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September 2008
McCain supporters kick off bus tour; stop planned in Dayton area
On Wednesday, Oct. 1, The John McCain/Sarah Palin ticket is kicking off its first bus tour through Ohio. Special guests will join the bus throughout.
Here’s the details on Wednesday’s events
OH Victory 2008 Bus Tour Kick-Off Blue Ash Bicentennial Veterans Memorial Park
Corner of Hunt and Cooper Roads Blue Ash, OH
With Special Guests: Anthony Munoz Hall of Famer Cincinnati Bengal, Sam Wyche Former Cincinnati Bengal Head Coach, led the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII Jo Ann Davison Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee, Betty Montgomery Former Ohio Attorney General and Chairwoman of Ohio Women for McCain.
Meet & Greet at the Montgomery County Victory Center 526 Miamisburg-Centerville Rd. Dayton
Refreshments will be provided
With Special Guests: Anthony Munoz Hall of Famer Cincinnati Bengal, Jo Ann Davison Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee, Betty Montgomery Former Ohio Attorney General and Chairwoman of OH Women for McCain Congressman Steve Chabot Congressman from Ohio’s 1st District.
RSVPs are requested but not required. Please call (614) 441-8622 or email ohio@johnmccain.com to RSVP for one of these events.
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TweetWho do you blame for bailout failure?
The U.S. House’s rejection of a $700 billion financial bailout plan on Monday, Sept. 29, had Republicans and Democrats shaking their fingers at each other and so far floundering around in an attempt to find a solution to the turmoil that has gripped the economy.
The House vote was 205 for and 228 against. It’s now possible that the House will take up a proposal again on Thursday, Oct. 2. There appears to be enough support in the U.S. Senate to pass a bailout plan but that wouldn’t make much difference if the House isn’t ready to give its OK.
Here’s your chance to assign blame for the House’s failure to act.
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TweetNew poll: McCain, Obama deadlocked in Ohio
The presidential debate didn’t do anything to break the deadlock between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama in the race for Ohio’s 20 electoral votes.
A new Rasmussen Reports poll released on Monday, Sept. 29, showed McCain leading 48-47 percent among likely voters, a virtual tie. A similar poll in the middle of last week found McCain ahead 47-46 percent. The debate was on Friday, Sept. 26.
A week ago, McCain led 50-46 percent. Fifty five percent of likely voters have a favorable opinion of McCain; 52 percent have that opinion of Obama.
For more on the poll, click here.
The poll was conducted on Sunday, Sept. 28, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
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TweetBig donations roll into AG’s race
Democrat Rich Cordray and Republican Mike Crites are both getting big checks from individual contributors willing to back their campaigns to become Ohio attorney general, according to a study by Ohio Citizen Action on Monday, Sept. 29.
Between Jan. 1, 2007 and Aug. 31, 2008, the average individual contribution to Cordray was $703, compared with $975 for Crites, the study said. Of the 1,207 individual contributions to Cordray, only 187 were for $50 or less. Crites, who started fund-raising Aug. 11, received seven contributions of $50 or less out of 42 contributions from individuals.
At the other end of the spectrum, Cordray received 38 contributions from individuals of $5,000 or more, Crites received three contributions of $5,000 or more, and Owens received one.
Cordray, who is state treasurer, has raised $1.9 million while Crites has raised $88,561 between Jan. 1, 2007 and Aug. 31, 2008. Independent candidate Robert Owens received $20,140 in contributions.
To put this in context, Ohio Citizen Action contrasted it with other races. The Center for Responsive Politics found that Democrat Barack Obama raised half of his money in contributions of $200 or less while McCain raised a third of his from smaller contributions.
And the average contribution from individual donors to all Ohio candidates for statewide and legislative offices for the same time period was $293, Ohio Citizen Action found.
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TweetMcCain vows to clean up Wall Street “corruption”
BEXLEY - With Washington gripped by uncertainty over a proposed $700 billion bailout plan, Republican John McCain on Monday, Sept. 29, pledged as president to clean up the greed on Wall Street that led the nation into the current financial crisis.
“A vote for me will guarantee that the forces that have brought down our economy will be out of business,” he told a cheering crowd estimated at 9,000 at Capital University’s Capital Center. “I will end the corrupt practices on Wall Street and the back room deals in Washington DC. I will hold accountable those responsible for the oversight and protection of consumers, taxpayers and homeowners.”
McCain spoke before the House rejected the bailout plan.
McCain dismissed his Democratic opponent Barack Obama, as he had in their debate Friday, Sept. 26
“You see, when it comes to growing the economy and protecting you from the corruption of Wall Street and Washington, Senator Obama just doesn’t get it,” McCain said.
McCain was accompanied by his wife Cindy and his vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin, who was cheered wildly when she introduced McCain. Palin’s daughter Willow was with the group.
“Americans are tired of the old politics usual. That’s why we need to take the maverick of the Senate and put him in the house, the White House,” said Palin.
Palin was a big hit with the crowd.
“I love her,” said Sharon Wilson, a retired Columbus police officer from Grove City.
“She’s just like I am, a regular person,” said Wilson, 59.
Palin was a big hit with the crowd.
“I love her,” said Sharon Wilson, a retired Columbus police officer from Grove City.
“She’s just like I am, a regular person,” said Wilson, 59.
Groups opposed to McCain also were mobilized.
“John McCain has no clue about working families in Columbus,” Jennifer Farmer, spokeswoman for the Service Employees International Union, said in a press release.
With the widespread belief that the American financial markets are in crisis, and skyrocketing oil prices as a backdrop, several groups today declared that “enough-is-enough”. Following the September 26 debates, the groups, consisting of the Ohio Sierra Club, Progress Ohio, Ohio AFL-CIO and SEIU District 1199, remain convinced that McCain is “out-of-touch” with the issues facing working people. The groups were at Capital University today, offering McCain a textbook lesson on the impact of deregulation in the banking industry on working people in the heartland.
“John McCain has no clue about working families in Columbus” said Jennifer Farmer, Communications Director for the Service Employees International Union.
She and others in the Sierra Club and the Ohio AFL-CIO said McCain has sided with “big oil” and supported deregulating banking.
“We can’t afford another president who sides with Big Oil instead of American consumers,” Teresa McHugh of the Sierra Club said in the release.
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TweetDems highlight economic woes
Ohio Democrats released a study Monday, Sept. 29, that lays out economic hardship and job losses over the last eight years and places the blame on Republicans in Washington.
Since 2001, 1,087 factories and companies in Ohio have closed or had big layoffs, costing 180,264 jobs, or an average of 61 jobs lost each day for eight years, the report said. The study, titled Eight Years of Economic Paint, 2001-08, found that 83 of 88 counties have seen at least one company shutdown or layoff.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Youngstown, and Ohio AFL-CIO President Joe Rugola were expected to talk about the report during a 2 p.m. press call. They said in a press release that Republican John McCain has a 25-year track record of voting against working families while Democrat Barack Obama will be a “true friend” to workers.
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TweetFans arrive early for McCain-Palin rally
BEXLEY - Doors opened at 9 a.m., Sept. 29, for the McCain-Palin rally at Capital University in Bexley and the hundreds of people already lined up outside the Capital Center began streaming in.
Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, began warming up the crowd about 10:50 a.m. He got the biggest response when he asked what they thought of Sarah Palin, John McCain’s vice presidential running mate.
“Sarah, Sarah,” the crowd began chanting.
By 11:50 a.m, Doug Preisse, chairman of the Franklin County Republican Party, said the crowd had swelled to about 7,000 and the fire marshal had instructed official to not let in more people.
Michael Monnin, 46, originally from Dayton, was an early arrival. Monnin, currently unemployed, said he’s “moderately supportive” of McCain and Palin.
“Pro-life would be the big key,” said Monnin, who now lives in Pataskala, east of Columbus. He’s concerned, however, that sometimes McCain compromises too much.
“Don’t betray your DNA,” Monnin advised the Arizona senator. He would have liked to have seen economist Alan Keyes, former Secretary of State Colin Powell or former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson on the ticket.
Sharon Wilson, 59, a retired Columbus police officer, had no reservations.
“I’m a big supporter of John McCain,” said Wilson. “I like the fact that he fought for his country.”
Palin made the ticket even better.
“I love her,” said Wilson. “She’s just like I am, a regular person.”
Chris Christian, 17, of Circleville also got to the rally early, even though he won’t turn 18 in time to vote. He said McCain is the only candidate who can protect the country.
McCain and Palin were expected to speak about noon. It’s McCain’s first Ohio appearance since his debate on Friday, Sept. 26, with Democrat Barack Obama. Palin is to debate Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday, Oct. 2.
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TweetFormer Ohio congressman plays Obama for McCain’s debate prep
In preparation for Friday’s presidential debate in Mississippi, former Ohio Congressman Rob Portman (below) portrayed Barack Obama in John McCain’s practice.
According to the Associated Press, a campaign spokesman says Portman spent hours helping his fellow Republican practice a head-to-head meeting with his Democratic rival.
This isn’t the first time Portman has served as the Democratic practice partner for a Republican presidential candidate. In 2000, he was Al Gore during George W. Bush’s debate preparation.
He also played Joe Lieberman and John Edwards for Dick Cheney’s debates in 2000 and 2004.
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TweetUD persusasion expert gives debate edge to McCain
In presidential debates, what counts is not just what the candidates say but how they say it.
Randy Sparks, a persuasion expert at the University of Dayton, gave Republican John McCain a slight edge over Democrat Barack Obama in the second category in their debate on Friday, Sept. 26.
McCain over and over made the same point, simply and clearly, that Obama does not understand the complex issues facing a president, said Sparks, associate professor of marketing.
“The cumulative effect of that is kind of like a boxer throwing a jab at his opponent…the cumulative effect over the course of time can be significant,” said Sparks.
On the other side, Obama often began his sentences with a long, drawn out “and” before getting to his main point in a rapid cadence. Debaters should make sure their main point comes across in “bold face,” said Sparks.
“McCain, I thought, did a better job of branding himself than Obama,” said Sparks.
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TweetStrickland, Taylor disagree on debate winner
Everybody in politics probably has an opinion on the first presidential debate between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama on Friday, Sept. 26.
In Ohio, Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland and Republican Auditor Mary Taylor came out firing on behalf of their candidates soon after the debate was over. Here’s what each had to say in prepared statements:
Strickland:
“Barack Obama made clear tonight that he is ready to be Commander in Chief and lead this nation through perilous times at home and abroad.
“He demonstrated the judgment and the resolve we need to keep America safe while managing the economic crisis we face.
“If there was any question remaining, John McCain made it official—a McCain-Palin administration would be nothing more than a continuation of the failed Bush policies that have devastated Ohio and our nation.”
Now for Taylor:
“Tonight, families throughout Ohio and across the country saw the clear reasons why John McCain is the right leader to protect our country and grow our economy.
“In an increasingly difficult time, America needs the judgment and experience of a man who has always put his country first. That is what has defined John McCain’s life, and that is what will define his presidency.”
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TweetWho won the presidential debate?
Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama spent an hour and half debating the financial crisis and foreign affairs on Friday, Sept. 26.
What voters think of their performances could have a big impact on which candidate becomes the next president.
Here’s your chance to give your opinion on who won. [an error occurred while processing this directive]
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TweetIt’s not a bird, it’s Air Obama
Democrat Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is going to be flying high at Ohio’s State’s football game with Minnesota on Saturday, Sept. 27.
During pre-game activities at Ohio Stadium, Obama’s campaign will take to the air in a small plane trailing information about the start of early voting in Ohio on Tuesday, Sept. 30, the campaign announced.
The plane’s banner will urge Obama-Biden supporters to visit:
www.VoteForChange.com http://www.VoteForChange.com
or call 877-OH-EARLY for more information.
Obama-Biden volunteers will be working the tailgate parties and bars around the stadium with early voting material.
The volunteers won’t tell anybody, but McCain-Palin supporters also can vote early.
No word yet on whether Joe Biden, Obama’s vice presidential running mate, will try to help out. Biden might not be welcome. He promised fans back in his home state of Delaware that their football team would kick the behinds of the Buckeyes.
The deadline to register to vote in Ohio is October 6th, and Ohioans can begin voting in-person on September 30th at county boards of election.
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TweetMcCain, Palin to rally in Columbus on Monday
Republican presidential candidate John McCain and Sarah Palin, his vice presidential running mate will hold a rally in the Columbus suburb of Bexley on Monday, Sept. 29.
The rally will be at the Capital Center at Capital University at the corner of Main and Pleasant Ridge.
Doors open at 9 a.m.
Ticket information from the McCain-Palin campaign is listed below.
Ticket Locations
McCain Headquarters 240 N Fifth St, Suite 340 Columbus, OH 43215 Hours: Friday 8am-8pm Saturday 10am-6pm Sunday 12pm-6pm
Please click here to reserve a ticket at this location http://www.johnmccain.com/ste/eventrsvp.aspx?guid=66ed1ef7-2668-42f1-8777-1df37afe58a8
Ohio Republican Party 211 N Fifth St Columbus, OH 43215 Hours: Friday 9am-9pm Saturday 10am-6pm Sunday 12pm-6pm Please click here to reserve a ticket at this location http://www.johnmccain.com/ste/eventrsvp.aspx?guid=66ed1ef7-2668-42f1-8777-1df37afe58a8
Franklin County GOP 14 E Gay St Columbus, OH 43215 Hours: Friday 9am-9pm Saturday 10am-6pm Sunday 12pm-6pm Please click here to reserve a ticket at this location http://www.johnmccain.com/ste/eventrsvp.aspx?guid=66ed1ef7-2668-42f1-8777-1df37afe58a8
Delaware County Victory Center 6011 Columbus Pike Lewis Center, OH 43035 Hours: Friday 9am-9pm Saturday 10am-6pm Sunday 12pm-6pm Please click here to reserve a ticket at this location http://www.johnmccain.com/ste/eventrsvp.aspx?guid=66ed1ef7-2668-42f1-8777-1df37afe58a8
Fairfield County Victory Center 118 E Main St Lancaster, OH 43130 Hours: Friday 9am-9pm Saturday 10am-6pm Sunday 12pm-6pm Please click here to reserve a ticket at this location http://www.johnmccain.com/ste/eventrsvp.aspx?guid=66ed1ef7-2668-42f1-8777-1df37afe58a8
Licking County Victory Center 1006 Hebron Rd, Suite B Heath, OH 43056 Hours: Friday 9am-9pm Saturday 10am-6pm Sunday 12pm-6pm Please click here to reserve a ticket at this location http://www.johnmccain.com/ste/eventrsvp.aspx?guid=66ed1ef7-2668-42f1-8777-1df37afe58a8
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TweetWhat question would you ask McCain and Obama?
Now that tonight’s presidential debate in Mississippi is officially on, all we can do is hope Jim Lehrer asks some good, hard-hitting questions.
With the economy, gas prices, war and so many other issues on voters’ minds, what’s the one question you would ask John McCain and Barack Obama if you were the debate moderator?
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TweetMcCain slips in new Ohio poll
The race for president in Ohio now is a tossup between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain in a new Rasmussen Reports poll.
The survey, released Thursday, Sept. 25, shows McCain leading 47-46 percent. That’s a drop of 3 percentage points for McCain since Sunday night, Sept. 21, when he led 50-46 percent.
During the past month in four previous surveys, McCain has had leads ranging from 3 to 7 percentage points. In four previous surveys conducted over the past month, McCain has held an advantage ranging from three to seven points.
The survey was taken on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
For the full poll, click here.
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TweetPresident Bush slated to speak in Cincinnati
President Bush is scheduled to speak in Cincinnati on Monday, Oct. 6, in what could be his last visit to the city and perhaps Ohio as president.
Bush is listed as speaker on the program for “The Presidency and the Courts”, a one-day conference sponsored by the Cincinnati Chapter of the Federalist Society in conjunction with the Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs.
The event is at the downtown Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza. Former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese also is listed as a speaker.
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TweetShould McCain and Obama debate?
Will Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain hold their scheduled presidential debate tonight, Sept. 26, at the University of Mississippi in Oxford?
Obama said he plans to be there but McCain says he has put his plans on hold pending negotiations on a federal bailout to resolve the Wall Street financial crisis.
Here’s your chance to join the debate on whether there should be a debate.
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TweetCasino issue certified for ballot
It’s official.
Ohio voters will vote Nov. 4 on a proposed constitutional amendment to permit construction of a $600 million resort gambling casino in Clinton County near Wilmington.
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner announced on Thursday, Sept. 25, that backers of the casino submitted enough valid signatures from registered voters to qualify for the ballot.
Her office said the petitions contained 480,003 valid signatures, more than the required 402,275 valid signatures needed statewide to qualify for the ballot. The required 402,275 equals 10 percent of the ballots cast in the 2006 gubernatorial election.
Also, backers submitted signatures equaling at least 5 percent of the ballots cast for governor in 2006 in 44 counties, another requirement.
The backers met that threshold in 77 counties.
Brunner also denied a protest that had been filed against the issue by Andrew D. Bowers, based on the recommendation of hearing examiner Karl Schneider.
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TweetLocal McCain supporters needed to help with weekend canvassing
The John McCain campaign is heading out across Ohio this weekend and they’re looking for supporters to help knock on doors. If you’re interested, here’s the details of where to go.
Butler County Staging Point- Victory HQ 5964 Golf Club Lane Hamilton, OH Saturday- 12PM Sunday-12PM 513-893-5292 Daniel Alfaro Alfaro@ohiogop.org
Greene County Staging Point- Victory HQ 3317 SeaJay Drive Beavercreek, OH Saturday- 10AM Sunday- 10AM Rob Lagergren Lagergren@ohiogop.org
Montgomery County Staging Point- Miamisburg High School Belvo Road Miamisburg, OH Saturday- 9:30AM/1:30PM 937-528-7888 Jeff Yount Yount@ohiogop.org
Warren County Staging Point- Victory HQ 30 West Main St. Lebanon, OH Saturday/Sunday- 10AM Barbara Franco Franco@ohiogop.org
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TweetSarah Palin carved into cornfield near Toledo
People flying in planes near Toledo may be shocked to see Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin carved into a cornfield in Whitehouse.
You can see the corn maze here
Duke Wheeler told the Associated Press that Palin created excitement in the election and he hopes she generates some for his annual corn maze.
He says it took an Idaho artist at least 8 hours to mow down corn stalks in a Palin pattern, complete with her familiar updo hairstyle and eyeglasses.
For more information, visit www.whitehousecornmaze.com
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TweetCarole King stumps for Obama
Singer songwriter Carole King continued her tour through Ohio, singing the praises of Sen. Barack Obama and encouraging like-minded liberals to talk their neighbors into supporting the Democrat for president.
“We are in a real crisis and we are headed for a cliff,” King told about 100 supporters at Urban Coffee in suburban Columbus on Thursday, Sept. 25. “When you’re headed for a cliff, what do you do? You change direction.”
King, 66, connected with the mostly Baby Boomer female crowd by asking for their thoughts and ideas.
While one woman urged supporters to volunteer for Obama because said they won’t want to be singing King’s “It’s Too Late” after the election. King seized on that thought and said she had another song, and led them in a chorus of “You’ve Got a Friend.”
To hear more, listen to a short interview with King by clicking here.
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TweetFaith leaders speak out on payday lending, casino proposals
Faith leaders who say their churches include a majority of Ohio voters joined together on Thursday, Sept. 25, to speak out on two statewide ballot issues.
They urged a “yes” vote on Issue 5 to keep a new state law that would reduce the maximum annual interest rate for payday lending from 391 percent to 28 percent and a “no” vote on Issue 6 which would amend the Ohio Constitution to permit construction of a $600 million resort gambling casino in Clinton County near Wilmington.
The Rev. John Edgar, pastor of the United Methodist Church for All People in Columbus, said their opponents on both issues are motivated by the same greed that has caused the current national financial crisis on Wall Street.
“What is wrong on Wall Street is worse on Main Street,” Edgar said. The Ohio Council of Churches, the Episcopal Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Vineyard Church of Columbus also were represented at a press conference.
