Thursday, October 31, 2013
Most Qualified?????
Here we go again! Gov. John Kasich has made another appointment to his administration.
StateImpact:
The Ohio Department of Education’s teacher liaison has been promoted to senior policy advisor, a top post at the agency.
Sarah Dove, 33, has a long association with Gov. John Kasich. She was a production assistant for his Fox News program Heartland with John Kasich. The program ran from 2001 to 2007.....
...Her promotion to senior policy advisor came with a raise of about $38,000, bringing her salary to about $89,500, according to state administrative records.....
Here is the kicker from the StateImpact article:
...Dove worked on Kasich’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign and was publicly critical of teacher unions in the months leading up to the successful campaign to repeal Senate Bill 5....
Wow! She has five years of teaching and now she is a "senior policy advisor"!!!!! Miss Dove and Kyle Farmer (an Ohio GOP county chairperson) ran the small "Teachers for Kasich" group. It is absolutely amazing that this friend of John Kasich's is the most qualified person in the entire state of Ohio!!! Wow!
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Be Informed
Has Gov. John Kasich created jobs in Ohio? He says he has. Unfortunately, many of the jobs he has created are minimum wage jobs with limited hours, and the layoffs are still happening (see ODJFS WarnPage). Kasich is still several hundred thousand jobs behind of total employment in the state. Although Kasich may have expanded Medicaid by going through the State Controlling Board, his anti-women's rights stand has been horrible. Poor women across the state are finding health care clinics being closed and less access to women's gynecological medical help.
>>>> The people that brought you SB 5, are still active in Ohio. The Americans For Prosperity group has offices across Ohio. AFP and their supporters will continue to push Ohio into the right-to-work column. If Ohio re-elects Kasich, legislation like SB 5 will be pushed by the Republicans and their anti-union, anti-worker rights, supporters. (See news from May 2013.)
**** How are some of Ohio's elected officials helping women? Check out the PPAction website to see the Thanks for Sen. Sherrod Brown and the Spanks for Rep. Steve Stivers: PPAction.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Westerville Schools
Westerville Public Schools School Board is being targeted by the Ohio Tea Party. Kelly Kohls of the Springboro School Board has recruited teams of tea party members to run for school positions.
Plunderbund:
Ohio Tea Party activists have set their sights on controlling local school boards around the state, and they are doing it through deceptive marketing campaigns, claiming to care about “students.” Many are following the lead of Springboro’s Kelly Kohls......
....The ticket is headed up by Westerville Tea Party director Jim Burgess, one of the leaders of an effort to overturn the Westerville school levy passed by voters last year.
The plan, promoted on their website, calls for cutting school funding by opposing school levies, then reprioritizing spending for the remaining money. A fancy pyramid graphic shows the order in which things will be cut, starting with teacher benefits and reimbursements for things like classroom supplies.
Support services go next, and then sports, food service and busing.....
Parents, students, and teachers need to spread the word about this radical plan from the Ohio Tea Party and Kelly Kohls.
If you like Ted Cruz and enjoyed the government shutdown orchestrated by the Republican Tea Party, then you'll love watching the destruction of your public schools.
Is your neighborhood next?
A few weeks ago, the administration of Gov. John Kasich forced the resignation of the water safety expert in the Ohio EPA. Now it appears that a "poop pond" is being constructed in Pickaway County even though the residents of the area were never informed.
Dispatch:
....The 12-foot-deep lagoon would hold 10 million gallons of sewage sludge, animal manure, food waste and other materials to be converted into fertilizer. It would be constructed to prevent groundwater contamination, EPA officials said....
...An Ohio EPA spokeswoman said no public hearing was required because the proposed lagoon does not threaten waterways. Scioto Township has no authority to approve or block the project because the site is properly zoned.....
....The sludge would be imported from the company’s facility along Jackson Pike on the South Side that converts Columbus sewage-plant sludge and other waste into natural gas. The Ohio EPA has cited the company’s plant twice since 2011 for odor violations.
