According to an article in the New York Times, Republicans in the House and the Senate are very interested in the economic recovery plan that the future President Obama wants passed in Congress:
...In a coordinated effort, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, the Republican leaders of the two chambers, called on Democrats to hold hearings on the emerging legislation and not schedule any votes on the bill until it had had at least a week of public review....
Do you honestly think that McConnell and Boehner want to just have a little look? I don't trust Boehner and McConnell at all. They want to see what Obama has planned so that they can start working on their filibusters. Boehner and McConnell are partly responsible for the economic mess we're in at this time. They rubber stamped everything and anything that Bush and Cheney wanted. McConnell and Boehner should just go sit and wait. They'll find out soon enough.
>>> In summing up the year, the Akron Beacon Journal listed the top news stories for Ohio. Included in those top stories was the win by Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy for the U.S. House for Ohio's 15th district. The Beacon Journal noted that the seat had previously been held by the GOP for 42 years. That makes Kilroy's win even sweeter!
>>> There is nothing that can stop Ella Mae Johnson from going to the inauguration on January 20th---- even though she will be 105 years old. She plans on attending the inauguration in Washington DC with the assistance of a nurse. Read the entire article in the Dispatch.
>>> Central Ohio has lost liberal talk radio. WVKO 1580 AM suddenly became an entirely Catholic radio station. This is the second time that we've lost liberal talk radio here in Columbus. Liberal radio fans will miss Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz. :( I think many of us are hoping that another station in the area will be able to carry our favorite radio hosts.
In just a few short weeks, we will have a new President in the White House. After all the disasters of the last eight years, it will be nice to have someone bring a fresh approach to solving these problems. It seems as though an eternity has passed since election day and yet we still have weeks to go until the inauguration.
Newly elected Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy will be sworn in as a member of Congress representing Ohio's 15th district on January 6th. I know that many people in the 15th district will be cheering her on, even if it is from Ohio.
The year ahead will be tough. President-elect Obama will have many things left on his desk by the previous administration. He will need our support and our prayers.
With the recent congressional win for Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15th), and some other vacancies in local government, a few local people are looking to fill those openings left behind. The Columbus Dispatch tries to suggest a few names to fill some newly vacated seats:
....Councilman Kevin L. Boyce's appointment as state treasurer means he'll resign his council seat before taking on his new job Jan. 6. Councilwoman Maryellen O'Shaughnessy will leave before Jan. 3 to become Franklin County clerk of courts.... ....Outgoing state Sen. Steve Stivers, who narrowly lost a congressional race to Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy this fall, had been rumored as a possible GOP council challenger, but he said he won't run. "I'd like to run for something I can win," Stivers said. "The city of Columbus is turning awfully blue." Democrats hold a registration advantage in the city of more than 3 1/2 -1 over Republicans.....
With Columbus becoming more Democratic, so is Franklin County. Will the bluing of central Ohio spread into Union, Madison, and Licking Counties? Only time will tell.
* Happy Hanukkah! Last night the first candle of the menorah was lit and latkes were enjoyed by all!
* The Columbus Dispatch has the story of a woman who tried working with her mortgage lender, Wells Fargo, after the death of her husband. Despite her repeated requests for assistance to refinance, her lender made it difficult. The woman and her late husband were also victims of a 'bait and switch' by the original loan officer. Now, the woman is losing her home.
* The Lady Buckeyes beat Michigan yesterday, 70-50. The Buckeyes just keep pounding those Michigan teams.
* It has been very, very cold here in central Ohio. Even with just a dusting of snow, the wind chill is making it difficult to be outside.
* According to ens-newswire.com Representative-elect Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15) has been contacted by Environment Ohio ".....to enact a green economic recovery plan that makes critical investments in clean energy and green infrastructure to help rebuild the American economy and protect our environment....."
* Nursing homes in Ohio are reacting to the recent ratings of nursing homes across the country. Dispatch: About half the nursing homes in Franklin County are "much below average," according to ratings released by the federal government yesterday.
Twenty-five of the county's 51 nursing homes received one star, the lowest rating in a five-star system that the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services added to its Nursing Home Compare Web site. Six local nursing homes received five stars.....
Although nursing home operators may have problems with the rating system, family members of those in facilities should study the list and follow up on those areas of concern. To find and compare the nursing homes, visit Medicare Nursing Home Compare.
* With Christmas next week, I'm waiting for some inspiration on gift-giving for those remaining on my list. I'm ready to just give everyone gift cards.
Those people who requested tickets for the inauguration will be receiving them soon. Dispatch: Ohio members of Congress, besieged with far more requests from constituents wanting to attend President-elect Obama’s swearing in ceremony than numbers of tickets allotted to individual lawmakers, are starting to dole out the prized ducats - or at least decide how..... ....Rep.-elect Mary Jo Kilroy, D-Columbus, is collecting today the list of requests made to the office of outgoing Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Upper Arlington..... ...Kilroy, who will be sworn into her office Jan. 6, about two weeks before the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration, plans to have a public lottery for some of the tickets, but also wants to provide some tickets to Obama campaign volunteers and activists, said Randy Borntrager, who will be Kilroy’s congressional chief of staff.....
It sounds very exciting! I don't remember any previous inaugurations with this much interest. By the way, if you have not already submitted a request for inauguration tickets, you might be out of luck.
*** The Montgomery County Board of Elections will finally look into Jon Husted's residency. If he has a home in the Kettering area, but lives 100% of the time with his family in Upper Arlington, how can he represent the district near Kettering? For further information, check Ohio.com.
It appears that a biracial student at Arcanum-Butler High School has been assaulted and harassed by other students. Dayton Daily News:
The Dillon family awoke Wednesday, Dec. 17, to find a racial epithet scrawled in large red letters across the outside of their home.
The vandalism is the latest in a series of incidents stemming from a confrontation between Andre Dillon, 14, and some upperclassmen Dec. 1 at Arcanum-Butler High School, said Dillon's father, Matt Dillon....
.....The family also says a group of high school boys later stood in their yard and made threatening statements. Racist statements were also written in black marker on the family's car....
According to the article, the FBI is still investigating. Still investigating? Why are they dragging their feet?
What does this kind of racist behavior say about the students and administration at Arcanum-Butler High School? Do they condone racist attacks?
>>> Yesterday was Mary Jo Kilroy's last meeting as a Franklin County Commissioner (Dispatch). Kilroy, a Democrat, will be going to Congress to represent Ohio's 15th congressional district.
>>> Central Ohio is covered with ice this morning. With school closings and delays, it has already been a hectic morning for everyone. Hopefully, the roads will improve in the coming hours.
>>> Britney Spears is going to perform in Columbus, according to the Dispatch:
Tickets, from $39.50 to $125 (in addition to $250 and $500 special packages) go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Schottenstein Center box office and Ticketmaster outlets.....
I want to go on record now---- I will not be attending the concert.
>>> Those Tasers are being used in schools by police/resource officers that patrol schools. 10TV has a story about how Tasers were used in South-Western City School to break up a fight. I've broken up many fights during my years as a teacher in middle schools. I've never seen Tasers used. It is my personal opinion that Tasers do not belong in schools.
* More women have become encouraged to participate in government. Democratandchronicle.com: Although women failed to win the presidency or vice presidency this year, there will be a record number of female lawmakers serving in the 111th Congress and state legislatures across the country..... ....In the 435-member U.S. House, 75 women were elected, an increase of four from the current Congress. The fourth seat was just announced last week when Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy of Ohio was declared winner of what was the longest congressional race of the 2008 political season.....
