Ponder This

The Army Times is reporting that a majority (63.9%) in a recent poll think that it is time for Sec. of Defense to resign. Those numbers are very surprising.

*The Republicans can talk about helping consumers with gas prices, but their ties to big oil prevent them from doing anything about it. According to a recent article, the GOP is blocking increased taxes on oil profits. Republicans have become addicted to the money from big oil. Republicans don't want to give up those big, big, big checks from oil/energy lobbyists. In the process, consumers are stuck with the high gas prices. The Republicans are in charge and they control the White House and both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Bush's initiatives are not going to help at all. If the GOP really wanted to get something done, it would have already happened.

*Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt, who called Retired Marine and U.S. Congress Member John Murtha a traitor, is up to her old tricks again. The Enquirer has the story here.

***I don't know if you are aware that many candidates have PAC's. Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce has her PAC: Promoting Republicans You Can Elect, also known as the Pryce Project. The Pryce Project has been very busy taking in money and handing it out. (info from www.opensecrets.org)

Here are some numbers on the Pryce PAC for 2006 - Receipts $850,644
In the list of expenditures for the Pryce PAC, $2329 was spent on a fundraiser at Jack Abramoff's Signatures Restaurant on 5/24/05
In looking over the 2006 expenditures for the PAC, I can conclude that Pryce loves to hold her PAC fundraisers in DC, Hawaii, and Colorado. While she is having a good old time raising money on the slopes and in the sun, the people in her home district are waiting for her to deliver good paying jobs

In 2004, the PRYCE PAC, had receipts of $1,044,821, with expenditures of $884,901. On this report, Pryce spent even more money at Abramoff's Signatures Restaurant:

Signatures Restaurant, Washington, DC	$2,366	6/9/2004	food and beverage
Signatures Restaurant, Washington, DC	$1,811	6/9/2004	food and beverage
Signatures Restaurant, Washington, DC	$1,355	4/29/2004	food and beverage
Signatures Restaurant, Washington, DC	$799	10/30/2003	food and beverage
Signatures Restaurant, Washington, DC	$772	6/2/2004	food and beverage
Signatures Restaurant, Washington, DC	$376	7/28/2004	food and beverage

Pryce is a hypocrite. She said she didn't like Abramoff, but then she patronized his restaurant???? I don't support the business and labor practices of Wal-Mart, and, therefore, I don't shop at Wal-Mart. Pryce, on the other hand, supported Abramoff by spending money there.

Great Poll Numbers for Ted Strickland

Just in....
Rasmussen Reports the following:
...Strickland leads Republican frontrunner Ken Blackwell, 52% to 35%. In March he led Secretary of State Blackwell 50% to 40%. Strickland now leads Republican Attorney General Jim Petro 51% to 31%. Last month his lead was 47% to 34%....

and...

..Strickland is viewed favorably by 54% of the electorate and unfavorably by 26%. Blackwell is viewed favorably by 40%, unfavorably by 46%. Petro is viewed favorably by 38%, unfavorably by 44%....

I think that people in Ohio see Blackwell and Petro as being the same----corrupt, controlled by the religious right, and more of the same no jobs, no development that we've had under Taft. It is time for a change because the Republicans have done NOTHING FOR OHIOANS except tarnish our state's image and profit from their own greed.

Great new website has information on Rep. Bob Ney (OH-18). Check it out here.

Finally, if you need a laugh after spending $60 to fill up your gas tank, click here.

Kilroy Makes Pledge

The Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress for Ohio's 15th district, Mary Jo Kilroy, has made a pledge, if elected, to refuse congressional pay raises until the federal budget is balanced. Kilroy has been critical of Republican Rep. Pryce, who has voted in favor of her own pay raises since 2000. The Columbus Dispatch has an article about Kilroy's pledge.

Did you happen to catch a remark made by Pryce's campaign manager, Jeff LaRue? Recently, Move On, an organization made up of over 3.3 million voters, started some ads against Deborah Pryce concerning her connections to energy companies. According to an ABC News story, LaRue called MoveOn.org, "Satan." Satan? Isn't that a little overboard? These Republicans are always getting their panties in a "frist" when they get caught lying. Found at Americablog: The Oil and Gas Industries gave 75% of their contributions to REPUBLICANS from 1990 to 2006 (see Open Secrets for details). No wonder our gas prices are through the roof! Pryce and her party have been giving these energy companies a free pass while the public pays, and pays, and pays.

Ohio's unemployment rate for March 2006 is 5.0. Here are some excerpts from the news release: Seven counties had unemployment rates at or above 8.0 percent during March. The counties with the highest rates, other than Monroe, were: Pike, 9.3; Morgan, 8.8; Meigs, 8.7; Adams, 8.4; Vinton, 8.2; and Huron, 8.0 percent...

News from Central Ohio

The Ohio State University football Buckeyes play their spring game this afternoon at Ohio Stadium.

Republican Rep. Bob Ney might be in financial trouble. Hotline On Call: -- Rep. Bob Ney's (R-OH 18) bank account has dried up; he raised the second-least amount of money ($142K) among incumbents in our top 50 races...

-- Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH 15) isn't taking county cmsr Mary Jo Kilroy's (D) challenge lightly. She raised $742K, second-most among all incumbents (And $435K is from PACs, most among all candidates.)

Obviously, the reputations of Ohio Republicans and their problems have become national news. The San Luis Obispo Tribune is reporting an AP story that starts with the sentence: Republicans are in trouble in Ohio, where President Bush's ratings are low and support for scandal-scarred Gov. Bob Taft even lower.....

The most telling quote comes from Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) who will be in a tough fight with very popular Democrat, Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy. Pryce said the following:
"In Ohio, the recovery hasn't been as swift as other places.."

Really?

****We need to ask some questions about Pryce's quote.

1. Why hasn't Ohio recovered economically?
2. Why has Pryce failed to bring jobs to Ohio and her very own district?
3. Why is Pryce getting most of her campaign contributions from PACs and lobbyists?
4. Why is Kilroy getting more of her contributions from regular citizens in the 15th district?
5. Why did Pryce and other Republicans vote against Veterans' benefits?
6. Why did Pryce have so many fundraisers at Abramoff's Signatures restaurant? ($13,000)
7. Why is Pryce more interested in the needs of lobbyists than the needs of the citizens in her district?
8. Why did Pryce vote against port security?
9. Why did Pryce follow Tom DeLay's orders blindly instead of voting in support of the people in her district?
10. Why won't Pryce push for businesses, like Wal-Mart, to provide health coverage for their employees when so many of the employees receive health care provided by the state (Medicaid)? DISPATCH

I am just asking.

Rolling in the Dough

It looks like Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) is rolling in the dough. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer: (excerpt)

House Republican Conference Chair Deborah Pryce of Columbus is flush with more than $1.5 million in cash for her November battle against Democratic Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy.

You may wonder, how is a Republican congress member able to raise so much money.

First, by the special design of the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives and the Senate, most work (committees, meetings, etc.) is scheduled Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. This allows the Republicans to go on junkets with their lobbyist friends/PACs, and raise campaign money Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Pretty cool, huh? The Republicans have created a three day work week, and on special occasions, they'll schedule a Friday or Monday work session. This is one of the reasons this Republican controlled legislative branch is getting NOTHING accomplished.

