This is Important!!!!!!!

*  PLEASE!!!!!!  Make sure you vote!!!!!!!  Call/email friends and remind them to vote! 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

++++ A voter's guide in the Columbus Dispatch had this to say about the experience of the candidates in Ohio's 15th congressional district, Democratic Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, and Republican Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist:

 MARY JO KILROY

Experience: one term in Congress;

eight years as Franklin County commisioner

and eight on the Columbus 

school board

 - - -

STEVE STIVERS

Experience:  25 years in

Ohio National Guard; six

as state senator; 11 "in

the private sector"  *

....................................................................................................

(that is my asterisk)

*  "in the private sector"

?????? 

Give me a break!!!!  

He was a BANK  LOBBYIST!  

A  BANK  LOBBYIST!!!!

(pic from Dispatch)

Steve Stivers was a bank lobbyist with Bank One, which is now part of Chase. Do you think that a former bank lobbyist with connections to banks, financial concerns, other banks, and ties to utilities/mining/oil will take care of you?  If you believe that, let me tell you about some swamp land....

_   _   _

*  At it again:  The white van with the sign that reads, NOTKASICH.COM  "Conservatives against Kasich," was seen in a very visible place on the far north side of Worthington.

> > >  As I was walking into The Anderson's this afternoon, I saw a John Boehner bumper sticker on the back of a Mercury Marquis.  Doesn't that say it all? 


->  Today I spoke with someone who said they had changed their mind about which candidate they were going to vote for in the race for Ohio governor.  Originally, he had planned on voting for John Kasich but after watching him, and viewing some of the ads, this guy felt that Kasich's snide remarks, and arrogant attitude made him change his mind.  If Ohio has to make some serious cuts to personnel, no one wants the governor looking down at you, being sarcastic as he makes an announcement of layoffs.  I guess the straw that broke the camel's back for him was the ad where Kasich said, "....we all know what bonuses are...." regarding his plan to reward his hand picked super, special, Department of Development board of CEO's.  What Kasich has failed to realize is that not everyone has received bonuses.  We know Kasich has, but not everyone else has had that luxury.

> The DailyBellwether has an example of Kasich's attitude when he refused to meet with the Fraternal Order of Police:

GOP candidate for Ohio governor John Kasich snubbed Ohio's Fraternal Order of Police earlier this year.  He didn't send a personal letter expressing support of law enforcement -- a form letter from a campaign worker was all Kasich mustered....



The FOP's newsletter had this to say about Kasich's snub:

"Mr. Kasich did not interview with the political screening committee, he did not attend the conference to make himself available to our members and answer their questions in person, as Governor Strickland and every other candidate for statewide political office did.  A letter was sent expressing Mr. Kasich's support of law enforcement, but that was not even signed by Mr. Kasich, it was signed by a campaign worker.

"Without the participation of Mr. Kasich, we were left to press reports to get his political platform, which includes the abolition of the Ohio Income Tax and the privatization of public employees, both issues opposed by the FOP.  Also, Mr. Kasich's running mate has suggested to municipalities that they consider contracting out their law enforcement work to the Sheriff in her current role as Auditor of State."

> Kasich and Taylor have not won over everyone.  Kasich seems to have no use for regular people- except at election time.  Kasich would prefer to hang out with the wealthy and share their similar problems - their golf handicap, and the rising price of caviar.  He is like that "know-it-all" relative who considers himself an expert on everything and you think he is just plain obnoxious.

For more insight about both candidates, you must read an interview that was conducted by the USSA/Outdoor Writers of Ohio (posted at Buckeye Firearms): (here is a sample Q & A below)

...The budget is the big issue. Where does the ODNR budget and the sportsmen wildlife budget fund fit into the budget?

Kasich: We are growing the state budget by about 10.7% out of the general revenue fund. Wouldn't you like to have a 10.7% raise? We have a lot of government, if we don't get the economic recovery we are all in trouble. Everything is going to be put under the microscope and everything is on the table. Our natural resources should be a money producer for the state generating tourism and revenue. Clearly we want to pump this up. I can't make a commitment to anybody what we are going to do. I consider the sportsmen programs a part of economic development so we don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish. We have to make them a priority but we have to examine everything.

Note from Mr. Moore: The Ohio Department of Natural Resources budget has not grown. The Ohio Division of Wildlife and the Division of Watercraft are not funded from the general revenue funds, so Mr. Kasich either side-stepped the question or was unaware of that fact. Additionally the Division of Parks has experienced severe cuts going back to at least the first Taft budget.

Strickland: Well you've heard from both of us and can see the difference. I've made the pledge to protect the wildlife fund; the hunting, fishing, trapping license and permit fees that sportsmen pay to support the Division of Wildlife. I protected it in the two previously budgets and I will continue to protect it...

 Did you notice that Kasich talks and talks, but says nothing?  Either he is not knowledgeable about the subject or he just doesn't care.

(The "Mr. Moore" that provided the facts about the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Ohio Division of Wildlife, the Division of Watercraft, and the Division of Parks, is outdoor writer, Larry S. Moore.)

...............

*  Republican candidate for Ohio Treasurer, Josh Mandel, is extremely unqualified for this position.  Sure Mandel served in the military, but what are his actual academic qualifications for this post???  If one thing should disqualify Mandel, it is the way that he conducted his campaign and his lies and attacks on Democrat Kevin Boyce.  Democrat Kevin Boyce is very qualified to be State Treasurer.  Mandel has had one of the sleaziest, dirtiest campaign I've seen in years.

Dirty, Scummy, Liars

*  John Boehner, appeared today with Richard Iott, Republican candidate who likes to spend weekends dressed as a Nazi reenactor.  That is really horrible.  Why would Boehner contribute money and then show support for a person who glorifies Nazis? 

*  Bad news for Republicans that appeared before the Ohio Elections Commission.  DaytonDailyNews:


...The commission’s probable cause panel found that print and TV ads for state Sen. Husted, R-Kettering, contained false statements about Maryellen O’Shaughnessy, his Democratic opponent in the secretary of state race, commission Executive Director Phil Richter said....

......Also Thursday, the panel tossed out a complaint that alleged Democrat Gov. Ted Strickland’s campaign falsely claimed in an ad that challenger Kasich received an “F” rating from the National Rifle Association.
The three-member panel said it was true: Kasich once got an F after voting for an assault weapons ban....

...In the Mandel case, probable cause was found that false statements were made in a TV commercial and mailers by Mandel and the Ohio Republican Party in the state treasurer’s race. The ads imply that incumbent Democrat Kevin Boyce is a Muslim and announced a secretarial job opening only at a Columbus area mosque. The full commission will consider the complaint.

Repeat after me:  Kasich once got an F from the NRA.

Republican Plans

* With Republicans salivating at the chance of controlling the both houses of Congress, some Republicans are making some inquiries.

Kentucky.com:

Signaling another partisan fight over immigration enforcement after next week's midterm elections, all seven Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee signed a letter last week asking the Department of Homeland Security how much money it needs to deport every illegal immigrant the government encounters.

The request came in an Oct. 21 letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and asks her to "detail exactly how much funding" would be needed "to ensure that enforcement of the law occurs consistently for every illegal alien encountered and apprehended." The Republican senators requested a response by Nov. 15, two weeks after the midterm elections....

