Romney Sinking in OHIO

• A new poll by the Columbus Dispatch has some surprising information:

From Day One, Mitt Romney’s bid for the presidency has rested on the belief that his ability to turn around faltering businesses would translate into turning around the country.....

....A new Dispatch Poll shows him trailing President Barack Obama in bellwether Ohio by 9 points, 51 percent to 42 percent....

A closer look at the statistics from the Dispatch poll shows President Obama with strong support from women.

>>> Another article in the Dispatch is about Republican candidate Josh Mandel, who is being supported by right wing money from PACs. Mandel is the anti-middle class, anti-female rights, anti-public schools, anti-low interest loans for college students, that is running against Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown. Josh Mandel is currently Ohio Treasurer and has actually attended 7 out of 21 Board of Deposits meeting since he took office in January 2011.

* Why is Republican Rep. Steve Stivers have such a fluffy, non-issue campaign ad?  Does he want us to forget that he voted for the Paul Ryan budget on March 29, 2012? (See roll call here) Does Steve Stivers recall that the Paul Ryan budget bill would give vouchers to Medicare recipients? Does Stivers even care what a voucher program would do to our senior citizens?

The List

According to the the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, the following Republicans voted in favor of the Paul Ryan budget that would give vouchers to Medicare recipients:

H CON RES 112: Roll Call 151-March 29, 2012:

---- YEAS    228 ---

Adams Aderholt Akin Alexander Amodei Austria Bachmann Bachus Barletta Bartlett Bass (NH) Benishek Berg Biggert Bilbray Bilirakis Bishop (UT) Black Blackburn Bonner Bono Mack Boustany Brady (TX) Brooks Buchanan Bucshon Buerkle Burgess Burton (IN) Calvert Camp Campbell Canseco Cantor Capito Carter Cassidy Chabot Chaffetz Coble Coffman (CO) Cole Conaway Cravaack Crawford Crenshaw Culberson Davis (KY) Denham Dent DesJarlais Diaz-Balart Dold Dreier Duffy Duncan (SC) Ellmers Emerson Farenthold Fincher Fitzpatrick Flake Fleischmann Fleming Flores Forbes Fortenberry Foxx Franks (AZ) Frelinghuysen Gallegly Gardner Garrett Gerlach Gibbs Gingrey (GA)

Gohmert Goodlatte Gosar Gowdy Granger Graves (GA) Graves (MO) Griffin (AR) Griffith (VA) Grimm Guinta Guthrie Hall Hanna Harper Harris Hartzler Hastings (WA) Hayworth Heck Hensarling Herger Herrera Beutler Huizenga (MI) Hultgren Hunter Hurt Issa Jenkins Johnson (IL) Johnson (OH) Johnson, Sam Jordan Kelly King (IA) King (NY) Kingston Kinzinger (IL) Kline Labrador Lamborn Lance Landry Lankford Latham LaTourette Latta Lewis (CA) LoBiondo Long Lucas Luetkemeyer Lummis Lungren, Daniel E. Manzullo Marchant Marino McCarthy (CA) McCaul McClintock McCotter McHenry McKeon McMorris Rodgers Meehan Mica Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Miller, Gary Mulvaney Murphy (PA) Myrick Neugebauer Noem Nugent Nunes

Nunnelee Olson Palazzo Paulsen Pearce Pence Petri Pitts Poe (TX) Pompeo Posey Price (GA) Quayle Reed Reichert Renacci Ribble Rigell Rivera Roby Roe (TN) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rohrabacher Rokita Rooney Ros-Lehtinen Roskam Ross (FL) Royce Runyan Ryan (WI) Scalise Schilling Schmidt Schock Schweikert Scott (SC) Scott, Austin Sensenbrenner Sessions Shimkus Shuster Simpson Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Southerland Stearns Stivers Stutzman Sullivan Terry Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiberi Tipton Turner (NY) Turner (OH) Upton Walberg Walden Walsh (IL) Webster West Westmoreland Wilson (SC) Wittman Wolf Womack Woodall Yoder Young (AK) Young (FL) Young (IN)

You might want to let the representatives listed above know how you feel about their vote for Medicare vouchers. You can send them a message in the voting booth when you vote for the Democrat in their district.


Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan call their Medicare voucher plan "premium assistance." We know that the paltry amount they would provide to seniors would not cover the cost of the ever increasing bill for insurance. Send a message to Mitt, Ryan, and the rest of the Republicans by voting against them.

Eyes On Ohio

>>> Sen. Sherrod Brown, Ohio Democrat running for re-election, met with steelworkers.

Chillicothegazette:

Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown rallied with southwest Ohio steelworkers Wednesday to highlight President Barack Obama's help for the U.S. auto industry, saying plants and jobs have been saved across the state.

"That's the story of the auto rescue -- putting people back to work," Brown said, speaking to nearly 200 people who crowded under a picnic shelter at the Machinists' union local just outside the AK Steel plant.

Brown supported the auto bailout and pointed to General Motors' recent decision to invest in northeast Ohio plants to build the next-generation Chevrolet Cruze. The AK Steel plant in southwest Ohio produces some of the steel for the car....

President Obama's auto plan to rescue the American auto industry was supported by Sen. Sherrod Brown. Because of Sen. Sherrod Brown's work to save the auto industry, Ohio jobs are back for car manufacturing, steelworkers, and auto part makers.  While Sen. Sherrod Brown pushed for the auto plan, Mitt "let Detroit go bankrupt" Romney, John Kasich, and Josh "the absent treasurer" Mandel, were against it. Even though John Kasich was against the auto bailout, he continues to show up for photographs at every big auto factory event (see ThinkProgress for details on Romney and Kasich's opposition).

• • • • • • • • • •

* All eyes seem to be on Ohio's voters and the few people that are still undecided. In the NY Times, Gail Collins wrote about how Ohio is dealing with the onslaught of candidates, advertising, and big money PACs.

NY Times:

....No Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio. Asked if Romney could manage it, political director Rich Beeson retorted: “If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, every day would be Christmas.” 