Secondly, by looking at the comparisons of the origin of the campaign money, we can learn a lot. Open Secrets shows the comparison of where candidates are getting their money. Here is the breakdown from Open Secrets on the race for Ohio's 15th congressional district:

Deborah Pryce (R)
63% from PACs
36% from individuals

Mary Jo Kilroy (D)
18% from PACs
82% from individuals

What does this tell us? Mary Jo Kilroy is getting more contributions from citizens, while Pryce is getting more from lobbyists/PACs. Therefore, one can safely assume that if Kilroy is elected, she will be beholden to citizens, and not the special interests that Pryce depends on so heavily.

KILROY IS ON EMILY'S LIST!

Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress (OH-15), Mary Jo Kilroy, has received the endorsement of Emily's List!!! Way to go, Mary Jo! LINK Here is part of what Martha McKenna, campaign services director of Emily's List, had to say about Kilroy: “She knows how to win tough elections, and the voters are open to change in this district.”

Ohio Needs Help!

>Ohio is getting a lot of attention from Democrats and especially Dr. Howard Dean. From CQ Politics, Dean talked about Ohio: ...where Republicans are on the defensive amid questions about the ethical behavior of Gov. Bob Taft, Rep. Bob Ney and other members of the state GOP. Dean noted that Rep. Ted Strickland, the party’s pick for the open governor’s seat, and Rep. Sherrod Brown, who is challenging Republican Sen. Mike DeWine, face no serious opposition in the May 2 Democratic primary. Dean touted Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy, who is challenging Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce in the Columbus-area 15th District.

>It appears that there are two Mike DeWines, Republican U.S. Senator. One DeWine tries to stay away from Bush while the other DeWine takes National Republican money and raises money for Rick Santorum and Bob "sushi-holic" Ney. Will the real DeWine please step forward???

>The Republican scandals and massive job losses have many people from Ohio leaving the state for those areas of the country where there are jobs.

More illegal contributions to Republicans?

I know it is hard to believe, but some Ohio Republicans have received more illegal campaign contributions. The Cleveland Plain Dealer has the story. Here are some excerpts:

The home- loan giant Freddie Mac has agreed to pay a record $3.8 million fine to settle allegations it made illegal campaign contributions.

The fine announced Tuesday is by far the biggest ever levied by the Federal Election Commission...

...Freddie Mac had held more than 40 fund- raisers for House Financial Services Committee Chairman Michael Oxley, Republican of Findlay.

Other Ohio congressmen who benefited from the fund-raisers included Republicans Bob Ney of Licking County, Patrick Tiberi of Delaware County, Deborah Pryce of Columbus, Paul Gillmor of Old Fort, David Hobson of Springfield and House Majority Leader John Boehner of West Chester....

Will these people ever learn? You'd think that someone on their campaign staffs would notice these illegal contribution and return them. However, it appears the campaigns take the illegal contributions and hope they don't get caught. Shame. Shame.

Did you know...

Did you know...

Republicans in Ohio did not overhaul the school funding for the state, despite rulings by the Ohio Supreme Court. LINK

The Toledo Blade was nominated in the area of public service because of their investigative reporting on Ohio's coingate scandal and Tom Noe. LINK

Republican Rep. Bob Ney's association with indicted lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, is causing lots of confusion and questions for the citizens in Ney's 18th congressional district. Will Ney be indicted? LINK

The Republican control of the legislative branch has created a real mess. LINK

The U.S. death toll in Iraq is 2376. LINK

From Connecticut Blog: Senator Lieberman puts reporter to sleep. LINK

Senator Rick Santorum (PA-R) had his name mentioned on HBO's Sopranos. Tony Soprano referred to him as Senator Sanitarium. Meanwhile, Santorum is doing poorly in the polls. LINK

Dependable Renegade found an interesting picture of President Bush and Secretary of the Treasury Snow. What do you think their body language says about their relationship?

Zap's Smart Car has gotten lots of attention at the New York Auto Show.

Questions

Why doesn't Republican Rep. Paul Gillmor (OH-5th) tell the truth about Ohio's economy? Gillmor, who once lived in Old Fort, Ohio, but now lives in Dublin, Ohio, spoke recently at a Rotary meeting. (By the way, if Gillmor lives in Dublin, how can he use his son's address as his home address on his driver's license? Just asking.) According to the Delphos Herald, Gillmor said, “I would like to see President Bush’s 2003 Tax Relief package made permanent. Since the package was put in place, the economy has improved with five million new jobs..." Five million new jobs? Really? Gillmor must not have seen the report by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation that said that Ohio's economy is one of the worst in the country. Gillmor and the other Ohio Republicans have done nothing to increase jobs in Ohio. It is really pathetic that Gillmor and the rest of the Republicans continue to lie about Ohio's economy.

and....

Why would the Knox County Commissioners keep pushing for a bike path at the intersection of the 3rd most dangerous intersection in the state of Ohio? Why won't the commissioners listen to ODOT? Aren't they interested in the public's safety? Link

The good people of Knox County should call their county commissioners and ask them why they keep wasting government time and money on a project that would be dangerous to the health and well-being of its citizens. Let Tom McLarnan, Allen Stockberger, and Bob Wise know that they should stop endangering the lives of Knox County citizens while they promote a project that was deemed unsafe by the Ohio Department of Transportation.

and...
Did you get your invitation to the annual Ohio Republican Party golf outing? No? Can't afford to golf because the Ohio Republicans have lost jobs for Ohio? You might want to visit the golf outing with your signs and t-shirts and let them know that while they are playing golf with lobbyists and big contributors, you are feeling the results of their failures and corruption. Link

John Boehner--Never far from a golf course

Republican Rep. John Boehner, the perpetually tanned Ohio congressman, visited Hilton Head Island for a fundraiser. I wonder if a tobacco company flew Boehner down to Hilton Head on their private jet.

Apparently, someone has registered the domain name McCain-Pawlenty for use in the future. The story is here.

Ohio Politics

State Rep. Blasdel, a Republican, paid some back taxes. Here is an excerpt from the Akron Beacon Journal:

...State Rep. Chuck Blasdel, who is a financial adviser, said he paid $3,566 to release outstanding liens against two of his former businesses. He also said he plans to pay another $5,927 in franchise taxes and fees for one of the businesses, Executive Cigar in East Liverpool, a tobacco retail store he owned with three partners from 1997 to 1999.

The attorney general's office confirmed it released the 13 liens and received payment, but said Ohio law prohibits it from confirming the amount paid...

"It's very clear he needs to pay this money quickly. He owes about $50,000 to the state," Petro told the Vindicator editorial board earlier this week...

Possible Voting Problems Again????
According to the Post, the federal gov't has warned Ohio about its failure to comply with the Help America Vote Act. Hmmmm. I wonder who is in charge of counting the votes?!?! Oh, yes, Kenneth Blackwell! Will we continue to have voting irregularities in Ohio?

Ohio Republicans are STILL having problems with their association with Tom "Coingate" Noe. The Toledo Blade has the story.

Conservative Republican and anti-choice Senator John McCain says that Republicans are spending money like drunken sailors! Ha! The story can be found here.

Ohio's Economy: One of the Worst!

