Old Guard GOP May Hand Ohio to Obama

As brutal election results reflected, the Ohio Republican Party (ORP) was a scandal-plagued outfit circa 2006. I don’t relish the current ORP leadership fight, but if we don’t want second terms for President Obama and Senator Sherrod Brown we must avoid repeating our mistakes. Party chairman Kevin DeWine’s old-guard ways – combined with his public betrayal of Governor Kasich – make it hard to believe ORP can be effective with DeWine in charge.

Quick hits: this fall, a consultant with ties to Chairman DeWine produced $179,000 in advertising for one of the Big Labor fronts smearing Kasich’s union reform bill. A glance at last year’s ORP campaign expenditures reveals -

• $753,680 spent in the incredibly close Kasich-Strickland race
• $1.3 million spent in the secretary of state race, for DeWine ally Jon Husted – including $375,245 in the GOP primary
• $1.5 million spent in the attorney general race, for Kevin DeWine’s cousin Mike DeWine

If those figures don’t raise your eyebrows, there’s more. In the early aughts, Brett Buerck was a recognized name in Ohio Republican circles. Then, suddenly, he was known more widely… and not for a good reason.

Is Ohio Less Democratic Than Russia?

Last week The Columbus Dispatch reported on what has been a recurring theme all year: Ohio conservatives are evil extremists!

Richard Gunther today called the new congressional map signed into law last week by Gov. John Kasich “stunning” for its representational unfairness, saying it is twice as unfair as the next-worst democratic systems in the world.

“This is a very, very bad map,” said Gunther, a scholar of world democracies. “This is extremely unfair to the citizens of Ohio.”

Emphasis mine. Humorous background: in 2009 Secretary of State Husted, then a member of the state senate, proposed a plan to replace Ohio’s partisan redistricting process… and Democrats killed it.

The Dispatch story doesn’t provide this context, nor does it mention that world democracies scholar Richard Gunther is a registered Democrat who has given $950 to Democrat candidates and causes since 2005.

Based on Gunther’s unbiased calculations, the elected Republicans who drew districts according to the standards of the Ohio Constitution are turning us into Russia!

Even the Duma, the lower house of parliament in Russia – a questionable democracy – earns a score of 7 against Ohio’s 24 on the scale. [Higher numbers are worse]

Gunther said any fair congressional district map should include three principles: competitiveness, compactness and keeping intact communities of interest.

“This map brutally violates all three of those principles,” Gunther said.

Gunther is clearly exercised that Republicans haven’t drawn a map beneficial to Democrats. Let’s hear a competing opinion:

Referring to Ohio’s new congressional districts, Tokaji said, “This is the worst example of elected officials serving their own craven partisan interests of anywhere in the country.”

The Dispatch fails to note that election law professor Daniel Tokaji is a registered Democrat who has contributed $350 to Democrats since 2005. Leftist college faculty hate it when Republicans win elections? Stop the presses! Here’s a snapshot of the new map:

No, wait – that’s Chicago, the most democratic place on earth! Compare this to Ohio’s new map and see which looks more Russian (consider also Maryland districts 2, 3, and 4).

Sherrod Brown Hates Current and Future Seniors

Early this month, conservative House member Paul Ryan (WI), and liberal Senator Ron Wyden (OR) unveiled a Medicare reform plan. Ryan and Wyden point out that:

The plan would strengthen traditional Medicare by permanently maintaining it as a guaranteed and viable option for all of our Nations retirees. At the same time, the plan would expand choice for seniors by allowing the private sector to compete with Medicare in an effort to offer seniors better quality and more affordable health choices.

Ryan goes on to point out that:

Americans over the age of 55 would see no changes to the Medicare system. For future retirees, starting in 2022, the plan would introduce a "premium support" that would empower Medicare beneficiaries to choose either a traditional Medicare, or a Medicare approved private plan. The healthcare plans that participate in the Medicare exchange would be required to offer benefits that are at least as comprehensive as those covered by traditional Medicare. Participating plans would be forbidden to charge discriminatory premiums, and would be required to cover everyone regardless of age, gender or health status.

This plan should make providing Medicare more efficient and potentially less costly. Of course, Sherrod Brown (OH),the most liberal Senator in Congress was quick to call that this plan is "Lipstick on a pig." Clearly, Brown does not support the notion that seniors are able to choose between traditional Medicare and a private Healthcare plan. In fact, he may be worried that tax paying retirees would prefer a private medical plan over a government plan. It seems that the only choice Brown supports is the dismembering of unborn humans. America and Ohio need leadership who will tackle the entitlement crisis. Like the President and the democratic members of Congress, Brown wants to ignore the looming crisis, while adding to it by passing Obamacare which cuts $500b from Medicare. This $500b in cuts was used to create the illusion that Obamacare would cut the deficit. That lie has been exposed. If Brown really cared for seniors, he would be an enthusiastic proponent of entitlement reform.

Here is a chart that exposes the size of the entitlement crisis:

Instead, Brown is focused on banning NFL "blackouts," and banning flavored cigars. It's nice to know that Brown is focused on the most serious issues facing America and Ohio. It's time to give Brown the boot!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all...



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The more time passes, the more people realize Kasich was right to kill Strickland's train

This is old news to us here at 3BP. We cheered the death of the ridiculous boondoggle known as the 3C rail project. Governor Kasich promised to cancel it, and he did. Governors in Florida and Wisconsin did the same. One of the reasons was that we believed that the cost estimates were sure to skyrocket, and that Ohio taxpayers would get stuck paying the bill for a train that was slower than driving.

Today, the Plain Dealer looks at that decision almost a year later, and what has happened with other rail projects that didn't get cancelled.

U.S. taxpayers have contributed $3.5 billion in federal stimulus to the initial, 178-mile leg of California's 800-mile, high-speed rail project. And while not an inch of track has been laid, the cost overruns are already staggering.

A state report issued last month estimated the cost of the project at $98 billion -- nearly triple the original estimate of $33 billion. That's more than $122 million a mile. The completion date has been moved from 2020 to 2033. So gigantic are the overruns that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has held two hearings to examine how a project could go so wrong so soon.
And three weeks ago, California's legislative budget office said the overruns are now so great that it is "highly uncertain" the project will ever be built.

