Tuesday, July 31, 2012

No jobs bill today!


>>> You'll never guess what the Republicans in the House of Representatives voted on today. Abortion. Again.

Clerk.house.gov:

H R 3803      2/3 YEA-AND-NAY      31-Jul-2012      7:20 PM
      QUESTION:  On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended
      BILL TITLE: District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act...

...220 Yeas   -  154 Nays...

The bill failed because a 2/3 vote was required.  The bill would have prevented females from getting abortions, even in the case of rape/incest.  Of course, Stivers, Austria, Schmidt, Turner, Latta, Chabot, Johnson, Gibbs, and Tiberi all voted for the bill. Is this the way the Republicans create jobs?  Why are the Republicans more interested in your uterus than creating jobs?

Here We Go Again!


--- Mitt Romney has visited 3 countries----- Great Britain, Israel, and Poland, and has managed to have gaffes, screw-ups and mistakes in each country!!!!  This morning, we have this-- Mitt Romney's press aide curses at the press!
The Atlantic Wire:


Mitt Romney's press secretary got so mad at reporters yelling questions at the candidate that he yelled back, "Kiss my ass. This is a holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect." Romney was visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, and aide Rick Gorka was so moved by the sacred spot that the violation of a respectful silence compelled him to swear. The outburst was six days into Romney's eventful foreign tour, and there seem to be some tensions between the reporters assigned to cover him and his aides, judging by their complaints on Twitter. It's one of those situations where people who don't like each other are forced to share a small space. That's rare in adult life, which is why they have to use some artificial conceit to make it happen on reality shows, and which is why we spectators like to enjoy the reality show-like outburst.

After Gorka's "kiss" comment -- the audio captured by CNN's Jim Acosta, naturally -- Gorka told Politico's Jonathan Martin to "shove it." Gorka later apologized to two reporters for being "inappropriate." But that doesn't mean everything's all better. Martin notes that Romney hasn't answered questions from the traveling press corps since he took just three questions back in London last Thursday....

Mitt Romney & company have embarrassed us all.

• • • What is up with Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel?  Mandel, Republican, and a favorite among the far right anti-worker, anti-middle class, pro-pollution PACs, has seen his campaign going nowhere.  It could be the latest revelation about his investments which make him money when America fails.
ThinkProgress:

The Republican nominee in Ohio’s Senate race stands to reap a significant financial windfall if the government defaults by not raising the debt ceiling, a move he opposed last year and has indicated he would vote against if elected to the Senate.

According to personal financial disclosure documents examined by ThinkProgress, Josh Mandel’s wife owns an undisclosed amount of ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury exchange-traded fund (ETF). This ETF aggressively “shorts” U.S. Treasury bills, meaning that it bets against U.S. debt and spikes when Treasury bill values drop. If a default were to occur, the desirability of Treasury bills would plummet and Mandel’s ETF would skyrocket in value.....

Now, Republicans will probably need to evaluate if they should continue to pour money into Ohio considering Mandel's poor showing.
YahooNews:

..OHIO (D, Sen. Sherrod Brown) (Last month: 11)
Public polling is why Republicans are growing more confident about Florida. But it's also why they're quietly growing more pessimistic about Ohio. Treasurer Josh Mandel started the race largely as an undefined figure, but Brown's campaign is casting him as a power-hungry career politician, and Mandel hasn't figured out a way to respond yet. Meanwhile, the millions spent against Brown so far haven't moved any numbers....

Josh Mandel can't even do his job as Treasurer!



>>>> If you want to see the kinds of bills that have been sponsored by Republican Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15th), visit this LINK.  See if you can figure out which groups Stivers is protecting/helping (NOTE: It isn't  his constituents!). Here are the numbers and titles some of the bills from the Library of Congress:


1. H.R.1539 : Asset-Backed Market Stabilization Act of 2011
2. H.R.2214 : Debt Elimination By Tax-Deductible Contribution Act of 2011
3. H.R.2439 : Removing GSEs Charters During Receivership Act of 2011
4. H.R.2779 : To exempt inter-affiliate swaps from certain regulatory requirements put in place by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
5. H.R.3410 : Energy Security and Transportation Jobs Act
6. H.R.3559 : Insurance Data Protection Act ....

11. H.R.4193 : Land Acquisition to cut National Debt Act ...

13. H.R.5508 : To extend the temporary suspension of duty on electrically operated pencil sharpeners.
14. H.R.5509 : To suspend temporarily the duty on 4-Vinylbenzenesulfonic acid, sodium salt hydrate.
15. H.R.5510 : To extend the temporary suspension of duty on certain smooth nonwoven fiberglass sheets of a type primarily used as acoustical facing for ceiling panels.
16. H.R.5511 : To suspend temporarily the duty on 4-Vinylbenzenesulfonic acid, lithium salt....
23. H.R.6105 : To amend the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to allow non-Federally insured credit unions to become members of a Federal Home Loan Bank.


 Count them up---How many of these bills protect banks, manufacturers of dangerous products, and the wealthy? To see the complete list of bills sponsored by Steve Stivers, visit this LINK.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Mandel and Romney Sinking?


••••>>>>  This just in----
Dispatch
Three high-placed Republican sources tell The Dispatch that longtime Republican lawmaker Steven LaTourette has decided not to run for re-election, leaving party members rushing to find a replacement in time for the Nov. 6 election.

LaTourette of Bainbridge Township near Cleveland is in his ninth term as a House member.....

...He was to face Democrat Dale Blanchard in his November race. 

Hey, Democrats!  Visit the website of Dale Blanchard and show him some support.

*  You have to see the new Facebook page for Republican Josh Mandel that commemorates his crown for his phenomenal accumulation of more "Pants on Fire" designations than any other candidate in Ohio: Josh Mandel -You can see more at ab21.org/mandelsmedals .

>  Mitt Romney has already angered the British, the Palestinians, and he still has one more day to go in Poland.  Will he continue to piss off his hosts on his international tour?  Romney probably flunked a protocol preparation class, if he even took one.  When a person travels to another country, it is best to keep it simple, polite, and offer no controversial opinions. This overseas "foreign policy" tour to demonstrate Romney's diplomatic skills, has been an overwhelming disaster.  Allowing Romney in the White House would definitely be a mistake.

>  Republican Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15) appears to be very popular among certain political donors.  Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, continues to receive big bucks from commercial bank contributors.  According to OpenSecrets, Steve Stivers has received $95,000 from bankers and bank PACs for the 2012 campaign. Open Secrets notes that in 2010, Stivers collected  $127,250 from PACs and people associated with commercial banks, and $92,150 in 2008.  Those bankers must really love Steve Stivers because he does such a great job for them.