You've heard Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) and the rest of the Republicans say that the Ohio economy is good. Well, Pryce and the rest of the GOP are just talking baloney! The Toledo Blade has information from a study conducted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC). Here are some of the highlights from the article and the study:

>Ohio's economy was one of the worst in the country in 2005's fourth quarter...

>Ohio's economy remains weak, with slow or uneven job growth spreading across both industrial sectors and geographic areas...

>Ohio's payrolls increased just 0.5 percent in the fourth quarter...

>Ohio's personal bankruptcy rate of 16.3 per 1,000 residents was significantly above the nation's rate of 8.8 ...

For the rest of the bad news, read the Toledo Blade article. If our current elected representatives are not helping us, it is time to vote them out of office.

Others Taking Notice of OH-15

Democrats have some strong candidates in races for the U.S. House of Representatives. The Christian Science Monitor has Stuart Rothenberg giving his assessment of various races, including OH-15:

..Rep. Deborah Pryce of Ohio faces Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D), the first time the Democrats have put Representative Pryce "in the cross hairs" since her election in 1992, says Rothenberg.

Even More Problems

The Huffington Post has a Washington Post story that shows that the Bush administration did lie us into war:

On May 29, 2003, 50 days after the fall of Baghdad, President Bush proclaimed a fresh victory for his administration in Iraq: Two small trailers captured by U.S. and Kurdish troops had turned out to be long-sought mobile "biological laboratories." He declared, "We have found the weapons of mass destruction."
...A secret fact-finding mission to Iraq -- not made public until now -- had already concluded that the trailers had nothing to do with biological weapons. Leaders of the Pentagon-sponsored mission transmitted their unanimous findings to Washington in a field report on May 27, 2003, two days before the president's statement....

Ohio Gov. Bob Taft could lose his law license, according to the Toledo Blade.

Doug Moorman has a new position. Moorman, a former aide to Gov. Bob Taft, paid a fine for an ethics violation. Now Moorman, according to the Charlotte Business Courier will become vice president of economic development on an interim basis, the chamber said Monday.

Taegan Goddard is reporting on another poll that has depressing numbers for Republicans: The approval rating for congressional Republicans is now just 38%.

Vice President Dick Cheney was booed at the Nationals opening day ceremony.

More Republican Crap

According to the Toledo Blade, Republican Senator John McCain will be in Cleveland to show his support for Republican candidate for governor, Kenneth Blackwell. McCain, who recently met with religious extremist Rev. Jerry Falwell, is trying to gain support from the religious right.

Ohio's current governor, Bob Taft, could use his law license, according to WCPO.

Also, the Toledo Blade is reporting the Republicans plan to attack Democrats over taxes. The Republicans have controlled Ohio politics for over ten years and the Ohio Republicans have given us CORRUPTION, NO SOLUTIONS FOR SCHOOL FUNDING, CORRUPTION, SCANDALS, CRONYISM, TOM NOE'S COINGATE, CORRUPTION, ATTACKS ON GAYS, CORRUPTION, LOSS OF JOBS AND INDUSTRIES, CORRUPTION, LOSS OF FUNDING FOR CHILDREN AND SENIORS, CORRUPTION, LOSS OF FUNDING FOR LIBRARIES, AND MORE CORRUPTION. How do the Republicans have the right to lecture Democrats on anything?????

Get It Straight

No matter what is said, just remember this----
DEBORAH PRYCE VOTED AGAINST INCREASED PORT SECURITY http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll056.xml .

According to the Republicans, we are now in a thriving economy! All you people in Ohio's 15th congressional district, if you believe that what you see here in central Ohio is a thriving economy, I'd like to sell you some swamp land.

If you are a senior citizen or a caretaker of a senior citizen, and need help with signing up for the medicare prescription drug plan, call Rep. Deborah Pryce's office for help at (614) 469-5614 or (202) 225-2015. If you have complaints about the medicare prescription drug plan or questions about the "donut hole" call (614) 469-5614 or (202) 225-2015 and I'm sure that Rep. Pryce and her staff would love to help you since they claim the results are "astronomical." More info on Pryce here.

Raw Story is reporting on an article by Seymour Hersh that will appear in the New Yorker: The U.S. Considers Nuking Iran. Read the article here.

Show Us The Numbers

Democrats and Republicans have different view about how the Medicare Drug Benefit program is going. The only people to ask would be those who have signed up for the plans. Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce has weighed in on how she thinks things are going. According to Kaiser Network: House Republican Conference Chair Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio), said, "The rates of success are astronomical."

Astronomical? Really? I'd like to see the numbers. We'd all like to see the numbers. I think that Pryce's use of the word 'astronomical' makes her look desperate because she has no real proof.

Check the AARP message board. People are unhappy and confused and that only includes those who were able to get to a computer. Seniors are just finding out about the "donut hole" and what that will mean to their coverage.

What about this---- NY Consumer Group Challenges Medicare Enrollment Numbers

...a seniors' group in Philadelphia has filed a class action lawsuit challenging the procedure by which Pennsylvania residents eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid were enrolled in Medicare HMOs.

As many as 19 million people around the country have yet to sign up for the drug benefit available through private drug plans, and at least 7.5 million of these older and disabled Americans have no drug coverage at all, the Medicare Rights Center said....

________
The Truth About New Jobs

The Bush Administration is saying that there are new jobs. I don't believe it. Where are these jobs? Wal-Mart? K-Mart? Flipping burgers? The next time you go to K-Mart, you might be surprised to find out that your cashier probably has a college degree. Why would a person with a college degree work at K-Mart or some other minimum wage job? Because they need to eat and there are no other jobs.

Here We Go Again

>>>>THIS JUST IN! Stubborn Liberal has the latest Bush approval poll numbers and they are very, very low.

**Recently, we learned that Republican candidate for governor, Kenneth Blackwell, who headed the Bush/Cheney campaign committee for Ohio, also owned stock in the Diebold vote counting machine company. Now, the Columbus Dispatch is revealing that Blackwell, although against gambling, owns stock in the slot machine company that could benefit if gambling at horse racing facilities is approved. Will Blackwell claim that he didn't know he didn't own this stock, like he did with Diebold? We will follow the story.

**Here is an interesting fact quoted in the Dayton Daily News: Since Taft took office in January 1999 through this March, Ohio has lost 83,900 jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During the same period, the state dropped 208,300 jobs in the manufacturing sector...

Wow! Taft and the Republicans have done a pretty bad job of keeping Ohioans unemployed and underemployed. Who was our member of the U.S. House of Representatives during this same time? Who keeps telling everyone that the Republican-controlled federal legislative and executive branches have done good things for Ohio? Who? Who? Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce has tried to tell us that things are good here in Ohio. We know better. Don't believe the Republican spin machine.

**This just in.... The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is reporting that 22 Chinese stowaways were found in a cargo container in the Port of Seattle. How were they discovered and captured? Two unarmed port guards and two mechanics helped round up the men and women who were attempting to come in the country illegally. Incredible. I guess we can thank Rep. Deborah Pryce, and Rep. Tiberi, for voting against increased port security. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll056.xml

The Party is Over

The New York Times had an article yesterday that described how the Republican Party is divided now without the iron-fisted rule of disgraced Republican Rep. Tom DeLay. This is entirely possible. For a long time, DeLay and his lobbyist friends kept everyone happy and healthy. Republicans were receiving trips, sushi (like Bob Ney), gifts, free meals, and other favors with DeLay's assistance. Now the illegal fun stuff has all but disappeared and the party-master will return to private life and possible jail time. No, the Republicans are not divided . They are depressed because---The party is over and the in-fighting will begin!