What could go wrong? Are there any wells in the area? What kinds of insects and parasites could be attracted to such a facility? A similar plan for Pittsfield Township was stopped earlier this year, according to the Chronicle-Telegram:
"....a Pittsfield Township zoning inspector issued a cease-and-desist order alleging that the lagoon was not permitted by township zoning rules...."
What other kinds of projects are being kept away from the public by the Kasich administration?
*** Citizens are finding fault with the fact that Republican Rep. Steve Stivers and Rep. Pat Tiberi did nothing for 16 days to end the government shutdown. A letter to the editor of the Dispatch notes:
....Boehner, of course, is culpable for not allowing a vote, but if the discharge petition was a way out, at least 17 Republican House members are blameworthy for sitting on their hands for 16 days, and Hallett's version of events — “Republican Reps. Pat Tiberi of Genoa Township and Steve Stivers of Upper Arlington stood up to the bullies and voted to end the shutdown” — is misleading, at best.
They waited until our economy was $24 billion in the hole and their party's reputation was clearly headed south, to vote to end it. That's “standing up to the bullies?” Please.
“Moderate Republicans” such as Tiberi and Stivers have a credibility problem as long as they allow their radical brethren to run amok. And bringing the U.S. economy to the brink, for something you can't win anyway, is running amok.....
Stivers and Tiberi did nothing for 16 days. Both men harp about the national debt, but in this case, their silence racked up another $24 billion.
As
a result, a Pittsfield Township zoning inspector issued a
cease-and-desist order alleging that the lagoon was not permitted by
township zoning rules.
In addition, 43 Pittsfield Township residents and their
attorney, Gerald Phillips, filed an appeal with the Ohio EPA in January
asking that the EPA revoke its permit that was granted to French Creek
BioEnergy, a sub-company of Quasar.
They allege that the company provided the EPA with incorrect
coordinates and misleading information when the company applied for a
permit to build the lagoon.
- See more at: http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2013/05/01/waste-lagoon-plan-flushed/#sthash.V31assE7.dpuf
As
a result, a Pittsfield Township zoning inspector issued a
cease-and-desist order alleging that the lagoon was not permitted by
township zoning rules.
In addition, 43 Pittsfield Township residents and their
attorney, Gerald Phillips, filed an appeal with the Ohio EPA in January
asking that the EPA revoke its permit that was granted to French Creek
BioEnergy, a sub-company of Quasar.
They allege that the company provided the EPA with incorrect
coordinates and misleading information when the company applied for a
permit to build the lagoon.
- See more at: http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2013/05/01/waste-lagoon-plan-flushed/#sthash.V31assE7.dpu
As
a result, a Pittsfield Township zoning inspector issued a
cease-and-desist order alleging that the lagoon was not permitted by
township zoning rules.
In addition, 43 Pittsfield Township residents and their
attorney, Gerald Phillips, filed an appeal with the Ohio EPA in January
asking that the EPA revoke its permit that was granted to French Creek
BioEnergy, a sub-company of Quasar.
They allege that the company provided the EPA with incorrect
coordinates and misleading information when the company applied for a
permit to build the lagoon.
- See more at: http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2013/05/01/waste-lagoon-plan-flushed/#sthash.V31assE7.dpufSaturday, October 26, 2013
Ormet Job Losses
A letter to the editor of the TimesLeaderonline, puts the blame for job losses at the feet of Gov. John Kasich:
....As a Congressman John Kasich voted to outsources our jobs to China. As our Governor, Kasich is responsible for Ormet's closure and he has done nothing to bring back steel jobs in the valley.
Governor Kasich has tried to say that their is an Ohio "Miracle" when it comes to Ohio's economy.
He and his friends at JobsOhio have tried to convince Ohioans that the economy is turning around. My question to governor is where was the Miracle when it came to saving the jobs at Ormet?
