Friday, March 30, 2012

Just the Facts

****  The vote on Rep. Paul Ryan's budget took place on Thursday, March 29th.  The Paul Ryan budget gives huge tax cuts to the wealthy, gives vouchers instead of Medicare to seniors, and wipes out funding for many programs.  Here are the Ohio politicians that voted in favor of that budget, as recorded by the Clerk of the House of Representatives:


H CON RES 112: Roll Call Vote 151:
Steve Austria 
Steve Chabot
Bob Gibbs
Bill Johnson
Jim Jordan
Steve LaTourette
Jim Renacci
Jean Schmidt
Steve Stivers
Pat Tiberi
Mike Turner

It doesn't even reduce the deficit, but it will make the rich richer, and the rest of us poor.  Nice going, Republicans!  You definitely just don't care about anyone but yourselves and your rich contributors.


* Sen. Sherrod Brown's work to save a plant and jobs has been successful.  The Hugo Boss manufacturing plant is up, running, and has hired additional workers.

PlainDealer:

Workers at Hugo Boss have signed a three-year contract with the company, signaling the union's well-publicized efforts to keep the plant from closing in 2010 were more than fleeting. 

Confirmation of the contract came Friday from Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who attended a celebration at the men's suit manufacturing facility this morning. The Workers United union is scheduled to hold a press conference Friday afternoon to discuss the agreement. 

"Twenty months ago this place was going to close," he said. "It is a terrific victory for Cleveland that the workers were able to sign a three-year contract."

Once again we see evidence of how Sen. Sherrod Brown works to keep job in Ohio. An update on the story from Newsnet5 indicates that the Hugo Boss plant will be adding new employees.  Thank you, Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Extremists?

Does Josh Mandel really think that those associated with Ohio University are extremists?  If you care about clean air, clean water, and protecting our forests, you might be an extremist, according to Josh Mandel.

AthensNews

...In a news release, Mandel has also lambasted unnamed "fringe extremists" who have spoken out against the lease auction – which is now on hold pending a more detailed study of the forest impacts from horizontal drilling for oil and gas with hydraulic fracturing....

....In early September, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced that it planned to auction leasing rights to nearly 21,000 acres of national forest land in Ohio, Louisiana and Mississippi. This included more than 3,300 acres in the Wayne in southeast Ohio, much of the acreage in Athens County.

Officials from the city of Athens, Athens County and Ohio University all sent letters expressing concern about the plan, based on their worries that use of the horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing drilling method (popularly known as "fracking") in the Wayne posed the threat of contaminating the Hocking River, which provides much of the county's water supply....

Josh Mandel's views about drilling in our forests and our public lands might be influenced by the large amount of money his campaign has received from those associated with certain industries that would be involved in fracking.  According to Open Secrets, the Mandel campaign has received campaign funds from industries like ----oil and gas ($72,000), mining ($85,332), and chemical and related manufacturing ($91,070).


Why is Josh Mandel willing to sacrifice our lives and water? Does he really care about us, or just his contributors?  Do you think that Josh Mandel would allow fracking on his property or near his home?





We cannot risk the lives of our families and our environment just so some wealthy corporations make more profits.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

More Controversy

****  Is it any surprise that the hardly working Ohio Treasurer, Josh Mandel, doesn't want to have a fair and open election?  What is Republican Josh Mandel trying to hide from the citizens of Ohio?  Mandel's super secret fundraising trips to (1) the CFSA (payday lender convention) at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island,  (2) Texas- for the Maverick PAC, (3) Hawaii, (4) Las Vegas, (5) New York, (6) Kentucky, (7) Utah, and many points in between, shows a person concerned about collecting more campaign money than putting the time and energy into overseeing the financial well-being of Ohio.  Josh Mandel has revealed very little about what his goals are in running for the Senate.  Is it that he hasn't been told what his goals are, or is he too busy memorizing the Republican talking points?

In an article published in the Toledo Blade, we have proof that the Mandel campaign is acting like a bunch of spoiled, rotten, children.  When the campaign of Sen. Sherrod Brown offered some ground rules for the campaign, the Mandel group threw a hissy fit.  See all the dirty details in the Toledo Blade.

If you'd like to see how Josh Mandel's henchman tried to block someone from recording his attendance at the Akron Press Club, see the video below from 1600pennave:





(FYI:  The Akron Press Club allows recordings.)

*  Josh Mandel appears to be spending the time he should be in his office out campaigning in various parts of Ohio.  According to the Sidney (Ohio) Daily News, "Mandel Campaigns in Sidney" during what should be standard working hours.  How does he manage to take off all this time to campaign?   Are we as taxpayers being cheated because we're paying his salary while he campaigns?????????

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Known by the company you keep......

*  Sometimes the things you do in the past come back and haunt you.  Republican Josh Mandel might not want you to remember those horrible ads full of lies that he ran against Kevin Boyce.  Mandel might also hope that you don't know about this article from the Columbus Monthly that discusses some of Mandel's other controversial votes.

The Columbus Monthly:

...In 2009, Mandel voted against an Ohio House bill to forbid discrimination against gay or lesbian Ohioans in employment and housing. (The House passed the bill 56-39, but it died in the state Senate). Mandel, as president of Ohio State’s Undergraduate Student Government, had supported domestic-partner benefits for same-sex as well as opposite-sex couples in 2000.

He says he voted against the 2009 bill because it would have been a job-killer for small businesses. (The bill, however, only applied to employers of 15 or more people; in contrast, other Ohio employment discrimination-ban laws apply to employers of four or more people.) Last May, outside a Greater Cleveland country club, protesters picketed a Mandel fundraiser because he voted against the anti-discrimination bill, the Cleveland Jewish News reported.

Also last May, Mandel voted “no” when the House, by 61-37, passed a bill to close loopholes in a 2008 Ohio payday-loan reform law. (Voters overwhelmingly had demanded payday loan reform in a 2008 referendum.) Interestingly, Mandel mentor Batchelder was a fervent “yes” on the cleanup....


Should we assume that Josh Mandel is for discrimination in housing and jobs?

Josh Mandel showed his love and appreciation of the payday loan industry in 2009.   On March 9, 2012, according to a story in the Plain Dealer,  Josh Mandel flew to the Bahamas, attended the payday lender convention (CFSA: Community Financial Services Association of America) at the Atlantis on Paradise Island, gave a speech, and collected some campaign contributions. 

Josh Mandel's association with payday lenders has paid off for him handsomely.  Open Secrets has the following data (this is only a partial list):


Opensecrets: Checksmart PAC---2012 Josh Mandel.........$5000

Someone associated with Check into Cash, donated $2500 to the Josh Mandel campaign (see Open Secrets).

  

The Ohio Secretary of State's website indicates that Josh Mandel's PAC received $5000 from the Checksmart Financial LLC PAC on 10/25/10.

There are plenty of more connections.  The truth of the matter is that Josh Mandel appears to be very friendly with the likes and needs of the payday lending industry, over the citizens of Ohio.  When a candidate leaves to meet up with this type of industry, it tells us a lot about a person. You're known by the company you keep.