It looks like Mary Jo Kilroy has played an important role in public opinion. She has shown her toughness and her 'never surrender' attitude.
Electors in Ohio unanimously cast their ballots Monday for Barack Obama for president and his Democratic running mate Joe Biden for vice president.
The 20 votes came at the end of an hour-long ceremony in the Senate chamber at the Ohio Statehouse, the traditional locale of the state's electoral proceedings.....
* Daily Kos is reporting about a huge bribery case involving Siemens:
Siemens, the German engineering giant, agreed Monday to pay a record total of $1.6 billion to American and European authorities to settle charges that it routinely used bribes and slush funds to secure huge public works contracts around the world.
The company also pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington to charges that it violated a 1977 law banning the use of corrupt practices in foreign business dealings....
Siemens, as you may or may not know, is one of those companies that used Jewish slave labor during World War II in Nazi Germany. In 2002, according to a BBC News story, Siemens was trying to trademark the name "Zyklon" for one of its products. After much protest, Siemens dropped the name request. The protests were due to the fact that "Zyklon B" was the gas used to kill millions of people in the Nazi death camps. I'd like to suggest to Siemens that they take a good hard look at their business practices and learn to be more sensitive about what their company does.
* Are you looking for that special Buckeye gear for yourself or family member? You must visit the idcvillage.org to order an Ohio State scarf. To order an Ohio State Block O Scarf, visit the order page here.
* James Laurinaitis has won the 2008 Lott Trophy!!!! Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis last night was named winner of the 2008 Lott Trophy, given to college football's impact player of the year.... ....The award emphasizes integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community and tenacity in a college defender.....
If you've seen Laurinaitis play, you've seen witnessed that "tenacity" on the field. Congratulations!!!!
* With Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy headed to Congress as the Representative for Ohio's 15th congressional district, some people, like the right-leaning Columbus Dispatch, are trying to declare her win as a fluke. In today's Columbus Dispatch, an article tries to examine the reason she won. Frankly, I don't care how she won. I'm glad she did and that is all that matters. Go, Mary Jo!
* It appears that the Republicans are going to try to fight against President-elect Obama's nomination of Eric Holder as Attorney General, according to Law.com. With our country in such a mess, it is sad to see the Republicans planning their strategies on how to bring the new administration to an abrupt halt. We cannot allow this to happen. As Americans, it is our responsibility to encourage our elected officials to work for us and for our country. If and when the Republicans start their gridlock moves, we must all respond with phone calls, e-mails, to discourage this behavior. Our country needs help now and we cannot afford gridlock and the politics of distraction. We must all roll up our sleeves and get our country moving again.
* Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has been hard at work for the state. Strickland has been touring the state on a "listening" campaign to hear ideas from Ohioans on how to reform school funding. The Toledo Blade has a news story about Strickland's recent stop in the Toledo area:
....Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is attempting to reform education funding in the state and inch closer to that better place.
He enlisted the help of the Toledo area yesterday with a "Conversation on Education" at WGTE-TV, which was broadcast live on Channel 30.
The governor explained the funding process for the state's public schools, which repeatedly has been ruled unconstitutional, and then posed questions to the approximately 100-member studio audience and those watching at home about how to fix it.....
Hopefully, Strickland will be able to get something done on this important issue.
* Gov. Strickland has been already seeking the help of President-elect Barack Obama, according to 13abc.com:
Wall Street's having troubles and so is Main Street, particularly in Ohio. Over the next 2-years, Ohio faces a $7-billion budget deficit and that means layoffs and cuts in services.
13abc's Bill Horman talked with Governor Ted Strickland about the budget problems facing the state. He's proposing a 10-percent across the board budget cut for state agencies, but that still leaves a $4-billion deficit. So the governor says he'll turn to the federal government for help....
Gov. Strickland is not sitting back waiting for something to happen. He is tackling the tough issues and looking for help from the President-elect.
> Finally, there is some good news about a company that cares about employees. The Columbus Dispatch:
A company reopening the former Archway cookie plant stunned displaced employees by presenting them with $1,500 Visa gift cards.
Lance, Inc., based in Charlotte, N.C., will begin operations next week at the former Archway plant with a staff of 50 to 70 workers. Nearly 300 employees lost their jobs when Archway filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October.....
....Lance, which makes and distributes cookies, sandwich crackers and other snacks, expected to finish hiring workers by today. It has promised to hire workers at the same rates they were making at Archway -- an average of $14.93 per hour.
It might be a good idea to show Lance, Inc. and Archway that we approve of the way they operate------ go buy some Lance crackers and Archway cookies today!
> It turns out that Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) had pretty much "checked out" of being our member of Congress. According to the Washington Post, since January 4, 2007, Pryce had one of the worst attendance records in Congress: Deborah Pryce has missed 398 votes (21.3%) during the current Congress.....
...As the governor nears the midpoint of his first term, 45 percent of Ohioans say he deserves another four years, 34 percent say he doesn't and 20 percent don't know. When paired against an unnamed Republican candidate, Strickland leads by 20 points.
The Democratic governor's 54-percent approval rating is his worst of the year in the Connecticut university's survey, but not by much; it was 55 percent in June, 56 percent in February. His 2008 high was 61 percent in August....
Two potential Republican challengers to Strickland do not have good prospects as gubernatorial candidates.
....The "haven't heard enough" response for a pair of former congressman is higher: for John R. Kasich of Westerville it's 73 percent, for Rob Portman of Cincinnati it's 80 percent. Of those who have heard enough, Kasich gets a favorable/unfavorable score of 18/8; for Portman it's 12/7....
Other candidates evaluated include Republican Sen. George Voinovich who is up for election in 2010. Voinovich approval rating is only 39% among Republicans. That makes him look very vulnerable to a Democratic challenger.
> The Ohio State Buckeyes are going back to the Fiesta Bowl. Go Buckeyes!
> Oh, no. It is just 15 days until Christmas and I have not purchased one gift. I'm thinking that everyone will get a pretty card and some cash.
> Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy, newly elected member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Ohio's 15th district, had a celebration for her recent victory. Hurray, Mary Jo!
> Last night Republican Mike Huckabee was on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I had to stop watching it. Every single time I see him I am reminded of his story about how he cooked squirrels in his pop corn popper while in college.
With her win in Ohio's 15th congressional district, Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy is getting ready to set up her office and staff as the news member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Dayton Daily News: Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy will have about one month less than the rest of her congressional colleagues to hire a staff, find housing and prepare for the 111th Congress.
And she's perfectly fine with that.....
...With the win, Ohio Democrats will hold 10 congressional seats to eight for Republicans, the first Democratic majority since 1994....
Kilroy will have a lot before her but she will have plenty of help and support from other Democrats and her constituents. Kilroy knows that she represents the people of her district, not the banks, insurance companies, or oil conglomerates. We wish her the best in her new job representing those of us in the 15th.
>>> The Cleveland Plain Dealer has some updates on people, places, and things---- Whatever Happened To finds that a Cuyahoga Valley winery is prospering; that Tom Noe, the disgraced Republican fund-raiser, is back in Ohio serving time in a state cell; and that the Brookpark Road RTA station will be rebuilt in 2010.....
Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy has won her bid for Ohio's 15th congressional district!!!
