Thursday, June 28, 2012

Mandel: Not So Favorable Numbers


>>>>> Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt was caught on camera celebrating what she thought was correct-----that the individual mandate was struck down.




She was celebrating the possibility that the poor, and sick, would not have health coverage.  How can someone delight in someone's suffering?  

Did anyone record her response when she found out that her original info was wrong?


***  Do you think Ohio voters are tired of the lies, the same robotic talking point answers to every question, and his plan to give tax breaks to the rich? Are Ohio voters just not into Josh Mandel and his far right agenda?  Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, Republican candidate for Senate, has some cold hard numbers to look at from a recent poll----


Talking Points Memo:


Josh Mandel
06/21/2012 -
06/24/2012
PPP (D)    Favorable 24.0    Unfavorable 39.0 

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The Witch Hunt


••••  The honest truth is coming out about Fast and Furious and it shows that, according to Fortune Magazine, ...the ATF never intentionally allowed guns to fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartels....

The Fortune article only adds to the belief that Darrell Issa is going after Attorney General Eric Holder and President Obama for political reasons.

Why won't Issa honor the President's claim to Executive Privilege?   Issa is wrong.


*** Have you noticed that Republicans and their right wing media have gone after African-American members of President Obama's administration.  The list includes Shirley Sherrod, Van Johnson, and Eric Holder are part of the list that the Republicans have targeted.  Is this just another item on the Republican agenda to try to take down the first African-American President?  Darrell Issa's investigation has been nothing but a witch hunt and a scam.  Why aren't we investigating Issa's background?

--- --- ---

>>> Despite being in the toilet with polls, Republican Josh Mandel, Ohio's often absent Treasurer, continues to go on his campaign cash circuit hitting up Republican groups.  One announced Mandel stop is in Solon, Ohio, just a hop, skip, and a jump away from home. (It sort of reminds me of a boss I once had that would always make his sales calls at businesses close to his home so he could go home early.) 

Josh Mandel's strange behavior with a Columbus TV reporter, his lies about the voting record of Sen. Sherrod Brown, and his lies about the support he was getting from Democrats (Republican-loving Columbus Dispatch reporting that Josh Mandel only has 4 Democratic supporters, and those "Democrats" have flipped their votes in the past).

Wouldn't be appropriate to have Josh Mandel be forced to finish his job as Ohio Treasurer?  That would be awesome.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Rehberg Turned His Back on Our Veterans

Vote Vets is supporting Sen. Jon Tester in Montana.  Here is the ad Vote Vets is running against Tester's Republican opponent, Denny Rehberg:
YouTube



Shame on Rehberg.

--------------

>>> If your member of the House of Representatives voted for the Paul Ryan budget, then they support the cutting of programs for veterans by 13%.  If your candidate supports the Paul Ryan budget, then they support the cutting of programs for veterans by 13%. See the Huffington Post for details about the 13% cuts to programs for our vets as well as major cuts to many other important agencies. 

What does Republican Josh Mandel think of that since he supports Paul Ryan's budget? Oh, wait......   Josh Mandel won't answer that question or any questions.

Is this how to treat American workers?


This is what Bain Capital and Romney did to American workers.
YouTube



This is absolutely disgusting!  Does Romney worship money? Romney made $100 million when the company closed and people lost their jobs. Shameful.

•••••  Why is Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts refusing to debate Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren?  Is Scott Brown afraid?

Monday, June 25, 2012

"...Pistol Whip..."


I just saw this over at Raw Story and thought that I had to share it.

A conservative radio host says that the Catholic nuns who have embarked on a nine-state bus tour to protest the injustice of Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget deserve to be beaten with a handgun because they “threw the first punch.”

“There’s a bus full of nuns headed towards Washington to lobby against the Ryan plan,” radio host Jan Mickelson told Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA) last week. “Do you guys, do you have any power to pull the nuns on the bus over and pistol whip them?”

“They say he is evil, they say he is fake Catholic,” he added. “They’re the ones that threw the first punch.”