With a couple of exceptions, newspaper editorial boards in the state have turned against the rail plan, as have some Democratic legislators who were once among its loudest cheerleaders. In November, a Washington Post editorial begged, "Somebody please stop this train."

They also highlight other criticisms we had all along. The rail project promoted by Ted Strickland here in Ohio was a bad joke, and Governor Kasich was absolutely right to get rid of it.

Of all the rail projects awarded stimulus money, Ohio's was by far the worst.

Ken Orski is a former administrator for the federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration who for more than 22 years has published what the National Journal describes as "an influential and widely read transportation newsletter." Orski told me the plan advocated by former Gov. Ted Strickland gave high-speed rail a bad name.

"The Ohio idea was really just marginal improvement in Amtrak service," he said. "There has to be a place in the transportation spectrum for high-speed rail, but the Ohio project was one of the poster children for how not to do this."

Money quote:

Kasich was right to kill Ohio's snail-speed rail project. It's too bad the $400 million wasn't returned to the Treasury. Instead, it's being wasted 2,500 miles to the west.

Thank you, Governor.

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Tiberi calls on Kevin DeWine to stop the public attacks

Earlier this week, we weighed in on the recent attacks by ORP Chairman Kevin DeWine.

Kasich's request to DeWine was made in private. He didn't publicly call out DeWine or criticize him to the press. DeWine can't seem to portray the same professionalism, and it is DeWine who is damaging the Republican Party in the process. When he makes public, erroneous and negative criticisms about the governor in public like he did to the central committee earlier this month, he is doing ODP Chairman Chris Redfern's and Plunderbund's job for them.

Mr. DeWine, it is time for you to step down as chairman. If you refuse to do so, the very least you could do is to behave honorably and stop the public attacks on the governor.

The fact there has been a behind the scenes power struggle between DeWine and Kasich is what it is. But our problem with DeWine is that he has taken to attacking the governor and other Republicans in public and to the press.

Our guys vs. their guys

A look at December in Ohio.

What our guys did:

Governor Kasich helped businesses create more new high-paying jobs.

Steris creating 75 new manufacturing and engineering jobs.
Philips Healthcare adding 100 jobs averaging $115,000/yr.
Clermont County getting 575 new jobs at TQL.
Ford moves truck production from Mexico to Ohio.
Wendy's moves 170 jobs from Georgia to Ohio.

What they did:

Wrote a poem making fun of Governor Kasich for not bringing Sears to Ohio...after saying that Governor Kasich's efforts to bring Sears to Ohio were insane.

What our guys did:

Treasurer Josh Mandel's management of Ohio's bonds upgraded to the highest possible credit rating by Fitch.

Amidst yesterday's news of Fitch downgrading the United States' outlook from stable to negative, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel is announcing Fitch giving the highest possible short term rating of F1+ for Ohio's general obligation (GO) bonds. Fitch credited the Ohio Treasurer's conservative investment strategy and careful financial management as key factors in making this decision.

What they did:

Ohio Democratic Party made a cartoon making fun of Mandel for his age and for wanting to continue serving his country in the Senate after serving his country in Iraq with the Marines.

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ODP's Redfern whines that fellow Dems wouldn't help him

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern

We've been talking about how Ohio Democrats refuse to accept that elections have consequences for some time now. They lost huge at the polls last year, but have engaged in overuse and abuse of the state referendum system in an attempt to still have their way. When legislation was passed that they disagreed with, they simply spent money to go out and buy signatures to put it to a referendum.

Their latest attempt was to block the new congressional maps. A few days ago, we shared with you that showed that without big labor money pouring in to go and purchase those signatures, they might fall short of the required number before time elapsed.

Obama thinks he's the 4th best president ever

This guy has no shame.



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Chairman DeWine's Attack on Kasich Staffers

For America to have any hope of averting fiscal collapse, the GOP presidential nominee will need to win Ohio in less than 11 months. Each day of Ohio Republican Party (ORP) infighting improves the odds for President Obama and Senator Sherrod Brown, redistributionist extraordinaire.

I’ve already given my two cents on the conflict between ORP chair Kevin DeWine and Governor Kasich, so I won’t belabor this point: DeWine should step down. I do not assume Kasich’s team is blameless, but the criticisms Ohio House Speaker Batchelder shared earlier this month cannot be discounted. Whoever threw the first stone, a public disagreement of this scope between a governor and a party chairman doesn’t leave many options.

Readers, we need your help.

Can you step up and donate just $20 (or more) to help our campaign to provide a well for a village that doesn't have clean water?  We're behind on our goal and need our readers to come through.

Please watch this short video to learn about the crisis, and how we are trying to help.  Also, see our previous post here for more information, and go here to donate.



Thank you!

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It's time for Kevin DeWine to go

I've stayed neutral and silent on this squabble, but recent events have made it impossible to do so any longer.

The most recent public attacks from Ohio Republican Party (ORP) Chairman Kevin DeWine on the governor are inappropriate and uncalled for. DeWine alleged that the governor's staff is involved in unethical activities.

Kasich's Ohio jobs recovery rolls on

Real leadership from Governor Kasich on Ohio's business climate continues to make a positive impact on the state. We've seen the difference from last year with all of the announcements of new jobs in the past weeks. And this morning, the results are starting to reveal themselves in the numbers. Ohio's unemployment rate took a big step in the right direction in November. Per the Plain Dealer:

Officials say Ohio's unemployment rate has taken its biggest one-month drop in nearly 30 years amid improvement in the state's job market and overall economy.

The Revised Ohio Congressional Map and A New Filing Deadline

Thanks to Marc Kovac & Ohio Capital Blog for being the first to upload the new map of Congressional districts.

The districts remain largely similar to the map we posted earlier, with only some small changes to the new Columbus-based district.  

Also, the new legislation will extend the filing deadline for Presidential and Congressional candidates to December 30th.  This will give the GOP candidates who did not file by the Dec. 7th deadline (Paul, Bachmann, Huntsman, Santorum) another chance to qualify.

