More Polls---

> A new poll released today by the conservative Columbus Dispatch has President Obama with a 9 point lead over Romney in Ohio.

*The YWCA Poll shows President Obama with strong support from women.
National Journal:

Another four years of President Obama, according to a new YWCA-sponsored poll that found him leading Republican Mitt Romney by 49 percent to 31 percent. The yawning gender gap mirrors other surveys nationwide and here in Ohio, a hotly contested swing state, and it represents one of Romney’s most pressing challenges in the home stretch before the Nov. 6 election.

Women typically favor the Democratic nominee, but the gender gap popping up in recent polls is larger than expected....

Women are more active in this election! 

• Number guru, Nate Silver of the NY Times FiveThirtyEight Blog,  has the latest on the presidential election:

Barack Obama ....................... Mitt Romney

83.8% ...... Chance of Winning ...... 16.2%

Listen to the Sherrod Brown and Mandel Interviews

* I don't know if the Romney campaign has money to waste, but they sent several pieces of their campaign materials addressed to me.  Needless to say, the mail from Romney and Kasich's pal, Mike Duffey (21st District Ohio House of Representatives), went right into the shredder. Yuck!

Here is an article from the Dispatch (March 30, 2011):

....Rep. Mike Duffey, R-Worthington, and Rep. Anne Gonzales, R-Westerville voted for the bill.Senate Bill 5 would weaken collective bargaining power for about 360,000 public workers, including safety forces, teachers, school cooks, and corrections officers....

Trust me. People in Ohio that are teachers, police officers, fire fighters, nurses, and state employees remember. Just in case you've forgotten, here is a list of elected officials that voted for SB 5-----

Support Donna O'Connor, the Democrat, for Ohio's 21st District of the Ohio House.

**** Ohio voters: support the re-election of Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee Brown, the only Democrat on the Ohio Supreme Court.

>>> The audio from the interview by the Cleveland Plain Dealer of Sen. Sherrod Brown, and Tea Party Republican challenger, Josh Mandel, is now available online at the PlainDealer.

I listened to all of the 69 minutes of the interviews. Sen. Sherrod Brown came across as knowledgeable about the issues, and the concerns of all the people in Ohio--- the farmers, auto workers, steel workers, teachers, fire fighters, police officers, college students, those in the medical field, office workers, retired men and women, the poor, working families, EVERYONE in Ohio.

As Sen. Sherrod Brown explains, the Recovery Act helped bring the steel mill back to the Youngstown area as well as the jobs that have come with it. Sen. Sherrod Brown also points out that Mandel doesn't understand how insurance work.

Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, just repeated the same speech he gives at every rally and fundraising reception. Mandel sounded robotic, as though he memorized all the talking points that Karl Rove and Jim DeMint gave to him.

The case against Josh Mandel:

1.) Josh Mandel has lied about his whereabouts, has attended only 6 out of 20 Board of Deposit meetings, continues to be absent from his job as Ohio Treasurer, hired unqualified frat friends and buddies, and is unwilling to respond to the media, and.

2.) Mandel says he won't give his views until he is elected.

3.) Josh Mandel is completely clueless about the issues that matter to Ohioans. 

4.) Josh Mandel's arrogance, lack of knowledge, and lack of interest in what matters most to the men, women, and children of Ohio is appalling. His language, vocabulary, and superficial responses show his immaturity, and lack of empathy for the real people of Ohio.

Finally, Sen. Sherrod Brown and his campaign did not attack Mandel's military service.

School Lunches

* Right wing reporters and websites are making a fuss about school children not eating the healthier food being presented in school cafeterias. Let me give these people a clue---kids have always hated school food. They are just whining louder. Give them time, and they will learn to eat the food that is presented to them. Parents, teachers, and administrators need to work together to encourage students to eat healthy so that they can been attentive in class and live healthier lives.

After lunch, students who've eaten a balance meal are awake in class.  In the past, students were allowed to buy candy, and snack foods. I've seen the results of students who were eating 5-6 candy bars for lunch. That is not healthy and it makes students hyperactive, talkative, and unable to focus. 

This is really a non-issue that right winger news people have brought to the public's attention. It might be better for all of us if these "news" reporters would actually report on news. These "news" people should stop attacking Mrs. Obama and the child obesity specialists that are for better, healthier diets for all Americans.

Wake up!!!!

* Another bizarre statement from Republican Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri has women across the country wondering why the Republican candidate continues to insult women. Republican Todd Akin was the candidate that had a stupid statement about rape.
Politico:

....Speaking to Charles Jaco on the Jaco Report on St. Louis’s Fox station, Akin was answering a question about allowing abortions in the case of rape. He said, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

Todd Akin has already demonstrated that he is a moron, but he had to remind us again. The Kansas City Star's Midwest Democracy has the latest ignorant comment from Republican Todd Akin:


More than a month after his comments about “legitimate rape” nearly derailed his campaign for U.S. Senate, Republican Todd Akin said Thursday that it has become clear to him that he will triumph over Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill this fall. 

Part of his confidence, he said, comes from McCaskill's demeanor during their debate last week, which he said was not as "ladylike" as it was when she faced off with Republican Jim Talent in 2006. 

“I think we have a very clear path to victory, and apparently Claire McCaskill thinks we do, too, because she was very aggressive at the debate, which was quite different than it was when she ran against Jim Talent,” Akin said. “She had a confidence and was much more ladylike (in 2006), but in the debate on Friday she came out swinging, and I think that’s because she feels threatened.”