Speaking of Tom DeLay.... Harry Shearer found chit chat between Tom DeLay and Chris Matthews before they went on the air. First, you must read Harry Shearer's post here. Secondly, I want to highlight what Tom DeLay said in that conversation about Senator Hillary Clinton:

DELAY: Nothing worse than a woman know-it-all

Would DeLay rather return to the days of women as second class citizens? Do other Republicans dislike outspoken and educated women? How does Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce feel now that she knows that the man she adored and followed blindly feels that there is nothing worse than a woman know it all?

Not Very Encouraging

According to the Columbus Dispatch, Ohio's economy is not doing well. Although it would not take a genius to figure it out (plant closings, bankruptcies above national average, no new jobs), some politicians may tell us that things are great here. Here is a quote from that Dispatch article: In fact, the state lost 9,200 jobs in January and February.

Things are definitely not very encouraging.

Just the Facts

This particular bit of information is old news, from October 21, 2005, but I think it is worth looking at again:

Congresswoman Deborah Pryce Has Given $1,000 to the Tom DeLay Legal Defense Fund

• $10,000 Bail amount paid by indicted Congressman Tom DeLay in Texas.
• $1,000 Money from Congresswoman Pryce to the DeLay legal defense fund.

And....
If you look at this summary on Labor, Pryce is rated poorly by labor groups.
Her ratings in supporting Education issues are below average.
Since Bush's war in Iraq started (2003), her support of Veterans' issues could be called extremely poor.
Pryce has not done much to support our Civil Liberties.
She supports Business interests over Consumer interests a majority of the time.

***The Plain Dealer has news about Ohio's favorite sushi fan, Republican Rep. Bob Ney (OH-18). Ney says he will not resign like Tom DeLay. Here is an excerpt:
"While I respect Tom DeLay's decision, I am not Tom DeLay," Ney said in a press statement. "I have absolutely no intention of retiring. My constituents will make that decision in the next election and I am grateful for the very strong support I receive when I travel around the district."

Depressing Numbers for Ohio Republicans :)

Found at Democratic Underground:
Zogby is reporting big problems for Ohio Republicans. Here is an excerpt from the article:

With Ohio Gov. Bob Taft’s job approval numbers continuing as the worst in the nation, and with just over one in four (28%) giving incumbent Republican Sen. Mike DeWine good marks for his work in Washington, one of the nation’s premiere swing states appears ready for a Democratic take-over, a new Wall Street Journal/Zogby Interactive poll shows.

Just 6% give Taft good marks for the job he is doing leading the state, the survey shows. In the Senate race, a head-to-head match-up against Democrat Sherrod Brown, the congressman from northeast Ohio who is giving up his seat to challenge Senator DeWine this year, Brown leads DeWine by a 46% to 37% margin.

Brown’s margin over DeWine closely mirrors the sentiments of voters statewide, who said that, by a 43% to 35% margin, Democratic Party leaders more reflect their values than Republican Party leaders. Asked whether Democratic or Republican members of the Ohio congressional delegation more shared their values, respondents favored Democrats by a 42% to 37% margin...

Of course, Democrats share the values of Ohio's citizens. Democrats continue to promote laws that help workers, families of all kinds, the elderly, the poor, the working poor, the disenfranchised, college students, and others. Republicans support businesses and corporations. All Ohioans are sick of the culture of corruption that surrounds the Republicans.

No Money for Franklin County

While we are paying more at the pump, Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) was receiving money from big oil/energy. Here is the information. Local affiliate, WCMH, refuses to air the ads, even though they ran the swift boat ads in the last general election. Contact them here.

Last week there was this big controversy over why central Ohio did not get re-imbursed by the federal government for the work done on the freeway shooter. Pryce said the application had be sent to the wrong address even though one of her staffers had seen it. Now, citizens will still not get money because, according to the Akron Beacon Journal, there is no money. Here is an excerpt from the article:

"We recognize that the prolonged and difficult investigation placed a financial strain" on the sheriff's office, Assistant Attorney General William Moschella told U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce in a letter dated Friday. "However, there are no new funds available for the department to reimburse" the county.

Well, thank you very much! Guess our money went to fix something in Texas or to pay some inflated contract to Halliburton.

Pryce Caught Red Handed-Energy

There is an excellent ad about Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15), but you'll never see it on Channel 4 in Columbus, Ohio. They've refused to carry it. However, I haven't!
View the ad here: https://political.moveon.org/donate/redhandedP-QT.html

Post the address for the Pryce ad on you website, especially if you live in Ohio.

Here are the facts about Deborah Pryce, as reported by Move On:
According to PoliticalMoneyLine.com:

Over the course of her congressional career, Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH) has accepted $157,020 in campaign contributions from “Energy & Natural Resources” PACs....

Votes on Energy & Oil-Related Measures:

• Rep. Pryce voted against a measure that would have provided the U.S. Department of Justice with the authority to prosecute oil companies engaged in gas price gouging and impose fines of up to $100 million on corporations, as well as up to $1 million in fines or 10 years in prison or both for individuals.

• Rep. Pryce voted against an amendment to the 2005 GOP’s oil refinery bill that, among its provisions, would have allowed the president to declare an energy emergency and prohibit gasoline price gouging in times of such emergencies. It would have allowed the Federal Trade Commission to enforce the ban on price gouging and set penalty fines of up to three times the profits gained through price gouging, or up to $3 million.

• Rep. Pryce voted against an amendment to the 2005 GOP’s oil refinery bill that would have provided for stricter penalties dealing with gasoline price gouging, outlaw market manipulation and empower state attorneys' general to enforce the law.

• Rep. Pryce voted for the 2005 GOP’s oil refinery bill that, among its provisions, would require the president to designate federal sites for new oil refineries and allow the federal government (and by extension, taxpayers) to pay new refineries for the costs of significant delays due to lawsuits and government regulations.

• “Opponents said the bill would stifle legitimate lawsuits against refinery projects and in some cases override state or local objections if a refinery were located on federal land. A community or citizens group would have to pay an oil company's legal costs whether they won or lost a lawsuit challenging a refinery under one provision in the bill. Limiting the number of gasoline blends refiners would have to produce to six could hinder the ability of states and cities to meet federal air quality requirements, according to state and county clean air officials, who lobbied against the legislation. Others opposed to the bill were the National League of Cities, nine state attorneys general, and various environmental organizations.”

Pryce Supports Lobbyists' Identity Theft Bill

When a person has their identity stolen, along with credit card numbers, bank accounts, and other closely guarded accounts, that person wants to know immediately when there has been an intrusion into their privacy. However, Republican Reps. Deborah Pryce and Steven LaTourette support a bill put together by lobbyists. This in itself should tell us that it is a bad bill. Pryce and LaTourette are clearly favoring the wishes of their lobbyist friends instead of their constituents. Here are some excerpts from an article at TMC:

...Reps. Steven C. LaTourette, of Madison, and Deborah Pryce, of Upper Arlington, say legislation they helped draft that recently was approved by the House Financial Services Committee would aid consumers when companies such as data-collection giant ChoicePoint or DSW Shoe Warehouse lose or have stolen information about thousands of customers.