**** Three new polls provide a little insight into Ohio.  Talking Points Memo has posted the following information:

07/23/2012 -
07/24/2012
OH President '12 Magellan Strategies…
(Sponsored by Opportunity Ohio)
Obama 45.1%  Romney 42.6%


07/24/2012 -
07/24/2012
OH President '12 We Ask… Obama 47.84% Romney 40.2%


07/23/2012 -
07/24/2012
OH Senator '12 Magellan Strategies…
(Sponsored by Opportunity Ohio)
Brown 45.4% Mandel 38.2%



As you can see, the polls offer some info, but a lot of it depends on the size of the group, and the date of the poll. The presidential poll took place before Romney's disastrous trip abroad.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Romney Proposal Is a Reverse Robin Hood Scheme


*  Vice President Joe Biden highlighted a plan by Republican candidate Mitt Romney to siphon Title I money to private schools.

Toledo Blade:

Vice President Joe Biden told teachers today that they are "under full blown assault" from Mitt Romney and his Republican allies.

On the third day of the American Federation of Teachers convention at Cobo Center in Detroit, and against the backdrop of a boisterous teachers union convention, Mr. Biden lauded teachers and blasted Republicans.

The vice president hammered Mr. Romney for his education reform plan that includes allowing states to utilize Title I funds, which were originally intended to help schools in disadvantaged areas, and instead use that money to help students pay for private school education....

Education Week has more on the Romney proposal:

Presumptive GOP nominee Gov. Mitt Romney called today for making federal funding for special education and disadvantaged students portable—meaning the money would follow students to any school their parents choose, including a private school. 

Under his proposal, parents could also choose to use the funds under Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act at charter schools, for online courses, or for tutoring. Title I is funded at $14.5 billion this year, and IDEA is funded at $11.6 billion, and any proposal to radically shift the use of that money would be almost certain to face a host of administrative, budgetary, and political hurdles from the Congress and statehouses on down....

....The proposal would add to the budget woes districts have experienced as federal stimulus money has tapered off and state contributions have shrunk, said Lindsay Jones, senior director of policy and advocacy services at the Council for Exceptional Children.....

Taking money away from children in disadvantaged neighborhoods and children with challenges would be horrible. Children with special needs, learning disabilities, and learning difficulties would lose special programs that support their learning.  Romney's idea that the money could be used  by the student to get online help, tutoring, or attend a private school is outrageous.  With vouchers already in use, the last thing failing charter schools need is more money.  Besides, there are no guarantees that the money would be used to provide extra help for the students that need it the most.  Such a proposal by Mitt Romney shows that he doesn't know much about the operations of public schools, and Title 1. 

We've seen Romney fail at his foreign diplomacy, and now we see an example of how his proposal for education would lead to massive failures for our at risk students, and others that are struggling. This is another example of how Romney is engaging in reverse Robin Hood tactics--- take from the poor to give to the rich.  Even his calls for higher taxes on the middle class and the poor while giving more tax cuts for the rich, shows that Romney's elitist views favor the top 1%.

Here is more about the failures of the online schools----


The NEA also noted a recent study that indicates:

Children who enroll in a K12 Inc. cyberschool are more likely to fall behind in reading and math, move between schools or leave school altogether, according to a new study from the National Education Policy Center (NEPC) at the University of Colorado....

....Math scores for K12 Inc.’s students are 14 to 36 percent lower than scores for students attending more “traditional schools” in the states in which the company operates schools. In grades 3 – 11, K12 Inc. students’ reading scores were between 2 and 11 percentage points below the state average.

The on-time graduation rate for K12 Inc. students is 49.1 percent, compared with a 79.4 percent on-time graduation rate for the states in which the company operates schools....

Our tax money goes to these cyber and charter schools yet they are not providing the needed help students require.  The only people succeeding appear to be the owners of these schools because they are getting richer, while student test scores continue to go down.  Yet Mitt Romney wants to give them more money.

Please Note!


* Buzzfeed has a video of First Lady Michelle Obama hugging the American basketball team after their win: http://tinyurl.com/cy4hyom

>>>>  This week's Newsweek cover and story will have a lot of people talking----
Romney: The Wimp Factor

The Newsweek article says that even though Romney going to London was considered an easy international trip, he still failed by insulting our closest ally.

***** Josh Mandel has been awarded the "Pants On Fire Crown" by Politifact Ohio in the Plain Dealer.  He must be so proud that his lies have been recognized as some of the worst in Ohio political history.  Josh Mandel is nothing more that a walking, talking conservative talking point parrot.  He doesn't have an original idea and refuses to answer questions, except those posed by right wing talkers. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Romney's Taxes


• Although Republican Mitt Romney keeps hoping that the demand for the public release of his tax returns will go away, people haven't stopped asking for them. Pundits, citizens, and Republicans are puzzled by his continuing refusal to provide some background on his taxes.  If he has nothing to hide, why does is he stonewalling? NJ.com has more on Romney tax problem that won't disappear.

* A recent Gallup Poll shows Jewish voters solidly supporting President Obama (see Gallup).

>>>>  Despite calls from citizens to stop fracking in the state and protect our water and environment, fracking is moving forward.


The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is not being slowed down by critics of hydraulic fracturing. ODNR in June authorized 36 new permits for horizontal drilling wells used for the process also known as fracking, a record for ODNR, according to Friday's Hannah Report.

Carroll County was at the top of obtaining new permits with 11 total. Columbiana County followed with seven new permits, and Harrison County was third with nine. Chesapeake Energy Corporation obtained most of those permits, a total of 22....

Since Kasich didn't listen to the concerns of citizens before, we should not expect him to listen now.  He'd only be concerned if the fracking was taking place on property next to his home.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Mitt the Twit Continues....


* Twitter was busy yesterday with #RomneyShambles, and now with #MittTheTwit, following Mitt Romney's gaffe filled trip to London.

People are wondering about Mitt Romney's ability to handle international problems after his huge mess ups in London.
 

Toronto Star:

..The Guardian even featured a live blog devoted to Romney ridicule.

“Romney in London,” read one Tweet highlighted on the blog. “Come on. We needed this. It’s a little comic relief. Kind of like Mr. Bean, only he’s an American.”

...Times of London columnist Janice Turner wondered how Romney will manage trips to actual trouble spots.