I don't know about you, but a person like Todd Akin is a Neanderthal. Todd Akin's idea of a woman acting 'ladylike' would be a woman who sits quietly in the corner, says nothing, and allows the men to make decisions for her.  I have some news for Todd Akin----

Wake up, Mr. Akin.  It is 2012 and this isn't the 1950's!

I'm pulling for Claire McCaskill and I hope that the people in Missouri decide to move forward with her, instead of back to the dark ages with Todd Akin.

Read more here: http://midwestdemocracy.com/articles/todd-akin-confident-hell-prevail-over-claire-mccaskill/#storylink=cpy

Kasich, Mandel, Romney Want more Charter Schools????

>>>  The Ohio State Lantern has an article about the work done by Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio which includes this--- "...Brown is also working to protect access to the ballot box, particularly for students and minorities, as well as women’s rights for health care decisions and earning equal pay for equal work....."

Sherrod Brown's work on helping the American auto companies survive and keeping interest rates low on college loans were also mentioned in the article.

Sherrod Brown's opponent, Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, has voiced his opposition to all of these issues.

* Our tax dollars are going to charter schools and yet they are performing at much lower levels.  Want to see how schools are performing in Ohio?  The Kasich administration has dragged their feet releasing this information and yet it is only a small part of the data.

The Dispatch has the school report cards online. In examining various counties, I've found that public schools have much higher graduation rates than the corporately-owned charter schools. Here is an example:

The Life Skills Center of Summit County, charter school:

Ohio Graduation Test Reading (11th grade)	54.5
Ohio Graduation Test Writing (11th grade)	45.5
Ohio Graduation Test Math (11th grade)	36.4
Ohio Graduation Test Science (11th grade)	18.2
Ohio Graduation Test Social Studies (11th grade)	41.7
Longitudinal Graduation Rate (4-year)	6.8
Longitudinal Graduation Rate (5-year)	7.3

Kenmore High School, Summit County, public high school:

Ohio Graduation Test Reading (11th grade)	86.5
Ohio Graduation Test Writing (11th grade)	88.7
Ohio Graduation Test Math (11th grade)	80.9
Ohio Graduation Test Science (11th grade)	70.2
Ohio Graduation Test Social Studies (11th grade)	74.5
Longitudinal Graduation Rate (4-year)	70.9
Longitudinal Graduation Rate (5-year)	81.4

Scott Brown? Really?

* The events this afternoon have painted an ugly picture of the Scott Brown campaign.



TalkingPointsMemo has the latest development from Massachusetts:


Staffers for Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) reportedly participated in war-whoop sounds and “tomahawk chop” gestures at supporters of Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren, mocking Warren’s claimed Native American ancestry.

The incident occurred this past Saturday in Boston, at a rally for Brown featuring former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn, and at which a group of Warren supporters also showed up with signs. The video was posted Tuesday by the state liberal blog Blue Mass Group.

According to the local ABC affiliate in Boston, it has been confirmed that among the participants were Brown’s deputy Chief of Staff Greg Casey, Constituent Service Counsel Jack Richard, plus state GOP operative Brad Garrett....

The video is posted TalkingPointsMemo:


This follows Republican Scott Brown saying that Elizabeth Warren was clearly not Native American. Scott Brown is obviously more talented than anyone knew----he can read someone's DNA from several feet away. Scott Brown's campaign and his campaign workers have revealed themselves to be racist and sexist. This might be the incident that causes Scott Brown to lose this election.

The Senate

> Sen. Sherrod Brown was on the Rachel Maddow show last night.  Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has made a career of working for the middle class of Ohio, discussed the fact that right wing PACs are trying to buy the U.S. Senate seat in Ohio. With over $18 million coming from the likes of Karl Rove, FreedomWorks, Americans for (their own) Prosperity, etc., Sen. Sherrod Brown is being attacked and disrespected from groups that want to put their Republican puppet, Josh Mandel, in the Senate. 


> What is Republican Scott Brown's problem?  Why does he continue to say disparaging things about Elizabeth Warren? An article at USA Today shows that Scott Brown has attacked Elizabeth Warren over her heritage:

....The issue of Warren's heritage roiled the Massachusetts race this summer. Warren, a Harvard law professor, said she knew her mother was part Cherokee and part Delaware Indian. She acknowledged she let people know about her heritage when she filled out forms for a national law school directory, and later gave the information to her employers at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard. 

Brown raised the issue in their debate last week, saying Warren "checked the box claiming she was Native American, and clearly she is not." 

What make Scott Brown think that Elizabeth Warren doesn't have Native American heritage? What does he mean that "...clearly she is not..." in his remarks? Can he prove she does not? I was not aware that Scott Brown had done a DNA test on Elizabeth Warren. Is it possible that Scott Brown just doesn't like smart, powerful women?

When one first looks at Scott Brown, you don't automatically notice that he is an arrogant putz.

The More I Hear Romney.....

* Here is another example of Mitt Romney's view of how he is entitled to a lower tax rate. This is an excerpt from 60 Minutes on CBS and reposted on Daily Kos:
YouTube



Then we have this from the Washington Post:

On “60 Minutes” last night, Mitt Romney said it again. “I want to keep the current progressivity in the code. There should be no tax reduction for high income people.”

You’ve heard Romney say this — or some variant of it –dozens of times before. What’s changed since then is that Romney has admitted that his tax cuts, if they’re not going to add to the deficit, will have to increase taxes on people he defines as middle income and cut them on people he defines as high income....

