Mitt Romney Can't Speak Honestly

Mitt Romney has flip flopped on so many issues, he must be sick in the stomach from flipping so much. 

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Mitt Romney wanted to destroy the entire American auto industry.  Even Bain refused to invest their private money into the industry.  President Obama's emergency rescue plan saved millions of American jobs.


While Mitt Romney has Swiss bank accounts, and money in offshore tax havens, he avoids paying taxes.  That does not seem right.

If Romney comes to your town, create some big flip flops to take to his rallies.

(Picture courtesy of whowhatwhy)

Can Josh Mandel Handle the Truth?

The Josh Mandel Lie/Smear/ Machine is in full operation.  With no real legislative record, a newly hired staff filled with unqualified school friends, campaign workers, frat friends, and college buddies, Josh Mandel has nothing to stand on.  The Josh Mandel campaign has become unable and unwilling to answer questions about issues, votes, hirings, or anything. Mandel's campaign is willing to smear Sen. Sherrod Brown, the champion of the middle class.

Justin Barasky ‏ @JustinBarasky

Josh Mandel just sent an email out claiming Sherrod Brown has a history of false & negative ads. JOSH MANDEL SAID THIS #ohsen #rofl

Ooooooops!  Josh Mandel and his cronies need to read Politifact to check out how their statements have been judged:

Mandel's statements by ruling

Click on the ruling to see all of Mandel's statements for that ruling.

• True3(3)
• Mostly True1(1)
• Half True4(4)
• Mostly False2(2)
• False2(2)
• Pants on Fire3

Check out this YouTube video on Josh Mandel's problems with prevarication: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLrjOaQ85Rs

According to Open Secrets:

 52% of Josh Mandel's contributions are from outside of Ohio.   

Sen. Sherrod Brown has received only 37% of his campaign contributions from outside of Ohio.

•••••>>>>> It looks like Republican Rep. Joe Barton and the rest of the Republicans in the House are going to vote to slash Meals on Wheels for the Elderly and school lunch programs. Shame on them. Shame. 

•••••••••••>>>>  Now that we know that Josh Mandel doesn't care if people go to college (see Cleveland.com for details on his remarks) and that he refuses to support low interest rates on college student loans, and renewing Pell Grants, the almost 400,000 college students in Ohio should support Sen. Sherrod Brown for re-election.  Josh Mandel doesn't respect voters enough to speak on issues.  College students at Ohio's universities (like OSU, BGSU, OU, Miami, CSU, Columbus State, Shawnee State, Cincinnati, Toledo, etc.)

Ohio's college students  and their parents will be appalled to learn that Senate Republicans blocked the vote on freezing interest rates on college loans.

Nationaljournal:

...A junior at Howard University said she had jumped “hurdle after hurdle to escape the cycles of poverty and drug abuse” in her home community to get to college. Now her student loan might be more expensive next year. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said that Democrats are trying to accomplish for that student what the GI bill accomplished in the postwar years. “Look at the prosperity it created for the whole country,” he said.....

Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH-Democrat) has been working hard on legislation that helps college students and their parents.  Unfortunately, the Republicans would rather cut programs that help college students, and end programs that support food for the poor and elderly, so that they can give more cuts to their wealthy supporters.  After all, the Republicans are falling in line with their nominee for president, Mitt "...corporations are people too..." Romney.

Republican Josh Mandel is able, willing, and able to fall in line with the powerful right wingers that are pulling his strings and giving him campaign cash.  Why do you think that Americans for Prosperity, Freedom Works, and other anti-middle class groups are supporting him?

A vote for Josh Mandel could end your dreams of finishing college and college grants.

This just in-----

****  If you live in Brooklyn Heights, Ohio, you might be able to catch a glimpse of our often absent Ohio Treasurer, Josh Mandel.  Josh Mandel will be available to the media at Modular Systems Technicians at 5399 Lancaster Road, Brooklyn Heights, Ohio TODAY at 9:30am.

You might want to ask him:
1.  Why did he refuse to endorse the renewal of VAWA (the Violence Against Women Act)?  Does this mean he is against protecting women and funding shelters for abused women?

2.  Besides California, Hawaii, Nevada, Florida, New York, Kentucky, and the Bahamas, what other states and foreign countries has he visited to collect campaign money?

3.  Why he refused to endorse keeping low interest rates on college loans?

4.  Why has he refused to turn over the resumes of the 34 new hires that have come into the Treasurer's office?  There have been 8 public records requests.  Does he think he is above the law?

5. Why does he support Paul Ryan's budget that would give vouchers to those currently on Medicare? 

6. Was his own support of the Heartbeat Bill the clincher in getting an endorsement from the right wing anti-reproductive freedom groups?