Breaking: Ohio House reaches deal on new Ohio congressional map, single primary

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Ohio House Republicans have reached a deal with enough Democrats to put aside the pending Democrat-initiated referendum. The GOP controls the House but needs 66 votes (out of 99) to do so.

Democratic and Republican House leaders have apparently worked out a deal today on a new congressional map and a single 2012 primary on March 6, instead of the current split primary that moves presidential and congressional races to June.

Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina, said the new map would contain at least two changes to an updated congressional map that Republicans offered about two months ago. He said the changes are “not major.”

A 2/3 vote is also needed in the Senate, but that is not an issue because the GOP already has a 23-10 majority.

Quinnipiac: Ohio is pretty sour on Barack Obama

Last week, Quinnipiac released a poll for three states, including Ohio.  The top line of the poll has bad news for President Obama.  He would lose to either Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich if the election were held today.  When you look deeper into the results, the news only gets worse for the president.  We'll also peer deeper into the poll and discuss Governor Kasich's numbers as well.

With less than a year to the election, Barack Obama looks to be in deep trouble in Ohio. His job approval numbers are a dismal 41 approve/55 disapprove (-14) among all registered voters. It gets even worse for him. With independents he is at 38/57 (-19) and nearly 2 out of 3 Ohio men, 33/64 (-31), disapprove of how Obama is doing his job as president. Just one month ago, Obama was at -6 in Ohio, so he has fallen 8 points further behind.

Plain Dealer notices that Kasich is getting the jobs done

The Plain Dealer notices that there has been a lot of good news lately when it comes to jobs for the citizens of Northern Ohio. And they also know exactly why these positive changes are taking place.

Government aid -- in the form of tax credits, loans or grants -- is also key to many of these deals. Both Ford and AmTrust will be getting significant state aid. And while this may offend ideologues on both the left and the right, it is a simple reflection of economic reality. With other states vigorously competing for investment and with credit markets still tight, Ohio has no choice but to get in the game.

Ohio Dems to fall short on redistricting referendum?

In their continued refusal that elections have consequences, Ohio Democrats have been engaged in abuse of Ohio's referendum system all year. First, they teamed up with unions and spent tens of millions convincing Ohio voters that it was better to lay off public workers than to ask them to chip in a bit more towards their own benefits.

They have successfully mounted 2 challenges to laws passed by the representatives voters chose to represent them last year. Sounds impressive until you discover that it was only possible with the use of tons of special interest money used to pay people to go out and circulate petitions. They call themselves champions of the middle class and grassroots heroes. But in reality there was no grassroots involved at all.

Ruckus in the Ohio Republican Party

A month after an election with mixed results for the small-government cause, Ohio conservatives are suffering through a very public GOP power struggle. Governor Kasich's push to replace Ohio Republican Party (ORP) chairman Kevin DeWine has national implications: the Issue 2 campaign proved how low Democrats, Progressives, and unions (but I repeat myself) are willing to go to win the Buckeye state.

Sherrod Brown and Barack Obama would love nothing more than an Ohio divided, so let's get this over with.

Even without the laundry list of inside-baseball complaints cited by House Speaker Bill Batchelder, it makes more sense than you might expect to oust DeWine despite ORP's success riding the 2010 tea party wave.

According to Sherrod, Union Reform is Unchristian

Sherrod Brown (D-OH) isn’t merely the most extreme Progressive in the U.S. Senate, he’s also a religious scholar. Week in and week out, Sherrod preaches the Gospel of Progressivism: Greater love hath no man than he who gives generously from his neighbor’s purse.

Sherrod delivered a stirring speech on the Senate floor during the smear campaign against public union reform in Ohio:


In order to meet the week’s quota, Sherrod was obligated to say government union reform goes “against workers on behalf of the richest people in our country.” Too invested to stop at his usual class warfare, Sherrod had the audacity to attack Governor Kasich, Governor Walker, and Governor Christie for failing to meet what he claims as a Catholic standard.

Ted's still a flop, and the ODP gets lamer

Over a week and a half ago, national Democrats and the White House cranked up their attack machine against Mitt Romney with a new video and website they call mittvmitt.com. And guess who they got to kick off the campaign, right here in Ohio? None other than former governor Ted Strickland. The Ohio Democratic Party put up a video of Ted's announcement of the attack. I actually feel a little embarrassed for Ted, because no one seems to care or want to watch him. As of today, 9 days later, after the story was carried nationally, how many views does Ted have?

35. And two of those are mine.

More on the Ford plant insourcing jobs from Mexico

Take a look at this video with more from the announcement yesterday.  Watch until the end, when a UAW union member explains how:

1. The future of this plant was bleak
2. They had committments in the past, but an announcement never materialized.

That is, until Governor Kasich came along, and committed his office to making Ohio business friendly again. They couldn't get a deal done in years past, until Governor Kasich came together with Ford. Right from the horse's mouth, folks.

It's a new day in Ohio.

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ODP Chairman Redfern Running for Ohio House

From The Dispatch:

Ohio Democratic Chairman Chris Redfern wants to return to the Ohio House.

The former lawmaker from Catawba Island is expected to file to run in the district currently occupied by Rep. Dennis Murray, D-Sandusky, who said today he is not going to seek re-election in order to focus on his law practice.

Redfern, part of the idiot chorus trying to blame the Gabby Giffords shooting on irresponsible conservative rhetoric, is best known for calling opponents of Obamacare "tea party f*ckers" during a tirade at a 2010 union event.

Kasich helps Ford move truck production out of Mexico and into Ohio

Yesterday, we talked about how the Kasich administration approved incentive for 30 new jobs projects.  Another one of the big projects included will secure the future of jobs at Ford's Avon Lake assembly plant. With the new incentives, Ford actually plans on bringing medium duty truck production out of Mexico and to Ohio. From the Lorain Morning Journal:

“Their visit will highlight the importance of the partnership with our state and local governments in moving production of the F-650 and F-750 from Mexico to our facility,” the plant advisory said. “We are also insourcing the F53 motor home chassis and F59 commercial stripped chassis production from an outside supplier.