NBC4i: Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy wins Sunday with unofficial results over Republican Steve Stivers after all of the ballots were counted in the race for the 15th Congressional District....
Now it's official: Mary Jo Kilroy will be going to Washington as the first Democrat to represent any part of Franklin County in Congress in a generation.
Final vote tallies released this evening by the Franklin County Board of Elections show that Kilroy defeated Republican state Sen. Steve Stivers by 2,311 votes, outside of the 0.5 percent margin to trigger a recount.....
.....She ended up with 45.91 percent of the vote compared to 45.15 percent for Stivers.....
I am sure that Mary Jo Kilroy and her legions of devoted supporters are very happy this evening. Congratulations Mary Jo!!!!
About 1,000 disputed ballots that could decide the outcome of a hotly contested central Ohio congressional race won't be counted, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled today.
The state's highest court ordered the Franklin County Board of Elections to throw out about 1,000 provisional ballots cast in the Nov. 4 election that contained flaws such as a lack of a signature and identifying information.....
.....Vote counts have been completed in Madison and Union counties, which lie entirely within the 15th District. The district covers a little more than 40 percent of Franklin County, where 37,298 provisional, late absentee, military and overseas ballots have not been counted.....
The Republican-controlled Ohio Supreme Court sided with the Republican candidates and his supporters. No surprises. Now we look forward to the counting of those 37,298 other ballots. Let us hope Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy can pull out a win!!!!
> Republican Speaker of the Ohio House, Jon Husted, is supposedly working to dig up dirt on this past Ohio election so that he can besmirch the work of Ohio Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat. Husted is ambitious and, rumor has it, wants to run for Ohio Secretary of State. You know, of course, Republicans love being Ohio Secretary of State so they can control which votes they throw out during every election (just like Kenneth Blackwell). In case Husted hasn't noticed, the election in Ohio was good. The only problems arose when the Ohio GOP filed frivolous lawsuits to try to dismantle same day registration-voting and the Stivers provisional ballot suits. By the way, has anyone determined where Husted really lives? Does he reside in that empty house in his "district" or with his family in Upper Arlington? Don't you think that some reporters should do some investigative reports about his residency?
> If you watched the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, you saw the story this evening about how Karen Hughes, Karl Rove, and other Bush loyalists were trying to improve Bush's legacy. As Maddow said, apparently these legacy re-writers haven't heard of "The Google." It is truly idiotic that these people think they can change how Bush's terms will be recorded in history. There are several words that come to mind when I think of the legacy of George W. Bush, and here are a few of them------ failure, recession, unnecessary war, illegal wiretaps, torture, etc. I'm sure you too can think of other words to describe the Bush administration.
> I'd like to send out a special message to the Ohio Supreme Court (just in case they actually read this, which I doubt): Pleeeeeeeeeeease settle the provisional voting issues for the election for Ohio's 15th district. There are 27,000 other votes, besides these 1,000 provisionals, that must be counted for Franklin County.
> The Ohio Republicans are holding up the bonus for military veterans. Is this their way of showing us that they support the troops? People need this money.
> More car dealerships have closed in Ohio. I did see on TV that some car dealership was selling two pick up trucks for the price of one. Even though the dealership took a loss, at least they got some trucks sold.
> Have you heard that Jeb Bush is considering running for Senate after Mel Martinez retires? Aren't we experiencing Bush fatigue? Enough with the Bush family! I want to know if we have to continue to see Billy Bush on TV after "W" leaves office.
President-elect Barack Obama was in Philadelphia meeting with governors, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer:
President-elect Barack Obama opened an unprecedented meeting with 48 governors inside Congress Hall this morning with a promise to to give them a role in creating a multi-billion dollar economic stimulus package that he wants to sign as his first order of business after inauguration next month.
"The partnership we begin here cannot – and will not – end here," Obama said, in brief remarks. "I will not simply ask you to help implement our economic recovery plan. I am asking you to draft and shape that plan. If we listen to our governors, we will not only be doing what is right for our states, we'll be doing what is right for our country."
....Facing huge budget deficits, the nation's governors are seeking extensions of unemployment, Medicaid and food stamps benefits as well as federal money for ready-to-go infrastructure projects in order to help them weather the recession and stimulate the economy.....
Oh, by the way, some panel has just announced that our country is in a recession and has been since December 2007. Apparently, the panel must have been hibernating for the last year!
NBC4i: The decision over whom will become the 15th Congressional District Representative is in the hands of the Ohio Supreme Court, NBC 4 reported.
The court will decide the legal battle over disputed provisional ballots .
The Franklin County Board of Elections will not begin counting the tens of thousands of provisional ballots until the court rules on the case....
>Unfortunately, the vote count for the election for Ohio's 15th congressional district is still not complete. Although the votes have been counted in two rural counties that are part of the district, 27,000 provisional ballots still remain uncounted in the Democratic-leaning Franklin County. Holding it all up has been the lawsuit brought by the Republican candidate, Steve Stivers. Hopefully, the counting will favor Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy.
* President-elect Barack Obama is definitely putting all the ducks in a row in preparation for taking office. Today, Obama made more announcement regarding his economic team. When asked if he felt he had a mandate, he said that the election shows "....the American people want common sense, smart government...." Yes. Yes. Yes.
* We are still waiting to hear about the court decision concerning the 1,000 provisional ballots for the election in Ohio's 15th congressional district.
* We'll be having lots of family here on Thanksgiving. It is my annual cooking extravaganza--- turkey, ravioli, good Italian meatballs, potatoes, and lots of food.
The Dispatch has an update on Ohio's 15th congressional district vote counting: The Franklin County Board of Elections trudged onward yesterday through a pile of questionable ballots with some races still undecided.... ...The votes considered yesterday were separate from the 1,000 or so provisional ballots under scrutiny because people made mistakes such as not printing and signing their names on the ballot envelopes.... ....The provisional ballots can't be counted until a federal appeals ruling expected this week.
I'm sure that Republican candidate, Steve Stivers, will appeal again, if he doesn't get his way. Keep pulling for Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy.
> Does anyone else think that Republican Rep. John Boehner has become irrelevant and out of touch with average Americans? Boehner and his Republican pals continue to push their right wing agenda. Hello, Boehner! We've had 8 years of your party's control and now we have the greatest economic failures since the Great Depression. To Boehner and the rest of the old, crabby GOP---- thanks, but no thanks.
Tomorrow is the Ohio State vs Michigan game here in Columbus, Ohio. It will be an exciting game. It will also be very, very cold. I'll be there wearing scarlet and gray.
* It will be at least another weak until we hear more on the lawsuit filed by the Republican candidate for Ohio's 15th Congressional district. We need to get on with the counting of the 27,000+ provisional votes from Franklin County. Mary Jo Kilroy and those of us who voted for her, demand that votes be counted! Why is Stivers being such an obstructionist? We have work to do in this country and we need to get on with it.
* The state is buzzing about Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland's school funding plan. According to WCMH-TV, Strickland will reveal his new school plans in early 2009.
* Today on the Stephanie Miller Show, Stephanie and the Mooks kept playing the song "Nobody Does It Better" as a tribute to Republican leader, John Boehner. Under Boehner's leadership, Republicans have lost almost 50 seats. Wow. Boehner is good. He should stay as their leader.
The Columbus Dispatch: Franklin County's 27,306 provisional ballots came one step closer to being counted after a federal judge ordered today that 1,000 of them whose validity was questioned should be counted.