A block away from the faith leaders press conference at the downtown Trinity Episcopal Church, supporters of the effort to repeal the payday lending interest limit said the law is an example of “Big Brother” government intruding into Ohioans’ lives and personal choices.
Also, Rick Lertzman, a backer of the casino plan, said the issue is not morality, but economic. The casinoplan will create 6,000 jobs that can’t be outsourced. “We’re not sending anything off to China,” Lertzman said.
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TweetNew study defines “swing voters”
The Democratic Leadership Council, the think tank for Democrats who like to consider themselves moderate, has a new study that defines “swing voters.”
The study, released on Thursday, Sept. 25, finds that white men and women with at least a high school education but no college degree swing the outcome of a general election by “an astonishing average of 6.7 percentage points between elections that Democrats win or lose.”
A typical female voter in this group is likely between 30 and 59 years old, married with no children at home, a Republican or independent, moderate or conservative, not a union member, pro-life and supports smaller government. She’s likely to live in the South and in a suburb.
A typical male voter in the group has many of the same characteristics but is likely to live in a suburb or small town in the Midwest or South.
The study says that how well Democrat Barack Obama does with these voters is the key to putting him in the White House. What it doesn’t say - but what’s probably equally true - is that if Republican John McCain does very well with these voters, McCain will end up in the White House.
For the full study, click here.
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TweetBrown responds to Bush speech on financial crisis
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (pictured), D-Ohio, responded quickly to President Bush’s speech on the financial crisis on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
Here’s Brown’s prepared statement:
“I have heard from more than 7,000 Ohioans on this issue. It was clearly time for the president to address the nation. Now, more than ever, Americans need to hear from our leaders. Middle class families have played by the rules and paid their taxes. They don’t want us to give a blank check to the administration.
“I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find a way to address this economic crisis in a way that benefits Main Street, not wealthy Wall Street executives. Our efforts will only be hindered by injecting presidential politics into the process.”
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TweetHere’s what Obama and McCain agreed on
Here’s a transcript of the joint statement that Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain agreed on in the wake of the continuing financial crisis and Congress’ effort to agree on a bailout plan:
“The American people are facing a moment of economic crisis. No matter how this began, we all have a responsibility to work through it and restore confidence in our economy. The jobs, savings, and prosperity of the American people are at stake.
“Now is a time to come together - Democrats and Republicans - in a spirit of cooperation for the sake of the American people. The plan that has been submitted to Congress by the Bush Administration is flawed, but the effort to protect the American economy must not fail.
“This is a time to rise above politics for the good of the country. We cannot risk an economic catastrophe. Now is our chance to come together to prove that Washington is once again capable of leading this country.”
Obama also issued these principles which he asked McCain to join him in supporting:
“I believe that several core principles should guide this legislation.
“First, there must be oversight. We should not hand over a blank check to the discretion of one man. We support an independent, bipartisan board to ensure accountability and complete transparency.
“Second, we need to protect taxpayers. There should be a path for taxpayers to recover their money, and to turn a profit if Wall Street prospers.
“Third, no Wall Street executive should profit from taxpayer dollars. This plan cannot be a welfare program for CEOs whose greed and irresponsibility has contributed to this crisis.
“Fourth, we must help families who are struggling to stay in their homes. We cannot bail out Wall Street without helping millions of families facing foreclosure on Main Street.
“Fifth, we both agree that this financial rescue package should move on its own without any earmarks or other measures. We have different views about the need for other action, but this must be a clean bill.
“This is a time to rise above politics for the good of the country. We cannot risk an economic catastrophe. This is not a Democratic problem or a Republican problem - this is an American problem. Now, we must find an American solution.”
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TweetHouse passes massive appropriations bill; Region garners at least $56.1 million
The House Wednesday, Sept. 24, passed a massive continuing appropriations bill that included a handful of earmarks for the region’s military installations.
Here’s what we know about so far:
$3 million for a Homeland Emergency Learning and Preparedness Center at Wright State University. The Calamityville Tactical Laboratory Project will provide disaster response training for both the civilian and military medical communities.
$13.9 million for a new Ohio National Guard Combat Communications Complex at the Springfield Air National Guard Base.
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TweetMcCain suspending campaign to deal with financial crisis
Republican presidential nominee John McCain said Wednesday, Sept. 24, that he’s suspending his campaign to return to Washington to deal with the nation’s financial crisis. He also said he wants to delay Friday’s scheduled debate with Democrat Barack Obama. McCain is also suspending advertising and fundraising, according to his campaign.
According to the Associated Press, both candidates held private talks about joining forces to address the Wall Street meltdown. The Obama campaign said they initiated the talks, but McCain made the first public statement calling for the two to rise above politics to deal with the crisis.
UPDATE: This is from Obama’s campaign:
“At 8:30 this morning, Senator Obama called Senator McCain to ask him if he would join in issuing a joint statement outlining their shared principles and conditions for the Treasury proposal and urging Congress and the White House to act in a bipartisan manner to pass such a proposal. At 2:30 this afternoon, Senator McCain returned Senator Obama’s call and agreed to join him in issuing such a statement. The two campaigns are currently working together on the details.”
UPDATE TWO: Obama, in a press conference, said he does not want to delay the debate. “It’s my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess.”
What do you think of this decision?
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TweetGOP launches “Biden Gaffe Clock”
While Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin continues to mostly avoid the news media, her Democratic counterpart Joe Biden can’t stay away from microphones.
Sometimes, to put it kindly, Biden, a U.S. senator from Delaware, stumbles. For example, last week in Maumee Biden said “we’re not supporting clean coal” and “no coal plants here in America.”
Biden’s boss, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, has made developing clean coal technology a key part of his energy plan, Biden notwithstanding.
Republicans have taken note of this and other fumbles and on Wednesday, Sept. 24, launched a new Web site, “The Joe Biden Gaffe Clock.”
Just to pile it on a little more, the McCain-Palin campaign also has introduced a new Web ad, “The Coal Miner”, to make sure voters know Obama and Biden don’t always seem to be singing from the same page. You can see it below but get ready for the Democrats - surely they’ll come up with their own political adventure - “Where’s Sarah?”
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TweetNeuhardt accuses Austria of low blow; Austria accuses Neuhardt of lousy judgment
Sharen Neuhardt’s congressional campaign Wednesday, Sept. 24, accused opponent state Sen. Steve Austria’s campaign of smearing the Rwandan refugee that lives with Neuhardt and her husband just outside of Yellow Springs in an effort for political gain.
“Steve Austria knows his campaign is desperate and he will do or say anything to get elected, including cowardly personal attacks. He’s stooped so low as to attack Sharen’s family for standing up and doing what’s right,” said Jessica Kershaw, spokeswoman for the Neuhardt Campaign. “Austria’s errand boys pushed this cowardly attack and in doing so are attempting to make a victim of the Rwandan tragedy a victim again.”
Ishema Umuhoza, 26, a University of Dayton graduate, fled the Rwandan genocide at 11 years old. He came to the United States when he was 15. His first application for political asylum was denied - as was its appeal - without his knowledge, and the Neuhardts are working to get asylum for him.
In a story in the Dayton Daily News Wednesday, Sept. 24, Austria’s campaign manager said the campaign was reserving judgment on the issue, but said “harboring an illegal immigrant with a criminal record is a serious matter.” He was referring to four traffic violations as well as a recent citation for disorderly conduct in Yellow Springs after a couple reported seeing a man, apparently intoxicated, lying in the street.
Umuhoza has also been picked up twice before for public intoxication and currently has an active warrant in Dayton Municipal Court for one of those arrests, which occurred in 2006.
In an interview Tuesday, Neuhardt said Umuhoza was like a son, and described him as a wonderful young man who worked his way through school, but who remains naive about the U.S. legal system. She expressed outrage that he had become a campaign issue.
“This smear attempt is telling of Steve Austria’s true character,” Kershaw said.
Austria, a Republican, and Neuhardt, a Democrat, are running for the 7th Congressional District.
UPDATE: Here’s Brad Mascho, Austria’s campaign manager:
“As the facts of this year’s long case come to light, there are many concerns about the poor judgment of attorney Sharen Neuhardt. It appears she is knowingly willing to ignore the law and court records. As a sworn officer of the court, any allegation that Sharen Neuhardt harbored an illegal immigrant for several years is a serious matter. Questions about attorney Sharen Neuhardt’s involvement in his past and the providing of safe harbor to a person with active warrants deserve answers and more thorough scrutiny from the appropriate officials.”
“Our campaign learned of Sharen Neuhardt’s involvement harboring an illegal immigrant from the Dayton Daily News. Now it appears Sharen Neuhardt is attempting to divert attention from her own misdeeds by playing politics with the very important issue of illegal immigration.”
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TweetMcCain, Obama tied in new Ohio poll
Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are tied among registered voters in a new Ohio presidential poll.
A new InsiderAdvantage/Poll Position survey released on Wednesday, Sept. 24, showed each candidate with 46 percent, with 7 percent undecided and 1 percent supporting “other.”
The poll found McCain slipping from a poll released on Sept. 11 among several voter groups.
Among voters who identified themselves as “independents”, McCain’s advantage went from 51-34 percent in the earlier survey to 49-42 percent in the new one.
The survey was conducted on Monday, Sept. 22, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. For more on this poll, click here.
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TweetBiden to deliver major foreign policy speech in Cincinnati
Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden, who’s also chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will deliver what the Obama-Biden campaign is calling a “major foreign policy address” on Wednesday, Sept. 24, in Cincinnati.
The speech comes just two days before Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain face off in the first presidential debate on Friday, Sept. 26, at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. The debate is to focus on foreign policy.
Attendance at Biden’s speech is by invitation.
Biden (pictured) will “assert that, as president, John McCain would likely repeat the worst excesses of the Bush administration’s foreign policy, leading an ineffectual war against al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan and an endless war in Iraq, while ignoring many of the rising threats of the 21st century,” the Obama-Biden campaign said on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
The speech is expected to start at 11 a.m . and will be streamed live online at www.barackobama.com/live.
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TweetPayday lending ballot issue falls short of signatures
Backers of a referendum on Ohio’s new law limiting payday lending interest rates have fallen short of the number of valid signatures needed to get the issue on the Nov. 4 ballot, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner announced on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
Supporters of the ballot issue now have 10 days to submit additional signatures.
Brunner said that petitions to get the issue on the ballot had 185,729 valid signatures, short of the 241,366 required. That represents 6 percent of the votes cast in the 2006 governor’s race.
The backers fell short on a second requirement, also. They needed signatures equaling 3 percent of the ballots cast in the 2006 governor’s race in at least 44 counties. They met the 3 percent threshold in 33 counties.
A “yes” vote on the ballot issue would limit lenders to the new 28 percent interest cap while a “no” vote would allow lenders to keep the current 391 percent cap.
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TweetEye on Ohio: ‘Obama Destination ad’
By William Hershey
Dayton Daily News
THE AD: “Destination,” a 30-second TV ad
PRODUCER: Barack Obama campaign
WHERE TO SEE IT: National cable; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lYjyWlL5lo
SCRIPT:
Barack Obama: I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message.
Announcer: Bermuda. It’s more than just a vacation destination for John McCain. McCain went to Bermuda and while he was there pledged to protect tax breaks for American corporations that hid their profits offshore. And grateful insurance executives and their lobbyists who benefit from the tax scheme, gave McCain $50,000. John McCain. He took a vacation, and so much more. And we get more of the same.
VIDEO: Opens with Obama and running mate Joe Biden campaigning, with smiles and sleeves rolled up, a couple of happy warriors on the campaign trail. Cuts to beach and ocean, with “BERMUDA” superimposed on the scene, just so viewers will know where they’re being taken. Island music is playing in the background. Next a cropped picture of John McCain in sunglasses crowds onto the screen. McCain’s mug then moves to the viewer’s left — not the candidate’s usual position - as a news story about McCain’s 2007 trip to Bermuda where he talked with business leaders flashes onto the right side. McCain’s picture gets bigger in the next shot, shown against the backdrop of a skyline in some city where his “executive” and “lobbyist” contributors are supposed to work. Ad then travels back to the beach, with McCain’s mug fading out and “We Can’t Afford More of the Same.”
ANALYSIS: As attack ads go, this is pretty straightforward and hits lots of hot buttons with voters worried about the economy and looking for scapegoats. The villains are familiar ones - corporations that do business offshore and a politician who is their friend and takes their campaign contributions.
The smoking gun is a copy of a story from The Royal Gazette, a Bermuda newspaper, reporting on McCain’s trip to the island in August of 2007.
“McCain pledges to protect Island’s insurance sector,” the headline blares. According to the lead of the story, McCain “has pledged to protect Bermuda’s international businesses if he is successful in his White House bid.” According to the report, McCain “said he understood the concerns of the insurance and reinsurance sectors about draft legislation proposing a clampdown on US business operations in so-called tax havens.”
In McCain’s own words: “The industry, the re-insurance that’s had such phenomenal success has been good for both nations. I would oppose any measures that upset that.” Interestingly - and not mentioned in the Obama ad - is another paragraph in the story that said earlier in the year Bermuda officials discussed the “tax haven legislation” with Obama’s fellow Democrat, U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.
Rangel told the officials that Bermuda was not on the list of jurisdictions that could suffer from a “clampdown” on offshore U.S. operations. Still, the ad highlights a side of McCain - the internationalist and friend of international business - that doesn’t sell well in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other battleground states where “global economy” amounts to fighting words. McCain took the trip at a time when his prospects for the nomination looked pretty dim so maybe he wasn’t thinking about how his Bermuda vacation would look to voters in Dayton, Detroit and Scranton. As the McCain campaign pointed out in its response to the ad, Obama’s not exactly a sworn enemy of international business. His campaign leases its Chicago campaign headquarters from Accenture, described by “The Hill” newspaper as “one of the nation’s most aggressive outsourcers.” Also, as the McCain campaign also pointed out, Obama has taken thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Accenture employees.
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TweetSinger Carole King campaigning locally for Obama
Carole King may not sound like a natural supporter to send to rural Ohio to campaign for Barack Obama. But, the writer of songs such as “You Make me Feel Like a Natural Woman” and “You’ve Got a Friend” has launched a three day “Conversations for Change” tour on behalf of Senator Barack Obama today in Springfield.
The award winning singer who has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide has several other local events planned for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Tuesday, Sept. 23
7:15 p.m. “Conversation for Change” with Carole King Supporter Home 500 North Fountain Avenue Springfield, OH
Wednesday, Sept. 24
9:00 a.m. “Conversation for Change” with Carole King Student Center at Urbana University 579 College Way Urbana, OH
10:45 a.m. “Conversation for Change” with Carole King Shelby County Democratic Party Office 118 North Main Street Sidney, OH
12:45 p.m. “Conversation for Change” with Carole King Westlake Lodge 1101 West Bank Road Celina, OH
2:30 p.m. “Conversation for Change” with Carole King 101 West Auglaize Street Wapakoneta, OH
4:15 p.m. “Conversation for Change” with Carole King Allen County Senior Center 118 East High Street Lima, OH
6:30 p.m. “Conversation for Change” with Carole King 135 North Detroit Street Bellefontaine, OH
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TweetObama vs. Biden on “Clean Coal” in Ohio
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and Joe Biden, his vice presidential running mate, appear to have a difference on using “clean coal” to help solve Ohio’s and the nation’s energy problem.
It’s no surprise that Republican presidential candidate John McCain has taken note.
“His (Obama’s) running mate here in Ohio recently said that they weren’t supporting clean coal…,” McCain said in remarks prepared for delivery in Strongsville, a Cleveland suburb, on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Asked if the Obama-Biden campaign was against “clean coal,” Ohio spokesman Isaac Baker said “no.” David Wade, another Obama-Biden spokesman, added in a prepared statement that:
“This is yet another false attack from a dishonorable campaign. Senator McCain knows that Senator Obama and Senator Biden support clean coal technology. Senator Biden’s point is that China is building coal plants with outdated technology every day, and the United States needs to lead by developing clean coal technologies.”
“…If Senator McCain is so committed to clean coal, then why hasn’t he joined Senators Obama and Biden in announcing their support for the bipartisan energy proposal before the Senate today that would offer tax credits for clean coal projects? “
McCain didn’t make up Biden’s comments. Campaigning last week in Maumee, near Toledo, Biden was asked “Wind and solar are flourishing here in Ohio, so why are you supporting clean coal?”
“We’re not supporting clean coal,” Biden replied. Here’s a video of the exchange.
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TweetCrites: Cordray has too much PR
Republican Mike Crites criticized Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray on Tuesday, Sept. 23, saying the Democrat spends nearly 21 percent of his office operating budget to promote himself.
“This is a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars from someone who claims to be a guardian of the public treasury,” Crites said.
Crites and Cordray are both running for attorney general.
Crites counted 31 people - eight in public affairs, 13 in community outreach, and 10 in community education - in Cordray’s office that contribute to the public relations promotion of the treasurer. Their combined salaries total $1.8 million, and average $59,000 a year.
Leesa Brown, spokeswoman for Cordray’s campaign, said, “He is counting in a way that benefits him. Obviously we don’t agree.”
Brown said Crites is including staff that train local public finance officers, run personal finance programs, offer credit repair workshops and advocate with local courts to use mediation in home foreclosure cases.
“There are not 31 people sitting around writing news releases, I can tell you that,” Brown said.
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TweetCasino issue faces challenge
Competing gambling interests are lodging a challenge to MyOhioNow, the committee that’s asking voters to amend the Ohio constitution to permit building a casino near Wilmington.
John Gilligan, a lawyer with Schottenstein, Zox & Dunn, said in a letter to Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner that MyOhioNow, its principals and its petition circulating company failed to file required disclosure forms before they started gathering signatures to get the issue on the Nov. 4 ballot.
Gilligan asked Brunner to reject the issue or hold a protest hearing. Brunner’s office spokesman said on Tuesday, Sept. 23, that officials are trying to schedule an expedited hearing.
Attorney Don McTigue, who represents MyOhioNow, said, “Our response is they clearly do not understand the law. This is a frivolous protest brought at the eleventh hour because they’re afraid they’ll lose at the ballot…We will be submitting a motion to dismiss, probably this afternoon.”
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TweetTony Hall to campaign for Obama in Dayton
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s “Faith, Family and Values” tour is coming to Dayton on Tuesday, Sept. 23, featuring former Dayton-area U.S. Rep. Tony Hall.
Hall (pictured) will lead a forum at 2:45 p.m. at the Dayton Cultural & RTA Transit Center, 40 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd., to discuss how Hall believes Obama’s faith “inspires his plans to strengthen Ohio’s families,” according to the Obama campaign. Attendance is by invitation.
The forum comes as a radio ad Hall did for the Matthew 25 Project endorsing Obama was to begin airing in Ohio. The project is a political action committee “organized to mobilize Catholic, Evangelical and diverse Christian voices for a new Christian witness in politics.”
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TweetPoll: McCain maintains lead in Ohio
Republican John McCain maintains a lead over Democrat Barack Obama in a new FOX News/Rasmussen Reports poll on the presidential race in Ohio, released Monday, Sept. 22.
McCain led 50-46 percent, about the same as the 48-45 percent lead the Republican had in Ohio last week.
The poll also measured support in four other battleground states. McCain led 51-46 percent in Florida and 50-48 percent in Virginia.
Obama led 51-44 percent in Michigan and 48-45 percent in Pennsylvania..
The poll results come against the backdrop of the continuing economic crisis and, in Ohio, a weak economy where unemployment now stands at 7.4 percent, the highest since 1992.
The poll was conducted on Sept. 21, 2008 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
For full poll results, click here.
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TweetEye on Ohio: “Need Education” ad for Obama
THE AD: “Need Education,” a 30-second TV ad
PRODUCER: Barack Obama campaign
WHERE TO SEE IT: National cable and in key battleground states.
SCRIPT:
LILLY LEDBETTER: I worked at this plant for 20 years before I learned the truth. I’d been paid 40 percent less than men doing the same work. John McCain opposed a law to give women equal pay for equal work. And he dismissed the wage gap saying women just need education and training. I had the same skills as the men at my plant. My family needed that money. On the economy, it’s John McCain who needs an education.