>>>>  Plunderbund has an excellent posting about Josh Mandel's claim to be interested in jobs. Ha!  As indicated in today's post at Plunderbund, Mandel has never supported any jobs bills, was against the plan to save the American auto industry, and is against the Chinese currency manipulation legislation that hurts Ohio jobs.  Plunderbund notes:

....Josh Mandel has shown that he has little interest in performing, let alone showing up for work at his current job. Claiming to be the jobs guy when you can’t even bother to show up for work comes across as pretty damn disrespectful for all the hard working Ohioans who DO show up at their job every day – and even more so for those who are unemployed or underemployed and out hunting for work.....

Exactly.  You might learn something new by reading the comments at Plunderbund.

Monday, March 26, 2012

New Group for Sherrod Brown

*  There is a new group supporting the re-election of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown.  The group, Veterans & Military Families for Sherrod Brown, was recently announced through the Friends of Sherrod Brown:

...Co-Chairs Sam Kindred, a retired Army Brigadier General, and Jeremy Miller, a Veteran of the Iraq war  announced their endorsement of Senator Brown today with the below statement:

“Senator Sherrod Brown is fighting every day in the Senate for our Veterans and military families and there’s no doubt he’s on the side of Ohio’s Veterans and those who care about them. Sen. Brown championed the Hiring Heroes Act to help ensure there are civilian jobs for Veterans when we return home,  supported the largest increase in Veterans funding in the history of our nation, and in times of great distress, made it easier for military families to cut through the bureaucratic red tape that unfortunately accompanies the loss of a loved one.

“Now more than ever Veterans across the state deserve a champion for Veteran’s rights in the U.S. Senate and they have one in Sherrod Brown. We must do all we can to ensure he can continue fighting for us in the years to come.”

What kind of proven record does Sen. Sherrod Brown have in support of veterans and military families?  You can see his record at this link.

>>>>>  The often absent Republican Ohio Treasurer, Josh Mandel, appears to like his dishonesty and admits he'll keep repeating the statements that have been debunked by Politifact.  The Washington Post has the story.  Why would someone be proud of lying and then continue to tell those lies???

Thursday, March 22, 2012

All is Being Revealed!!!!

******** Update:  Please read the new posting over at Plunderbund on this important story about the ethics problems in the Kasich administration. (Are you surprised????)  Make sure that you read the comments.
---
* Just when you thought that the Ohio Republican feud couldn't get any worse, there is word that the Ohio Ethics Commission is keeping busy with ethics complaints being filed by Republicans against each other.

Plunderbund:

...Today we’re hearing rumors of multiple new ethics complaints against Kasich and his allies being filed with the Ohio Ethics Commission.

According to one complaint, Jai Chabria and Doug Preisse threatened fellow Republican Amy Sabath.  Sabeth was told that if she didn’t support Kasich she’d lose her seat on the Lottery Commission and lose her job as a fundraiser for Mike DeWine.

Another complaint alleges that Warren County resident Maggi Cook was told if she didn’t quit the race for Central Committee race she would get fired from her job with Associated Builders and Contractors, an anti-union group that represents the construction industry.  She refused and she lost her job....

You can read all the details at Plunderbund.  It appears that Gov. John Kasich, Ohio GOP Chair Kevin DeWine, and members of the GOP are involved in an all out war against each other.  John Kasich was elected governor by a small margin, but he continues to operate on the assumption that he was elected emperor.   Kasich and his thugs either get their way or  people lose jobs.  I wonder what other types of threats are being made.

***  Ultraconservative Republican Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-4th) finally revealed the reason for the investigation of Solyndra.

HuffingtonPost:

....In an interview following yet another hearing in which Energy Secretary Steven Chu testified about the Department's loan guarantee program, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) appeared to admit that Republicans' ongoing probes of the program -- from which the bankrupt California-based solar company Solyndra and others benefited -- are largely a play to win votes in November.

"Our staff will continue to dig into it and see," Jordan told Environment & Energy Daily. "But what I hope happens is we stop doing these kind of things ... this whole cronyism approach to the marketplace.

"Ultimately, we'll stop it on Election Day, hopefully. And bringing attention to these things helps the voters and citizens of the country make the kind of decision that I hope helps them as they evaluate who they are going to vote for in November."


This is another example of Republicans wasting time, and doing anything they can to not accomplish anything.  Solyndra was instigated by President George W. Bush.  There was nothing but an attempt to get the industry moving. That is it and nothing more.  While the Republicans don't come up with viable jobs bills, refuse to confirm judges and appointees, create more legislation to destroy our environment by rolling back regulations, attack the rights of women, they continue to play politics and promote their extreme right wing agenda.

Josh Mandel Can't Even Defend His Absences

Here is that all important video from 10TV on Josh Mandel, Ohio's often absent Treasurer:



Josh Mandel's explanation sounds like a bunch of b.s.  If an elected official is making that kind of money, that person has an obligation to attend meetings and fulfill the job requirements.  Sending someone else that was not elected instead does not cut it.
-     -     -     -

***  Investors.com has an article about the continuing soap opera involving the power struggle within the Ohio GOP:

...this week chairmen of the state's seven largest county organizations, representing hundreds of thousands of GOP members across the crucial battleground state, wrote DeWine seeking his immediate resignation over "untenable and irreconcilable" differences.

They added: "For reasons unknown to us, you have been either unable or unwilling to find common ground to facilitate an effective and trusting relationship with our elected officials."

The likeliest showdown comes April 13 at the first state central committee meeting with the newly-elected anti-DeWine members.


Let the feud continue!!! We all know this is just about John Kasich's ego.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Local Station Investigates Josh Mandel

Watchdog 10's Paul Aker, channel 10 in Columbus, investigated the absences of Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel.  Aker reported that Treasurer Josh Mandel had missed 14 previous meetings of the Board of Deposits.  This week, after a story by the Associated Press noted his absences, Mandel finally attended the meeting.

Reporter Paul Aker investigated the attendance record of the two previous Ohio Treasurers at the Board of Deposits meetings.  His investigation showed that Kevin Boyce attended 11 out of 24 meetings.  Former Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray only missed one meeting during his term of office.

It was also stated that Josh Mandel was in Washington DC at a fundraiser for himself instead of going to one of the meetings.  His defense?  None.  He said the Treasurer's office is doing very well and saving the people money.  Really?  Mandel is being paid a hefty salary by the people of Ohio.  Why isn't he fulfilling his responsibilities????

Josh Mandel's support of Ohio's heart beat bill shows his extreme views and his decision to join the Republican war on women's health. Mandel also is a strong proponent of the Paul Ryan budget plan which would eliminate Medicare.

Gftrib.wordpress:

...in Ohio, Republican Senate candidate Josh Mandel is under scrutiny for supporting a “heartbeat bill,” which would make abortion against the law before most women would not even know they were pregnant. The law would have no exceptions if the pregnancy were the result of rape or incest....

As a woman, I want to know why are these Republicans so interested in our bodies and our health decisions?
 -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -

****  Earlier this year, Republican Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15th) introduced a bill to eliminate the dollar bill and replace it with a dollar coin.  A recent survey shows that people in Ohio's 15th congressional district have some very strong opinions against this proposal by Steve Stivers.