Here is the audio of the discussion between Mickelson and Latham:
http://tinyurl.com/6qbuvqs

I have a suggestion: call or email the management of Newsradio 1020 WHO and let them know that no one should advocate violence against women. Here is a list of contacts for the management of WHO:

Van Harden, Program Director
vanharden@clearchannel.com
515-245-8900

Greg Chance, Operations Manager
gregchance@clearchannel.com
515-245-8854

Mary Greig, Sales Manager
marygreig@clearchannel.com
515-245-8923

Rep. Tom Latham, the Republican that laughed at the "pistol whip" suggestion, can be reached at the following addresses/telephone numbers:

WASHINGTON, DC OFFICE:
2217 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Toll Free:866-428-5642
Phone: 202-225-5476
Fax: 202-225-3301
 
AMES OFFICE:
1421 South Bell Avenue Suite #108A
Ames, Iowa 50010
Phone: 515-232-2885
Fax: 515-232-2844
 
CLEAR LAKE/MASON CITY OFFICE:
812 Hwy. 18 East - P.O. Box 532
Clear Lake, Iowa 50428
Phone: 641-357-5225
Fax: 641-357-5226
 
FORT DODGE OFFICE:
1426 Central Avenue Suite #A
Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501
Phone: 515-573-2738
Fax: 515-576-7141
 
Campaign:  http://www.vote4tom.org/
 
I continue to be amazed at the lack of respect that Republican and conservative men display toward women. Rush Limbaugh, Jan Mickelson, Tom Latham, and the rest of the Republican clowns need to show respect to women, whether they are mothers, nuns, or single women.  This has all gone too far. Shame on them.

Seen It?


***  I've taken a second look at an editorial from last week in the Plain Dealer.  There are a few words used to describe Josh Mandel that make the reader cringe about his candidacy, campaign, and even the prospects of him winning an election.  The Plain Dealer editorial uses words like wallow in the mud, despicable, refused to offer evidence supporting his own allegations, and desperate all to define the campaign of Josh Mandel.

While Mandel has had interviews with Fox News and right wing radio personalities, he has had little contact with real mainstream journalists, and working men and women of Ohio.  He has taken his message to GOP meetings, local Chambers of Commerce lunches, far right Tea Party Republicans, owners of companies that supported SB5, and any right wing PAC in the U.S. and the Bahamas that offered him money. When will Josh Mandel take his message to real people in Ohio?  Is he afraid that people will be turn off by his anti-middle class agenda?

The Columbus Dispatch mentions some important words in describing Josh Mandel, such as "...immaturity..." and "...inexperience..." That certainly doesn't sound good.

 ••••••••••••

*****  If you listen to the Stephanie Miller radio program, you know that she has been on a very successful comedy tour.  (She will be in Columbus, Ohio in August).  If you are interested in merchandise from the tour, visit Zazzle. The caps, I'm Too Sexy to Vote Republican, are available here.  On Tuesday, June 26th, Stephanie Miller will have birther queen, Orly Taitz, on her radio program from 11am-12 noon EDT.

_ _ _ _ _

Mitt Romney fee hikes as governor of Massachusetts show you how he raised money in the state---- on the backs of the middle class.  Truth Team:





Ouch!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Sherrod Brown on Radio


Sen. Sherrod Brown was on the radio this morning.  WFIN:

Senator Sherrod Brown talked with WFIN's Chris Oaks about a variety of issues this morning; among them responding to accusations from Republican Josh Mandel that Brown had been involved in some "shady doings." Brown says his opponent in the November election is off base... 

Brown added he's been very careful about fundraising, and said that if he received contributions like Mandel did, he would have sent the money back right away. The $105,000 in question has been given back by the Mandel campaign.

In news not related to political mudslinging, Brown talked about the farm bill, the vast majority of which pays for programs like food stamps and WIC. Brown says proposed cuts to those programs not only hurt people in need, but farmers too... (Audio Below)


>>>>>  Do you think that Josh Mandel is disappointed about yesterday's vote about mercury?  Here is an article from the Dispatch:

The Senate rejected a measure yesterday that would have killed a proposed rule by the federal government to impose tighter restrictions on mercury emissions by coal-fired utility plants.


