field hurtling toward a historic traffic jam of 21 Republican nominating events scheduled for Feb. 5......

Are the Republicans blaming their system for their failure to get voter interest for their loser candidates?

* The NY Times is reporting that stocks are falling in Asia and Europe due to fears about the U.S. economy. NY Times:

Global stock markets plunged on Monday as fears spread that the turmoil in United States mortgage markets is spreading. Indexes in Europe fell as much as 7 percent after a huge selloff in Asia.....

What a mess!

Special Attention in the 15th

*** The DCCC's "Red to Blue" campaign will send extra money and support to the Democratic candidate for Ohio's 15th congressional district, Mary Jo Kilroy.

CQ Politics:
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the campaign arm of the Democratic Party majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, has announced its initial roster of candidates in a program that will provide them with enhanced fundraising and strategic assistance — most of them for efforts to take over Republican-held seats in this year’s elections.....

Mary Jo Kilroy, Ohio’s 15th (Western Columbus and suburbs). Kilroy, an elected commissioner in the county that includes Columbus, has a return engagement on the “Red to Blue” list: She nearly defeated Rep. Deborah Pryce in 2006. Several Republicans are running in the March 4 primary election, the best-known of whom is state Sen. Steve Stivers.

2004 vote for president: Bush 50 percent, Kerry 49 percent...

Sad but true----> Pryce did get some Democratic and Independent voters in the last election. Now that we've seen the disastrous results of the Bush administration and the rubber stamp support of his Republican lap dogs, the likelihood of crossover votes should be kept to a minimum.

Also, a large majority of the people in the 15th are very disgusted with Bush's war, the toll on our military men and women, the state of the economy, and our government's response to events/circumstances (Katrina, the inability of wounded war vets to get timely health care, the failure of Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, the lack of new jobs, etc.). People are looking for change and hope.

Speaking of our wounded vets--- Some wounded vets are being forced back into war after sustaining severe wounds, head trauma, concussions, and PTSD (see the Denver Post's article). Is this anyway to run a country? See Bush's sword dance.

Questions

** Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce voted against the passage of the S-Miner Act (HR 2768) in the House of Representatives yesterday, according to the Washington Post. The S-Miner Act is a bill to improve the safety of miners. Why would Pryce vote against the safety of miners? Would it be because of contributions received from people like Robert Murray, president of Murray Energy Company? According to Open Secrets, Robert Murray and his staff, have contributed over $127,000 to Pryce, George W. Bush, and other Republican members of Congress (see Open Secrets).

** Now we must deal with meat from cloned animals. Since the FDA has approved cloned meat for sale in our stores, will members of the FDA eat this cloned meat and serve it to their children?

Stivers Gets Cozy With Business Contributors

The Republican candidate for Ohio's 15th congressional district, Steve Stivers, has been courting the same PACs and business leaders that Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce had as contributors. According to a listing from the FEC (Federal Election Commission), the PACs are pouring in their money to help Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, and now member of the Ohio legislature. In a recent report from the FEC, Stivers received substantial campaign money from PACs which represent banks, insurance companies, health insurers, and large corporations. These PACs are hoping to get a business/corporation protectionist into the House of Representatives.

However, according to the FEC website (as of today), there have been no individual contributors. Regular citizens have not given campaign money to Stivers as yet.

Democratic candidate for Ohio's 15th, Mary Jo Kilroy, has PAC contributions too, according to the FEC. However, these contributions are from worker/employee/group PACs. The FEC lists many individual contributors for Kilroy for the 2006 race and for 2008 election.

Repeat That Again

>> John McCain is looking for voters. I didn't know he'd go this far.
Cumberlink:
John McCain, campaigning in a funeral home, hoped for a large turnout by the living Tuesday as Michigan voters judged the Republican presidential pack in a snowy primary.....

How many votes do you think he picked up in the funeral home?

>> Mike Huckabee wants to amend the Constitution.
MSNBC:
...These two topics usually feature prominently in Huckabee's stump speech, but last night he got specific, promising to build a border fence within 18 months if elected and elaborating on his belief that the constitution needs to be amended.

"[Some of my opponents] do not want to change the Constitution, but I believe it's a lot easier to change the constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God, and that's what we need to do is to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards," Huckabee said, referring to the need for a constitutional human life amendment and an amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

Huckabee often refers to the need to amend the constitution on these grounds, but he has never so specifically called for the Constitution to be brought within "God's standards," which are themselves debated amongst religious scholars. As a closing statement he asked the room of nearly 500 supporters to "pray and then work hard, and in that order," to help him secure a victory in Tuesday's GOP primary....

Huckabee gives me the heebie-jeebies. I guess he'll be advocating a state religion soon.

>> Giuliani is not doing well in Florida. Even though Giuliani has campaigned almost exclusively in Florida, his poll numbers do not look good.