Marketwatch:

...The survey, conducted by Lincoln Park Strategies, an independent public opinion research firm, found that:
-- 69 percent of voters in Ohio’s 15th district oppose removing the dollar bill from circulation and replacing it with a dollar coin (as suggested by the COINS Act); while 49 percent hold strong opposition to the idea
-- 79 percent of those polled feel the dollar coin is unnecessary
-- 77 percent say the dollar coin is unwanted
-- 77 percent feel the dollar bill is more convenient to carry and use than the dollar coin
-- 66 percent say the dollar bill is more American than the dollar coin 

“Sentiments against the dollar coin are strong across Ohio’s 15th and the rest of the country,” said Stefan Hankin, president of Lincoln Park Strategies. “Our research shows people’s resistance to the dollar coin spans from everyday usage to the feeling that politicians should be spending their time on more important issues.”  

People in Ohio's 15th district want to know when Steve Stivers will create some jobs.

Since Paul Ryan's updated budget plan has shown widespread support by Republicans, I'm sure that farmers in Ohio's 15th district want to know how Steve Stivers can defend those  planned cuts to agriculture, Medicare, transportation, college loans, etc. 

>>>>  A bill to lower the cost of gasoline is in the works and our own Sen. Sherrod Brown is one of the sponsors!

Vtdigger:
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today introduced a bill to make federal regulators invoke emergency powers to rein in speculators responsible for rapidly-rising gasoline prices. 
 
The legislation would set a 14-day deadline for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to implement rules to stop excessive speculation by Wall Street traders in oil futures markets. Sanders’ bill is cosponsored by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.).

The measure was prompted by gasoline prices that are nearing $4 a gallon and the commission’s refusal to obey a Wall Street reform law that required trading limits to be in place by Jan. 17, 2011.....

Speculators are the ones raising the costs.  We need to support this legislation by telling our lawmakers that we need this to be passed ASAP.  Call the Senate switchboard at
(202) 224-3121.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The Paul Ryan Budget

On THE ED SHOW on MSNBC this evening, Ed Schultz outlined the cuts that the Paul Ryan budget plan would make:

Ryan Budget Gets Rid of...
  Medicare As It Exists Now
  Medicaid coverage for elderly and disabled
  Health care coverage for 30 million Americans

and----

Ryan Budget Cuts Spending On...
* Food Stamps
* Housing Assistance
* Farm Subsidies
* Federal Workers
* Transportation
* Science Programs
* Education Services
* Prisons
* Border Control
* Student Loans
* FEMA
* Unemployment

The Paul Ryan budget plan provides
$3 trillion in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy

Republican Rep. Paul Ryan said that the Republican presidential nominee will support this budget.  If the Republicans control the House and the Senate, and with a Republican in the White House, this draconian budget would be law. Paul Ryan's beliefs and devotion to Ayn Rand have influenced this budget.

If you elect a Republican President, grandma, and grandpa will not get the Medicare they have now.  A Republican President would support the Ryan budget and your disabled cousin will lose Medicaid.

Paul Ryan gives out books by Ayn Rand to his employees and everyone he meets.  How does Paul Ryan's adoration of Ayn Rand figure into his budget plan?  In Paul Ryan's budget, the poor, the elderly, the struggling are left without any help.  However, Paul Ryan rewards the rich and corporations.  This follows along the philosophy of Ayn Rand.

In an article posted on March 5th at Common Dreams, George Monbiot provides the basics of Ayn Rand's beliefs:

It has a fair claim to be the ugliest philosophy the postwar world has produced. Selfishness, it contends, is good, altruism evil, empathy and compassion are irrational and destructive. The poor deserve to die; the rich deserve unmediated power. It has already been tested, and has failed spectacularly and catastrophically. Yet the belief system constructed by Ayn Rand, who died 30 years ago today, has never been more popular or influential.....

...Through her novels (such as Atlas Shrugged) and her nonfiction (such as The Virtue of Selfishness) she explained a philosophy she called Objectivism. This holds that the only moral course is pure self-interest. We owe nothing, she insists, to anyone, even to members of our own families. She described the poor and weak as "refuse" and "parasites", and excoriated anyone seeking to assist them. Apart from the police, the courts and the armed forces, there should be no role for government: no social security, no public health or education, no public infrastructure or transport, no fire service, no regulations, no income tax.....

...Rand's is the philosophy of the psychopath, a misanthropic fantasy of cruelty, revenge and greed...

This Ayn Rand belief system has been embraced by Paul Ryan and his Tea Bagger Republicans.  We cannot allow this horrible budget to become law.  Call your Senators and your Representative and tell them "NO!" on the Paul Ryan budget. This budget is un-American.

Re-Elect President Obama, and vote for every Democrat on the ballot.

Mandel + Kasich: Wrong On All Counts!

*** Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican, seems to have some difficulty with facts.  Thankfully, Politifact has set the record straight with a definite declaration of
  
"Pants on Fire"  

for the latest claim by Josh Mandel that Sen. Sherrod Brown sent our jobs to China. Here is how Politifact explain Sen. Sherrod Brown's voting record:

...Brown is one of the U.S. Senate’s most ardent critics of this country’s foreign trade policies. An Ohio Democrat, he says he supports the ideal of free trade, but adds that poorly drafted trade agreements and weak enforcement of trade rules have let China and other foreign countries step all over American businesses and workers....

...Trade is Brown’s signature issue. He has voted against trade deal after trade deal -- with South Korea, Panama, Colombia, Central America, Mexico and Canada and, most importantly here, China. So anyone who follows Brown had to appreciate a recent political jab by Brown’s Republican opponent in this year’s Senate election, namely, Mandel. Mandel, currently Ohio’s state treasurer, said in a news release on March 1, when he announced he was actively campaigning for the Senate:

"Make no mistake -- Sherrod Brown is one of the main D.C. politicians responsible for Ohio jobs moving to China."


Mandel is wrong, wrong, wrong! It is sad that Josh Mandel doesn't even bother to research what he is talking about in his speeches.  He just says what is in front of him without any forethought.

Josh Mandel is an excellent vehicle for empty, right wing, inaccurate, pro-corporate talking points. We've heard them again, and again, and again.  We know Mandel was for SB 5.  That alone should end any consideration of him being a viable candidate.

If Josh Mandel spent more time and effort reading and working on his elected position as Treasurer, instead of going to payday lenders conventions in foreign countries, he might be doing better.
_______________


>>> Besides the ongoing battle of the Hatfields and McCoys in the Ohio Republican Party (see previous post below), Gov. John Kasich's right wing thought processes have gotten him into heaps of trouble.  Besides SB5, cuts to education, overpaying his personal staff, having the state pay for his extreme security at his private home, flying in state-owned aircraft from one end of the state to the other, Kasich remains in hot water with most of Ohio's electorate.

Cliff Schecter of BaxterBulletin explains how Republican governors, including Kasich, have made things worse:

....For example, there is Ohio Gov. John Kasich. On the heels of tornadoes’ leveling the village of Moscow, Ohio, destroying homes in up to 100 other towns and killing 3 people, the governor decided to reject any declaration of the area as a federal disaster area, allowing the Buckeye State to be reimbursed for costs associated with helping people bear this disaster.

While Kasich at least partially has relented — under enormous pressure — and finally said he’ll allow federal inspectors to come in and look at the damage, the damage done to him and his brand of Republican politics has already been done. Kasich, after all, is the guy who thought it was a good idea to call a police officer an “idiot” in a speech just around the time he tried to deny police officers, teachers and firefighters the right to collectively bargain.

The result of that maneuver was a resounding defeat for his union-busting measure at the polls in 2009 (by over 60 percent), and his alienation of white-working-class voters who had supported him and other Republicans in the 2010 election.....