...In Ohio, when you aren’t seeing Romney-Obama ads, you are seeing ads for the U.S. Senate, mainly for the Republican nominee, State Treasurer Josh Mandel. Ohio is the new Rich Right’s big Senate power play. Outside groups have poured a whopping $18 million into attempting to bury the incumbent, Senator Sherrod Brown. 

It seems to have had no effect whatsoever: that Times poll has Brown 10 points ahead. Perhaps that’s because Mandel is stiff, policy-deprived and appears to be about 12 years old. “I thought Brown was vulnerable,” said Paul Beck, a political science professor at Ohio State University. “But Josh is — I don’t think he’s proven to be a very good candidate.” 

 We all agree.

More Numbers.....

* Nate Silver at the NY Times has this predictions and analysis of President Obama's chances of winning:

           Electoral Vote:

Barack Obama...........Mitt Romney

 315.9       ---------------    222.1

    270 needed

     Chance of Winning

 81.9%................................18.1%

* If you've watched the political rallies for President Obama and Mitt Romney, you might notice the same things I have.  The Obama rally attendees look more engaged, happy, and excited.  Those attending Romney or Ryan events look bored, sad, and wondering why they are wasting their time listening to Romney or Ryan's drivel.

• There were very, very enthusiastic crowds for President Obama's rallies at Bowling Green State University and Kent State. Young people interviewed said they were more fired up now.  Yeah Obama!

Get out there and Vote!!!!!  

Remind your friends and family to VOTE!

-    -     -

>>>>  Josh Mandel, Republican candidate for Senate, is currently serving as Ohio's Treasurer. The Board of Deposit meets once per month to review the state's funds, the $65 billion in retirement funds, and discuss monetary issues.

Out of 20 Board of Deposit meetings, Ohio's absent Treasurer, Josh Mandel, attended 6 out of 20 meetings Jan. 2011-Aug. 2012. That would give him an attendance record of 30% and would get him fired at most jobs.

****From the AARP Voter's Guide website:

...Social Security 

How would you protect Social Security for today’s seniors and strengthen it for future generations?
Josh Mandel: The inability of Washington politicians to control spending has threatened important programs like Medicare and Social Security. (Source: Mandel for U.S. Senate; http://ow.ly/d4N2c)....


...Medicare

How would you put Medicare on stronger financial ground and protect today’s seniors and future retirees from the burden of rising health costs?

Josh Mandel: Those who refuse to reform Medicare are condemning the program to the ash heap of history. In order to save Medicare, we must change it. Saving Medicare will be a top priority of mine, as this important program represents a promise made by the government to the American people. We can reform it in a way that does not impact current recipients or those approaching Medicare-eligible age. (Source: League of Women Voters Questionnaire; http://ow.ly/ctaci)....

You got it----- Josh Mandel, candidate for Senate from Ohio, wants to kill Social Security and Medicare to save it.

Kasich Was AGAINST Auto Rescue/Bailout

* Do you remember when Gov. John Kasich opposed the auto rescue plan that saved the American auto industry?  Let me refresh your memory with some important information from one of Ohio's best political websites.....

Plunderbund (11/17/2011):

 
 
 

   
    Kasich spent much of yesterday… disproving everything he had said up until now (via PlunderBund)
   

       Lest we forget, here’s what our Governor ominously warned Ohioans would happen if Issue 2 passed: “If we don’t win this, the setback is how does Ohio get labeled in the minds of companies around this country. Is it a slow heavy labor state? Which tends to scare decision makers, CEOs.  It’s…
   

 

 

By the Numbers

• It appears that the polls have some interesting numbers for the elections. Pundits, political party leaders, and citizens all have strong opinions for and against the candidates. People like President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, but do not care for the Romney-Ryan ticket.

NY Times:

The latest poll from Ohio shows that President Obama’s lead over Mitt Romney has grown, to 10 percentage points. Mr. Romney is going to have a lot more trouble getting to the White House without winning Ohio—in fact, no Republican president has ever won the race without it.

The poll, conducted by The Times with CBS News and Quinnipiac, shows similar gaps in Florida and Pennsylvania at a time when a solid majority of voters say they’re really paying attention to the race and have pretty much made up their minds....

WKBN has this summary of recent polls in Ohio:

...A new poll shows Obama opening a double-digit lead over Romney in two of the nation's three largest swing states.

The president received more than 50 percent support in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida in a random telephone survey of likely voters taken Sept. 18-24. The poll by Quinnipiac University, CBS News and the New York Times had a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points in Florida and 2.9 percentage points in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Obama led Romney 53 percent to 44 percent in Ohio, 54 percent to 42 percent in Pennsylvania and 53-43 in Florida, the biggest prize of the three key battleground states with 29 electoral votes.....

Adding more fuel to the fire against Romney is this info picked up by HuffPost:

In a line that event attendees found a bit puzzling, Mitt Romney warned a crowd of mostly middle-class onlookers on Wednesday not to expect too much tax relief under his administration....




Mitt Romney really doesn't care about the middle class, and as most people believe, Romney is only interested in helping the rich.


In the race for U.S. Senate, Sen. Sherrod Brown, the Democratic incumbant, has maintained his lead over Karl Rove and Jim DeMint's pet far right candidate, Republican Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer.

 Talking Points Memo has these most recent polls on their PollTracker page:

09/18/2012 - 09/24/2012	Quinnipiac/CBS/NYT	Brown	50.0	Mandel	40.0
09/19/2012 - 09/23/2012	WaPo	Brown	53.0	Mandel	41.0
09/21/2012 - 09/22/2012	Gravis Marketing	Brown	43.9	Mandel	43.0
09/13/2012 - 09/18/2012	Univ. of… (Sponsored by Ohio Newspaper Poll)	Brown	52.0	Mandel	45.0
09/16/2012 - 09/18/2012	Fox News	Brown	47.0	Mandel	40.0
09/12/2012 - 09/12/2012	Rasmussen	Brown	49.0	Mandel	41.0

		Remember that the voting in Ohio starts with early voting and absentee voting. Don't let the polls or anyone stop you from voting!  Vote YES on Issue 2.