You can see what the Republicans want to concentrate on if they are the majority party. They aren't interested in creating jobs- just creating complete confusion and spending millions on deporting people they deem dangerous (anyone not white and rich).

______

***  What are John Kasich's plans for Ohio?  He won't tell us until after the election.

The Opinionator gave an example of how some of politicians avoid giving valuable information about their agenda:

Patient: Doctor what are the risks from this surgery?

Doctor: I'll tell you after the operation.

Are you willing to have John Kasich tell you after the operation election how he'll screw up Ohio?

We know that Gov. Ted Strickland has been fair with every single person in this state. When he has had to make cuts because of the economy, Strickland carefully balanced out the cuts.  Gov. Strickland has reduced the number of state employees, kept college tuition under control, and worked hard to move Ohio toward the emerging green manufacturing industry.

Kasich, on the other hand, has not demonstrated fairness and honesty in his career.  When he was in Congress, he tried to cut, and eliminate college grants and student loans.  He tried to eradicate certain programs for injured veterans, cut programs for the working poor, and remove job training programs so that he could fund tax cuts for the rich ("trickle down economics").

Kasich, who was not a banker before he went to work for Lehman Brothers, used his familiarity with decision makes to get more business for Lehman by using his contacts in the state. With Kasich's assistance, the Ohio public pension funds lost nearly $500 billion when Lehman collapsed.

How can we trust Kasich?  He wants to cut the state income tax but has provided no details on what he'd eliminate so that he can proceed with this plan.  If the state income tax is eliminated, how do we pay for school funding, road repairs, state government, libraries, funding for counties and cities, prisons, etc., etc.?

 --- --- ----

When asked recently if he'd move to the governor's mansion, Kasich told the Dispatch:

"That's taking measurements before the election's over," Kasich said when asked if the family would occupy the taxpayer-provided mansion.
"We love where we live. ...Wait till the election's over, and my wife will say what she wants."

It almost seems like the Dispatch is giddy over the prospect of Kasich as Governor.

> You know those books Kasich "wrote" that Republicans buy like crazy?  It appears that Kasich really doesn't "write" them himself.
Dispatch:

One other thing about Kasich: He didn't actually write his last two best-selling books - Stand for Something and Every Other Monday - at least in the hunched-over-a-keyboard way that many folks might envision an author at work. At book-writing time, ghost writer Daniel Paisner visits Kasich for a couple of days and, according to Kasich, here is what happens:

"I talk into a microphone and he asks me questions. He pushes me on certain things to get my ideas out there. Then he will get it transcribed. Then he will put it down on paper and ship it to me. Then I will take a look at it and then I start marking it up. . .

Amazing.

*  Republican Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, has a big supporter in Sarah Palin.   Stivers is officially one of Palin's "Mama Grizzlies."  I don't know if that is such a good thing.

* Since Steve Stivers hopes to repeal the health care reform law.  Do you know which group stands to lose the most if the Republicans succeed with their plan to eradicate the bill?   Women.

Here is how the health care reform law helps women:

Spare Candy:

It will be easier for children and young adults to get and keep health insurance....
Women will have improved access to affordable preventive care...
Women will have new protections against harmful insurance practices...
And the law provides even more relief to women like making it illegal to charge women more than men for insurance.....


A vote for Stivers, Renacci, Ganley, DeWine, Husted, Portman, Gibbs, Boener, and the rest of the right wing GOP/Tea Bag people will turn back health care progress for women.
Women who vote for Stivers instead of Mary Jo Kilroy are hurting themselves and their children.

Voters are Concerned

John Kasich, Republican candidate for Ohio governor, has made a lot of voters very wary of his plans for ~

(a) Ohio's public education, 

(Kasich's plan: promote charter schools, consolidate school districts, remove local control of schools, etc.)

(b) the elimination of state income tax and the ramifications, 

(Kasich's plan: cut the state income tax which provides 40% of the state's funding; this will reduce the amount of money given to counties, cities, and villages)

(c) the privatization/sell off of state agencies, 

(Kasich's plan:  "if it is in the phone book..." - sell off state parks and state services, and possibly privatize public libraries)

(d) public school teachers and his continuous vilification of teachers, professors, and other professional educators, 

(Kasich's plan: as quoted in the Star Beacon "break the back of teachers' unions")

(e) the elimination of the Ohio Department of Development to be replaced with his Wall Street cronies with guaranteed bonuses. (Kasich's plan: Kasich would choose his friends and  CEO's to sit on his state funded Dept. of Development where they would be eligible for publicly funded bonuses.)

Kasich has embraced the tea party movement and the goals/plans and campaign contribution of Sarah Palin (SARAHPAC).  That in itself should raise the ire of Ohio voters.

_   _   _   _   _

>  Mary Jo Kilroy has been instrumental in bringing federal money (source: Center for Responsive Politics) to help local agencies, such as I-SAFE e-Safety Education and Outreach Initiative, Ohio Advanced Energy Manufacturing Center, Kids Come First, The City of Worthington -sanitary sewer improvements, Alton Commons Boulevard Improvements, Ohio Bureau of Criminal ID/Investigation, City of Columbus Dept. of Public Safety -crime lab improvements, Olentangy 5th Ave - Dam, the Ohio State University -materials, devices applications, I-71-SR 665 Interchange Improvements, etc.

While Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, was in the state senate, he produced no new jobs for his district ----  but he did protect the profits of banks and payday lenders!!!!  Stivers is promoting a jobs plan for Buckeyes.  Do you know what kind of jobs plan Stivers wants?????  Stivers supports the failed "trickle down economics" which does not produce jobs, but only makes the rich richer.

How is Steve Stivers spending that large campaign contribution he received from Sarah Palin?  What did he promise her in return?  Do people in central Ohio want someone who has been approved and blessed by Sarah Palin????

Kasich's Attacks on Teachers

Dispatch:
...During a speech before Ashtabula County Republicans in March 2009, Kasich talked about the need to "break the back of organized labor in the schools," according to the Ashtabula Star Beacon. He did not back away from that quote last week, saying as he pushes ideas to change schools he has often clashed with teachers unions, who have "smeared my record and distorted it."
   Kasich, who is backed by business groups, also opposes paying prevailing wages on state-funded construction projects. And as part of a sweeping review of state laws and regulations, he wants to reexamine the 1983 law that gave public employees in Ohio the right to collective bargaining, arbitration and strike (except for safety forces)....

John Kasich, Republican candidate for Ohio governor, continues to vilify public school teachers every chance he gets.  Since eighty percent of the public school teachers in Ohio are women, is this Kasich's way of trying to restrict women from having careers and supporting their families?   Does he think teachers should make the minimum wage, have no rights in the work place, and not have job protection?

I don't think that Kasich knows much about schools and even less about the teaching profession.  He has no idea about what a teacher's job involves.  Teachers today work with children of many cultures and learning styles.  Besides dealing with classroom lesson plans, parent conferences, curriculum committees, staff meetings, and state testing programs,  teachers also continue to take classes to maintain their certifications.  It is not like teachers sit behind their desks all day and do nothing.  A majority of teachers continue to train, read, and take graduate level classes in the evening and during the summers. Teachers should be respected.