Read the rest of the article at BaxterBulletin and you'll see how Kasich, and the other  Koch Brothers inspired Republican governors, have alienated their voters.

***
> There is more on Kasich's motives-----

David Sirota explains what might be behind Kasich's recent suggestions about drilling in the state. The SunJournal:

....In just the last year, the Environmental Protection Agency and Duke University have both uncovered evidence linking groundwater contamination to the controversial drilling practice known as hydrofracking. The incriminating findings are so clear that according to Pittsburgh's CBS affiliate, fossil fuel firms in Pennsylvania acknowledge that the "natural gas exploration industry is partly responsible for rising levels of contaminants found in area drinking water."

....In Republican-controlled Ohio, where Columbia University scientists say drilling caused recent earthquakes, that means trying to lash oil and gas revenues to the GOP's popular income tax cut orthodoxy. Indeed, this is the obvious objective of Ohio Gov. John Kasich's recent proposal to institute a hydrofracking tax whose "fresh revenue (will) give a personal income tax cut to Ohioans," according to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.

To understand Kasich's true motive is to appreciate that he is no tax-and-spend liberal or fossil-fuel hater. He's the opposite: an anti-tax crusader who has taken $213,000 in campaign donations from the oil and gas industry, and who has tried to open up state parks to drilling. That record suggests his new tax moves are really designed to help drillers overcome any grassroots opposition — in this case, by tying drilling's expansion to alluring tax-cut policies. In the vernacular of political sloganeering, Kasich is basically saying, "Drilling for Tax Cuts."

After Kasich leaves office, what will the citizens of Ohio have to remind them of his years as governor?  That is an easy answer.  We'll have chemically-laced, toxic water, a polluted environment, an increased incidence of asthma, cancer, and skin rashes, and a destroyed public school system, among other things.

Monday, March 19, 2012

The Fighting Continues

* The feud continues in the Ohio Republican Party.  Gov. Kasich appears to be throwing a tantrum to get his way.

Dispatch:

Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine’s decision to forgo re-election when his two-year term expires in January is not enough for Gov. John Kasich.

The Republican governor wants DeWine gone now. And the governor will attempt to muscle DeWine out on April 13 when the party’s newly elected 66-member central committee meets...

....DeWine was unanimously elected to a second two-year term in January 2011 after leading the party to a sweep of all five statewide executive offices in the November 2010 election. But shortly after the election, Kasich asked DeWine to resign so that he could name his own chairman.....

Gov. John Kasich wants to be the dictator of the Ohio Republican Party. Let him destroy the Ohio GOP as he takes it more to the right.

Before the election for governor in 2010, some people that knew Kasich tried to warn voters about Kasich's caustic personality and egotistical nature.  Hopefully, people will remember Kasich's behavior, his push for SB5, and his goal to destroy our public education.  We do not need to provide him with any additional power or support.  Vote for more Democrats for the Ohio House and State Senate in order to pull out the rug from under Kasich.

*****  Guess which Republican went to work today!!!!!  Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel attended his first ever Board of Deposits meeting after skipping 14 previous meetings. It was so nice of him to take himself away from those fundraising trips to actually do his job.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Bank Friends?

*Isn't it odd that Republican Rep. Steve Stivers (OH-15th) has a link from his Facebook page to the Facebook page for American Banker?



Why would he have a link to them? Of course, we all know that he was a former bank lobbyist, but does he still have a relationship with the group?

 Stivers is able to meet with bankers, as this Security National Bank Press Release notes:

Springfield, Ohio - Security National Bank’s President & CEO, Bill Fralick, recently returned from Washington, D.C. where he met with legislators and regulators to discuss how recent banking proposals have impacted the state of Ohio.

Fralick was one of 50 bankers who visited our nation’s capital to voice the concerns of the financial services industry on behalf of the Ohio Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association. While in D.C., Fralick met with Congressmen John Boehner, Steve Austria and Steve Stivers to discuss issues regarding the economy and the banking industry including the regulatory environment......

Steve Stivers serves on the Financial Services Committee in the House of Representatives.

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

****  Gov. John Kasich wants to overhaul schools in Ohio.  Kasich doesn't want children to have social promotions to the next grade.  Of course, Kasich doesn't know anything about education, except what his right wing friends tell him.  With his own children attending private schools, Kasich is not an expert on public education in the 21st, 20th, or even the 19th centuries.  Gov. Kasich would never ask teachers what they think.


AkronBeaconJournal & Associated Press:

A state education overhaul aimed at better preparing Ohio students for college will change the way children and schools are evaluated and the curriculum they use.

Students should be getting “a diploma worth owning,” but the existing system shortchanges children by asking them to meet minimum standards that don’t necessarily make them college-ready, state Superintendent Stan
Heffner said.....

....Next up, Ohio is changing how it grades schools on their performance. Many districts are expected to get lower ratings under the evaluation system slated to start next school year, Heffner said. It will grade schools and districts using a calculation based on factors such as graduation rates, students’ scores on state tests and the performance of certain categories of students, including those with disabilities and those considered economically disadvantaged.....

Looks like the "overhaul" will force schools to do more with less money since Kasich's budget cut money to schools.

Friday, March 16, 2012

This week....

*  President Obama invited Ohio Gov. Kasich to attend a basketball game in Dayton along with Prime Minister Cameron of Great Britain. Judging by this Associated Press picture, the President put a little space between himself and chatterbox Kasich.  Smart move!

***  President Obama will be back at Ohio State next week with a planned speech on energy, according to the Dispatch.

>>  Ohio Republicans hope you'll forget about SB 5 by November.  Trust me.  We'll never forget.

*  The layoffs are still happening in Ohio.  A quick look at the Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services Warn Notices page shows that people are still losing jobs in Ohio.

*  I wonder which foreign country Josh Mandel will visit this weekend to collect campaign contributions.  If Josh Mandel visits a place during the day, is he visiting as the Ohio Treasurer or as a candidate?  Has he taken a leave of absence from his day job?  According to RecordHerald, Josh Mandel visited Washington Court House Thursday:

Republican Senate candidate Josh Mandel paid a visit to Sugar Creek Packing, 2101 Kenskill Ave., Thursday as part of his campaign....


Judging by the picture in the newspaper, the visit occurred during work hours. Shouldn't Josh Mandel be at work downtown Columbus at the Treasurer's office???


The Youngstown Vindicator has a response to Josh Mandel's recent remarks about the American auto companies:


State legislators from the Mahoning Valley and United Auto Workers union members at the General Motors Lordstown complex criticized Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, for saying he “respectfully disagreed” that the federal bailout saved the auto industry.

The legislators and UAW members said that without U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a fellow Democrat being challenged in the November general election by Mandel, leading the charge, the American auto industry would have collapsed.....

.....“If it wasn’t for Sen. Brown, we wouldn’t have our jobs,” said Elizabeth Warren of North Jackson, an 18-year employee at the GM Lords-town plant and Brown’s invited guest to the president’s State of the Union address in January....

Sen. Sherrod Brown has always been the champion of the middle class. Josh Mandel? Everything we've heard from him has been the usual GOP talking points.

An Alternative to Stivers? You betcha!