“So Mitt Romney disses our Olympics. We’re the Special Relationship, the easy-peasy bit of U.S. foreign relations. How will he deal with China?” she Tweeted...

Wow!  Romney is a joke.
•••••••••••••••••••••

* Do you know why there are no jobs?  The Republicans have blocked the President's jobs bills for months.  Here in Ohio, we've had blackout due to storms.  Some people were without power for more than a week.  Despite our country's failing power grid, the Republicans have refused to allow the bill championed by the President to go forward.  If President Obama's jobs bill had passed last year, work would have already started on our roads, bridges, schools, and power grid.  Shame on the Republicans for stopping people from getting back to work.

If you liked the economic disaster left by the Bush administration, then Romney is your man.  However, if you believe in a better life for all Americans, you'll support Barack Obama.

Mandel Betting Against USA


***  It looks like Republican Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, has been against our country.  Mandel and his wife could make big money if the country went into default.  Think Progress has the details:

...According to personal financial disclosure documents examined by ThinkProgress, Josh Mandel’s wife owns an undisclosed amount of ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury exchange-traded fund (ETF). This ETF aggressively “shorts” U.S. Treasury bills, meaning that it bets against U.S. debt and spikes when Treasury bill values drop. If a default were to occur, the desirability of Treasury bills would plummet and Mandel’s ETF would skyrocket in value.

That precise scenario could become more likely if Mandel wins his race against Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH). One of the top issues Mandel lists on his website is to “Stop increasing the debt ceiling.” Similarly, when Congress was embroiled in the debt ceiling fight last year, he stated that he “would have voted against the debt deal” that narrowly staved off a default.....

....Though Mandel’s Treasury-shorting holdings may not be gigantic at the moment, their value would soar in the event of a debt default....

Don't you think it suspicious that Josh Mandel was against raising the debt ceiling???  I just don't know how people can sleep at night knowing that they make money when their country fails.

***  Republican Mitt Romney continues his foot-in-mouth tour.

YahooNews:

...The Daily Telegraph suggested Romney's "Olympic gaffe" had overshadowed his trip to London....

Romney's comments led newscasts on both Sky News and the BBC on Thursday night and early Friday morning, just hours ahead of the Olympic opening ceremonies here.

"Is this guy really prepared to be president?" one Sky News reporter asked in his Thursday night report about Romney's day in London. The reporter trashed the GOP candidate's comments as "just daft."

Mitt Romney was the governor of a small state, and when he left office he left the people in debt.  Romney might have made his wealth by buying companies, charging astronomical managing fees, and firing people, but that is not how to run the country. 

Of course, the British were quite upset about Romney had written in his book.
Time:

...The pounding continued on Thursday when reporters excavated a passage from his book No Apology that includes some unflattering remarks about the U.S.’s chief European ally. “England is just a small island,” he wrote. “Its roads and houses are small. With few exceptions, it doesn’t make things that the rest of the world wants to buy. And if it hadn’t been separated from the continent by water, it almost certainly would have been lost to Hitler’s ambitions.” (The context of the quote is a rumination on why nations rise and fall.)

At home, these flaps would quickly disappear into the maw of the news cycle. The standard is different on foreign soil. Romney’s blunders have undercut the entire purpose of the trip, which was to prove he could adequately represent U.S. interests with international leaders despite his scant foreign policy experience. He hasn’t met that standard so far.... 

In foreign diplomacy, Mitt Romney gets an "F" on his report card.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Romney Fails


* In case you haven't seen it, Mitt Romney has been a complete disaster on the first leg of his overseas visit. Romney's intention was to show his "foreign policy" ability on his visit to London, Poland, and Israel.  Unfortunately, Romney's visit to the Olympics and London's VIPs has been a major fiasco.

Here is how Mitt Romney behaved during his stay in London----

Andrew Sullivan at the Daily Beast:

"The Nation Of Great Britain"

That was Romney's phrase. No such nation exists. The nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all nations under the United Kingdom (since 1800). It's always a good idea when visiting a country to call it by its rightful name. Mitt's total cluelessness abroad is as striking to me as the vacuousness of his foreign policy "ideas".... 

The Daily Mail has this on Romney:

...Speaking anonymously behind the scenes, officials were even more scathing in their verdicts, describing Mr Romney's second day in London as a 'total car crash' and saying he was 'worse than Sarah Palin'.

Another official who met with the former Governor of Massachusetts said he was 'apparently devoid of charm, warmth, humour or sincerity'.

As well as his Olympic gaffes, Mr Romney caused controversy by apparently forgetting the name of Labour leader Ed Miliband while the pair were meeting.....

The Herald Bulletin has more----

...The Republican presidential candidate, taking a turn on the world stage, called London's problems with Olympic Games preparation "disconcerting." That prompted Cameron to retort on Thursday that doubters would "see beyond doubt that Britain can deliver." And London Mayor Boris Johnson told tens of thousands gathered in Hyde Park: "There's a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know if we are ready. Are we ready? Yes we are!"

Amid the uproar, Romney tried to back off his critique, finally concluding, "I expect the games to be highly successful."

Romney also caused a stir with his attendance at a fundraiser with banking executives tainted by a British interest rate-fixing scandal. And he inadvertently disclosed that he held a secret meeting with the head of Britain's intelligence service....

Of course, Mitt Romney's awkwardness became a hot topic on Twitter #romneyshambles. You'll LOL as you read some of posts on Twitter.
----------------

Plunderbund has discovered an interesting bit of information about John Kasich:


...In the 2008 General election, John Kasich didn’t cast a ballot.
According to voter data available from the Ohio Secretary of State’s website, John’s wife Karen voted in the 2008 General Election, but the future Governor of Ohio did not...

Oh.

Keep Informed


••••••  If you live in 21st district for the Ohio House, you'll be interested to know that Democrat Donna O'Connor, is up against Kasich worshipper, Mike Duffey.  (Kasich even helped Duffey campaign: see pic @ ABC News.) Duffey, a Republican, voted for and supported SB5/Issue 2.  Voters in Worthington have been disgusted with Duffey's right wing moves.

* It looks like Sen. Sherrod Brown continues to get more of his campaign contributions from Ohio.  On the other hand, Republican Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, is more popular with those out of state.

OpenSecrets  notes that 63% of Sen. Sherrod Brown's campaign contributions are from Ohio, and Mandel has only garnered 50% of his contributions from Ohioans. 

It appears the Mandel campaign is largely being funded by right wing groups/PACs, out of state individuals, instead of Ohio citizens.  Why are these outsiders pushing Josh Mandel?  