Romney: Not Interested in Working People

* A school teacher relates her experience in meeting Mitt Romney: (h/t DailyKos)



As anyone can see, arrogant Mitt Romney doesn't want to hear from a teacher. If she were one of his big time donors, he might have wanted to hear what she had to say. Once again Romney displays that he is a putz.  Mitt Romney just doesn't have time for working people.

Here is what Romney's record on education was like in Massachusetts.
Boston.com:

...Now, running for president, Romney boasts of a record as an educational innovator, but a review of his efforts to impose changes on Massachusetts public schools reveals a wide disconnect between what he says on the stump and what he accomplished during his single term in office.

While he is widely credited for holding out for high standards and more charter schools, the high-profile initiatives proposed by the former private-equity businessman — much of it driven by the Republican orthodoxy of the time — suffered from a variety of practical problems....

His impact was inconsequential,” said Glen Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. “People viewed his proposals as political talking points, and no one took Romney seriously. What he gets credit for is absolutely refusing to compromise on everything he wanted to do from the moment he took office, and some people think that’s commendable.”

Don't you hate it when people that know nothing about education try to impose their own political views on schools?  

Trying to Stop OSU Students from Voting???

* Why did Tea Party Republicans try to stop Ohio State students from voting? Shouldn't these people be encouraging people to vote? Plunderbund has the details and a picture of the woman that was trying to intimidate OSU student voters.

****  Mitt Romney has been running for President for over 6 years, and we still don't like him!

***Why are Mitt Romney, Josh Mandel, Paul Ryan, and the Republicans in favor of cutting funding, grants, loans for college students?  Every parent of current or soon to be college students should be aware that your youngster's future will depend on which person is elected President and which party controls the House and the Senate.

>>> Sen. Sherrod Brown has helped pass a bus safety bill.
Dispatch:

.....Sen. Sherrod Brown’s re-election campaign instead released an ad highlighting Brown’s work passing a bus safety bill earlier this year. The bill was inspired by the 2007 motor coach crash in Atlanta, Ga., that killed five members of the Bluffton University baseball team as well as the motor coach driver and his wife. In the commercial, airing statewide, John Betts, who lost his son David, talks about Brown’s work on the bill.

 

Brown, D-Ohio, earlier this year saw passage of his motor coach safety law – which he pushed with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas – after many years of introducing and reintroducing the measure, which calls for safety belts in motor coaches, improved driver training, reinforced windows to keep passengers from being ejected from the motor coach and crush-resistant roofs that can withstand rollovers.

 

“Sherrod Brown brought both Republicans and Democrats together to get a bill passed that had not been passed in 50 years,” Betts said, adding that Brown helped Betts fulfill a promise he made to his son at his graveside that something good would come from his death....

 

While Republican Josh Mandel fights regulations, it is comforting to know that Sen. Sherrod Brown has worked to protect and help all Ohioans.

Under the Spotlight

* With the entire country looking at Republican candidate Josh Mandel, it is not surprising that some items will come under scrutiny. Salon has an article questioning Josh Mandel's classification of some of his employees.

Salon:

As the presidential candidates make tax policy personal, the same thing is happening in Ohio, where Sen. Sherrod Brown’s campaign is accusing his Republican challenger, Josh Mandel, of bilking the same state treasury he runs. As Mandel ran for state treasurer in 2010, he classified at least nine of his senior staffers as independent contractors instead of full-time employees, according to campaign finance disclosures reviewed by Salon, which allowed him to forgo paying some taxes to the state and the IRS.

Classifying workers as contractors instead of employees gives employers more flexibility and lower costs, as there’s no legal requirement for them to provide health benefits or withhold payroll (Social Security) and Medicare taxes. Contractors are supposed to have their own businesses and provide discrete skills, but that norm is often abused by employers who fill positions at lower costs that should be occupied by full-time employees. Employment law prohibits misclassification, and employers who engage in it with “no reasonable basis for doing so … may be held liable for employment taxes for that worker,” according to the IRS.

However, the line between who should be classified as an independent contractor and who must be classified as an employee can be murky. “[E]very individual who performs services subject to either the control and/or will of an employer, both as to what shall be done and how it shall be done, is an employee,” according to the Ohio Department of Taxation.....

Very interesting.  Josh Mandel is probably running to his puppet masters to find out what to say.

A new poll in Ohio shows Sen. Sherrod Brown with a solid lead over perpetual Republican candidate, Josh Mandel.  TalkingPointsMemo has all the polls for the U.S. Senate for Ohio.

Guess which Ohio Treasurer wasn't at work this afternoon?

Today

•  Sen. Sherrod Brown has received the endorsement of the Akron Beacon-Journal:

...Sherrod Brown won, soon moving to the other side of Capitol Hill, from the House to the Senate. How well has he performed? This editorial page long has shared many policy positions with Brown, and engaged in some vigorous arguments. Hard to miss about his first term as a senator has been his hard work and leadership, his attention to what matters for Ohioans, from manufacturing and jobs to health care and farming (the first Ohioan on the Senate Agriculture Committee in four decades).

At a time of widening income inequality and a struggling economy, Brown sees himself as a determined champion of the middle class. The portrayal has substance. It is evident in his strong support for the Affordable Care Act and the stimulus package, both often criticized yet each essential in elevating many lives. The enactment of health-care reform, though not entirely to his liking, represents a culmination of what Brown has sought for years as a lawmaker....

Sen. Sherrod Brown has worked to get job training for our military veterans, and has pushed to get our vets the help they need. Many military families have expressed their appreciation for the special attention they've received from Sen. Sherrod Brown, especially in navigating lots of red tape.

Ohio's farmers, college students, and seniors have all seen Sen. Sherrod Brown working to assist and protect their futures.  Sen. Sherrod Brown has worked to represent everyone in Ohio---- not just the top 1%.

Sen. Sherrod Brown lent his voice and support to help push back the anti-labor legislation, SB5, championed by John Kasich, the Koch Brothers (ALEC), the Ohio GOP, and Josh Mandel. (You can see the list of donors to the anti-labor/SB5 at his LINK.)

Stand with Sen. Sherrod Brown and vote for him in this election. Let Sherrod Brown help President Obama get some important work done that has been delayed and stopped by the Republicans.


In this election, in Ohio---

VOTE YES on ISSUE 2 

in order to have fair, and equal elections.