By a vote of 53-46, the Senate handed environmentalists a major victory by killing the amendment sponsored by Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, voted for the measure while Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, opposed it....

Does Mandel like mercury in his water, air, food, and soil?  Does he think it is okay for children to consume things in the environment that could harm them.  Doesn't Josh Mandel realize that by controlling the amount of mercury in our environment we save money in the future costs of medical treatment? Do those coal miners realize that Josh Mandel is against safety requirements in the mines? Mandel thinks that regulations are bad----even if they protect lives.  

How much has the coal and mining industries given to Josh Mandel???  If you give money to Mandel, does he go out and represent your interests?  It certainly seems like it.

>>>  Ed Henry, reporter for Fox, is a real tool.  Jay Carney just said that Ed Henry had been doing some "...selective listening..."  Right. In the White House briefing room, Ed Henry is being rude and hogging the time and attention of Carney.

>>>>  President Obama has used "Executive Privilege" for the first time, while former President George W. Bush used it six times.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Did you hear the one about....


Marco Rubio, the very young Republican Senator from Florida, seems to be crying out, "Nobody called me about the President's immigration plan. Wah. Wah. Wah.!"

Talking Points Memo:

...And though Rubio has not criticized the substance of the White House plan outright, he is angry that no one sought out his opinion before the measure was announced.....

Rubio is an arrogant little man if he thinks that the President of the United States is going to seek advice from an inexperienced person like Rubio. 

••••••  Which presidential candidate took a $77,000 tax deduction on  their horse????

Daily Kos knows the answer:

...The New York Times reports that the Romney's took a $77,000.00 Tax Deduction on their dancing horse, Rafalca.

The Romneys declared a loss of $77,000 on their 2010 tax returns for the share in the care and feeding of Rafalca, which Mrs. Romney owns with Mr. Ebeling’s wife, Amy, and a family friend, Beth Meyers....

OMG!!!!  How is that possible that they were able to get a tax deduction for a horse that does ballet?????

People don't realize that the Romneys are big in the world of dressage. Here is an article about the Romneys and their dressage horses: Daily Dressage 4/29/2008 (includes a pic) 

•••• Mitt Romney only owns 6 houses, according to an article at Republicans for Obama

...Romney's personal real estate includes six homes: one in La Jolla, two in the Boston area, a ski lodge in Utah and two lakeside residences in New Hampshire.....


Romney is just a regular guy.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

The Despicable GOP


•  To the Montana Republican Party: 
Your racism, sexism, and disrespectful behavior is showing.  (See the post at DailyKos for the details.) Since Newt Gingrich was the featured speaker that was sent by the Romney campaign, is this display of hatred endorsed by Gingrich and Romney?  To send a message to the Montana GOP, call them at (406) 442-6469 or visit this contact page.

>>>  Speaking of despicable Republican campaigns------ Republican candidate, Josh Mandel, is running a horrible campaign.  Josh Mandel refuses to discuss in detail his plans to lower corporate income tax, give health care vouchers to seniors, and adopt the Paul Ryan budget plan. Josh Mandel seems only capable of lodging false charges against Sen. Sherrod Brown.  Josh Mandel has the dubious distinction of receiving 4 "Pants on Fire" labels for his statements from Politifact.  This is probably a world's record! 

By the way, if anything important happens on Monday with the stock market and investments of the state of Ohio, we'll be out of luck.  Josh Mandel will be busying himself with three fundraisers in Washington, DC.  Josh Mandel---he is too busy to go to work.



Saturday, June 16, 2012

Romney Bus Runs & Hides


Looks like Mitt Romney's campaign bus ran to hide out at another location in Pennsylvania. YahooNews:

The Romney bus tour hit a speed bump today when more than a hundred protesters showed up at a gas station where the presumptive GOP presidential candidate was scheduled to make a stop, and the candidate's motorcade quickly rerouted to another location just three miles away.....

...According to local reports, Rendell, along with 150 to 200 anti-Romney protesters, had shown up at the original gas station to tout Obama's message, speaking ahead of when Romney was scheduled to arrive.