Read the entire article at the Washington Post because you'll see where Romney's plans will probably cost you more taxes. Romney always looks as though he is so disgusted with those who are not rich like him.  Romney regards the American middle class, the poor, our vets, our elderly, as just dumb schmucks and peasants in 'Romney World.'

***** The Toledo Blade has the results of a new poll:

Despite an onslaught of more than $18 million in outside money to knock him from the U.S. Senate, Democrat Sherrod Brown holds a 7-point lead over GOP state Treasurer Josh Mandel in a new Blade/Ohio Newspaper Organization poll.

Mr. Brown’s margin of 52 percent to 45 percent among likely voters is bolstered by a 14-point advantage with women.....

Why do women support Sen. Sherrod Brown? Women support Sen. Sherrod Brown because he believes that women are capable of making their own decisions about their reproductive parts (while Josh Mandel wants to get in between women and their gynecologists!).  Sen. Sherrod Brown voted for pay equity for women.  Josh Mandel opposed it. Sen. Sherrod Brown worked for the farm bill. Josh Mandel hasn't noticed the farmers in Ohio, or the middle class, or our vets, or college students, the elderly, etc.

While Republicans have dismissed and disrespected women in the country, and in Ohio, President Obama, Sen. Sherrod Brown, and Democrats support, trust, and respect the talents and decisions of women. It is no wonder that Republicans just can't get those good approval numbers from women.

Caught on Video

*Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, was AWOL again. Mandel was in Washington, DC. today collecting more campaign money from 3 events. Josh Mandel was caught on video in DC as the car he was riding in came out of a parking garage.




Why did Josh Mandel hide his face? Is he embarrassed that he is away from his job again?  Is he ashamed that he left the state's money in control of his unqualified frat friends back in Columbus? 


Ohio voters: In this election, VOTE YES on ISSUE 2.

Super PACs Support Anti-Worker Candidates

* Why would the U.S. Chamber of Commerce spend $1,110,000 to boost up anti-labor Republican Josh Mandel? (FEC 9/18/12) According to the FEC, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has spent $2,014,000 "...calendar YTD per election for office sought..."

* Bizjournals notes this about the race in Ohio:

Republicans spending millions to unseat Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, during the crucial November elections in which the GOP is trying to turn Ohio back into a Red State again.

Brown told Bloomberg Businessweek that there has been more money spent against him than any other Senate candidate in this election cycle. More than $18 million has been pumped into the race to help support Brown's Republican challenger Josh Mandel.

Much of the money is coming from Super PACs, which have helped pay for nearly 40,000 ads so far in the campaign, with only a little more than 5,600 of those being pro-Brown ads......

You have to ask yourself why the anti-worker, pro-outsourcing, anti-women, anti-minimum wage, anti-fair pay, anti-job safety, groups prefer right winger Josh Mandel to Sen. Sherrod Brown who has fought for the rights of workers? 

Republican Josh Mandel, the candidate that has caused the Truth-o-Meter to explode, has continued to lie about Sen. Sherrod Brown.  Josh Mandel rarely goes to work as Ohio's Treasurer. Today, Mandel will be at a fundraiser at noon in DC. The overly-ambitious, little experienced, right wing favorite is anxious to get elected to promote his ideas of reform--- anti-fair pay, anti-minimum wage, pro-privatizing of Social Security, pro-vouchers for Medicare, and lower taxes for the rich.

Obama on Late Show

• President Obama has the right attitude about the American people and leadership.

TalkingPointsMemo:

Obama Tells Letterman: “One of the things I learned as president is you represent the entire country. If you want to be president, you have to work for everyone.”

The President did a fabulous job on Letterman's program. 

• Mitt Romney's plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act inspires a 12 year old to write a letter to the Republican candidate. Read it at HuffPost: http://tinyurl.com/94uagyv

• Ouch! The LA Times is reporting another problem for the Romney campaign.
LA Times:

Hamstrung by campaign finance laws, the Mitt Romney campaign sought a $20-million loan last month, a campaign official confirmed Tuesday, of which $11 million still needs to be paid...

Things like campaign laws regulate how and when campaign money can be spent.

 

Out of Touch Republicans

* Do you want to know where your Ohio Treasurer is today? Call (800) 228-1102 or (614) 466-2160 and ask, "Is Josh Mandel in his Columbus office today? Was he there yesterday?" Report your answers on Twitter or Facebook or Blogger.

* John Kasich is trying to take credit for the increase in jobs in Ohio. Haaaaaaaaaa! ROFLOL.

>>> Mitt Romney continues to stick his foot in his mouth every single day. Apparently, he doesn't get that whatever a President says becomes foreign policy. That is why Romney should never and can never be President. Romney doesn't seem to understand that what is said here can travel everywhere.
 

Josh Mandel Another Lie????

**** Josh Mandel has received another verdict on his truthfulness from Politifact Ohio.  Politifact has declared Mandel's claim that the Sherrod Brown's campaign attacked Mandel's military service as: Mostly False.

In case you are interested, Josh Mandel now has the following Politifact findings:

• Mostly False  3 (13%)
• False   3  (13%)
• Pants on Fire   6  (26%)

Shame. Shame. Shame.