**** Do you need more evidence of Mitt Romney's disdain for the middle class? (from 60 Minutes):

Where is Republican Josh Mandel today?

* Keep those calls going into the Ohio Treasurer's office.  Since Republican Josh Mandel has been spending so little time at work, Ohio citizens have been routinely calling his office to see if he is in Columbus. You too can join us in finding out where our state treasurer is today---(800) 228-1102 or  Columbus: (614) 466-2160 or (614) 752-8479.  Voters have to keep in mind that this is just one fundraising day for Josh Mandel. Mandel has been raising money from right wingers outside of Ohio that want to take our country back to the failed trickle down policies of the Bush administration.

Even HuffPost has noticed the travels of Ohio's absent Treasurer:

Josh Mandel, the Republican Senate nominee in Ohio, is being criticized by state Democrats for skipping town to attend Washington, D.C. fundraisers while running an ad attacking his opponent's work ethic. 

Mandel, the state treasurer, is slated to attend three fundraisers in Washington Thursday, including a $2,000-per-head lunch with Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). His campaign is currently airing a commercial criticizing Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) for missing 350 votes in the Senate, saying that Ohio needs "a senator who shows up to work" during an economic crisis. Mandel, meanwhile, has regularly left the state during the workday to fundraise for his Senate campaign, including in Washington, New York and the Bahamas.

"Josh Mandel has ignored his job and hired unqualified political cronies and friends to mind the store," Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Andrew Zucker said in a statement, citing reports over Mandel's hiring practices. "The fact that he's fundraising in D.C. on a workday while running a ridiculously false ad that accuses his opponent of not showing up for work is another reason that he's nothing more than a politician who can't be trusted."


Remember OHIO voters: This election we must give the power to redistrict to the people, and away from the political parties.

VOTE  YES  ON  ISSUE  2.

Where was Josh Mandel today?

Ohio's absent Treasurer, and eternal Republican candidate, Josh Mandel was collecting money from 3 fundraising receptions given for him in Washington, DC.

Here is Josh Mandel in a car in Washington DC. That is him in the backseat.



Why is Josh Mandel hiding his face?

It Continues.....

* The desperation of the Romney campaign has forced them to turn to other people to speak for them. HuffPost has an article about how Marco Rubio appears in a Romney ad that basically says that the country needs to kill Medicare to save it. Republicans are idiot. Have they ever had to fight for their parents' medical coverage, apply for help to get them in a nursing home?  The Republicans, Romney, and their talking heads are CLUELESS!!!

* Why is Josh Mandel against science?

(pic from http://action.lcv.org/)
Here is the original article from the PlainDealer with some excerpts:

Josh Mandel, Ohio’s Republican U.S. Senate candidate and an outspoken critic of White House environmental policies, said Sunday that he doubts the presence of global warming.

The state treasurer thinks scientific research on the matter “is inconclusive and riddled with fraud.”

 Josh Mandel claims to be a college graduate.

Josh Mandel supports allowing corporations to dump chemicals into our water and environment. He is against regulations that protect our families, farmers, and our environment. Shame on Josh Mandel for selling his soul to the right wingers of FreedomWorks, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Karl Rove, Jim DeMint and others who prefer the rich over the poor, corporations over our health and environment, and business owners over middle class workers.  Josh Mandel, the pro-SB5 candidate, doesn't care about the rights of workers. Why would any voter support this right wing puppet, Josh Mandel?


* Why would the U.S. Chamber of Commerce spend $1,110,000 to boost up anti-labor Republican Josh Mandel? (FEC 9/18/12) According to the FEC, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has spent $2,014,000 "...calendar YTD per election for office sought..."

* Bizjournals notes this about the race in Ohio:

Republicans spending millions to unseat Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, during the crucial November elections in which the GOP is trying to turn Ohio back into a Red State again.

Brown told Bloomberg Businessweek that there has been more money spent against him than any other Senate candidate in this election cycle. More than $18 million has been pumped into the race to help support Brown's Republican challenger Josh Mandel.

Much of the money is coming from Super PACs, which have helped pay for nearly 40,000 ads so far in the campaign, with only a little more than 5,600 of those being pro-Brown ads......

Josh Mandel will not be at work today in the Ohio Treasurer's office because he has 3 fundraisers in DC today-breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon reception.

Shame on Josh Mandel for taking money from groups that continue to be anti-worker, anti-Medicare, anti-Social Security, anti-federal lunch programs, anti-women, anti-public schools, anti-Pell grants, etc., etc., etc. It appears that Josh Mandel has agreed to be a puppet of the far right. Shame. 

***** Ohio Voters: 

This election VOTE  YES  ON  ISSUE  2.

Republicans Refuse to Help Veterans

* Why are Republicans so against a bill to get our veterans back to work? The arrogance of the Republicans to block, and vote against jobs bills is absolutely disgusting. 
DailyKos:

In their short work week before heading out of town, Senate Republicans decided to give the finger to veterans, using a procedural vote to kill the Veterans Jobs Corp Act, 58-40.

The Veterans Jobs Corp Act would have created new job-training programs to help veterans find work in targeted fields such as national park conservation, historic preservation projects, police work and firefighting, among others.

The unemployment rate for Iraq, Afghanistan and Gulf War II-era Veterans—those who would have most benefitted from the bill—is now at 10.9 percent, but Republicans blocked this bill because they don't want anything that could remotely help anyone to happen under President Obama's watch.... 

Do Republicans only like our veterans and active men and women in uniform when they are going to war? Shame on Sen. Mitch McConnell and the Republicans who refuse to help our vets.

> Why are women supporting President Obama, Sen. Sherrod Brown, and Democrats? President Obama, Sen. Sherrod Brown, and Democrats respect women's views and promote their rights. Mitt Romney, Josh Mandel and the Republicans want women to get out of the workplace and return to the 1950's - the era of discrimination.  The GOP doesn't want women to have opinions, especially those that are opposite of their own.

Since women usually outlive their spouses, it is imperative that we preserve and protect Social Security and Medicare. I know personally through my Mom's experience, that Social Security and Medicare were a tremendous help to her. There are Republican candidates, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, Josh Mandel, and a majority of their party want to privatize Social Security and hand out vouchers for Medicare. That would be a disaster.