About 50 people greeted Romney at the new location, including a little league baseball team,....

I guess Romney, who hid out in France rather than go to Vietnam, found another location to take his large bus and his music that is appropriate for an arriving rich potentate.  According to the article at YahooNews, the Democratic protesters of 150 -200 was larger than the crowd of 50 waiting for Romney.

Have you noticed that when Romney appears at a campaign location that his audience is 99.9% white and mostly men? 






Thursday, June 14, 2012

Romney is Wrong


Have you ever been denied medical coverage? My daughter's health insurance company cancelled her policy after she delivered her first child.  She and her husband were shocked because they were given little if any explanation, other than that she had been given a caesarian section in the delivery room.  After much searching, they do have a new insurance policy.

Now, Republican Mitt Romney thinks that insurance companies should be able to repeat that action over and over again.

NY Daily News:

Mitt Romney again vowed this week to strike down Obamacare - but he may have a fight on his hands while trying to repeal one of its most popular features.....

.....He also refused to back down from his opposition to the law’s ban on health care companies denying coverage to patients with pre-existing conditions....

I guess if you have as much money as Romney, you don't need to worry if your health insurance is cancelled.  Someone we know could not get health coverage for their son that is autistic and he had to go on Medicaid.  Many people have lost insurance coverage when they are diagnosed with cancer.  This is wrong.  Shame on Romney for wanting to deny people assistance when they need it the most.


Don't Believe Those Righties


A post at Democratic Underground has some great insight into right winger, Pat Boone's anti-Sherrod Brown ad:

"The 60+ Association -- a group whose spokesperson is Pat Boone, and whose main goal is to privatize Social Security -- has run another $932,000 ad buy attacking Sherrod.

That brings total spending against Sherrod in Ohio to more than $9 MILLION, and we still have 5 months to go.....

.....Most of these ads - including Pat Boone’s latest gem -- are chock full of lies about Sherrod’s record. But once again, I’m not surprised: Sherrod doesn’t work for corporate special interests, he works for the middle class. Of course they’re spending millions to defeat him....

There are a few things you should know---
1.   Pat Boone is a birther (see ABC News and HuffPost).
2.   The 60 Plus Association is a right wing front group for Republicans.
3.   Josh Mandel is a puppet for right wing, anti-worker, anti-women, pro-business, pro-corporate control of government groups.  He continues to pander to moneyed lobbyists that represent major polluters, pro-SB 5 (pro-Issue 2), and companies that favor the Koch brothers writing legislation.

••• On December 1, 2008, fifty days before Barack Obama was sworn in as President, this was where the U.S. stocks were trading:
CNN:

  marketwrap.gif

This is from CNN today, June 14, 2012 (the markets are still open):
Data as of 12:53:59pm ET
Thursday’s Trading:
  • Dow +120.11

    12,616.49
    +0.96%
  • Nasdaq +19.17

    2,837.78
    +0.68%
  • S&P +11.15

    1,326.03
    +0.85%

It looks like stocks, investors, and corporations have done much better since President Obama has been in office.  They are making profits, and they are not hiring anyone.

>>>>  If you like rich people in control, public school classrooms with 40-50 in a classroom, more tax cuts for the rich, vote for Romney and every Republican because that is what they want. They want to take what little power you have away. 

Did you see the picture of Josh Mandel with the radical, right winger, Grover Norquist.  Norquist is the guy that wants to "...drown the government in the bathtub..." and is the same guy that Republicans sign pledges to honor.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Let Romney know ....


*  Mitt Romney thinks we don't need more teachers, firefighters, and police officers.  You can explain why he is wrong by visiting DearRomney.tumblr.com .

I guess a person that attended a private school and sent his children to private schools, doesn't get it that a majority of American children are educated in public schools.  Here in Ohio, we've seen what cuts to school districts have done to school districts, police and fire departments.  Communities are understaffed because Gov. Kasich cut funding to cities, and counties, and our people are seeing increased response time for fires, emergencies, and crimes.  Thousands of teachers lost their jobs in Ohio this spring because John Kasich cut funding to education.