• Republican Josh Mandel's history with the payday lender companies/PACs gives hints about how he regards the industry.  In 2010, as a member of the Ohio House, Mandel sided with the payday lenders.

PlainDealer (May 16, 2010):

...Rep. Josh Mandel of Lyndhurst, this year's Republican candidate for state treasurer, sided with payday lenders by voting "no" on the loophole-closer. 

In November 2008, 64 percent of the Ohioans voting capped annual percentage rates (APRs) on payday loans at 28 percent. Of the 147 precincts in Mandel's 17th Ohio House District, 146 precincts voted "yes " to a 28 percent APR cap.... 

Josh Mandel's friendliness with payday lenders explains why they've given big time money to his campaign and why he flew to their convention in the Bahamas on Friday, March 9, 2012.   The DaytonDailyNews:

...The payday lending industry has given $170,000 this cycle to support Republican Senate hopeful Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel who is running against Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. Brown chairs a subcommittee with some oversight of the industry. 

A Dayton Daily News analysis of campaign finance data shows about half the money Mandel raised from the industry went directly to his candidate committee and the other half to his PAC, the Mandel Senate Victory Committee. The PAC pays for Mandel fundraisers and sends money to his committee and Republican groups....

....Brown has also received donations associated with payday lenders, but significantly less than Mandel. He has raised at least $22,000 from the industry, mostly from individual employees of Ohio-based businesses. Brown did receive one $5,000 donation from Cash America International PAC, headquartered in Texas....

Josh Mandel gets his campaign contributions from people/PACS making millions of dollars from their payday lending businesses.  On the other hand, most of campaign contributions from that same industry that were sent to Sen. Sherrod Brown's campaign came from the payday lender employees making $9-$10/hour.

 >>>>  Does anyone else remember in the last campaign that Steve Stivers said he was only interested in creating jobs?  Has anyone seen any jobs created by Steve Stivers?

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Playing the Same Game


Republicans Mitt Romney and Josh Mandel have several things in common.  They both want to give more tax breaks to the wealthy, they both believe in outsourcing jobs, both disrespect the American worker (Romney's Bain tactics and Mandel's support of SB5/Issue 2), and both men love Paul Ryan's plan which would destroy Social Security and Medicare. There is one more area in which Romney and Mandel share something------ their campaign style.  Neither candidate has put forth a solid plan on ---

•  ending the war in Afghanistan,
•  getting jobs for returning veterans,
•  continuing the Veterans Administration's medical treatment for veterans (Romney wants to issue vouchers to veterans),
•  repairing our country's infrastructure,
•  keeping our environment clean,
•  protecting public education for all,
•  pay equity for women, etc., etc., etc.

Romney and Mandel have engaged in attacks on their respective Democratic opponents, but they refuse to say exactly what they would do.  Would Mitt Romney want to keep our troops in Afghanistan f-o-r-e-v-e-r?  Romney's military advising staff appears to be Neo-con leftovers from the administration of George W. Bush.  As you recall, they got us in a war in Iraq and sent our troops to war without the proper equipment.  We really don't want to face that again.

Josh Mandel has visited every county GOP group in Ohio, every Chamber of Commerce  lunch in Ohio, and every Tea Party gathering, while he repeats the same talking points.  Mandel's talking points have been given to him by the far right Americans for Prosperity, Republican Tea Party groups, ALEC connected groups, and other anti-labor groups. As the Ohio Treasurer, Josh Mandel has pretty much abandoned the office to which he was elected.

If you really believe in equality and fairness, you'll reject the Republicans and their plan to move our country back to the past.

What?


*** Racism from the Romney camp????

TPM:

...What the London Daily Telegraph calls one of Romney’s “advisors” told the paper that Romney was better positioned to understand and respect the ‘special relationship’ between the US and Great Britain than President Obama, whose father was from Kenya.

Said the advisor: “We are part of an Anglo-Saxon heritage, and he feels that the special relationship is special. The White House didn’t fully appreciate the shared history we have.”

It appears that Mitt Romney is on a world tour to badmouth the President of the United States Barack Obama.  Romney has no foreign policy experience, and it shows.  He is proving to be the "ugly American" by smearing our country and President Obama. Shame.

Then again, what do you expect from Romney who flew in and paid for 200 African American supporters to be in the audience when he spoke at the NAACP convention (see LINK)?

**** One of the reasons Josh Mandel wanted to change the date of one of the debates because it was on a religious holiday.  Mr. Mandel flew to Bahamas on a Friday night to go talk to payday lenders at their convention (PlainDealer: 3/13/12).  That trip on a Friday raised a lot of eyebrows.

>>>>  Ohioans are most concerned about the possibility that Josh Mandel and the Senate Republicans will end or change Social Security and Medicare.  As long as Sherrod Brown remains in the Senate, we won't need to worry about it.  However, Mandel is a supporter of the Paul Ryan budget which basically says, "You're on your own, Grandma!"

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

GOP Plan Won't Create Jobs


••• Wow!  Economists just discovered something that most of us already knew!!!!  The title of the latest HuffPost article says it all:

Republican Jobs Bills Won't Actually Create Jobs, Say Economists

HuffPost:

...economists told The Huffington Post that regulation has had a minimal impact on the unemployment rate. Their claim is backed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which shows that just under 16,000 jobs, or 0.4 percent, were lost because of "government regulations/intervention."

"It's just hard to believe that the paperwork requirements to starting a business represent a major impediment to starting businesses right now," Burtless said. "That's not why we had lots more business creation in the late '90s."

Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers, warned that any potential job creation from environmental deregulation could be offset by health concerns.....

No matter how much the Republicans say they've done something to create jobs, you can now throw back this information--- The Republican plan to create jobs is nothing more than a bunch of plain, ordinary, b*******.   The GOP drum beat for more tax cuts for the rich has never worked and never will.

The next time you hear Republican Rep. Steve Stivers or Republican candidate, Josh "I'd rather be campaigning than doing my job" Mandel, talk about the Republican jobs plan or ending regulations, you can shout back at them with the information that regulations don't kill jobs---regulations save lives.

>>>>> First Lady Michelle Obama will be in Ohio today!!!!!!!!  


Monday, July 23, 2012

Monday's News Includes....


* This morning's Columbus Dispatch shows that the love affair between the Dispatch, their owners, and writer,s and Gov. John Kasich continues.  If John Kasich is so wonderful, as the Dispatch states, why are his approval ratings in the toilet?