7.  How many of his new hires were in his fraternity, high school, summer camp, friends of friends, or children of lobbyists?

The Mandel Smear Machine Starts Up

I'm not surprised that Republican Josh Mandel and his surrogates have already started their smear campaign against the champion of the middle class, Sen. Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio.  Josh Mandel has filled his Treasurer's office with his buddies, friends from college and high school, and his campaign workers. Now, with his continuing refusal to discuss any issue or respond to any question from the media and citizens, Josh Mandel feels the need to smear and dig up false allegations.

This is how the Josh Mandel campaign and the do-nothing Republican respond when Mandel refused to answer questions about his lack of support for the VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) renewal.

CincinnatiEnquirer:

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) sent out a link on Monday to a story, written by a conservative website, reviving 26-year-old domestic violence allegations made against Sen. Sherrod Brown by his wife during a messy divorce.

Brown’s ex-wife, Larke Recchie, has since characterized the allegations she made during the 1986 proceeding as “angry words” made during an “unfriendly ordeal.”

In a statement issued on Monday, in the wake of the NRSC’s missive, she criticized Josh Mandel, Brown’s opponent for the U.S. Senate, for “dirty campaigning.”

“I understand that in campaigns you often have to go after your opponent, but Josh Mandel should know better than to go after our family,” said Recchie, who has since remarried. “I ask that he immediately put a stop to this kind of politics. I was proud to support Sherrod in 2006 and I’m proud to support him again this time around against Josh Mandel. Josh Mandel should immediately disavow this kind of dirty campaigning.”

Why are we not surprised by the level of dirt that Josh Mandel will throw since he has no agenda, except that provided by the likes of far right Republicans?   In 2010, Josh Mandel went after Kevin Boyce because one of Boyce's new hires was a Muslim.  During the campaign for Ohio Treasurer, Mandel tried to say that Kevin Boyce was a Muslim, even though he is a Christian.  

What does Josh Mandel want?
*  Josh Mandel wants you to forget that cronyism exists in the office of the Ohio Treasurer.
*  Mandel wants you to look at his boots instead of ask him question about issues. 
*  Josh Mandel delayed filing his PFD (personal financial disclosure) with the Senate. Mandel refused to send in his form for months even though everyone in the state knew he was a candidate.
*  Josh Mandel refused to speak to a local press club for months.  He was too busy, but apparently not too busy to attend every Lincoln dinner in the state, and fly to other states to collect campaign cash.
*  Josh Mandel flew to the Bahamas to attend, speak, and collect campaign funds from attendees at a payday lenders convention.
 *  Josh Mandel wants women in Ohio to forget that he supported the heartbeat bill in Ohio.
*   Josh Mandel wants you to overlook that he has hired unqualified people to care for your tax dollars.
*   Josh Mandel took more than one year to disclose that he doesn't even has resumes for his 34 new hires in the office of Ohio Treasurer.  Did he hire these people without resumes and without a work history?????
*   Josh Mandel said he didn't support the auto loan program that helped save the American auto industry.  Mandel said he had his own plan. He is a little too late now that the American auto industry is making cars, making profits, and creating jobs. When do you think Mandel will reveal his super secret auto rescue plan?

Josh Mandel has received the support of far right organizations that want to limit your access to birth control, pelvic exams, and reproductive freedom.  He just won't tell you that because he would rather smear his opponent.

Exactly!!!!!

I love this-----
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We all work with what was given to us.  President Barack Obama was given an economic mess by the previous President. With positive job growth, an end to the war in Iraq, and a reborn, thriving American auto industry, President Obama has put the country on the path toward total recovery.  When the American middle class is strengthened, we all do better.


>  Continuing to avoid issues is what Josh Mandel seems to be about as a Republican candidate.  Now Josh Mandel has refused to take a stand on whether he would vote to raise interest rates on college loans!  Josh Mandel would rather parade around than speak to voters on issues. 

Politifact Ohio looked at a recent claim by Sen. Sherrod Brown: 
Sherrod Brown says Ohio students graduate from college with an average tuition debt of $27,000  This was judged as "TRUE" by Politifact Ohio.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

•••••   This is for those people that believe everything they see at Drudge----- The Getty Image taken by Brendan Smialowski and posted at Drudge has this note at Getty:

A police officer guards the upper tier before US President Barack Obama's speech during a campaign event at the Value City Arena - Schottenstein Center on May 5, 2012 in Columbus, Ohio. President Obama is traveling to Ohio and Virginia where he will hold rallies and officially begin his re-election bid for the 2012 US Presidential election. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages) 

Ha! Read it again, folks.  The notation says "before" the speech.

