Note to Tom Ganley

 Republican, Tom Ganley, Republican candidate who got wealthier during the "Cash for Clunkers" program, is an idiot just like Orly Taitz and the rest of the right wingers.

TalkingPointsMemo:

A Republican nominee for a big House race in Ohio is now declining to say whether he thinks President Obama is a Muslim.

"I don't have a position on whether he's a Muslim," said Tom Ganley, an auto dealer and self-funding GOP nominee for Congress in Ohio's 13th District, in an interview with Roll Call. This interview came in the wake of a Pew national poll showing that 18% of Americans think that Obama is a Muslim -- nearly twice the number from last year....

Ganley and those right wing idiots obviously do not read newspapers, books, use the internet, or watch the news.  Hawaii is part of the United States and Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, the United States. For a view of the real, authentic birth certificate, see the LA Times.


Here are the facts for Tom Ganley:

President Barack Obama is a Christian, was born in Hawaii, and is still the President of the United States.

One more thing for Tom Ganley -
Why not get a better hair piece? Your "hair" is clearly fake------just like your feigned concerns for average citizens.

If you'd like to call/email/Fax Ganley, here are some numbers you might use to let Ganley know the truth about President Obama's Hawaiian birth and Christian religion, or send him the link to the LA Times article:

Fax Number:	(440) 734-9302

        Campaign HQ (440)526-0094

tom@tomganley.com

How does Portman represent change?

Those ads for Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Rob Portman, have been very interesting. The ads leave out a few important facts about Rob Portman:


(1)  The ads don't mention that Portman served in the administrations of President George H.W. Bush, and President George W. Bush, and that he is a personal friend of the entire Bush family.

(2)  There is no mention that Portman is running for the seat being vacated by the retirement of U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, a Republican. How is it change to have one Republican leave and another take his place?

(3)  I have yet to see/hear the ads mention Portman's ties to Jack Abramoff.  Sourcewatch quotes Cincypost:
"Former Congressman Rob Portman, R-Ohio, got $4,000 from two tribes. The contributions were made to America's Majority Trust, the leadership PAC that Portman formed before he left Congress to join the Bush cabinet as U.S. trade representative."

(4) The political ads do not report that Portman attended and received a degree from that school up north.

(5)  Portman voted for NAFTA when he served in the House of Representatives.
 

Portman being elected to the U.S. Senate doesn't really bring change.  It just brings us back to the days of Portman's hero, President George W. Bush.  Look around.  The unemployment, layoffs, foreclosures, homelessness, etc., are the results of the economic policies of Bush and Portman. They left the country in such shambles that it will take years to get us back where we belong.

O-H-I-O

A picture of President Barack Obama as he visited a home in the Clintonville area of Columbus, Ohio, is worth a second look:

(picture by Pete Souza from The White House: Photo of the Day)

Kasich's Lack of Integrity

* Now that we've heard that the Kasich-Taylor team want to privatize the Ohio Department of Development and the Third Frontier, people are wondering which rich, white, Republican friends of Kasich's will get the jobs on the special board.

*  Kasich's lack of integrity in contacting the four Ohio public pension funds really makes you wonder how much he knew about the toxic crap he was offering the pension funds. If he knew that the investments were toxic, why would offer it to the pension funds? Has Kasich ever offered a clear explanation about how he hoodwinked the pension funds into buying Lehman's worthless investments? 

*  Voters would like to know how many of Mary Taylor's former accounting clients actually took her advice and moved to Florida.

Fair and Balanced? Hardly

So you think that Fox News is fair and balanced?  Seriously?

Seattle PI:

The corporate parent of Fox News has donated $1 million to the Republican Governors Association, and sees no bearing on the conservative network's "fair and balanced" approach to the news.

The donation comes from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which owns Fox News, the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal and the Times of London....

"For a media company - particularly one whose slogan is 'fair and balanced' - to be injecting themselves into the outcome of races is stunning," Nathan Daschle, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, said Tuesday. "The people owning Fox News have made a decision that they want to see Democratic governors go down to defeat. It's a jaw-dropping violation of the boundary between the media and corporate realm."


They should just rename Fox News the "Republican Network" because it is more appropriate.

The sheeple follow along the words of Beck, Hannity, and O'Reilly as though what they say is gospel. Wake up, people on the right!!!  Your leaders and pundits are WRONG!!!!

Candidates Respond to Ohio Disability Vote Coalition

Following a discussion on WOSU about the recent survey done by the Ohio Disability Vote Coalition, I thought is would be worthwhile to view the responses by candidates. 