What bothers me the most is that people like Kasich, Romney, Rove, and their ilk could never handle a classroom with 30-35 students in a city school, work a long shift in a precinct or fire house, or risk their lives to safe a life.  The Republican big mouths don't have the courage to be firefighters and police officers. These Republican clowns don't honor and respect the work and dedication of teachers, firefighters, and police officers. Because they don't understand or respect these professions, the Republicans dismantle our programs, cut funding, and refuse to educate themselves about our occupations.

Teachers, firefighters, and police officers should not vote for Republicans that will only come back and cut your job, take away your support system, and take your pensions.  (Remember:  Mitt Romney worked for Bain. Every single time Bain laid off workers, and cancelled their pensions and health insurance, Romney and the Bain executives got even more money.)  Think longterm before you vote.  Which candidate will provide funding, respect your work, support your pension and your issues, and make sure that you get the help  you need on the job (safety equipment, updated materials, security)?

••••  The Senate Republicans did a lot of a** kissing with Jamie Dimon of Chase today. Sen. Jim DeMint said the following to Jamie Dimon at the Senate hearing-- HuffPost:

“I would like to come away from the hearing today with some ideas on what you think we need to do, what we maybe need to take apart of what we’ve already done to allow the industry to operate better," he said. "I'm really honestly looking for some ideas."

Ridiculous. DeMint's pandering made me nauseous.


Josh Mandel-- Puppet of Lobbyists and Rove


* Do you realize that Josh Mandel could fit all of his Democratic supporters in a typical car?  Republican candidate Josh Mandel's 4 Democratic supporters/contributors could fit in a car, on a large sofa, and possibly inside a phone booth. 

When you have the Republican-loving Columbus Dispatch reporting that Josh Mandel only has 4 Democratic supporters, you know that he is in deep trouble. It just goes to show that Josh Mandel appears unable and unwilling to provide truthful information.  If Josh Mandel isn't telling the truth about his supporters, could he also be falsifying information about his support of Al Gore? I'm just asking.

In the past, Josh Mandel requested interviewers submit questions in advance of an interview.  Does he continue to make those requests today? In an interview posted at Townhall, a conservative website, the questions asked of Mandel seem odd, superficial, and not very informative.  He is a candidate for the U.S. Senate, and the interview questions are about his first rock concert????  Please!!!!!! 

•••• Is anyone else worried about Mitt Romney's outward hatred of teachers, fire fighters, and police officers?  Romney's children didn't go to public school, and he shows his disdain for public employees, like teachers, firefighters, and police officers.

Although Romney says that it isn't the job of the federal government to provide funds for these workers, the fact is that the government has given funds to help out local government.  Many of us remember how President Clinton provided funds for the hiring of 100,000 police officers. There is nothing wrong with that!

Is it me or does anyone else feel that Mitt Romney is about as inspiring as a piece of cod?
Romney and Mandel seem devoid of leadership and unable to connect on a human level with voters.

Monday, June 11, 2012

By the numbers.....


There are more things being revealed about the campaign of Republican Josh Mandel, and it does not look very good. 

 4
••• Recent claims from Mandel's campaign of Democrats supporting his candidacy have been checked and found outrageously overblown.  Even the Republican-loving Columbus Dispatch felt compelled to expose the truth about Mandel's support among Democrats:

....Asked by The Dispatch for evidence of the backing Mandel says he is receiving from Democratic voters and groups, the Mandel campaign offered only the names of four registered Democrats willing to comment. But one of them actually is an independent who says she has supported candidates from both parties.

The issue of Democratic support has come to the fore because Mandel unfailingly brags about it in speeches and interviews. A May 10 Quinnipiac University poll showing Brown with a 6-point lead in the race found that only 5 percent of Democrats surveyed said they plan to vote for Mandel, compared with 10 percent of Republicans who indicated support for Brown.....

When Gov. John Kasich's public relations firm favorite newspaper, The Dispatch, exposes the ugly truth about a Republican, you know that the candidate is in trouble.