*  Penn State just vacated all of their victories from 1998 -2011 (see ESPN for details).

>>>  Republican Josh Mandel's record is under scrutiny. He has no employment ideas for our returning veterans. Ohio's middle class remembers that Josh Mandel was a strong supporter of Kasich and the GOP's SB 5/Issue 2.  Mandel's voting record when he was in the Ohio House was pretty pathetic because none of his 4 bills ever became law.  Majority has this statistic on Josh Mandel:

....Mandel has spent his career campaigning instead of getting anything done.....

....And his partisanship isn’t limited to rhetoric, either:
And records show that over four years and 654 votes, he rarely broke with his party, siding with Republicans 95 percent of the time....

Josh Mandel is just looking for something to do since his friends, fraternity brothers, and college buddies are doing his actual work in the Treasurer's office.

In case you might be interested------ This week, Josh Mandel will be spending one day this week having a fundraising breakfast with William Batchelder (another Kasich worshipper) at a private country club in northern Ohio.  Josh Mandel certainly loves attending functions at country clubs.

>>>>  Here it is July 23rd, and the Romney campaign is still looking for field directors in Ohio and other states (see LINK).

Just to add to the lack of enthusiasm for Romney......  We just got back from a 500 mile car trip and we saw exactly 1 (one) Romney bumper sticker.  However, we saw many, many Obama bumper stickers.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Poll Numbers


* Poll numbers grab a lot of attention every single time there is a new update.  However, it is important to look at all the polls, not just one.

Here is what RealClearPolitics has about Ohio's U.S. Senate race with Sen. Sherrod Brown, Democrat, and his challenger, Republican Josh Mandel:

Polling Data

PollDateSampleBrown (D)Mandel (R)Spread
RCP Average6/19 - 7/18--47.338.3Brown +9.0
Rasmussen Reports7/18 - 7/18500 LV4642Brown +4
Quinnipiac6/19 - 6/251237 RV5034Brown +16
PPP (D)6/21 - 6/24673 RV4639Brown +7


I'll try to post additional information when it is available.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Finally!


Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH-Democrat) will debate Republican challenger, and current absent Ohio Treasurer, Josh Mandel, on Monday, October 15th, at 12 NOON, according to the Plain Dealer.

The Plain Dealer has this information about tickets:

...Tickets for the noon debate on Oct. 15  will be available starting Aug. 15 by calling 216-621-0082 or by visiting www.cityclub.org.....

What kind of questions should be asked of Josh Mandel?  Here are a few I'd suggest-------

- How many actual work days did you miss because you were campaigning out of Columbus, out of Ohio, and even out of the country?

- How many trips have you taken out of Ohio to collect campaign contributions?

- Why are you opposed to women's reproductive freedom and pay equity for women?

- When you were a student at Ohio State, you supported rights for LGBT citizens. Why are you against offering full civil rights, including the right to marry, in 2012?

- How many public schools have you visited?  Have you met personally with David Brennan, the owner of many charter schools in Ohio?

- How much money from your investments, and your wife's, do you stand to gain with the increase of fracking?

- Why are you opposed to laws and regulations that protect our environment and the health of your citizens?  Why are you against the EPA?

- Do you support an increase in the minimum wage? Why or why not?

- Do you support abortion for women who have been raped?

- How many of Mandel's hires have ties to his college fraternity or are members of politically connected families?

I'm sure that there are many, many, many more questions that can be asked.  Will the City Club take questions from the public?

Will Mandel debate?


••••  Sen. Sherrod Brown has accepted the debate invitation of the City Club of Cleveland for early October.  Twenty four hours later, the campaign of Republican Josh Mandel has yet to respond.  Is this too difficult for the Mandel campaign?

>>>> I'm usually not into conspiracies, but......
WKBN:

Ohio's elections chief is requesting access to a federal immigration database so elections officials can verify the citizenship of voters.

According to The Plain Dealer of Cleveland, Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted says the information would be valuable in rare cases when a voter's citizenship is called into question. Husted says the U.S. Department of Homeland Security database would not be used on a widespread basis.

The issue of voting rights is a hot topic these days. It's even taken center stage in the presidential election. President Barack Obama's campaign team has argued that GOP lawmakers are making it more difficult for certain groups to vote.....

This sounds ridiculously similar to the request by Florida Gov. Rick Scott.  Hmmm.  Where are Husted and Rick Scott getting their instructions on how to stop people from voting????

Thursday, July 19, 2012

"Real Americans"?????


***  OMG.  Mitt Romney has no plans on what to do in Afghanistan.

HuffPost:

A senior adviser to Mitt Romney declined to provide more specific details on the presumptive GOP nominee's plan for Afghanistan on Thursday, saying it was a distraction from what "real Americans want to talk about."

The Romney campaign has said the former Massachusetts governor "supports the 2014 timetable as a realistic timetable and a residual force post-2014" in Afghanistan, but he would not have announced the withdrawal timeline publicly, as President Barack Obama did. But as Josh Rogin at The Cable notes, "details remain sketchy" on what Romney would do beyond the timeline. 

Top senators are equally flummoxed. None of them who talked to Rogin were able to explain what Romney's policy was.... 

Now we are going to have the Romney campaign determine which are the "real Americans" that can determine policy in Afghanistan.  We have friends and family serving in Afghanistan in the U.S. military.  Are we American enough to ask questions about what Romney plans to do in Afghanistan?  Will he re-assign our friends and family members to keep the war going?   Should families that have loved ones serving in Afghanistan assume that Romney would continue to send our troops there for their 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th tour of duty? 

Word to Romney and his minions----

REAL  AMERICANS  WANT  TO  KNOW  WHAT  A 
PRESIDENT ROMNEY 
WOULD  DO  IN  AFGHANISTAN!

Will Mandel Debate Sen. Sherrod Brown???


•••  Sen. Sherrod Brown has accepted the Cleveland City Club's invitation for a debate location, according to the Sherrod Brown campaign site.

The clock is ticking.  Will the often absent Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel accept the invitation?

* My husband says that I take my support of liberal-leaning, Democratic supporting business too seriously.  However, when the right wing has people like the owner of this chicken outlet, I stay away from it so as not to give one dollar to the haters.

DailyKos:

If you've been paying attention recently, you probably know about Chick-fil-A's little problem with the gays. It has been known for quite some time now that the company has been making anti-gay donations to organizations such as Exodus International. But of course, shit really hit the fan this week when Chick-fil-A COO Dan Cathy had this to say about charges that the company was working to undermine gay civil rights:
Well, guilty as charged.
Why would anyone support a company that displays such animosity toward fellow citizens?