"before"

Ready to Go

On Saturday, President Obama spoke before an enthusiastic crowd of 14,000 at the Schottenstein Center on the campus of the Ohio State University.  The crowd was made up of students, women, men, and volunteers from across Ohio. Also accompanying the President on the trip was Mrs. Michelle Obama.  The President addressed the large rally and reiterated his support for ---- lower interest rates for college students, the rights of women to make their own decisions about their own bodies, and the importance of an education. 

Other well-known Ohio Democrats at the rally included Sen. Sherrod Brown, former Gov. Ted Strickland, and former Senator and astronaut, John Glenn. Everyone left the rally pumped up and ready to work for President Obama's re-election.

Young people today are actively involved in politics and issues.  They are aware of which candidates that they can trust, and those giving them baloney (like Romney and Mandel).  Parents and students alike know which candidates support the draconian Paul Ryan plan, and those that are against it.

The Lantern:

....President of OSU College Democrats, Mallory Kimble, said students should be weary of Romney’s position on student loans.

“Especially in light of his support of the Ryan Budget, which would make it significantly harder for young Americans to afford college,” Kimble said. “The plan cuts funding for Pell Grants and education funding that makes it easier for millions of young Americans to attend college.”

The budget, proposed by Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, is a plan crafted to reduce debt without placing additional tax burdens on individuals and businesses....

College loans and Pell grants allow students to go to college.  Cutting them would be damaging to students, families, and the nation.

See You At The Schott

* Remember:

President Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama will be in Columbus, Ohio, at the Schottenstein Center tomorrow, Saturday, May 5th. The Schottenstein Center is on the corner of Lane Avenue and Olentangy River Road, on the campus of The Ohio State University. The doors open at 10:30am.  Be there!!!!! 

You can also watch online starting around noon-12:30pm at:
http://www.barackobama.com/live

••••••••••          •••••••••••

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio-Dem) has an excellent opinion piece in USA Today in which he states that student loan interest rates must remain low:

....The Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act, which I've introduced with Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, would prevent interest rates from increasing for 7.4 million American students. It costs money to do so. But that cost is fully offset by closing a loophole so that a small group of wealthy professionals — who have household incomes above $250,000 — will pay what they owe to Medicare and Social Security.

The best way to reduce our deficit is to grow our economy. That means ensuring that Americans have the skills and education to do the jobs of the 21st century, and to prevent graduates from being saddled with so much debt that they feel unable to start a family, buy a home or begin a business.

To be sure, we must do even more to make college affordable....

You can join Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Sen. Amy Klobucher, and let your voice be heard on this important issue:  Sign the petition:  Keep Student Loan Rates Low.

The Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives would keep student loan interest rates low----IF the President removes the yearly exams for women and children from the Health Care Act.  This is another dumb idea from Boehner and the GOP:
  1.  Boehner and his Republicans are sacrificing women to get what they want.
 2.  if your mother, sister, and/or wife cannot afford to get their yearly exams, they won't show up for your graduation because they'll be dead!
 3.  the Republicans know that more people attending college would produce a highly intelligent, educated population that would improve our economy and spur scientific development. Do the Republicans want less educated people so that they'll vote for them?

 *******

* Sen. Sherrod Brown voted for the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act. Unfortunately, Republican candidate, Josh Mandel, refused to endorse this important legislation.  Mandel has received the support of the far right groups that oppose abortion in all cases.  Why does Josh Mandel oppose women having rights to decide about their own bodies? 

Plunderbund has more on Josh Mandel's refusal to stand up for women's rights:

...Last April Mandel signed on as a supporter of the unconstitutional “heartbeat bill” along side Ohio’s other extremist, anti-women crusaders like Ken Blackwell. Senator Sherrod Brown has opposed this bill.

And in 2009 Mandel co-sponsored a resolution opposing the Freedom of Choice act, which gives “every woman has the fundamental right to choose to bear a child” or, if they choose, to not bear a child. The act maintains the same existing federal restrictions already established under Roe v Wade....

....I honestly don’t know if Josh Mandel thinks women are too stupid to decide what to do with their own bodies, or if he’s just siding with these extremist because he heard it would help get him elected to the Senate. What I do know is this: when it’s comes to women’s rights, Senator Sherrod Brown beats Josh Mandel hands down. 

Josh Mandel's lack of honesty, frankness, and the cronyism scandal continue to make him look like a puppet of the far right.  He seems unable to answer questions without repeating memorized talking points.