BARACK OBAMA: I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message.
VIDEO: Opens with archival shots of the Goodyear plant and Lilly Ledbetter. Cuts to shots of Lilly Ledbetter addressing the camera. Cuts then to a brown screen saying “John McCain opposed a law to give women equal pay for equal work, then saying “John McCain dismissed the wage gap…saying women just need ‘education and training.’” Cuts back to Lilly Ledbetter speaking to the camera, then ends on a shot of Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
ANALYSIS: Sen. Barack Obama has made the push for women voters even before he beat Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary earlier this year. This ad makes the argument that if elected, he’d be better than McCain for women, particularly on the issue of pay equality. Obama included a line in his speech accepting the Democratic nomination calling for equal pay between men and women. He’s also held private calls with women leaders and had women surrogates hold press conferences on his behalf.
This ad uses Lilly Ledbetter, an Alabama woman who fought at the Supreme Court level for pay equality, to make the case that he’d work for equal pay.
She cites an April 23, 2008 Associated Press story by Libby Quaid reporting that McCain opposed a Senate bill seeking equal pay for women because it would lead to more lawsuits. McCain skipped a vote on the issue to campaign in New Orleans. Senate Republicans ultimately killed the measure, which both Clinton and Obama backed.
In that same story, however, McCain is quoted as saying, “I am all in favor of pay equity for women, but this kind of legislation, as is typical of what’s being proposed by my friends on the other side of the aisle, opens us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems … This is government playing a much, much greater role in the business of a private enterprise system.”
That bill was named for Ledbetter.
According to the National Organization for Women, in 2005, women’s median annual earnings were only 77 cents for every $1 earned by men. The gap is even more stark for women of color.
But an analysis of Obama’s own U.S. Senate office by Scripps Howard News Service columnist Deroy Murdock finds the Illinois senator falls short: While Obama’s average male employee earns an average of $54,397, Murdock found, his average female employee earned $45,152 on average. Murdock surmises that this is in part because of the under-representation of women in Obama’s highest compensated ranks. Among Obama’s five best-paid staff, only one was a woman.
McCain, meanwhile, paid his male staffers an average of $53,936. His female staffers averaged $55,878. Of McCain’s top-five best paid staffers, three were women.
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TweetMcCain heads for Columbus after debate
Republican presidential candidate John McCain will have back-to-back appearances in Columbus after his debate with Democrat Barack Obama on Friday, Sept. 26.
On Saturday, Sept. 27, McCain will speak to the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation’s “Save Our Heritage” rally at the Aladdin Shrine Temple, McCain’s campaign said on Monday, Sept. 22. McCain will spend the night in Columbus.
Then on Sunday, Sept. 28, McCain will be appear on the ABC TV news show, “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” The show will be broadcast from the Great Southern Theatre in downtown Columbus.
Stephanopoulos is expected to ask McCain questions gathered from a cross section of central Ohio voters who are undecided about their choice for president.
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Tweet“Ohio Women for McCain-Palin” kick off efforts
Two Ohio political pioneers led the charge as “Ohio Women for McCain-Palin” formally rolled out their plans and hopes on Monday, Sept. 22
Jo Ann Davidson, the first woman speaker of the Ohio House and now Republican National Committee co-chairman, joined Betty Montgomery, the first woman elected as Ohio attorney general, in urging more than 50 women to get behind the Republican McCain-Palin ticket in the presidential election. State Rep. Diana Fessler, R-New Carlisle, was in the group.
“We have brought together two people who are mavericks, who are reformers…,” Davidson said in the Women’s Gallery at the Statehouse in Columbus.
There were Democrats in the Republican-dominated crowd, some still smarting from the mistreatment they said Hillary Clinton got in the Democratic presidential primary.
“We as women have to put country before party,” said Marilu Sochor from Powell, a Democrat for McCain-Palin.
A Dayton Daily News/Ohio Newspaper poll released on Sunday, Sept. 21, showed the Democratic Obama-Biden ticket leading McCain-Palin, 48-43 percent among women likely voters. That wasn’t as much of a lead as McCain-Palin had among men, 54-35 percent.
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TweetStrickland in New York to raise political bucks
Gov. Ted Strickland never takes off his governor’s hat but sometimes he pops on a political lid as well.
On Monday, Sept. 22, and Tuesday, Sept. 23, Strickland will be in New York City raising money for the Strickland for Governor committee - he faces re-election in2008 - and the Ohio Democratic Party, said Allison Kolodziej, who’s working out of the Ohio Democratic Party as a spokeswoman for the governor.
Strickland is expected back in Ohio on Wednesday, Sept. 24, Kolodziej said.
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TweetBiden heads to Cincinnati
Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden will campaign in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Sept. 24, the Obama-McCain campaign announced on Monday, Sept. 22.
Public attendance to the event is by invitation. Details are to be announced later. Biden, a U.S. senator from Delaware, was in Ohio last week for a campaign bus trip.
His visit comes as Republican presidential candidate John McCain and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama prepare for Friday’s first presidential debate at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss.
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TweetManufacturers say Yes to payday lending reforms
The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association endorsed a Yes vote on Issue 5, a ballot issue that, if adopted, will keep the state’s new pay day lending reform law.
The Ohio Secretary of State’s office is reviewing petitions now to see if the pay day lending industry has 241,365 valid voter signatures or if they need to collect more in order to make the Nov. 4 ballot.
The manufacturers said they want the reform law to stay in place to protect workers from unscrupulous lenders.
“Congress already has capped the interest rates that payday lenders can charge military families,” said Ohio Manufacturers Association President Eric Burkland. “Ohio manufacturers want those same benefits extended to all Ohio families.”
A Yes vote on Issue 5 keeps the 28 percent rate cap in place. A No vote allows lenders to continue charging 391 percent annual interest.
Those supporting a Yes vote include: Gov. Ted Strickland, Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, the Ohio Roundtable, Ohio Farm Bureau, Habitat for Humanity, AARP Ohio, Ohio Association of Second Harvest Food Banks, Center for Responsible Lending and others.
Those supporting a No vote include: Ohio Grocers Association and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
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TweetMcCain expected back in Ohio on Monday
At least one of the two major party presidential candidates will campaign in Ohio as they get ready for Friday’s first presidential debate at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss.
Republican John McCain is expected in Cleveland on Monday night, Sept. 22, for events in the Cleveland area on Tuesday, Sept. 23, his campaign said.
McCain is expected to campaign in Middleburg Heights, Strongsville and Berea. He’s expected to stop at a tool-and-die maker’s, a construction site and Baldwin-Wallace College.
No word yet on Democrat Barack Obama or the vice presidential running mates but we’ll keep you posted.
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TweetEye on Ohio: ‘Ohio Jobs’ McCain ad
By Jessica Wehrman
Dayton Daily News
THE AD: “Ohio Jobs,” 30-second ad PRODUCER: McCain-Palin campaign WHERE TO SEE IT: Ohio television stations
SCRIPT: Announcer: Ohio’s small businesses create more than half of all our jobs. John McCain and his Congressional allies will help them create even more. With tax cuts to create jobs. Investments in renewable energy to revitalize Ohio’s manufacturing. Reforms to make health insurance affordable. And job retraining to help workers stay competitive. Change is coming. JOHN MCCAIN: I’m John McCain and I approve this message.
VIDEO: To zippy, upbeat music, viewers see shots of people working, cutting to a picture of McCain juxtaposed next to a picture of the U.S. Capitol. The screen cuts to shots of more people working, a shot of windmills, people working in medical jobs, and shots of working at a computer, suggesting retraining. The ad ends with a black screen reading, “Change is Coming,” then a shot of McCain, smiling in front of a flag.
ANALYSIS: Change? Wasn’t that Barack Obama’s mantra?
This ad works to assuage Ohioans who might vote for Obama because of their concerns about the economy that McCain is their guy. Obama has hit McCain with some success on economic issues in the state, which currently suffers from a 7.4 percent unemployment rate, higher than the national average.
Obama’s campaign has reminded voters of McCain’s admission that economics is “not something I’ve understood as well as I should” and have jumped on recent McCain comments that the fundamentals of the economy are strong to paint him as out of touch. To be fair, McCain’s comments were taken out of context — he was arguing that while the economy is weak, America’s workers remain strong.
McCain uses fundamental Republican points — that easing the tax burdens on businesses helps to spur job development — to argue that he has a plan to help Ohio’s struggling economy. McCain would phase-out the Alternative Minimum tax and double the personal exemption for dependents, among other proposals.
He also, like Obama, has a plan to invest in renewable energy to revitalize Ohio’s manufacturing, though differences exist on how both candidates would do that. And he uses this ad to say he’d work to improve the cost of health care, including making insurance more portable. He also offers a job retraining program aimed at helping displaced workers find new jobs. That plan includes special assistance for older workers who cannot afford to go to school full-time for two years when they’re hovering near retirement age.
This ad is primarily aimed at easing the worries of Ohio swing voters who consider the economy their top issue. It’s also aimed at convincing voters that, though many of the current economic struggles occurred during the Bush administration, McCain is no George W. Bush. When he says “Change is Coming,” he’s also refuting the Democratic mantra that a vote for McCain would be a vote for a third Bush term.
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TweetTony Hall to endorse Obama in radio ad
Former Dayton U.S. Rep. Tony Hall will endorse fellow Democrat Barack Obama for president in an ad to be aired on Ohio Christian radio stations starting Monday, Sept. 22.
The ad is being run by the Matthew 25 Network, a political action committee organized “to mobilize Catholic, Evangelical and diverse Christian voices for a new Christian witness in politics.”
In the ad, Hall, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Agencies after leaving Congress, describes himself as a “pro-life Democrat” and explains why he supports Obama.
Here’s the ad:
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TweetDemocrats and their gridiron gaffes
Maybe Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden really meant to tick off Ohio State fans when Biden told folks back home in Delaware that:
“I was out in Ohio. I told the folks in Ohio that we’d kick Ohio State’s a@@.”
Ohio Republican chairman Bob Bennett, who knows how touchy Buckeye fans are, jumped right on that fumble on Friday, Sept. 19:
“As if his comments about it being a patriotic duty for Ohioans to pay higher taxes weren’t bad enough, now Biden is taking pot shots at the Buckeyes.
“Barack Obama and Joe Biden must really think they can win this election without Ohio, because they’re doing their best to lose it with stupid comments like these.
“Keep talking, Joe.”
Biden may be following in the gridiron gaffe tradition of John Kerry, the Democrats’ loser in 2004 who famously said “I just go for Buckeye football, that’s where I’m coming from.”
Except Kerry made that statement while near Detroit before flip flopping to:
“That was while I was in Ohio. Now - I know - I’m in the state of Michigan. You got a great big M and a powerhouse of a team.”
Let’s see what Biden says if Obama lets him go to Michigan.
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TweetPay day lenders hit snag
The payday lenders agreed Friday, Sept. 19, to throw out nearly 13,000 petition signatures collected by California-based Arno Political Consultants — a blow to their campaign for 241,365 valid signatures needed to get on the November ballot.
County boards of elections returned the petitions, some of which had very low validation rates. For example, only about 38 percent of the signatures turned into Montgomery County were deemed valid and evidence of potential fraud has been turned over to the county prosecutor for investigation. The Ohio Secretary of State’s office has not yet said if the payday lenders have enough valid signatures.
Ohioans for Financial Freedom, which represents the payday lenders, said if it falls short, the group will seek additional signatures to try to make the ballot.
Consumer groups had accused Arno of failing to submit the proper disclosure forms to Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
Lawmakers passed a law earlier this year that slashed allowable annual interest rates on short term loans to 28 percent, down from 391 percent, and set a four-per-customer annual limit. The payday lending industry says their shops will likely close and 6,000 jobs will be lost if the law takes effect.
A yes vote would keep the 28 percent rate cap in place. A no vote would allow payday lenders to continue charging 391 percent annual interest rates.
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TweetBiden backs Blue Hens over Buckeyes
ABC News reports that Sen. Joe Biden may be courting Ohioans, but he’s not afraid to dis the Buckeyes.
The blog reports: “Before boarding his flight from Wilmington, Del., to Washington, DC, the loquacious Blue Hen displayed some Fightin’ Blue Hen alumni bravado in an impromptu airport meeting with the University of Delaware football team.
‘I was out in Ohio,’ he said, clutching a football. ‘I told the folks in Ohio that we’d kick Ohio State’s a@@!’
The Buckeyes might be coming off a 35-3 drubbing at the hands of top-ranked Southern Cal, but the Blue Hen ballers aren’t exactly world-beaters themselves. Delaware is ranked sixth in the Division I-AA coaches poll, but they lost earlier this month to Maryland.
Upon hearing that his school’s squad was departing in a plane just a football field’s length away from his own, Biden came over for a brief meet-and-greet with the blue-and-yellow-clad throng.
Biden, accompanied by his wife Jill — ‘she didn’t play football but she went to Delaware,’ Biden assured the team — shook hands and posed for photos with the players.
‘This’ll hurt your reputation,’ he warned them as the cameras snapped away.
The Delaware lawmaker told the team he makes sure to watch their games as he travels the country in his “fancy bus.”
‘Wish I was going with them,’ Biden said of the squad as he jogged back towards his plane, tossing a football to his press wrangler and boarding the flight to DC.”
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TweetRegion secures coordinator to deal with DHL proposal
The U.S. Department of Commerce this week gave a $150,000 grant to the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission to hire an Economic Recovery Coordinator, Sens. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, announced Friday, Sept. 19.
The coordinator will assist state and local officials develop and implement a plan should a DHL proposal to hire UPS for air transport services go through. The proposal is expected to cost southwest Ohio more than 8,000 jobs if it goes through.
“We are hoping to save these jobs, but at the same time, we will not be caught flat footed if things don’t go well,” Voinovich said. “We must prepare now to help families make ends meet if our efforts are not successful.”
Said Brown: “We will continue to fight for these jobs, but we must also provide the community with resources to promote economic development.”
The grant is funded through the Economic Development Administration, which serves as a venture capital resource to meet the economic development needs of distressed communities throughout the United States.
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TweetWho are Ohio’s “swing voters”?
They hold the key to the election but sometimes they seem like mystery guests at the presidential election.
They’re the Ohio “swing voters” who haven’t made up their mind between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain or are open to changing their minds.
A new analysis from Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, N.C., on Friday, Sept. 19, helps identify them.
About 7 percent of voters are undecided and 9 percent are open to changing their minds. That means Obama and McCain will be battling over about 15 percent of the electorate in the final six and a half weeks of the campaign.
Republicans in Ohio are pretty much lined up behind McCain but a segment of Democrats still is unsure about Obama. These unsure Democrats disproportionately live in small towns; few are from urban areas.
“Barack Obama and his surrogates may need to work in more visits to places like Portsmouth and Lima over the rest of the campaign along with trips to shore up the base and increase turnout in urban areas of strength,” the analysis said. To see the analysis, click here.
It was based on poll results that showed McCain leading Obama, 48-44 percent.
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TweetNew poll: Ohio’s a “tossup”
It’s a tossup among registered voters in Ohio in the presidential race between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama.
More voters have a positive view of Sarah Palin, McCain’s running mate, than they do of Democrat Joe Biden, Obama’s running mate, in the new Marist College poll released Friday, Sept. 19. The college is located in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
McCain and Obama each has 44 percent support from registered voters. When likely Ohio voters - including those leaning toward a candidate - are factored in, Obama leads 47-45 percent.
More than half of the registered voters, 54, percent, view Palin, the Alaska governor, favorably, while 45 percent have a favorable view of Biden, a U.S. senator from Delaware.
The poll was taken from Thursday, Sept. 11 through Monday, Sept. 15 and overall results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
For full poll results, click here.
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TweetOhio GOP mocks Biden on “Patriotic” taxpayers
When Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden said it’s “patriotic” for wealthy Americans to pay higher taxes, it didn’t take long for the Republican attack machine to get going. Biden made his comment on Thursday, Sept. 18, on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
The Ohio Republican Party later on the same day launched its Web video, “Patriotic”, shown below.
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TweetSenate Judiciary Chair urges Justice Department to investigate DHL antitrust concerns
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., late Thursday, Sept. 17, signed onto a letter with Sen. Sherrod Brown urging the Department of Justice to look into a proposal that would allow United Parcel Service to become the exclusive airlift service for DHL’s North American operations for the next decade.
“Should this agreement be consummated, it appears that DHL would effectively cease to be a competitor to UPS, and instead would become a captive customer,” Leahy and Brown wrote in a letter to Department of Justice Antitrust Division Assistant Attorney General Thomas Barnett. “In short, many of the concerns about a merger by which the number of genuine competitors in the marketplace would be reduced from three to two are also present in this situation.”
Leahy and Brown also expressed worry about the impact of the proposal on ABX Air and ASTAR, which currently provide overnight services for DHL.
The letter comes after two House committees have held hearings on the proposal. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee had a hearing on it earlier this week.
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TweetBluffton father testifies before Senate panel
A Senate committee Thursday, Sept. 18, heard testimony on a bill introduced by Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, that would beef up safety standards in motor coaches, but it’s unclear whether Congress will be able to pass the bill before it adjourns at the end of this month.
The hearing is the first step toward action on the bill, which was spurred in part by a March 2007 motor coach accident in Atlanta, Ga., that killed five members of the Bluffton University baseball team as well as the bus driver and his wife. John Betts, a Bryan man who lost his son David in the crash, was among those who testified.
Betts, occasionally choking back sobs, told how one week after he lost his son, he read a 1999 National Transportation Safety Board report calling for seatbelts in motor coaches. He said he was shocked Thursday to hear a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration official testify that such a rule could be done within two years. If that had happened, he said, motor coaches could’ve had seat belts back in 2001, long before David died after being thrown from the Bluffton motor coach.
Brown said he and Hutchison are optimistic that the bill - which would require seat belts, window glazing and stronger roofs, among other safety precautions - could pass before Congress adjourns.
Opponents of the measure say it is too costly and that motor coaches are still one of the safer modes of transportation. But the bill itself received backing Thursday from the acting chair of the National Transportation Safety Board and the acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Both told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security that the bill would help speed up current studies on how to enhance motor coach safety.
David Kelly, acting administrator of NHTSA, called the bill “a step in the right direction.”
Families have been critical of NHTSA for not acting even after the NTSB first started recommending enhanced safety requirements on motor coaches 40 years ago. NHTSA is currently conducting studies on motor coach safety, but Betts and other families say studies should have been done long ago. NHTSA has openly weighed the cost of requiring such measures, arguing that motor coaches are one of the safest modes of transportation available. The American Bus Association, meanwhile, said they favor “rigorous scientific research” before requiring new features such as seat belts on motor coaches.
Brown and Hutchison said such measures are overdue.
“You can’t tell me putting seatbelts on a bus is too costly,” Hutchison said. “It does not wash.”
- photo of John Betts, Joy Betts and Sen. Sherrod Brown by Rick McKay.
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Tweet527 airs ad in Dayton criticizing McCain
A group called “Catholics United” will release a new 527 ad in Dayton beginning Friday, Sept. 19, that urges Sen. John McCain to crack down on legalized abortion. The ad criticizes McCain for being inconsistent on pro-life issues, criticizing McCain’s August 2007 vote against the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and his support of the Iraq war.
The group describes itself as a Catholic organization devoted to issues of social justice.
Here’s the script:
“I’m a mother of three children and I am pro-life. John McCain, it’s not enough to say you’re pro-life. Actions speak louder than words. You voted against one of the largest support programs for pregnant women. You voted against health care for our children. And you voted for a war that has killed thousands of Americans. Senator McCain, when will you start defending all human life, without exception?”
The ad will also run on cable television in heavily Catholic neighborhoods in Youngstown and Cleveland.
Catholics United plans an expanded ad buy beginning in early October. Their current ad will air in south Dayton on CNN, Fox News and Home and Garden television and run for seven days.