However, a challenge to the 1,000 ballots could still put the count on hold until the order can be appealed. U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley said he will decide this evening whether to put his order on hold pending the appeal.
A final count would decide the 15th Congressional District race between Republican Steve Stivers and Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy. Stivers holds a 149-vote lead, according to the Franklin County Board of Elections....
Republican Stivers said he would appeal. Isn't this amazing? Why can't they just count the ballots? Stivers is trying to use legal delays to stop the counting of the votes. Let the Franklin County Board of Elections know that you want all the votes counted now. You can contact the FCBOE at (614) 462-3100.
I find it absolutely incredible that Stivers is doing his part to try to find a "friendly" judge who will allow him to win. We are tired of all these delays-----just count all the votes.
It appears that everyone wants to go to the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. In an article in today's Newark Advocate, members of the U.S. House and Senate have been inundated with requests for inaugural tickets:
...Rep. Zack Space, the Dover Democrat who won a second term to the U.S. House and serves Ohio's 18th District, which includes eastern Licking County, has received more than 600 requests for inaugural tickets, according to spokesman Stuart Chapman.
The office of Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who campaigned for Obama, already has heard from 5,000 people who want 20,000 tickets. The requests have come by phone, e-mail and letters....
It will be a big event and everyone wants to be there to be a part of it.
> A federal judge will render his decision today about some provisional ballots in Ohio's 15th congressional district.
With everyone waiting for the decision on the provisional ballots from the federal court, there were questions about why Republican supporters of Steve Stivers sued over the ballots.
The Columbus Free Press suggests that Matt Damschroeder, Republican, may have provided some insider info on the provisional ballots to the Ohio GOP and the Stivers campaign. Damschroeder, the Deputy Director of the Franklin County Board of Elections, has been at the center of voting problems in the past.
...With the help of Matt Damschroeder, Deputy Director of the Franklin County Board of Elections, the GOP has used a range of insider information to challenge about a thousand provisional ballots cast in heavily Democratic areas of the district. In particular they argue that a minor voter omission on the ballots should disqualify them. If they win that case, Stivers might well take the seat....
....Prior to that (2004) election, while acting as Director of the Franklin County BOE, Damshroeder accepted a $10,000 check from a Diebold representative in his office at the BOE. The board was deciding at the time whether or not to buy Diebold machines.
Damshroeder asked that the check be made out to the Franklin County Republican Party. When the incident surfaced in the media, he apologized for the "impropriety." But the GOP kept the check. And Damshroeder was "punished" with one month's paid leave, even though Democrats could have had him removed....
It is time for Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to remove Damschroeder from his role in the Board of Elections. He has been at the center of too many voting problems.
Please keep hope alive for Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy, candidate for Ohio's 15th.
Next Wednesday, the Montgomery County Ohio Board of Elections will decide where Jon Husted, Republican "big macher" resides. Even though Husted was elected to the Ohio Senate for the 6th district, he and his family enjoy the plush life in Upper Arlington, Ohio. Husted still owns a house in the district he represents, but he doesn't live there. If you are interested in attending the hearing regarding Husted's residency, you may contact the Montgomery County, Ohio Board of Elections for the exact time and place of the hearing:
http://www.mcboe.org 451 W. Third Street P.O. Box 8705 Dayton, Ohio 45481-8705 Phone: (937) 225-5656 Fax: (937) 496-7798 E-mail: mcboe@mcohio.org
Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Husted thinks he is the presumptive Republican candidate for Ohio Secretary of State. I want to know why we all must follow the rules, but Husted gets a free pass. What do you think? Let the Montgomery County Board of Elections hear from you.
The vote count in Ohio's 15th congressional district is on hold while a federal judge studies briefs submitted to him by lawyers for Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy and Republican Steve Stivers. Here are some news articles about the case and the count. The News-Messenger:
A federal judge in Columbus says he’ll decide by Thursday whether to allow disputed provisional ballots to be counted in a tight central Ohio congressional race.... ...An estimated 1,000 ballots are in dispute because of defects such as voters failing to both print and sign their names....
....Provisional ballots are required when voters fail to update their registrations, don't bring adequate ID to the polling place or when their names don't appear in the poll books. The ballots are held a minimum of 10 days and checked for eligibility. Typically, about 83 percent of provisional votes are accepted.
To Republicans acting on behalf of congressional candidate State Sen. Steve Stivers, the law is clear: Provisional ballots that lack a printed name and a signature on the ballot envelopes should be discarded. The GOP wanted the case heard by the Ohio Supreme Court, but Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner not only had a different interpretation of the law but filed successfully to have the case heard in federal court.
Franklin County used ballot envelopes that differ from those used in Madison and Union counties, which also are in the 15th District, where Stivers has a 400-vote lead over Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy. Franklin County requires that voters print their names, while Madison and Union counties have poll workers fill in the voters' names....
Let me repeat that last line----
....while Madison and Union counties have poll workers fill in the voters' names....
Of course, Stivers and his Republicans want to throw out those ballots in Democratic-leaning Franklin County! In Madison and Union Counties, which lean right, the margin of error is reduced because of the manner that the ballots are handled. Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, may file other lawsuits, despite the fact that he pushed through laws in the legislature to reduce nuisance suits.
We need to keep our fingers crossed that Kilroy wins this!
Here is an update about the election for Ohio's 15th congressional district as posted in the Columbus Dispatch:
A federal judge this morning rejected a request to move a dispute about the counting of provisional ballots to the Ohio Supreme Court, ruling that the fight belongs in federal court....
....An order from the federal case previously had said a provisional ballot cannot be rejected because of a poll worker error, and Marbley noted that is one of the elements of the legal fight.
Marbley, appointed to the bench in 1997 by President Clinton, also chided the Stivers’ campaign for going to the all-Republican Ohio Supreme Court first, saying it raises concerns about “impermissible forum shopping.”
It is clear to me that Republican Steve Stivers will do anything to steal this election from Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy. Why is Stivers afraid of counting all the ballots? Is he afraid he might lose? Perhaps Stivers and the Ohio GOP should stop wasting the court's time with these frivolous lawsuits and let the counting continue. By the way, does anyone else think it is ironic that Stivers, who championed lawsuit reform in the Ohio Senate, is now tying up the courts with lawsuits?
They are still counting the ballot for Ohio's 15th congressional district. Here is more from the Zanesville Times Recorder:
....Election workers on Saturday will begin tallying military and overseas absentee ballots in a close U.S. House race that will determine the breakdown of Ohio's congressional delegation.
There are about 27,000 provisional ballots that need to be counted, too.
As it stands now, Republican Steve Stivers of suburban Columbus leads Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy by just 149 votes.....
No wonder Stivers and his crew want to stop the counting now. Go Mary Jo!!!!!!
Just before the general election, Republican Rep. John Boehner started to attack Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. Boehner appealed to President Bush to protect the votes in Ohio. The Republicans even went as far as the U.S. Supreme Court to complain about Brunner and her work to protect Ohio voters.
Because of the vicious attacks by Boehner and Ohio Republicans, Brunner, a Democrat, has had numerous death threats and harassing phone calls. Now Brunner has a security detail protecting her and her family (Coshocton Tribune).
Why would the Republicans raise concerns about a Democrat as the Ohio election chief? The Republicans are desperate to control elections and the counting of ballots in the state. Do you remember how former Ohio Sec. of State Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican, was able to deliver votes for George W. Bush? Now the Republicans have started a complete aggressive campaign to tarnish Brunner's reputation because they want some Republican like Jon Husted to be in charge of elections in Ohio.