They're backed by industry lobbyists, who say a uniform national standard is needed to guide how businesses must notify consumers when such data breaches occur, but not one that assumes every incident means all those affected will then fall victim to identity theft...

... But consumer advocates say they prefer a bill passed last week by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

That proposal puts the onus on companies to show why they shouldn't have to warn consumers about most data breaches, while the financial-services proposal gives businesses much more leeway to decide to withhold that information, advocates say....

..."I think it is important that we pass a federal law this year," Pryce said. "We need to look at both bills on notification. The notification trigger is lower (in the Energy and Commerce bill), but you also have to consider if you want people notified if they are not in particular risk."

Pryce clearly doesn't get it. Obviously, she has never had her identity stolen and she clearly has no compassion for someone who has. She supports a bill put together by lobbyists, which means she favors businesses over consumers. If a person has had the security of their accounts breached, he/she would want to be notified immediately. Call Deborah Pryce and Steven LaTourette and tell them they are wrong and they should support the House Energy and Commerce Committe identity theft bill.
------------

....AND.... According to U.S. Newswire: How Deborah Pryce favored oil companies over consumers---

The voting records of four Republican members of Congress in support of energy and big oil company profits come under fire this week when MoveOn.org Political Action unveils the first in a series of television ads that will run through June. MoveOn will spend about $1.3 million showing these Republicans caught "red handed."

MoveOn.org Political Action plans to hold a telepress conference on Monday, April 3 at 1 p.m. EST for national reporters to launch the ad campaign.

The inaugural ad campaign will target Representatives Chris Chocola (IN-2), Thelma Drake (VA-2), Nancy Johnson (CT-5) and Deborah Pryce (OH-15) for taking money from oil and energy companies and then supporting laws that give away billions to these companies while ordinary Americans pay more at the pump.

These Representatives voted in favor of the oil industry and against a measure that would have provided the U.S. Department of Justice authority to prosecute oil companies engaged in price gouging. The measure would have imposed fines of up to $100 million on those companies found guilty....

-----------------
Republican Rep. Bob Ney's campaign has clearly been hurt by his association with convicted lobbyist, Jack Abramoff. Ney (OH-18), who was known as a sushi-holic, is not even involved in a full-scale campaign for the primary. The Columbus Dispatch has the Ney story.

Shameful

Republican congressman calls Gold Star Mother, Cindy Sheehan a 'nutcase.' Raw Story has the scoop. Here is an excerpt:

.....In today's CongressDailyAM (full story after the jump due to subscription), Sue Davis reports that Congressman Kingston got into a "discussion" yesterday in a closed-door meeting with two liberal Democrats regarding anti-war beatnik, Cindy Sheehan.

A closed hearing of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee turned contentious Thursday as Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., Subcommittee ranking member Jack Murtha, D-Pa., and others sparred over the meaning of anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, heroes and military service.

According to one Democratic source present at the hearing, Kingston commented that Sheehan was "a nutcase" and lamented that too many of the human interest stories coming out of the war in Iraq center on anti-war activists like Sheehan and filmmaker Michael Moore and do not give proper service to heroic tales of U.S. soldiers....

Read the rest of the article. Raw Story has provided an e-mail address for Kingston: Kingston.Press.Office@mail.house.gov

Cautiously Optimistic

A story in The Other Paper, has the results of a recent poll on OH-15. According to the article, which quotes an article in Roll Call, a recent poll shows Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy within three points of Republican incumbent, Deborah Pryce. The Other Paper article is not available online. For those in Columbus Ohio, the article is on page 9 of the March 30th-April 5th edition of The Other Paper.

----------------
Meanwhile.....
From the Columbus Dispatch:

Aides to U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce have blamed an incorrectly addressed letter for delays in federal help to cover the costly response to central Ohio’s 2004 highway shootings.

But someone in her office knew Franklin County made a request as early as May 2004 for Justice Department grants to cover about $700,000 in sheriff’s department overtime, county e-mails show....

...County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy, who is challenging Pryce in the Nov. 7 election, said the seven-term Republican fumbled a chance to deliver for her district...

"It’s the taxpayers here who are paying for it," said Kilroy, a Democrat. "Franklin County taxpayers are picking up expenses that could have been reim- bursed and should have been reimbursed."

The arrest of Charles A. McCoy Jr. in March 2004 ended a string of shootings along central Ohio highways. McCoy is now serving 27 years in prison...

Why can't Pryce help her district? It appears that Pryce just can't deliver anything for her district: no reimbursement, no jobs, no new industries ---absolutely nothing.

FYI: I am NOT a paid blogger for anyone opposing Pryce. I pay for my own internet service. I am just an ordinary, life long Democrat who lives in OH-15.

...............................................................This just in.......

Found at MyDD
Matt Stoller has the following information:
According to Zogby, Sherrod Brown has taken the lead.

U.S. Senate - Ohio
Sherrod Brown 45.9% (41.3%)
Mike DeWine 37% (37%)

This contrasts with February's Rasmussen poll, where Dewine was up 46-37. It also doesn't square with Dewine's SUSA uptick over the past month

(We need to think positive about this, folks. Thanks, Matt.)

For the Record

According to an article this morning at Raw Story, Rep. Nancy Pelosi introduced a resolution for an investigation of Congress and its ties to Jack Abramoff. The Republicans voted to table the resolution. There will be NO investigation in the House on the Abramoff scandal thanks to Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce and a large majority of the Republicans. Here is the Washington Post link to the recorded vote (Thanks, Jim). The Republicans voted "YES" to table the resolution. Deborah Pryce can talk about reform, but she follows the orders of DeLay, Hastert, Boehner, Ney, and the rest of the Republican Do Nothings.

Pryce Blames Democrats for Her Party's Failures

The Hotline has some news about Ohio politics. The most important information was about Democratic candidate for OH-15, Mary Jo Kilroy. Here is an excerpt:
Franklin Co. Commis. Mary Jo Kilroy (D): "A rock-star," she's running against Rep. Deborah Pryce (R) in OH 15. After being "recruited heavily" by the DCCC, she's raising good money.

Way to go, Mary Jo!!!

From News Hounds, a quote from Pryce: Deborah Pryce (Clip): We know that they're the party that has decimated our intelligence and our military. They're the party that voted against the Patriot Act.

Now wait a minute!
DEBORAH PRYCE VOTED AGAINST INCREASED PORT SECURITY http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll056.xml .

How did Democrats decimate our intelligence and military? Wasn't it the current administration that fired some translators because they were gay? Isn't that why the government has stacks and stacks of materials that haven't been translated even though they're relevant to the 'global war on terror?' Except for Bosnia, the Clinton administration enjoyed peace. When Clinton was in the White House, it was unnecessary to build the military industrial complex with unbid contracts like those given to Halliburton and KBR during this administration.