Union Bosses Win, Ohio Workers Get Fired

One month ago Ohio voted with its heart against reforms portrayed as an attack on public workers. Ohio, DC, and New York union bosses spent more than $30 million drenching the airwaves in images of sad firefighters, sad police officers, and evil Republicans, convincing voters to overlook a broken status quo.

A month later, how are local governments celebrating the union victory on Issue 2?

AmTrust creating 800 new jobs in downtown Cleveland

Today the state Tax Credit Authority approved new incentives to 30 companies.  That's a record, folks, and it represents a major tool that the Kasich administration is using to make Ohio a more attractive place to do business in.

"It's a big day for Ohio, and it just shows that we continue to move in the right direction," said Gov. John Kasich on Monday. "And if you look at these projects, it shows that they are pretty well distributed around the state."

Photo courtesy The Plain Dealer

Sherrod Smears Big Labor's Critics as McCarthyists

Always happy to attack Big Labor’s enemies, Sherrod Brown (D-OH) did so from the Senate floor during the debate over Craig Becker’s appointment to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). After being placed during a recess, Becker has driven NLRB’s lurch to the Progressive fringe, shoring up the power of key Democratic Party donors at the expense of workers and businesses across the country.

The Progressive fringe is Sherrod Brown’s wheelhouse (he is, after all, America’s left-most senator), so here is Sherrod’s response to complaints about Becker’s work for the union bosses NLRB oversees:

December presidential poll results

Just like in most of the national polls, Newt Gingrich has surged to the lead in our 3BP readers poll. Mitt Romney is holding steady in 2nd place. Jon Huntsman has risen to third, ahead of 4th place Herman Cain. Of course, on Saturday, Cain effectively dropped out of the race.

US Chamber of Commerce on Sherrod Brown

It's a bit telling that the biggest criticism Democrats have about this ad is the gritty photo of Sherrod Brown. The content of the ad? It's in the same spirit of our previous post. Brown talks about how he wants to create jobs for Ohioans, but his voting record is one that kills jobs. Watch the video and "like" it. Think Progress has libs incensed over the photo and is sending them to give it thumbs down.



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Cleveland installing biometric time clocks to ensure union workers are actually on the job

This is a quick update to our post from yesterday regarding the Cleveland Fire Department.  To prevent further abuses of employees being paid for hours they didn't didn't work, the city is moving forward with a system that will require fingerprints to be scanned when clocking in.

Mayor Frank Jackson said Friday that the city is moving quickly to install time clocks that read fingerprints in all of its fire stations in an effort to make sure that firefighters are actually on the job on the days they are paid to be.

Sherrod Brown talks jobs, but he and Obama's extreme policies are blocking them

In case you've had your head in the sand the past few months, you're aware of the vast amounts of natural gas reserves discovered in western Pennsylvania and New York and eastern Ohio. It is now estimated that the United States could be sitting on more natural gas than Saudi Arabia has oil.

The gas under Ohio alone is worth billions and billions of dollars. The Plain Dealer reported on a study that says that tapping into the Utica shale would produce over 200,000 jobs in Ohio. We are already seeing some job growth related to shale exploration in Ohio. The expansion at Lorain's Republic Steel will help fill the need for steel needed for gas wells. In Youngstown, Vallourec is investing hundreds of millions into new steel plants and will hire hundreds of workers to provide the miles of steel pipe that will be needed.

GOP governors' success touted on Lis Smith's DGA website

Lis Smith was the communications director for the Strickland 2010 campaign. Having done such a great job there, she now is the communications director for the Democratic Governors Association.

As director, she is in charge of the DGA website.  So you have to wonder why she is touting the virtues of Republican governors on their website.  Check out the page here.  Since I'm sure it will be scrubbed soon, here is the screen shot.

More infantile rhetoric from Chris Redfern and Ohio Democrats

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman and wannabe buccaneer Chris Redfern sent out a fund raising email yesterday. In it, he makes fun of John Kasich for saying that he doesn't read newspapers:

Will you donate $20 to buy John Kasich a one-month subscription to the Toledo Blade or the Marietta Times? Or will you make a contribution and suggest a newspaper for us to buy for John Kasich?

Cleveland Fire scandal highlights abuse of already generous work rules

For those outside of Northeast Ohio who haven't heard, the Cleveland Fire Department has found itself mired in a scandal.  It has exposed an environment of rule-breaking and corruption that has cost Cleveland taxpayers millions.  When the mayor and safety director saw the department's overtime and severance costs soaring $1.5 million over budget, they ordered an audit to find out why.  The answers they found are shocking.

The Conspiracy is Growing

Last week the folks at Plunderbund noticed a similarity between part of the new Ohio license plate design and the logo of Building a Better Ohio.  Naturally they saw it as the latest vast right-wing conspiracy from Kasich to dig at government employees by putting a map of Ohio inside the O.  Our friends at GOHP did a great job pointing out how ridiculous this idea was a few days ago.

But maybe Plunderbund was on to something, as the symbol of the conspiracy is evident in more places than we had imagined.

December Presidential poll

The GOP primary field is still very crowded and very fluid. A lot of changes have taken place in just the last couple of months. Let's try this again, without making the mistake from last time and getting spammed by you know who.

We will keep this open until midnight Sunday night. It won't let you vote more than once, so choose wisely. :-)

The Chiquita move: facts you won't hear from the press. UPDATED

You're going to hear about this in the news today, especially if you live in the Cincinnati area. Chiquita is moving its headquarters out of Cincinnati to Charlotte, NC.

CINCINNATI -- It appears a fight to keep Chiquita in Cincinnati has ended.

Sources close to the negotiations tell News 5's John London that the company will move its headquarters to Charlotte, N.C.

The company employs about 400 people at its headquarters in downtown Cincinnati. Sources inside Chiquita said that employees were notified via email Tuesday morning and a conference call was scheduled for 11 a.m. to discuss the move.