Ohio voters need to look at our most recent election and realize that early voting was great and people actually had their votes counted this time. Brunner's hard work protected votes and made voting accessible. Brunner deserves our thanks and admiration.
* The counting goes on for ballots in Ohio's 15th congressional district. According to the Dispatch, there are still 27,306 provisional and 716 absentee ballots that must still be counted. Both Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy and her Republican opponent, Steve Stivers, await the outcome.
* With the possible loss of 8,000 jobs in Wilmington, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland visited the area (NBC4). DHL is pulling out of Wilmington, Ohio, and the area will never be the same.
* One of the amazing things about the Obama-Biden win is the way they communicated with volunteers. I cannot begin to count the number of times I received text messages and e-mails from the campaign. One of the reasons the Republicans lost was their failure and inability to use technology effectively.
> The counting continues for Ohio's 15th congressional district. According to the Kilroy for Congress site, 27,000 provisional and absentee ballots still need to be counted. Cliff Schecter has a great article over at the Huffington Post about why it is important that Kilroy win this race. We might need some of those 10,000 Obama lawyers to straighten out this ballot count.
> Republicans are still confused about why they lost the election. They are still looking for someone to blame. In the meantime, some GOPers are trying to decide what to do to rebuild their party. It might be to their advantage to look at themselves and review some of the things they said on the campaign trail.
> Those people who want to build a casino in Ohio are now looking at the Columbus City Center as a possible location for a casino. The City Center, which was once the place to shop, is now closed. The location and design might prove to be very valuable in their efforts to sell the idea.
> The ballot counting continues for Ohio's 15th congressional district. With only a couple hundred votes between them, Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy, and Republican Steve Stivers, await results. However, there are still paper ballots and absentee ballot yet to be counted. There will most definitely be a recount.
> The Ohio GOP is still stunned. They can't figure out how they lost. Even as I type, they are looking for someone to blame. According to the Toledo Blade, a big shot in the Ohio GOP found someone to blame: .....Last week, Ohio Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine (R., Fairborn), who is also being forced out of the House by term limits, partly blamed the Republicans’ loss of the House on the death of U.S. Rep. Paul Gillmor more than a year ago....
Kevin DeWine has no right to blame anything on the deceased Paul Gillmor. If the Republican Party had a platform, a record of helping the average worker, and had remained free of scandal, it is possible that Ohio voters would have been interested in them. Things change. Voters were looking for change and help. The only thing Republicans were offering was more of the same.
> Meanwhile........ Republican Jon Husted, who just won an election for the State Senate, is enjoying living in Upper Arlington, instead of his "home" district. If the people of his "home" district let him represent them, they are foolish. It might be a good idea for people to start photographing Husted hanging out in Upper Arlington. Husted cannot expect that his run for Ohio Secretary of State to go smoothly if he can't even tell the truth about where he lives.
The Republican Party members are still trying to figure out what happened in Tuesday's election. I can honestly tell them that the reason they lost was because they relied on their party's methods from the 1950's. The Republicans still hold Reagan as their hero. Many young people today have no idea about Reagan. I lived through the Reagan administration and I never liked his administration. The Republicans had campaign offices that worked only certain days and never on the weekends. The Obama campaign and Democrats had volunteers staffing call centers in every county seven days per week.
What message did the Republicans put out there for voters? If the McCain-Palin rallies are an indication of their message, it was intolerance, racism, lies, and a myth about a guy who really wasn't a plumber. People are tired of these old messages and are ready for new direction, new messages, and a better life. The Republicans are just old, white, and full of people still stuck in the past.
I'd like to congratulate all the volunteers that were involved in the Obama campaign. Our work, passion, and determination will provide real change for us and our children. Yes we did!
Once again, the Board of Elections is still counting votes for Ohio's 15th congressional district. Dispatch:
....In the 15th, Republican state Sen. Steve Stivers clung to a 146-vote lead last night over Democratic Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy out of nearly 290,000 votes counted in the district. The 15th covers western Franklin County and all of Madison and Union counties.....
.....Yet to be counted are provisional ballots, which won't be tallied for 10 days; the military and overseas absentee ballots postmarked by the time the polls closed Tuesday and received by Nov. 14; any domestic absentee ballots postmarked by Monday that are received by Nov. 14; as well as any of the estimated 5,000 absentee ballots with errors that voters correct by Nov. 14......
It is indeed a new day. Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States!!!!! I watched Obama last night with tears in my eyes. I thought of that line from Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech.....
".....I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character..."
Barack Obama, as President, will need our help and prayers. Americans voted yesterday for a better tomorrow. We can roll up our sleeves and help get our country back on track.
With less than 24 hours to go before the polls open, people are trying to plan their election day. If you have to work, make sure that your colleagues have voted. If you are able to volunteer to get out the vote, call your local Obama office and ask how you can help. There are plenty of jobs to go around. If you don't have the time, call on your friends and relatives and make sure they've made it to vote.
Things are tightening up in Ohio. Even though McCain has spent enough time in Ohio to qualify for a Buckeye Senior Discount Card, many Ohioans are looking for positive change.
> Ohio's 15th congressional district has Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy running against Republican Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist. Mary Jo Kilroy has lots of supporters, young and old, who have poured their hearts and time into her campaign. Go Mary Jo!!!!! Stivers wants to go to DC and help his friends in the oil companies and banks who have so generously contributed to his campaign.
> Republican John Boehner, leader of his party in the U.S. House of Representatives, called Sen. Barack Obama a "chickensh*t" over the weekend. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Boehner is just plain disgusting.
> Ohio Republicans are taking lots of anti-depressants. They are worried that they may lose 3-4-5, or even 6 congressional districts in Ohio alone. Don't feel sorry for these GOPers. They are the ones that "adjusted" the Ohio votes for their party in 2000 and 2004. Let those Ohio Republicans know that you are tired of their politics--------- VOTE DEMOCRATIC!!!!
It was a beautiful day in Columbus, Ohio! After waiting in line for over two hours, and standing in close quarters with 60,000+ Obama's supporters, I can say that it was worth it. Everyone in the line was friendly and very enthusiastic. Many people brought their children and grandchildren. Young and old alike cheered for Sen. Obama and Michelle Obama, Richard Cordray, Gov. Ted Strickland, Mary Jo Kilroy, and John Glenn. Sen. Obama encouraged people to vote early and volunteer.
Channel 10 has a slide show of pictures from the Obama rally------- HERE!
John McCain has been traveling to every village and city in Ohio. However, McCain just can't get the big crowds to his rallies and has resorted to bringing in school children to his events. As an Ohio taxpayer, I'd like to know if the McCain campaign is paying for the gasoline for the school buses that are bringing the children to his events. Budgets are tight in Ohio and school budgets are even tighter. Some districts have had to do without field trips, camps, and even some teachers in efforts to trim their budgets. John McCain's campaign should have reimbursed these districts for providing audiences for him. I do not like the fact that McCain is using the children for his own political gain.
According to the L.A. Times....."For the second day, McCain's campaign padded his relatively small crowds with schoolchildren -- more than 1,000 in Hanoverton....."
