The Transition

President-elect Barack Obama is already getting his staff together. There is a website that has been put up by the Obama-Biden team. Besides general information, the agenda, and a blog, Americans are encouraged to "Share Ideas" with the President-elect. If you are looking for a job with the administration, you may apply for a job online.

This is all very impressive. I think the fact that the Obama campaign used the internet and text messaging to communicate shows that they are definitely way ahead of anything the Republicans did.

Here in Ohio, the Republicans are blaming each other for their losses. While Republican chairman, Kevin DeWine, gave daily rants and complaints about Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, the Obama campaign and Ohio Democrats spent their time getting out the vote. It seems to me that DeWine was so determined to destroy Brunner, that he forgot to work for his political party. On the Channel 10 news, Kevin DeWine was lamenting the fact that the GOP needs to work on attracting young people. Really? It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the Republican Party is made up of almost entirely of whites and men. Who wants to hang out with a crowd like that?

Congratulations to Jennifer Brunner in winning the court fights against the GOP and in conducting fair a free elections.

Still Smiling

Yes, I am still smiling about the Obama election. This was a tremendous victory and something of a landslide (although Republicans would never admit it). According to CNN, President George W. Bush won 286 electoral votes in 2004. President-elect Barack Obama has 364 electoral votes (CNN). In 2004, Bush declared that he had won a mandate. Unfortunately for Bush, Obama won a bigger mandate because 364>286. (Note: Obama won North Carolina and I've added those 15 electoral votes to his total.)

>I was doing some channel surfing and I notices two very sad faces, William Bennett and Joe Scarborough. They were certainly in sour moods.

>The Senate race in Minnesota is not over. There will be an automatic recount and I sincerely hope that Al Franken wins it.

>I think that Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner did a great job with the Ohio elections. Despite the fact that the Republicans sued her, and even took her to the U.S. Supreme Court, Brunner won, got the job done in Ohio and votes were actually counted. The Republicans will start to launch attacks very soon because they want to own the office of Ohio Secretary of State. We should flood newspapers with letters to editors to congratulate Brunner on a successful election.

>Republicans are mystified by how Barack Obama won so many states. The Obama campaign worked 7 days per week and covered every inch of the states. In Ohio, there were 90 Obama campaign offices staffed with lots and lots of enthusiastic volunteers. The Obama GOTV (get out the vote) program was astounding and the best I've ever seen.

Obama!!!

This is by far one of the most exciting campaigns. I worked as a volunteer on the Obama-Biden Ohio Campaign for Change. My volunteer experience goes all the way back to McGovern when I was a college student. However, nothing compares with the organization and "boots on the ground" that the Obama campaign put together. It was amazing.

Now that President-elect Barack Obama will begin his transition to the White House, let us continue working together to support him and his administration.

Yes we can! Yes we did!

Get Out There And Vote!!!

I'll be working at the polls on Tuesday. Don't fret if the lines are long, bring a newspaper, puzzle book, or a book to pass the time. This day has been a long time coming and we can't give up when we are so close. Just remember-

VOTE OBAMA!
VOTE DEMOCRATIC!

Vote for change!!!!!

Big Rally in Columbus Today!!!!!

Special Rally Today, Monday, November 3rd:

To support Barack Obama for President,
Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, & Diddy
will appear today at Mayme Moore Park
867 Mt. Vernon Avenue
in Columbus.

Doors open at 5:30pm.

Free and open to the public! For more info: OH.BarackObama.com/mjbligeohio

To RSVP for the event----- http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/jayzohio

Obama in Columbus on Sunday!

Sen. Barack Obama will be in Columbus at the Ohio Statehouse on Sunday (gates open at 11am). Be there!

>> The Republicans are throwing lies and insults at Sen. Obama. Today, Republican Rep. John Boehner called Sen. Obama a "...chickensh*t..." (Sources: Toledo Blade, Washington Post, Miami Student.) Boehner should be ashamed of himself.

What are the Republicans offering voters this year? More of the same.

Do you want to see what you'd save under the Obama Tax Cut? Check it out here>>>>>>> ObamaTaxCut. You'll be very surprised at how much more you'll get with Obama than McCain.

Friday's Updates

* The Dayton Daily News is reporting that the issue of Jon Husted's residency will be take up by the Montgomery County Board of Elections.....................after the election. Are they hoping that people will forget where he lives? Perhaps some of Husted's Democratic neighbors in Upper Arlington should start keeping a log of when and where they see Husted and then put it on the web. There is no reason that Husted should get a pass on this.

* Check with your neighbors this weekend and make sure everyone has a ride to the polls. If you know anyone without a car, see if they need a ride to vote.