Obviously, this is bad news for Ohio. Liberals are already giddy to blame the Kasich administration, accusing them of not acting, and some are making comparisons to when NCR left the state during Ted Strickland's tenure.

However, the facts are that the two situations are completely different.

Announcing a 3BP benevolence project. Please help.

We argue a lot with our political opponents about policy and about how to fix our nation's problems, but when you look at our problems compared to others in the world, we are very blessed. Even people in our country who are considered to be "in poverty" have easy access to life's most basic needs, like fresh, clean water. However, for over a billion people around the world, that isn't the case. They have to walk for miles just to get muddy, infected water from an open source. So we have decided to help do something about it. Please watch this short video.

Sherrod's Shameful Mediscare Routine

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) doesn’t have a voting record ranked as far left as Socialist Bernie Sanders by accident; Sherrod thinks a bigger central government is the answer to every problem. In this video, Senator Brown applies his trademark class warfare to the issue of Medicare, instructing a gathering of teachers’ union members to indoctrinate their family, friends, and students against cruel conservatism:

More proof Obama is planning how to win without Ohio

There's been talk of it for weeks. We first shared it with you in August. Barack Obama is not very confident that he can win Ohio next year.

And now there's more evidence of it from National Journal.

Mr. Obama could lose Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa and Indiana and still win re-election -- though that would mean having to win just about every other state he won last time...

Mr. Messina also said the campaign would focus on holding on to the "New South" states of Virginia and North Carolina that Mr. Obama won last time. It has gone all-out with its plan to have the Democratic convention in Charlotte in September.

Boy, that sure sounds like Obama is confident that he has lot of paths to victory. And that's exactly what they are trying to project: Confidence.

Ohio unions still spending members' money weeks after the election

So here we are, weeks after Issue 2 was defeated.  Well, at least we don't have to deal with being bombarded with the political ads anymore, right?

Wrong.

We Are Ohio is still spending money.  Since they are legally allowed to take dues from their members without their consent, they have plenty of sweet sweet dues cash to keep blowing.

Ohio Right to Work Amendment: Right policy, wrong time.

It's been over two weeks since Ohioans rejected the reasonable government union reforms in Issue 2. Big Labor poured over $30 million into a campaign to persuade voters to stay with the status quo. But they also rejected a whopping 78% of school levies that requested additional funds to pay for the ever increasing costs of public union benefits. So in the end, the unions convinced voters that laying off more public workers is preferable to asking them to contribute a bit more to their own benefits.

Not two days later, there was already talk of a new union related referendum. Chris Littleton held a press conference to announce an initiative to amend the Ohio Constitution to make Ohio a "right to work" state.

Chrysler to Ohio Democrats: Shut it, fools.

Last week held great news for the Toledo area when Governor Kasich was on hand at Chrysler's Jeep plant to announce a $500 million expansion that will bring 1100 new jobs. It was truly good news, and most Ohioans celebrated the news of the deal. Most, except for Ohio Democrats, that is. They were actually releasing statements demanding that Governor Kasich not take any credit for helping to bring the new jobs to Ohio.

Ohio liberals blame would-be NYC bomber on...SB5?

Yep, the loonies over at Plunderbund have gone and jumped the shark again.

How does anyone take these guys seriously? They falsely quote the governor with no evidence to back up their slander. They claim that advocating for a right-to-work amendment is racist. And now they have found another new reason to oppose government union reform: it turns people into terrorists!

Sherrod Stands for Bigger Government

Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is the most liberal member of the United States Senate, according to NationalJournal vote rankings. Senator Brown supports the freaks of Occupy Wall Street, opposes free trade, and was the deciding vote for Obamacare.

That vote could be... problematic, as explained by likely 2012 challenger Josh Mandel:

We must not overlook the truly significant blow that Ohioans dealt Obamacare last week, with a mix of 2.2 million Democrats, Republicans and Independents rejecting this intrusion on individual liberty and family control over health care decisions.

Indeed, you would be pressed to find a statist boondoggle Sherrod Brown doesn’t love. Check out this rant from a Q&A session Sherrod held this spring with Ohio’s largest government union:

The Senate campaign begins...

Sherrod Brown has made a successful political career out of being one person in Ohio, where he talks about support for Ohio jobs, and another when he is in Washington, where he votes for liberal job killing policies.

Some examples would be that he cast the deciding vote for Obamacare, and he has supported "card check", which would effectively eliminate the secret ballot when employees vote whether or not to form a union.

Make no mistake, Brown is a talented politician in that he has convinced many voters that he is a mainstream populist, while the rest of us know that he is rated as the most liberal in the Senate (tied with others). The campaign against him will no doubt attempt to educate Ohio voters as to how extreme Sherrod Brown really is. Josh Mandel just fired the first round.

Josh Mandel calls out Sherrod Brown on Obamacare

Josh Mandel wrote an opinion piece that was published in the Washington Times.  Issue 3's huge victory clearly shows that Ohioans reject Obamacare, the bill for which Sherrod Brown cast the final and decisive vote. Read it here or at the Times website.

Contrasts

A couple of quick follow-ups to our post yesterday about the new jobs Governor Kasich's administration helped bring to Ohio.

Out of work for more than a year, Graylin Gunn said the Chrysler deal offers hope. THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISON

First, GOHP Blog has some additional information about the Republic Steel plant in Lorain. Guess what happened at that plant under Ted Strickland's tenure?

1,100 new permanent jobs coming to Toledo. UPDATED: 450 more in Lorain.

BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY

Some great news today out of Toledo.  Governor Kasich and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne announced that the company will invest $500 million in the Toledo plant and add a second shift, which will bring 1,100 new jobs.

“The decision we made clearly demonstrates the confidence we have in the Toledo Assembly complex, in its future, and moreover, in the commitment and quality of work of the people who work here,” Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne told a crowd of hundreds of workers as well as dignitaries including Gov. John Kasich, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo), and Toledo Mayor Mike Bell.

Kasich's number one priority is to bring jobs back to Ohio. Jobs are why he won the election, and why Ted Strickland was fired. Take this prophetic post from 3BP 2 years ago, and you start to get an idea of the contrast between the two governors.