Here is a similar story from the Washington Post about McCain rounding up school children for a rally in Defiance, Ohio: ....." Yesterday, the fire marshal estimated that 6,000 people had attended McCain's event in Defiance, Ohio. But then NBC News learned from a local school district official that 4,000 of those people were children bused in from area schools, including the entire 2,500-student Defiance School District......"
I sincerely hope that the people in these districts and others check to see if McCain paid for the bus gasoline. Ohioans and their children do not deserve this kind of abuse.
___________
This evening our family enjoyed a delicious dinner at The Cheesecake Factory on Polaris Parkway. During dinner, we had a discussion about the presidential election. After dinner, I almost lost my entire dinner when I saw an entire family wearing "McCain-Palin" gear and name tags that read "Joe" for the McCain's pal, Joe the Plumber (not really named "Joe" and not a real plumber). Apparently these people had just left the McCain rally at Nationwide Arena. (I'm soooooo glad I missed it.) Reports say that the arena was less than half filled with supporters.
The original McCain rally was scheduled to begin at 5:00pm, but because of a major fire on the west side of Columbus, McCain and the entire city were involved in a major traffic jam. The rally started later and the lead story was not McCain, but the fire.
Why is McCain wasting his time and money in Ohio? Ohio's citizens have been devastated by Bush's economic policies. McCain promises a near carbon copy of Bush's failed policies. McCain will continue to give huge tax cuts to the rich and regular citizens will get just a small pittance.
It is time for change. Vote Obama. Vote Democratic.
The election isn't even over and already DC lobbyists are excited about the possibility of one of their own joining them. According to Roll Call, some DC lobbyists are coming to Ohio to help Republican candidate for Congress, Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist:
......Republican lobbyist Sam Geduldig of Clark Lytle & Geduldig will camp out in Columbus, Ohio, doing all he can for his party’s White House nominee, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), and for Congressional candidate Steve Stivers, who is vying to hold the 15th district for the GOP now that Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce is retiring.....
Geduldig, a financial services lobbyist, is trying to bring Stivers into the club.
The only thing stopping Stivers from hanging out with lobbyists in DC is your vote. Stop Stivers from joining them. Vote for Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy.
Voters in Kettering, Ohio are concerned that Republican Jon Husted really doesn't live in their district, yet he is running for office to represent them. Several complaints have already been submitted to the Montgomery County Ohio Board of Elections. If you would like to make an inquiry or complaint about Jon Husted's residency status (He is living full time in Upper Arlington, Ohio), please contact the numbers below from the Montgomery Co. Board of Elections:
Address: 451 W. Third Street P.O. Box 8705 Dayton, Ohio 45481-8705
> More trouble for Jon Husted???? The Dayton Daily News has this: A registered Republican in House Speaker Jon Husted's district on Tuesday, Oct. 28, asked the Montgomery County Board of Elections to investigate whether Husted, R-Kettering, lives in his district. The call for an investigation by Regine Elliott of Kettering is in addition to one filed Monday by ProgressOhio.org asking that the board investigate whether Husted is properly registered to vote and a resident of his legislative district.....
How can Husted live in Upper Arlington, Ohio with his family and yet claim to be a resident of Montgomery County?
> Another Republican conviction? You betcha!!! Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska was convicted of 7 felony counts. The San Francisco Chronicle has more about Stevens. What is it with these Republicans? Do they have different ethics than the rest of us? Do you remember Bob Ney and Duke Cunningham?
> Someone within the McCain campaign called Sarah Palin a "whack job" according to a story at AOL News. Is Sarah Palin a little annoying for McCain?
> With the election just one week away, it is fair to ponder whether Democrats could win control of the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate. Term limits have stopped some powerful Republicans from running again. In some areas, Democrats have made some significant inroads in previously Republican strongholds. Also, the Obama-Biden campaign has a presence in all 88 counties and their work will definitely benefit other Democrats. For real change, vote Democratic.
> Swing State Project has the results of a new poll and it looks great for Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy, candidate for Ohio's 15th congressional district:
SurveyUSA (10/25-26, likely voters, 9/19-21 in parens):
Mary Jo Kilroy (D): 47 (47) Steve Stivers (R): 41 (42) Don Eckhart (I): 6 (5) Mark Noble (L): 2 (3) (MoE: ±4%)
...A full 37% of likely voters say that they have already voted, and of that group, Kilroy leads by 54-38. That's an awful lot of ground for Stivers to make up on election day.
No matter what the polls are indicating now, get out there and vote!!!!
I guess if you are a Republican, you can have multiple homes (Re: John McCain has 7 homes.) However, the Republican I am talking about this time is Ohio Speaker of the House Jon Husted. Husted represents the 37th district in the Ohio House but is now running for the Ohio Senate. The Dayton Daily News has raised questions about Husted's residency. If Husted really doesn't live in Kettering, how can he legally represent the district? I think that the people in Husted's current district should start asking questions. How can Husted claim to know about the concerns of the people of Kettering if he is sipping lattes in Upper Arlington?
I think that voters in the 6th district of the Ohio Senate, should start asking themselves why they should vote for Husted. John Doll, the Democratic candidate, actually lives in the district and promises to finish the term. Husted and the Ohio GOP have plans to have Husted run for Ohio Secretary of State. This is one of the reasons that Husted is spending so much time in Columbus and Upper Arlington.
If you happen to be in Upper Arlington, you just might see Jon Husted.
UPDATE: This is from the Columbus Dispatch--- .....Husted says Kettering is his legal residence, though he spends the majority of his time living in Upper Arlington with his family. He came under scrutiny after the Dayton Daily News reported that he and his wife are taking 2.5percent property-tax reductions at both homes. Ohio law only allows for it at one principal residence...... .....A state lawmaker must be a legal resident of the district he or she represents. Ohio election law says "the place where the family of a married person resides shall be considered to be the person's place of residence," unless the spouses have separated.....
The Ohio Election Board is rumored to decide today about Husted's residency. Husted has spread so much acrimony in his dealings with various people within the state government, it would be nice to see him lose this one.
Over the last few years, we've had major gridlock in Washington. Even though the Democrats had a majority, the Republicans continued to use filibusters to block meaningful legislation. Yes, it is time for change.
I'm suggesting that people vote for all Democrats. With an ironclad majority in the House and Senate, a Democratic President would be able to get things done. If a Democratic majority doesn't exist in January, we'll continue to be held hostage to the whims and right wing ideology of people like Boehner, McConnell, Bachmann, Goode, and others.
In Ohio's 15th district, vote for Mary Jo Kilroy for Congress and every Democrat on the ballot. We need to fix things in Washington ASAP.
>> Democratic candidate for Ohio's 15th district, Mary Jo Kilroy, has been getting lots of support from voters and the Democratic Congressional Committee. Recent polls have shown Kilroy slightly ahead of the Republican candidate. The Kilroy campaign has been hitting the Republican's strong ties to banks, given his many years as a bank lobbyist and contributions from BankPac. In these tough economic times, people don't need to send someone to Congress who wants to protect banks.
Kilroy also wants to end the war in Iraq. Her Republican opponent------ not so much. He likes Bush's Iraq war plan which is everlasting war.
> A story on a local TV station got my attention. A reporter was interviewing people and asked if they had made up their minds about their presidential pick. One man said that he had always voted Republican, but this year he can't afford it. He must have checked the Obama tax cut site where he saw how much he'd save with Obama's plan.