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TweetObama edges McCain in new national poll
With a big lead among women and black likely voters, Democrat Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain in a new national presidential poll.
In the Quinnipiac University poll released on Thursday, Sept. 18, Obama leads 49-45 among likely voters, compared to a 47-42 percent lead for Obama in an Aug. 19 Quinnipiac University poll. For full poll results, click here.
Obama leads 54-40 percent among women voters and 93-2 percent among black voters. McCain leads 50-43 percent with men and 52-43 percent among white voters.
The poll, taken Thursday, Sept. 11-Tuesday, Sept. 16, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
In a separate Gallup Poll daily tracking update for Sept. 15-17 also released on Thursday, Obama led McCain, 48-44 percent among registered voters. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 2 percentage points. For full Gallup Poll results click here.
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TweetRetired general in Dayton area Thursday to stump for Obama
Retired Brigadier General James Smith is coming to the Dayton area on Thursday, Sept. 18 to rally veterans support for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
Brig. Gen. Smith was deputy commander, Joint Warfighting Center, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Joint Training Analysis and Simulation Center, Suffolk, Va. He was also responsible for managing the joint force exercise and training development program, and for reviewing, coordinating, developing, publishing and applying the joint doctrine program. In addition he assisted in planning and executing the joint task force commander and staff integration training, and contingency planning
The events on Thursday are: 12:15pm VFW Post 1031 1237 E. Main St. Springfield
2 pm Huber Heights Democratic Club Marion Meadows Plaza 6153 Brandt Plaza
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TweetBig surprise: Ohio among top recipients of candidate ads
Sure Barack Obama and John McCain are running for president in all 50 states, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at where they’re buying their television ads.
Instead, a new report by the Wisconsin Advertising Project, a project being conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, finds most of the spending was concentrated in 10 swing states - Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
In the week after both political conventions ended, Ohio saw $1.6 million worth of TV ads -Â that’s the fourth highest tally of any state. Only Florida, Pennsylvania and Michigan saw more.
Between Sept. 6 and Sept. 13, McCain spent $812,000 in Ohio. Obama spent $801,000.
The study found that Obama is also trying to use advertising to his advantage in Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota and Virginia - all states George W. Bush won in 2000 and 2004.
And it found that interest group advertising has been “minimal” so far. Four groups aired ads during the week following the convention, spending about $187,000. Three groups - Service Employees International Union, the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund and Planned Parenthood Action Fund aired ads supporting Obama, with the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund spending $3,000 in Ohio and the SEIU spending $13,000 in Ohio. Vets for Freedom, meanwhile, aired ads for McCain, spending $35,000 for him in Ohio.
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TweetEye On Ohio: ‘His administration’ ad for Obama
By Jessica Wehrman
Dayton Daily News
THE AD: “His administration,” a 30-second television ad. PRODUCER: Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign WHERE TO SEE IT: National cable stations and below.
SCRIPT: Obama: “I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message.
Announcer: “His campaign is run by lobbyists. Now we find out McCain’s White House will be lobbyist-run, too. He just picked a Washington super lobbyist to plan his administration. A “consummate insider” who lobbies for oil companies. The credit card industry. Corporate special interests rigging the system against hard-working Americans…pushing failed Bush economics. Does that sound like change to you? We just can’t afford more of the same.”
VIDEO: Video for this ad begins with a shot of Obama and vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden. It cuts to a shot of John McCain and then a series of headshots of lobbyists affiliated with his campaign. Then it cuts to a shot of the White House, interspersed with shots of Timmons smiling while talking on the phone, what appears to be lobbyists and lawmakers walking the halls of Congress, Timmons smiling at the camera, and an ordinary-looking family at a grocery store. It finishes with a shot of McCain and George W. Bush smiling and waving at the camera, with the phrase “We just can’t afford more of the same,” scrolled over the screen.
ANALYSIS: This is the second Obama ad hitting McCain for his lobbyist time and trying to squish the McCain image as a hard-charger who will stand up to corporate interests if elected. The ad references a Time story that ran Friday, Sept. 12, reporting that John McCain has picked a Washington lobbyist to help prepare McCain for his presidential transition should he win.
William E. Timmons, according to his lobbying firm’s Web site, has worked for Presidents Nixon and Ford and assisted inn the transition teams of both Ronald Reagan in 1980 and George W. Bush in 2000. Timmons also served as an advisor to Vice President George Bush in 1988 and Sen. Bob Dole in his 1996 presidential bid.
According to his firm’s Web site, Timmons is the chairman emeritus of Timmons and Company, a lobbying firm he founded in 1975 after he left the White House. Timmons was president of the company until 1986. He has been registered to lobby for companies and trade groups including the American Petroleum Institute, Freddie Mac, Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, the National Rifle Association, and the American Medical Association.
According to Time, “by tapping Timmons, McCain has turned to one of Washington’s steadiest and most senior inside players to guide him in the event of a victory - but also someone who represents the antithesis of the kind of outside-of-Washington change he has recently been promising.”
Here’s where Obama steps in. His campaign uses this ad to point out that McCain, who has recently used the “change” mantra for his own campaign, is doing so as he leans on Washington insiders for his own transition.
That said, the ad doesn’t point out that in the U.S. Senate, McCain was a driving force behind a corruption investigation involving fallen lobbyist Jack Abramoff. McCain, according to Politifact.com, also introduced a bill in 1996 and again in 1997 that would ban lobbyists from being paid by political campaigns. Nor does it point out that Obama has had lobbyists work on his campaign, among them Jim Demers, a New Hampshire strategist who helped Obama particularly during the primary.
By the way, McCain isn’t being presumptuous by tapping a transition chief. Obama, too, has picked someone to head up the transition, according to Time - in this case, John Podesta, a former chief of staff to President Clinton.
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TweetEye On Ohio: ‘Foundation,’ ad for McCain
By Laura Bischoff
Dayton Daily News
The Ad: “Foundation,” 30-second TV commercial Producer: McCain campaign Where to see it: It’s scheduled to be televised nationally. It can also been seen DaytonDailyNews.com/eyeonohio
The Script: JOHN MCCAIN: You, the American workers, are the best in the world. But your economic security has been put at risk by the greed of Wall Street. That’s unacceptable. My opponent’s only solutions are talk and taxes. I’ll reform Wall Street and fix Washington. I’ve taken on tougher guys than this before.
Female Anchor: Change is coming. John McCain.
JOHN MCCAIN: I’m John McCain and I approve this message.
Video: It opens with McCain speaking to the camera, slowly zooming in on his face and then interspersed with photos of Wall Street, the stock market trading floor and Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Joe Biden. It closes with a photo of McCain talking on a rather large cell phone and then a photo of McCain in front of an American flag with the words “The Original Maverick.”
Analysis: The ad focuses on the slumping economy and workers’ fears about job and investment security. Stylistically, it’s a bit different - none of the typical scary music or grainy black-and-white unflattering photos of the opponent. Instead, McCain speaks directly to the camera and viewers. His only attack on Obama is that his “only solutions are talk and taxes” but the ad reveals no details of how McCain would help the economy.
“I’ll reform Wall Street and fix Washington. I’ve taken on tougher guys than this before,” McCain says with a bit of a grin. McCain, who has been in Washington for 26 years, uses two taglines in the ad: “Change is coming” and “The Original Maverick.” (The Original Maverick sounds like a new barbeque sauce, doesn’t it?)
Behind the scenes, the McCain camp points to the Arizona senator’s push for shareholder approval of corporate chief executives’ pay and severance packages and his pledge to reform laws and regulations governing the oil futures market to curb speculators driving up gas prices, and his efforts to require corporations to list employee stock options as an expense on their financial statements. The Obama campaign this week also released a two-minute video focused on economic security that promises a laundry-list of vague solutions, including tax reform, real regulations for Wall Street and fast-tracking energy independence.
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TweetEye On Ohio: ‘Still’ ad for Obama
By Jessica Wehrman
Dayton Daily News
The ad: “Still,” 30 seconds. Producer: Obama campaign
Where to see it: It’s airing in battleground states, including Ohio. View it at DaytonDailyNews.com/eyeonohio.
Script: Announcer: “1982. John McCain goes to Washington. Things have changed in the last 26 years. But McCain hasn’t. He admits he still doesn’t know how to use a computer, can’t send an e-mail. Still doesn’t understand the economy. And favors two hundred billion in new tax cuts for corporations, but almost nothing for the middle class. After one president who was out of touch … we just can’t afford more of the same.
Barack Obama: I’m Barack Obama, and I approved this message.
Video: To zippy, retro music, we get a flashback to 1982, featuring shots of a disco ball, McCain in thick-lensed glasses, a woman on a phone, a record player, a man working on an old-fashioned computer. Then it zips forward to shots of McCain today, a man on a laptop, a family in a grocery store, McCain and the elder George Bush in a golf cart, and two champagne glasses being toasted. When the announcer says “we just can’t afford more of the same,” it cuts to a shot of McCain and President George W. Bush. It then cuts to a shot of Obama and vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Analysis: This Obama ad underscores themes the Obama campaign has been making virtually since Obama became the nominee: McCain, 72, is old (check out those glasses!); he’s been in Washington for decades and is part of the entrenched Washington culture; he’s out of touch with Americans (no e-mail?); and voting for him would be a vote for a third Bush term. All of this is part of the narrative they hope to create: Obama representing change, McCain representing old-school Washington.
Two facts in this ad are worthy of closer examination. Obama’s assertion that McCain “doesn’t understand the economy” is a fairly subjective assertion, though McCain was quoted during the primary as saying that “the issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should.”
More of interest is the assertion that McCain favors $200 billion in new tax cuts for corporations, but almost nothing for the middle class.
According to Roberton Williams, a research associate at the Tax Policy Center, McCain’s tax plan would raise taxes for corporations in some areas but cut them in others. The net effect would be cuts of $275 billion over a 10-year period.
Here’s what his center, a joint venture of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, had to say about Obama and McCain’s tax plans:
“Sen. McCain’s tax cuts would primarily benefit those with very high incomes, almost all of whom would receive large tax cuts that would, on average, raise their after-tax incomes by more than twice the average for all households. … In marked contrast, Sen. Obama offers much larger tax breaks to low- and middle-income taxpayers and would increase taxes on high-income taxpayers.”
Jessica Wehrman is a reporter for the Dayton Daily News. E-mail: jwehrman@coxnews.com.
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TweetEye On Ohio: “Disrespectful” ad for McCain
By Jonathan Riskind
The Columbus Dispatch
Producer: McCain campaign.
Where to see it: It’s airing in battleground states, including Ohio. View it at DaytonDailyNews.com/eyeonohio.
Script: Narrator: He was the world’s biggest celebrity, but his star’s fading. So they lashed out at Sarah Palin. Dismissed her as “good-looking.” That backfired, so they said she was doing, “what she was told.” Then desperately called Sarah Palin a liar. How disrespectful. And how Governor Sarah Palin proves them wrong, every day. McCain: I’m John McCain, and I approved this message.
Video: The spot begins with black-and-white shots of Democratic nominee Barack Obama, including in front of a podium with flashbulbs going off behind him, a not-so-flattering photo of Obama and running mate Joe Biden and shots of Obama with words such as “disrespectful” also on the screen. It ends with color footage of GOP nominee John McCain standing behind running mate Palin at a rally. The narrator is a woman.
Analysis: This is partly an attempt by the McCain campaign to keep the fires burning among the GOP’s conservative base, whose enthusiasm was stoked by the naming of Palin, the governor from Alaska, as McCain’s running mate. The ad also appears to be an effort to attract independent and conservative Democratic female voters by charging that Obama and Biden are being “disrespectful” of Palin and sparking the anger of female voters.
The allegation about dismissing Palin as “good-looking” is a reference to a comment Biden, not Obama, made in jest while poking fun at himself, not Palin. The nonpartisan Factcheck.org concluded: “Our ears don’t hear Biden’s ‘good-looking’ comment as dismissive. To the contrary, it’s clearly a self-deprecating remark made in joking about himself and his looks. And by the way, the ad shows a picture of Obama next to the ‘good-looking’ quote, but it was Biden, not Obama, who said that.”
The part about doing “what she was told?” Likewise, the true context was not uttered in a condescending manner. It involved a comment by Obama adviser David Axelrod responding to Palin’s speech at the Republican National Committee and charging that Palin’s criticism of some of Obama’s policies were off base.
As quoted by Politico, and recounted by Factcheck.org, Axelrod said it this way: “She tried to attack Obama by saying he had no significant legislative accomplishments — maybe that’s what she was told — but she should talk to Sen. Lugar, talk to Sen. Coburn, talk to people across the aisle in Illinois, where he passed dozens of major laws to expand health care, reform welfare, reduce taxes on working families.”
You could take that as a bit of an insult to be sure, suggesting that Palin should have done her own research, but its meaning and intent was not as suggested in this ad.
The charge that Obama called Palin a liar refers to an Obama campaign ad charging that Palin initially supported the so-called “Bridge to Nowhere” earmark when she had taken credit for being against it and being responsible for killing it. The evidence supports the contention that Palin was for the earmark initially, and that it was effectively dead by the time Palin moved to formally kill it off.
Jonathan Riskind writes for The Columbus Dispatch. E-mail: jriskind@dispatch.com.
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TweetStrickland endorses Neuhardt; EMILY’s List gives her props as well
Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland Wednesday, Sept. 17 endorsed fellow Democrat Sharen Neuhardt for the race for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, saying she’s the “right voice for Ohio’s 7th District.”
The endorsement comes the same week that Neuhardt got the backing of EMILY’S List, a political action committee devoted to helping women running for elected office, announced its endorsement of Neuhardt, a Miami Twp. Democrat.
Since its founding in 1985, EMILY’s List has raised over $240 million to elect 71 pro-choice Democratic women to the U.S. House, 13 to the U.S. Senate, and eight governors.
We’ll update with comment from state Sen. Steve Austria, the Beavercreek Republican who is running against Neuhardt. But Austria, too, has gotten some endorsements: he’s been backed by U.S. Rep. David Hobson, R-Springfield, who he hopes to replace in the fall, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Ohio Right to Life, among others.
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TweetObama “Heartland RV” heads for Greenville, Troy
Democrat Barack Obama’s Ohio presidential campaign is going rural for four days, heading for Republican country to try to make some political converts.
Obama’s “Heartland RV” begins a four-day swing through Ohio today, Sept. 17. Campaign staffers, volunteers and local elected officials will discuss Obama’s plans for the economy and rural development. For more information, click here.
Gov. Ted Strickland, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and state Treasurer Richard Cordray, who’s running for attorney general, are expected to join the tour on the weekend. On Thursday, the tour will stop at the Farm Science Review in London and the Little Brown Jug race in Delaware.
Today’s stops include:
Celina
4:30 p.m.
102 N. Main St.
Greenville
5:45 p.m.
1491 Wagner St.
Troy
7 p.m.
14 N. Walnut St.
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TweetMcCain leads in two Ohio polls
Republican John McCain leads Democrat Barack Obama in two new Ohio polls in the race for the presidency.
The polls show different trends, however.
In the Public Policy Polling poll released on Tuesday, Sept. 16, McCain opened up a 48-44 percent lead after tying Obama in the same poll last month. The new poll showed white voters and independents moving in McCain’s direction. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percent.
In a Fox News/Ramusssen Reports poll released on Monday, Sept. 15, McCain led 48-45 percent, after leading Obama 51-44 percent last week. The 7-point lead last week was McCain’s largest of the year in this poll, while last week’s lead with consistent with the small lead the Republican has maintained in Ohio in this poll since July. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.5 percent.
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TweetPetro named to McCain “honest” election committee
Former Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro has been named to the “Fair and Honest Election Committee” formed by Republican Presidential candidate John McCain’s campaign.
The committee’s purposes is to “ensure that every qualified citizen has the opportunity to vote in a fair and transparent manner,” the McCain-Palin campaign announced on Monday, Sept. 15, in a press release.
The committee sent letters to the Obama-Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee seeking a dialog on election issues, the release said.
The committee will advise the McCain-Palin campaign on state campaign laws and practices and work toward avoiding lawsuits when possible, the release said.
Former Republican U.S. Sens. John Danforth of Missouri and Warren Rudman of New Hampshire are co-chairmen of the committee. The committee has launches a Web site www.johnmccain.com/honest.
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TweetMost Ohio voters confident in election process
Most Ohio likely voters are confident that the state’s election process produces fair outcomes and believe that their 2008 presidential ballot will be counted accurately.
However, Republican likely voters express more confidence in the process than do Democratic likely voters in a new Ohio Poll, sponsored by the University of Cincinnati, released on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
The poll was taken in the wake of the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections in which voters from each party debated the fairness of each election.
Also, this year Republicans have battling Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner over several issues. A Republican-supported lawsuit has challenged a Brunner directive that says for six days Ohio law allows people to simultaneously register to vote and cast an absentee ballot.
In the poll, 84 percent of likely voters are “very confident” or “somewhat confident” that the election process produces fair outcomes. The percentage for Republicans was 95 percent and for Democrats 78 percent.
For full poll results, click here.
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TweetPalin cancels trip to Dayton
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, has canceled this week’s fundraising trips to Dayton and Cincinnati. Palin was to appear at a private fund raiser in Dayton on Wednesday, Sept. 17, and in Cincinnati on Tuesday.
The cancellation is related to Sunday’s wind storm that led to a state of emergency in Montgomery County and Warren Counties.
“Due to the state of emergency, and to avoid a possible diversion of personnel and resources, Gov. Palin’s visits to the Cincinnati and Dayton areas have been postponed to a later date,” said Paul Lindsay, campaign spokesman. “Tomorrow’s rally in the Mahoning Valley will continue as planned.”
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Tweet“Trust” boosts McCain in new poll
Ohio likely voters trust Republican John McCain more than they trust Democrat Barack Obama and that may be a reason McCain has a slight lead in a new Ohio presidential poll.
The McCain-Palin ticket led the Obama-Biden ticket 46-42 percent in the Suffolk University poll released on Monday, Sept. 15. The university is located in Boston.
When asked whom they trusted more, 49 percent said McCain, compared to 41 percent for Obama.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain’s running mate, also appeared to help McCain. Asked which of the four candidates was “most like you,” 31 percent said Palin, followed by Obama, 22 percent, McCain, 21 percent and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, Obama’s running mate, 13 percent.
Also, 38 percent said Palin had been treated harshly by the media, while 23 percent she she had been treated fairly.
The poll was conducted Wednesday, Sept. 10 through Saturday, Sept. 13 with 600 likely voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.
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TweetUnion plans big training conference in Dayton
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) will hold a regional membership mobilization political conference in Dayton on Tuesday, Sept. 16, to train 500 members in key battleground states for a “massive mobilization effort from now until Election Day.”
The states include Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Indiana.
Speakers at the conference’s opening session include former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus, UFCW national political campaign director Steven Powell and UFWC international vice-president and director of Region 4 Larry Plumb, the union said in a press release on Monday, Sept. 15.
The UFCW, with 1.3 million members, has endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president and the conference is aimed at “turning out the critical working middle-class vote” for Obama, the release said.
The conference will be at 10 a.m. at the Dayton Convention Center, 22 E. Fifth St. in downtown Dayton.
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TweetBiden heads for northern Ohio
While Republican Sarah Palin has been getting all the headlines, Democrats also have a vice presidential candidate.
That’s Delaware U.S. Sen. Joe Biden who’s coming to Ohio on Wednesday, Sept. 17, and Thursday, Sept. 18 for a two-day campaign bus trip.
Biden’s first stop will be in Maumee, near Toledo, for a rally on Wednesday morning in the 100 block of West Wayne Street, the Obama-Biden campaign announced on Monday, Sept. 15. Doors open at 7:30 a.m.
The event is open to the public, but an RSVP is encouraged at ohio.barackobama.com.
Tickets are required at two other Biden rallies and distribution sites are listed at ohio.barackobama.com.
Biden is to hold a rally in Wooster on Wednesday at the College of Wooster, Kauke Hall, South Lawn. Gates open at 4 p.m.
On Thursday, Biden will be at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton for a rally. Doors open at 8 a.m. for the 9:30 a.m. event.