>>>  Another day and Mitt Romney still hasn't released his tax returns. Is he hiding something?  The LA Times looks at the foreign investors that helped get Romney's Bain Capital off the ground:

LA Times:

When Mitt Romney launched Bain Capital in 1984, he struggled at first to raise enough money for the untested venture. Old-money families like the Rothschilds turned down the young Boston consultant.

So he and his partners tapped an eclectic roster of investors, raising more than a third of their first $37-million investment fund from wealthy foreigners.....

Does Mitt Romney really believe in supporting American businesses and American workers?

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Josh Mandel losing voters?


* Republican Josh Mandel, absent Ohio Treasurer and candidate for Senate, had a gathering in Solon, Ohio, last night.  Despite lots of publicity, the Patch article states that there were ...roughly 200...  attendees. That sounds like a disappointing number.  With Mandel's campaign being propped up with millions of dollars from PACs associated with Karl Rove, the Koch Brothers, and right wing causes, Ohio voters appear to be losing interest in the darling of out of state right wingers.  Mandel should have spent more time working in his elected office as Ohio Treasurer instead of flying all over the country for right wing campaign receptions.

Ohio voters seem to have soured on Mitt Romney, with a 50% unfavorable rating in the state (TPM Polltracker).  Josh Mandel and Mitt Romney are pushing the same trickle down economics that has been proven ineffective. Both candidates are promoting tax cuts for the wealthy "job creators" and favored treatment for business owners.  Mandel and Romney are both against women's reproductive rights. (When will these right wing candidates stop obsessing about our ovaries, tubes, and uterus?) Romney and Mandel also were against President Obama's successful rescue of the American auto industry.


>>>>>  There continues to be lots of speculation surrounding Republican Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio) as a possible vice presidential candidate for Mitt Romney. If Portman is picked, Americans would be faced with two multi-millionaires representing the Republican Party. It would help people visualize that the GOP is a party for rich, old white guys.

••••  Speaking of money-----  Why won't Mitt Romney release his tax returns?  Is he afraid to show he made millions while the rest of us lost money during the Bush recession?  How did Romney get millions and millions of dollars in his IRA? I thought there were restrictions on how much a person could put in his/her IRA.  Legitimate questions are being asked about this, and the JournalStar has them.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Reason # 85 Not to Vote for Romney


* One of Republican Mitt Romney's plans to get the economy going is to have a "territorial tax system" which allow companies to get tax breaks to send jobs overseas.  Really?  Why should a company be allowed to have any benefits when they take jobs away from  American workers?  Why should an American company receive any reward for denying Americans opportunities to feed their families and provide a future for them?  Mitt Romney is too, too interested in outsourcing and helping his rich friends get more tax breaks. 
******
• • • • This just in......
ClevelandPlainDealer:

President Barack Obama’s re-election team has asked a federal judge to reopen a target-rich window for all Ohioans to vote in person on the three days before Election Day. 

In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, the Obama campaign, along with the Democratic National Committee and Ohio Democratic Party, argued that restrictions on balloting those days violates the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause. 

The suit, which names Secretary of State Jon Husted and Attorney General Mike DeWine as defendants, takes aim at the remnants of a Republican rewrite of state elections law.....

Yeah!!!!  We need to stop the Republicans from denying people their right to vote. Shame on Republicans. These Republicans are always trying to deny people their right to vote, right to workers rights, the right to free, public, education, the right for women to determine their own reproductive rights, etc., etc.  It is no wonder the Republican party has become the political party for old white guys.

- - - - - - - 
Endorsement announced- PlainDealer:

The Ohio Fraternal Order of Police today endorsed Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown for re-election to the United States senate.

The law enforcement group, with 25,000 active and retired members, also endorsed Ohio Supreme Court incumbents Democrat Yvette McGee Brown......

...."Senator Brown was one of our strongest allies in the fight against SB5, Issue 2," said FOP president Jay McDonald, referring to the collective bargaining law that was repealed by voters last November thanks in part to heavy opposition to it from organized labor, including Ohio's first responders....

Sen. Sherrod Brown backed the Ohio FOP, as well as teachers, firefighters, nurses, and state workers, and worked to protect their rights. Sherrod Brown is the first Ohio Democrat to receive an endorsement from the FOP since 1988.  Sherrod Brown works for all the people in Ohio (unlike his Republican opponent who doesn't even have a plan to get our veterans back to work).


Monday, July 16, 2012

Retroactive Retirement???? Huh?


•••••  According to Ed Gillespie, formerly of the Bush campaign, Mitt Romney "retired retroactively" from Bain. Because of this claim by Gillespie, Romney is not responsible for anything Bain did in shipping jobs overseas.  The "retired retroactively" is the stupidest thing I've heard.  Even Bernie Madoff did not claim a retroactive retirement when he was in court! 

This claim by Gillespie prompted this from Salon:

Local man Fred Snorming called a news conference today to announce his retroactive retirement from the last three years of his life. He said he had taken a leave of absence from himself during that time and had no involvement in his day-to-day decisions, and therefore no responsibility for what may or may not have occurred then. 

Snorming says he got the idea from Mitt Romney’s senior campaign adviser Ed Gillespie.....

We should be warned of more "retroactive retirements" in the coming days.

****  I love the newest Obama ad:
YouTube


What is Mitt Romney hiding that he refuses to release his income tax returns?  How much money did he make while he closed businesses here and sent them oversees?  Greed is not good, especially when it hurts people, families, and communities.

---------

* Republican candidate for Senate, Josh Mandel, will have a rally this week, according to reports.  However, Mandel must have low expectations because the facility being used at the Solon Community Center holds just a couple of hundred people. Cincinnati.com reported that a rally held in Cincinnati last week for Josh Mandel had just 300 attendees. Are we see a lack of interest in the candidacy of Josh Mandel? Is the Mandel campaign hoping that the money from PACs and outside groups will counteract his small, on the ground campaign? 

People in Ohio are just disgusted that the Treasurer of the state has spent a majority of his week out of his office on his campaign in the state and around the country, while he continues to collect his salary and leave his office in the hands of his inexperienced political appointees.  Ohioans see a self-promoting, Republican with minimal experience in legislation, community outreach, committee work, and knowledge of the needs of Ohio's farmers, middle class workers, senior citizens, working women, and communities.  Josh Mandel has gone out to speak to the same old white people in local business groups and Republican gatherings.  He has had little experience talking with average Ohioans.  His "jobs plan" reflects his overemphasis on corporations, tax cuts for the wealthy, and his romance with the likes of deep-pocketed, right wing PACs. The most upsetting thing I see from Mandel is his real lack of understanding for women because of his views against women's reproductive freedom and his lack of support for the VAWA (Violence Against Women Act), and pay equity.  Mandel has supported charter schools to the extent that he seems unable to visualize the needs of the state's public schools, which educate a majority of the children in Ohio.