A lot of people living in Ohio's 15th congressional district have been underwhelmed by the agenda of Republican Rep. Steve Stivers.  While Stivers has thrown his support behind Republican Rep. Paul Ryan's Ayn Rand influenced budget plan, we've noticed the complete lack of accomplishment from the Boehner controlled House of Representatives. Boehner, Stivers, and the radical tea party members, have proposed legislation that attempts to destroy banking and environmental regulations, Social Security and Medicare, public education, the rights of women, and support for college students, we've wondered when and if they'll push for jobs.

Democrat Pat Lang is running against Stivers.  Lang is clear alternative to the right wing agenda.  Visit Pat Lang's website and offer your support.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Is it better in the Bahamas, Josh????

* The web is hot with talk about Ohio's Treasurer, Josh Mandel, flying off to do a fundraiser and a speech in the Bahamas with payday lenders at the Atlantis in the Bahamas.  According to the state salary search on the Ohio Treasurer's page, Josh Mandel's estimated annual salary is listed at $109,970.00.  When will he start earning his salary?

The ClevelandPlainDealer:

Is Josh Mandel a political opportunist? Politics Comment of the Day

In response to a Plain Dealer story about Josh Mandel secretly flying to the Bahamas to raise money from pay day lenders, cleveland.com user blueice5249 posts:
This guy has done next to nothing as the Ohio Treasurer. ANYONE who will use an office like that to springboard to a higher seat so fast, does NOT deserve to be elected to anything.

 Josh Mandel was against the auto bailout even though 800,000 Ohio jobs are tied to the American auto industry.  He has missed 14 out of 14 Board of Deposits meetings which decide Ohio's investments.  His claims of transparency on state salaries conveniently left out many of his staff.  Mandel's time and energy are being spent on fundraisers, trips, political meetings, etc., while those who were not elected have been put in charge of his office. Despite his full focus on a higher office, he has no unique, creative solutions other than the Republican mantra----- cut taxes for job creators, cut regulations, blah, blah, blah.


>>>>  When President Obama visited Dayton with British Prime Minister David Cameron, the President also invited Gov. John Kasich along since they would be visiting Ohio.  However, Kasich acted like the obnoxious guest as he tried to sell President Obama on fracking, according to WKYC.  Once again we see a shining example of Kasich's lack of people skills and his inappropriate behavior.

* Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, apostle of Ayn Rand, supposedly based his budget on some of the teachings of Ayn Rand. Ayn Rand wrote that the poor were "parasites."  The Daily Beast had an article last year about Paul Ryan's budget plan:

....One conservative making that point was Ryan. His citation of Rand was not casual. He’s a Rand nut. In the days before his star turn as America’s Accountant, Ryan once appeared at a gathering to honor her philosophy, where he announced, “The reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand.” He continues to view Rand as a lodestar, requiring his staffers to digest her creepy tracts.....

....What’s more, he saves trillions of dollars from Medicare by imposing huge cuts on anybody who retires starting in 2022. So not only has he adopted the cuts he claimed would never come to pass because they’re too harsh and too distant, he imposes far harsher and more distant cuts of his own. Indeed, Alice Rivlin, the fiscally conservative Democratic economist who endorsed an earlier version of his Medicare plan, called his new plan unrealistic. (Ryan nonetheless continues to imply that she supports it.)

Ryan’s plan does do two things in immediate and specific ways: hurt the poor and help the rich. After extending the Bush tax cuts, he would cut the top rate for individuals and corporations from 35 percent to 25 percent. Then Ryan slashes Medicaid, Pell Grants, food stamps, and low-income housing. These programs to help the poor, which constitute approximately 21 percent of the federal budget, absorb two thirds of Ryan’s cuts....

If Paul Ryan and the Republicans worship at Ayn Rand's altar, that is reason enough to disregard their plans and agenda.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

The Bahamas?????

*  First, I thank Josh Mandel for his service in the military.  I just don't think he is equipped to be Ohio's U.S. Senator.

Republican Josh Mandel, the Ohio Treasurer who appears to be spending less and less time at his day job, was touring Ohio today with another like minded individual----Republican Sen. Marco Rubio.  Rubio voted against the auto bailout that saved the American auto industry.  Josh Mandel has stated that he was against the auto bailout and if he had been in the Senate at the time, he would have voted against it.  Obviously, Mandel doesn't know much about the economics of Ohio because hundreds of thousands of jobs in the state rely on a functioning, successful, American auto industry.  It could be that Mandel just doesn't care.

 PlainDealer:
Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, already criticized by Democrats for missing official state meetings, flew to the Bahamas last Friday to give a speech to the payday lending industry, The Plain Dealer has confirmed. 

Mandel held a fund-raiser for his U.S. Senate election campaign while at the Bahamas resort....

From the CFSA's Convention announcement:

Now in its 12th year, CFSA is proud to offer a unique opportunity to take part in the largest gathering for the short-term credit market. Don't miss this opportunity to experience three days of dynamic and forward-thinking breakout sessions, heavy-hitting speakers, and continued collaboration through powerful networking and business opportunities. By attending CFSA 2012 from March 7-9 in the Bahamas, you will enhance your network, industry expertise, and brand development.
'Wave In A New Era' with CFSA 2012 and help guide the future of the payday advance industry.

I don't see how kissing the feet of payday lenders for political contributions demonstrates a candidates commitment to creating jobs for Ohioans. This industry, unfortunately, is not one that has demonstrated any compassion for the poor.

Josh Mandel's "issues" pages appear to be re-writes of the same old talking points repeated by every other Republican candidate for the last forty years. His page on jobs is the same old same old:

Josh Mandel believes that creating a business-friendly, pro-growth environment to foster job creation in Ohio and America is the highest priority of his campaign. He strongly believes that common sense tax reforms, the repeal of government-run healthcare and the elimination of over burdensome agency regulations on small businesses are crucial to the recovery of our state and national economies.

There is no mention of rebuilding the country's bridges, highways, or fixing crumbling schools, that would create millions of jobs.  Mandel just wants to make it easier for his business buddies to pollute our environment, increase mercury in our water, overwork employees, create unsafe working conditions, and increase profits for business.  How is that an agenda for creating jobs? How does this make our lives better?

Josh Mandel should -----
1.) spend more time and energy working on his job as Ohio Treasurer.
2.) attend meetings to demonstrate his responsibility, concern, and efforts.
3.) stop these ridiculous trips to Hawaii, Utah, Texas, Florida, New York, Kentucky, and a foreign country to get campaign funds.  He looks foolish.
4) do his job as Ohio Treasurer, earn his paycheck, and spend less time hanging out with rich Republicans at country clubs.

I would never vote for Josh Mandel.  He appears to be completely uninformed about the lives of the people in our state.  His constituency seems to be the payday lenders that he was so anxious to meet.

I will be supporting Sen. Sherrod Brown with my vote.  Sen. Sherrod Brown cares about everyone in our state.   Here is a small excerpt from Sen. Sherrod Brown's bio from his Senate page:


Since January of 2007, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown – a champion of middle class families in the Senate – has held more than 170 community roundtables across Ohio’s 88 counties with local leaders and business owners, entrepreneurs and educators, and workers and families to find ways to rebuild our economy.

Recently described as “Congress’ leading proponent of American manufacturing,” Brown is working with the Obama Administration on the creation of a
national manufacturing policy that would invest in manufacturing innovation, strengthen our component supply chain, connect workers with emerging industries, and align our trade policies to promote our national interests......