NY Daily News:

....A new Quinnipiac University poll Monday found Giuliani has lost his once-dominant lead in Florida, a must-win for the ex-mayor. He is locked in a virtual four-way tie for first place in the state's GOP primary with Sen. John McCain and ex-Govs. Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee.

At the same time, two new polls showed Giuliani - the Republican front-runner for virtually all of 2007 - sliding into third or fourth place nationally....

If Giuliani continues to spend his little remaining campaign cash in Florida, he'll have an empty campaign war chest for other states.

Kilroy vs. Same Old GOP Talking Points (Stivers)

Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy is running for Congress for Ohio's 15th Congressional District. Kilroy lost to Republican Deborah Pryce by only 1,000 votes. This election year should be different.

On the other side, the Ohio GOP has Steve Stivers as their mostly likely candidate for Ohio's 15th. Stivers is running on the usual Republican talking points (Stivers website):
--- economic development and job development (Pryce never helped us. Why would he?),
--- limited government (George W. Bush has actually expanded the federal government!),
--- lower taxes (Does he mean lower taxes for his buddies at corporations?), and
--- securing our borders (How does he intend to do this?).

Stivers served in the military. Does he support Bush's Iraq policies?

The Stivers website states that ".....Washington, D.C. is broken." Is it because of the failures of the Bush administration? I noticed in the photos on his website that all the people in the pictures are white. Does Stivers know that there are many different races and ethnic groups in the 15th district?

I'll be watching this race and I'll keep you informed.

Updates on Ohio Politics

> Ohio Republicans are in deep oatmeal hoping for a savior for their fractured, corrupt party. According to the Plain Dealer, the Ohio GOP had a straw poll in Northeastern Ohio. Giuliani came out a winner (41 out of 103 votes), and McCain close behind with 30 of the 103 votes. It appears that, as reported in the article, 20 percent of these Republican leaders are undecided.

> If you are interested in reading some works of fiction, you need to visit the Ohio GOP website. Some of their fictional stories include that President Bush's "surge" worked in Iraq (Why are our troops still there? Why is there violence? Why haven't the Iraqis taken over their own security?), the No Child Left Behind Act is a success (LOL!!!! They must not be talking to public school teachers! All those charter school owners are getting rich.), and that the Republican Party is good for woman (I guess that is why all their presidential candidates are white men.).

> It is official! We now have the candidates for the congressional primaries. According to the Dispatch, Mary Jo Kilroy will be the Democrat running for the 15th congressional district. Republican candidates include Steve Stivers and Robert Wagner. Should be interesting. I'm waiting for Stivers to claim that he represents change!!!

> It appears that Republican Speaker of the House, John Husted, is doing a good job trying to cater to the public utilities. Here is an excerpt from Ohio.com:
.....Husted's plan at this point offers just the right combination of hope and fear to all the stakeholders involved to keep them actively interested in the political process, which means retaining lobbyists and writing hefty campaign contribution checks....

Ohioans need to get the Republicans out of control of the state legislature so that real people, not lobbyists, get what they need.

Huckabee Not A Fave of Ohio GOP

According to a story in The Other Paper, Ohio Republicans are not in a lovefest with Republican presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee. Here are some excerpts from the article:

....Despite winning last Thursday’s Iowa caucuses and leading in national polls, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is getting little respect from the leadership of the Ohio GOP.

Last month, when Huckabee was on the cover of Newsweek as the biggest story in presidential politics, state Republican Chairman Bob Bennett downplayed his chances for the nomination, predicting the GOP race would come down to a fight between former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Yesterday, state Rep. Kevin DeWine, the party’s deputy chairman, was similarly dismissive of Huckabee.....

The article goes on saying that Huckabee reminds Ohio Republicans of their failed, right wing, religious extremist candidate for governor, Ken Blackwell.

Huckabee is very similar to Blackwell on many issues. Would Ohio Republicans just hold their noses and vote for Huckabee if he was their candidate? It makes you wonder.

An Open Letter to State Rep. Kevin Bacon

If you live in Ohio, you may have gotten a "newsletter" from your Ohio State Representative. I got mine today from State Rep. Kevin Bacon (District 21). Mr. Bacon asked what things that he and the rest of the ("do-nothing" Republican-controlled <--my words) state legislature should work on in the new year.

I'll make this short and sweet:

Fix the school funding problem in Ohio!

The Ohio Supreme Court found, in 1997, that the Ohio school funding was unconstitutional. However, the Ohio GOP would rather work on less important issues (like the defense of marriage act, building roads in their home districts, and so on...). (See Bricker & Eckler for a summary of the Ohio school funding litigation.)