Recently the Ormet CEO in an interview stated that Governor Kasich would not meet with him or discuss saving the 1,000 jobs at Ormet. If Ormet sat on Kasich JobsOhio Board or the executive at Ormet had been campaign contributors to the governor would Ormet still be operating? And we all know John Kasich's record when it comes to Unions. It is no secret that Governor Kasich hates unions, if Ormet was a non union company would the governor had intervened on their behalf?...
Why has the governor been so selective where the JobsOhio development money went? Why have some companies received tax credits/money while others were denied? Does Gov. Kasich only respect corporate leaders that are part of his closed circle of friends? Did Kasich refuse to intervene because the Ormet jobs involved union workers?
If Kasich is re-elected, he and his Republican supporters will try to disenfranchise workers again. The next time it won't be SB5, it will be even worse. If Kasich didn't show respect to the hardwork of the steelworkers at Ormet, do you really think he respects your work?
We've seen that Republicans in Congress brought this country close to total economic collapse. Kasich, the GOP, and his corporate supporters are more interested in corporate profits than the economic safety of the men and women in Ohio.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Where are the jobs?
Gov. John Kasich claims that he has brought thousands of jobs back to Ohio, but this is not the case. Gov. Ted Strickland preceded Kasich as the Governor of Ohio. In the fall of 2008, Lehman Brothers collapsed along with Wall Street. People lost jobs, homes, and retirement funds. Ohio also lost jobs, but, according to the graph below, has not regained them all. Despite the millions of dollars given away to corporations by JobsOhio to bring jobs to Ohio, the state has yet to see the full employment promised by Kasich.
This is a graph from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Ohio employment:
Tea Party Likes Gridlock???
In an article published in this morning's edition of USA Today, a Tea Party leader reveals future plans --- the farm bill and more gridlock. USA Today:
"We think gridlock is a good thing," said Diane Cox, a Tea Party activist from Valdosta, Ga., who is one of 6,000 Heritage Action "sentinels" who pushed to defund the Affordable Care Act and is closely watching developments on the farm bill. "It's called the balance of powers."
...After rejecting an earlier version of the farm bill in June, the GOP-led House broke the legislation into two pieces, first approving a chunk that dealt with farm subsidies along with other agriculture policies and then passing the food-stamp portion. The House-passed bill cuts food stamps by roughly $40 billion during the next decade, dropping benefits to 3 million people.
The Senate measure cuts far less from food stamps — about $4 billion over 10 years....
It is apparent that the Republicans and their Tea Party puppet masters are hell-bent on destroying the government and allowing more people to go hungry. With the Republican budget committee being chaired by Rep. Paul "Social Security is a Ponzi scheme" Ryan, Democrats will need to stand strong against further disruptions to our government, cuts to Social Security, and attempts to end Affordable Health Care.
Tea Party members and their Republican friends don't like progress, innovation, science, or caring for the poor and elderly. Republicans and their Tea Party pals have demonstrated their inability to work with a majority of the American people. It is time to let them join the unemployment line.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Leadership Lacking from GOP
The lack of leadership from Ohio Gov. John Kasich has caused the loss of hundreds of jobs in Ohio. An example of the bumbling from Kasich's office is the layoffs from the Ormet plant. Plunderbund has details on how Kasich and his administration did little to save the jobs and continues to look for someone else to blame. You can read the entire Kasich job disaster at Plunderbund. You do have to wonder if Kasich failed to do anything because of his deep dislike of union workers, like those at Ormet. No matter how you look at it, Kasich has failed to restore the jobs lost in the last recession. The state continues to lose jobs.
• • • • •
The House vote on October 16th (Roll Call Vote 550) lists the following members of the House from Ohio as voting against the legislation to open the government and raise the debt ceiling: Chabot, Gibbs, Johnson, Jordan, Latta, Renacci, Turner, Wenstrup. The lack of leadership on the part of John Boehner has been an embarrassment to the state. It is time for Ohioans to throw these bums out of office and vote for elected officials that will move us forward.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Write Down These Names
The recent shutdown by the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives reportedly cost our economy $24 Billion. The most upsetting part of the entire action by the GOP was that they gambled on our country's economic future. They were willing to let the U.S. go into default, collapse our economy, put millions of people out of work, shutdown Social Security, deny payments to our disabled veterans, and ruin our country's economic reputation in the world just so that could stop people from getting health care. The GOP seems to dislike our President, not because of his policies, but because of the color of his skin. The Republicans showed that they have become a party of radicals that want to destroy our government and our American culture.