Sen. Sherrod Brown's agenda would create real jobs and improve our lives.  Josh Mandel's agenda---- not so much.

Stivers---Doesn't See Importance of Agriculture???

>>>  Now that Republican Rep. Steve Stivers has a larger, more rural Ohio 15th district, I wonder how those in agricultural related jobs feel about some statements made by Stivers in a written questionnaire he did in 2010? (I posted this on StubbornLiberal in September 2010.)

Here is the entire Stivers list:

1. Repeal the health care reform bill
2. Repeal the 16th Amendment to the Constitution
3. Repeal the 17th Amendment to the Constitution
4. Eliminate the Department of Agriculture
5. Eliminate the Department of Education
6. Eliminate the Department of the Interior
7. Eliminate the Department of Housing of and Urban Development
8. Eliminate the Department of Transportation
9. Eliminate the Department of Energy


(To see the complete survey that Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, filled out for the Glenn Beck meet up 912 group of central Ohio, visit - OH15 MTC QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.)


***  The Ohio GOP's continuously running candidate, Josh Mandel, has a special guest at his fundraisers for the next few days.  Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who famously said that programs like Social Security and Medicare "weakened us as people" (see Think Progress for more).


>>>  When Josh Mandel was in the Ohio House, he voted
against HB 9:  Tenants Protection During Foreclosure
If you are a renter and the building in which you reside goes into foreclosure, Josh Mandel believes that there should be no protections for those living in the building.  Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.



Sunday, March 11, 2012

FYI

*  Josh Mandel, current Republican candidate, reportedly took the Ohio Bar Exam in 2004.  However, a search of the Ohio Supreme Court's list of licensed lawyers in the state, does not list his name.  Did Josh Mandel pass the bar exam?

Josh Mandel served three whole years in the Ohio House of Representatives, and did not finish his term of office so that he could run for another office.

By the way, if you were hoping that Josh Mandel would be at work on Tuesday, March 13th at 9am, you're wrong.  According to a release by a 9/12Meetup group, Josh Mandel, Ohio Treasurer, will be at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Cincinnati on 3/13 at 9am for a campaign event.  Does this guy ever go to work?????


* Things are so bad in Ohio Republican circles, even their former consultants are bad-mouthing them.

Dispatch:

A former Ohio Republican official described Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine in an e-mail last October to the Mitt Romney campaign as “very high maintenance" and “who still thinks he's in the Senate," adding he did not believe it was “worth our time" to have Romney call DeWine.....


...The e-mail was written after DeWine, who served two terms in the U.S. Senate, had endorsed Romney for the Republican presidential nomination. DeWine last month dropped his endorsement of Romney in favor of former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. The e-mail was inadvertently sent to DeWine. He was unavailable for comment.....  

...Buerck, who is president of Majority Strategies, a direct mail political firm in Florida, said today that he “was proud to help Mike DeWine get elected as attorney general and now I'm proud to be working to help elect Mitt Romney President."

The backstabbing in the Ohio GOP continues.

Friday, March 09, 2012

Mandel Supports Cockfighting and Housing Discrimination??????

* American Electric Power has a new target--- The Wilds.

Ohio residents that care about wildlife, conservation, and the environment will be shocked to hear about the latest target for the frackers---- The Wilds.

The Other Paper:


Last September, American Electric Power and Texas drilling company Anadarko Petroleum reached an agreement to allow hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas—the controversial “fracking”—at the Wilds, home to hundreds of rare and endangered animals that’s operated by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

Five months later, on Feb. 23, the zoo found out about it. From a reporter....

.....So are zoo leaders feeling blindsided and betrayed by AEP, a longtime corporate supporter?

“I don’t think that’s the word I would use,” said zoo president and CEO Dale Schmidt. “But we would have liked to have heard about it sooner.”

I guess we'd better go see The Wilds before the land, water, air, and most importantly, the animals are destroyed.   The Wilds, which has many species, also has accommodations for visitors.

There is an Environment Petition to stop the fracking at The Wilds at Change.org:

The Wilds is home to 25 non-native and hundreds of native species. The Wilds itself is the largest conservation area for endangered species in North America. It is first and foremost a nature preserve. It was made possible by AEP's donation of 9,154 acres of reclaimed strip mine land in 1986. AEP has reserved mineral and access rights however. 

Hydro-fracking is a risky procedure without a failsafe to protect water resources for the animals on the land. There are many cases of animal poisonings where fracking on farms has occurred. However, it not only affects animals, it affects air quality and water quality locally. 

People in Pennsylvania, Wyoming and Texas are suffering due to the negligence of gas drillers in American communities. Most recently Ohio has been the dumping ground for the toxic activity with injection wells over Ohio, now John Kasich is setting us up to be fracked whether we like it or not. Tell AEP to halt the plans of fracking on the property of The Wilds.....

So sad.
..........................................

****  Did you know that Josh Mandel voted against making cockfighting a felony???
Cleveland:
 ....Cockfighting is now a fourth-degree misdemeanor in Ohio. Penalty: No more than 30 days in jail, a fine no greater than $250. In contrast, House Bill 108 would make cockfighting a fifth-degree felony. Penalty: Up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $2,500. Second offenses would draw steeper penalties.....
 
.....Among 19 representatives voting "no" were Lyndhurst Republican Josh Mandel, whose district includes Brecksville, Chagrin Falls, Independence, and Solon -- not, you'd think, cockfighting capitals....

That is amazing.  Now we know there are two Republicans who are for animal cruelty.
(1.)  The Republican Party has Romney who put his dog in a kennel and then tied the kennel to the top of his car.
(2.)  The Ohio Republican Party has Josh Mandel who voted against making cockfighting a felony. 

Josh Mandel voted against a bill for equality and non-discrimination in housing!!!!
Columbus Equality:



Despite his support for domestic partner benefits in 2000, Mandel nine years later voted against a bill to shield gay and transgender Ohioans from being discriminated against in housing and employment issues.

House Bill 176 sought to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of classifications for which it is illegal to discriminate for housing, employment and public-accommodation purposes. The bill passed the Democrat-controlled House by a vote of 56-39, with five Republicans joining Democrats to support the measure. But the bill did not go anywhere in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Mandel voted against the bill.......

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.  Is this what it means to be a conservative? Can we conclude that Mandel is for animal cruelty and housing discrimination? 

Thursday, March 08, 2012

Does Josh Mandel Care?

*  After winning the primary, Republican candidate for Senate, immediately started repeating GOP talking points.  Josh Mandel, according to an article posted at NewsMax, said that ".....the U.S. EPA and many other agencies at the federal level have created so many layers of regulation that it’s putting small businesses out of business,” he said. “Over half, well over half, of the jobs in America are in small businesses. And a lot of these small businesses cannot afford to hire armies and armies of accountants and attorneys and compliance officers....."  

Do these Republican candidates get a handout from their party or Americans for Prosperity on talking points or are they just handed a speech to deliver?  There is not one grain of originality, or creativity in this speech.  I've heard the same crap from Republicans so many times, it is like a broken record. It is like we keep repeating the same stuff like in the movie, Groundhog Day. If this is the same old song that Josh Mandel is going to repeat every single time he speaks, it tells us that ---

(1) he has no new ideas of his own (except that "auto rescue plan" which is three years too late. American auto companies are already reaping huge profits, thanks to President Obama.  American auto workers are back working again.)