Union "Progress" Could Mean Ohio's Bankruptcy

Ohio’s government unions claim to represent simple, positive principles. Good jobs. Workers’ rights. Progress. The reforms in Issue 2 were voted down because union bosses warned dramatically, expensively, and dishonestly how dark Ohio would be with elected officials controlling local governments. If voters realized union power leads to higher taxes, they may not have been as quick to torpedo reform.

The agitators at the top of the union pyramid can now justify for awhile longer “earning” six figures by taking it directly from public employees’ paychecks. However, the scare tactics that worked for Issue 2 weren’t so effective when local voters considered higher tax levies. This means the gravy train will leave the rails a bit faster than expected – but the unions have a solution!

Months before Governor Kasich balanced an estimated $8 billion deficit without raising taxes, unions were demanding we cough up more money to fund their unsustainable benefits and backwards policies. Unions rallied for higher taxes despite a state and local taxation trend that looks like this:

Sherrod Brown can't get enough Occupy Wall Street

As the socialist mob known as the "Occupy" movement gets more disgusting, more criminal, and more violent every day, you would think that politicians, and especially those who are running for reelection, would keep them at arms length. In the case of Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), you would be wrong.

For Sherrod, what's not to like? We've already covered how Occupy Wall Street is a nakedly socialist movement. Being tied as the Senate's most liberal member with self-declared socialist Bernie Sanders, Brown's politics mesh with the movement perfectly. Of course, the people who support this mob change the terms to alter reality a bit. They refer to the radicals protesting as "the middle class" or "the 99%".

Warren Buffet's Secretary Needs a New Accountant

Warren Buffet and his favorite Liberal Barack Obama want the "Rich" to pay their fair share of taxes. Buffett wants the "Super Rich" to pay more in taxes. Buffett said that his rule would not impact someone making $50 million. Obama wants those who make $200,000 or more (single) and those who make more than $250,000 (couples) to pay more in taxes. New data from the Internal Revenue Service suggest that the "Rich" isn't what you think it is.

The IRS data indicates that someone who makes $154,643 would land in the top 5% of taxpayers in 2009. Someone who makes $343,927 would land in the top 1% of Taxpayers. So much for taxing millionaires and billionaires.

Ohio Dems despicable attempt to associate Josh Mandel with Naziism

How can you tell that Ohio Democrats are worried about Josh Mandel's chances of defeating Senator Sherrod Brown, the Senate's most liberal member?  When they start reducing themselves to pathetic and inexcusable attacks in an attempt to damage his character.  They've already begun, and it's downright disgusting.

You may remember Rich Iott, who ran against Marcy Kaptur in Ohio's 9th district last year. Iott used to be involved in historical reenactments of military battles, but the left found pictures of him in a Nazi uniform and accused Iott of being a Nazi. Iott also reenacted American and allied soldiers, but they didn't show you that. Using their same standard, the guys that dress up as Confederate soldiers for Civil War battles must all want to bring back slavery, right? Ultimately, the 9th is an impossible district for Republicans to win anyway (sorry, Joe the Plumber, but it's true), so Kaptur won easily, of course.

Sherrod Brown insults Ohio voters, says they are confused

Sherrod Brown is jumping on the bandwagon loaded with Democrats who are denying that Issue 3's crushing victory is a rebuke of Obamacare. The reason? Just like we showed you with Ted Strickland, Sherrod thinks Ohio voters didn't understand the issue because there weren't any TV commercials.



THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH

Greg Sargent from the Washington Posts reports:

Stung by the defeat on the Ohio labor referendum, Republicans have sought to focus attention today on the vote that went their way — the Yes vote on the referendum repudiating an individual mandate. They say it represents a rebuke to one of Obama’s signature domestic initiatives in a key swing state in advance of 2012.

On the conference call I referenced earlier, Sherrod Brown was repeatedly prodded on this point. He rejected the claim, arguing that the labor fight had vast resources invested in it from both sides, and the health care fight didn’t.

“I didn’t see one ad,” Brown said. “The language on Issue 3 was confusing. They took one part of the bill and did a message amendment on it that didn’t have a lot of meaning.”

Lancaster firefighters' celebration is short-lived

Remember when we told you about Mayor David Smith of Lancaster? Like the We Are Ohio unions, he told people that Senate Bill 5 wouldn't help save firefighters jobs. He told his constituents that they needed to pay more taxes, instead.

City officials are asking voters on Nov. 8 to approve a 0.25-percentage-point increase in the city income tax for five years, raising it to 2 percent. The increase would generate $2.5 million annually to help balance next year’s budget, Smith has said.

“It’s critical,” Ward said. “If this doesn’t pass, I anticipate city hall having to lay off more firefighters.”

Guess what voters in Lancaster said about raising their taxes? A big fat NO.

WSYX 6's Reporting is Intoxicating

By now you have likely heard numerous stories regarding the defeat of Issue 2 last night.  Overall these reports and the reporters have approached the news in a fairly matter of fact, sober minded manner.

Then there is this report by WSYX's Dana Jay that is... shall we say less sober minded?

Just slightly.

Strike One!

I am sure that union members all over the country are giddy with delight over their effective repeal of Senate Bill 5. In my opinion, it's too early to celebrate.

Prior to the actual vote, polls indicated that Issue 2 would fail, and fail by a large margin. However, that is not the whole story. Various parts of the legislation enjoyed strong support according to a Quinnipiac poll.

A chart from the Wall Street Journal (using the Quinnipiac poll data) indicates that three key parts of the bill receive strong support from Ohioans.

Ted Strickland: I'm so proud of Ohioans on Issue 2, but your opinions on Obamacare are meaningless.

Hey there, Ohio. Last night former governor Ted Strickland weighed in on the election results. In a nutshell, he basically said this: "I'm so proud of my fellow Ohioans for siding with union bosses and deciding to lay off thousands of public employees, but I can't believe how misinformed you are about how great Obamacare is! When your opinion doesn't match mine, it is meaningless!" Watch.

