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McCain coming to Ohio; AFL-CIO ready to “greet” him

By William Hershey | Monday, May 12, 2008, 03:30 PM

John McCain, the all-but-certain Republican candidate for president, is expected in Columbus on Wednesday, May 14, for a fundraiser and on Thursday, May 15 for a speech.

The speech is expected to lay out policy proposals “across the spectrum of issues to put forth a vision of what a future McCain administration will look like,” his campaign said.

The AFL-CIO is getting ready to give McCain, an Arizona senator, an unfriendly welcome.

Ohio AFL-CIO President Joe Rugola plans a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, May 13, to denounce McCain trade policies.

Also, on Saturday, May 17, an estimated 1,000 union volunteers plan to visit 25,000 Ohio home to “make sure that union families know that Sen. McCain’s record on issues like trade is not in line with working people’s priorities,” a statement from the AFL-CIO said.

Jeff Sadosky, McCain campaign spokesman, said that Ohioans know the AFL-CIO’s attacks on McCain are about partisan politics, not protecting the middle class.

“Ohio’s families are hurting and they need a candidate with the toughness and credibility to bring about the changes our economy needs to get back on the right track, not empty promises and partisan politics from third party special interest groups and their candidates,” Sadosky said in an email.

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Obama takes superdelegate lead

By Jessica Wehrman | Saturday, May 10, 2008, 08:29 PM

Barack Obama Saturday scored endorsements from superdelegates in Ohio, Utah and Arizona, putting him in the lead among superdelegates for the first time, according to the Associated Press.

Among the superdelegates he gained was Dave Regan, a labor leader from Ohio who was selected as a superdelegate Saturday.

Here’s the story.

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Boehner: Dem fight good for McCain

By Anthony Shoemaker | Saturday, May 10, 2008, 03:23 PM

U.S. Rep. John Boehner, R-West Chester, said the continuing fight for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination is good for Republican John McCain.

“The longer they fight … that’s fine with me,” the House minority leader told a crowd at the Butler County Lincoln Day dinner on Friday night. Boehner (right) said the damage that U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama are doing to each other is “serious.” “McCain is in a solid position to win this year’s election,” Boehner said.

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Ohio Democrats Dump Dann

By William Hershey | Saturday, May 10, 2008, 11:36 AM

The Ohio Democratic Party doesn’t want anything to do with Marc Dann (pictured), the embattled Ohio attorney general who was elected in 2006 with the party’s endorsement.

The party made that official on Saturday, May 10, as the executive committee, by a voice vote, adopted a resolution that says “the Ohio Democratic Party no longer recognizes Marc Dann as an endorsed Democratic Statewide officeholder.”

The resolution also kicked Dann off the executive committee and called on him to resign as attorney general.

Dann got some support from the Youngstown area, where he lives. Dorothy McLaughlin, an 85-year-old retired sheriff’s deputy from Struthers, a Youngstown suburb, shouted out the only “no” when a voice vote on the resolution was taken.

The vote came a day after Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, and Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, announced that next week the legislature will authorize Inspector General Tom Charles to launch an independent investigation of the scandals that have rocked the attorney general’s office.

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Its official: primary turnout a record

By William Hershey | Friday, May 9, 2008, 05:22 PM

It’s official: turnout in Ohio’s March 4 presidential primary was a record, according to the official canvas released by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner on Friday, May 9.

The canvas showed that 3,603,523 of Ohio’s 7.826 million registered voters cast ballots for a record 46.06 percent turnout for a primary, Brunner (pictured) said in a press release.

“While primary elections are for nominating political party candidates, we can view the March 4 record turnout as a good predictor for a November turnout that may clear the 80 percent mark,” said Brunner. “We will be ready for that level of participation in the Nov. 4 election and look forward to it with great anticipation.”

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Obama campaign plans Ohio voter registration drive

By William Hershey | Friday, May 9, 2008, 02:15 PM

Barack Obama may have lost Ohio’s Democratic presidential primary to Hillary Clinton, but Obama isn’t forgetting Buckeye voters. He’ll need their help in the general election if, as now seems likely, he’s the Democratic candidate.

On Saturday, May 11, Obama campaign volunteerswill hold “Vote for Change” kickoff events in Ohio. For more information, go to http://mybarackobama.com/voteforchange.

Here’s the information for two events, both from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Cincinnati, Seasongood Pavilion at Eden Park, 950 Eden Park

Columbus, Columbus volunteer headquarters, 193 E. Rich St.

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von Stein fires back

By Jessica Wehrman | Friday, May 9, 2008, 10:51 AM

Nick von Stein, the Miami University master’s student and teacher’s assistant who is challenging Rep. John Boehner, R-West Chester, didn’t take kindly to Boehner’s remarks about him Thursday, May 8.

First off, von Stein now lives in Hamilton, not Mason, as he did when he filed for his candidacy. “I live here,” he said. “John Boehner should start paying attention because I’m here, and maybe his lack of attention says a lot about what’s going on in this country, especially in this district.”

von Stein called Boehner “an absentee landlord” focused more on making cracks to D.C. reporters than representing his constituents.

Ouch.

In other news, Dana Milbank of the Washington Post wrote a column Friday, May 9 about Boehner’s bum luck - as well as a surprisingly contentious vote over Mother’s Day. Read it here

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