(2) Mandel has no plans to "rescue" the middle class, only the elite business owners? Why should we expect Mandel to help the middle class since Mandel supported SB 5?

(3) since Josh Mandel is against federal regulations for businesses, does that mean he is against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (promotes equality and fair pay for women)?
FYI: Sen. Sherrod Brown voted FOR the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, but then Sen. Voinovich voted NO.  Does he support OSHA?


 I'll be looking for answers from Josh Mandel.  It seems incredible that a guy elected to be Treasurer of Ohio has skipped 14 meetings of the Board of Deposits, which determines where and how Ohio invests.  This is clearly a person shirking his responsibility.

I have found a questionnaire filled out by Josh Mandel as he moved from one elected office to another:   COSE questionnaire  

Apparently, Josh Mandel has refused a questionnaire from WOEAR (Western Ohio Education Association-Retired), but Sen. Sherrod Brown fill out the questionnaire.  WOEAR:

...OEA FCPE: Carol Kinsey reported that invitations and forms were sent to Josh Mandel and Sherrod Brown for United States Senate screening. It was noted that Josh Mandel outlined his views on education but did not return the required NEA questionnaire. He also did not want to screen by SKYPE or conference call with members on the committee. Sherrod Brown did returned required documents and did have a conference call. It was moved that OEA endorse S. Brown. FCPE forms were distributed and $148 was collected.....

Finally, according to Open Secrets, Sen. Sherrod Brown has a larger percentage of his campaign contributions coming from inside the state of Ohio.  Earlier in the year, Mandel claimed the opposite.

Open Secrets:

CandidateIn StateOut of StateNo State
Sherrod Brown (D)  $3,375,679 (63%)   $1,965,280 (37%)   $0 (0%)
Josh Mandel     (R) $1,646,255 (51%)   $1,564,801 (49%)   $0 (0%)

I'll be posting more as we get closer to the election.

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

The Road Ahead

With the primary out of the way, here is what we've learned from the primary:

*  The Ohio Republican presidential primary was closer than anyone ever imagined. 

*  I've heard only good things about Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH-Democrat).  Ohioans know that he works hard for the middle class, and is often referred to as a champion of the middle class.  Sen. Sherrod Brown opposed Kasich's SB5.

 Sen. Brown's challenger from the Republican Party will be Josh Mandel. 
Mandel
---- supported SB 5,

---- doesn't appear to follow the news, (He hadn't heard about the outrage over Limbaugh's remarks.)

---- was against President Obama's successful plan to save the American auto industry,

......  said he is working on his own plan to rescue the auto industry???? Duh! (Hasn't he heard? President Obama already did that.)

---- has spent his time in his recently elected office as Ohio Treasurer, running for a new office.  He reportedly went on his first campaign trip just six weeks after taking office as treasurer.

---- has not attended one meeting of the Ohio Board of Deposits which is part of his department.  He has missed 14 meetings.

----- wants to drill in Ohio's state parks.

----- supports the Paul Ryan plan to obliterate Social Security and Medicare.

This is just the beginning. 

Tuesday, March 06, 2012

News in Ohio....

On the eve of the Ohio primary.....

Columbus Dispatch:

A candidate for the Delaware County Republican Party’s Central Committee was arrested today, accused of throwing his opponent’s campaign literature down a sewer drain.

Rick A. Gemienhardt, 54, of 881 Africa Rd. in Berlin Township, was arrested by Delaware County sheriff’s deputies and issued a summons to appear in court on Tuesday.

He is to spend Election Day morning in Delaware County Municipal Court, appearing on misdemeanor charges of theft, criminal mischief and littering, the sheriff’s office said.....

Ouch!
_______

Golly.  Gov. John Kasich has decided that people in tornado ravaged counties of Ohio actually do need more help than he can provide.

Cincinnati:

Ohio Gov. John Kasich asked for federal help in tornado-stricken communities Monday, two days after he said he would not seek immediate aid. 

A team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to arrive Tuesday in Clermont County to survey the storm damage and determine whether the region qualifies for financial or logistical assistance.....

.....More pressure on Kasich came early Monday when the village of Moscow sent out a call for help to Cincinnati and other communities because state resources were not sufficient to do the job.....

I'm glad that people made an issue out of this so that those who've lost their homes can get the help they need. Shame on Kasich for putting politics before the health and well-being of Ohioans.

Sunday, March 04, 2012

The Video

I've made a personal sacrifice to listen to a video of the Josh Mandel appearance at the Ohio Press Club.  Mandel, current Ohio Treasurer, announced his intention to be a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate at the event this past week---- even though he has been running as a candidate, collecting campaign funds, and flying from one end of the country to the other since February 2011.

Unfortunately, voters, Mandel refuses to take responsibility for his deliberate absences at the Ohio Treasurer's Board of Deposits meetings.  He has missed 14 meetings, even though he stated that he "...puts constituents first...." Really?  If he puts constituents first, why has he continued to miss the meetings that oversee the state's monies?

Josh Mandel also doesn't appear to have a good answer to a question as to why he never finishes a term of office and why he supported SB 5.  Most of what Mandel has to say you've heard before from the Republican talking points.

The video below, was put up by Phil Trexler of 1600pennaveblog. The tweet at Twitter@PhilTrexler, refers to the blog and video:

Here's the Akron Press Club video Mandel's folks tried to block.

 

In the 55 minute video, Mandel talks about himself for what seems to be an eternity.  Yawn. Mandel spends a lot of time blaming Sen. Sherrod Brown for things he doesn't control. Josh Mandel also doesn't seem to understand how the federal government works.

The clincher from Josh Mandel is that he is working on a plan to rescue the auto industry.  Someone needs to wake him up and tell him that President Obama already did it. 

Oh, by the way, Josh Mandel will be having breakfast in New York on Monday morning with the Maverick PAC at 7:30am:

Monday, March 5, 2012 Add This Event to Your Calendar
Time:  7:30 am
(all times subject to change)
Place:  The Junior League of the City of New York
130 East 80th Street New York, NY 10075
Special Guest:
Josh Mandel
 Mandel is so certain that he'll be the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate that he has plenty of other events planned too, including----March 12th.

I guess this is the way he puts his constituents first.

Saturday, March 03, 2012

Sherrod Brown- Cares About Ohio

* Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH-Democrat) spoke recently about President Obama's accomplishments. RealClearPolitics:

....Sen. Sherrod Brown, who faces a tough re-election battle against the youthful Republican state treasurer, Josh Mandel, offered the line of the night Friday at the Ohio Democratic Party’s Legacy Dinner, its second biggest fundraising event  of the year: "We've seen manufacturing job growth in the United States and in the state of Ohio for 21 straight months."

...Beneath the united front on manufacturing that Democrats are presenting to Republicans were other themes, as well. One was the palpable desire to make certain that every voter understands Mitt Romney is much wealthier than they are. “My wife doesn’t drive two Cadillacs,” Brown said at an event earlier this week, in reference to Romney's comment that his wife had not one, but two, luxury cars. “She drives a Dodge,” Brown said....

......Betty Sutton, a two-term House Democrat who faces a redistricting fight, joked that her opponents in 2010 had said she ought to get out of the House and back in the kitchen. She laughed that her husband wouldn’t know what to do with her in the kitchen and vowed to defeat the one-term congressman, Jim Renacci, whom she’ s running against.....