According to the PDF document (2010 ODVC Published Questionnaire) located at the ODVC website, only a few of the candidates answered the questions on the survey including----

* candidates for Ohio Governor:
Gov. Ted Strickland (Democrat)
Dennis Spisak (Green Party)

* candidate for Ohio Secretary of State:
Mary Ellen O'Shaughnessy (Democrat)


* candidate for U.S. Senate:
Eric Deaton (Constitution Party)

Note: The Kasich campaign did not respond to the survey questions but issued a statement that was not indicated that they did not even read the questions. As I read their statement, I concluded that the b.s. paragraph issued by the Kasich campaign might be an indication that they are unaware and not interested in the disability laws of the state and country.

Just another day in central Ohio....

I was just driving home and some young man ("yuppie" type, early 20's) flipped me the "bird." I just waved at him.  He might have been motivated by my pro-Democratic bumper stickers or he might just dislike smart women. Whatever. Because he looked like he was coming out of one of the banking offices in the Polaris area, I will assume that he is a supporter of super bank lobbyist, Republican Steve Stivers.

> This morning before I was "flipped off" I was out doing some chores and some shopping.  One store I visited did not have enough cashiers.  It was JoAnn Fabrics.  The line to check out was very long (about 10 people) and there was one cashier.  I found out that JoAnn Fabrics, like other retailers, are enjoying bigger profits but cutting back on the number of hires. This helps their profit margin because they have less people to pay. Those employees working in the store are doing many tasks, and filling many positions that were previously done by two people.  When there are less employees, customers suffer in long lines and less real "customer service."

In case you are interested, JoAnn Fabrics is enjoying record profits. Cleveland.com (The Plain Dealer):

Hudson-based Jo-Ann Stores Inc., the nation's largest fabrics and crafts retailer, reported that profits for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 soared 187 percent to $8.6 million, or 33 cents per diluted share, compared to $3.0 million, or 12 cents per diluted share, for the first quarter of fiscal 2009. 

That $8.6 million includes a $700,000 after-tax gain, or 3 cents per share, from the company's purchase of senior subordinated notes. Without that gain, profit for the quarter would have been $7.9 million, or 30 cents per diluted share....

I hope that the company spends some of their profits on hiring some additional people. Sooner or later, people will stop shopping at a store if the customer service does not improve. In the case of JoAnn Fabrics, I hope that they don't take their profits to reward their CEO and executives.  They are not the ones doing the work in the stores.  Their employees are overworked, underpaid, and there are not enough of them.

Facts

I believe that Americans have a right to worship (or not worship) wherever they please and that religious organizations have the right to build a place of worship where they'd like, as long as they follow building codes. 

We had a case here in central Ohio. A Jewish congregation wanted to expand their building to accommodate their classes and worship services. Neighbors near the temple fought expansion plans and succeeded in preventing any construction by putting up an excessively loud and obnoxious fight.  Unfortunately, the neighbors still hold something of a grudge toward the temple.  During the High Holidays, the neighbors put up signs to prevent congregation members from parking in their streets.  Compromise is a good thing.  It didn't happen here in central Ohio, but it might work in New York City. Given some time, patience, and cool heads, a civil dialogue might prove to be worthwhile to all sides in NYC.
 

******

Politifact has settled some claims that have come up in Ohio politics.  Here are some samples from Politifact:

Kasich: On whether to eliminate the state income tax. 

Initial big talk replaced with silence, few details

 

and

 

Boehner said:  "This is the first time since the Depression that unemployment has stayed above 9 percent for two consecutive years." 

In July '08, unemployment was 5.8 percent (remember that?)

John Boehner is just full of something.

Have you heard????

The Republicans are hatching their plans.  If they retake the House and the Senate, they will do what Bush was unable to do: privatize Social Security.  The Republicans have always hated Social Security and have tried to destroy it in the past.  They'd like nothing better than to force people to invest their own money on Wall Street so that the GOP's friends and contributors can make money selling investments to people.  Can you imagine the commissions that those Republican pals will make?  The real danger is that people would lose their money---all of their money, and then be left homeless.

Republican Rep. Paul Ryan has come up with a plan, but people have already noticed that it is a duplicate of Bush's plan for Social Security, with a few minor changes.

***  Republicans are really pushing former bank lobbyist, Steve Stivers, as their #1 congressional candidate.  The problem is that Stivers is so entrenched with the banking and insurance industries in the state that it would be difficult for him to even try to look sympathetic toward regular people.  Stivers is Boehner's special project.  That in itself is enough to make anyone step back and question Stivers' plans and lobbyist connections.

By the way, has anyone checked to see if Stivers has made any money from his business venture?