9/11 happened during the BUSH ADMINISTRATION!!!!! Remember the PDB's that warned that Bin Laden was determined to attack the U.S.? Those PDB warnings were given to George W. Bush, but he remained on vacation. Don't blame the Democrats for the lack of progress made by President Bush and the Republican Congress. Republicans control what legislation makes it to the floor for votes. Republicans are more interested in hanging out/traveling/partying with lobbyists, having a registered lobbyist work in her office (like Pryce), and/or having former employees go to lobbying firms (Pryce). Republicans are not interested in getting Americans back to work or rebuilding the Gulf Coast.

Immigration and Talking Points

>Where does Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce stand on immigration reform? Pryce has been known to make strong statements and then follow the party line on legislation. The Washington Times has this quote from Pryce: "The American people see it as a clear imperative," said House Republican ConferenceChairman Deborah Pryce of Ohio. "They're demanding that action be taken, and I don't think we have any choice but to get a bill to the president's desk."

Okay. What does she mean? What will she do? Will she follow Hastert, DeLay, Boehner, and/or Tancredo? Will she ask her constituents? Does she realize that many immigrants are filling jobs here in central Ohio that citizens do not want to do (roofing, construction, landscaping, etc.)? Will she support humane and fair immigration policies or will she support the Tancredos of her party?


>Ken Mehlman recently received a memo from Republican pollster, Jan van Lohuizen. Here are some of the highlights (?) of the memo as reported by Hotline:
(I'm summarizing here)--Republican candidates should not distance themselves from the President. Republicans must run as a unified part to get voter turnout. and....quoting....The President is seen universally as the face of the Republican Party. We are now brand W. Republicans.

How many of these memo highlights will Pryce follow? Does she consider herself a 'brand W Republican'?

Falafel Boy Attacks Ohio Judge

Bill O'Reilly, pompous right-wing, sexual harasser, has been attacking an Ohio judge. O'Reilly, who wants us to forget that he wanted to use a falafel on an employee's body, is trying to oust an Ohio judge for a sentence given in Franklin County, Ohio. O'Reilly doesn't know what he is talking about with this case. The sentence was part of a plea agreement and was approved by the Republican County Prosecutor, Ron O'Brien.

The Other Paper had an article and here are some excerpts:

...But both Selva's lawyer and the prosecutor from the case agree: Judge Connor was unfairly targeted by the public and politicians...
...Ron Welch, the Franklin County prosecutor who negotiated Selva's plea deal said he disagreed with Connor's ruling but feels the criticism heaped upon the judge is unwarranted...
...A common source of public outrage has been the oft-reported yet erroneous notion that Connor could have given Selva a maximum of 10 years in the pokey. Since he was a first-time offender, Selva could only have received the minimum prison term, which is just one year....

There is another article in the same paper and here are some excerpts:

...O'Reilly didn't just want to raise hell. He wanted Connor, who has been elected and re-elected to the bench, impeached.

"This guy is dangerous, this judge," O'Reilly said during Monday's broadcast. "And you get him just like Al Capone. You get him the way you can get him."

Of course, O'Reilly didn't know what he was talking about—the background of the case, the record of other judges in comparable cases, electoral democracy—but it's not his job to know what he's talking about. There's nothing wrong with celebrity entertainers like O'Reilly or Eminem or Triumph the Insult Comic Dog making ridiculous comments....

....Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien, a Republican, had agreed to a plea bargain for Selva, didn't formally request a tougher sentence and didn't object to the one Connor handed down.

O'Brien is popular with the state GOP, and lawmakers knew they were going to have a tough time demonizing Connor while letting the prosecutor off the hook....

And a recent poll in the Columbus Dispatch: Here

Too Cozy for Comfort

Here we go again....
Yet another former staff member of Deborah Pryce's has landed a job with a lobbying firm. The Hill is reporting the following news:

Andrew Shore, a three-year veteran of the office of House GOP Conference Chairwoman Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio), has landed at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw. Shore, who spent nine months as Pryce’s chief of staff before leaving just after last month’s House leadership election, has also worked under former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer (R-Texas) and former Rep. Phil Crane (R-Ill.).

This news follows the recent hiring of Rachel Robinson by Pryce. Rachel Robinson, a registered lobbyist, serves as Pryce's chief of staff. There is more information on Robinson here .

Kathryn Lehman, another former chief of staff for Pryce, left Pryce to go to a lobbying firm in May 2005 (The Hill).

How much influence do these former staff members exert over Pryce with their new found power as lobbyists?
How much influence does Rachel Robinson, registered lobbyist, have in legislation that comes out of Pryce's office? Isn't this all just a little too, too cozy? Is it reasonable to assume that Pryce's views have been swayed by her relationships with these former/current staff members? Do their invitations, requests, phone calls get answered first? I'm just asking.

New Ohio Unemployment Rates Released :(

You know when Republicans say that the economy is doing well, they aren't talking about Ohio.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has just released the unemployment rates for February 2006.

Here are some highlights from the news release:
Ohio's unemployment rate for February 2006: 5.3%
U.S. unemployment for February 2006: 4.8%

Nine counties had unemployment rates above 9.0 percent during February. The counties with the highest rates, other than Monroe (13.9), were: Pike, 11.0; Morgan, 10.7; Meigs, 10.5; Vinton, 9.9; Adams, 9.6; Huron, 9.5; and Ottawa and Perry, 9.4 percent.

From the Table of county unemployment rates.
Franklin County (represented by Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce): 5.2% (was 5.0 in Jan.'06)
Columbus, Ohio 5.2% (was 5.0 in Jan.'06)

In my opinion, Ohioans should address Pryce, Tiberi and the rest of the Republicans by quoting an old Janet Jackson song:

What have you done for me lately

Ooh ooh ooh yeah

What have you done for me lately

Ooh ooh ooh yeah

( Sorry, I had to put in the Ooh's and yeahs!)

****In conclusion, we need to examine what the Republicans have given us since they've taken control of the federal and state governments:
1. Ohio Republican scandals: Taft, Noe, Ney, money lost from Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation, pay-to-play in state contracts, Diebold voting machines,
2. An unnecessary war in Iraq
3. 2323 American service members dead in Iraq; nearly 17,000 American wounded
4. Loss of manufacturing jobs in Ohio
5. Lack of new jobs/industries in Ohio
6. More Ohioans have lost health insurance
7. School funding still not solved by the Republican controlled state government
8. The Ohio Republican party being run by Rod Parsley and Kenneth Blackwell and the extremists in the party
9. Jean Schmidt's attack on Marines
10. The UNFUNDED federal mandate of No Child Left Behind
11. Unprecedented profits of the oil companies, Halliburton, KBR, and other corporations in a time of war
12. Bin Laden is still alive
13. John Bolton at the U.N. doing a fine job of making enemies
14. more...


THE MARINES OF LIMA COMPANY
You remember The Lima Company---Washington Post: A Marine Reserve company that was known as "Lucky Lima" before suffering heavy casualties in May was hit Wednesday by the deadliest roadside bombing of the Iraq war, a massive explosion that killed 14 Marines and the unit's Iraqi interpreter, according to witnesses and military spokesmen....

Now the Lima Company might be sent to Africa, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Good Democrats Need Our Help

Jean Herendeen is running as a Democrat for Ohio's 21st House District. Jean has been collecting endorsements and meeting voters. Be sure to visit her website and contribute to her campaign.