When an agreement finally emerged in the Senate, it was one put together by female U.S. Senators. After the legislation passed the Senate, it was set for a vote in the House of Representatives. Knowing that the entire country's future rested on their vote, some Republicans still voted against the legislation to open the government. The House vote on October 16th (Roll Call Vote 550) lists the following members of the House as voting against the legislation to open the government and raise the debt ceiling: (those highlighted in yellow are from Ohio)
| Aderholt Amash Amodei Bachmann Barr Barton Bentivolio Bishop (UT) Black Blackburn Brady (TX) Bridenstine Brooks (AL) Broun (GA) Bucshon Burgess Campbell Carter Cassidy Chabot Chaffetz Collins (GA) Collins (NY) Conaway Culberson Denham DeSantis DesJarlais Duffy Duncan (SC) Duncan (TN) Ellmers Farenthold Fincher Fleischmann Fleming Flores Forbes Foxx Franks (AZ) Garrett Gibbs Gingrey (GA) Gohmert Goodlatte Gosar Gowdy Granger | Graves (GA) Graves (MO) Griffith (VA) Hall Harris Hartzler Hensarling Holding Hudson Huelskamp Huizenga (MI) Hultgren Hunter Hurt Johnson (OH) Johnson, Sam Jones Jordan King (IA) Kingston Labrador LaMalfa Lamborn Lankford Latta Long Lucas Luetkemeyer Lummis Marchant Marino Massie McCaul McClintock Meadows Messer Mica Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Mullin Mulvaney Neugebauer Noem Nugent Nunnelee Olson Palazzo Pearce | Perry Petri Pitts Poe (TX) Pompeo Posey Price (GA) Radel Reed Renacci Rice (SC) Roby Roe (TN) Rogers (AL) Rohrabacher Rokita Rooney Ross Rothfus Royce Ryan (WI) Salmon Sanford Scalise Schweikert Scott, Austin Sensenbrenner Sessions Smith (MO) Smith (TX) Southerland Stewart Stockman Stutzman Thornberry Turner Wagner Walberg Walden Walorski Weber (TX) Wenstrup Westmoreland Williams Wilson (SC) Woodall Yoder Yoho |
These people should be voted out of office!
* Republican Sen. Ted Cruz might be very popular in Texas, but some strong Republicans in Ohio and across the nation are vowing to never, ever support him for higher office. His self-promoting crusade nearly destroyed our country.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Shutdown Fallout in Ohio
* Many people have been furloughed because of the Republicans shutdown of the federal government. Ohio has been especially hit.
Dispatch:
...A report released yesterday by Policy Matters Ohio, a Cleveland-based nonprofit research group, said the shutdown has affected everything from tourism to the state’s safety net.
“What started as a catastrophe for federal workers and their families has spread to start to impact communities, and it’s creeping into the labor market as people lose their services,” said Wendy Patton, who wrote the report. “It’s a spiraling effect, and the longer it lasts, the worse it hits people.”
Her report found effects as disparate as delayed infrastructure projects in northeastern Ohio to a growing backlog of Federal Housing Administration loans. The state has more than 75,800 federal employees, but about 43 percent are employed by the military, where most furloughs have already been reversed....
Ohio voters need to remember this disaster cooked up by the Republicans!
* * * * *
> In case you need a reminder, here is a list of Ohio Republicans that voted to defund the Affordable Care law (aka Obamacare)- Dispatch:
House conservatives today formally launched the opening salvo in what promises to become a to-the-wire brawl over the President’s signature health care law and the budget — one that could result in the government partially shutting down for the first time since 1996.