Saturday, July 14, 2012

What is Romney hiding?


•••••  I guess we should not hold our breath waiting for Republican Mitt Romney to release his tax records or come clean about his time at Bain.  Honesty is the best policy and apparently, the right wing media, and conservatives are defending Romney's statements  that he quit Bain in 1999.  When you continue to sign paperwork for the SEC, you are stating that you are responsible for the company's decisions.  Why doesn't Romney want to take responsibility for Bain's colossal disasters with taking over companies, and moving jobs overseas? Mitt Romney seems to feel that the fact that he is a conservative, and rich should be his only qualifications for office.  Romney has failed to realize that the public is interested in transparency, not just what he wants to tell us.

* What a surprise!  Josh Mandel's friends associated with Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS PAC are continuing to lie about Sen. Sherrod Brown's voting record. An news article in the Dayton Daily News points out the false statements in the Crossroads ad.  I guess the Crossroads PAC and Karl Rove will do anything to promote their Republican puppet, Josh Mandel.

*** After reading a few new crazy quotes from our absent Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, you have to wonder how much he is dealing in reality.  Need some examples?

CirclevilleToday:

Following visits to Wilmington and Chillicothe, state treasurer and Republican candidate for U.S. Senator Josh Mandel stopped in Circleville Wednesday to talk about his jobs plan and answer questions from the Pickaway County Chamber of Commerce....

"I strongly believe in transparency. I think it’s an important component to our country and our political system,” Mandel said... 

Here is my take---
- Josh Mandel is so transparent that he released the resumes of all his political hires within 2 hours of being asked.  NOT!

- Josh Mandel is so transparent that he lets the citizens of Ohio know where and when he is going to collect campaign cash 24 hours before he goes. NOT!

- Josh Mandel is so transparent that he let everyone in the state know that he was going to a payday lenders convention at the Atlantic in the Bahamas well in advance of his trip. NOT!

I could go on but you get the point.  The last thing on Josh Mandel's mind appears to be his responsibility to the people of Ohio.  He missed 14 meetings of the Board of Deposits, and his continuing absences from his elected office as Ohio Treasurer has left citizens upset.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

New Polls



Talking Points Memo has some new polls:


06/25/2012 -
07/03/2012
Romney Favorability (OH) Garin Hart…
(Sponsored by Priorities USA Action)
Favorable 35.0 Unfavorable 46.0


06/25/2012 -
07/03/2012
OH President '12 Garin Hart…
(Sponsored by Priorities USA Action)
Obama 48.0 Romney 41.0



The more Ohioans learn about Mitt Romney, the more they dislike his campaign, his issues, his outsourcing of American jobs, and even his secret investments in foreign countries.
-----------------

Vice President Joe Biden is speaking in front of the NAACP convention---- Biden says, he and the President see an America.....
...where women have equal pay...
...pay the same amount for health care as men...
...where our daughters have the same opportunities as our sons....

Biden said, Romney does not support these things and Romney wasn't even sure he supported the Lily Ledbetter Act.

I love Joe Biden! 

>>>>>  Sen. Sherrod Brown is reminding our veterans about a program to get our veterans back to work.  See the Morning Journal and the Benefits Page for Veterans for details.  

Republican Josh Mandel has no employment plan for our returning veterans. Mandel has forgotten them.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Mandel Has Missed Something Important


* I've gone over Josh Mandel's "Jobs Plan" (pdf) he has posted on his website and even the electmandel site.  There is something very important missing from the document :

 Despite the fact that Republican Josh Mandel is a military veteran, Josh Mandel has not included a plan to get returning veterans jobs.  

You'd think that Mandel would have taken care of his military buddies, but there is no mention of any program for employing our veterans.  Unfortunately, Josh Mandel thinks he is such a big macher that he doesn't need to worry about them.

Republican Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, is mentioned in an article in The Atlantic:

.....Mandel, the Republican standard-bearer in Ohio, is an example of a candidate whose promise hasn't matched his performance. Party officials recruited the highly-touted state treasurer and encouraged him to enter the race very early so he could raise as much money as possible to keep financial pace with Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown's flush campaign account. In hindsight, Mandel's decision to jump in before he was politically ready was a significant miscalculation. 

....He's gotten relentlessly bad press as a 31-year-old newbie who neglected his duties as treasurer to run for the Senate, and his campaign team has been flat-footed in handling damage control. 

When Mandel took an unannounced trip to the Bahamas in March to raise money from payday lenders, the speech earned him a slew of bad headlines and gave Brown fodder for future campaign ads. With millions of dollars of super PAC money being spent on the race already, the relentless fundraising pace was probably unnecessary, and it came at the expense of a bunch of negative headlines back home. The latest Quinnipiac poll shows Mandel losing ground to Brown, and his unfavorables going up. If Romney carries the battleground state but Mandel falls short, it will be a serious missed opportunity for Republicans.....

 Josh Mandel is against women's reproductive freedom, against pay equity for women, against the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, against the Affordable Care Act, against civil rights for our brothers and sisters of the LGBT community, against tax cuts for the middle class, against clean air/water/environment, against the auto rescue plan, against rights for workers (Mandel supported SB 5/Issue 2). What forward thinking person would vote for him?  As a woman, I don't want someone like Josh Mandel blocking my reproductive rights or my right to the same pay as a man doing a similar job!

Sen. Sherrod Brown has provided help for our returning veterans that need jobs:

....Brown was an original cosponsor of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, a key provision of which is VRAP, which offers job retraining assistance to veterans between 35 and 60 years of age. According to the VA—which is administering the program along with the U.S. Department of Labor—VRAP offers up to 12 months of training assistance to unemployed veterans. Mr. Colon, of Youngstown, plans to use the program to take classes at Mahoning County Career and Technical Training College to become a Medical Assistant.

Between July 1 and September 30, 2012, the program will provide up 45,000 participants with retraining assistance, and an additional 54,000 veterans will receive assistance from October 1, 2012, through March 31, 2014. Participants must be enrolled in a VA-approved program of education offered by a community college or technical school. The program must lead to an Associate Degree, Non-College Degree, or a Certificate, and train the Veteran for a high demand occupation. More information about the program is available here.