* Ohio's Republicans and their deep pocketed PACs are now turning their attention to throwing registered voters off the voting rolls.  First, there are lawsuits being filed by various groups (see Dispatch). Secondly, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, is trying to purge the list of registered voters by claiming that there are too many people who are "inactive" on the rolls (see Dispatch). Don't you think it is amazing that Jon Husted and his Republican pals think that there are too many voters? 

Romney = Kasich on Public Education

* Mitt Romney is an example of someone that doesn't know anything about public education, but that won't stop him from criticizing it. Romney and his family have all attended private schools. Romney has walked/driven by public schools and he thinks that makes him an expert on public education.

Eduinreview:

“But the role I see that ought to remain in the president’s agenda with regards to education is to push back against the federal teachers unions,” Romney said. “Those federal teachers unions have too much power, in some cases, they overwhelm the states, they overwhelm the local school districts. We have got to put the kids first and put these teachers unions behind.”

Hmmmm. This sounds similar to things said by Gov. John Kasich in his quest to deny workers' rights to public employees, including teachers, fire fighters, police officers, nurses, and state workers. Do you think they all get the same talking points?

Romney wants to let private corporations take over public schools in the form of charter schools. Allowing corporations to make money off of the education of our young people sounds absolutely disgusting. When corporations take over, scores go down, science disappears, and someone in a corporate office decides which right wing version of history should be taught.

Mitt isn't fit.

'Mitt Unfit'

* While tea party Republicans support Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, you have to wonder if they just want a puppet instead of someone with knowledge.  With his lightweight background in the Ohio General Assembly, you wonder if he knows how to write legislation, work with others, ask questions in committee meetings, etc. He has so little experience in these areas and has let others do his work.

The sad part is that Josh Mandel will say anything, even if it is a lie. He doesn't seem to care how people view his continuing lies. Does Mandel think he can do and say anything because he is getting enough money from FreedomWorks, Karl Rove, Government Integrity Fund, Conservative Senate Fund, etc.? Does he think that the lies he runs in ads will win him the Senate? Everyone I've talked to, especially women, think his campaign is terrible, and dishonest.

*Now the right-leaning US News and World Report has declared that 'Mitt Romney is not fit...':

...now with the attacks in Libya and Egypt, and the death of an American ambassador, rather than work toward a solution to this problem, former Governor Romney chooses to politicize the death of an American ambassador. Romney attacked the Obama administration's response to the incidents in Libya and Egypt. In a statement he released at 10:24 p.m. Tuesday night, he said, "It's disgraceful that the Obama Administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks."

And that, we know, is a lie. At 10:10 p.m. the Obama administration disavowed the statement by the U.S. embassy in Cairo. At 10:44 p.m. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. And Wednesday Obama campaign Press Secretary Ben LaBolt responded, "We are shocked that, at a time when the United States of America is confronting the tragic death of one of our diplomatic officers in Libya, Governor Romney would choose to launch a political attack."

If Mitt Romney continues to ignore discussing our military, the war in Afghanistan, and national security issues, and attacks the current administration, using an ambassador's death for his own political gain and to further divide our nation, is he truly fit to be commander in chief?....

Romney thinks that other people's sons, daughters, husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers should fight his wars.  His lack of acknowledgement of our men and women in uniform is disgraceful. Of course, what do you expect from a man that wants to outsource veterans health care?

John Kasich: Neanderthal

* Those of us that live in Ohio know that Gov. John Kasich is not known for having many women in his cabinet or in management positions.  If you doubt Kasich's opinion of women, let me inform you.

Raw Story:

Republican Gov. John Kasich of Ohio said Wednesday at a Romney campaign rally that his wife was at home doing laundry while he gave political speeches.

“You know, Jane Portman, Karen Kasich, and Janna Ryan, they operate an awful lot of the time in the shadows,” he said in Owensville, referring to the wife of Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, his own wife, and the wife of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, respectively.

“It’s not easy to be a spouse of an elected official,” Kasich continued. “You know, they’re at home, doing the laundry and doing so many things while we’re up here on the stage getting applause, right? They don’t often share in it. And it is hard for the spouse to hear the criticism and to put up with the travel schedule and to have to be at home taking care of the kids. And where is the politician? Out on the road.”

Right.  Kasich believes that women should be home, doing the laundry, scrubbing the floors, etc., while men rule over them. Kasich proves once again that his conservative views are prehistoric.

Can Romney + Republicans Read? NO!

* From President Obama on the events in Libya   (MercuryNews):

I strongly condemn the outrageous attack on our diplomatic facility in Benghazi, which took the lives of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Right now, the American people have the families of those we lost in our thoughts and prayers. They exemplified America's commitment to freedom, justice, and partnership with nations and people around the globe, and stand in stark contrast to those who callously took their lives.
I have directed my Administration to provide all necessary resources to support the security of our personnel in Libya, and to increase security at our diplomatic posts around the globe. While the United States rejects efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others, we must all unequivocally oppose the kind of senseless violence that took the lives of these public servants. 

On a personal note, Chris was a courageous and exemplary representative of the United States. Throughout the Libyan revolution, he selflessly served our country and the Libyan people at our mission in Benghazi. As Ambassador in Tripoli, he has supported Libya's transition to democracy. His legacy will endure wherever human beings reach for liberty and justice. I am profoundly grateful for his service to my Administration, and

deeply saddened by this loss. 

The brave Americans we lost represent the extraordinary service and sacrifices that our civilians make every day around the globe. As we stand united with their families, let us now redouble our own efforts to carry their work forward.