By a vote of 230-189, the House passed a spending bill that will continue to keep the government open. The catch? It would also strip money from President Barack Obama’s health care law.
Reps. Pat Tiberi, R-Genoa Township, Mike Turner, R-Dayton, Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, Bob Gibbs, R-Lakeville, Bill Johnson, R-Marietta and Steve Stivers, R-Upper Arlington, all supported the bill that passed yesterday....
Even if these Republicans claim that they didn't support closing the government, their vote pushed the country in that direction.
- - - - - -
* Americans have become disgusted at the antics of the Republicans in the House of Representatives in the shutdown of the government. Speaker of the House John Boehner is viewed by many as weak and ineffective, especially in his inability to push back the radicals in his party. There are people that are advising Boehner. In a post at YahooNews, the National Journal lists those that are part of Boehner's closest confidants:
...Reps. Tom Latham of Iowa, Pat Tiberi of Ohio, and Mike Simpson of Idaho—House veterans, but not household names—are on the list. Notably absent are Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of California, both of whom are allies but also represent rival power centers in the famously fractious chamber....
...there remains no official membership list. And if there was one, says LaTourette, there would be layers to it.
For
instance, he named Tiberi, Simpson, Latham, and Sens. Saxby Chambliss
of Georgia and Richard Burr of North Carolina, both former
representatives. Boehner also counts on Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon, his
appointed National Republican Campaign Committee chairman, and Rep. Pete
Sessions, R-Texas, the previous NRCC chairman and now Rules Committee
chairman, to advise him about the political scene. And there is
Boehner’s “Ohio Mafia,” including Reps. Steve Stivers and Bob Latta.
Steve Stivers? Pat Tiberi? Bob Latta? Do you know what is missing? There is not one elected female member of the House in Boehner's inner circle, and not one member of a minority.
You might notice that Boehner tries to include Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers in every news conference or photo op, but clearly she is not part of the group advising Boehner--- she is just there for the picture.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Worse Than You Knew
The polls are showing what the American people think (h/t DailyKos).
WashingtonPost:
....A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds nearly three quarters of Americans disapprove of the way Republicans in Congress are handling negotiations over the budget (74 percent), up from 63 percent since the start of the shutdown after hitting 70 percent last week. Disapproval of congressional Democrats has also risen by a smaller amount — 56 to 61 percent — since the shutdown began, owing in large part to greater approval among fellow Democrats....
As long as Republicans continue to follow their tea party members like Ted Cruz, Michelle Bachmann, and Louis Gohmert, they will continue to lose the respect of the American people.
----------
>>> By the way, there is even more secretive, backroom, manipulation going on with the Republicans.
TheNewCivilRightsMovement:
....Last week, the New York Times exposed some of the culprits — creators of the GOP-led government shutdown — who have been working on forcing a shutdown for months. They include former President Ronald Reagan’s scandal-plagued, anti-pornography crusading attorney general, and former Senator Jim DeMint’s Heritage Foundation’s Heritage Action lobbyists.....
....Now we learn, thanks to progressive Democratic Congressman Chris Van Hollen’s work, that the GOP-majority of the House Rules Committee actually changed the rules, just hours before the GOP-led government shutdown, to prevent anyone except the House Majority Leader — Eric Cantor of Virginia — from introducing legislation that will end the shutdown.
“Though at least 28 House Republicans have publicly said they would support a clean CR [continuing resolution] if it were brought to the floor — enough votes for the government to reopen when combined with Democratic support — a House rule passed just before the shutdown essentially prevents that vote from taking place,” the Huffington Post reports....
You have to wonder if the Republicans thought that no one would notice this super secret attempt to control what legislation makes it to the floor of the House. The fact that people outside of the government are attempting to take control of everything is very disturbing.
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
They Were Warned
While some Republicans spoke openly about shutting down the government months ago, there were people that warned them that their actions would have consequences. Unfortunately, the Republicans did not listen.