Biden will have to compete for attention in Ohio with Palin and GOP presidential candidate John McCain.
Palin is scheduled to be at a Canton fundraiser on Monday, a Cincinnati fundraiser on Tuesday, Sept. 16 and a Dayton-area fundraiser on Wednesday.
Also, on Tuesday she and McCain will be at a Youngstown area “Victory 2008 Rally” at Winner Aviation, 1453 Youngstown Kingsville NE in Vienna.
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TweetDayton one of few markets to see controversial new anti-Palin ad
Local television viewers may have been surprised by the brutality in the latest political ad to hit Dayton airwaves.
The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, which supports Sen. Barack Obama for president, released a new ad in swing states that shows the killing of wolves in Alaska. The ad says Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, supported bills to allow for the hunting of wolves and bears from airplanes.
According to The Politico, the ad “will air in a ‘targeted buy’ in the Toledo and Dayton, OH, markets, spokeswoman Jessica Brand said. She added that they plan to scale it up in Ohio and in other swing states later, but didn’t immediately have a dollar figure.”
Take a look at the ad and let us know what you think.
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TweetEye on Ohio: “Real Change” ad for Obama
By V. David Sartin Plain Dealer
THE AD: “Real Change,” 30-second TV ad.
PRODUCER: Barack Obama campaign.
WHERE TO SEE IT: Television http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/realchange_ad/
SCRIPT: Barack Obama: “We’ve heard a lot of talk about change this year. The question is, change to what? To me, change is a government that doesn’t let banks and oil companies rip off the American people. Change is when we finally fix health care instead of just talking about it. Change is giving tax breaks to middle class families instead of companies that send jobs overseas. Change is a president who brings people together. I’m Barack Obama, and I approved this message because this year, change has to be more than a slogan.”
VIDEO: The candidate looks straight into the camera to deliver his message. A graphic - Read the Obama Plan for real change Barackobama.com/issues - steers the viewer to his Web site.
ANALYSIS: In recent days, the John McCain campaign may have stolen some thunder from the senator from Illinois by portraying McCain as a “maverick” who would bring change to Washington.
McCain picked a Washington outsider (Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin) as his running mate. And, the two have set out on campaign stops to deliver their own message of change. In this ad, Obama is trying to recapture the notion that he’s the change guy.
Obama gives us very few details of his plans in this ad. Instead, it’s much easier to suggest that banks and oil companies “rip off” Americans without saying how he’d fix that. Or, that the opponent’s health care plan is all talk. It’s almost as if Obama has seen that McCain-Palin has captured a lot of attention and he feels he has to say ‘Wait, I’m the guy who said ‘change’ first.”
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TweetObama campaign opening 2 more local offices this week
In an effort to target smaller communities and suburban areas, Barack Obama’s campaign is opening several new offices in the Dayton area this week.
The new Obama offices opening this week are:
Vandalia Office 6550 Poe Rd (937)541-6042 Will have a grand opening Sunday, Sept. 14, at 2 p.m.
Beavercreek Office 1337 Hanes Road Beavercreek (937) 541-6058 Opens Sept. 16
Local Obama offices that are already open:
Dayton Office 40 N. Main, Suite 60 in Kettering Tower downtown (937)520-2766
Dayton (West) Office 3346 Germantown St (937)541-6079
Middletown Office 55 S. Main St Middletown (513)571-4976
Oxford Office 32 W. Walnut Street Oxford (513)571-7468
Springfield Office 1613 East Main Street (937) 323-4113
Trotwood Office 100 E. Main St. Trotwood (937)360-8655
Troy Office 14 N Walnut Troy
Xenia Office 87 E. Main St. Xenia
Local John McCain offices that are open:
Montgomery County Victory Office 526 Miamisburg-Centerville Rd
Greene County Victory Office 3317 Cejay Drive Beavercreek
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TweetDann must pay back $40,610, Brunner says
Former attorney general Marc Dann illegally converted campaign funds for personal use and he must pay back $40,610 within three weeks or the case will be referred to the Ohio Elections Commission, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s office said Friday, Sept. 12.
Using the campaign fund to pay for a home security system, including new windows and doors, was not an appropriate or legal use of the fund, according Curt Mayhew, Brunner’s campaign finance administrator. The letter is part of an on going audit of Dann’s 2007 campaign fund reports.
Mayhew also asked Dann for clarification on cell phones paid for out of the fund and who owns and uses a Pontiac Torrent paid for by the campaign. He also wants to know if the Pontiac will be sold now that Dann is no longer in office.
In a letter to Dann sent Sept. 12, Mayhew also asked for more information on $26,871 in consulting fees paid to Progressive Solutions Group, a political firm owned by Leo Jennings III. Dann hired Jennings, a personal friend, as his communications director and shared a suburban Columbus apartment with him and Tony Guiterrez, another Dann friend and high ranking aide.
Dann, a Democrat, resigned under pressure in May in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal. Dann and his administration are under investigation by the Ohio Highway Patrol, Ohio Ethics Commission and state Inspector General.
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TweetGantt sports hot new look
He’s got the look, and he’s hoping it spreads.
Montgomery County Republican Party Chairman Greg Gantt (right) is sprouting freshly-grown facial hair. He’s dubbed it a “Palin-tee”, to show support for Todd Palin, (left) the goateed spouse of Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin.
“I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to watch your wife be the subject of the most vicious, unfounded political attacks in recent history,” Gantt said.
He wants members of the county party’s central committee - at least the male members - to join him and grow “a little hair on their chins” through the November 4 General Election.
Gantt, who typically goes with the clean-shaven look, admits he’s having a bit of a difficult time with the new hair.
“It’s beginning to make me itch,” he said.
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TweetIs Boehner’s leadership position in peril?
The Hill opines in its Friday, Sept. 12 edition.
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TweetVoinovich, Brown favor Clean Ohio
U.S. Sens. George Voinovich and Sherrod Brown on Monday Sept. 15 will come out in support of Clean Ohio, a statewide ballot issue. The senators will serve as honorary co-chairmen of the Clean Ohio Campaign.
The Clean Ohio Fund will provide $400 million in funding to conserve waterways and wildlife habitats, preserve family farms, create recreational trails and clean-up polluted industrial sites.
The issue is also backed by Gov. Ted Strickland, House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, and Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland.
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TweetObama campaign features female headliners
Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but Democrat Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in Ohio has a female look this weekend.
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, daughter of former Ohio Gov. John J. Gilligan, will be featured at a Columbus rally on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 10:15 a.m. and then hold town hall economic forums in Columbus, Marion and Rossford.
Then on Sunday, Sept. 14, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York will be in Ohio for rallies in Elyria, where the doors open at 11:30 a.m., and Akron, where doors open at 2 p.m.
Tickets are not required for the Elyria and Akron rallies, but RSVP is encouraged.
For Elyria, visit http://oh.barackobama.com/lorainchange. For Akron, visit http://oh.barackobama.com/akronchange.
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TweetBrunner to hold hearing on payday lending issue
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s office will hold a hearing to determine whether the payday lending referendum should be kept off the Nov. 4 ballot.
Consumer groups opposed to the issue filed a protest, saying the payday lenders hired Arno Political Consultants to circulate the petitions but that company failed to file the proper disclosure paperwork.
“We are looking into their allegation,” said Kim Norris, spokeswoman for the payday lenders. “We continue to follow all Ohio election laws.”
Ohioans for Financial Freedom, the payday lending group, need 241,365 valid signatures from registered Ohio voters to make the ballot. They turned in 422,000 signatures that are now being checked by local county boards of elections. The counties are expected to report back to Brunner early next week.
Referendum backers put a hold on the section of a new law that would limit payday lenders to a maximum 28 percent interest rate. They can continue charging 391 percent - $15 for every $100 borrowed for two weeks.
A “yes” vote on the ballot issue would limit lenders to the new 28 percent interest cap while a “no” vote would allow lenders to keep the 391 percent cap.
Meanwhile, Montgomery County Board of Elections Director Steve Harsman said only about 38 percent of the payday lending signatures turned out to be valid in Montgomery County. Elections board workers also found “quite a bit of potential fraud” that will be turned over to Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck for investigation, Harsman said.
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TweetPalin, McCain coming back to Ohio
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will spend part of next week raising money in Dayton.
Palin will be at a fundraiser in the Dayton area Wednesday, Sept. 17th at 8 a.m. at the home of Ed Hughes, 5057 Rolling Woods Trail, Dayton. The fundraiser is sponsored by McCain-Palin Victory Ohio. For information, call (614) 449-9541 or (614) 532-5190. Minimum cost to attend is $1,000.
Palin will also attend Republican National Committee fundraisers at Canton on Sept. 15 and Cincinnati on Sept. 16.
Sen. John McCain and Palin will participate in a “Victory 2008 Rally” in the Youngstown area on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The rally will be at Winner Aviation, 1453 Youngstown Kingsville NE in Vienna. Doors will open at 1 p.m., and the event will start at 4 p.m. To RSVP or for more information, call (614) 441-8622.
Tickets will be available Saturday afternoon at to-be-determined locations. For more information, check at ohio.johnmccain.com.
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TweetDems target 7th District race for extra funds, support
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee this week tagged the open seat to replace retiring U.S. Rep. David Hobson for its national “Red to Blue” program, a program that highlights key races that the Democrats plan to focus on this fall.
Sharen Neuhardt, the Miami Twp. Democrat running for the seat, will get extra cash from the national party as a result of the pick, as well as extra support.
According to the DCCC, “The ‘Red to Blue’ program highlights top Democratic campaigns across the country and offers them financial, communications and strategic support These candidates earned a spot in the program by surpassing fundraising goals and skillfully demonstrating to voters that they stand for change and will represent new priorities when elected to Congress.”
Neuhardt said she was honored to receive the support.
“This honor reflects what I’ve been hearing from voters - this is not the same old 7th Congressional District,” she said. “People are ready for change and I plan to bring it.”
Neuhardt will face state Sen. Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek in November. Austria’s campaign manager, Brad Mascho, cited polls showing Austria ahead of Neuhardt as an indicator that “the Democratic party in Washington is clearly out of touch with our district.”
“The 7th District has been represented by a Republican since 1939 and this year voters are ready to send a business-minded person with experience to Congress, not a liberal attorney from Yellow Springs,” he said.
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TweetOhio poll: McCain gets the edge
One day after Quinnipiac University released a poll giving Sen. Barack Obama the edge among Ohio voters, the Ohio Poll, sponsored by the University of Cincinnati, reports Sen. John McCain in the lead.
The Ohio Poll, released Friday, Sept. 12, finds that 48 percent of Ohio’s likely voters support Republican McCain, while 44 percent back Democrat Obama.
The poll also found that 23 percent of likely voters may still be up for grabs; 19 percent say they might change their mind and four percent are undecided. Seventy-seven percent, meanwhile, say they will definitely vote for the candidate they have chosen.
The Ohio Poll was conducted between Sept. 5 and Sept. 10.
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TweetEye On Ohio: McCain’s ‘Education’ ad
By Laura Bischoff
Dayton Daily News
The ad: “Education,” 30 seconds
Producer: McCain campaign
Where to see it: In key markets in Ohio and other crucial states and online at DaytonDailyNews.com/eyeonohio
Script: (Announcer) “Education Week says Obama ‘hasn’t made a significant mark on education.’ That he’s ‘elusive’ on accountability. A ‘staunch defender of the existing public school monopoly.’
“Obama’s one accomplishment? Legislation to teach ‘comprehensive sex education’ to kindergartners. Learning about sex before learning to read?
“Barack Obama. Wrong on education. Wrong for your family.”
(John McCain): I’m John McCain and I approved this message.
Video: As childlike music plays in the background, a series of unflattering photos of Barack Obama appear over black and white school scenes such as lockers, a classroom of empty desks and school buses. When the announcer says “learning about sex before learning to read,” young children sitting at an art table come into focus in the background.
Analysis: This is a misleading attempt to scare families away from Obama. Parts of it are flat-out wrong. It claims that Obama’s one accomplishment for education is passing legislation to teach comprehensive sex education to Illinois kindergartners.
The 14-page bill passed out of committee in 2003 but never became law. The bill indicated “age appropriate” sex education based on medically accurate information should be taught in kindergarten through high school.
The first page mandated that pupils whose parents objected not be required to take any sex-ed, and it required school districts to emphasize abstinence as an effective means of preventing unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
The bill did not hand down curriculum to school districts mandating that kindergartners learn about sex before learning to read. When Obama’s opponent tried to use this against him in his 2004 U.S. Senate race, Obama stressed that it was meant to protect young children from sexual predators by teaching them about good touch versus bad touch and give them basic information such as storks don’t bring babies.
“There is no curriculum out there — from a comprehensive sex-education standpoint or from an abstinence-only point of view — that teaches kindergartners to have sex. It doesn’t exist,” said Earl Pike, director of the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, which advocates for comprehensive sex-education programs.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton said, “It is shameful and downright perverse for the McCain campaign to use a bill that was written to protect young children from sexual predators as a recycled and discredited political attack against a father of two young girls.”
Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the Dayton Daily News. E-mail: lbischoff@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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TweetObama pulls ahead in Ohio
Democrat Barack Obama has pulled ahead of Republican John McCain in Ohio in a new Quinnipiac University poll despite the help Sarah Palin, McCain’s running mate, has given McCain with some voters.
The poll, released on Thursday, Sept. 11, showed Obama ahead among likely voters in Ohio, 49-44 percent, compared to a 44-43 percent lead for Obama in an Aug. 26 poll which was a virtual dead heat.
The poll also showed Obama leading McCain, 48-45 percent in Pennsylvania, compared to a 49-42 percent lead on Aug. 26.
In Florida, McCain leads 50-43 percent in the new poll, compared to a 47-43 percent lead on Aug. 26.
It was the best showing for Obama in Ohio in three recent polls. A Fox News/Rasmussen poll taken on Sept. 7 showed McCain winning, 51-44 percent. A CNN/Time poll, taken Aug. 31-Sept. 2, showed Obama ahead, 47-45 percent, a virtual tie.
For full Quinnipiac poll results, click here.
Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said that voter worry about the economy may be a bigger factor in Ohio than Palin joining McCain’s ticket.
“Because of the pervasive sense of economic pessimism in Ohio, it may well be that Ohioans are less interested in the vice presidency than they are in the economy,” Brown said.
Obama also has overwhelming support among black voters - 95-3 percent - while McCain leads among white voters, 50-43 percent.
The poll was taken from Friday, Sept. 5, through Tuesday, Sept. 9. In Ohio, 1,367 likely voters were interviewed with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percent.
In Florida, 1,032 voters were interviewed with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.
In Pennsylvania, 1,001 voters were interviewed and the margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percent.
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TweetHobson on Defense Department decision regarding KC-X
Rep. David Hobson, R-Springfield, expressed some relief that the Defense Department abruptly decided Wednesday, Sept. 10, to push back the decision to reward a $40 billion contract for the next generation of aerial refueling tankers for the Air Force to the next presidential administration.
“All I want is the right decision,” he said. “I want to protect our industrial base.”
He said that were the Seattle-based Boeing not to get the contract, it would have a difficult time surviving as a wide-bodied aircraft manufacturer. Northrop Grumman is working with European Aeronautic Defense and Space.
The Air Force had originally given the contract to Northrop Grumman, but after the Government Accountability Office released a report heavily critical of the contract award, the Defense Department stepped in to oversee the contract award. Wednesday’s decision to wait, Hobson said, was the first time he’s seen the Defense Department take such action.
Hobson is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee’s Defense subcommittee.
“It’s probably better off to boot this to a totally new administration who can look at this fresh,” he said.
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TweetEye on Ohio: “Education” ad for McCain
The Ad: “Education,” 30-second TV commercial
Producer: McCain campaign
Where to see it: In key markets in Ohio and other crucial states
The Script:
Anchor: Education Week says Obama “hasn’t made a significant mark on education”. That he’s “elusive” on accountability.
A “staunch defender of the existing public school monopoly”.
Obama’s one accomplishment?
Legislation to teach “comprehensive sex education” to kindergartners.
Learning about sex before learning to read?
Barack Obama. Wrong on education. Wrong for your family.
JOHN MCCAIN: I’m John McCain and I approved this message.
Video: As child-like music plays in the background, a series of unflattering photos of Barack Obama appear overtop black and white school scenes like lockers, a classroom of empty desks and school buses. When the announcer says “learning about sex before learning to read?,” young children sitting at an art table come into focus in the background.
Analysis: This is a misleading attempt to scare families away from Obama. Parts of it are flat out wrong. It claims that Obama’s one accomplishment for education is passing legislation to teach comprehensive sex education to Illinois kindergartners. The 14-page bill passed out of committee in 2003 but never became law. The bill indicated “age appropriate” sex education based on medically accurate information should be taught kindergarten through high school. The first page mandated that pupils whose parents objected not be required to take any sex ed and it required school districts to emphasize abstinence as an effective means of preventing unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. The bill did not hand down curriculum to school districts, mandating kindergartners learn about sex before learning to read. When Obama’s opponent tried to use this against him in his 2004 race Senate, Obama stressed that it was meant to protect young children from sexual predators by teaching them about good touch versus bad touch and give them basic information such as storks don’t bring babies. “There is no curriculum out there - from a comprehensive sex education standpoint or from an abstinence only point of view - that teaches kindergartners to have sex. It doesn’t exist,” said Earl Pike, director of the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, which advocates for comprehensive sex education programs. Obama spokesman Bill Burton said, “It is shameful and downright perverse for the McCain campaign to use a bill that was written to protect young children from sexual predators as a recycled and discredited political attack against a father of two young girls.”
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TweetPick your ticket: McCain-Palin or Obama-Biden
The general election campaign is off to a rousing, raucous start here in Ohio and across the country.
Republican John McCain and Sarah Palin, McCain’s vice presidential running mate, and Democrat Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Obama’s running mate, already have been campaigning in Ohio and they’re expected to return often.
Here’s your chance to pick the ticket that you’d like to see lead the nation starting in 2009.
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TweetHillary Clinton to campaign in Ohio for Obama
She beat him in Ohio’s Democratic primary but now Sen. Hillary Clinton is coming back to the state to campaign for Barack Obama for president.
Clinton will campaign in the Lorain and Akron areas on Sunday, Sept. 14, Obama’s campaign announced today, Sept. 10.
Clinton will discuss the Obama-Biden plan to “strengthen Ohio’s economy” in contrast to the McCain-Palin “platform to offer four more years of the failed policies of the Bush administration,” the Obama campaign said in a press release.
Also, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, Obama’s vice presidential running mate, will be in Parma on Thursday. Sept. 11, to meet with firefighters and other first responders to thank them for their service on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Obama campaign announced.
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TweetBrown, Voinovich honor Tubbs Jones
U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and George Voinovich Wednesday, Sept. 10, introduced a resolution honoring the life of U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who died Aug. 20 after suffering from a brain aneurysm.
“Ohio has lost one of its favorite daughters and most tireless advocates,” said Brown, D-Ohio. “Stephanie was that rare person who filled whatever room she entered. She touched so many lives both in Ohio and Washington that it’s fitting we honor her today.”
“Stephanie was a conscientious public servant, full of life and enthusiastic about her work for the citizens of Ohio’s 11th district, including my family,” Voinovich, R-Ohio, said. “She will most certainly be missed by her constituents, Northeast Ohio and the state as a whole.”
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TweetCongressional watchdog targets Turner
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington Wednesday, Sept. 10, released its fourth annual report on members of Congress they consider the most corrupt - and they put U.S. Rep. Mike Turner on their “dishonorable mention” list.
The top 20 include U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., William Jefferson, D-La., Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Ak. Of the top 20, at least 12 are under investigation and one other, U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., is under a self-initiated House ethics committee investigation.
Turner wasn’t in the top 20. Instead, he made the “dishonorable mention” list because his wife’s marketing term received a no-bid contract by the Dayton Development Coalition in 2006 to develop and market an advertising campaign. The coalition lobbies the Miami Valley congressional delegation, including Turner, for federal funds. Lori Turner later withdrew from the campaign.