Ohio etches "NO to Obamacare" on its Constitution

Voting YES on Issue 3 today was personally satisfying. Several of us at 3BP were involved in collecting the signatures needed to put the Health Care Freedom Amendment on the ballot.

We don't believe that the government has the power to compel a person to purchase a product, just because they exist.

Fully 2/3 of Ohioans agreed today. The Obamacare mandate is now unconstitutional in Ohio.

That doesn't bode well for Barack Obama or Sherrod Brown in 2012.

Follow @Bytor3BP

Issue 2 defeated.

Alternate headline: here come the layoffs and the tax hikes!

Watch how many public employees, including lots of firefighters and police officers, are laid off in the not too distant future.

Kevin OBrien from the Plain Dealer said it well:

Advice to low-on-the-totem-pole union members: Don't bother celebrating. Do get your resumes in order.

Indeed.

While voters may have supported you on this issue, I'm betting in the vast majority of cases that they will NOT support you by voting for higher taxes to pay your increasingly expensive and generous benefits.

Voters had three choices: reform, higher taxes or layoffs. Since I see most school levies are failing, it looks like they chose "layoffs". It didn't have to be like this.

Follow @Bytor3BP

Keepin' it classy over there

Well, the polls have closed and everybody is waiting on the returns coming in. The polls have been showing bad news on Issue 2 and good news on Issue 3. In the meantime, check out some of the elevated discourse coming from the We Are Ohio folks on Twitter.

Looks like someone let Redfern run the Twitter account today...

Follow @Bytor3BP

Obligatory election day "Go vote!" post

Go vote YES on Issues 2 and 3!  Make sure your spouse and other family does too.



http://twitter.com/Bytor3BP

Cincinnati is broke, but pays out six figure checks for unused sick time and leave

The city of Cincinnati is broke.

Their 2011 budget includes a $55 million deficit.  Part of the problem is that Cincinnati public employees enjoy some of the most generous perks in the state.

The City Council-approved contracts include benefits that, among other things, permit manyworkers to draw 13 sick days a year, grant three weeks' worth of compensatory time to public safety employees for holidays whether they work them or not, and entitle veteran police officers to nearly 10½ weeks of various leaves annually.

That's bad enough, but here's what makes it even worse. These employees can save up all those days, and cash them in when they retire or leave for another job. It isn't rare for these payouts to be over six figures.

Help Ohio Fight Union Bosses and Obamacare!

From 2000-2010, Ohio lost 595,200 private industry jobs, faring better than only Michigan and California. In 2010 the state had the 7th-highest tax burden and 47th-best business climate. Although Governor Kasich has been working since January to get Ohio back on track, the forces of statism are deeply entrenched.

As public record proves, many of these folks get rich portraying big government as a moral imperative:

Unions Don't Care About Taxpayers

Back when the professional staff of the Ohio Education Association (OEA) had an official blog, this endearing quote from Socialist author Jack London was featured in the right column of every page:

“Esau was a traitor to himself: Judas Iscariot was a traitor to his God; Benedict Arnold was a traitor to his country; a strikebreaker is a traitor to his God, his country, his wife, his family and his class.”

Did you know the rough-and-tumble business of taking six figures from teachers to demonize school boards and extort taxpayers was like the 19th-century Canadian tundra? Yeah, neither did I.

Now We're Talking Turkey!

For months "We Are Ohio" and their union allies have boasted about their thousands of 'volunteers'.  It's the basis of their claim to being a grassroots group.  But these unions have always had a funny definition of the word 'volunteer'.  Their army of 'volunteers' are actually people paid for their time.  They previously spent nearly one million dollars on signature gathering, and with the election drawing to a close they have a new way to pay for people's time.

Take a Walk - Get a Turkey!

BLS confirms 43% wage gap between public and private sector

Both the pro-reform Building a Better Ohio, and the anti-reform unions have been touting different studies that seek to compare the average wages for the public sector versus the private sector.

On the anti-reform side, the unions have been promoting a study performed by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). The EPI study says that public employees earn 6% less than their private-sector counterparts. Hardly neutral, the EPI is decidedly pro-union and very liberal. Lawrence Mishel, EPI's President, is a long-time member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Furthermore, their study was written by Rutgers Professor Jeffrey Keefe. If you recall, we featured a story about Keefe in which he was recorded agreeing to kill research that didn't come to a conclusion that the teachers' union wanted. He also admitted that EPI definitely has an agenda.

All of that makes EPI's study less than trustworthy.

Pre-Kasich Deficit Forecasts: The $2000 Club

In the union universe where We Are Ohio represents mainstream voters, there are two types of people: those who support limitless power for government union bosses, and evil fat-cats eager to throw Ohio schoolchildren off a cliff. Advocates of smaller government are shunned as racist yokels while the useless hipsters of Occupy Wall Street are heroes for standing up to the man.

Governor Kasich, elected last fall to get Ohio back on track after years of mismanagement, is the perfect recipient for union blame when it comes to local budget problems. He even worked for Lehman Brothers! The breathless protest signs write themselves.

However, reality in Ohio (as everywhere else) is cruel to the Progressive mindset. Check out the cost per citizen of these school districts’ projected 2015 deficits… based on forecasts submitted October 2010:

Cuyahoga Heights Local School District	$3,388
Canal Winchester Local School District	$3,139
Mogadore Local School District	$2,708
Ottawa Hills Local School District	$2,569
Pickerington Local School District	$2,369
Spencerville Local School District	$2,132
Olentangy Local School District	$2,121
Lordstown Local School District	$2,110
Licking Heights Local School District	$2,021

Shortfalls projected in October 2010 weren’t limited to this list; out of just over 600 districts, 59 warned of deficits amounting to $1,000 or more for every resident. 260 districts estimated 2015 deficits amounting to $500 or more per resident. See the forecasts for your county here.

Employees have "No confidence" in teachers' union boss

There’s something union front We Are Ohio doesn’t want you to know about their largest donor, the Ohio Education Association: OEA has such a history of internal strife, it’s obvious OEA bosses are awful negotiators. This is a tiny problem for people who siphon millions from teachers on the strength of their negotiating skills, don’t you think?