Democrat Richard Cordray is seeking to fill the office of Ohio Treasurer. Cordray is known as being a great guy and a superb leader. Stop over and pitch in to help him in his election.

Joe Sulzer is the Democrat running against Republican Bob Ney. Sulzer currently serves as the Mayor of Chillicothe, Ohio. Joe wants to bring honesty and integrity back to Ohio's 18th district. Offer him your support.

More Republican Problems????

Today's Columbus Dispatch has an article that indicates that Ohio Republicans are starting to abandon their support of the President. (My opinion---What took you so long????) One part of the article says that Republicans Pryce and Tiberi openly questioned the Dubai port deal.
However...
BOTH PRYCE AND TIBERI VOTED AGAINST INCREASED PORT SECURITY (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll056.xml). Despite what Pryce and Tiberi may say to the media, when it comes down to it, they vote the way Bush, Rove, Hastert, and Boehner dictate. Don't forget that!

It appears as though the nation is getting tired of the Republican controlled Congress. TIME has the results of a new poll. Here is an excerpt:
TIME's latest poll finds American voters heading into November's election dissatisfied with the Republican-dominated status quo, but not necessarily convinced that the answer lies in voting Democratic. The poll, conducted March 22-23, finds Americans unhappy with the performance of the Republican-controlled Congress — 39% approve, versus 49% who disapprove — and gives Democrats a 9-point lead when voters are asked to state which party's candidate they would choose for a House of Representatives seat (50% answered Democrat, 41% chose Republican). Voters favor Democratic control of Congress by 49% compared with 38% for Republican control....


Looks like the nice folks at Kaiser Permanente are dumping poor elderly patients outside a shelter in L.A. There is even a videotape showing one of the events. Apparently, a large number of these poor disoriented patients have been brought to the streets outside the shelter and left there. There is more information here. (I guess this is an example of what happens to the poor with the Republicans in charge.)

Trouble for Pryce?

I've been looking at Open Secrets and I've discovered something very interesting. Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce has only raised $3,300 from Worthington (43085), and $6,450 from Arlington (43220).
(Deborah Pryce lives in Arlington). This might not seem like a big deal, but it is definitely something to examine. Many of the contributions that Pryce received in 2005 were from people with big corporate ties.

Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy is running against Pryce. Kilroy has raised $6,800 from Worthington (43085) and $5,150 from Arlington (43220). Is it possible that the Progressive movement in Arlington has really moved from the grassroots to more mainstream? I've heard that the Worthington Democrats are bringing in new members all the time. Is Pryce really losing support in her district? Everyone I've spoken with has been just disgusted with the direction of the Republican controlled Congress. Will people be willing to vote for change in November?

Kilroy's Plans

Mary Jo Kilroy, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Congress (OH-15), is getting her message out there to central Ohioans. Kilroy is running against the most powerful woman in Congress, Deborah Pryce, and Kilroy has no fear about the campaign. Mary Jo is tough and smart. She knows that Ohioans are sick of the Republican corruption and they are ready for new representation. For further news about OH-15 and Mary Jo Kilroy, see a recent article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Pryce Votes Against Increased Port Security

It is absolutely amazing! Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce VOTED AGAINST INCREASED PORT SECURITY. What was she thinking? Doesn't she care about our nation's security?

Yesterday, an amendment put forth by Rep. Sabo for increased port security, was defeated by a narrow margin (AYES 208 NOES 210). Pryce voted against the amendment! Why? Is she afraid to vote for any amendment written by a Democrat? A majority of the people in Ohio's 15th congressional district support increased port security, but Pryce would rather blindly follow Ney, Boehner, and DeLay. Why won't Pryce listen to her constituents? No matter what she says, there is no way for Pryce to justify her vote against this important amendment. The bottom line is--DEBORAH PRYCE VOTED AGAINST INCREASED PORT SECURITY.

Problems Ahead

*Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce has become a cheerleader for Bush's senior drug plan. However, there are problems ahead. We need to watch what Pryce says when people start experiencing gaps in their coverages. USA Today has the story:
Seniors and disabled Americans enrolled in Medicare's new prescription-drug program face more coverage disruptions in two weeks, state officials, doctors and pharmacists warn.
A special 90-day transition period, set by Medicare to prevent beneficiaries from losing any drug coverage, ends April 1. Private insurance plans can then stop covering drugs they don't usually pay for. Most of the 36 states that stepped in on an emergency basis to help low-income beneficiaries also will stop paying....

*Do you need an example of the compassionate conservative in Bush? According to Boston.com---
President Bush rejected extending the deadline to sign up for a new Medicare prescription drug benefit, as some lawmakers want, even though the program has caused confusion among enrollees.....

**Apparently there have been some heated exchanges between Republican leadership members, Dennis Hastert and John Boehner. Looks like there are some cracks in the Republican leadership. The Hill has the story. Here are some excerpts:

During an elected-leadership meeting a few weeks ago, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) erupted at Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) because he thought the newly elected majority leader was dragging his feet on lobbying reform.

Hastert was frustrated that other members did not grasp the importance of the political problem they face on this issue after the guilty plea of former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Boehner was sitting next to Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), whom he had recently beaten to become leader. He glanced at Blunt and told the Speaker matter-of-factly that lobbying reform is one of the major reasons he was sitting in that room, according to a source who attended the meeting.

That exchange is just one incident in GOP leaders’ almost-three-month tug of war over lobbying reform...

**Bill O'Reilly and the extreme right are attacking judges again. The Columbus Dispatch has the story:

Three months after sentencing a sex offender to probation rather than prison, Franklin County Judge John A. Connor yesterday found himself in the crosshairs of Ohio politicians calling for his impeachment and a national commentator who labeled him "the worst judge in America."

Connor, a soft-spoken Democratic Common Pleas Court judge, was roundly lambasted by Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, Attorney General Jim Petro, House Speaker Jon A. Husted and top-rated Fox television commentator Bill O’Reilly for sentencing a convicted sex offender to five years of probation instead of prison....

...Connor was unmoved.

"I made the best decision I could with the facts I had," he said in an interview yesterday as elected officials issued increasingly pointed statements calling for his ouster.

"I haven’t violated any laws. I haven’t violated my oath of office."

Last December, Connor sentenced 46-year-old Andrew S. Selva to five years of probation under intensive sex-offender supervision, including one year of home confinement with electronic monitoring....

Pryce Ready to Do PR

Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) plans to spend some time doing public relations for President Bush's Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. The plan is very unpopular with seniors and pharmacists because of its complexity and loopholes. Instead of Pryce wasting her breath talking about the plan, she and her staff should help seniors sign up for the plan. That would be more useful than her talk.

Here is some information about Pryce's plans as revealed in the Kaiser Network site: House Republican Conference Chair Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio) is urging Republican lawmakers to hold events to promote the drug benefit during the two-week congressional recess in April, Roll Call reports. Later this week, the conference will hold a "best practices" seminar to discuss the most effective ways to run Medicare events and an event planning session for legislative aides. Next week, the conference will distribute enrollment data on the drug benefit, and on March 28, conference members will begin taping public service announcements to air in their districts as the May 15 enrollment deadline nears (Roll Call, 3/15).

Click on this cartoon to reveal the truth about Bush's drug plan.

