* The nation is still finding it difficult to grasp the deaths of 20 school children and school staff members in Newtown, Connecticut. The President spoke at a memorial service last night in Newtown.
Republicans, according to OpenSecrets, have benefited from contributions from those associated with gun rights PACs/groups:
Party Split:
Dems: $ 133,218
Repubs: $2,877,769
Others: $ 3,200
OpenSecrets has more details on those elected officials and candidates that have received campaign contributions from gun rights groups.
OpenSecrets:
Top 20 Recipients
| Rank | Candidate | Office | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romney, Mitt (R) | $838,599 | ||
| 2 | Boehner, John (R-OH) | House | $48,575 | |
| 3 | Cruz, Ted (R-TX) | $43,429 | ||
| 4 | Rehberg, Denny (R-MT) | House | $43,029 | |
| 5 | Mandel, Josh (R-OH) | $41,525 | ||
| 6 | West, Allen (R-FL) | House | $38,351 | |
| 7 | Perry, Rick (R) | $37,450 | ||
| 8 | Brown, Scott (R-MA) | Senate | $30,275 | |
| 9 | Santorum, Rick (R) | $29,377 | ||
| 10 | Bachmann, Michele (R-MN) | House | $28,822 | |
| 11 | Heller, Dean (R-NV) | Senate | $26,900 | |
| 12 | Allen, George (R-VA) | $25,700 | ||
| 13 | Daines, Steven (R-MT) | $24,672 | ||
| 14 | Barrasso, John A (R-WY) | Senate | $23,258 | |
| 15 | Gingrich, Newt (R) | $23,150 | ||
| 16 | Cain, Herman (R) | $22,889 | ||
| 17 | Paul, Ron (R) | House | $21,700 | |
| 18 | Coffman, Mike (R-CO) | House | $20,200 | |
| 19 | Quayle, Ben (R-AZ) | House | $19,600 | |
| 20 | Mourdock, Richard E (R-IN) | $19,472 |
METHODOLOGY: The numbers on this page are based on contributions from PACs and individuals giving $200 or more.
All donations took place during the 2011-2012 election cycle and were released by the Federal Election Commission on Monday, November 12, 2012.
Ohio voters should note that John Boehner and Republican candidate, Josh Mandel, made the the list of "top recipients" of gun rights money. Are they working to protect our children or gun owners?
* Although some people in Ohio think that Gov. John Kasich's new plan for the Ohio Turnpike is acceptable, others are still upset. Kasich wants to sell bonds to finance his projects. There is plenty of opposition. Some of the opposition comes from Republicans who feel that the Kasich plan will unfairly cost more for those in the north of the state, while those in the southern part of Ohio will benefit from the dollars raised. Chris Redfern of the Democratic Party explained that there is more to Kasich's plan than meets the eye.
Toledo Blade:
....the Kasich plan is “doing it with sleight of hand,” he said, because the turnpike financing would be “one-time dollars” — something Mr. Kasich, as a Republican candidate, condemned former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, for using — and dodges the long-term financial problems plaguing Ohio’s transportation budget....
No matter what Gov. Kasich says, there is always more to the story that he hasn't revealed.