In case you might be interested:   Mitt "dog on the roof" Romney will be in Euclid, Ohio, Monday at Stamco Industries.  Mitt planned his speech so that most working people will not be able to attend. I always feel bad for employees that are dragged to sit on a stage behind a Republican candidate.

Get Involved

*** Don't forget:  President Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama will be in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, May 5th at the Schottenstein Center  (Lane and Olentangy River Rd.). The doors open at 10:30 am, but the program will start either late morning or early afternoon. Tickets are not necessary and the event is free.

If you are a college student in central Ohio, be sure to check out these organizations:   OSU Dems  http://twitter.com/#!/osudems    College Democrats at Ohio State

Columbus State Community College Democrats   Ohio University College Democrats

You can also check out all the national chapters of College Democrats at the website: http://collegedems.com/

My own political activism started when I was just a college student.

* * *

A new Quinnipiac Poll shows the presidential race tightening in Ohio:

...The gender gap widens in the Ohio presidential race as women back Obama 50 - 37 percent while men back Romney 48 - 38 percent.

Ohio voters split 48 - 47 percent in their approval of Obama and split 47 - 48 percent on whether he deserves to be reelected.....

 In one Quinnipiac question concerning the their opinion of the Republican Party, we have this tidbit:

4. Is your opinion of the Republican Party favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about it?

                     FL     OH     PA



Favorable            42%    37%    35%
Unfavorable          45     47     51
Hvn't hrd enough      9     12     10
REFUSED               4      4      5

On the other side, we see poll takers have a slightly more favorable view of the Democratic Party with the Favorable at 43% (FL), 42% (OH), and 45% (PA).

I wonder if the Republican Party's anti-woman agenda has something to do with it. We must make sure that everyone that is registered is able to vote. As an Ohio voter, I'm sure that the unfavorable view of the Republican Party here has been influenced by the antics of Kasich, the SB5 debacle, and the cronyism scandal with Josh Mandel at the Ohio Treasury.

Speaking of the continuing scandal at Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel's office, there seems to be some missing resumes?????  Really?

Toledo Blade:

A spokesman for Republican Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel on Wednesday said his office doesn't have resumes for 34 of its employees, a little over a year after the Democratic Party said it asked for the employee resumes....

....Seth Unger, press secretary for Mr. Mandel, told The Blade Wednesday that the treasurer's office doesn't possess the documents that had been requested....

...Andrew Zucker, a spokesman for the party, said the Mandel office has released to them thousands of documents that were not requested, but only 28 of the 62 resumes it had asked for.

Missing among the final group of resumes are several Mandel campaign workers who were hired into high-paying appointed positions and then left to work on Mr. Mandel's Senate campaign.....

How convenient!  I guess if you are going to hire your buddies for some political job, pay them way above their education and work experience, you'd better make sure that their resumes have conveniently disappeared!

>>>> I just can't get enough of this video from Late Night With Jimmy Fallon:
YouTube



I just don't get why Boehner and the Republicans call the rate increase on college loans a non-issue.  It is an important issue for millions of college students and their parents!

President Obama in Columbus on Saturday!

I hope that you've heard the good news:

President Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama will be in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, May 5th at the Schottenstein Center  (Lane and Olentangy River Rd.). The doors open at 10:30am, but the program will start either late morning or early afternoon. Tickets are not necessary and the event is free.

If you've been to one of these rallies, you know that there will be very tight security and parking will be hard to find. Car pool with your friends.

{You should also be aware that there is a half marathon on Saturday. To avoid the traffic snarls and road closures, check out the map at CapitalCityHalfMarathon map page.}

The campaign page has this suggestion:

All attendees will go through airport-like security and should bring as few personal items as possible. No bags, sharp objects, umbrellas, liquids, or signs will be allowed in the venue. Cameras are permitted.

For information on how you can be part of the campaign, visit the Obama campaign page. I'll see you there!

Kasich Lets Exotic Animals Return

This news has made a lot of Ohioans outraged over the turn of events:

MarionStar:

State officials will return five surviving exotic animals to a woman whose husband released dozens of wild creatures, then committed suicide.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture announced the decision Monday at an agency hearing in which the state was to defend its authority to quarantine the animals - two leopards, two primates and a bear - on suspicion of infectious diseases.

A spokeswoman for the agency said the state had exhausted its authority in the case and that the state's agriculture director would lift the quarantine order that was placed on the animals in October. Medical results released last week showed all five animals are free of the dangerously contagious or infectious diseases for which they were tested....

Now these surviving animals are returned to the owner?  This is absolutely ridiculous and an editorial in the ZanesvilleTimesRecorder agrees:

...Kasich on Monday shamelessly tried to shift responsibility from himself and the Republican controlled General Assembly to our local officials facing the prospect of exotic animals returning to our community six months after Terry Thompson released them just before he died Oct. 18....