The Republicans, Mitt Romney, Reince Priebus, and Sarah Palin, have shown their capacity to lie.  The Republicans said the President apologized. Really?  I think that anyone that reads to the President's statement and thinks that the President apologized in it, needs to go back to third grade and work on reading comprehension. Shame on Romney, Priebus, and Palin for using someone's death for the basis of their lies and as an attack on President Obama.

Today

* As Americans, we cannot forget the tragedy of September 11, 2001, and the loss of so many lives. May they rest in peace.

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

>> Today, as Gov. John Kasich goes around telling people that "he" brought jobs back to Ohio, we should recall that Kasich and Romney share something: They were both against the auto loan program that was created by President Barack Obama.

Washington Monthly (May 10, 2011):

....Republicans hate Obama’s rescue of the American automotive industry, but love taking credit now that it’s a sterling success.....

....Kasich, like other Ohio Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner, decried Obama’s rescue of the American automotive industry. The president said it would work, Kasich said it would not. Obama was right; Kasich was wrong....

Josh Mandel's Views

It is very difficult to get Republican Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, to answer any questions from the media and even private citizens.  However, if you continue to search you might find something.
Ontheissues- Josh Mandel:

Strongly Opposes topic 5: 

More federal funding for health coverage  

Favors topic 6:
Privatize Social Security

Opposes topic 17:
US out of Iraq & Afghanistan 

The AARP has also collected some information from candidates, including this from Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Josh Mandel:

...How would you put Medicare on stronger financial ground and protect today’s seniors and future retirees from the burden of rising health costs?

Sherrod C. Brown: Congress should stand up for Medicare and make it stronger. Cutting costs by cutting service helps no one. Instead, we should focus on innovative ways to reduce Medicare spending while ensuring that it can continue to meet the needs of Ohio seniors. Right now, the Department of Veterans Affairs can negotiate bulk discounts on prescription drugs for veterans, but Medicare can’t do the same for seniors. By giving the Secretary of Health and Human Services negotiating authority, we could save millions reducing Medicare cost by an estimated $20 Billon over the next ten years. (Source: Sherrod Brown Senate Website; http://ow.ly/ct8BO

Josh Mandel: Those who refuse to reform Medicare are condemning the program to the ash heap of history. In order to save Medicare, we must change it. Saving Medicare will be a top priority of mine, as this important program represents a promise made by the government to the American people. We can reform it in a way that does not impact current recipients or those approaching Medicare-eligible age. (Source: League of Women Voters Questionnaire; http://ow.ly/ctaci)

So Josh Mandel wants to reform Medicare?  How does that sit with you, Grandma?
 

"...these aren't political games..."

* Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, met at the Plain Dealer for interviews. Here is a small part of what Sen. Sherrod Brown said to Mandel- Plain Dealer:

...Brown, the Democratic incumbent from Avon, repeatedly called out his Republican opponent for making statements that fact-checkers have found to be false and then repeating those statements after they were exposed. 

He then accused Mandel of telling even more falsehoods during their 70-minute interview and questioned whether Mandel knows when he's not telling the truth.

 

"This is serious business. People don't run for the Senate and act like you do," said Brown, 59. "These are serious issues, these aren't political games to go from one office to another to another and reach your ambitions, but not fight for what matters to people in this state." 

The more I read about Mandel, the more I see a young person that is more concerned with himself, his ambitions, his supporters, and their issues. I am also troubled by the fact that Mandel says no one every talks to him about any other issues. It might be that he doesn't want to talk about anything but his memorized talking points.  He says that he'll reveal more if elected. Now Mandel has secret plans?????

Here are some suggestions for reporters that might interview Josh Mandel in the next few weeks:  Ask Mandel questions such as....

• Did he think it was a good move by the federal government to remove BPA from products?
• Since he is against government regulations, what regulations does he think are unfair or unjustified?
• How many actual bills of yours were passed through the General Assembly and signed into law? Why did you vote against making cockfighting a felony?
• Should a victim of rape or incest be allowed to have an abortion?  Why or why not? Should a woman that becomes pregnant through rape or incest be forced to bring the pregnancy to term? 
• Should women that do the same job as a man, with the same qualifications, be given equal pay?  Why are why not?
• Do you think that manufacturers should be able to dump whatever chemical they wish into our waters and lands?  Why should the government stay away from regulations?
• Why were you against the renewal of the legislation known as the Violence Against Women Act?  Are you against funding for shelters for battered women?
• What is the minimum wage? Have you ever had a job in which you were paid the minimum wage? Where was it?
• You were against lowering interest rates on college loans. Did you go to college on loans or grants? Why should poor, gifted students be blocked from attending college?
• Does the money you've received from the corporate owners of charter schools influence your support for charter schools?  Why are you against public schools?  Why should failing charter schools be funded?  How many public schools have you visited recently? What are some of the problems facing schools, teachers, and students today?
• In your jobs plan, you did not mention anything for our veterans, or the middle class.  Why did you exclude them?  Does you jobs plan just refer to wealthy business owners?
• Would you support fracking in your Beachwood neighborhood?

I'm sure that you can come up with far better questions than these! Contact your local TV/newspaper reporters and send them your questions for Josh Mandel.  With the debates coming soon, we need to find the names of those asking the questions, and provide them with some of our suggestions.

 • • • • • • •

* Mitt Romney might has promised he'd create jobs, but his method of creating jobs is to give tax cuts to the wealthy. It won't work. It has never worked, but that is his plan.