Support President Obama.  If you live in Ohio, support Sen. Sherrod Brown. Vote for Democrats because they support Social Security and Medicare, and they respect you.
Vote.

New Poll

• With just fifty days to go in the general election, the Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS News Poll Swing State Poll has been released:

If the election for president were being held today, for whom would you vote? If you're undecided, do you lean more toward Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?

 

Sept. 11–17   Wisconsin   51% Obama     45% Romney

Sept. 11–17  Colorado     48%   Obama    47% Romney

Virginia                          50%  Obama     46% Romney

Aug. 15–21  Florida       49%   Obama     46% Romney

                      Ohio         50% Obama       44% Romney

July 24–30  Pennsylvania   53% Obama 42% Romney 

 

This is just a small glimpse of the poll. For more details, check the link to the poll at the NYTimes. Of course, these numbers could all change at any moment.

• Looks like Gov. John Kasich is selling ads at Ohio's rest stops and privatizing the state's car/truck part supply. Kasich plans some big changes through ODOT (Ohio Department of Transpartation).  

The Plain Dealer:

...ODOT also wants to sell naming rights and sponsorships for bridges, interchanges and unique stretches of road.... 

 

...The department is also privatizing the purchase and management of car and truck parts for the agency's fleet. 

It recently signed a six-year contract paying $4.7 million a year to Management Consulting Inc., known as Mancon, based in Virginia Beach, Va..... 

There were no car/truck supply consultants in Ohio????? Really? Will all companies be allowed to sponsor rest stops?  Will the Kasich administration open advertising to every group or company that comes along.... the KKK? Hustler?  Gentlemen's Clubs?  Do we really need additional clutter along the highways?

>>> Have you seen the new Romney ad featuring the baby?  I'm wondering when the Romney campaign will start using puppies in their ads. The "baby" ad does nothing to convince people to vote for Romney, and it doesn't dismiss the fact that Romney doesn't understand the concerns of women and the middles class.
 

Numbers Don't Favor Mandel

* Numbers guru, Nate Silver, has the following information posted at his NYTimes blog -
FiveThirtyEight:

....Another group of states, however, are more clearly disappointing for Republicans. Foremost among these are Ohio and Florida, where the polls have shifted sharply toward the Democratic incumbents, Sherrod Brown and Bill Nelson, in recent weeks.

Mr. Brown and Mr. Nelson each lead by seven to eight points in the average of recent polls, an advantage that is much more difficult to overcome with 50 days left in the race. Historically, candidates trailing by that margin come back to win the race only about 10 percent of the time.....

....Mr. Mandel’s ideology rates as being strongly right-leaning — this race features perhaps the largest ideological gulf of any major contest this year — and Mr. Brown has also raised a significant amount of money....

This information follows the fact that Josh Mandel's in-laws have contributed to Sen. Sherrod Brown's campaign.  See the New Republic for the story.

---  Call (800) 228-1102 or (614) 466-2160 and ask, "Is Josh Mandel in his Columbus office today? Was he there yesterday?" Report your answers on Twitter or Facebook or Blogger.

Romney and Mandel Sinking

>>> The Lima News will be interviewing Josh Mandel. If you'd like to suggest questions for the interview, send them here----> jkrumel@limanews.com.

>>>>>  We are all getting sick of Karl Rove's super PAC supporting right wing, anti-worker, anti-women's rights, anti-college education, Republican Josh Mandel. Karl Rove was called "Bush's Brain" by some. Do you really want a Karl Rove supported candidate in the U.S. Senate?  NOOOOOOOOO!

---  Call (800) 228-1102 or (614) 466-2160 and ask, "Is Josh Mandel in his Columbus office today? Was he there yesterday?" Report your answers on Twitter or Facebook or Blogger.
 
* Why doesn't Mitt Romney want peace in Israel? CNN has an analysis of Romney's views.

ABC's "The Note" has more on the leaked Romney video, including this:


NOTABLES:

• THE HIDDEN-VIDEO PILE ON CONTINUES: In a new round of leaked videos revealed by Mother Jones’ David Corn this morning, Mitt Romney weighs in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at a private fundraiser in May: “‘I look at the Palestinians not wanting to see peace anyway, for political purposes, committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel, and these thorny issues, and I say there’s just no way.’” According to Corn: “Romney was indicating he did not believe in the peace process and, as president, would aim to postpone significant action: ‘[S]o what you do is, you say, you move things along the best way you can. You hope for some degree of stability, but you recognize that this is going to remain an unsolved problem…and we kick the ball down the field and hope that ultimately, somehow, something will happen and resolve it.’” http://bit.ly/QkTakT

Mitt Romney should have the word "clueless" under his picture. Romney should know that deployed troops serving overseas do not have to pay federal income tax. 

We need to make sure we vote for President Obama and every Democrat on the ballot. The Republican Party, Romney, and Josh Mandel need to have their party go the way of the Whigs.

Mitt Romney Hates Obama Voters

* Mitt Romney thinks that people that support President Obama are "dependent"? 

LA Times:
Republican nominee Mitt Romney, speaking to donors at a closed-door fundraiser this year, said that supporters of President Obama failed to take personal responsibility for their lives, relied on government for their needs and paid no income tax.

“There are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47% who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care of them, who believe that they are entitled to healthcare, to food, to housing, to you name it,” Romney said in a videotaped speech to donors that was given to the news organization Mother Jones, which posted it online Monday.

“That's an entitlement," Romney said. "And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. … These are people who pay no income tax.”

We support President Obama and we pay plenty of income taxes.We don't believe we are victims, and we've always taken excellent care of our families. Romney's attacks on Obama supporters shows that he doesn't know much about us. We'll be voting for President Obama again because he cares about average Americans, the elderly, the poor, struggling college students, single mothers, and the working poor.  President Obama supports women's rights and believe in pay equity. He also honors women's decisions on birth control and their own reproductive choices.  President Obama has pushed for changes that will improve the lives of a majority of Americans.