> Recent presidential polls have shown Barack Obama ahead in Ohio. As we've seen in the past, we can never underestimate the Republicans' attempts to steal this election. Be vigilant. If you haven't voted yet, make sure that you vote early on election day. Vote for Obama. Vote for change.
> Looks like Bush favorite, Republican Rep. Steve Chabot (OH-1st) is in an extremely tight race. Will Chabot's support of Bush's policies finally end his congressional career?
With the election just a week and a half away, things are hot in Ohio:
In Ohio's 1st District Democrat Steve Driehaus debated Republican Rep. Steve Chabot last night. Here are some highlights from the Cincinnati Enquirer :
"We need to change Washington and in order to do that we need to elect new representatives," Driehaus said...
...On health care: Chabot said he would act to make it easier for small businesses to offer health care to employees: Driehaus called for reform in which people don't rely on emergency rooms for primary care.
"The congressman has been in office for 14 years, have your health-care costs come down?" Driehaus asked. "We need change in Washington, rather than just talking about problems over and over."
Chabot voted against SCHIP (the health care plan for children) and was rewarded with President Bush attending his fundraiser. YouTube has this:
>>> The presidential polls for Ohio have some different results (see below) but in the end, Ohioans are looking for change.
....Quinnipiac University poll, presidential race in Ohio (20 electoral votes) among likely voters.
THE NUMBERS: Barack Obama 52 percent, John McCain 38 percent...
***** A new smear campaign ad from extreme right wing group, Let Freedom Ring, is attacking Sen. Barack Obama over Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. However, it doesn't mention John McCain's campaign employees who've worked as lobbyists for Freddie and Fannie. Why not? (see Wash. Post article)
>>>>> Ohioans are not impressed by the Republicans spending over $150,000 to dress up Sarah Palin. Is it legal to spend campaign money to dress a candidate and her entire family????????
I think Ohioans respect this type of fiscal conservative----- Barack Obama (Daily Kos) who has resoled his shoes:
Barack Obama doesn't need $400 shoes like McCain. Ohioans like Obama because he is ready, willing, and able to handle our economy. Unfortunately, McCain still doesn't understand the economy.
On the October 15 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Bob Grant said: "[W]hat is that flag that Obama's been standing in front of that looks like an American flag, but instead of having the field of 50 stars representing the 50 states, there's a circle?" He then said: "Is the circle the 'O' for Obama? Is that what it is?" Grant later said: "[D]id you notice Obama is not content with just having several American flags, plain old American flags with the 50 states represented by 50 stars? He has the 'O' flag. And that's what that 'O' is. That's what that 'O' is."
John Cole also noted a Townhall commenter who was outraged that Obama would "change" the American flag: "I don't want to hear any looney left comments that they are only decoration. They ARE a modification of the American flag."
Seriously, why are some right wingers so ignorant? Right: Obama in front of the "O" flag, which is actually the Ohio flag and has been since 1902.
With election day just around the corner, things are hopping in Ohio's 15th district. Democratic candidate Mary Jo Kilroy is enjoying very positive and enthusiastic support from voters. Her opponent, Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, is worried about losing support because of two other independent conservative candidates for the congressional seat. In these tough economic times, voters are a little wary of someone like Stivers who has a long history of being a bank lobbyist and his support for predatory lenders. Seriously, if banks are having difficulty, why would a voter support a former bank lobbyist to send to Congress?
Time Magazine had this to say about the election in Ohio's 15th district:
...A key reason for Kilroy's strong showing is a little thing called the global financial crisis. Stivers spent seven years advocating looser bank regulation as a lobbyist for the former Bank One, a longtime corporate powerhouse in Columbus that is now part of banking giant JPMorgan Chase. As recently as last year, that would have been an asset in white-collar Columbus.
But almost as soon as Stivers announced his campaign last November, Kilroy started blasting him for his connections to predatory lenders and the mortgage meltdown. "Kilroy has been coming at him like a ton of bricks for months over this bank lobbyist thing," said James Nash, who covers the race for the Columbus Dispatch.....
***** BIG NEWS!
The Ohio State University is still the largest campus in the U.S.
....University data puts enrollment at Ohio State’s main campus in Columbus at 53,715 students this year, up 2 percent from 52,568 a year ago. That surpassed Arizona State University’s Tempe campus, which has 52,734 students, and the University of Florida’s Gainesville campus, which has 51,413 students.
OSU’s Columbus campus has been ranked the nation’s largest for three consecutive years. Arizona State took the top spot in 2005.
The university also said enrollment at all six of its campuses set a record at 61,568 students – nearly 1,000 more than enrollment in fall 1991, which was the school’s high-water mark for nearly two decades....
Wow!
(The Republicans are worried that a majority of those 53,715 students will vote Democratic.)
There have been a slew of attacks on women by Republicans. It appears that Republican men, especially those running for office or in the media, find it necessary to insult women. Here are some examples:
1. Media Matters has the story information a right wing radio host (KSFO):
On the October 17 broadcast of San Francisco radio station KSFO's The Lee Rodgers Show, Rodgers said: "[Y]ou look at many -- perhaps most -- but many of the women who are professed leaders of the feminist movement in this country, and they're a bunch of hags." He added: "They couldn't get laid in a men's prison, let's be honest about it."
There's more on Rodgers but I'm resisting posting it because I'm trying to keep my blood pressure down.
2. Over at Escahton, Atrios has a video in which McCain says that Palin is ".... a direct counterpoint to the liberal feminist agenda...."
We know what that "liberal feminist agenda" is. McCain and Palin are against equal pay for equal work for women. McCain and Palin believe that even though a woman in a similar job might be more qualified than a man, women should get paid less. For those women out there that are supporting their families, McCain and Palin have just given you a slap in the face. McCain and Palin are also against women being able to decide their own reproductive freedom. They want to come between you and you doctor.
3. Do you remember when Republican candidate for Congress Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, said this about his Democratic opponent, Mary Jo Kilroy? The Columbus Dispatch (8/3/2008):
As he savored a cheeseburger with everything, state Sen. Steve Stivers was asked, "What is Mary Jo Kilroy's Achilles' heel?"
He didn't swallow the answer: "Have you ever met her?"
And then, "Voters want to vote for someone they like."
I've met Kilroy and she is intelligent, friendly, and knowledgeable about the issues. She knows the people of the 15th district and she understands how we've suffered under the miserable failures of the Bush administration. People must like Kilroy and her work because she has been elected to public office many times. Stivers, on the other hand, sounds like an arrogant fool.
The state champion girls volleyball team of Mercy High School in Cincinnati was in the Senate chamber recently to receive a resolution recognizing their accomplishment.
They had gathered around State Sen. Eric Kearney, D-Cincinnati, causing fellow Sen. Steve Stivers, R-Columbus, to comment that Kearney “attracts all the attractive women.”
Reminded that he had just returned from his honeymoon after marrying the former Karen Tabor two weeks earlier, Stivers backpedaled.
“I’m allowed to window shop, just not buy,” he said...
To all the Republicans who have insulted female candidates and all women, remember......
'Never underestimate the power of a woman.' Women are working harder than ever to protect and support their families and communities. Show us some respect.
John McCain doesn't really care about the middle class. With his entire campaign being orchestrated by lobbyists, McCain offers up cardboard figures to the voters. McCain routinely talks about "Joe the Plumber" at his rallies. "Joe the Plumber" is actually Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher from Holland, Ohio. "Joe" is not a licensed plumber, according to the local plumbers union. "Joe" apparently does not like all the publicity he is getting. The Caucus at The New York Times:
....According to public records, Mr. Wurzelbacher has been subject to two liens, each over $1,000, one of which — a personal tax lien — is still outstanding....