***  Justin Coussoule is the Democrat running against John Boehner, Republican leader and suntan enthusiast. Anti-Boehner billboard ads continue to grab a lot of attention in and around the district.  Here is an ad sponsored by Blue America PAC: anti-Boehner ad.

Get the Point?

This explains everything about the Ohio Republicans and John Boehner:

Click here-----> Facebook

Gingrich

What is Newt Gingrich really like?  Esquire magazine asked one of his ex-wives, Marianne Gingrich, (wife #2) a few questions about her former husband, and the results are revealing. Gingrich seems unable to come to terms with his own life, tends to gloss things over, and appears to re-write his own life story. While Gingrich was attacking then President Clinton, and speaking of family values, Gingrich's personal behavior was not something that could be described as a "family value."

Esquire:

...He asked her to just tolerate the affair, an offer she refused....
..The next night, they sat talking out on their back patio in Georgia. She said, "How do you give that speech and do what you're doing?" 

"It doesn't matter what I do," he answered. "People need to hear what I have to say. There's no one else who can say what I can say. It doesn't matter what I live."

This article is definitely worth your attention.





Gingrich still seems to have aspirations about runn

Survey Reveals a Lot About Both Candidates

The 25 question survey done by the Columbus Dispatch that sought answers from Gov. Ted Strickland, Democrat, and John Kasich, Republican, was meant to add some humor to the campaign.  However, the responses of the candidates reveals a lot about their personalities.

Here is a brief summary of each candidates responses from the Dispatch---

Gov. Ted Strickland prefers - Jack Daniels, news from MSNBC, an anniversary dinner at Tumbleweed, took statistics in college...

John Kasich likes red wine, newspapers, taking wife to see U2 to Chicago for anniversary, took college math (?)...

Here are some specific questions and answers from the Dispatch:

9. What is your favorite movie, and who are your favorite actor and actress?

TS: Sophie's Choice,

Paul Newman, Meryl Streep

JK: Seabiscuit - I love it and have seen it half a dozen times. Actor:

Harrison Ford. Actress: Reese Witherspoon.

17. Who was the best

U.S. president?

TS: FDR

JK: George Washington

(Shocker!!!! Kasich didn't say Reagan.  He might be banned from the Ronald Reagan fan club and be forced to give up his decoder ring.)

The questionnaire probably doesn't change voters opinions but it shows a few things about both.  Strickland's movie pick is an incredible movie with a heart-wrenching story line.  Kasich's favorite movie was about a horse. Strickland took his wife to a nice restaurant for their anniversary.  Kasich, a millionaire, went to Chicago with his wife for a concert for their anniversary.

The most important bit of information from this article is that Kasich talks too much.  If you ever meet him and he starts talking, you'll soon want to beg him to be quiet.

The Truth about Boehner

We all have our priorities. Republican leader, John Boehner, has his priorities too.  Unfortunately, Boehner's priorities don't include us.
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(This Youtube video was found at Alternet.)



We need someone like Justin Coussoule, Democrat, for Ohio's 8th district!

Boehner belongs to an all male golf club???  Are you kidding me?

****  The Republicans are proposing a balanced budget amendment but they also want to have tax cuts for the rich. Boehner, Pence, Paul Ryan, and the rest of the Republican Tea Party are complete dolts!!!! This is not possible!!!!

How will the Republicans pay for the tax cuts for the rich?  They will raise the retirement age to 70 and raise taxes on the middle class.  Got that???

Kasich Did Not Support the Troops When He Had the Chance

John Kasich appears in day-glo yellow pants at Sean Hannity's event for the troops (to raise money that never really makes it to the troops or their families).

Here is a view of Sean Hannity's charity.
The Daily Beast:


For years, Sean Hannity has hosted “Freedom Concerts” across America. He has claimed that the proceeds are donated to help the children of fallen soldiers pay for college and to pay for the medical care of wounded veterans. But according to conservative blogger Debbie Schlussel, “it’s all a huge scam.” She went through the tax returns of Freedom Alliance, the charity that helps Hannity throw the concerts, and found that less than 20 percent of the money raised goes to these causes—in 2006, for example, Freedom Alliance raised almost $11 million, but only $397,900 was donated to children of fallen soldiers or to injured veterans. $979,485 was spent, meanwhile on consultants, and more than $3 million was spent on postage and shipping and printing. One person tells Schlussel that Hannity demands a private jet and a fleet of Cadillac or Lincoln SUVs to transport him to the concerts.

Read it at Debbie Schlussel 

 

Here is Kasich as he appeared at Hannity's concert:

 

 Day-glo Kasich below:

 (pic by JChabria)

 

 

 

 

 When Kasich had the chance to really help veterans, Kasich decided to vote against issues/programs to help vets.