Mitt Romney is clueless about life outside his wealth bubble. Clueless!!!! As he has demonstrated over the last few months, Mitt Romney doesn't know anything about foreign policy, women's health, the cost of a college education, and life. We don't envy his ownership of homes, boats, cars, foreign IRA's, and are satisfied with what we have.

We want a better future for our children and grandchildren, and for all Americans---not just the rich.

Josh Mandel: Still Lying!!!!

* Republican perpetual Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, continues to pile up the lies. Politifact caught him again. Politifact's file on Josh Mandel looks like this:

• Mostly False   3   13%
• False   3     13%
• Pants on Fire   6    26%

Shame.

* Rumor has it that Josh Mandel has been in his office just 27 hours in the last four weeks. Which of his frat buddies is doing his work in the Treasurer's office?

* This weekend, FreedomWorks PAC brought in Glenn Beck to support Josh Mandel. That isn't all FreedomWorks brought in---they had FreedomWorks supporters from other states come into Ohio to fill in the crowd to make it look larger and help with organizing. Is Josh Mandel so incompetent that he is unable to organized his own campaign?

     • In case you missed it, Josh Mandel uses the same words to each crowd. Mandel went to the Canfield Fair (9/3/12), WKBN (Youngstown) caught these remarks from Mandel:

"I think manufacturing is one of the key components of Ohio's economic recovery, and the great tradition we have of making things, and manufacturing goods here in the Youngstown area is something that I think will contribute to Ohio's economic recovery," Mandel said.

      •  In Cincinnati in front of the FreedomWorks rally, Josh Mandel said (FOX19):

...We have a great tradition of manufacturing and making things here in southwest Ohio and I believe Cincinnati can help lead the economic recovery for the entire state...

   • WNEWSJ was in Wilmington, Ohio, when Mandel said this:

"I think an area like this can benefit (from exploration of energy supplies) because of the rich tradition of manufacturing here," said Mandel...

Josh Mandel has done a fine job of memorizing his talking points given to him by FreedomWorks and other anti-worker, anti-middle class PACs.

If Mandel supports Ohio manufacturing why has he been against American auto workers making American cars in Ohio????  Why has Josh Mandel refused to offer support for American auto workers and the Obama auto rescue plan?

>>>>>  This morning, on his MSNBC program,  Joe Scarborough said the following about Mitt Romney: "...He is a terrible candidate..."  We already knew this, Joe.

**** If you really want to know what is going on, be sure to search on Twitter. Right now people are talking about the latest Josh Mandel ad and how it is flawed. 

As a woman, I want to know why Josh Mandel is against pay equity for women!

As a woman, I want to know why Josh Mandel thinks that he and the Republican Party should be in the examining room with me and my gynecologist.

As a woman, I want to know why Josh Mandel is against public schools where a vast majority of Ohio's children are educated.

No Surge for Josh Mandel

* Republican Rick Santorum has come to the conclusion that "....smart people will never be on our side..." That should make everyone that likes Santorum and Republicans feel better about themselves??? Does Santorum mean that only dumb people are on his side and that of the conservatives???  Read the article at Raw Story.

*** There is NO surge in Ohio for Republican Josh Mandel, the state treasurer.  Of course, Josh Mandel might be reading the polls upside down. Plunderbund:

...Earlier today, Rasmussen threw cold water on Mandel’s claim of his poll surging enough to make this a tight race: Brown 49%; Mandel 41%.......

..As of today, Real Clear Politics shows the average margin in the U.S. Senate race is +7.2  in Brown’s favor.....
 

Check out the full story at Plunderbund.  If you live in Ohio and follow Twitter, the people that are tweeting the most praise on Josh Mandel are those that are from outside our state, and are supporters of right wing groups like the Tea Party, FreedomWorks, and Americans for (their own) Prosperity.

In a quick search at the FEC (Federal Election Commission), Ending Spending Action Fund (PAC) from Tampa, filed independent expenditures just today in support of Mandel.
Who is the largest contributor to the Ending Spending Action Fund? According to Open Secrets,  $885,000 of the fund has been donated by J Joe Ricketts:

Contributor	Occupation	Date	Amount	Recipient
RICKETTS, J JOE LITTLE JACKSONHOLE,WY	Entrepreneur	7/26/12	$375,000	Ending Spending Fund
RICKETTS, J JOE LITTLE JACKSONHOLE,WY	Entrepreneur	4/27/12	$250,000	Ending Spending Fund
RICKETTS, J JOE LITTLE JACKSONHOLE,WY	Entrepreneur	5/10/12	$250,000	Ending Spending Fund
ENDING SPENDING, INC WASHINGTON,DC	Ending Spending	7/16/12	$23,507	Ending Spending Fund
RICKETTS, J JOE LITTLE JACKSONHOLE,WY	Entrepreneur	5/15/12	$10,000	Ending Spending Fund
DICKERMAN, MORGAN WILSON,NC	Wilson Times	7/29/12	$1,000	Ending Spending Fund

Of course you remember Mr. Ricketts from the controversy he stirred up earlier this year--- BostonGlobe:

The wealthy executive who considered and then dropped a proposal to revive controversy over the relationship between President Obama and his former pastor is a rising conservative maverick with ties to the Chicago Cubs baseball team. He is also linked to a super PAC that bankrolled an upset in Nebraska’s recent Republican Senate primary....

....Joe Ricketts was identified by a Republican strategist Wednesday as the financier behind plans being drawn up for a $10 million campaign that would have targeted Obama’s relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the Chicago pastor with a history of racially incendiary sermons. Wright’s relationship with Obama, his former parishioner, was a hot-button issue in the 2008 presidential race....

....Ricketts joins such well-heeled conservative activists as the Koch brothers, who head the conservative Americans for Prosperity organization, in pumping millions of dollars into campaigns to influence elections and public policy....

That should make your stomach queasy. Will Ricketts, the Kochs, and the conservative right wing PACs buy the election?

If you believe.....

* People are talking about Republican Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, today. Apparently, Mandel has been in New York at some fundraisers in Brooklyn and Manhattan where his far right, anti-middle class, anti-women, anti-public schools, anti-environment supporters are writing checks for him.