Americans may not know that as the CEO of Bain, Romney sent jobs to China.

ThinkProgress:

....as the Washington Post reported, Bain Capital, the private equity firm that Romney headed, played its own part in sending jobs to low-wage countries, including China. In fact, Bain “invested in a series of firms that specialized in relocating jobs done by American workers to new facilities in low-wage countries like China and India.”

In one example, Bain was the largest shareholder in a company called Modus Media, which “specialized in helping companies outsource their manufacturing“:

         Modus Media told the SEC it was performing outsource packaging and  hardware assembly for IBM, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Computer Corp. The filing disclosed that Modus had operations on four continents, including Asian facilities in Singapore, Taiwan, China and South Korea, and European facilities in Ireland and France, and a center in Australia....

Romney made money while Americans lost jobs, cities lost tax payers, and jobs were sent to other countries.

The Smear Machine

* The smear machine over at the Josh Mandel campaign is up and running again.  They've taken what was said by Joe Hallett of the Republican-loving Columbus Dispatch and turned it into something else.  Here is what Joe Hallett of the Dispatch said (on 8/19/12), as he addressed Mandel:

 (http://tinyurl.com/9cfp8e6) "....it is your reputation, Josh, we want to discuss. We’re worried about it, because the campaign you’ve been running has smelled like our cigars..."  

“..Still, you have self-inflicted wounds during this campaign that are hurting your reputation long term, win or lose. You are becoming known as the candidate of the big lie, continually making statements and airing ads that stretch the truth or are patently untrue. PolitiFact Ohio, The Plain Dealer’s respected campaign truth-o-meter, has given you more “Pants on Fire” ratings for false claims than any other candidate by far….”

Josh Mandel has refused to stop lying about Sen. Sherrod Brown, the Affordable Care Act, taxes, his own run for the Senate, and his handpicked staff of frat boys, their relatives, and his friends. It is no surprise that the Josh Mandel smear machine that threw lies about Kevin Boyce around in 2010 would continue to lie in Mandel's next campaign.

Josh Mandel talks about integrity?  Honesty? Give me a break!  I think Mandel doesn't know the meanings of the words. Do you think it would help if the Mandel campaign got copies of the definitions of honesty and integrity? In case you are interested, you might want to send some email to Mandel's campaign: joshmandel@joshmandel.com travis@joshmandel.com

You might also want to ask him why he doesn't mention "veterans" or the "middle class" in his jobs plan.

Mandel's secret money?

* Apparently, Democrats love to eat pizza during the Democratic convention.  While many Democratic groups had convention parties, and many families stayed up late to watch Obama and Biden, pizza delivery people were very busy. One pizza delivery person said that they were so busy that it was evident that Democrats were ordering plenty of pizzas. He also said that they were not very busy at all during the GOP convention.

>>>> Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH-Democrat) is being challenged by Ohio's absent Treasurer, and permanent Republican campaigner, Josh Mandel. With most of Sherrod Brown's contributions coming from Ohio voters, Josh Mandel, has had most of his money coming from out of state, and big bucks from right wing PACs. Mandel has been repeating the same right wing talking points over and over again and is viewed as a puppet of the far right, extreme tea party Republicans.

Mandel doesn't have much experience and he is considered an empty suit.  In an interview with the Dispatch, he attacked Sen. Sherrod Brown.

In response to Mandel's accusations, some retired military took on Mandel.  You can see what they said here.

>>> Gallup has already tracked a convention bump for President Obama.
HuffingtonPost:

...Gallup's last three nights of interviewing of adults, conducted Sept. 4 to 6, shows Obama with a 52 percent approval rating, the highest approval percentage reported for Obama on the Gallup tracking poll since May 2011, just after the killing of Osama bin Laden.

The latest results represent a seven percentage point increase in Obama's approval rating, from 45 percent, from Gallup's previous three-day sample, conducted Sept. 1 to 3...

•••  There is more about some of the secret groups backing Josh Mandel. The reliably Republican Columbus Dispatch has discovered that the group, the Government Integrity Fund, has spent quite a lot of money against Sen. Sherrod Brown, while they prop up Mandel.

Dispatch:

....previously unreported documents filed with an Ohio television station pull back the curtain a bit: the Government Integrity Fund is run by a state lobbyist who in turn employs a former top Mandel staffer.

The lobbyist, Tom Norris, is listed as the Government Integrity Fund’s chairman and treasurer. Norris owns an Ohio lobbying firm, Cap Square Solutions, and last year hired a top Mandel aide, Joel Riter, to work at the firm.

Riter’s role in the Government Integrity Fund, if any, is not clear. The former Mandel aide declined to say whether he is involved with the group that is chaired by his current boss and running ads in support of his former boss....

Sounds creepy.  Since Josh Mandel is unwilling to explain his views without repeating right wing mantra, he has had to rely on other secret groups to talk for him.  It makes you wonder how many other secret groups, PACs, and people Josh Mandel owes and what he has promised them.

A Paid Staffer in GOP AD?

* Rule # 17 about Republican ads: never believe that the people in  Republican ads are random people.

Talking Points Memo exposes the latest Republican cover up: they used a female GOP staffer in their latest ad.  TalkingPointsMemo:

Republicans debuted a new ad Thursday in which a frustrated former Obama supporter expresses her disappointment with the president. The only problem: The woman in the video is actually an RNC staffer.