Perhaps Jim Renacci should be sent aprons so that he would go back into the kitchen.


With all that is going on with the Republican war on women, we need to remind ourselves about the Medina County GOP 2010 newsletter that got a lot of women upset.


A recent Medina GOP mailer that urges voters to "take Betty Sutton out of the House and put her back in the kitchen," has angered the Emily's List political action committee, which raises money for female Democratic candidates.....

This is how Republicans view women?

Friday, March 02, 2012

New Poll in Ohio

There is an new poll out in Ohio that may surprise some people. A poll by the American Public Polling Project has some interesting results that might throw a wrench into some candidate's plans.

PRweb:

The American Public Polling Project has released the latest results of their largest survey to date. The polling efforts offer insight into some key federal races across the State of Ohio.....

For more information about the American Public Polling Project, and the full results of the survey, visit http://www.americanpublicpolling.com, or visit us on twitter @AmericanPolling.

Ohio U.S. Senate Republican Primary Polling
Name...........TOTAL......Men.........Women.....Under 50....Over 50    
Dodt................1%............1%...........0%............0%............1%
Glisman.........23%..........15%..........32%..........17%..........24%
Gregory...........3%............5%............2%............5%............6%
Mandel...........17%..........20%..........14%..........22%..........13%
Pryce...............6%............9%............4%...........4%............6%
Undecided.......50%..........50%..........48%..........52%..........50%

Ohio 3rd Congressional District Democratic Primary Polling
Name.............TOTAL.......Men......Women....Under 50...Over 50
Beatty.............41%..........34%........41%........44%..........40%
Celeste...........15%..........15%..........3%..........2%..........18%
Kilroy..............36%..........32%........40%........34%..........32%
Tyson...............2%............1%..........1%.........3%............0%
Undecided.........6%..........18%........15%........17%..........10%

Ohio 9th Congressional District Democratic Primary Polling
Name............TOTAL.........Men........Women....Under 50...Over 50
Kaptur.............39%...........36%..........41%.........39%..........45%
Kucinich..........35%...........36%..........29%.........35%..........39%
Veysey............10%...........12%...........5%..........15%...........3%
Undecided........16%...........16%.........25%..........11%..........13%


>>>>>  As he spoke yesterday at the Akron Press Club, Josh Mandel gave an odd response to a question if he supported President Obama's actions to save the auto industry.  Mandel's answer has some people wondering if Republican Josh Mandel, current Ohio Treasurer, knows what is going on in the state and the country with the auto industry.....


Vindy:

Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, said he is developing a plan to “rescue the auto industry.”

...But Mandel said he “respectfully disagreed” that it saved the American auto industry.
Justin Barasky, spokesman for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, the Democrat incumbent who Mandel would face in the November general election if the latter wins Tuesday’s Republican primary, mocked the state treasurer’s comments.
“Mandel’s claim to be putting together a plan to rescue the industry is a laughably candid example of how completely clueless he is as to what’s going on with Ohio’s middle class and how he’ll say anything to get elected,” Barasky said.


Mandel seems a day late and a dollar short with his plan to "rescue the auto industry." Is Mandel out of touch?  He has missed 14 meetings of the Ohio Treasury's Board of Deposit meetings.  Mandel has been campaigning all over the country with fundraising trips to New York, DC, Texas, California, Utah, and even a meeting in Hawaii, and yet he only announces his "candidacy" yesterday? It might be suggested that Josh Mandel stay in the state, go to the required meetings for his elected office as Ohio Treasurer, and find out what is going on here in Ohio.

****  Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi (OH-12) must be trying to save some of his own campaign money.  When I saw his campaign ad for this election, I thought it looked familiar.  In Tiberi's ad from 2010 (at 18 seconds)  and his ad from 2012 (at 27 seconds), Tiberi uses the same people, video cuts.  You might say that this is no big deal, but I think it is.  Pat Tiberi hasn't had a new idea, and can't even come up with a new and different way to present himself to his constituents.  The same old worn out talking points are used by Tiberi, over and over, and over again.  Is this an indication of how lazy he is by using the same ads from previous years?   Just ask yourself----Where are the jobs Pat Tiberi said he'd deliver?

Thursday, March 01, 2012

Today's News........

The Blunt Amendment, which would have denied health care to people because of the employer's religious beliefs, has been defeated.  This legislation, put forth by Republican Sen. Roy Blunt, was another example of the Republican attack on women. 

To the Republicans in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, I address the following questions and comments:

  • Where are the freaking jobs you promised?  
  • Why are you more concerned with a woman's uterus instead of working with President Obama on job creation?  
  • Republicans need to get off their fat campaign coffers and get out of our private lives.
  • The Republican war on women will not be forgotten.
  • Shame on each and every Republican that has invaded the privacy of women's health.  

Women will not stand and let Republicans insert themselves between decisions made by women and their physicians.  This is also happening in Ohio where Republican men are more interested in denying women health screenings than creating jobs and fixing school funding.  (Note: Sen. Portman of Ohio supported the Blunt amendment.)

There is a great column in USA Today about Rick Santorum's opinions about women:

.....This approach is a losing strategy for Republicans that plays into the hands of President Obama and his party. Polls have shown that Obama routinely beats either Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum with women voters by double digits.

Exit polls from Michigan's Republican primary on Tuesday highlighted this problem. The nation's economy was the issue that mattered most to voters (55%), compared with abortion (14%). And while Santorum did have a strong showing among voters who described themselves as "very conservative," as well as women who believed abortion should be illegal, he — more so than Romney — is making the GOP gender problem worse.

Whether or not he becomes the nominee, Santorum's anachronistic views of women — can't handle combat, shouldn't work outside the home, should not use contraception — are hurting the GOP brand with the independent voters who'll determine the outcome of the November election.....


 Santorum would have been popular in the prehistoric times because his views are clearly primitive, antiquated, and just plain bizarre.  Does he allow his wife to speak, or does she have to ask permission?

How can we forget what Rush Limbaugh said about a female law student? (see Politico)

>  Finally, Republican Josh Mandel has kept a date with the Akron Press Club today.  Mandel, who started his campaign for U.S. Senate just weeks after taking the oath of office for Ohio Treasurer, had put off the invitation from the Akron Press Club for months.

Mandel supported SB 5 and.........
AmericanBridgePAC:

  • Mandel “Aggressively Worked” Fundraising And Speaking Tours As State Treasurer While Office Schedule Was Neglected. [AP, 1/14/12]
  • Mandel’s First Senate Campaign Flight Occurred Less Than One Month After Taking Office As State Treasurer[AP, 1/14/12]
  • February 2012: Mandel Skipped 14th Consecutive Board Of Deposit Meeting, Still Failed To Attend A Single Meeting Since Taking Office. [Columbus Dispatch, 2/23/12]
  • Mandel Disclosed His Personal Finances 177 Days Late. [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/4/11; Mandel Personal Financial Disclosure]
  • Mandel Released Official Schedules, Did Not Include Out-Of-State Fundraising Trips. [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 1/20/12]
  • Mandel Attack On Sherrod Brown Rated “Pants On Fire” By PolitiFact. [PolitiFact Ohio, 11/18/11]


With Mandel out of his office so much on his campaign trips, you have to wonder which unelected people are in charge of the Ohio Treasurer's office.  Why has Josh Mandel skipped 14 meetings of the Ohio Board of Deposits?