Dayton Daily News:

...While in Congress, Kasich opposed increasing the minimum wage, favored increasing the cost of college loans, wanted to weaken job training programs, pitched a budget that called for slashing food stamps and children’s nutrition programs, moved to cut veterans’ benefits, and pushed to reduce the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income workers....

 

John Kasich's congressional record on veterans, from the Dispatch:

• Proposed cutting $7 billion from veterans programs, quadrupling veterans' prescription costs, and "cutting benefits for veterans who suffered head wounds and mental traumas and could no longer care for themselves independently."

 

Kasich didn't support the troops when he had the chance.  All this talk with Hannity's poor excuse for a charity is nothing more than baloney.

If you are one of our military veterans, I offer my thanks for your service and sacrifice.  If you are a veteran living in Ohio, don't vote for Kasich.  He did not vote for YOU when he had the chance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worth A Second Look

Even though this article was written by Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post two years ago, it is definitely worth a second look.  The column was about why Rob Portman was not a good pick as Republican John McCain's running mate for the 2008 election.  Here are some excerpts from that Washington Post column:

...Portman's ties to the Bush family go all the way back to then Vice President George H.W. Bush's 1988 campaign on which Portman worked before joining the White House general counsel's staff after Bush's victory.

His connections carried over to George W. Bush as Portman became chief liaison between the Bush campaign -- and eventually the Bush White House -- and Capitol Hill. Of Bush, he told the New York Times in 2003: ''He has a clear sense of what makes this country great. It makes it worthwhile being here to be with someone who has that passion.'' (You can be sure that Democrats will dredge that quote up over and over again in the fall if Portman winds up on the ticket.)


And then, of course, came Portman's stints as U.S Trade Representative and director of the Office of Management and Budget. In both posts, Portman was the face of the Bush Administration on two issues -- trade and the economy -- on which the American public has diverged sharply from the current president over the last several years....

When you see Republican Rob Portman, just remember his close ties to the Bush family and both Bush administrations. (pic from NY Times)

2004

Do you remember the 2004 election in Ohio? Here is a reminder:

Movie: Voting Irregularities 2004

Do you want to go back to those days?  I don't.  Choose carefully when you vote.

Are you starting to wonder about those right wingers?

There is a real collection of flakes in the right wing, Republican Tea Party. Here are some examples:


TPMDC has a recent quote from Republican Tea Party queen, Sharron Angle:


It has become commonplace for Republicans to claim that Democratic policies violate this or that part of the Constitution. But Nevada's Senate Republican candidate Sharron Angle is taking that one step further, claiming that her opponent's legislative victories amount to a violation of the Bible's First Commandment. 

"[T]hese programs that you mentioned -- that [President] Obama has going with [Harry] Reid and [Nancy] Pelosi pushing them forward -- are all entitlement programs built to make government our God," Angle said in a little noticed interview with Christian Radio this past spring. "And that's really what's happening in this country is a violation of the First Commandment. We have become a country entrenched in idolatry, and that idolatry is the dependency upon our government. We're supposed to depend upon God for our protection and our provision and for our daily bread, not for our government."


Huh? "...a violation of the First Commandment...."  I want to know if Sharron Angle sits up at night and writes down these kooky thoughts or does she just say whatever random crazy idea that crosses her mind?

Then, there is the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Ken Buck, who said this--- (Colorado Independent):

QUESTION: How do you feel about abortion? Are you for abortion, against abortion, are you for it? In what instances would you allow for abortion?
BUCK: I am pro-life, and I’ll answer the next question. I don’t believe in the exceptions of rape or incest. I believe that the only exception, I guess, is life of the mother. And that is only if it’s truly life of the mother...

Is this guy nuts? Would he feel the same way if he was talking about his own daughter?

Finally, a Republican candidate for Colorado governor, Dan Maes, came up with a new conspiracy theory.
Huffington Post:


...Dan Maes, however, isn't going down without a fight, and has apparently decided to go all out in competition for Tancredo's natural constituency -- ridiculous xenophobes. So, what crazy paranoia over the creeping menace of foreigners is Maes fearmongering about? Let's ask the Denver Post:

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes is warning voters that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's policies, particularly his efforts to boost bike riding, are "converting Denver into a United Nations community."

OMG!!!!! Dan Maes thinks that promoting bicycle riding is dangerous and un-American. Is Maes for real????

Do these Republican Tea Party nut jobs have a vitamin deficiency or some missing gene that causes them to say stupid, unbelievable stuff?  Can you imagine what type of elected official they'd make?  Hopefully, voters won't vote for any of the above and similar candidates that speak in a similar, loony fashion.