"Joe" isn't what he seems. McCain's tax package is not what he claims. It won't take care of the middle class, but he won't tell you that.
If McCain gets elected, his lobbyist campaign staff will be overjoyed. Of course, there would be lots of celebrating at the big oil companies, banks, etc. They will be rolling in the cash with the McCain tax breaks.
It is time to get serious about our country's future. Vote Obama-Biden and support every Democrat running for office. We need change.
It has gotten down right disgusting. The Republican Party has absolutely nothing to offer the American people and so they are left to smears and lies. Now Ohio's Republican U.S. Senator George Voinovich has added to the mess. As if on cue, Voinovich called Sen. Barack Obama a "socialist." We will remember Voinovich's words when he is up for re-election. In the mean time, I'd suggest people call Voinovich's office and tell him how disgusted they are with him.
The Republicans have sold their souls. They have nothing--- no money, no diversity, no vision, no plan for economic recovery. The only thing the GOP can offer is the same old trickle down economics and smears. Shame on the Republicans.
An article in this morning's Columbus Dispatch lets voters know that Republican candidate for Ohio's 15th congressional district, Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, still is hanging onto the Bush economic and tax policies. In a debate on WOSU, Stivers wants to continue the Bush tax cuts which tend to favor the rich. Stivers, who once said that he wanted to bring change in Washington, obviously is still embracing the failed economic policies of the Bush administration. Stivers and his lobbyist friends associated with the banking and oil companies, are anxious to get Stivers elected in order to protect their industries. Can we really afford to send Stivers to Washington, DC given that our state is in such need of economic help?
In my humble opinion, the only real change we can bring is electing Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy for Ohio's 15th congressional district. Kilroy has worked hard for veterans and regular people. Kilroy would be an asset in Washington because she could help get things done if Barack Obama is elected President.
A vote for Stivers is a vote for the same Bush trickle down economics policies which have been disasters for working people. Kilroy represents real change and hope for us.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was in Columbus to support the candidacy of the Democratic candidate for Ohio's 15th district, Mary Jo Kilroy. Ohio.com: ...A group of Ohio women told Pelosi about the challenges they faced in the global economy, as well as their struggles to get affordable health care for themselves and their families.
Pelosi told them Kilroy would fight for priorities such as expanding children's health care and stem cell research and improving college affordability. She said Kilroy's election was crucial because the concerns of the district mirror the concerns of the nation.
"When Mary Jo speaks for this district, she speaks for the concerns of most of the people in America," Pelosi said. "There's no place in America that does not share the concerns that we've heard around this table today."
>>> Big news! President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton will be in central Ohio to support Barack Obama and Democratic candidates, according to the Akron Beacon Journal:
President Clinton ".....will then head to Columbus for a Democratic fundraiser at 8 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel downtown.
Hillary Clinton will have rallies in Youngstown and Delaware on Friday. The first will be at the Beeghly Center at Youngstown State University, One University Plaza in Youngstown. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.
The second will be in the gymnasium of Buckeye Valley Local High School, 901 Coover Road in Delaware. Doors open at 2 p.m., with the program starting at 3 p.m.....
- A recent ad by Republican Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist, claims that Democratic candidate Mary Jo Kilroy has been wrong for years. Mary Jo Kilroy, the Democratic candidate for Ohio's 15th district, has been elected time and time again as Franklin County Commissioner and in the past, to the Columbus School Board. Apparently, Stivers must not be dealing with reality. If voters continue to elect Kilroy to office, they must have a lot of confidence in her work and ethics.
Stivers is relatively new to the political scene. Even though he is new to public office, he has been able to garner big support and PAC money from oil PACs and bank PACs. If elected, how much allegiance will Stivers owe to those oil and bank PAC contributors????? Something tells me, Stivers would be an oil and bank puppet. With his continued strong ties to banks, how could we expect anything less?
Kilroy, on the other hand, has received money from working people. If elected, Kilroy would have to answer to the working people that voted for her.
________________
- Republican candidate for Ohio's 12th district, Rep. Pat Tiberi, has voted against veterans, homeowners, energy independence, and senior citizens. Let me elaborate:
1.> Tiberi voted NO on health care benefits for National Guardsmen, Reservists, and their families (2005: H.R. 1815, Roll No. 221). 2.> Tiberi voted NO on the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008 (2008: H.R. 3221, Roll No. 301, 302, & 303). 3.> Tiberi voted NO to Production of Renewable Engergies (2008: H.R. 2776) and the raising of Vehicle Mileage Standard (2001: H.R. 4, Roll No. 311). 4.> Tiberi voted NO on Affordable Medicare Benefits by voting against negotiating lower drug costs (2007: H.R. 4).
Isn't it time for change in Ohio's 12th district? Democrat David Robinson is the best candidate for Ohio's 12th congressional district.
* In the current issue of the Columbus Monthly, an article called 'The Obama Effect,' has pollsters predicting many Democratic candidates will win election because of the type of voters Obama is attracting. It is true that the typical Obama voter is enthusiastic and anxious for change. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
* A debate between candidates for Ohio's 7th district was very lively. Democrat Sharen Neuhardt and Republican Steve Austria had much to say especially about immigration and the Iraq war. According to the Dispatch, Neuhardt supports a careful withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Austria, on the other hand, appears to support continuing the war in Iraq. In my opinion, Austria seems to support Bush and McCain unending war in Iraq. * President Bill Clinton will be a guest at a fundraiser for the Ohio Democratic Party. Call the ODP for more information at (614) 270-3715.
* Mary Jo Kilroy, Democratic candidate for Ohio's 15th district, has a lot to offer voters. Kilroy would offer a fresh perspective in Washington DC. Mary Jo doesn't have to answer to oil lobbyists or banks (like someone else we know who has received campaign contributions from bank and oil PACs.)
* Ohio's 1st congressional district has a hot race with Democrat Steve Driehaus and Republican Rep. Steve Chabot. I guess if people really want change in Washington, they'll vote for Driehaus. Voters in the first district should be reminded that Chabot was a big supporter of Bush's privatizing social security plan. Imagine what would have happened to the elderly if Bush and Chabot would have won on that issue. What would senior citizens be doing now if their social security had been invested in the stock market? Chabot has been in lock step with President Bush. If citizens in the 1st district really want to break from the Bush agenda and his failed policies, they need to elect Driehaus for Congress.
> Word has it that Ohio Republicans are extremely worried about losing votes in Ohio's 15th congressional district. An article in the Columbus Dispatch indicates that one particular independent candidate could cut into the vote totals for Ohio 15th congressional race. Don Eckhart, an independent, has secured endorsements from anti-reproductive freedom groups. Eckhart's right wing beliefs could pull votes away from former bank lobbyist and Republican, Steve Stivers.
In the last election, Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy lost by just over 1,000 votes. If Stivers loses votes to Eckhart and another Libertarian candidate, Kilroy could win this district.
Call Steve Stivers' office (614) 358-0800 and tell him to stop the smears and lies against Kilroy.
> In my discussion with neighbors and friends, I've noticed that those supporting Obama are highly motivated voters. Many have volunteered, voted early or by absentee ballot, and attended Obama rallies. There is a real enthusiasm for Obama and change.