TheAtlantic:
Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale warned in late September that military death-benefit payments would be delayed for families of troops who were killed during a government shutdown, but it took until the second week of the crisis for members of Congress to propose doing anything about it.
"We would also be required to do some ... bad things to our people," Hale warned during a briefing on September 27, detailing the negative effects of a shutdown on the military. "We couldn't immediately pay death gratuities to those who die on active duty during the lapse."
Hale said the situation "is ghoulish, but it's the law, not policy. Remember that."
The Republicans must be made to realize that their shutdown of the government caused this denial of benefits to the families of our fallen heroes. The Republicans did it.
The Republicans did not listen or remember.
What else did the Republicans do?
1. Our men and women in the military were not paid until legislation was passed because the Republicans thought the country needed less government.
2. The WIC program is not providing food, formula, and milk to poor women, infants, and children. The lack of food and proper nourishment for pregnant women, babies, and young children can be catastrophic.
3. The federal museums and national parks are closed, but then again, the Republicans stopped the funding.
4. Federal workers were furloughed and have not been promised back pay. It has been held up by Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
5. The IRS is closed, but taxes are due for some. The help desk is closed because workers were told to stay home since they are not being paid.
Etc., etc., etc...........
IF the Republicans go ahead and refuse to raise the debt limit, the result would be horrible. Payment for Social Security, Medicare, Social Security Disability, etc. would not be funded. If your Republican elected member of the House or the Senate has not heard from you yet, email/call them. Our government needs to operate and fund our programs. Our workers want to get back to work because they have families, rent due, and house payments too (even though Rep. Lee Terry thinks he is the only one that needs his pay).
Tuesday, October 08, 2013
We learned today....
President Obama held a lengthy news conference today.
CBS News:
President Obama on Tuesday said he's willing to sit down and talk with Republicans over anything they wish to negotiate after they re-open the government and drop the threat of letting the nation default on its loans, if only for a few weeks....
Will John Boehner and the tea party Republican radicals actually move toward helping the country get back to work? The fallout from the Republican shutdown has been enormous with death benefits being denied to the families of veterans, the closing of Head Start programs, federal museums closed, 800,000 furloughed federal workers, etc., etc. The Republicans have the full blame for this catastrophe. Now we know that the entire shutdown was planned by Republicans and their conservative backers.
NonProfitQuarterly:
If Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Mike McIntire are correct in their reporting for the New York Times,
the government shutdown wasn’t simply an action of recent vintage, but a
long-term plan generated by conservative activists, led by former
Attorney General Edwin Meese III, to destroy the Affordable Care Act at
any cost, even at the cost of virtually all the other functions of the
federal government. Meese’s co-conspirators in this high stakes game
included David Koch, the money behind Americans for Prosperity, and
Michael Needham of the Heritage Foundation’s recently-high-profile
political arm, Heritage Action for America.
The Meese plan, kept secret but signed
off on apparently by the “leaders of more than three dozen conservative
groups,” was meant to be a “blueprint to defunding Obamacare.” According
to Stolberg and McIntire, “It articulated a take-no-prisoners
legislative strategy that had long percolated in conservative circles:
that Republicans could derail the health care overhaul if conservative
lawmakers were willing to push fellow Republicans—including their
cautious leaders—into cutting off financing for the entire federal
government.”
In other words, the current government
shutdown wasn’t the result of an impasse between House Speaker John
Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and President Obama, but the
product of a long-term plan by Meese, Koch, and others to kill the
Affordable Care Act no matter what the cost, even if it meant shutting
down parts of the federal government, furloughing hundreds of thousands
of workers, and cutting social safety net services. The strategy of
these conservative leaders included sample Q&As
(Q: “What happens when you shut down the government and you are blamed
for it?” A: “We are simply calling to fund the entire government except
for the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare”), talking points for shutdown
advocates (such as Boehner’s “Obamacare is a train wreck” meme), and
action scripts (for example, the burning of fake “Obamacare cards,”
etc.)......
This was a planned sabotage of the country. Could it be called treason? How could anyone vote for a party that planned to destroy the country and people's lives? This is shameful.