Josh Mandel is such a screw up in interviews, that word on the street is that he will avoid any future contacts with the press. It might be that Josh Mandel is unable to tell the truth to anyone. http://tinyurl.com/8oqrf5g

* College students at Ohio State, Miami, Bowling Green, OU, Kent, Cincinnati, and other colleges in Ohio should be aware that Josh Mandel was not in favor of President Obama's increase in Pell Grants.  Mandel also doesn't think you need to go to college.  Actually, that is the Republican plan. They want an electorate that is uneducated so that they'll believe whatever the Republicans say.

* If you really believe in protecting the environment,
* If you believe women should have pay equity,
* If you believe that women have the right to make their own birth control decisions,
* If you believe that corporations should not be able to put toxic waste in our water,
* If you believe that teachers, firefighters, police officers, nurses, and state workers should have workers' rights,
* If you believe that those that are millionaires should pay higher tax rates,
* If you believe that workers have the right to a minimum wage and a safe work environment,
* If you believe that our veterans have a right to jobs,
* If you believe that science and research are important,
* If you believe that the auto rescue plan saved American jobs,
* If you believe farmers need help, especially with this year's drought,
* If you support Head Start, Medicare & Social Security for you parents and grandparents,
* If you believe that everyone should have equal rights,
* If you believe in free, public education,....

......then you need to support President Obama, Sen. Sherrod Brown, and Democrats. We need to re-elect President Obama and give him majorities in the House and the Senate so that we can get people back to work.  Boehner and McConnell, and their tea party spoiled children have stopped Obama's jobs plans. We need more job creation- not more tax cuts for Romney and his pals.

Mandel's Lack of Candor

* If you want to see Ohio's absent Treasurer Josh Mandel in an interview, you've got to watch this WKYC video: http://tinyurl.com/8oqrf5g

Josh Mandel says he has integrity. Here is the proof----
- Josh Mandel has 6 "Pants on Fire" statements at Politifact.
- Josh Mandel has 3 "False" statements at Politifact.
- Josh Mandel has 2 "Mostly False" statements at Politifact.

After watching the interview from WKYC, Ohioans will see that Josh Mandel is unable and unwilling to answer any question truthfully.

*

>>>>> Mitt Romney and his neo-con advisers want to go to war against Iran and Syria, according to Michael Tomasky of the Daily Beast now appearing on Politics Nation on MSNBC. Tomasky noted that 17 out of Romney's 24 advisers are leftovers from the last Bush administration. Looks like Romney wants to send your sons and daughters to war- not his, of course.

Josh Mandel Lies about Sherrod Brown's Attendance

*** Ohio's absent Treasurer, Josh Mandel, is lying again.  Josh Mandel, who was in New York yesterday, said Sen. Sherrod Brown missed 350 votes?  Mandel, the Treasurer, has some problems with numbers.

Here is the response from the campaign of Sen. Sherrod Brown:

...According To CQ, Sen. Brown Has Had a 98% Or Better Voting Record Each Year He Has Served In The Senate.  According to Congressional Quarterly, Senator Brown has a 98% or better voting attendance record each year he’s served in the U.S. Senate.  [Congressional Quarterly]

Sen. Brown Has A Total Voting Attendance Rate Of 96.51%.  According to House.gov, Senate.gov and govtrack.us, Senator Brown has a 96.51% total voting attendance record in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.  [Govtrack.us, House.gov; Senate.gov]

...Brown Voted Against Pay Increases Six Times.  Sen. Brown has voted at least six times against raising his pay.  [Vote 300, 7/15/99; Vote 267, 7/25/01; Vote 463, 9/5/03; Vote 451, 9/14/04; Vote 327, 6/28/05; Vote 261, 6/13/06] ...

Josh Mandel and his frat boys over at his campaign are lying. Shame. Shame. Shame.  It is no wonder that Mandel's approval rating is heading down the toilet!

Kasich's Laundry and Zoo

>>> Why was a person kicked out of a public meeting that involved Josh Mandel? See the Plain Dealer for details.


* After cutting millions of dollars from schools and nursing homes, Gov. John Kasich wants to spend $3.5 million for a state animal facility for wild, exotic animals, in Reynoldsburg, near a school, a neighborhood of families, and best of all, close to Interstate 70.  Last fall, the owner of an exotic animal farm released his animals, then committed suicide. The new exotic animal ban, which some say is weak and watered down, was pushed by Kasich.

Dispatch:

...Questions have been raised about the cost and safety of the Kasich administration’s plan for a $3.5 million exotic-animals facility to be built on Ohio Department of Agriculture property at 8995 E. Main St., Reynoldsburg. The site is next to farm fields, the Ohio Fire Academy, a housing subdivision and near Reynoldsburg City Schools.

Some members of the legislature are grousing about the facility and might consider holding hearings later this year.....

.....Reynoldsburg schools spokeswoman Tricia Moore said she has received no calls from parents concerning exotic animals moving to the neighborhood. The site is about a mile from the district’s second high-school campus and an elementary school.....

Do a Google map search of 8995 E. Main Street, Reynoldsburg, Ohio, to see the actual location of the proposed facility. I'm concerned that no one in Reynoldsburg has called Tricia Moore (614) 501-1020  or contacted her by email: tmoore@reyn.org.  Why didn't John Kasich consider locating this wild animal facility in his backyard in Westerville?

I wonder which FOK (friend of Kasich's) will get the job to build this monstrosity.

> People this morning are talking about Kasich's recent speech at a Romney event. Kasich said that his wife wasn't there because she was at home "...doing the laundry..." (see Raw Story).

*   *   *   *

* It appears that the voters in Michigan don't care that Mitt Romney was born in Detroit (see Romney's boyhood home before it was leveled). In a poll posted at the Detroit Free Press, President Barack Obama has a huge lead over Republican Mitt Romney:

...EPIC-MRA surveyed 600 likely November voters for the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Obama leads among independent voters -- a crucial segment -- 36%-27%, with 37% undecided. That might be Romney's best hope to close the gap. Past EPIC-MRA polls showed Romney leading among independents.