$105,000
•••••  News about the FBI investigation of Josh Mandel's campaign brought unwanted attention to the Republican's methods of fundraising and recordkeeping. 
The Toledo Blade:


....On May 22, Mr. Mandel's campaign returned contributions of $5,000 each to 21 people after it became public that the contributions were under investigation by the FBI -- but months after The Blade raised questions about the contributions.....

.....Justin Barasky, spokesman for Mr. Brown, said Mr. Mandel or his committee should know who his big-ticket donors are, and his campaign has an obligation to vet its donors to make sure they can make legal contributions.

"Josh Mandel does nothing but fund-raise. He has an entire team of fund-raisers, probably has a compliance officer, treasurer, research staff. They should have known when they got $100,000 from employees at one company, and they're maxed-out contributions, and you realize none of them has given money before, and many of them didn't have means to do so, [so] that should have set off alarms," Mr. Barasky said.....

As the Toledo Blade points out, this "....is ironic in that Mr. Mandel is the state's treasurer..."  You'd think that the state treasurer would be an example of stellar bookkeeping and ethics, even in his campaign.  How disappointing!

Don't you wonder what he might be overlooking in the Ohio Treasury??? Given the record number of absences from his office to do fundraising around the country, Ohioans should worry.  Don't you wonder if the Republicans routinely screw up their records?  Will Josh Mandel recover from these scandals?

You'll have to excuse me while I continue to ROFLMAO over those "4" Democrats supporting the Mandel campaign.

Friday, June 08, 2012

Trooper Jobs


>>>> If you are looking for a job, you might consider the Ohio Highway Patrol.
Chronicle Telegram:

The State Highway Patrol is trying to get more Ohio troopers ready, with staffing already down and retirements looming.
State officials say the force is down about 100 troopers, and 124 more are eligible to retire. One cadet academy is under way, and two more training sessions are planned. The patrol seeks 180 to 200 people for the next two training academies later this year.
The training takes nearly seven months. About one-fourth of the candidates usually drop out. The patrol offers starting salaries of $50,000 a year. Applicants must be Ohio residents and U.S. citizens ages 18-34 with good records....

Visit the Ohio State Highway Patrol recruitment page for qualifications and more information:  http://statepatrol.ohio.gov/recruit/index.html 

Here are a few of the requirements for applicants for OSHP:

Must be:

United States citizen        Resident of Ohio (may be waived during application process)              
20 to 34 years of age           Valid drivers license         High school diploma or GED                                                                    

Processing Requirements

Complete a pre-physical evaluation, physical fitness assessment and entrance process.
Complete a 4-6 month application process including a pre-employment polygraph examination, a background investigation, a medical examination, a physical fitness evaluation and assessment, and a psychological assessment.
Complete nearly 7 months of intensive academy training......
Check it out at the recruitment website.
•••••••••

••• At the CPAC meeting for Republicans, Sen. Marco Rubio won the straw poll for the vice president preference, and Gov. Chris Christie was second, according to Philly.com.

Romney and Christie do have a lot in common, according to the NJ Dems---


YouTube



Thursday, June 07, 2012

Shame on Romney and Mandel


* Rachel Maddow showed a list of TV clips of Mitt Romney lying about President Obama.  As Rachel said, Romney seems to have no shame about lying.  One incident she showed was the Romney campaign using a quote of John McCain's and attributing it to President Obama.

Romney also said that President Obama never had a jobs bill.   Where has Romney been???????  President Obama had several jobs bills, but the Republicans blocked them, or voted them down.  The one bill that I remember (the bridge/road/infrastructure rebuilding bill) would have put over 100,000 people to work immediately.  It might be that Romney was inattentive to the news because he was counting the money he still receives from Bain or he was planning his car elevator for his California home or counting his wife's Cadillacs.

* Dodge has a brand new car called the Dodge Dart, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune.  Unfortunately, it won't have those not so awesome push button gears like they had in the 1960's.  I remember a friend having great difficulty getting the car to move even after the "D" for drive had been push several times.