Win or lose, Kasich's continuing bashing of teachers will not be forgotten.  Does Kasich think that he is superior to teachers and regular working people? 

-------------------------

Sarah Palin is NOT coming to Columbus this weekend, according to the Dispatch. Palin would have come here to support, Steve Stivers, and her other friend, John Kasich.

Sarah Palin Supports Steve Stivers

What kind of candidate gets the support of half-term governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin? Far right? Radical? Racist? Anti-gay?

Former bank lobbyist and current Republican candidate, Steve Stivers, has received a sizable campaign donation from SarahPAC, Sarah Palin's political action committee.

Brad Bauman of the campaign for Mary Jo Kilroy, released the following statement:

Faux-moderate turned faux-conservative Steve Stivers has proven once again that he is willing to pander to any group in order to get elected, this time by accepting the endorsement, and of course PAC check from Sarah Palin.  Steve joins an elite group of candidates around the country who mangle the Constitution, like Christine O’Donnell, pray to an aqua Buddha like Rand Paul, lie to America like Joe Miller and believes in the violent innsurction against our government like Sharron Angle.  These politicians, like Stivers, have questioned the science behind climate change, direct election of U.S. Senators and the need for transparency in both the public and private sectors.

“This shows once again that Steve Stivers doesn’t care who he embraces in his vanity hobby of running for office, even extremist right-wing groups,” said Brad Bauman, Communications Director for Mary Jo Kilroy.  “He has been afraid to come out once and for all and tell voters what he really thinks about jobs, the economy and other pressing issues facing central Ohio families.  Unfortunately for him, this contribution from Sarah Palin shows whose side he is truly on and it is not the side of Ohio families.

This de facto endorsement calls into questions how in step Steve Stiver is with the people he wants to represent.  In taking money from a former vice presidential candidate who has questioned evolution, opposed abortion even in cases of rape or incest, and refused to take real questions from everyday voters, Lobbyist Stivers has demonstrated to Ohio voters once in for all whose side he is truly on.

In accepting this money from Sarah Palin, does that mean that Steve Stivers agrees with her on issues?

Sarah Palin believes that creationism should be taught in public schools.

Does Steve Stivers agree with her?

Sarah Palin promoted and continues to support the aerial hunting of wolves and bears.

YouTube



Does Steve Stivers also support the aerial killing of wolves and bears?  Does Stivers agree with Sarah Palin's environmental views?

Allow me to share a few of Sarah Palin's environmental views (for more info, visit Grizzlybay.org):
 
...Palin believes man-made global warming is a farce.

Palin strongly supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge...

Palin is suing the federal government to prevent listing the polar bear as an endangered species...

Call (614) 358-0800 or email (info@stivers4congress.com) the office of Steve Stivers and ask him if he agrees with Sarah Palin on the environment, and wildlife.

One more thing.....
Now that Sarah Palin has announced plans to run for President in 2012, Stivers will be part of her posse.

- - - - - -

Female voters have something to consider.  If the Republicans gain control of the House and the Senate and repeal the Health Care Reform Law, then guaranteed maternity coverage will be gone.  Do you know what else will go?  The new Health Care Reform Law also allows students to stay on their parents health insurance until the age of 26.  That also would be gone if the Republicans get their  way.  Since John Boehner has announced that they'll be no compromise, women will lose the most.

Republicans controlling our lives, our reproductive freedom, our health care, our wages, and our future is very frightening.  Women should avoid voting for Republicans because they are not interested in us and our issues.

Get the picture?

Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15-D) is in a tight race with Republican Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist and current darling of the Tea Party.  Kilroy has been attacked by all of the Stivers big money supporters including the Chamber of Commerce.

Kilroy for Congress on YouTube:



As I've said before-
Kilroy has fought persistently for the everyday, regular, hard working people, families, and students in Ohio's 15th congressional district.  Stivers, on the other hand, has sold his soul to bank PACs/executives, lobbyists, utility polluters, insurance company PACs/executives, mining PACs/executives, and others trying to protect their obscene profits at the expense of consumers.  Are you willing to support the rollback of these rights and laws that Stivers and his far right supporters want? Do you want someone like Stivers who has opposed consumer protection, opposed scholarships for the disabled, and supported pay day lenders?????

Steve Stivers provided his responses to a questionnaire provided by a 912 Glenn Beck group.  Here is what Steve Stivers is proposing if he is elected:

1. Repeal the health care reform bill
2. Repeal the 16th Amendment to the Constitution (see U.S. archives link)
3. Repeal the 17th Amendment to the Constitution
4. Eliminate the Department of Agriculture
5. Eliminate the Department of Education
6. Eliminate the Department of the Interior
7. Eliminate the Department of Housing and Urban Development
8. Eliminate the Department of Transportation
9. Eliminate the Department of Energy
10. Eliminate the Department of Veterans Affairs
11. Sell off the national parks


Which of these Amendments to the Constitution do you want to see repealed?  Are you willing to give up some of your rights to satisfy Stivers, the Tea Party, and the Republicans? 

Stivers has the support of big oil producers, mining companies, and utility corporations. His goal to sell off the national parks must be whetting the appetites of these major polluters.   Open Secrets has all the details about where Stivers is getting his money.

______________

John Kasich and the Wall Street bankers sold schemes to investors and pension funds.  In the end, they lost money, but Kasich still got his bonus.  Is John Kasich still selling schemes to Ohio voters? 

John Kasich brought some of his old, white, conservative buddies to Ohio to campaign with him.  Kasich even campaigned with Newt Gingrich, who has an approval rating in the low single digits.

It Comes Down to Trust

The FreeDictionary.com defines trust a....

Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.

Which candidate for Ohio Governor is worthy of your trust?

Is it John Kasich? - Through his contacts with Ohio's government, he pushed, and cajoled Ohio's public pension funds to invest in Lehman Brothers.  As a result, the state pension funds lost $480 million in Lehman's toxic assets. Kasich has vilified teachers, workers, public servants, and others.

Is it Ted Strickland?-  Ted Strickland is an honorable man.  Strickland has had to balance Ohio's budgets and, when cuts were needed, he did them fairly.   Strickland himself did not lose jobs- - - the economy, the Wall Street meltdown, and the reckless economic policies of the Bush administration created the recession and job losses.

-   -   -   -   -   -   -  

If you've visited Republican candidate Steve Stivers "plan for jobs" you are aware that there is nothing new there.  Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, repeats the Republican mantra about cutting taxes, eliminating regulations, and other Republican talking points.  Stivers has nothing new.  He even wants to extend the Bush tax cuts, even though they would create more debt. Stivers has nothing new to offer.

Are you a thug?

I'm not a thug.  I'm a 59 year old woman, wife, mother, and grandmother.  Even though Kasich thinks I'm a thug for supporting Ted Strickland, I can assure you that I haven't punched, stomped on, or thrown money at anyone -ever.  Of course, I've never used my personal contacts to push public pension plans to invest in toxic assets and then caused them to lose $480 million.

I've lived in Ohio since I went to Ohio State in the early 1970's (except for 4 disgusting years we lived in M------n).  I've been aware of John Kasich and his politics for years. In John Kasich's world, you only have worth if you have wealth.