The CREW report urges the House Ethics Committee to investigate whether Lori Turner secured the contract because of her relationship with Turner.
UPDATE: Democrat Jane Mitakides, who is challenging Turner in November, has taken note of the report, and just sent out a release detailing it. The release solicits readers to “Help Jane End the Corruption in OH-3” by giving money to her campaign.
UPDATE 2:
Turner disputes several facts from the report.
He said all earmarks referred to in the report went to the community, not the coalition. He also said that the earmarks referred to in the report were actually requested by former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, not him.
Here’s his statement:
“It is unfortunate that my opponent and her supporters are attacking these community projects. Perhaps she should talk to the County Commissioners and the Mayor who requested the funds. They should step forward and defend their projects.
One grant went 100 percent to the City of Dayton for the CareSource building. The other funds were actually secured by then-Sen. Mike DeWine. Another grant went to the County for the Austin Road Interchange project. All of this is a matter of public record.”
UPDATE 3:
Here’s Mitakides’ statement on the report:
“I was shocked and disappointed by the revelations in this report. Ohio families are facing too many economic hardships already, they don’t deserve to foot the bill for the sweetheart deals of yet another corrupt Ohio Republican. Rep. Turner has some serious explaining to do to the voters of this district.”
And here’s Montgomery County Democratic Chairman Mark Owens said:
“This is only the tip of the iceberg. I join CREW in calling for a Congressional investigation into the extent of Turner’s corruption and the cost that will be shouldered by the taxpayers as a result of his corruption. Ohioans deserve accountability from their public officials.”
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TweetBrown signs onto bill cracking down on credit card companies
Sen. Sherrod Brown and Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray say they want to see federal regulators crack down on abusive practices by credit card companies.
Brown, D-Ohio, is also signing onto a bill introduced by Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., that would increase transparency in the credit card industry by requiring better disclosure of contract terms. That bill is now in the Senate Banking Committee - a committee of which Brown is a member.
Brown said he’s received a number of complaints from Ohioans who saw their credit ratings drop when they didn’t pay off the entire balance or saw their interest rate increase precipitously because they were slow to pay unrelated bills.
“There’s little wonder people are angry,” he said. “They do their best to understand the terms - and it’s hard to do that even for people who are pretty savvy about financial matters.”
He said over the past year, the credit card delinquency rate reported by the Fed has gone from 3.85 percent to 5.47 percent - an increase of 42 percent.
Cordray, a fellow Democrat, meanwhile, said a comment drive urging regulators to implement tougher rules on credit card companies spurred comments from 5,373 Ohioans.
The Dodd bill would prevent a change of contract terms during the term of the card agreement; allow consumers to close their accounts and pay off debts under the terms then in effect; apply increased interest rates only to subsequent debt and apply payments to the highest cost balance first; prohibit interest charges on debt paid on time (double-cycle billing); require bills to be mailed 21 days ahead of the due date rather than 14; prohibit interest from being charged on card transaction fees; prohibit the charge of a fee to pay off debt; prevent issuers from charging multiple over-limit fees; and improve disclosure and notice provided to cardholders.
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TweetDefense Department ends KC-X bidding process
The Department of Defense Wednesday, Sept. 10, abruptly ended the process of searching for a contractor for the KC-X tanker, saying instead it will wait to award that contractor until the next presidential administration begins.
In a statement, the Defense Department said they believed soliciting and awarding contracts for the new tanker could not be done by January.
It’s the latest chapter in a lengthy competition between Boeing and Northrop Grumman. Earlier this year, the Air Force awarded the contract to Northrop Grumman, only to have the Government Accountability Office reveal troubles in that process. Ultimately, the Defense Department took over the process.
In a statement, Defense Secretary Robert Gates stated, “Over the past seven years the process has become enormously complex and emotional - in no small part because of mistakes and missteps along the way by the Department of Defense.  It is my judgment that in the time remaining to us, we can no longer complete a competition that would be viewed as fair and objective in this highly charged environment. The resulting “cooling off” period will allow the next Administration to review objectively the military requirements and craft a new acquisition strategy for the KC-X.” Â
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TweetOhioans named to “Palin Truth Squad”
Republican John McCain’s presidential campaign is tired of “liberal smears” against Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain’s vice presidential running mate.
To counter the “smears,” the McCain campaign on Tuesday, Sept. 9, launched the “Palin Truth Squad”, which includes national members and members from each state.
Former Ohio House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson, now Republican National Committee co-chairwoman, is a national member. State members from Ohio include: Auditor Mary Taylor, Betty Montgomery, the former auditor and former attorney general and Kay Ayres, Ohio Republican Party vice chairwoman.
“We will not allow those on the left and in the media to smear a woman who has always served her constituents with honor,” Jane Swift, former Massachusetts governor and squad member, said in a press release.
The squad will issue alerts and statements to voters and the media in the event of “false attacks,” the release said.
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TweetObama on DHL hearing
Here’s Sen. Barack Obama’s take on the House Judiciary Committee’s hearing on the proposal to allow UPS to carry DHL’s domestic air freight:
“I commend the House Judiciary Committee for holding a hearing today on the implications of the proposed deal between DHL and UPS, which would allow UPS to assume DHL’s air transport services. I have called for a hearing on the same subject in the Senate.
“Several years ago, DHL purchased Airborne’s trucks and hired much of its personnel. However, DHL was unable to buy the entire company, which included air transport services, because of federal rules preventing foreign firms from owning domestic airlines. ABX was then established in Wilmington, Ohio, to take control of Airborne’s air transport operations, which DHL uses as its primary contractor for that service. Today, DHL wants to terminate that contract and instead contract with UPS, a primary competitor, for those services.
“This proposed deal creates two problems. First, as a matter of consumer policy, it threatens competition to allow two direct competitors to act as partners. Second, it would eliminate 8,000 jobs in Wilmington as well as other jobs that depend on DHL workers, and it would abandon the infrastructure they currently use. Because UPS will use its existing infrastructure and employees to handle DHL’s delivery needs, this deal is unlikely to create new jobs.
“While these companies are not proposing a merger, DHL and UPS intend to partner to have UPS provide a key component of the delivery service DHL sells. I have asked the Department of Justice to examine the proposed deal because I believe that it would be bad for consumers and competition, and may possibly violate antitrust laws. This deal would result in DHL becoming almost entirely dependent on its main competitor - UPS - to deliver packages for DHL, and therefore may very well cause serious harm to competition in the express package delivery market. The Justice Department should oppose any deal that would substantially reduce competition and consumer choice in this vital market.
“If the antitrust scrutiny concludes that the deal is legal and it moves forward, the federal government has a real responsibility to step in and help all of those that will be unemployed. Unfortunately, this situation would not qualify these workers for trade adjustment assistance since the jobs are not being shifted overseas; nor are they the result of a free trade agreement. Instead these jobs are being lost in the context of a global market and competition among multinational firms.
“If we know in advance that a deal like this will disrupt a community, then the government should have a strong rapid response strategy that combines federal and state resources and lets people know we will not abandon them. We have reached out to the Administration on this issue, and to its credit, the Administration has a team working on it.
“After everything the people of Ohio did to attract DHL’s business, DHL owes it to them to try to negotiate, in good faith, an alternative structure or a new contract to save these 8,000 jobs. Congress was responsive and open to DHL when high-priced Washington lobbyists represented its interests in purchasing Airborne years ago. Now, Congress owes it to the hardworking people of Ohio and American consumers the same level of access, deference, and responsiveness that DHL received.”
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TweetEye On Ohio: Obama’s ‘Same’ ad
By Anthony Shoemaker
The ad: “Same,” 30 seconds.
Producer: Barack Obama campaign.
Where to see it: It’s airing in battleground states, including Ohio. View it at DaytonDailyNews.com/eyeonohio.
Script: (Announcer) “They share the same out-of-touch attitude. The same failure to understand the economy. The same tax cuts for huge corporations and the wealthiest 1 percent.
“The same questionable ties to lobbyists. The same plan to spend $10 billion a month in Iraq when we should be rebuilding America.”
(John McCain): “I voted with the president over 90 percent of the time, higher than a lot of my even Republican colleagues.”
(Announcer): “We just can’t afford more of the same.”
(Obama): “I’m Barack Obama and I approved this message.”
Video: The ad starts out with happy music — it would play easily in a Disney movie — and then shows still images of McCain with President George W. Bush.
The first has Bush and McCain almost in an embrace with the words “THE SAME” over the photo. The second shows Bush waving with McCain behind him. This time the words “THE SAME” appear along with the phrase “failure to understand the economy.”
The third image shows McCain arriving at the White House. This time the words “THE SAME” appear along with “tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy.”
In the fourth image, McCain and Bush are smiling while the words “THE SAME” are paired with the phrase “questionable ties to lobbyists.”
In the next image, McCain and Bush are side-by-side, “THE SAME” again covers the image. The type says “plan to spend ten billion a month in Iraq.”
The photos of the duo are followed by a video of McCain saying, “I voted with the president over 90 percent of the time.”
The final scene of the ad shows Obama and running mate Joe Biden — with their shirtsleeves rolled up — and the phrase “Obama/Biden, for the change we need.”
Analysis: The Obama campaign has picked its theme: that a McCain presidency would be more of the same. This ad continues to beat that drum and suggests that, in the wake of the Republican convention, the game plan hasn’t change.
Regarding McCain’s statement that he voted “90 percent of the time” with the president: According to Congressional Quarterly and FactCheck.org, that figure actually was 95 percent for 2007. McCain voted 90 percent of the time with the Republican Party that year. CQ says that in previous years, though, McCain voted less along party lines. In 2005, he sided with the president 77 percent of the time; that was his lowest.
CQ also shows that Obama voted with Bush 40 percent of the time in 2007.
Anthony Shoemaker is an editor at the Dayton Daily News. E-mail: ashoemaker@coxohio.com.
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TweetObama promises to double funding for “responsible charter schools”
As president, Democrat Barack Obama says he would “double the funding for responsible charter schools.”
The pledge came in excerpts from a speech Obama is scheduled to give today, Sept. 9, at Stebbins High School in Riverside.
Obama also takes aim at his Republican opponent John McCain and McCain’s record on education in nearly three decades in Washington.
“…in those three decades, he has not done one thing to truly improve the quality of public education in our country. Not one real proposal or law or initiative. Nothing.”
McCain and Sarah Palin, his vice presidential running mate, were to campaign in the Dayton area today, in front of The Golden Lamb restaurant in Lebanon.
Here are the excerpts from Obama’s speech:
For decades, they’ve been stuck in the same tired debates over education that have crippled our progress and left schools and parents to fend for themselves.
It’s been Democrat versus Republican, vouchers versus the status quo, more money versus more reform. There’s partisanship and there’s bickering, but there’s no understanding that both sides have good ideas that we’ll need to implement if we hope to make the changes our children need.
And we’ve fallen further and further behind as a result.
If we’re going to make a real and lasting difference for our future, we have to be willing to move beyond the old arguments of left and right and take meaningful, practical steps to build an education system worthy of our children and our future.
In the past few weeks, my opponent has taken to talking about the need for change and reform in Washington, where he has been part of the scene for about three decades.
And in those three decades, he has not done one thing to truly improve the quality of public education in our country. Not one real proposal or law or initiative. Nothing.
Instead, he marched with the ideologues in his party in opposing efforts to hire more teachers, and expand Head Start, and make college more affordable. You don’t reform our schools by opposing efforts to fully fund No Child Left Behind.
And you certainly don’t reform our education system by calling to close the Department of Education. That would just make it harder for us to give out financial aid, harder for us to keep track of how our schools are doing, and lead to widening inequality in who gets a college degree.
That is not my idea of reform. That is not my idea of change. That is not a plan to help your kids compete with those kids in China and India.
After three decades of indifference on education, do you really believe that John McCain is going to make a difference now?
Giving our parents real choices about where to send their kids to school also means showing the same kind of leadership at the national level that I did in Illinois when I passed a law to double the number of charter schools in Chicago.
That is why as President, I’ll double the funding for responsible charter schools. Now, I know you’ve had a tough time with for-profit charter schools here in Ohio. That is why I’ll work with Governor Strickland to hold for-profit charter schools accountable, and I’ll work with all our nation’s governors to hold all our charter schools accountable.
Charter schools that are successful will get the support they need to grow. And charters that aren’t will get shut down. And we’ll help ensure that more of our kids have access to quality afterschool and summer school and extended school days for students who need it - because if they can do that in China, we can do that right here in the United States of America.
And when our teachers succeed in making a real difference in our children’s lives, we should reward them for it by finding new ways to increase teacher pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them.
We can do this. From Prince George County in Maryland to Denver, Colorado, we’re seeing teachers and school boards coming together to design performance pay plans.
So yes, we must give teachers every tool they need to be successful. But we also need to give every child the assurance that they’ll have the teacher they need to be successful. That means setting a firm standard - teachers who are doing a poor job will get extra support, but if they still don’t improve, they’ll be replaced.
Because as good teachers are the first to tell you, if we’re going to attract the best teachers to the profession, we can’t settle for schools filled with poor teachers.
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TweetObama to discuss major education plan at Stebbins High School
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will discuss his plans for reforming America’s education system during his Tuesday, Sept. 9, speech at Stebbins High School in Riverside.
Obama will detail proposals “to modernize and strengthen our nation’s schools for the challenges of the 21st century, his campaign said.
Obama is expected to speak about 10:30 a.m. Because school is in session, attendance is by invitation only, his campaign said.
Also Tuesday morning, Republican presidential candidate John McCain and Sarah Palin, McCain’s vice presidential running mate, will be at a rally in front of The Golden Lamb restaurant in Lebanon.
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TweetHusted won’t say he’ll serve entire term
In St. Paul last week during the Republican National Convention, Ohio Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine told a crowd of delegates that he looks forward to working along side his friend, Jon Husted, when Husted runs for Ohio Secretary of State in 2010.
Husted, R-Kettering, is now House Speaker and a candidate for a four year term in the Ohio Senate. Despite the open talk of him running for secretary of state, Husted is mum on it and declined to say whether he’s committed to serving his entire term if elected to the Senate.
“I’m not talking about the future. I’m focused on 2008 now,” Husted said. “I want to finish my job strong as speaker and get elected to the Senate.”
The GOP is keen on recapturing the governor’s office and or secretary of state in 2010 so that the Republican can control the five-member Apportionment Board, which draws legislative districts after each U.S. Census.
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TweetNew TV ad: McCain-Palin as the “Original Mavericks”
As Republican John McCain and Sarah Palin, McCain’s vice presidential running mate get ready for their first post-convention Ohio appearance, their campaign has launched a new TV ad - the “Original Mavericks.”
It highlights their willingness to buck the establishment, even when the establishment is their own Republican party.
McCain and Palin will campaign on Tuesday, Sept. 9 in Lebanon at a 10 a.m. rally in front of The Golden Lamb restaurant. Doors open to the public at 7 a.m., the campaign said.
Here’s the ad:
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TweetMichelle Obama to address Baptist group in Cincinnati
Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, will be in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Sept. 10, to speak to the National Baptist Convention.
The group is the nation’s oldest and largest African-American religious convention with an estimated membership of 7.5 million, according to its Web site.
She will speak about the faith and values that have driven Obama as a father, husband and public servant, according to the Obama campaign.
Mrs. Obama also will discuss her husband’s belief that the great challenges our country faces require more than just government action — the change we need also depends on the important role of faith organizations, strong families, and strong communities, the campaign said.
More information on her appearance will be available later, the Obama campaign said.
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TweetObama to campaign at Stebbins High School
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will return to the Dayton area on Tuesday, Sept. 9, to campaign at Stebbins High School in Riverside.
The event in the school gymnasium is to start about 10:30 a.m. and attendance is by invitation, the Obama campaign said.
Obama will campaign in the high school gym about the same time Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, will hold a rally in front of The Golden Lamb restaurant in Lebanon.
It will be Obama’s eighth Ohio campaign swing since Hillary Clinton conceded the Democratic nomination to him on June 7.
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TweetAnother local Obama field office opening Tuesday
Another local field office for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is having a grand opening Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 5 p.m. at 3346 Germantown St.
There will be refreshments, games and giveaways. A voter registration canvass is also being launched from the office and the office is requesting donation of supplies.
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TweetObama to campaign in Dayton area on Tuesday
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will campaign in the Dayton area on Tuesday, Sept. 9, according to a Democratic official.
That means the Dayton area, at least for a day, will be at the center of this year’s presidential campaign and the battle for Ohio’s 20 electoral votes.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain and Sarah Palin, his running mate, also will be in the Dayton area on Tuesday. They’ll be at a morning rally in front of The Golden Lamb restaurant in Lebanon.
More details on the Obama event are expected to be available on Sunday, Sept. 7.
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TweetMcCain, Palin to rally in Lebanon on Tuesday
Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, will be in Lebanon for a morning rally on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
The “McCain Street USA” rally will be outside The Golden Lamb restaurant at 27 S. Broadway. Doors will open for the rally at 7 a.m. More details will be available later.
Those who want to attend should RSVP by calling 614-441-8622 or by e-mail at ohio@johnmccain.com.
It will be the first Ohio campaign stop by the McCain-Palin ticket since the Republican National Convention last week in Minnesota.
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TweetMcCain, Obama to suspend negative TV ads on Sept. 11
The Republican and Democratic presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama will take part in a joint appearance at the World Trade Center site in New York on Thursday to mark the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, according to wire reports.
The campaigns will also suspend television advertising critical of each other on Sept. 11. The McCain campaign has said it will air no ads that day, according to the Associated Press
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TweetHoney, is that Ted Strickland at the door?
Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland will go door-to-door in Cincinnati Saturday, Sept. 6, campaigning for Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, according to Eva Clark, spokesperson for Democratic state representative candidate Connie Pillich, who will join Strickland.
Strickland’s door-knocking is part of a statewide Knock for Barack effort that the campaign hopes attracts thousands of supporters in 19 cities, including Dayton. Strickland and Pillich will join volunteers gathering at the Ash War Memorial on the southwest corner of Hunt and Cooper roads at 3 p.m. Saturday.
In Dayton volunteers will gather at 2 p.m. Saturday at Obama campaign headquarters, 40 N. Main St., Suite 60.
The campaign hopes to send volunteers to 100,000 homes on Saturday and Sunday. Volunteers will talk to voters about the Obama-Biden campaign’s “plan to cut taxes for middle class families, create jobs and rebuild” the economy, according to a news release from the campaign.
Pillach, a Democrat from Montgomery, faces Republican Virgil Lovitt of Sharonville.
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TweetOhio FOP endorses Cordray for AG
The Ohio Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed Democrat Richard Cordray for attorney general in the Nov. 4 election.
“Richard Cordray was the clear choice,” Nick DiMarco, Ohio FOP president, said in a press release on Friday, Sept. 5. “Given Cordray’s track record of support for law enforcement, commitment to public employees and proven leadership in public office, Cordray will make an exceptional attorney general.”
Cordray, now Ohio treasurer, is running against Republican Mike Crites, a former U.S. attorney and Columbus attorney. Independent Robert Owens also is in the race.
With 25,000 members, the Ohio FOP says it is the largest law enforcement organization in the state.
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TweetMcCain expected in Cincinnati
Now that the Republican National Convention is over, Republican presidential candidate John McCain is heading for familiar territory.
McCain is expected to fly to Cincinnati on Monday night, Sept 8, and make a campaign stop on Tuesday, Sept. 9, although it won’t be a public event, the Dayton Daily News has learned.
No word yet on when Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain’s vice presidential running mate and a star at the convention, will make her Ohio campaign debut.
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TweetAP: 40 million watched Palin speech
According to an Associated Press story just released, more than 40 million people watched Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin give her speech on Wednesday night.
That is more people than watched the American Idol finale or this year’s Academy Awards. It also rivals the audience that watched Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s acceptance speech from Denver last week. In comparison, Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden’s speech was watched by 24 million people.