The Sherrod Brown campaign website has more on the program for our vets:


”Service members who risk their lives protecting our nation shouldn’t have to wonder whether or not they’ll be able to find a job when they leave the service. Unfortunately, many do – and that’s not right,” said Brown, a Democrat, in a news release.

The program will help veterans train for jobs that are in high demand, from health care to protective service to production.

It will be limited to 45,000 participants from July through September and to 54,000 participants from October through March 2014. Already, about 27,000 veterans nationwide have applied, according to Brown.

While Josh Mandel is being held up with campaign cash from Karl Rove's PAC, the Koch Brothers' Americans for Prosperity, the American Commitment PAC, Sen. Jim DeMint's PAC, the MaverickPAC, and other right wing money PACs, Sen. Sherrod Brown continues to work for all the people in Ohio and our veterans.

•••••••  The Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives had their 33rd vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The Republicans have no alternative. Where are the freaking jobs, Boehner?

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Romney: Too bad if you can't afford a college education


****  There is a great quote from Ohio Democratic Chair Chris Redfern about the candidacy of the ethically challenged Republican Josh Mandel (HuffingtonPost):

"For more than a year Josh Mandel has been kept afloat by a torrent of outside money," Redfern said. "The only reason that Josh Mandel's campaign is alive today is Karl Rove gives it CPR."

Mandel has nothing to offer Ohio voters except the same old Republican talking points that we've heard over, and over, and over again. Mandel is a puppet of the far right.

••••• Ohio voters are seeing so many attack ads from Republicans, I think that we are all just getting sick of them. These well funded groups are supporting empty suit, Josh Mandel. Wait!  Another right wing group has been born to attack Sen. Sherrod Brown.  This time, according to the WashingtonPost, it is American Commitment.

WashingtonPost:

...There’s $1.2 million behind two ads attacking Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio, $1.1 million behind an ad attacking Sen. Bill Nelson in Florida, a little under $500,000 hitting Rep. Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, $115,000 against Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota, $114,000 against Rep. Martin Heinrich in New Mexico and $110,000 against Rep. Shelley Berkley in Nevada and on health care...

....Ads in both Ohio and Florida call Brown and Nelson “the deciding vote” on the health-care law, echoing attacks from the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The NRSC argues that any one senator could have stopped the law, therefore every senator’s vote is decisive....

Apparently, the right wing cannot decide which Republican provided "the deciding vote" on the Affordable Care Act. 

*** Ohio State students and college students across the country, should take note of what Mitt Romney has to say about your education.

Maddowblog has this from Youtube:



Here is more from the Maddowblog:

...The key phrase: Romney wants young people to "get as much education as they can afford." That's not really the way American society is supposed to work -- if you're a young person who's bright, works hard, and wants to further you're education, your public leaders and public institutions aren't supposed to say, "Sorry, you're not wealthy enough to pursue educational opportunities."

But that's Romney's message in a nutshell. Indeed, in March, the GOP candidate explained his intention to cut Pell Grants and encourage students who struggle with tuition costs to "shop around" until they can find a college they can afford.

And then, of course, there's Romney's plan for the student-loan system, which he intends to make worse, on purpose, in order to boost bank profits for no reason. It's arguably the most scandalous element of Romney education agenda, and most voters probably aren't aware of how absurd it is....

Many of us would not have been able to go to college if it had not been for loans, grants, and other subsidies.  It is apparent that Romney thinks more of the poor bankers than the talented, poor college students.  Romney and his right wing wealthy supporters want us to just let the wealthy control everything. Romney and his rich Republican friends are interested in establishing an oligarchy.

>>>>>  Today, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives put forth the 31st vote to repeal Obamacare.  Where are jobs bills, Boehner??? The tea party Republicans in the House of Representatives are the biggest time wasters on the face of the earth!

Boehner, Cantor, Stivers, and the rest of the foolish Republican should be ashamed of themselves.

Very Interesting.....


*** The U.S. House of Representatives will have a vote scheduled on abortions this week.  It is incredible that the Republicans in charge of the House refuse to back any of the jobs bills authored by President Obama. Instead, Boehner, Stivers, Cantor, and the rest of the tea party Republicans want to continue to control your ovaries, tubes, and uterus. The Republicans and their obsession with female reproductive parts is creepy, obsessive, and just plain perverted.

Republicans-
Where are the jobs?  How many more abortion restrictions will you pass instead of supporting President Obama's jobs bills? 


****  Is Republican Josh Mandel, current Ohio Treasurer and candidate for Senate, pushing for certain energy projects to pad his investments?  Plunderbund has more on the investments that Josh Mandel and his wife have in energy concerns, and his association with a right wing, energy "summit" being held.  Plunderbund rightfully questions Mandel's ethics.

Josh Mandel is appearing 7:30 tonight (Tuesday, 7/10) with Republican Sen. Mike Lee at the Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Rd., Cincinnati. It is free and open to the public. Hint! If the public is allowed to ask questions, someone from the audience should ask Josh Mandel.........

•    Why does Mandel think he should be elected Senator since he has been absent so much from his present job as Treasurer?

•    How many of his hires for the Treasurer's office have ties to his fraternity, high school,  or are related to lobbyists?

•    Does Mandel think that his investments in oil and gas will increase if fracking is increased and the pipeline is built?  How much money could Mandel and his wife gain?

•    Does Mandel think it is fine for American companies to send jobs to China to increase their profits?

•    Josh Mandel is against women's reproductive rights. Does Mandel think that men should not be allowed to get Viagra and other "male enhancements" if their intention is something other than procreation?

After the Supreme Court's upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, Sen. Mike Lee (Utah-R) said, according to CNSNEWS---
“The Supreme Court said it was a tax. I don’t think it was a tax,” Lee told CNSNews.com. “Congress didn’t think it was a tax. The president assured us that it wasn’t a tax. There’s nothing about the text or the structure of the Affordable Care Act that suggests it was a tax. But the Supreme Court concluded that it was.”

Sen. Mike Lee also voted against the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act. (see NY Times on 4/26/12. Lee and Marco Rubio voted against it.).  How interesting.  Why would anyone vote against the renewal of the VAWA? Mike Lee thinks it is unconstitutional--
YouTube



Does Mike Lee think it is okay to beat your wife, partner, girlfriend?

Mandel’s appearance at the event – given his very large financial investments in those industries – is shady at best, and certainly appears to be unethical.