Kasich is only interested in certain topics.  Kasich voiced his opposition to a huge project with wind turbines.  There are manufacturers in Ohio that produce wind turbines and have created jobs.  However, John Kasich wants to stop a proposed wind farm on Lake Erie so that his friends can fish once per year.
YouTube video



John Kasich said he wants to fight against the wind farm plans for Lake Erie. Is he too late?

Sustainablebusiness.com:


Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) announced that it has selected a team of three companies to develop an offshore wind farm on Lake Erie, the first project of its kind in North America. 

The three partner companies are Bechtel Development Company, Inc. (Bechtel), Cavallo Great Lakes Ohio Wind, LLC (Cavallo) and Great Lakes Wind Energy, LLC (GLWEnergy). 

The announcement was made by LEEDCo President Dr. Lorry Wagner, who called the developer selection a major step forward in the process of establishing an offshore wind industry which began with a feasibility analysis and study, initiated nearly four years ago.....

This project has been in the works for four years, yet Kasich, if elected, would end it all. Think of the jobs that Kasich would throw away so that his special rich friends can fish - once per year, on their yachts.

A few weeks ago, the Dispatch published a list detailing Kasich's work in Congress:
• Voted against raising the minimum wage, and his budget plan would have slashed food stamps and children's nutrition programs....


• "Voted repeatedly to increase the cost of college loans ... He wanted to gut the Small Business Administration, with his budget seeking billions in cuts to programs that help fuel the growth and job creation of small businesses."

• Proposed cutting $7 billion from veterans programs, quadrupling veterans' prescription costs, and "cutting benefits for veterans who suffered head wounds and mental traumas and could no longer care for themselves independently."

(I was surprised when I read that Kasich had gotten support from some veterans since he had worked so hard to cut their programs.)

With Kasich's recent no show on NPR because there would be questions from callers, you have to wonder if Kasich fears the public.  He has been talking at people but you haven't seen him listening to people.  Why?  Kasich likes listening to himself talk, but he really isn't interested in you. (As the expression goes- "He's not that into you.")

Let me repeat - I am not a thug.  I think that Kasich and his attacks on teachers, workers, college students, women, veterans, and supporters of public education, shows that he is the thug.  Kasich is the only candidate I've ever heard say that he wants to "break the backs" of teachers' unions.  That kind of talk demonstrates the kind of person Kasich is -- using violent terms to describe his goals.

Reject Kasich and his plans for Ohio.  Dismiss Kasich's desire to pay secret bonuses  (with our tax money) to his handpicked group of CEO's for his own Department of Development. Stand up to Kasich and his thuggery.

Join me and vote for Ted Strickland. 
Únete a mí y vote por Ted Strickland.
Dołącz do mnie i oceń Ted Strickland.
.באַהעפטן מיר און שטימען פֿאַר טעד סטריקקלאַנד 

Don't look now, but Ohio is getting better

The new numbers are out from the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
and things are improving in Ohio's economy.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Ohio's unemployment rate is down, layoff events are down, and initial unemployment  claims are down.

>  After demands by Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy and community leaders, Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, has taken down his most recent attack ad.  Here is part of a news release from Brad Bauman of the Kilroy campaign:

Stivers Campaign Forced to Pull “Ludicrous,” “Red-Baiting” TV Spot Off The Air

Columbus, OH – The Steve Stivers campaign has pulled their false and deceptive television advertisement off the air, just one day after community and labor leaders stood side-by-side with central Ohio voters to demand he do so.  This ad, the subject of an Ohio Elections Commission complaint, has been denounced by the Columbus Dispatch as “ludicrous” and “red-baiting.” A call to Columbus TV stations to check on Stivers' traffic confirmed the report.

The Kilroy campaign is continuing its Elections Commission complaint, with a probable cause hearing before the Commission scheduled for 2:30 this afternoon.

“Steve Stivers’ campaign realized that questioning Mary Jo Kilroy’s patriotism was a huge mistake because it showed central Ohio voters who Steve really was, a cynical politician who is willing to say anything in order to get elected,” said Brad Bauman, Communications Director for Mary Jo Kilroy. “Unfortunately for Steve, the damage has already been done. Our community now knows that he is willing to lay down in any gutter in order to pursue his ultimate vanity project, a seat in Congress.”

*** Set your DVRs for the Daily Show on Wednesday, October 27th!!!!  President Barack Obama will be Jon Stewart's guest. 

> > >  Sharron Angle, the crazy lady in Nevada, is using decoys to stay away from the press. NYDaily News:

Sharron Angle used a decoy to dupe a pack of reporters who were waiting for the Senate candidate outside a campaign event in Nevada on Monday.

As Angle wrapped up a closed-to-the-press appearance at the Microsoft Licensing office in Reno, a campaign staffer in a car near a group of assembled reporters was overheard saying loudly into a phone, “She’s ready? She’s coming out now?” the Las Vegas Sun reported.

Two women then got into the car while Angle apparently slipped away through another exit, avoiding the reporters, The Sun reported....

Can you believe her?  The people of Nevada will lose a lot if they don't elect Harry Reid.  As a senior member of the Senate, Reid's seniority helps him get on important committees and provides many benefits for his constituents.

Kasich Running Away from Press, Radio, TV

* Ohio voters are seeing another side of John Kasich in these closing days of the campaign---  Kasich the whiner.

John Kasich, who as a cold blooded, Wall Street investment banker with Lehman Brothers, assisted the Ohio public pension funds in losing $480 million in investments, now is playing the "poor me" guy. Give me a ***** break!

A story at CNN has Kasich complaining about smears about his record from Democrats.

As the folks at Plunderbund have noted, Kasich has attacked teachers in the state:

....Is it smear when the teachers’ unions, correctly, and in proper context, simply inform their members that Kasich has promised to “break the backs” of those unions?  Kasich apparently thinks so, as he’s insisted they take a full page ad apologizing to him if he wins:

(for audio of Kasich saying he wants a full page ad of apology, visit Plunderbund)



John Kasich then alleged that every ORP candidate has been seriously smeared....

I think that John Kasich will be waiting for that ad of apology from teachers in Ohio forever, and ever, and ever. 

*  There is more from Kasich's no show for NPR's Talk of the Nation.
Dispatch:
...Kasich's campaign canceled his scheduled appearance on NPR's Talk of the Nation 15 minutes before airtime; Strickland kept his separate appointment with the show. Kasich campaign communication director Scott Milburn said he pulled the plug on Kasich's appearance after an associate producer wanted to change the ground rules by permitting listeners' questions rather than the "agreed-upon ground rules - an interview with the host."
 
On his blog, host Ken Rudin said he was stunned by Kasich's no-show, because "from the beginning the Talk of the Nation staff made it clear that there would be questions for listeners."

(It has been noted that Kasich even outsourced his bus arrangements.  His campaign bus has tags from another state.  Gov. Strickland's bus has Ohio tags.)

-  While Kasich is in Ohio, his old friend, Gary Condit, is following the trial of the suspected murderer of Chandra Levy.(See ABC News.)

>>>  Then we have Jean Schmidt and her crazy abortion lecture to 6 year olds. (See OldDominionBlogs)

Just when you thought it was safe at school...

...crazy lady Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt does something that would shock even little old ladies like me!!!!! 

According to the BuckeyeStateBlog, and WLWT, Jean Schmidt talked about abortion in front of elementary school children.