“Nielsen Media Research estimated 37.2 million people watched Palin on either ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel or MSNBC. PBS estimated it had 4 million viewers for the speech. Last week Obama had 38.4 million viewers on the commercial networks, topping 40 million with PBS and C-SPAN added in,” the AP article said.
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Tweet“Ohio Republicans for Obama” is launched
Democrat Barack Obama’s campaign wants to steal some of the spotlight from Republican John McCain.
As McCain prepared to formally accept his party’s presidential nomination on Thursday, Sept. 4, Obama’s campaign launched “Ohio Republicans for Obama.” Members of the group were to staff Obama phone banks on McCain’s big night.
Gregory Fess, whose great grandfather was Republican U.S. Sen. Simeon D. Fess of Yellow Springs, is a leader of the Ohio group. Simeon Fess served in the Senate from 1923-1935.
“Before I am a Republican, I am an American,” Gregory Fess said in a press release. “What I care about most is making sure that we have a president who can unite us in combating the major challenges of our time-terrorism, the economy, energy and climate change.”
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TweetNeuhardt nabs Brown endorsement
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, Thursday, Sept. 4, formally backed fellow Democrat Sharen Neuhardt, the Yellow Springs attorney who hopes to replace U.S. Rep. David Hobson in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District.
“Congress needs a voice for change like Sharen’s and that is why I am proud to endorse her,” said Brown, D-Ohio. “Dedicated to lowering health care and energy costs for Ohio families, Sharen understands that decades of failed policies in Washington have betrayed the middle class.”
Brown faces state Sen. Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek, in November.
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TweetTurner uses convention as a chance to address DHL
U.S. Rep. Mike Turner shared a stage Wednesday, Sept. 3, with the German ambassador while visiting the Twin Cities for the Republican National Convention. And he couldn’t resist pressing the case for preserving jobs at the Wilmington-based air hub for DHL.
DHL and United Parcel Service are working together on a proposal that would allow UPS to handle all of DHL’s domestic air freight.
Turner, R-Centerville, speaking at the Center for German and European Studies at the University of Minnesota, told Ambassador Dr. Klaus Scharioth that the proposal would devastate southwestern Ohio.
Turner also expressed concern about rumors that UPS might acquire Dutch rival TNT, arguing that such a plan could create a global monopoly.
A series of congressional hearings will begin next week looking at the DHL-UPS proposal.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, meanwhile, said he’s been engaged with the White House for the last month or so pressing them to push to preserve the jobs.
But Boehner, R-West Chester, said he worried the jobs would be hard to preserve.
“It’s an uphill fight,” he said, saying he can’t predict what will happen to the Wilmington jobs.
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TweetBoehner: McCain has a tough act to follow
House Minority Leader John Boehner admits Sen. John McCain has a big challenge facing him after his vice-presidential nominee’s well-received speech before the Republican National Convention.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, already in the limelight Wednesday because of revelations about her family life and scrutiny of her record as Alaska governor “did a whale of a job,” Boehner said. “It’s going to be a hard act to follow. I think McCain is up to it, but I’m sure they’ve been thinking about it since last night.”
“There’s some heat on him tonight,” Boehner said. “He’s got to perform.”
McCain is set to accept the Republican nomination for president tonight, Thursday, Sept. 4.
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TweetBoehner on Palin
House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, has high hopes that Alaska Gov. and Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin is the ticket to winning the crucial swing votes in southeast Ohio in November.
“I think that’s probably her strongest quality,” he said. “She will appeal to those middle-class voters in Ohio that we need to win.”
Palin, he said, “speaks like a normal person,” without too much political talk, and will win support among social conservatives in the state.
Voters don’t ordinarily vote for a vice-president, he acknowledged.
But “what she has brought is a level of enthusiasm that we have not seen in this campaign,” he said.
“I’m going to do everything I can to have her in Ohio and the Midwest alot,” he said. “She can be a great asset to our congressional candidates throughout the Midwest.”
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TweetBoehner says Gustav handled gracefully
House Minority Leader John Boehner said those organizing the Republican National Convention this week reacted with relative cool to the threat of a hurricane on the Gulf Coast, ripping up a carefully choreographed schedule with little to no conflict.
“I watched (organizers) be completely flexible about throwingt everything in trashcan and starting over as far as how we were going to proceed,” he said. “There was no disagreement at all about the fact that we couldn’t or didn’t want to proceed on Monday night.”
Boehner, R-West Chester, who is serving as the chair of this convention, said he was surprised by the lack of strife.
“People were surprisingly calm about it,” he said.
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TweetPortman eyes statewide office
Cincinnati Republican Rob Portman on Thursday, Sept. 4, heaped praise on John McCain’s vice presidential pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, saying she has electrified delegates in Ohio and elsewhere.
“I think she will wear very well. She’s smart. She’s kind of everybody’s next door neighbor,” said Portman, a former congressman who had been on McCain’s short list for VP.
Portman, who served as U.S. trade representative and White House budget director, said he hasn’t decided whether he’ll run for governor in 2010 against Democrat Ted Strickland. And he added that if U.S. Sen. George Voinovich changes his mind and decides not to run for re-election, Portman would consider a run for Senate.
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TweetMoe stunned by mention in Palin’s speech
Lancaster Republican delegate Tom Moe was crammed into a seat with Sen. Mike DeWine Wednesday night, listening to Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin on the floor of the Republican National Convention when he suddenly heard his name come out of her mouth.
“I said, what did she just say?” he said to Ohio Republicans at a delegation breakfast Thursday, Sept. 4. “I certainly don’t seek out this kind of attention.”
Moe has received limelight that has surprised him during this convention. He was recently interviewed by NPR, and was shocked when a caller lambasted McCain as not being a hero.
The show ended before Moe could reply, but he thought about the caller later, and realized McCain would’ve agreed with the caller. The real heroes, Moe said, had never come home from Vietnam.
“This story is not about me as an individual,” he said of the attention he’s gotten. “It’s about acts - acts of service that anyone in this room could do.”
He said the praise he got from Palin “goes through me, or through my friend John McCain to our brothers and sisters who didn’t return.”
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TweetLieberman gushes over Palin at Ohio GOP breakfast
Independent Conn. Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democrats’ 2000 vice-presidential nominee, was clearly impressed with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s speech Wednesday night before the Republican National Convention.
“Last night was one of the most spectacular political speeches I have ever seen,” he told Ohio Republican delegates at their daily delegation breakfast. “But all the more so because Gov. Palin came from way out there to here. She’s never been near a stage like this. She is not just genuine. She has a gift. She’s a natural.”
Lieberman, who spoke before the convention Tuesday night, said Palin “opened a big door in Washington and let some fresh Alaska air in.”
He acknowledged that the mood in the country “is more Democratic than Republican,” but said he hoped that the race for the White House came down to the characteristics of the delegates themselves.
And he said Ohio, once again, would be a key state.
“It’s going come down to Ohio again,” he said. “And it’s going to be close…dear friends future of America and of the free world is on your shoulders.”
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TweetOhio delegates delayed by protesters
A bus load of Ohio delegates returning from the Republican National Convention early Thursday, Sept. 4, were diverted from their hotel by protesters and tear gas at 12:15 a.m. The Ohio delegates were staying in the Radisson Plaza Minnesota in downtown Minneapolis.
Police on motorcycles and foot in riot gear were deployed around downtown.
The bus driver moved the bus a few blocks away from the trouble spots and allowed reporters and others who insisted on getting off the bus to leave at their own risk.
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TweetWe’re in for hand-to-hand combat
ST. PAUL — In 24 hours, John McCain will deliver his acceptance speech and then hit the campaign trail anew in his quest to become the 44th president of the United States.
So, how does he win? The road to victory winds through Ohio.
No Republican since Abraham Lincoln has captured the presidency without winning the Buckeye State. For that matter, no Democrat since Kennedy has landed in the White House without Ohio, either.
In the last two elections, George W. Bush won narrowly in Ohio, but in 2006, Democrats swept Republicans from statewide offices, won the governor’s seat and toppled an incumbent Republican, Mike DeWine, for the U.S. Senate.
The latest CNN/Time magazine poll shows McCain and Barack Obama in a dead heat in Ohio (Obama 47 percent; McCain 45 percent - within the margin of error).
Clearly, the state is in play.
I spoke to several Republican officeholders this week at the Republican National Convention asking their views on the strategy McCain should employ to win. (I asked similar questions of Democrats on behalf of Obama last week in Denver at the Democratic National Convention.)
They all agree that it will be a close race. “It’s going to be hand-to-hand combat,” said Sen. George Voinovich.
Everyone with whom I spoke also concurred that the key issues are energy and the economy. In the past seven years, Ohio has lost more than 200,000 non-farm jobs, according to Labor Department reports, and the state ranks among the highest in home foreclosures.
“Ohio wants somebody who is going to come in and fight for us,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Turner.
“One of the benefits that John McCain has is that people know him, they have a relationship with him. So it’s not an introduction that he’s making when he comes and talks about who he is. We know him and we already like him. But this isn’t a referendum on John McCain. It’s a job interview. And he has to come in and tell us what he’s going to do for the future.”
Noting that McCain already has an “acknowledged strength” in the area of national security, Turner said, “the area where he has to come in and tell us his story is on economic security.”
DeWine, while acknowledging that “it will be close” believes that McCain is “going to do well in southeast Ohio. He’s going to do well in socially conservative areas.”
Geographically, DeWine said, “McCain’s got to win small counties by big margins and he’s got to win the suburbs.”
That was the Bush campaign strategy in 2004, where he narrowly defeated Sen. John Kerry, whose campaign efforts were concentrated in the cities.
“Ohio will be another battleground state,” said Ohio Rep. Steve Austria, who is running to fill the seat of retiring U.S. Rep. Dave Hobson. “The ground war will be key.”
That is understood by the Democrats, too. Every one of Ohio’s 88 counties will be fought for, members of both parties said. Republicans will try to duplicate their successes in 2000 and 2004 with strong grassroots efforts. Democrats will go to school on the Republican successes taking no part of the state for granted.
So, gird your loins. The politicians are coming and they want your vote. Come November, you’ll have to have been living in a corn silo not to be caught up in the political storm that’s heading our way.
Jeff Bruce is journalist in residence at Wright State University. He can be reached at jeff@jeffbruce.net.
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TweetPalin gives a shout out to Moe
Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin gave a shout out to retired Air Force Col. Tom Moe of Lancaster on national TV on Wednesday.
Moe, an Ohio delegate, served as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam with John McCain. Moe recalls how he used to look through a pinhole in his cell door and see a beaten McCain returning from torture sessions and giving him a thumbs up.
Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, was sitting next to Moe in the front row on Wednesday and said Moe had tears in his eyes and told him, “Jon, I don’t deserve this.”
“We had a convention watching party here and everyone went nuts (when they saw Moe on TV,)” said McCain Ohio spokesman Paul Lindsay.
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TweetWho bikes more: Republicans or Democrats?
Who bikes more: Democrats or Republicans?
During the national political conventions in Denver and St. Paul, folks in both cities have had access to 1,000 free bicycles thanks to Humana Inc., a health insurance company, and Bikes Belong. Odometers on the handlebars keep track of the number of miles ridden.
As of Wednesday afternoon, pedal pushers in the Twin Cities had logged 6,492 miles compared with 26,511 miles logged in the Mile High City during the Democratic Convention.
So do Republicans not like bike riding as much as Democrats?
“Well, we hope that’s not the case,” said Doug Bennett, spokesman for Humana. “We’re bike partisan at Humana. So we don’t look at that one way or the other.”
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TweetDown ballot candidates schmooze
MINNEAPOLIS - Political conventions aren’t just for presidential candidates. Statewide politicians are using exposure here at the Republican National Convention — and earlier in Denver when the Democrats convened - to advance their own careers.
By the end of this week, Ohio delegates will have heard from Republicans who want to be governor, attorney general and state Supreme Court justices, to name a few.
Some of these aspiring office holders are on the agenda to speak at the delegation’s breakfast meetings. Others are here pressing the flesh, networking, and keeping their contacts alive for future races. Among the later group are Rep. Mike Turner of the 3rd Congressional District and state Sen. Steve Austria, who hopes to fill Rep. Dave Hobson’s seat in the 7th Congressional District.
On Wednesday, John Kasich, a former U.S. representative from Columbus got a boost for his yet-to-be-declared 2010 run for the governorship by FOX colleague Sean Hannity, who, when he wasn’t lambasting “Barack ‘Apollo’ Obama,” was calling for Kasich to throw his hat in the ring. For his part, Kasich took dead aim at his likely opponent, Gov. Ted Strickland, calling him a “caretaker” and urging the elimination of the state’s income tax - to loud applause from delegates.
Rob Portman, another former U.S. representative and most recently head of the White House Office of Management and the Budget, is weighing his political options - including a run for the governorship - and making the rounds at delegation meetings on behalf of the McCain campaign.
U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, who enjoys a front-row seat on the convention floor, has been prowling the halls and rubbing elbows as he considers his own race for governor. DeWine lost his Senate seat in 2006 to Sherrod Brown, who was a featured speaker in Denver, pushing the Obama/Biden ticket.
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O’Connor told Republicans earlier in the week that “I know you’re here to party, but when you get home that’s when the heavy lifting starts.” She’s hoping her fortunes will be lifted by delegates who go home and help get her re-elected.
Justice Evelyn Stratton echoed the plea for help, noting that her campaign “will be lucky” to raise $1 million and she “can’t win with that.” She urged delegates to use the power of SEND - to call, text and email supporters on her behalf.
Mike Crites, a former federal prosecutor, wants the AG’s job - that’s attorney general “not aspiring governor,” he noted, that field already too crowded. He said he wants to “clean up that mess” left by the disgraced Marc Dann, who resigned under a cloud of allegations of sexual harassment.
Dann, of course, promised to clean up the mess left by his Republican predecessor, Jim Petro, who he alleged failed to act on SEC warnings during the Coingate scandal. Petro, who lost to Ken Blackwell during the GOP primary for governor, is also here schmoozing.
The attorney general’s spot, currently held by an actual caretaker, Nancy Rogers, is also in the sights of the state’s Democratic Treasurer Richard Cordray, who used his time at the Dems’ convention in Denver to ask for delegate’s support for his campaign. He returned to the Buckeye State with an endorsement from Barack Obama.
Most of Ohio’s Democratic congressional delegation was on hand in Denver, as was Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, all looking for re-election support back home. Two aspiring congresspersons, Sharen Neuhardt, who is vying for Hobson’s seat, and Jane Mitakides, who would like to unseat Turner, stayed home to campaign.
Jeff Bruce is the Wright State University journalist in residence. He can be reached at jeff@jeffbruce.net.
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Tweet15 seconds of fame, sort of
ST. PAUL — When the gavel hammers down to close this evening’s session of the Republican National Convention, it will be in the sure hands of an Ohioan — Rep. John Boehner of West Chester.
However, it is unlikely that anyone in the television viewing audience will see this historic event as it will occur immediately following the speech by Sarah Palin, Sen. John McCain’s vice presidential running mate, and the TV cameras will doubtless be turned to the networks’ own commentators dissecting the Alaska governor’s remarks.
Such has often been the fate of Ohioans during this convention season. Gov. Ted Strickland had the misfortune of following the keynote address by former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner at the Democratic National Convention in Denver and his remarks went unviewed on most television sets.
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TweetObama promises to pass equal pay for equal work legislation
Democrat Barack Obama brought his campaign for president to rural, eastern Ohio with a promise to help women by passing “equal pay for equal work” legislation when he is president.
He said he has two “wonderful daughters” and wants to make sure they get a fair shake.
“I want to make sure they are treated equally,” he said on Wednesday, Sept. 3. He spoke in a sunny courtyard to about 250 invited guests” at Kent State University’s campus near New Philadelphia in Tuscarawas County.
“I’m thrilled with that,” Kelly Dafler, who grew up in New Lebanon, said. Dafler, who owns a dog training company, came from the Massillon area to hear Obama.
It’s a part of the state where Obama needs to improve his performance. In Tuscarawas County, Hillary Clinton defeated him 63-33 percent in Ohio’s March 4 Democratic presidential primary.
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TweetKasich on Palin
Former U.S. representative and likely 2010 Ohio gubernatorial contender John Kasich of Columbus gave a fiery defense of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at a breakfast for Ohio Republican delegates.
Kasich, a Fox commentator who left Congress in 2000, said he believes the media is “in the tank” for Barack Obama.
“I thought that was bad,” he said. “But that pales in comparison to the media’s treatment of the governor of Alaska. I think that represents blatant sexism. How dare they accuse her of not managing her family and her job?”
He said Bristol Palin, who is 17 and five months pregnant, “has been vetted more than Barack Obama.”
He also gave a preview of what will likely be his gubernatorial stump speech, calling Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland a “caretaker” of the office who is doing little to help Ohio’s economy.
“Ohio’s in trouble, and it needs to be fixed,” he said.
Lest you are curious about Kasich’s ambitions, Fox news commentator Sean Hannity thanked Kasich, calling him “the next governor of the state of Ohio.”
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TweetAG candidate Crites makes a great show and tell exhibit
Republican Attorney General candidate D. Michael Crites, talking to the Ohio Republican delegates in the Twin Cities this week, recalled Wednesday, Sept. 3, one of the prouder moments of his public service career.
It was 1986. Crites had just been nominated by President Ronald Reagan to be U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. His proud daughter asked if she could bring him into school for show and tell.
She introduced her father as D. Michael Crites. “And he works as a federal prostitutor,” she told her class.
“The kids were impressed,” Crites recalled. “The teacher was not.”
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TweetOhio delegation fundraising hits $27,000
That’s according to Fran DeWine, a Cedarville delegate and the wife of former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, who has spearheaded a fundraising drive to help those affected by Hurricane Gustav.
She said that delegates have pledged or given up to $17,000, including $1,000 pledges from the DeWine family, U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, and former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park.
She’s already secured $10,000 in matching funds from sponsors of a Sunday night paddleboat cruise hosted by Voinovich. She said she’s hoping she can get those sponsors to match the $17,000 raised.
The money will go to the American Red Cross’ hurricane relief fund.
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TweetBuckeye chant shuts up Swann
Former Republican Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate - and former Pittsburgh Steeler - Lynn Swann briefly veered off path Wednesday, Sept. 3 to talk football with the Ohio GOP delegates.
Bad idea. Swann, flirting with a little trash talk about the Ohio State Buckeyes, was quieted by chants of “O-H…IO” by the crowd. The chant went on four or five times before Swann got to command the attention of the delegates again.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s just make sure tonight when Gov. Palin is speaking that we hear that ‘Go Ohio,” he said.
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TweetSurrogate City at Ohio GOP breakfast
U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., followed Pataki, firing up the crowd with strong words of support for Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Now it’s Lynn Swann’s turn. The former Pittsburgh Steeler and Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate is talking about covering the Iditarod sled race as a sports announcer.
“I’ve been to Wasilla,” he said. “I’ve seen that town. It’s small. But I tell you, you’ve gotta have some grit to be there, folks.”
He called Palin “a woman who stands for reform and change and who has gotten it done.”
Surrogates have been unanimous in having high praise for the embattled Palin, who has faced headlines about her desire for earmarks and her daughter’s personal life since she was nominated. All are touting her as a reformer who has taken on the Republican establishment. They’re preaching to the choir, however: The Ohio GOP delegates have been unanimously supportive of Palin and have said they’ve been energized by the pick, despite the headlines.
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TweetPataki kicks off Ohio GOP delegation breakfast
Ohio Republicans were treated to a slew of John McCain surrogates Wednesday, Sept. 3, with New York Gov. George Pataki leading off a pack of speakers tasked by McCain with firing up the GOP masses gathered in the Twin Cities.
Pataki, a Republican, said the kind of change Democratic nominee Barack Obama is pushing will ultimately hurt Ohio.
“Barack Obama is going to raise taxes on every one of us,” he said to applause, “and we cannot let that happen to the people of America.”
Pataki also pushed national security, saying that troops in Iraq needed to be allowed to finish the job.
And he criticized Democrats’ message of reform.