Monday, October 07, 2013
Ridiculousness
The Republican shutdown of the government continues. Now Republicans are making even more demands.
DemocracyNow:
In addition to undoing "Obamacare," House Speaker John Boehner and the Republicans are also seeking cuts to programs include Medicare and Social Security in the upcoming debate over raising the debt ceiling. The United States faces an October 17 deadline to raise the debt limit or fail to pay off its debts. On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said the shutdown is already causing major damage to the economy...
Not only are the Republicans holding the entire country hostage, they are now asking for more for their ransom. AthensNews has some info:
...A powerful bloc of Tea Party-sympathetic Republicans in Congress (including the two specimens who represent Athens County – Steve Stivers and Bill Johnson) have refused to support a continuing budget resolution, something that's usually a routine vote. They won't support any bill that funds the Affordable Care Act, and are demanding that essential components of health-care reform be delayed, in return for their support of the budget resolution.
They're doing this to cripple both the Affordable Care Act and the president whose name has been appropriated for its informal monicker, Obamacare....
The Republicans are acting like absolutely hysterical children. President Obama won two elections based on his plan and then the passage of health care. The American people wanted it. No matter how loud the Republicans yell, they cannot change the election. Judging from the overwhelming response to the new health care enrollment, it appears that the popularity of the plan is far more than anyone expected.
A new poll by PPP for MoveOn provides some insight on how the Republicans are being hurt by their refusal to fund the government:
Twenty-four new surveys in GOP-held House districts, commissioned by MoveOn.org and conducted in the wake of the government shutdown, make clear that Republicans could easily lose control of the House if the next election were held today. The surveys challenge conventional wisdom that gerrymandering has put the House out of reach for Democrats and indicate the shutdown has significant electoral implications.
The list of potential problems for the GOP can be found here. The list includes two Ohio Republicans---Johnson and Joyce.
Thursday, October 03, 2013
Revealed
The Republican strategy was revealed during an open live mic conversation between Republicans Sen. Mitch McConnell and Sen. Rand Paul (h/t talkingpointsmemo).
WPSD:
...Senator Paul began, "Do you have a second?"
"I'm all wired up here, um," Senator McConnell replied.
"I just did CNN and I just go over and over again 'We're willing to compromise. 'We're willing to negotiate.' I think... I don't think they poll tested we won't negotiate. I think it's awful for them to say that over and over again," Paul said.
"Yeah, I do too and I, and I just came back from that two hour meeting with them and that, and that was basically the same view privately as it was publically," McConnell agreed.
Paul added, "I think if we keep saying 'We wanted to defund it. We fought for that and that we're willing to compromise on this', I think they can't, we're gonna, I think... well I know we don't want to be here, but we're gonna win this I think."
The Republicans don't care about furloughs, kids with cancer being left without living-saving medicine, children without HeadStart programs, funding for food for the poor, but they do care about their right wing message. Republicans have put their party first and the American people second.
This entire shutdown was orchestrated by the tea party Republicans and their puppetmasters---- the Koch Brothers, FreedomWorks, and the rest of the far right mindless jerks.
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
It Begins
Health Care sign up begins! If you are in need of health insurance, be certain to check the www.healthcare.gov website or telephone (800) 318-2596. According to numerous news reports, the website has been deluged with applicants, and at times has crashed.
**** Ohio is still losing jobs and another company is closing in Ohio--JC's 5 Star Outlet. The ODJFS warn page shows 237 people will lose their jobs. John Kasich's JobsOhio appears to be a complete failure.
>> The Republican government shutdown included several elected GOPers from Ohio. The NewYorker has a map showing the districts of those Republicans that pushed John Boehner into this awful shutdown. Here is the map from the NewYorker:
While members of the military, and federal government workers will not be paid during this time, the program that is called WIC (Women Infants & Children) and Meals on Wheels will also not be funded. To the Republicans, this is all a joke. Real people are hurting but the Republicans don't care---they will still get their paychecks.
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