WLWT:
Parents of Cincinnati elementary school students are upset over remarks made by U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt. She reportedly brought up the abortion issue in front of children as young as 6....


....The school's principal sent a letter home to parents on that same day informing them that the topic of abortion came up during Schmidt’s appearance. An excerpt of the letter read:


"Unexpectedly, towards the end of her address, Congresswoman Schmidt brought up the topic of abortion, and I am writing you to make you aware of this. Your children may come home with questions, especially if this is a topic that has not been broached in your home. I do not recall the exact words she used, but she paused towards the end of her speech and stated that this would be the only time when she would be ‘political’ in her address. She defined abortion as the taking of a child’s life in the mother’s womb. She indicated that abortion involves the killing of a child before it is born. She was not graphic or any more detailed in this regard. Later, when a child asked about it, she indicated that an abortion is something that a doctor does when a mother requests this. It was not a particularly long segment of her address (1½ minutes or so), and these words may not match the exact words she used, but this description does, I believe, express what your child heard. Her point was to address the increase of governmental activity in the abortion issue and her political resolve to fight against this."

Has she lost all common sense????

In the closing days of this election season, we usually expect some sort of "closing argument from candidates.  However, this type of discussion by Jean Schmidt shows that the woman is completely out of touch with reality.  Why would anyone discuss abortion in an assembly with young children???

****  Now that we are aware that Steve Stivers applied for and received stimulus money for a group he serves, perhaps someone should check other boards/committees that he is attached to and see if those groups also got stimulus money.  As Brad Bauman of the Kilroy campaign noted:

...Stivers sits on the board of an organization that received stimulus funds and created jobs right here in central Ohio.

“In 2009, I served on the Board of Directors for IMPACT community action, with Steve Stivers who is both Treasurer of the organization as well as Chair of the Finance Committee,” said State Representative Carlton Weddington. “Steve Stivers, didn’t just KNOW about the grant, he helped approve it, and helped steer it. Stivers can talk all he wants about his opposition to the Stimulus, or how its not working…its not true. He’s lying.”

 

Stivers is a hypocrite.

Kasich Cancels?????

Have you heard....... John Kasich, chickened out.

* John Kasich did not appear on NPR this afternoon.

NPR:

Starting today, there will be a series of "mini-Political Junkie" segments on NPR's Talk of the Nation on most days between now and the Nov. 2 elections.....

Today, at 2:40 p.m. Eastern:  Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat seeking his second term, and Republican challenger John Kasich, a former congressman.

UPDATE:  With about 15 minutes before we went on the air, Kasich canceled; his campaign said they did not want to field questions, but from the beginning the Talk of the Nation staff made it clear that there would be questions from listeners.  The segment was only Strickland, which you can listen to here.

 

NPR: Ohio Governor's Race: 

 

Gov. Ted Strickland got the entire 16 minutes on NPR.  As the commentators on NPR said, Kasich did not want to take questions from the public.  It might be that Kasich thinks he is too important to be involved in a discussion about issues on a national radio program.  I mean, he is John Kasich!  The truth is that Kasich just doesn't like dealing with the public in which he doesn't control the setting.  OMG!  He might have been afraid that some person who lost their entire retirement fund with Lehman Brothers might call in and ruin his day.

 

 

> What do some people think of Kasich?  A recent story in the Dispatch, tells the story of one person's experience with arrogant Kasich:

...James D. Schrim III, a Worthington businessman and a Republican, describes hearing Kasich speak at an event late last year and being turned off because he looked "like he had just fallen out of a washing machine" and was dismissive of questions.

"After he left the room, I couldn't get over the hubris, the arrogance, the tone," Schrim later wrote in an e-mail to friends, noting that Kasich also never responded to Schrim's offer to help the campaign. Added another person who has worked with Kasich but asked not to be identified: "There is a meanness to John, and I think that actually comes across."

"Meanness?" I think we've seen evidence of that "meanness" from Kasich when he tried to cut college grants, loans, and then increase college student debt.


 >>>  NewsJournal-Feb.17, 1995 (via GoogleNewsArchive):

.....the chairman of the House Budget Committee, John R. Kasich, R-Ohio, has proposed ending the federal subsidy for student loans.


Kasich's proposal would mean interest on student loans would start accruing from the time a loan begins, instead of six months after a student leaves college. As a result, students would graduate from college with an even more crushing debt burden....


...In addition, Kasich has proposed ending Perkins loans and federal college work-study programs....

When Kasich made his proposals for cuts to college programs in 1995, it was in order to fund tax cuts for the rich.  Then President Bill Clinton and other Republicans did not allow Kasich's cuts to make it into law.  Kasich's proposals were considered harmful and against the American dream of a college education.

What Ohio college students and parents have to ask themselves is whether past behavior predicts the future?  Should college parents and students worry that Kasich will go after college students again, raise tuition, and cut college programs? 

Stivers Got Grant From Stimulus....

The following was just released by Brad Bauman of the Mary Jo Kilroy campaign:

______

Community Leaders Demand Steve Stivers Take Down Deceptive Ad Amidst New Evidence Showing Stivers Ties to Organization Receiving Stimulus Funds

Columbus, OH – Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern and several community leaders had stern words for career banking lobbyist Steve Stivers about his latest ad which questions Mary Jo Kilroy’s patriotism. The ad which the Columbus Dispatch has called “ludicrous” and says resorts to “red-baiting,” neglects to mention that Stivers sits on the board of an organization that received stimulus funds and created jobs right here in central Ohio.

“In 2009, I served on the Board of Directors for IMPACT community action, with Steve Stivers who is both Treasurer of the organization as well as Chair of the Finance Committee,” said State Representative Carlton Weddington. “Steve Stivers, didn’t just KNOW about the grant, he helped approve it, and helped steer it. Stivers can talk all he wants about his opposition to the Stimulus, or how its not working…its not true. He’s lying.”

In 2009, IMPACT Community Action received a grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which directly led to the creation of 42 new full-time jobs with benefits weatherizing houses in central Ohio. Those jobs were made permanent through a public-private partnership. Stivers, as Treasurer and Finance Chair of the organization had a hand in procuring and disbursing this grant money.

“It is absolutely galling that Stivers could be on the board of an organization that sought and accepted stimulus money, created jobs and then put hundreds of thousands of dollars behind an attack because Mary Jo voted for the bill which got him the money,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern. “Stivers needs to stop lying to central Ohio and pull this baseless ad.”

Ohio law prohibits a candidate for political office from disseminating through a television advertisement “a false statement concerning a candidate, either knowing the same to be false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not, if the statement is designed to promote the election, nomination, or defeat of the candidate.”  Ohio Revised Code § 3517.21(B)(10).  A cursory review of the evidence could have alerted Stivers to the fact that his advertisement is false.  Therefore, Stivers either knew the ad to be false or disseminated the ad with reckless disregard for its truth or falsity.  In either case, the ad violates Ohio law and may not be disseminated.

 

Independent news outlets have found that the claims made in Stivers’s advertisement are patently untrue.  Pulitzer Prize winning PolitiFact deemed identical statements back in February, “false.” The Columbus Dispatch called the ad, “ludicrous” and “red-baiting.” Further, the Dispatch states, “The ad exploits fears of China and questions Kilroy's loyalty to the United States by showing images of Chairman Mao and Kilroy's image against the U.S. and Chinese flags.”