....The governor should have focused his energy on cajoling a do-nothing General Assembly to finally pass the long-promised bill which cleared the Senate only a week ago....

.....If the animals are returned here as expected, our residents will have no more protection than they did in October. Kasich and fellow Republicans are the only ones to be held accountable for that travesty.

Kasich has blamed his predecessors for failing to act.

Shame on Kasich and his Republican elected officials for failing to solve this problem. Kasich let Gov. Strickland's ruling expire. The ball was in Kasich's court, and he refused to do anything.  I guess this is another example of Republicans doing away with regulations, and now the neighbors in Zanesville are at risk.  If the exotic animal farm had been in Kasich's backyard, he might have done something.

Hiding Something?

* The Dispatch:

A group of nine female state lawmakers have signed a letter to Josh Mandel’s U.S. Senate campaign to express “extreme disappointment” in Mandel’s refusal to support the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act that passed in the Senate last week....

Whether it is the police officer funded by VAWA, the counselor or clinic that receives funding through VAWA, or the shelter that can open its doors tonight to just one more woman because of VAWA, the point is unmistakably clear – Ohio women and families need the Violence Against Women Act,” the group, which included Minority Whip State Rep. Tracy Maxwell Heard, wrote. “What we certainly do not need is the type of partisan pandering you have demonstrated that threatens our health safety and well-being.”

 

....Sadie Weiner, a Brown spokeswoman, said Mandel "is trying to have it both ways, and Ohio's women and families deserve better. Mandel's refusal to join Sherrod Brown, Rob Portman and John McCain in supporting the bill, clearly indicates he would have voted no."

Does Mandel think he can just ignore important issues by saying nothing???

>>>> Plunderbund has raised concerns on Josh Mandel's continued refusals to release the resumes of his 34 hires for the Treasurer's office.  Plunderbund:

....Recently, reports have surfaced that Mandel has a slight cronyism problem on his hands. Mandel hired numerous campaign staffers to fill high-level positions directly after taking office. Many of these staffers were young and inexperienced but were inexplicably hired into positions with responsibilities far exceeding their skill levels.....

....What does this all mean? Mandel is either deliberately hiding the resumes and qualifications of the staffers he hired to positions in his office, or worse, he hired 35 staffers to fill taxpayer funded positions without ever requesting their resumes or conducing formal interviews.

It does not really matter which one is happening because both of them are bad news. Either scenario is an attack on the legitimacy of Mandel’s office and a breach in the trust between his office and the public....

It is becoming obvious that Josh Mandel doesn't want to release any records. What is he hiding?

New Ad

A new ad from the Obama campaign has been released---
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>>>>  Republican Josh Mandel released yet another ad for his campaign in which "boots" are the main topic.  Josh Mandel's reluctance to speak on issues is rattling a lot of voters, especially women. Since Mandel refused to voice his support for fair pay for women and the VAWA legislation (Violence Against Women Act), people are wondering what is his agenda, other than the usual right wing talking points.

In September 2011, Josh Mandel was part of a group of candidates that spoke at a Tea Party Express event.  The rally was held in Avon, Ohio, and some of the speakers would be considered controversial by a majority of Ohioans.

2PressPapers (9/6/11):

...The Tea Party Express, a national conservative bus tour, held a Saturday rally at All Pro Freight Stadium with several hundred local Tea Party supporters showing up to absorb and support the group’s politically conservative themes – among them that Barack Obama must be stopped and government must live within its means.

Paul Schiffer, a radio talk show host and author of the Schiffer Report, served as the master of ceremonies, introducing such preshow speakers as Apostle Claver Kamau-Imani, a religious speaker who called upon minorities to re-examine their values and pave the way for America’s second emancipation; Samuel “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher;  and State Treasurer Josh Mandel, among others.

“I’m one of the few people on talk radio who’s not afraid to call Obama what he is,” Schiffer roared to kick off the rally, “a Marxist and a communist.”

Josh Mandel associates with people that call President Obama "..a Marxist and a communist."   What's up with that? That kind of association is deplorable.

* Republican Josh Mandel, the Republican candidate that went all the way to the Bahamas for campaign cash from the payday lenders convention, filled out a survey on 1/19/12 for the Cincinnati Right to Life group.  The survey is on the web (Josh Mandel (R) pdf): 










I guess we can surmise that if you are a victim of rape or incest, Josh Mandel believes that you should not have access to an abortion.  Josh Mandel must be following the Rick Santorum advice that a rape/incest victim make the best out of this bad situation (see ThinkProgress).