* According to Open Secrets, Republican candidate for Ohio's 7th district, Steve Austria, has received political contributions from the following industries: Oil & Gas- $13,000; Lobbyists- $21,100; etc.

* Sarah Palin is definitely not qualified for the office of Vice President. Did McCain seriously think that women would flock to his campaign because of his running mate? McCain and Palin want to imprison women who seek or receive an abortion. They even want to lock up doctors who do abortions. McCain and Palin want to outlaw abortions even in the case of rape and incest. Shame on them. How can they force someone to go through a pregnancy that was caused by rape/incest?

* John McCain is against equal pay for equal work for women. Does McCain just hate or disrespect women?

Coincidence?

I just read this fascinating article in the StarTribune about how Republican Norm Coleman is suing Democrat Al Franken over his ads. After I read the article, I read through some of the comments. Someone mentioned in the comments section that Norm Coleman rents his "apartment" in DC from a Republican telemarketer named Jeff Larson. Jeff Larson is also the person that did the shopping for Sarah Palin, according to an article in The Atlantic. Wow. That Jeff Larson is one busy GOP operative.

CBS News is reporting that a lawsuit alleges that Norm Coleman's wife has received $75,000 in payments.

Use Common Sense

So you want your taxes lowered? McCain will lower your taxes but Obama will lower your taxes even more!!!!! Visit ObamaTaxCut.com for details.

Do you have health insurance now? Do you want to pay taxes on that health insurance? Vote for McCain because he promises to tax your health insurance.

>> Economists aren't using the word yet, but we know that we are in a recession. We've known it for a long time in Ohio. However, the big shots on Wall Street and the Bush administration won't use the word "recession" for fear that the sky will fall. Everyone knows it is a recession. Just ask the people being laid off or those whose work hours have been cut back. People are hurting and it is all because of the Republicans who did nothing to keep the economy going. The administration's hands off policy on Wall Street has allowed some CEO's to get bonuses that are obscene and misuse the public trust. While Americans are struggling to buy food and keep their families warm, the Republicans have ignored everything and pushed for more deregulation. They just want to keep the status quo, keep the war going in Iraq, and continue the "trickle down" economics that the Republicans use as their mantra.

If you want change, you are going to have to get up off the couch and go vote for Barack Obama and every Democratic candidate. The Republicans have become obstructionists and they are standing in the way of progress.

Here in Ohio's 15th district, we have the chance for real change by electing a wonderful Democratic candidate for Congress, Mary Jo Kilroy. Kilroy has strong roots with real working people. Her opponent is a former bank lobbyist who favors banks and insurance companies.

Get up and vote. Call and e-mail family and friends and remind them to vote.

Thursday---- 5 days to go!!!!

> Republican candidate Steve Stivers is out knocking on doors in sorority row. Huffington Post has the rest of the story. I think it is a little creepy.

Even more on Stivers from Patricia Thurston's Radio Weblog:

...In the OH-15 open House seat between Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy and Republican Steve Stivers. Emily's List, the national group that supports pro-choice women candidates, highlighted Stivers's opposition to requiring insurers to cover contraception when he served as a state senator....

> Somewhere John Boehner and the Ohio Republicans are crying because their latest attempt to disenfranchise voters has failed. The Caucus at The NY Times:

The Department of Justice will not require Ohio to disclose the names of voters whose registration applications did not match other government databases, according to two people familiar with discussions between state and federal lawyers.

The decision comes about a week after an unusual request from President Bush asking the department to investigate the matter and roughly two weeks after the Supreme Court dismissed a case involving the flagged registration applications.....
.....Most studies by non-partisan groups have found little evidence that voter fraud is a wide-scale problem or that fraudulent or duplicate voter registration applications lead to ineligible voters casting ballots.....

Ohio Republicans will still try to stop people from voting. Be alert.

Obama Will Lower Taxes for Middle Class

Pleeeeeeeeeeease do not believe the Republican talking points. If elected, Barack Obama will lower taxes for the middle class. Seriously. Check out exactly how much you'd save with an Obama tax cut by visiting ObamaTaxCut.com to plug in your numbers. You'll be pleasantly surprised!!!

On the other hand, McCain and the Republicans will provide big tax cuts------ but only for the rich---not you. Do you honestly think McCain and the Republicans would not reward their fat cats, oil companies, and big contributors? McCain and Palin are offering nothing but rhetoric and hatemongering.

If you don't believe me, check the ObamaTaxCut.com and rejoice in your Obama tax cut.

In order for Obama to get the tax cuts for the middle class, more jobs, and a more vibrant economy, we're going to need a Democratic House of Representatives and Democratic Senate. That means YOU are going to have to vote for Democrats. The Republicans have had more filibusters to stop legislation. We've got to change the way Washington does business and that means-----

Vote for Barack Obama and Democratic candidates.