The new ad features Republican National Committee Director of Hispanic Outreach Bettina Inclan, who in the ad purports to be an average woman voter who supported Obama in 2008.....

Hilarious!!!!!  By the way, I wonder if she is paid the same amount of salary as her male counterpart. Hmmmm.

I am not surprised.  The Republicans have always tried to pull wool over the eyes of voters! 
- During his 2010 campaign in Ohio, John Kasich used an actor to portray an unhappy steelworker.
- In 2010, the National Republican Senate Committee made a decision to look for "hicky" actors to oppose then candidate Barack Obama (see CBS News). 
 - Just a few weeks ago, mine workers in Ohio were forced by their employer to stand with Republican candidates Mitt Romney and Josh Mandel, or have the mine close.

Are Republicans trying to say that it is hard for them to find their own supporters?

Which candidate????

* Who said the following --

"...Help job creators. Reduce capital gains and corporate taxes...."

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Republican Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer said it. http://tinyurl.com/9jr99yf
Josh Mandel thinks that millionaires and billionaires need more tax cuts. Really.


* Which candidate wants to ban abortions "...even in cases of rape and incest OR to save the life of the woman?

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Republican Josh Mandel doesn't care if a woman has been a victim of rape or incest. He thinks he and others should make decisions for that woman. Aren't women smart enough to make their own decisions? How dare Mandel and his supporters intervene into our personal reproductive decisions!


In case you are interested-------Josh Mandel is against the legislation that provides equal pay for equal work.  Why would any intelligent woman vote for this self-absorbed candidate?

Stand With....

>>>> Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH-Dem) stood with Ohio's firefighters, police officers, teachers, nurses, and state employees.  Now it is our duty to support him, his campaign, and at the ballot box.  Sherrod Brown cares about every hardworking Ohioan and has made it his duty to protect the lives and rights of the middle class, college students, our senior citizens, and the poor. We want to move forward with Sherrod Brown, not return to the failed pro-rich, anti-middle class policies of the Republican Party and Josh Mandel.

• • • • • Speaking of Josh Mandel.....

From Twitter

Bill Berry ‏@azwepa62

I finally realized where I saw #TheEmptyChair from Clint Eastwood's speech - it's Josh Mandel's office chair. It needed the work. 

From Twitter

Not4JoshMandel ‏@Not4JoshMandel

@nbc4i @HuffPostPol Anyone know where Josh Mandel is today? He is not in his office according to Facebook comments by his staff.The boy lost...

Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, has been out in the state repeating his mantra that regulations are bad, that he was against the auto bailout that saved 850,000 jobs in Ohio, tax cuts are needed for the rich, blah, blah, blah (see MiddletownJournal).  Lucky for him he offers nothing new--- just the same old Republican talking points given to him by the extremists like Karl Rove, Jim DeMint, and Americans for (their own) Prosperity.

Why didn't Josh Mandel include any plans for how to get more jobs for veterans in his jobs plan?  Doesn't he care? Does he only care about his wealthy contributors and lowering their tax?

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 Right now, congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth is speaking at the Democratic National Convention.  She is an amazing woman.

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* Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted is working hard to make it as difficult as possible for Ohioans to vote. From RawStory:

Ohio’s Secretary of State, Jon Husted, will not set new early voting hours despite a court order, according to a memo released by his office.

“Announcing new hours before the court case reaches final resolution will only serve to confuse voters,” the memo states. “Therefore, there is no valid reason for my office or the county boards of elections to set hours for in-person absentee voting the last three days before the election at this time.”

The memo prohibits county election boards from setting hours for the Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday before the election....

I hope that those of us here in Ohio remember this disgusting behavior from Jon Husted. Frankly, I'm not surprised. Husted has always been an arrogant snob and this just adds to the evidence.  When Husted runs for his next office (and he will), just remember how he tried to block the vote.

America's Workers

On Labor Day---
•  American men and women have built our cars, buildings, bridges, and roads. They've taught in our schools, protected our communities, healed our sick, and worked in our stores. On Labor Day we honor the men and women who've created the infrastructure that is the foundation of what we have today.  We should thank people in unions because they gave us weekends, job safety, and health care.

• On Ed Schultz tonight, Ed mentioned that the speakers at the Republican convention tried to reach out to women, but they failed. Ed said that "...not one Republican said anything about equal pay for equal work, health care, reproductive rights, or that guy from Missouri, Todd Akin...."  Thank you, Ed!

•  Larry Cohen of CWA said that people have coined a new word now with Romney as the GOP candidate. Workers are "bained" when they their lose jobs and see those jobs shipped overseas.

• Is Paul Ryan a serial liar?  He even lied about his marathon running time! Thank goodness, Runner's World checks these things:

It turns out Paul Ryan has not run a marathon in less than three hours—or even less than four hours.

A spokesman confirmed late Friday that the Republican vice presidential candidate has run one marathon. That was the 1990 Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, where Ryan, then 20, is listed as having finished in 4 hours, 1 minute, and 25 seconds....

• Can you imagine what would have happened if Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, and Eric Cantor, would have supported the President's jobs bills? Millions of people would have jobs!  Rather than put people to work to rebuild the economy, McConnell, Boehner, Cantor, and the rest of the Tea Party Republicans sat on their behinds and did nothing. Nothing.