Signs placed by OEA staff during a 2010 strike encouraged their Executive Director to kill himself

I’ve covered in depth the unlovely things OEA staff have said about union bosses, but they pale compared to this:

PROFESSIONAL STAFF VOTES “NO CONFIDENCE” IN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The 110 member Professional Staff Union (PSU) has voted overwhelmingly “…to declare a lack of confidence in the Executive Director of the Ohio Education Association to lead the professional staff or to implement the program of the Ohio Education Association effectively.”

Emphasis in the May 31, 2010 original (view as PDF), which I printed from an official OEA staff blog before it vanished from public view weeks after I began sharing quotes. Coincidence!

Democrats still pushing lies about public union benefits even after they're debunked. *UPDATED*

A few weeks ago, we told you about Doug Stern, who was traveling around the state lying to the media about what he pays for health insurance.

Stern said that as a Cincinnati firefighter, he also pays 20 percent toward his health-care premiums. A 2011 survey by the State Employment Relations Board showed that, on average, public employees are paying between 9.5 and 11  percent of their health-care premiums.

The problem for the media is that they printed what he said and reported it as fact. When the Columbus Dispatch found out, they printed a correction.

Cincinnati firefighters pay 5 percent of their health-insurance premiums. Because of incorrect information provided to The Dispatch, a story on Page B1 of Wednesday’s Metro & State section included a different percentage.

That should've been the end of the story. Unfortunately, it isn't. Democrats and activists for We Are Ohio will say ANYTHING to get you to vote against the needed reforms in Issue 2.

Show up to work stoned? No problem for some Ohio public union employees.

Part of the purpose of Senate Bill 5 is to keep local government officials from giving away the store and costing taxpayers unnecessary funds.  This gets to the root of the main difference between who is negotiating with private-sector and public-sector unions.

Private-sector unions sit across the table from a for-profit business. A business has to operate on its profits or go out of business. They aren't likely to give too much away, because they are in some way personally invested. On the other hand, public-sector unions are negotiating with elected officials. While most are good managers of the public's money, some are not. Elected official have no personal stake at risk, no "skin in the game", since they are negotiating with the public's money. Other people's money. Unlike a private company, you need not have experience or success to earn that management position, you simply have to get elected. As we've seen only too well with President Downgrade, getting elected doesn't make you a good leader.

With Friends Like These...

Yesterday we let you know that "We Are Ohio" is bringing in admitted communist Van Jones to support their efforts to defeat Issue 2.  Today the left brought in yet another class warfare warrior with communist sympathies.

Jesse Jackson.  

Having previously visited Ohio during the legislative debate over Senate Bill 5, Jackson came back today at the invitation of the American Association of University Professors union's chapter at the University of Toledo.

Lancaster mayor who laid off firefighters says Issue 2 won't help, wants higher taxes instead

The city of Lancaster recently closed one of its firehouses, after laying off 13 firefighters.

LANCASTER -- Engine House 3 has been shut down indefinitely, and Lancaster will have just two firehouses covering a city of 18.84 square miles and more than 37,000 people.

"It's going to be a very fluid situation with all these changes going on," said Lancaster Fire Assistant Chief Dave Ward.

The layoffs took effect on Monday. Engine 3 and Medic 3 are being stored at Engine House 3, 1596 E. Main St.

A huge tarp was put across Engine House 3, saying it was closed and that if you have an emergency need, call 911.

What's more, Mayor David S. Smith is asking for an increase in the city's income tax.

Alternative to Issue 2? $1500 Local Deficits

Inconveniently for the union bosses fighting to kill Senate Bill 5, school district budget forecasts are public record. So, when the people who get rich driving up the cost of government try to blame local deficits on Governor Kasich, it’s easy to disprove their lie. Government unions have put pressure on Ohio taxpayers for years, and there are reams of data to support this fact.

My previous post listed 21 Ohio school districts whose October 2010 forecasts warned of 2015 deficits amounting to $1,200 – $1,500 per resident. As I noted, those districts aren’t the worst examples:

• Beavercreek City School District: $1,827
• South Range Local School District: $1,742
• Mason City School District: $1,689
• Adams County/Ohio Valley Local School District: $1,678
• Wilmington City School District: $1,652
• Strongsville City School District: $1,593
• Little Miami Local School District: $1,576
• Warrensville Heights City School District: $1,529

Based on Census Bureau records, every resident of these 8 districts would have to pay more than $1,500 to cover projected deficit costs – and these are not outliers. In 2010, just over 600 school districts submitted five-year forecasts to the Ohio Department of Education. More than 450 districts forecast deficits amounting to at least $100 per resident.

If the union smear campaign wins and Issue 2 is defeated, what options will elected leaders have for dealing with these deficits? Massive tax hikes, widespread layoffs, severe program cuts… or all of the above. Government union reform will restore a little power from unabashed class-warriors to the local officials we elect. Vote Yes on Issue 2!

For more Issue 2 coverage, follow me on Twitter: @jasonahart
Cross-posted from that hero.

"We Are Ohio" bringing in admitted communist Van Jones

Over the past few weeks, we have brought your attention to how the unions behind the front group "We Are Ohio" are intertwined with the radical socialist/communist movement in America.

First, we laid out for you who funds the vast majority of We Are Ohio's campaign, and how they have expressed not only support, but coordination and accomodations for the "Occupy" movement, which is made up almost entirely of socialists who want to overthrow the American economy.

Then, we showed you that their "Statewide Youth Outreach Coordinator" is deeply involved in the "Occupy" protests around Ohio, and openly decribes himself as a "revolutionary" whose goal is to implement communism in America.

Now, "We Are Ohio" is hosting an official event with another radical self-admitted communist. Van Jones.

Ohio dodged a bullet when Kasich killed the slow-speed train

Bad pun definitely intended.

Time and time again, these feel good rail project end up increasing in cost many times over.  The latest example comes out of California.

Faster than a speeding bullet train, the cost of the state's massive high-speed rail project has zoomed to nearly $100 billion -- triple the estimate given to voters and more than enough to run the entire state government for a year.