 _____________________

******  Let me emphasize these paragraphs:

...In 2009, IMPACT Community Action received a grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which directly led to the creation of 42 new full-time jobs with benefits weatherizing houses in central Ohio. Those jobs were made permanent through a public-private partnership. Stivers, as Treasurer and Finance Chair of the organization had a hand in procuring and disbursing this grant money.

“It is absolutely galling that Stivers could be on the board of an organization that sought and accepted stimulus money, created jobs and then put hundreds of thousands of dollars behind an attack because Mary Jo voted for the bill which got him the money,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern. “Stivers needs to stop lying to central Ohio and pull this baseless ad.”

Stivers applied for and received stimulus money that created jobs for the IMPACT Community Action.  Once again we see that Stivers, like so many Republicans, is capable of talking out of both sides of his mouth.

Steve Stivers Liar!

Republican Steve Stivers, former bank lobbyist, continues his dirty campaign ads that question Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy's patriotism.  Despite condemnations from the Columbus Dispatch, Patrick Preston (NBC4 reporter) and local citizens, Stivers and his staff continue to run the smear campaign.  This kind of smear political operation makes Steve Stivers appear less than honorable and a full blown liar.  Then again, what can you expect from someone who worked as a bank lobbyist, refused to promise to protect Social Security, is against bank regulations, and wants to keep the tax cuts for his wealthy pals????????

After Stivers left Bank One, where he was a Vice President and lobbyist assigned to work with the state government, Stivers helped Bank One. 
Dispatch (9/7/2008):


....As a member of the legislative panel that votes on major spending requests, Stivers approved three contracts in 2006 and 2007 worth a total of $174,000 to JPMorgan Chase & Co....
....Stivers' financial disclosure forms for 2007 show that he had $2,600 to $8,000 worth of Chase stock and retirement holdings.....
....Stivers spoke out against stricter regulation of the mortgage-lending industry in early 2006 and was one of three state senators to vote against a bill that year that imposed new requirements on the lending industry....


Shame on Steve Stivers for his pro-bank and pro-business legislative work.  Stivers voted against an increase in the state's minimum wage had also voted against consumer protection laws. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.  

Consider this...

If Republicans gain control of the House of Representatives, would a Speaker Boehner allow smoking in the back again?

What if Ted Strickland is re-elected and John Kasich has to find a real job?

I hope that Ohio voters figure out that giving Jon Husted the keys to the office of Ohio Secretary of State would be like Ken Blackwell in office again.  Do you remember those days when Blackwell, a Republican, controlled elections in Ohio?

The following is part of one of my previous posts:

Do you remember these Republican voting manipulations?

1. Bernadette Noe (wife of Republican "Coingate" scandalmeister, Tom Noe): (Raw Story---->)

In yet another surreal twist in Ohio's coin-gate scandal, the wife of Bush's chief Ohio fundraiser, Tom Noe who is currently embroiled in campaign finance and money laundering probes surprised poll workers and observers alike by disrupting the ballot count during the 2004 general election, RAW STORY has discovered.

Bernadette Noe, who served dual roles as chairman for the Lucas County Republican Party and the Lucas County Board of Elections, sent twelve partisans into a warehouse on Election Day, according a memo authored by Ohio's Director of Campaign Finance Richard Weghorst who was present at the time....

2. Ohio Election Fraud Blog: The Republican head of the Board of Elections in Franklin County, Ohio, manipulated the supply of voting machines on November 2, denying thousands of likely Democrats the right to cast their votes in a fair and timely manner.

As indicated in the sworn testimony below, offered here for the first time, the election was engineered to make voting as difficult as possible for inner city residents, and to drive away those who could not afford to stay away from work or families, or whose health made it imprudent or impossible to endure the long, cold, wet lines......

Of course there was a shortage of voting machines in those areas that were dominated by African-American Democrats.

3. How can we forget the mess the Republicans created in Gambier, Ohio at Kenyon College when hundreds of college students had to wait for hours to vote because of the purposeful lack of voting machines?


Kenyon College website recounts the voting problems:

.....At 12:36 a.m. on election night, CNN.com posted the news that, "Even at this hour, people in Knox County are still voting. At Kenyon College some people stood in line for up to seven hours."

 

Bloomberg.com also observed that, "Voting in Ohio was plagued by long delays at some polling places. Voters in Gambier, the home of Kenyon College, waited more than four hours to cast their ballots. At the 1,500-student college, some voters were waiting in line after midnight." They reported that according to English professor David Lynn, poll workers told voters they might have to wait as much as five hours in order to vote....

This is just a small sample of how the Ohio GOP's culture of corruption "managed" voting in this state. Obviously, we don't want a repeat of this.
We don't need a Republican, like Jon Husted, as our Secretary of State.

Husted won't even come clean about where he really lives.  Can you really trust him to conduct honest and fair elections?  According to Husted's website, he wants to expand the office of Secretary of State by creating boards and committees.  Shouldn't he be trying to streamline the office and follow the laws that are already on the books?

Ohio Politics: Hot! Hot! Hot!

* Former President Bill Clinton is coming to Ohio to campaign for Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy and Gov. Ted Strickland (Dispatch). President Clinton is still extremely popular in Ohio.

* Tea party favorite, Steve Stivers, is getting a lot of attention, but it isn't all good.  Many women are upset about Stivers, his attacks and "red baiting" of Mary Jo Kilroy. Stivers, who is against women's reproductive freedom (depending on the way the wind blows), has made some rude and unkind remarks about women and girls (see Buckeye State Blog).

*  Republican Mike DeWine, candidate for Ohio Attorney General, has run an extremely negative campaign.  Many voters still hold a grudge against Mike DeWine's overwhelming support of the policies of the Bush administration.  Republicans outside the state have given up on Mike DeWine's campaign.  Some Republicans inside Ohio still believe that Mike DeWine only got the initial support from the party because of his cousin, Kevin DeWine, head of the Ohio GOP.  Mike DeWine's opposition, Democrat Richard Cordray, is extremely qualified and very popular in the state.

Financial problems and accusations have followed Michael Steele's chairmanship of the RNC.  It has been difficult for Republican candidates to get money from Steele.

Here is what Forbes had to say about the Republicans in Ohio:

...In Ohio, where the governor's race is in doubt and Republicans are challenging some Democratic House members, party chairman Kevin DeWine recently wrote Steele that the $566,900 the RNC had transferred to date "simply pales in comparison" with 2004, 2006 and 2008.

DeWine begged Steele on Oct. 11 for the full amount of $1 million-plus and then another "emergency appeal" of a million on top of that. The RNC this past week sent $284,400 to Ohio as part of a round of $2.8 million to states....

Stivers Sinks to New Lows

Republican Steve Stivers, the former bank lobbyist and protege of John Boehner, has sunk to new lows in his dirty lies, and attacks on Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15th) in a his campaign ad here in central Ohio.  Now, even the right wing, Republican-loving Columbus Dispatch takes Stivers to task over his latest despicable campaign ad in which Stivers claims Kilroy helped China:

....the ad resorts to red-baiting in fixating on China exclusively. It's true that China is the largest holder of U.S. Treasury debt, but by no means is it a majority. It barely eclipses Japan. Companies in Spain, Britain and other countries also stand to gain from spending on renewable-energy projects. The ad exploits fears of China and questions Kilroy's loyalty to the United States by showing images of Chairman Mao and Kilroy's image against the U.S. and Chinese flags.