Tension In the Air?

Crooks and Liars has an interesting video. Republican Rep. Frank Wolf (VA-10) stands by as his staff members hit someone with a cane.

Updates From Here and There

> Republican Rep. Adam Putnam (FL- 12th) is in a tight race in his district with Democrat Doug Tudor. Tudor is a Navy veteran who is running to help regular citizens. Tudor will not be a servant to the extreme right like Putnam has been over the years. Putnam also supported privatizing Social Security and in 2005 called private accounts for Social Security "palatable." Can you imagine what condition seniors would be in if Bush and Putnam would have gotten their Social Security "reform plans" in 2005?

> In Minnesota, Republican Norm Coleman is in a tight race with Democrat Al Franken. Coleman has been a major cheerleader for the Bush administration and has even been invited to the Bush Texas ranch. That invitation must have been a reward for Coleman's unrelenting support for Bush's policies.

> Ohio voters still have a few days to participate in 'Early Voting.' Vote now to avoid the election day delays.

> Ohio's 15th congressional district has popular Franklin County Commissioner, Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy, running against Republican Steve Stivers, a former bank lobbyist. Hopefully, Kilroy will win this because Democrats are more motivated and more active in this election cycle.

Sing Along: I'll Vote For Change

I saw this posted at the Ohio Daily Blog and I thought you'd enjoy it:

Bush and Boehner Interfere With Ohio Election

It was just a matter of time. After days and days of whining and begging by John Boehner, President George W. Bush has jumped into the Ohio election. The Public Record:

President George W. Bush late Friday asked Attorney General Michael Mukasey to investigate whether hundreds of thousands of newly registered voters in the battleground state of Ohio would have to verify the information on their voter registration forms or be given provisional ballots, an issue the U.S. Supreme Court weighed in on last week.

The unprecedented intervention by the White House less than two weeks before the presidential election may result in at least 200,000 voters in Ohio not being able to vote on Election Day. Information on the 200,000 voter registration forms does not match up exactly with information on government databases. Republicans are claiming that's evidence of voter registration fraud.....

.....In a statement on his website, Boehner said starting today, “Ohio elections officials will begin removing ballots cast during the state’s early voting period from their identifying envelopes, eliminating any possibility of catching fraudulently cast ballots.”

I guess we can say that the Republicans have gotten their way this time. I just hope the 10,000 Obama lawyers get wind of this move and do something about it. The last person I want near my vote is John Boehner.

Man Arrested for Threatening Jennifer Brunner

Cincinnati.com:

The Ohio State Highway Patrol arrested a 51-year-old Columbus man late Friday in connection with last week's telephone death threat against Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

Dana McArtor was charged with intimidation, a third-degree felony.

If convicted, McArtor faces five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, Lt. Tony Bradshaw said. McArtor was being held in the Franklin County Jail...

The Ohio Daily Blog has more:

...the Ohio Republican Party held a press conference at which Deputy Chair Kevin DeWine insinuated that the security breach at the Secretary of State's web site earlier this week was faked, and spoke dismissively of the death threats received by the Secretary of State....

.....Later in the day, the Ohio State Highway Patrol arrested a 51-year-old Columbus man late in connection with one of the death threats. The man, Dana McArtor of Riveria Court, was charged with third-degree felony intimidation. He is a registered Republican.

Ohio Democratic Party Chair Chris Redern made this statement about DeWine's comments, before the arrest occurred:

"Republican Party leaders sank to an outrageous new low today by accusing the Secretary of State of covering up for election fraud, suggesting that she had fabricated the security breach currently under investigation by the Ohio Highway Patrol, and even downplaying the recent threats made against her life. The Ohio Republican Party has lost their sense of basic decency in a storm of wild charges, frivolous lawsuits, scare tactics and deeply personal attacks."

A registered Republican.

Boehner and DeWine Still Trying to Ruin Ohio Election

House Minority Leader John Boehner wants President Bush to get involved in the Ohio election. Seriously. Boehner wants the U.S. Justice Department to intervene in the Ohio elections as soon as possible (before the Democrats win the election).

Boehner, Kevin DeWine, and other Ohio Republicans are trying their best to disqualify large numbers of Ohio voters, create chaos on election day, and call into question election results. I'm not a lawyer, but I think that Boehner and his GOP friends are trying to create panic and unrest. The Columbus Dispatch (which hasn't endorsed a Democrat since 1916) is doing its part to report on Boehner's efforts.

Republicans Only Care About Themselves

> Michelle Bachmann, Republican member of Congress (MN-6), showed her ignorance in her remark about global warming.
StarTribune: ...In recent remarks to a gathering of Sherburne County Republicans -- reported in the West Sherburne Tribune -- Bachmann called any human connection to global warming "voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax."
How in the world did she ever get elected in the first place? Bachmann sounds like a fool.