Ohio Republicans Are Worried

*Ohio Republicans are worried that a strong Democratic presidential ticket could doom their party in the November elections. The Ohio GOP and Republicans across the country fear an Obama-Clinton or
a Clinton-Obama ticket. It would be historical and offer the country real change and leadership. (If you want to try my theory on a Republican friend, tell him that you heard that it will be a Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton ticket and watch the panic in his eyes.)

On the other side, the sad, all old white guy Republican presidential club has little to offer but the same old GOP mantra ==> more war, taxes, protect corporations and oil companies. Last night on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart showed a number of great clips. One video showed Giuliani and his ability to add "9/11" to every sentence. Amazing.

Not Everyone Represents Change

It seems that many candidates are claiming that they are agents of change. However, only certain individuals have the right to be using the word "change" to describe what their run for office means. The Dispatch has this:

The word is change, and the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates have fallen in love with it....

....The talk of change has even dripped down to central Ohio. Republican state Sen. Steve Stivers, who faces Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy for the congressional seat held by Republican Deborah Pryce, announced that "this election is about change."
The voters are left to sort out the word's meaning....

After reading the article, here are my rundowns on various people and if they can claim the mantle of an agent of change.

AGENTS OF CHANGE:

Hillary Clinton--- first woman to run for President. It would bring a different perspective to the office.

Barack Obama--- his views, background, and goals would provide a change of focus.

Bill Richardson--- his experience in foreign diplomacy, his background, and his experience in being a governor would provide a fresh approach.

NOT AGENTS OF CHANGE (REPRESENT THE SAME OLD SAME OLD):

Steve Stivers--- as a candidate for the House of Representatives and former bank lobbyist, Stivers would bring the same pandering that the current member of Congress, Deborah Pryce (OH-15), has done for businesses, financial and insurance groups, and pharmaceutical corporations. Stivers DOES NOT represent change.

John McCain--- he'd continue the war in Iraq (forever) and continue the policies of the current administration.

Mitt Romney--- supports a continuation of the war and Bush policies, but there is a chance of a flip-flop.

Mike Huckabee--- I think of Huckabee as being a more religious Bush. Huckabee has no experience in national decision-making.

Rudy Giuliani--- someone once described him as being like George W. Bush, but on steroids. Giuliani would bring us to a police state and a larger war in the Middle East.

Only the Democrats represent change. The rest are just adopting the rhetoric of the day.

Friday's Notes

> It appears that Republican Rep. Bob Latta (OH-5th) has some new challengers for his recently acquired seat in the House of Representatives. Toledo Blade:
Newly elected U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (R., Bowling Green) will face a challenge for the Republican nomination March 4 from an Iraq War veteran and West Point graduate who filed his candidacy papers yesterday. Scott Radcliffe, 28, avoided discussing Mr. Latta in his announcement yesterday in his hometown of Perrysburg, other than saying he was not pleased with the vitriolic primary battle Mr. Latta won.....

Don't you just love the fighting in the GOP???

> President George W. Bush apparently forgot about his "compassionate conservative" pledge.
San Francisco Sentinel:

The Bush administration is imposing restrictions on the ability of states to expand eligibility for Medicaid, in an effort to prevent them from offering coverage to families of modest incomes who, the administration argues, may have access to private health insurance.

The restrictions mirror those the administration placed on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program in August after states tried to broaden eligibility for it as well.

Until now, states had generally been free to set their own Medicaid eligibility criteria, and the Bush administration had not openly declared that it would apply the August directive to Medicaid. State officials in Louisiana, Ohio and Oklahoma said they had discovered the administration’s intent in negotiations with the federal government over the last few weeks....

Mr. Bush has no interest in the health of poor American children.

Another Snowy Day in Columbus

* We had some snow overnight in Columbus. As soon as there are two flakes of snow, some drivers forget how to drive!

* Ohioans have to work to take back the state legislature. The do-nothing Republican majority in the Ohio House and Ohio Senate have refused to work on the school funding issue. Jon Husted and his GOP cohorts would rather work on getting contracts for their big campaign contributors than help Ohio children get a decent education.

* A Taft holdover has been accused of a conflict of interest. Dispatch:

As a high-ranking lawyer for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation for 17 years, Kevin R. Abrams had his fingerprints on many of the policies governing how injured workers should be paid.
Now, Abrams judges disputes arising from decisions made by his former employer. Some see a conflict between those two roles...
...At least some of Abrams' votes are tainted by his work at the bureau, alleges a complaint filed by Joseph C. Sommer, a bureau lawyer....

It might be time for Mr. Abrams to find another job outside of the state government.

* Shoppers in central Ohio are increasingly bringing their own bags for their grocery shopping trips.
Dispatch:
...Natural-food stores such as Whole Foods have encouraged shoppers to reuse bags for several years, and mainstream supermarkets such as Kroger and Giant Eagle are joining them....

BYOGB=Bring Your Own Grocery Bag!