FYI---New political ad: YouTube



After my Dad passed away, my Mom was a widow for many years.  If not for our help, she would have never survived on Social Security.  I cannot understand how anyone, especially Josh Mandel, can even consider cutting Social Security and Medicare.  Is this how Josh Mandel respects his elders by taking away the benefits that they paid into over their lifetime?  Shame on Mandel.

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

Josh Mandel Is AGAINST Pay Equity for Women


Women are getting angrier about the barrage of legislative restrictions that Republican men have forced onto women.  Since the Republican-Tea Party people have taken more seats in the House and the Senate, women are being pushed out of decision-making for themselves and not given opportunities for pay equity. 

Cincinnati:

Sen. Rob Portman joined 46 other GOP lawmakers in blocking consideration of the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that would have made it easier for women to receive the same pay as their male counterparts.

Senate Democrats, including Ohio’s Sherrod Brown, all voted in favor of the bill, but they fell short of the 60 votes need to open debate on the legislation....

Here is what Sen. Sherrod Brown said, as stated at Cincinnati.com:

“It’s simple: equal pay should be provided for equal work,” he said in a statement. He noted that in Ohio, women earn only 85 cents to every dollar earned by a man, causing a “staggering gap of $472,000 over a lifetime for the average Ohio woman.”


....Mandel’s campaign said Brown was trying to politicize the issue and signaled that he would have voted “no” on the bill.....

Mandel's campaign accuses Sen. Brown of trying to play politics??????? I'd like to accuse the Republicans and Josh Mandel of sex discrimination.  Why does a woman deserve less pay than a man?  Tell us.  We want to know.



When women are not paid equally, they cannot support their families.  By being paid less than men, women will have made lower contributions to Social Security, a 401k, and pensions.  With less money for retirement, elderly, widowed women will be left on the brink of poverty.  But the Republicans don't care. Those of us that lived through 1960's and 1970's never imagined that we women would still be fighting for equality and pay equity in 2012.


What can we do to fix things and push for equal pay?  Women need to vote for candidates that support pay equity.  Women must support the re-election of President Obama and the re-election of Sen. Sherrod Brown.  We cannot afford to play games.  Our lives and those of our daughters depend on us moving forward for equality.

Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Too Busy for Work?


Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican, is recovering today from his mega-fundraising tour of Washington, DC.  According to the Cincinnati.com, Mandel attended 3 receptions given in his honor. Mandel most definitely was able to hang out with lobbyists who work to protect banks, and polluters.  Josh Mandel was also scheduled to hang out with Grover Norquist, the man that wants to "...drown government in the bathtub."  


With Ohio's absent Treasurer running around the country, you wonder if he is keeping tabs on recent revelations about banking.  If you recall, Josh Mandel switched Ohio's pension funds to other banks.  Ohio Treasurer press release 3/19/12:

Fund Name
New Bank Designee 
Prior Designee    





Ohio Public Employees
Retirement System

JP Morgan
State Street
Ohio Police & Fire
Pension Fund 

JP Morgan
State Street
School Employees
Retirement System

Citi Bank
BNY Mellon
State Teachers
Retirement System

Citi Bank
State Street


Is Josh Mandel aware of what is going on with these new custodians or does he even care?
Here are some recent news items about JP Morgan:

  • MoneynewsJP Morgan Trading Loss May Top $4 Billion, Could Still Grow

JPMorgan Chase & Co., the largest U.S. bank, may report a $4.2 billion second-quarter trading loss in its chief investment office, according to an estimate by International Strategy & Investment Group Inc......

  • Forbes: Did JP Morgan Violate the Volcker Rule?
....JP Morgan Chase’s $2 billion mark-to-market trading loss is a gift to those of us who want to preserve and strengthen the Volcker rule.

One estimate is that the loss may eventually reach $7 billion. Traders on the other side are taking potshots as the bank tries to unwind its positions gradually. JP Morgan has cancelled a $15 billion share buyback. (The Independent, May 22, 2012.)...

  • AmericablogJP Morgan Dismissed Risk Control Warnings


How has Citi Bank been doing? (Note: CitiBank is part of Citigroup)

Investors are underestimating the risks posed by Citigroup Inc.'s C +2.95% push into faster-growing emerging markets, according to a research report to be published Thursday.