Obama also led among both men (42%-40%) and women (52%-36%), and there was sharp break in voter motivation: While 76% of the president's supporters said they were voting for him as opposed to 21% who said they were voting against Romney, only 54% of Romney's supporters were voting specifically for him, while 43% said they were voting against Obama....

 DetroitFreePress:

Recent Polls

* Policymic has some interesting notes about some recent polls:

First this: Obama is winning in the key swing states, necessary to give him the electoral college lead in terms of delegates. As U.S. News reports, with less than two months to go before the November election, President Obama has built a "structural advantage" in key swing states which makes him the favorite to defeat Romney, says a prominent Democratic strategist.

As the story reports, Obama's strength among African Americans, Latinos, unmarried women and young people is translating into a powerful asset in the nine swing states that will decide the election — Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin. These states have 110 of the 270 electoral votes needed for victory.

Ohio is the deathblow in that list: many pundits believe Ohio is critical if Romney has any chance at winning....

 ***

We've got to make certain that we vote for President Obama.

• Some residents of Ohio have had rallies across the state to protest fracking.
Cleveland Plain Dealer:

About a dozen concerned Geauga County residents gathered in Hambden Township on Wednesday as part of a nationwide outcry against controversial methods used to draw petroleum and natural gas from the earth. 

They held a rally along Ohio 166 outside one of the county's two toxic waste injection wells to protest hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking....

....Other rallies were held in Portage, Lake, Mahoning and Stark counties. 

Other Ohioans may protest fracking in the coming months.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Oh, dear. I guess I'll need to stop visiting Hobby Lobby.
HuffPost:

Christian-oriented Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday challenging a mandate in the nation's health care overhaul law that requires employers to provide coverage for the morning-after pill and similar drugs....

Why do companies feel the need to come between their employees and their physicians?


>>>>> Lawrence O'Donnell mentioned Nate Silver's latest update from the FiveThirtyEight Blog:

Chances of winning the election

President Obama 80.8%.................................Mitt Romney 19.2%

Good news!

••••• Mitt Romney's fiasco of inserting his nose into events in Egypt and Libya, shows that Romney (a) doesn't understand the critical issues of foreign policy, (b) he should not jump into something he knows nothing about because he is only a candidate.  We only have one President at a time, and that is President Barack Obama.

* Our nation mourns the deaths of our fellow Americans in Libya. Our condolences to their families, friends, and co-workers.  See the State Department for updates.

Mandel& Romney Put Us in Danger

* Senior citizens and their families are shocked by Republican candidate for Senate, Josh Mandel's plans for Social Security and Medicare.  http://tinyurl.com/9xtaucv

Since Josh Mandel, if elected, would work to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This would put all the people with pre-existing conditions, women, and young people up to 26 years of age in danger.

• Do you need more evidence that Mitt Romney would be a diplomatic failure?
http://nbcnews.to/QcO0Y3  Mitt Romney said that the President apologized???  Didn't happen!  This is the President's statement:  http://tinyurl.com/8qd3lnr    The strange part of all this is that Sarah Palin, Romney, and Republicans said President Obama apologized. Let us hope that Republicans work on their reading comprehension.

Just saw Mitt Romney take back his poor choice of words. He even flip flops on foreign policy statements!  Romney is not the President and should not speak about foreign policy.

Farmers and Seniors: Support Sherrod Brown

>>>>  Ohio's absent Treasurer, Josh Mandel is bringing in some real far out right wing extremists to help his campaign.  According to a pr release from FreedomWorks, Mandel is getting help from FreedomWorks PAC, which is anti-Social Security, anti-Medicare, anti-Affordable Care Act. The far right organization is bringing the following wingnuts to Cincinnati--  Glenn Beck, Rev. C.L. Bryant, and Republican Rep. David Schweikert will appear with Josh Mandel.

You've heard the old expression, "You're known by the company you keep."  If that is true, Josh Mandel's association with David Schweikert provides some insight as to where Mandel stands on Medicare.  FreedomWorks is trying to get rid of Medicare, Social Security, and the Affordable Care Act. They would only put in the time, effort, and money to bring this support to Mandel because Mandel has promised them his allegiance.

Here is some info on Republican David Schweikert from Blog for Arizona:

Count Rep. David Schweikert as a true believer when it comes to Paul Ryan's proposal to end Medicare as we know it.

It's a pretty astounding performance. ABC News spent 6 minutes asking Rep. David Schweikert if he planned to support Ryan's Medicare plan, even in the face of the trouncing a New York Republican took in a "safe" district last night.

Schweikert's answer: Absolutely....

Josh Mandel's support of the Paul Ryan plan to end Medicare would be devastating to every senior citizen in Ohio and the nation. Senior citizens need to step up and support Sen. Sherrod Brown because he will protect Social Security and Medicare.

••••••  Today on Ed Schultz's radio program, John Nichols of The Nation said that farmers should be very supportive of Sen. Sherrod Brown.  Nichols said that Sherrod Brown has been very supportive of the family farm and farming in general. He helped with the passage of the recent farm legislation.

Josh Mandel, on the other hand, is totally oblivious to the needs of farmers and rural communities. Farmers, and farm families need to step up and support Sen. Sherrod Brown because he has continued to honor and support your commitment to farming.

-  -  -  -

>>> The Vice President will be in Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday! I love Joe Biden because he tells it like its is!

DaytonDailyNews:

Vice President Joe Biden will speak at a grassroots campaign event at Wright State University on Wednesday.

The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required....

Check the link for tickets.

* Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted must be very busy these days going back and forth to court!

DaytonDailyNews:

Recently fired Montgomery County Board of Elections members Dennis Lieberman and Tom Ritchie Sr. sued Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted in federal court Monday, claiming their firing was unjust and asking for a temporary restraining order that would put them back in office immediately.

Lieberman and Ritchie, both Democrats, were fired last month after they pushed to continue weekend early voting in Montgomery County, just days after Husted, a Republican, had issued a directive setting weekday-only hours....

....The lawsuit also claims Husted violated their right to freedom of speech, and violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution. Lieberman and Ritchie claimed that their firing by Husted was “arbitrary, unsupported by any statutory basis, and based on political and personal motivations.”...

Republicans cannot win this election on their ideas so they must resort to doing everything possible to block the vote.