> Oh, my. Rudy Giuliani is going to Minnesota to campaign for Sen. Norm Coleman (MN-R), according to FoxNewsTwinCities. That in itself would stop me from supporting Coleman.

> Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, has been under unprecedented attacks by Ohio Republicans. Besides taking Brunner to court, the Ohio Republicans and Kevin DeWine are doing their part to intimidate voters and Jennifer Brunner. It is really sad that these Ohio Republicans like DeWine are sooooooooo afraid of fair elections. I'm sure every single day they pray for a Republican to become the Ohio Secretary of State again so that they can control the elections like they did under the infamous Kenneth Blackwell. According to Raw Story, Brunner has had death threats and cyber attacks. Hmmm. Do you wonder where those threats and attacks originated? Me too. I hope they find those people who are threatening others and put them in jail.

> Ohio Republicans have a penchant for finding candidates for their party with names of celebrities. The Ohio GOP has people like Kevin Bacon and Jimmy Stewart running for office. I'm sure, even as I write this, the Ohio GOP is looking for a Republican named "Clark Gable" or "Steve McQueen."

> OMG! Grover Nordquist is on a TV campaign ad for extreme right wing group Let Freedom Ring. Grover Nordquist has been called the 'Field Marshall of the Bush Plan.' Nordquist once said, "...My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub." (Source: The Nation) Doesn't Nordquist sound like a real right wing extremist? Can you imagine what would happen without any regulations and protections for Americans? Oh, wait! That already happened on Wall Street.

***** Want to see how much of a tax cut you'll get under Barack Obama's plan? Visit Obamataxcut.com for full details. You'll be pleasantly surprised!

How can anyone believe the Republicans?

The Republicans and the McCain-Palin ticket are nothing but frauds. The Republican National Committee had to spend huuuuuuge bucks to dress up Sarah Palin.
NY Daily News:
......Sarah Palin also has a spectacular new wardrobe, and Republican campaign donors picked up the breathtaking tab.

The Republican National Committee spent $150,000 on clothing and accessories for the vice presidential candidate and her family since early September, according to a report by the Politico Web site....

They spent, according to the Daily News, $4,716.49 on hair and makeup for Palin. (This makes John Edwards' $400 hair cut look like chump change.)

Is that even legal? Can a political committee spend campaign money on clothing for a candidate? The RNC took her shopping at Neiman Marcus, Macy's, and Bloomingdale's. What is the matter with Target?

The Republicans expect Americans to believe their lies. However, Americans are beginning to look beyond the Republican talking points to to look for the real meat of the campaigns. No matter what he says---- John McCain doesn't understand how to fix the economy. McCain's lifestyle (7 houses, 13 cars) is so different from regular Americans that he is clueless about the cost of diapers, milk, gasoline, and other essentials. How can he fix the economy if he just doesn't get it?

Vote Obama. Vote Democratic.

Why can't Ohio have fair elections?

The Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's office is being maliciously attacked, according to the Ohio Daily Blog:

The Republican Party's utterly baseless allegation that Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is facilitating voter fraud (and that the Democratic Party is attempting to "rig the election") has unleashed an assault on the basic functioning of her office just as preparations for the general election are in high gear:

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner announced on Monday
afternoon that the state website has been set in a static mode with
limited functionality as a precaution. The Ohio State Highway Patrol
will assist with an investigation of one or more security breaches
detected by the Secretary of State....

....This has gone far beyond anyone's definition of acceptable political tactics. As State Sen. Teresa Fedor wrote at Glass City Jungle yesterday, the Republicans are "trying to destroy our election system just to win an election" (although I would add that their other goal of unseating Brunner in 2010 is also in the mix). This despicable assault comes a hell of a lot closer to "destroying the fabric of democracy" than anything ACORN has allegedly committed, even in John McCain's feverish imagination.

What is it about Ohio's elections? Do the Ohio Republicans really need to challenge so many voters? Does the Ohio GOP's aggressive attempt to disenfranchise voters also turn off their level of support from the public? Face it. If a political party questions your right to vote, why would you lend your support to that party in the future?

An article in today's Columbus Dispatch (they've endorsed McCain), raises the possibility of complete chaos on election day in Ohio. Why would the Dispatch do this? Are they trying to create contested elections? Are they trying to discourage voters from voting? Why does the Republican-leaning Dispatch even suggest the chance that the Ohio election will be a disaster? Does the Dispatch know about some scheme that the Ohio Republicans have up their dirty little sleeves?

My advice to voters is this--- Vote Obama and Democratic in such large numbers that the Ohio GOP will have nothing to question.