Other news organizations, blogs, and media outlets have noticed this latest vile attack on Kilroy by Steve Stivers.

 TheHill.com has also noticed Stivers and his smear campaign:

....Kilroy's opponent, former banking lobbyist Steve Stivers (R), is refusing to take the ad down, calling her complaint "frivolous."

Kilroy’s camp contends the ad is disseminating "false" statements because it accuses her of helping to create jobs in China by voting for the stimulus bill....

 ProgressOhio notes that Stivers has based his ad on lies:

"Too bad for Corporate Lobbyist Stivers," says the press release from Kilroy's campaign. "His case isn't backed up by the facts. According to the nonpartisan Politifact, no jobs have been created in China as a result of Kilroy's vote for President Obama's stimulus plan."

"There is an enormous difference between talking about policy differences and out and out lying to the voters," said Brad Bauman, Communications Director for Mary Jo Kilroy....


Shame on Steve Stivers. Shame on him for his disgusting campaign lies. We see that Stivers is proving that he will lie, cheat, and smear in order to wind this election. Call the Steve Stivers campaign office (614) 358-0800 and demand that he take down this ad which questions Kilroy's allegiance to the United States.


The Kilroy campaign has filed a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission. 

Wealth? Not for you!

> With news that corporations and even foreign companies are contributing to campaigns, people are wondering if we'll have to change our name from the United States of America to the "United Corporations of America."  Corporations, with the help of Karl Rove, and the Chamber of Commerce are bringing in campaign money to fund Republican free trade and pro-business candidates. (Anything associated with Karl Rove makes me feel icky.) These pro-business candidates will work to strike down regulations on worker safety, banking, consumer protection, and wage requirements. In order to help corporations make bigger profits, these pro-business candidates would then work to push for an increase in free trade.  Even more manufacturing would move overseas, and once again American workers would lose jobs to foreign companies who pay their workers ten cents per day.

#  The Columbus Dispatch, which can claim their outright support of everything Republican, is doing its part to try to smear every Democrat in the state.   (Soon the Dispatch will create a list of Democrats who failed to floss after eating lunch.)  I personally think that some people at the Dispatch have a crush on Kasich.  Why?  I can't figure that out because there is nothing attractive or charismatic about a guy who continues to attack public school teachers. 

I don't think that Kasich has the guts to work in some of the schools that Ohio public school teachers work in every single day. Kasich does not believe that public school teachers and hardworking union workers have value.  Face it- -  Kasich doesn't respect people who teach, build homes, repair roofs, fix electrical systems, and make products we need.  He only respects people who create wealth. 

Kasich talks about giving secret bonuses to his special CEO's that bring jobs to Ohio, after he abolishes the Ohio Dept. of Development.  When I taught school, I never got a financial bonus.  The only bonuses I got were thank you notes from parents and students. Years later, some students would return and tell me they appreciated my teaching and my encouragement.  Those were the kinds of bonuses I got.

Kasich has a long record of going after people who can't fight back.  When he was in Congress, he tried to cut services to veterans who needed medical treatment.  He also tried to cut services to the working poor and low income families.

(See Votesmart on Kasich:

1999-2000   Kasich supported the interests of the Home School Legal Defense Association 60 percent in 1999-2000.

1999   Kasich supported the interests of the National Education Association 20 percent in 1999....

1997-1998   Kasich supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 33 percent in 1997-1998.)

Some Republicans think that Kasich will bring them wealth. That won't happen.  Only Kasich's "buddies" and members of his Lehman posse will gain wealth.Kasich is in it for the money for his friends. 

Gov. Ted Strickland has made some tough choices in this economic collapse that was triggered by the unscrupulous actions of Lehman Brothers.  (When Lehman Brothers collapsed, 800,000 lost their jobs immediately.)  Strickland has been fair, even in the toughest cuts he has had to make.  With Ted Strickland, we know that he has all of our best interests in mind when he makes decisions.  With Kasich, we know he only cares about wealth.

**********************

***    Blue America is supporting Mary Jo Kilroy's campaign for Ohio's 15th district.

Blue America:

Mary Jo Kilroy has been speaking out early and often about the greatest banking fraud scandal in American history. Unlike virtually every national Republican, she and other fighting Democrats came out swinging against these fraud merchants from the moment it became clear that banks and mortgage companies were so corrupt and inept that they were foreclosing on homes they didn't even own. (That's also known as stealing.)

Kilroy's opponent Steve Stivers will never stand up to these interests. Helping average people fight against powerful corporations goes against everything he believes in. After all, he belongs to a party that has been struck dumb in the face of this massive foreclosure fraud, so compromised by their ties to big business and Wall Street that they can't even speak up for average Americans whose homes are literally being stolen out from under them....

....If you want someone who isn't afraid to take on the big corporate interests, someone who isn't afraid to take on entrenched political power, who isn't afraid ... period, you'll vote for Mary Jo Kilroy. She's got your back. Won't you get hers?

  You can support Mary Jo Kilroy by visiting ActBlue.

The Kasich Seven?

The CNN headline reads, "Republican heavy weights to Ohio," and it refers to Haley Barbour and Chris Christie coming to the state to support Kasich.  I think we have enough pompous jerks in the Ohio GOP and we don't need any additional Republican "heavy weights" from other states.  Big deal.

I'm still trying to figure out how anyone would consider voting for Kasich when he used his Ohio contacts to get the pension funds to invest in worthless investments at Lehman Brothers.

*ComecleanKasich.com has a chart showing the way Kasich has funded his political endeavors. ComecleanKasich also points to the Kasich seven:

The cornerstone of John Kasich’s campaign are 633 major givers of $1,000 or more in the FIRE (financial, insurance and real estate) business sector – many of them with Wall Street connections. (See “Wall Street, FIRE”  article adjacent to this blog.) Among them are the “Kasich Seven” – former Lehman executives now with other financial firms, who have two ties to John Kasich.

1.    The “Kasich Seven” contributed from $2,000 to $5,000 each to the Kasich campaign since 2009.

2.    Like Kasich, they were former Lehman Brothers executives or associates before or during Kasich’s eight years at the firm.....

Check out the ComecleanKasich website for other details.

Vote for Republicans to Cut/End Your Social Security

The Republicans continue to brag about the budget plan crafted by Rep. Paul Ryan (WI-1st-Rep.).  However, recent analysis shows that Rep. Paul Ryan's cuts to Social Security would be devastating to those people receiving it. 

Raw Story:
A high-profile Republican budget plan would slash Social Security benefits in the long-run -- perhaps even by up to half of what they are now, the program's actuary concluded in a new study.

The Chief Actuary of Social Security analyzed a proposal from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the GOP's ranking member on the budget committee, who could become its chairman in January, and found that new entrants in the US workforce could see massive decreases in their payouts upon retirement....