“Their big thing is reform. Oh, they’re going reform things,” he said. “Two years ago, they said the same thing when they took over the House and the Senate. Oh, yeah, they reformed things. They’re the least popular legislature in the history of the United States of America.”
He had high words for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, saying she “didn’t talk about reform. She took on the establishment. She took on the most important peole in the state. She took on the most important people in her party.”
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TweetPortman, no longer veep possibility, becomes surrogate instead
Former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, flew in late Monday to the Republican National Convention, and it’s been nonstop ever since.
He had four speaking engagements on Tuesday, Sept. 2, including a speech before the National Republican Senatorial Committee and a group that’s focused on financial literacy. He also made it to a reception honoring Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio.
On Wednesday, he’s scheduled to speak before the Michigan and Minnesota delegations. He’ll also speak to Ohio’s delegation on Thursday.
That doesn’t count the myriad of media appearances he’s made.
“The campaign is using me as a surrogate,” he said.
Portman may have left his last government job - as head of the White House Office of Management and Budget - last year, but he’s still visible.
That’s because he still wants to serve.
He says he’ll work this year on the McCain campaign. Then, at the end of the year, he’ll make a decision on whether to run for governor.
“I’m interested in serving again. I’d loved to serve at the statewide level if there’s an opportunity,” he said.
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TweetJo Ann Davidson’s Whoops
Politico reports that RNC co-chair Jo Ann Davidson, given her moment in the spotlight, made a boo-boo with the would-be Republican vice-presidential nominee’s name.
“The next vice president of the United States, Sarah Pawlenty!” Davidson said, meshing the name of Sarah Palin with veepstakes runner up and host governor, Tim Pawlenty.
Davidson herself shattered a few glass ceilings - she was the first female Ohio House Speaker.
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TweetTwo Buckeyes on tap as convention speakers
ST. PAUL - Two Ohioans will be among the featured speakers as the Republican National Convention resumes Monday evening after taking a day off while Hurricane Gustav bore down on the Gulf Coast.
Joining First Lady Laura Bush, President Bush (via satellite), Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson will be House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Jo Ann Davidson, former speaker of the Ohio House and co-chair of the Republican National Committee and chair of the 2008 Republican National Convention Committee on Arrangements.
Missing from tonight’s lineup of originally scheduled speakers will be former New York City Mayor Rudi Giulani, who was bumped from the program when convention organizers reshuffled the deck following Monday’s truncated session.
The balance of the convention’s programming is still being worked out, organizers said, although they expect a revised lineup soon.
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TweetGopher State grub on tap
MINNEAPOLIS - Ohio delegates will travel to the posh Minikahda Club on scenic Lake Calhoun Monday afternoon for a reception honoring the state’s Republican members of Congress.
There, according to literature distributed to delegates, they will “enjoy an ice sculpture that incorporates both the state of Minnesota and the state of Ohio together” if you can imagine that.
They will dine on “a wonderful selection of passed hors d’oeuvres, wine, ‘bootlegs’ and Arnie Palmers.” Not to overlook the Wild Rice Salad with Pheasant Nuggets, Corn Pancakes with Crab Salad and Shrimp Corn Dogs.
If that doesn’t sate the delegates’ appetites, there also will be mini turkey burgers, walleye fingers, sweet potato fries, cheese curds, pickled vegetable slaw and other epicurean delights from the Gopher State (no, gopher is not on the menu).
Ironically, earlier Monday, the soon-to-be-stuffed delegation heard from a physician representing the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease. His message: 30 percent of increased health care costs can be traced directly back to the obesity epidemic.
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TweetKarl Rove is everywhere
Former Bush White House advisor Karl Rove started his day talking to Fox News. Then he was off to the Ohio delegation breakfast, then off to the Wisconsin breakfast.
Ohio Republican Party Chair Bob Bennett made note of Rove’s omnipresence while introducing him Tuesday, Sept. 2.
“I looked at him as I was getting dressed this morning on Fox,” Bennett told the crowd.
Rove shot back to Bennett: “You may not know it, but as you were getting dressed this morning, unfortunately, I was watching you.”
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TweetKarl Rove, supporter of Springfield, Ohio tourism
Former White House advisor Karl Rove spent enough time in Ohio during 2000 and 2004 that Ohio Republican Party Chair Bob Bennett jokes that he should qualify as a voter.
But Rove, speaking Monday before the Ohio Republican delegation, revealed another connection he has to the Buckeye State: When he was 9, he spent half of his summer in Springfield, visiting his Uncle Olaf.
There, he spent part of his childhood with three girl cousins “who beat me up.” Still, he said, “I had a wonderful, idyllic summer in Springfield, Ohio when I was nine years old.”
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TweetPalin pick defended
MINNEAPOLIS - A top Republican official lauded the choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be John McCain’s running-mate at a gathering of the Ohio delegation Tuesday.
The endorsement by Frank Donatelli, deputy chair of the Republican National Committee and a veteran of three Reagan campaigns, came on the heels of the announcement Monday that Palin’s 17-year-old daughter is pregnant.
That revelation, in turn, has prompted increased media attention on an investigation into charges that Palin abused her power in the firing of the state’s public safety commissioner and has provided grist for commentary about how thoroughly she was vetted by the McCain campaign.
Donatelli praised Palin as a “reformer” and said that “reform is a lot meatier than change,” a shot at the theme of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s campaign.
Donatelli decried rumors being spread by “liberal bloggers” who had been jamming cyberspace with reports that Palin’s last child, a 4-month-old boy, was really her daughter Bristol’s baby. It was those rumors that prompted the McCain campaign to announce Monday that Bristol, a high school senior, is pregnant, will keep the baby and marry the father.
“That stuff has no place in a political campaign,” he said.
Donatelli also told delegates that Ohio “is the most important state in the country” for Republican prospects in the November election and that “we cannot win the White House without Ohio.”
He said that grassroots efforts in the state are “ahead of four years ago” when President Bush beat Sen. John Kerry by just over 100,000 votes.
Jeff Bruce is the journalist in residence at Wright State University. He can be reached at jeff@jeffbruce.net.
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TweetPayday lending issue appears headed for ballot
Backers of a referendum to repeal a key portion of a new payday lending law appear to have enough signatures to qualify the issue for the Nov. 4 ballot.
“We’re certainly very hopeful,” Kim Norris, spokeswoman for the coalition that opposes the interest rate restriction in the new law, said on Tuesday, Sept. 2.
They turned in petitions with 422,000 signatures on Sunday, Aug. 31, more than the 241,366 required, according to Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s office. The signatures now will be sent to county boards of election to be verified.
By filing the signatures, referendum backers put a hold on the section of the new law that would limit payday lenders to a maximum 28 percent interest rate. They can continue charging 391 percent - $15 for every $100 borrowed for two weeks.
A “yes” vote on the ballot issue would limit lenders to the new 28 percent interest cap while a “no” vote would allow lenders to keep the 391 percent cap.
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TweetGOP convention back on schedule
ST. PAUL — The Republican National Convention is back on track, having truncated its activities for a day in response to Hurricane Gustav.
Members of the Ohio delegation were informed Tuesday morning that President Bush, who cancelled plans to attend the convention and to speak Monday night will, instead, address the convention via satellite at 9:30 p.m. EDT today.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut independent who ran for vice president with Al Gore in 2000 and who had been on John McCain’s running-mate short list will follow Bush, as will former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who vied for the GOP nomination against McCain. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain’s vice presidential pick, has been tapped to address the convention on Wednesday.
On Monday, the convention convened at 3:30 p.m. EDT and was wrapped up in less than three hours as the gathering was stripped down to housekeeping essentials and remarks by First Lady Laura Bush and Cindy McCain.
The fate of the convention had been in limbo while organizers assessed the damage Hurricane Gustav might wreak on the Gulf Coast. It has been just over three years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.
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TweetRove to Bennett: Nice ringtone
Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Bennett forgot to turn off his cell phone Tuesday, Sept. 2, while he was on stage at the Ohio delegation breakfast with Republican political strategist Karl Rove.
Of course, someone called the phone and Bennett’s ring tone was revealed.
“This is a jazzy thing. It’s funky,” Rove teased, while doing a little dance. “Bob, you’re more hip than I can stand.”
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TweetAfter bashing McCain in 2000, Rove now offers high praise
In 2000, former White House advisor Karl Rove was widely reported to be the force behind a devastating push poll in South Carolina that asked voters whether they would vote for Republican Sen. John McCain if they knew he had an illegitimate black child.
McCain’s daughter, Bridget, was adopted from Bangladesh. The push poll virtually killed McCain’s chances in South Carolina and devastated his wife, Cindy.
But there was no sign of those attacks at an Ohio delegation breakfast Tuesday, when Rove offered nothing but high praise to the McCains for adopting Bridget.
He told the delegation about how Cindy McCain, visiting Bangladesh 18 years ago, visited Mother Teresa’s orphanage, where the nuns presented her with a severely ill infant who needed care. Cindy McCain brought her home, and, met at the airport by John McCain, told her husband that the little girl would “stay with us.” Her husband agreed unhesitatingly.
Cindy McCain also brought home a second infant during that trip, a child with a severe heart problem, who an aide later adopted. That aide, Rove said, never had to pay a hospital bill for the girl’s treatment - the McCains took care of it all.
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TweetObama to return to Ohio on Wednesday
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama returns to Ohio on Wednesday, Sept. 3, this time to campaign in eastern Ohio.
Obama is scheduled to lead a discussion on women and the economy in New Philadelphia in Tuscarawas County in the morning and then attend a family barbecue in Dillonvale, south of Steubenville in Jefferson County, in the afternoon, his campaign announced.
Attendance at the events is by invitation. It will be Obama’s seventh Ohio campaign swing since Hillary Clinton’s concession speech on June 7.
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TweetStrickland campaigns in southern Ohio for Obama
Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland headed home on Tuesday, Sept. 2, to campaign for Democrat Barack Obama for president.
“Home” for Strickland, from Duck Run in Scioto County, is southern Ohio. That’s where he was scheduled to hold five forums on the economy - in Belpre in Washington County, Pomeroy in Meigs County, Gallipolis in Gallia County, Jackson in Jackson County and Piketon in Pike County.
In 2004, Democrat John Kerry got clobbered in rural, southern Ohio and this time Democrats hope that Strickland can transfer some of his vote-getting power to Obama.
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TweetMcCain and Obama can’t stay out of Ohio
Republican John McCain can’t stay out of Ohio. Neither can Democrat Barack Obama.
McCain on Monday, Sept. 1, was in Waterville, near Toledo, where he visited ISOH/IMPACT, a community based non-profit, tax-exempt, charitable organization. Their mandate is devoted to providing a better future for children and their families worldwide, according to the group’s Web site.
McCain is expected back in Ohio on Tuesday, Sept. 2, for a stop in Cleveland, according to this campaign. Details weren’t available.
Tuesday’s stop will make the sixth straight day that McCain or Obama or both of them have been in Ohio and it’s only early September, with two months to go in the presidential campaign.
McCain started things on Friday, Aug. 29, with his announcement of his vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, at Wright State University. He arrived in Ohio the night before. The streak included Obama’s two-day bus trip with stops in the Youngstown area, Cleveland, Morrow County, Dublin, Lima and Toledo.
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TweetProtesters hit streets of St. Paul
ST. PAUL, Minn. — More than 100,000 anti-war protesters took to the streets at the Republican convention … four years ago in New York.
But here in St. Paul, the promised 50,000 war protesters fizzled into a rag tag bunch of a few hundred who marched, danced and ran through downtown St. Paul between the Minnesota state capitol and the Xcel Energy Center.
The protesters, wearing T-shirts emblazoned with “Che Guevara,” “Ron Paul” and “Funk the War,” carried flags and danced to a blaring techno beat. St. Paul Police officers, wearing gas masks, helmets and flak jackets, stood by on foot, horseback and bicycles in the sweltering sun.
Officers formed human walls, closing off downtown streets in an attempt to keep protesters from swamping the Xcel Energy Center where thousands of delegates from across the country were gathering for the first day of an abbreviated convention.
Some protesters got a face full of pepper spray and their compatriots came to their aide, rinsing their eyes with a milky vinegar solution. The vinegar smell mixed with the aromas of horse manure and body odor.
One 24-year-old woman who said she was from Cleveland said she turned out to protest the military industrial complex and express joy in the face of oppression by dancing in the streets. Really.
Photos by Jeff Bruce
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TweetOhioans front and center
ST. PAUL — When Ohio’s delegates to the Republican National Convention stepped onto the floor of the Xcel Center Monday, they discovered they had the best seats in the house.
State delegations are arranged in sections around the floor of the arena, and Ohio’s spot is dead-center, directly in front of the lectern.
State party Chairman Bob Bennett suggested to delegates that this favored position might just have something to do with Jo Ann Davidson. Davidson, former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, is the co-chair of the Republican National Committee and Chair of the Committee on Arrangements — including furniture arrangements, evidently.
Ohioans enjoyed similar seating in Denver last week at the Democratic National Convention, such is the pull the state has as a critical swing state for both parties.
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TweetButton, button, Fran’s got the buttons
ST. PAUL — These buttons aren’t for sale on card tables outside the convention center.
They aren’t available online.
You won’t find them at a John McCain rally.
But the “Buckeyes for McCain” buttons are a hot commodity among Ohio delegates.
Fran DeWine handmade the buttons for the 170-member delegation, sewing together buckeyes, ribbons and little golden cords to the McCain button on her 12 hour drive between Cedarville and Minneapolis.
Former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine told delegates on Monday, Sept. 1, that the buckeyes came from trees along their street in Greene County.
Reporting by Laura Bischoff; photo by Jeff Bruce
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TweetDeWine: We can win Democrats’ votes
MINNEAPOLIS — Republicans have an opportunity to snag enough Ohio Democratic voters to win the presidential election, former Sen. Mike DeWine told state delegates Monday.
Saying he has traveled to 82 of Ohio’s 88 counties on behalf of the McCain campaign, DeWine said, “What I have found is we have a great opportunity to pick up Democrat votes.”
When talking to Democrats around the state, he said, the issues that resonate are energy, national security, taxes and judicial selection.
“The vast majority of Ohioans are on our side on these issues,” DeWine said.
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TweetCountdown to the next gaffe
MINNEAPOLIS — Ohio Republican Chairman Bob Bennett told delegates at their morning breakfast Monday that they can anticipate a kinder, gentler convention.
“All week, we’re going to take on a less partisan tone,” he said.
Maybe among Buckeyes, but not at the national level. Not if the Republican National Convention’s web site is any indicator.
Log on to www.rnc.or and at the top of the page is a countdown with the words:
“Time since Biden’s Last Gaffe: 01 Days, 19 Hours, 24 Min, 10 Sec.”
No, wait, it’s 11 seconds, 12 seconds…
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TweetRalph Nader coming to Cincinnati, Columbus
Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez are bringing their presidential campaign to Ohio next week.
On Sept. 8 at 1 p.m., Nader and Gonzalez will speak at Drexel Theater East, 2254 E. Main St. in Columbus. Contribution: $10/$5 students
Later that day, they will speak at a rally in Cincinnati at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Hall, 1229 Elm St. Contribution: $10/$5 student.
For more information, go to votenader.org
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TweetPalin’s daughter pregnant
ST. PAUL — It turns out that Bristol Palin, the 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, is pregnant after all.
The blogosphere has been filled with rumors that the Alaska governor had faked her last pregnancy to cover for her daughter.
To quash those rumors, the McCain campaign today announced that Bristol is five months pregnant, will keep the baby and will mary the father.
“We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us,” Sarah and Todd Palin said in a statement released today. “Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support.
“Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi’s privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates.”
Bistol is the oldest of the Palin’s three daughters and is a high school senior. She was named after Bristol Bay, the family’s favorite place for fishing. The couple also has two sons, an 18-year-old and the most recent, Trig, 4-months-old.
CNN reported that the McCain campaign was aware of her pregnancy. “Senator McCain knew this and felt in no way did it disqualify her from being vice president,” a campaign spokesperson said. “Families have difficulties sometimes, and lucky for her she has a supportive family.”
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TweetProtestors gather for march on convention
ST. PAUL — Protestors from more than 100 organizations are expected to gather at the state Capitol here for an anti-war march through the city to the Xcel Center, site of the Republican National Convention.
Hurricane Gustav has robbed the demonstrators of the audience they were hoping to reach — President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, who abandoned plans to speak at the convention opening.
Indeed, all of Monday’s speakers have been canceled as the GOP will slim opening day activities to business necessities and abandon the usual speeches and rallying of the troops.
Whether the convention will resume its schedule has yet to be determined as convention organizers and the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, John McCain, evaluate the damage Gustav is wreaking on the Gulf Coast.
Part of that calculation is the public relations damage that might be incurred if images of partying delegates is paired by the media with images of the flood-ravaged coast. It was three years ago this week that Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, and the Bush administration’s sluggish response to that natural disaster has not been forgotten.
Protest organizers say they are expecting about 50,000 people to convene at the Capitol for two hours of speeches followed by a march through downtown, scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. EDT.
Police have arrested six people associated with the RNC Welcoming Committee, which police have identified as an anarchist group involved with the planned demonstration. Police said they confiscated weapons and buckets of urine that, presumably, could be thrown on police, during raids here and in Minneapolis.
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TweetPawlenty: Democrats have the free stuff advantage
Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty, once on the short-list of likely Republican vice-presidential candidates, summed up the disadvantage Republicans face Monday, Sept. 1, at a breakfast with the Ohio Republican delegation.
“We’re running against opponents who are creating the illusion that they’re giving away free stuff,” he said, to laughter. “And it’s hard to run against opponents who say they’re giving away free stuff.”
Republicans, he said, talk about thrift, personal responsibility, discipline in the financial markets.
“The other side says, ‘you’ve got worries and anxieties? We’ll just give you some free stuff,’” he said. “But you know it’s not free.”
McCain, he said, is “someone who can break through that.”
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TweetOhio Republicans draw Rove, Romney to delegation breakfasts
Among the joys of being a swing state: You get big-name speakers come visit you.
Ohio Republicans found this out Monday, Sept. 1, when Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty spoke to their delegation breakfast.
Former White House advisor Karl Rove and former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney are scheduled to speak Thursday morning to the delegation. And conservative talk show host Sean Hannity is scheduled to talk to the group on Wednesday.
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TweetHow McCain pulled off his Palin surprise
That much-written about flight from Anchorage into Middletown airport last Friday actually carried members of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s family and not Republican vice-presidential pick Palin herself, former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine and his wife Fran said Sunday, Aug. 31.
Palin flew into Ohio hours earlier from Arizona, they said, and met with a speechwriter to work out the details of the Nutter Center announcement. The speechwriter was kept in the dark until meeting her, and barred from using his BlackBerry or cell phone afterwards.
Speculation about Palin began Friday after news media including this paper and the Middletown Journal reported that a charter flight flew into Middletown from Alaska.
Ohio delegates Sunday said they were thrilled with McCain’s pick. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who hosted a paddleboat cruise on the Mississippi River, called her a “breath of fresh air,” and got the crowd on the riverboat pumped up by expressing his excitement about her. “And how about Sarah - whoo!” he said, to cheers in the crowd.
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TweetOhio delegates raise $21,000 rolling on the river
Fran DeWine, a Cedarville Republican delegate and wife of former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, said she managed to raise some $21,000 for those affected by Hurricane Gustav at a paddleboat cruise along the Mississsippi River for Ohio Republican delegates Sunday, Sept. 1.
The DeWines themselves pledged $1,000 of their own money up front, and raised more than $10,000 from delegates. Their dollars were matched by the event’s sponsors, which included First Energy, the American Chemistry Council, Abbott and Forest City Enterprises. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who hosted the paddleboat cruise, also planned on making a contribution.
Republicans also planned for a modified schedule Monday, meeting from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., rather than well into the night. The modified schedule was aimed at accommodating some of the party business that must be done to nominate Sen. John McCain.
A planned reception in honor of State Auditor Mary Taylor was bumped up to 6 to 8 p.m. Monday.
Officials said they planned on modifying the rest of the week’s schedule according to what happened after the storm hit land
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