Republicans and the 14th Amendment

The Republicans now want to repeal the 14th Amendment????? 

Jonathan Turley of George Washington University spoke about the 14th Amendment on Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Turley said that although Republicans call themselves strict constitutionalists, but their plan to repeal the 14th Amendment goes against this. 

Also on Countdown, Maria Teresa Kumar of Voto Latino, called the Republican plan concerning the 14th Amendment "absolute nonsense."  Ms. Kumar said that this Republican proposal would "marginalize children of immigrants" and that Republicans are looking for "scapegoats."

Senator Kyl, who used lies to try to tie crimes in Arizona to illegal people coming into his state, has attacked the 14th Amendment. 

CBS News:
Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., said today that Congress should hold hearings to look into denying citizenship to illegal aliens' children born in the United States, as the fight over immigration widens into the explosive "birthright" issue.

Last week Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he was considering introducing a Constitutional amendment to repeal a provision of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born within U.S. borders. Graham suggested that children born in the United States whose parents are here illegally should not automatically become U.S. citizens.... 

* As to Kyl's claim about illegal individuals causing lots of crimes in Arizona, the Examiner has a headline that reads:
"Kyl fakes AZ crime stats on illegal immigrants." 


Examiner:


...Appearing over the weekend on Face the Nation, Sen. Kyl insisted that an Arizona crime wave is being caused by a flood of illegal immigrants. He went so far as to claim Phoenix was "the kidnapping capital of the U.S." That’s two obvious lies wrapped around some misinformation; nice work, John.

Arizona’s crime rate and its rate of violent crime have actually declined for several consecutive years, and PolitiFact berated Arizona's John McCain on the kidnapping fabrication, pointing out that their numbers are also falling. But there is still the embedded lie – that illegals are flooding into America.

The truth is that there has been a steep fall off in illegal immigration. Recessions have historically lowered the influx of undocumented workers, and this one is no exception. Despite an increased number of patrol agents, fewer people are being caught crossing the border illegally. The “flood” has been reduced to a stream, but facts are incidental to the right wing point....



Are Republicans planning to go after every person of Latino or Hispanic descent?  Are Republicans trying to ramp up hatred?

Ganley

Republican candidate for Congress, Tom Ganley, has been very critical of the federal government. Hmmm.  How many cars did Ganley's dealership sell under the federal "Cash for Clunkers" program. Ganley is being hypocritical in financially benefiting from a federal program while at the same time he complains about the federal government. In an article from August 2009 in the Plain Dealer, Ganley was expecting over $3 million from the federal government due to his participation in "Cash for Clunkers."

I took a little peek at the Tom Ganley website. Ganley is having Dick "toes" Morris help him at a fundraiser. (Can't understand the "toes" reference?  Just Google "Dick Morris toes" and you'll find out what kind of person Ganley considers a friend. Yuck!)

Ganley just looks like another one of the Republican Tea Party members---- anti-immigrant, pro-white men, anti-government except when they personally benefit, etc., etc.  How can anyone forget Ganley's proposal to send current U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton "out of the House and back to the kitchen" that was distributed in his campaign material?

As a college educated woman, and the mother of two college educated daughters, I can honestly say that I'd never vote for an idiot like Ganley.  Women have worked and sacrificed too much to go back to the dark ages that so many white Republican men aspire to create again.

The Choices We Make

In our lives, the choices we make about our profession, our friends, and our actions, can determine our future and how we are perceived by others.  Republican John Kasich, candidate for governor, worked in Congress, and then went to Wall Street.  Through his career, Kasich always supported the "trickle down" economic theory (give tax cuts to the rich, and the poor will benefit--- eventually).  Kasich always supported the rich, the wealthy, the country club set. (Kasich is even on the board of directors for a country club in Delaware County.) Now as a candidate for Ohio governor, Kasich is trying to prove that he cares about average people.  Unfortunately, for Kasich, not all the average Joes and Joans are buying his baloney.

Kasich has been unable and unwilling to give us, the voters, a complete picture of his time at Lehman Brothers.  When Lehman Brothers collapsed, the largest bankruptcy in our nation's history, Kasich moved on and worked for Barclay's.  Now, as a candidate for governor, Kasich and his ego, think that he can save Ohio by cutting the state income tax and state government.  He wants to go up against school teachers and labor unions, but he wants to keep bankers, lobbyists, and moneyed right wing interest groups close to his side. Obviously, Kasich continues to care more about the rich, than regular working people.

If you are interested, CNN has a story up about how Kasich is trying to run away from his work at Lehman.