"The new analysis reveals that these proposals result in benefits cuts ranging from ten percent to as high as 50 percent," Pomeroy said in a statement. "As I talk to seniors today about stretching their Social Security benefits with no cost of living adjustment in sight, they would not agree with describing cuts of this magnitude as 'modest'."...

Rep. Paul Ryan's plan, the "Roadmap to America's Future," should be renamed the "Republican Plan for Starving Seniors."  In order to keep those Bush tax cuts for the rich, Republican Paul Ryan is pushing for the elderly to start sharing a can of cat food.

Daily Kos has this article, "Yes, Republicans DO want to end Social Security."

Creating Wealth for Kasich's Friends

I think you can add the OHA to the list of people and groups that are upset with John Kasich, Republican candidate for Ohio governor.

Plain Dealer:
The Ohio Hospital Association, the powerful trade group for the state's medical institutions, thinks Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich has a thing or two to learn about its members. 

In a newsletter distributed to hospitals' top officials and obtained by The Plain Dealer, the OHA summarized an Oct. 14 meeting between Kasich and its executive committee this way: "He is unaware of hospitals' true economic value, saying health care providers do not create wealth." 

....Ohio hospitals and health systems contributed $67.8 billion to the state economy in 2008, the latest figure available, according to Himmelreich. In 2008, 350,000 people worked in Ohio hospitals, which paid $15 billion in wages and benefits....

Teachers, public employees, librarians, college students, average people, one income families, single mothers, minimum wage workers, workers/owners green energy projects, construction workers, are not part of the group that Kasich likes or supports. He has refused to meet with teachers and has vowed to break the back of teachers unions.  Kasich has promised to look over the Ohio collective bargaining act in an effort to eliminate all unions in the state. Now we see that they only people Kasich cares about are those who create wealth.

The following is from Kasich's blog:

Hamilton County GOP Chairman Alex Triantafilou spotlighted John Kasich in his blog:

....John understands that economic development and job growth come from the private sector and that government ought to create the environment for businesses to thrive and create wealth for everyone.....

Really?   "....create wealth for everyone...."????  What a bunch of bull...........!

Kasich, along with his Lehman posse, lobbyist friends who work on his campaign, his corporate CEO buddies and wealthy golf pals are just aching to get their hands on all that money that normally goes to education, health, libraries, emergency services, city/county services.  Now we know how Kasich will create wealth - - - for his friends! 

Write This Down!!!

*** OMG!  John Kasich, Republican candidate for Ohio Governor, has a new label besides investment banker.  Kasich has been tagged as a "Climate Zombie."

Think Progress:
An exclusive Wonk Room analysis finds that 22 of the 37 Republican candidates for governor this November are deniers of the scientific consensus on global warming pollution. These science deniers are part of an anti-reality wave of Tea Party candidates, who comprise the Republican slate for the U.S. House and Senate. “The GOP is stampeding toward an absolutist rejection of climate science that appears unmatched among major political parties around the globe, even conservative ones,” writes the National Journal’s Ron Brownstein....

OHIO

John Kasich, a former Ohio congressman and Fox News personality, has repeatedly challenged the science and policy of global warming on the right-wing television network:

Environmental extremists, they better not make the environment god. They got a hang-up in that way just as well. A little bit of balance here. [O'Reilly Factor, 5/28/04]
As you know, global warming is cyclical, and the focus of a ferocious debate, almost as ferocious as a T. Rex. [O'Reilly Factor, 7/3/08]
Save me from a cap and trade bill that’s going to put a dagger in the Midwest and is basically one politician against slapping another on the back. [Sean Hannity, 7/8/09]...

 *  John Kasich has come under fire for things that happened at a school north east of Columbus.  The website, www.notkasich.com, details events and provides some information on why the writers are not Kasich supporters.  Here is an excerpt from the website www.notkasich.com:

...Ohio voters and consumers need to question John Kasich about his support for school vouchers, which draw money away from public schools, while he supports private schools that commit serious crimes against the children and consumers.
Refer to the irrefutable and overwhelming evidence at ABCsOfBetrayal.com...

***          ***          ***

*  In 2008, when asked at the end of a debate to use a word to describe herself, Mary Jo Kilroy, then a candidate for Ohio's 15th congressional district responded according to the
 Dispatch:
"priorities. She said her priorities -- ending the Iraq war, expanding access to health care, tax credits for college tuition -- are most in line with the district's...."

If you are keeping score, Kilroy has accomplished two out of three. Are college students and parents willing to see if she'll complete her third goal? 

  ---   ---   ---   ---   ----   ---   ---

* Jon Husted's candidacy for Ohio Secretary of State is pathetic. Husted has smeared Mary Ellen O'Shaughnessy with absolute lies.  As Balloonjuice documents, Husted has tried before to suppress votes:


Here’s Chandra, in 2009:

Republican candidate Jon Husted adopted the suppression techniques while House speaker. This included the Ohio law that other lawyers and I successfully challenged in federal court that permitted poll workers to demand that naturalized American citizens who have been voting for years produce their certificates of naturalization at the polls before voting. The plaintiffs included longtime citizens, former Ohio First Lady Dagmar Celeste and immigration lawyer Margaret Wong. The judge — a George W. Bush appointee — said, “There is no such thing as a second-class citizen or a second-class American. Frankly, without naturalized citizens, there would be no America. It is shameful to imagine that this statute is an example of how the State of Ohio says ‘thank you’ to those who helped build this country.”

...The Republican candidate for Secretary of State in Ohio, the person who would be in charge of election process, promoted a law that was not only unconstitutional, but managed to personally offend the judge, who called it “shameful”.....


I hope that people in Ohio know about Husted and his residency scandal, ties to David Brennan, his anger management issues, his ties to NCR (and pretended to know nothing about their move), etc. This guy should not be elected to any office.

Here is special video from YouTube that explains it all:

-----------------------------

In case you missed it----  Republican Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, and other Republicans are receiving lots of contributions from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and some of that money is coming from foreign companies  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sponsors seminars in other countries on how those countries can get all those jobs being outsourced by some American companies.  Those U.S. Chamber of Commerce seminars are held at their AmCham affiliates in places like Hong Kong, India, Bangladesh, etc. 

There is an organization called APCAC.  According to  AmCham Hong Kong, the (Asia-Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce) APCAC has this on their website:

...The Asia-Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce (APCAC) was formed in 1968. Through 27 member chambers, APCAC represents the growing interests of over 50,000 business executives and over 10,000 business entities in 21 economies of the Asia-Pacific region. The APCAC membership manages trade volumes in excess of US$400 billion and direct investments (FDI) of over US$300 billion....

...APCAC meets annually with Washington decision-makers. Each year APCAC’s Chairman leads a delegation to Washington, D.C. Meetings are held with influential members of Congress and senior members of the Administration. APCAC’s annual trip increases the U.S. Government’s awareness of American business activities and concerns in the region. Mutually beneficial relationships are established, and areas of cooperation are identified. APCAC is well-received at the highest levels....

.....APCAC issues include: support for Trade Promotion Authority and free trade agreements; taxation of U.S. citizens working abroad (section 911 tax exclusion); removal of technical and administrative barriers to trade; opposition to unilateral sanctions and other trade and investment issues.....

Wow.  The Chamber of Commerce sponsors these organizations that help foreign companies get inside government and American companies.  How many foreign contributions have made their way to Republicans?