Despite the uncooperative Republicans, President Obama has helped turn the country around.  All you need is this chart:  (BarackObama/jobs)

There is one more point, and this goes to Mitt "let Detroit go bankrupt" Romney, and Josh Mandel, Ohio's anti-middle class Republican candidate---

(Barack Obama/jobs)

• 1+ million

  Jobs saved due to the President’s auto rescue program

Read it and weep, Josh Mandel.

People Who Know Mandel, Don't Like Him

* Here is an interesting little poll from the Cleveland Jewish News:

In an online poll the CJN asked, "If the election were held today, who would get your vote?" The choices offered were: Sherrod Brown,Josh Mandel or "I'm not voting."

At the close of the poll Sherrod Brown was selected by 81% of respondents, Josh Mandel by 18% and 1% affirmed that they would not be voting.

It looks like those that know Josh Mandel and are familiar with his political work, his right wing views, his huge ego, and his neglect of the middle class, don't want to support him. It makes you wonder, doesn't it.

In case you missed my other blog at Ohio15th, here is what I posted:

Josh Mandel's over-inflated ego and imagined legislative experience...

* When a Republican candidate claims that he has "blue collar roots," should we believe him?  Sometimes it pays to do a little digging.

Josh Mandel wrote a letter to the editor of the Columbus Dispatch. Here are some excerpts from the Mandel's Dispatch letter:

...I'm confident my experience and accomplishments in the state legislature, state treasurer's office and Marine Corps, combined with my blue-collar roots and education from Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University Law School and life's school of hard knocks, have put the tools on my belt for me to be a scrappy, hardworking and thoughtful U.S. senator on behalf of Ohio's 11.5 million residents....

Does Josh Mandel really have "blue-collar roots" in Beachwood, Ohio? (Depending on how far back we go into a family's history, we all have "blue-collar roots.") Is Josh Mandel referring to his father or grandfather?  My father helped build ships.  My maternal grandfather was a bricklayer, and my fraternal grandfather was a carpenter.

Here are some facts about Josh Mandel----

- Mandel graduated from Beachwood High School in 1996.

- Beachwood, Ohio, is and always has been an affluent suburb of Cleveland. Beachwood is the home to Beachwood Place, a very upscale mall. We have visited Beachwood, Ohio, many, many times and the words "blue collar roots" have never come to mind in describing the area.

- Josh Mandel's father has been a practicing attorney since the mid-1970's.  Do you know of any attorneys, past or present, that would be classified as "blue collar" workers?

- Mandel graduated from Ohio State in 2000, and went to law school at Case Western Reserve. He took the bar exam, but there is no record of him passing it.

- Mandel was elected to the Ohio House in 2006, took office in 2007, and ran for Ohio Treasurer in 2009.

- During his term in the Ohio House of Representatives, Mandel voted with his Republican colleagues 95% of the time. As I've written before, Mandel's legislative experience is weak, and barely in evidence.  Republican Josh Mandel was the primary sponsor of only 4 bills while he served in the Ohio House of Representatives.  In the 128th General Assembly, Mandel and Jay Goyal sponsored HB 123 (there are no recorded votes on HB 123) and HB 171 (HB 171 never came up for a vote).   Both HB 123 and HB 171 were assigned to a committee, but nothing else happened to his legislation.

- Josh Mandel voted against making cockfighting a felony???
Cleveland:

 ....Cockfighting is now a fourth-degree misdemeanor in Ohio. Penalty: No more than 30 days in jail, a fine no greater than $250. In contrast, House Bill 108 would make cockfighting a fifth-degree felony. Penalty: Up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $2,500. Second offenses would draw steeper penalties.....

.....Among 19 representatives voting "no" were Lyndhurst Republican Josh Mandel, whose district includes Brecksville, Chagrin Falls, Independence, and Solon -- not, you'd think, cockfighting capitals....

That is amazing.  Now we know there are two Republicans who are for animal cruelty.
(1.)  The Republican Party has Romney who put his dog in a kennel and then tied the kennel to the top of his car.
(2.)  The Ohio Republican Party has Josh Mandel who voted against making cockfighting a felony. 

- Mandel's activity in the 127th session, wasn't noteworthy either.  Mandel only sponsored 2 bills, HB 151 (there was no vote on HB 151) and HB 644 (there was never a vote taken on HB 644). HB 151 and HB 644 never came before the entire Ohio House for a vote.

- Mandel wants us to count the minutes that he has spent as Ohio Treasurer as his experience????  Are you kidding me?  Josh Mandel started his campaign for his next office just 80+ days after being sworn in as Treasurer. He has been absent from office while he has visited other states, all 88 counties in Ohio, and a country (the Bahamas) to collect campaign cash.

On the other hand, according to Govtrack, Sen. Sherrod Brown has sponsored many pieces of legislation while he has been in the U.S. Senate. You can see all 44 pages of Sen. Sherrod Brown's sponsored legislation at this link.

Josh Mandel's letter to the editor is pure fiction.  Don't be fooled. Mandel is a puppet of the right wing that will take away women's rights, and support tax cuts for the rich.  We cannot forget that Mandel was for SB 5. We need to keep Sherrod Brown in the Senate. Sherrod Brown has demonstrated his hard work for every group in Ohio and our veterans.

For those that know Josh Mandel, his claim of "...life's school of hard knocks..."  is laughable and ridiculous. We thank him for his service as a Marine, but his accomplishments as an elected public official have been miniscule and overdone.

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Update: My 91 year old mother-in-law said the following about Josh Mandel's claim to "blue collar roots"----> "He is full of ____!"

Leave it to my mother-in-law to tell it like it is.