Gimme Credit, a fixed-income research company based in New York, said it expects debt issued by the third-biggest U.S. bank by assets to perform less well over the next six months than bonds issued by the company's peers.....

...Citi knowingly misled the federal government into insuring thousands of risky mortgages, costing taxpayers nearly $200 million, the Justice Department claimed. This took place "before, during and after the financial crisis, and even into 2012," Ivry writes in the latest issue of Bloomberg Markets magazine.....


Josh Mandel has been reckless with his responsibilities protecting pensions and Ohio's money.  Why should anyone vote for a person that is clearly more interested in his own political ambitions that guarding your money???  In the past, a few groups have filed requests for Josh Mandel's work schedule.  It might be time for an update.

Monday, June 04, 2012

Ohio's Traveling Man


With Ohio's lawmakers looking at ways to shore up the state pension funds, you'd think that the Ohio Treasurer might have provided some guidance, analysis, and/or strategies.  After all, to make sure that the $165 billion fund remains safe, the person that is the custodian of the funds should have some advice and insight.  However, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel doesn't seem to have the time to do his job and offer any suggestions on how to protect the pension funds.  As you recall, Mandel didn't even know how much money was in the fund.  His claim of $100 billion was off----- by $65 billion.  Why doesn't Mandel have the time?

Josh Mandel has been on tour, visiting states, and even the Bahamas to collect campaign cash. Today, he is in Washington, DC, collecting more campaign contributions.

LINK

WHO:             Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel, Not A Washington D.C. Politician
WHAT:          Lavish Washington D.C. Fundraisers
WHERE:       AT 4:00 P.M. – On K Street
1425 K Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
WHERE:       AT 5:30 P.M. – With Grover Norquist
Top of the Hill
319 Pennsylvania Ave., SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
WHERE:       AT 7:00 P.M. – If You Have $500, $2,500 Or $5,000
The Carmens’
5115 Lowell Lane, NW
Washington, D.C. 20016

Which of Mandel's unqualified, inexperienced cronies are keeping watch over that $165 billion pension fund?  I'd like to know.

Don't you worry about Josh Mandel worshipping at the altar of lobbyist, Grover Norquist?  Josh Mandel is pledging allegiance to Norquist, but somehow the working men and women of Ohio seem to be left out of Mandel's agenda.  Josh Mandel's association with Grover Norquist goes back awhile (see pic here).  Grover Norquist is the lobbyist that said, "I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub." (see Wikiquote

Does it make you feel comfortable that Josh Mandel has embraced the radicalism of Grover Norquist?

Saturday, June 02, 2012

Truth vs. Republican Lies


No matter what the Republicans in the Congress might be saying, the truth is they've sat on their backsides and done absolutely nothing to help improve the economy.  Doing nothing means that jobs aren't created, bridges aren't fixed, schools are not repaired, and families find it more difficult to provide for their children.  But Republicans don't seem to care.

Here is a chart that shows you that when Democrats are in power, everyone does better. Reposted from Waynedems:



Share that with your GOP friends!

Friday, June 01, 2012

Here is a challenge for young voters!


* Another Republican attacks young voters. 
Raw Story:

Appearing in a video published online on Thursday, Jonah Goldberg, editor-at-large for the neoconservative National Review Online website, explains that he believes letting 18-year-old Americans vote is a big mistake that should be taken back.

Advocating that conservatives should “literally” beat young people into political submission, Goldberg said that young voters are “so frickin’ stupid about so many things,” which is why, in his view, the system must change.

“It is a simple fact of science that nothing correlates more with ignorance and stupidity more than youth,” Goldberg said. “We’re all born idiots, and we only get over that condition as we get less young. And yet there’s this thing in this culture where, ‘Oh, young people are for it so it must be special.’ No, the reason young people are for it because they don’t know better. That’s why we call them young people.”


Isn't just like a Republican to try to deny you your right to vote? If you are 18 and older, show Jonah Goldberg that you will vote, whether he likes it or not.