Strange Ohio Politics

These Republicans don't even hide their relationships with lobbyists. From The Hill: Barbour Griffith & Rogers has scored a prize K Street catch in new vice president Shalla Ross, who comes from the policy director’s post at the House Republican Conference. Ross also served as staff director for the House Rules subcommittee of conference Chairwoman Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio), as legislative director for former Rep. Phil Crane (R-Ill.) and as a legislative aide in the office of Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.).

Republican fundraiser, Tom "coingate" Noe, has had his trial date set for July 24th. The Toledo Blade has the dirty details.

Republican candidate for governor, Kenneth Blackwell, went to northeastern Ohio to win some supporters. However, the voters in that region of Ohio have a long memory about how Blackwell screwed with their votes in the last presidential elections. News Net 5 has the story.

We all know that the President' approval rating is at 36%. Now we even know the approval rating of Republican Rep. John Boehner, the Republican House Majority Whip. From PR Newswire: Also measured for the first time was new Republican House Majority Leader John Boehner who starts with a job approval of 23 percent positive and 50 percent negative. (Wooo hooo!)

More on Boehner....From the Toledo Blade: It seems that Rep. John Boehner has taken a number of trips out of his district to places which, coincidentally, have major golf courses. (Does this guy even work? Do you think he pays for his tee times?) Here is an excerpt from the article: ... Mr. Boehner, successor in the GOP leadership to ethics-challenged Texan Tom DeLay, is perhaps best known as the recipient of a golf junket to the storied St. Andrews links course in Scotland, paid for by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, whose corrupt exploits set off the current ethics debate. Depending on what source you believe, Mr. Boehner did - or did not - know that he was traveling illegally on Mr. Abramoff's dime to Scotland. But the story doesn't end there. According to a nonprofit group called Campaign for a Cleaner Congress, records show that Mr. Boehner took 180 trips to destinations outside his southwest Ohio district from 1999 to 2005. Most of them were to exclusive golf resorts, including - yes - St. Andrews, Pebble Beach in California, and Pinehurst in North Carolina...

Strickland

While Republican candidates for governor, Kenneth Blackwell and Jim Petro, throw mud at each other, the Democratic candidate is hard at work getting ready to lead Ohio. Ted Strickland, Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, has a proposal to end the digital divide Ohio. Here is an excerpt from the article in The Plain Dealer:

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland proposed Monday to connect Ohio's poorest communities to the Internet by increasing use of existing high-speed fiber-optic lines that crisscross the state but remain largely "dark," or unused.

His proposal, dubbed the "Ohio NextGen Network," would increase access to the high-speed Internet network owned by Ohio's research universities, which use only a small fraction of the network's capacity to transmit information....

Ted Strickland supports steelworkers.

Ohioans have to ask themselves-- Isn't it time for change? Isn't time to get rid of the Republican culture of corruption in Ohio?

Prescriptions

Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce was spotted at a Dave Alvin concert in Columbus, Ohio, over the weekend. Instead of enjoying the music, she could have spent some time signing up seniors for the medicare prescription drug plan that she loves sooooooo much.

Speaking of the medicare prescription drug plan, there are plenty of complaints out there. Some of the complaints are showing up on the AARP message boards. A word of caution about the AARP message boards: Seeing as how this administration has paid journalists for positive stories, I think it is possible that some of the extremely positive comments are suspicious. There are indications that some seniors are already unhappy with their coverage because they feel the insurance company reps. lied to them and lawsuits are pending. There is even a blog about medicare here.

From the Columbus Dispatch today: Women in Ohio are having difficulty getting emergency contraception because of some pharmacists are letting their religious beliefs get in the way. Rep. Keith Faber, a Mercer County Republican has this crazy idea---....As written, the bill says, "No person is required to perform or participate in medical procedures or distribution of any medication which will or may result in abortion or termination of life."

Why do these Republicans feel the need to control our uteruses? Why can't pharmacists do their jobs? Pharmacists should fill the prescriptions as written or quit their jobs!

What about central Ohio?

>>The recent job numbers show that there have been some new jobs, but the jobs are in the low-paying areas that are at minimum wage (or lower for waitresses) and without health insurance (Wal-Mart). However, new jobs, new businesses, and better prospects seem to be everywhere else but central Ohio. That doesn't stop Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce from doing cartwheels about the new job numbers. Here is a quote from Pryce in the LA Times: "If there were an Oscar for the strongest economic policy, I think we'd be a contender," Rep. Deborah Pryce of Ohio said in a conference call of House Republican leaders with reporters.

What Pryce fails to remember is that
(1.) job growth was the highest during the Clinton administration,
(2.) 200,000 Ohioans have lost health insurance since Bush took office,
(3.) she represents central Ohio (Dublin, Worthington, Upper Arlington, and parts of the Columbus metropolitan area) and the new jobs aren't happening here.

>>Joe Sulzer, Democratic candidate for OH-18, is attracting a lot of good attention these days. It seems that people in the 18th district are getting tired of the Bob Ney scandal stories, especially those published in the latest issue of Vanity Fair. The Vanity Fair article shows that Ney, and others (Mehlman, Newt, Bush, DeLay, Armey, Burns, Norton, Hayworth, Hastert, Doolittle, etc.), liked it when Jack Abramoff was buying their Sushi, fine food, and tickets to sporting events, but now amnesia has set in. I hope all the recently discovered photos help them remember Abramoff.

Another Port Story

IF the Republicans were doing oversight, then the whole Dubai port deal stuff would not have happened. They would have known about it. However, Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) seemed to blame the White House in this quote from the News Observer: "The administration made this plan and then popped it at all of us," House Republican Conference Chairman Deborah Pryce of Ohio fumed.

I heard this on Al Franken today: The Carlisle Group was the agent for the Dubai Port deal and would have gotten $104 million dollars at the signing. (FYI: The Carlisle Group has close business ties with former Prez. George H.W. Bush). Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Once again this proves that with the Bush Family, money wins over national security.

Sushiholic

Last night I read the Abramoff article in Vanity Fair. A news release details some of the information contained in the article. Abramoff reveals a lot of details about the movers and shakers of the Republican Party. Republican Rep. Bob Ney was a "fixer" for Abramoff and a "sushiholic." I wonder how Ney's constituents in St. Clairsville, New Philadelphia, Chillicothe, Jacksonson, and Zanesville feel about their sushi-eating congressman. While he is eating sushi and golfing, the people in Ney's district are trying to put food on the table and pay high energy/gasoline costs.

* There are plenty of nervous nellies in the GOP. Here is an excerpt from an article in the Frankfort Times:
...With the continued bad news from Iraq, that makes Republican lawmakers extremely nervous.
An AP-Ipsos poll conducted this week showed Bush's approval rating at 37 percent. The same poll showed approval for the GOP-led Congress at just 31 percent.
Nearly 70 percent of those surveyed said the nation was on the wrong track, a 6-point jump since last month...

By the way, if you are interested in some real propaganda, you need to visit Kenneth Blackwell's website. It is bizarro. Hasn't he been part of the Republican control of the state government for the last umpteen years? The man has been an elected official and now he is distancing himself from the Ohio government and corruption he helped to create. (After viewing the site, you may actually think he is running for some religious office.)

Consumers in the rest of the country are catching up to Ohioans with consumer confidence dropping.