Obama Continues His War on Success

The core of his message is:

President Obama calls on Congress to pass the Buffett Rule, a principle that ensures that millionaires and billionaires do not pay less in taxes as a share of their income than middle class families pay -- as a matter of fairness.

Since Obama is illiterate when it comes to anything related to the economy, it might help if he visited the IRS website where he will find this data:

The difference between statutory income tax rates and effective tax rates is what he is focused on. Two of the largest drivers of this difference is the tax on Capital gains and Dividends. Imagine if Obama stopped talking about raising taxes on the rich and talked about raising taxes on Capital gains and dividends.

Data from the Tax Foundation reflect these differences:

The Top 1% pay an average tax rate of 24.01%
The Bottom 50% pay an average tax rate of 1.85%
The 25%-50% (middle class?) pay an average tax rate of 5.58%
All Taxpayers pay an average tax rate of 11.06%

So, if Obama want's the rich to pay a share of their income similar to what the middle class families pay, I'm sure the rich will be happy to oblige.

What bothers me is that Warren Buffett started this "Tax The Rich" movement with a NYT Editorial. Here is his analysis:

Since 1992, the I.R.S. has compiled data from the returns of the 400 Americans reporting the largest income. In 1992, the top 400 had aggregate taxable income of $16.9 billion and paid federal taxes of 29.2 percent on that sum. In 2008, the aggregate income of the highest 400 had soared to $90.9 billion — a staggering $227.4 million on average — but the rate paid had fallen to 21.5 percent.

Obama has translated this "policy" into higher taxes on anyone making more that $250,000, and added that anyone who makes more than $1 million should pay a tax rate of 30%. That's a long way from the calculation that Bufffett did, indicating that the super rich's average aggregate income was a "staggering $227.4 million on average."

I used to have a lot of respect for Warren Buffett, but no longer. Why has he not been critical of the twisting of his "Coddling the super rich" suggestion.

As a revenue driver, the Buffett Rule is a loser.

A bill designed to enact President Barack Obama's plan for a "Buffett rule" tax on the wealthy would rake in just $47 billion over the next 11 years, according to an estimate by Congress' official tax analysts obtained by The Associated Press.

That a drop in the bucket of Obama's deficits, but Obama doesn't care about how much revenue the Buffett Rule generates. This is what he had to say with Charles Gibson at ABC:

State Employees Put Taxpayers On The Hook for $96 Millon

The Dayton Daily News has an article today about a perk that allows state employees to cash out unused vacation and sick time. 

The cost to taxpayers: $96 million.

This type of perk is relatively unusual for private employers.  The article cited a study that said only 16% of private employers allow employees to be paid for unused vacation time and even fewer (6%) allow employees to be paid for unused sick time. 

Why do most private employers avoid these types of perks?  They do it because a business model like this is typically completely unsustainable.  Most private employers can’t afford perks like this, and neither can state government. 

To be completely fair, I really can’t blame these people for cashing in.  Who wouldn’t take advantage of a loophole that allows you to bilk the system?

The key quote to this article is, of course, at the very end:

Senate Bill 5 would have limited unused leave payouts for public employees, as well as make it illegal for public employees to strike. But voters rejected the bill, voting in November to repeal it. Republicans are not eager to resurrect any individual portions of SB 5, state legislators have said.

Senate Bill 5 was clearly designed with abuses like this in mind.  Republican legislators tried to address these problems and voters said no.  Now we are left to pay the consequences of that decision.

I hate to say I told you so but…

Paul Ryan schools Debbie Wasserman Schultz

I love Paul Ryan. If you do too, you'll like this short video. I apologize in advance for the 20 seconds or so that you have to watch Debbie Downer before Ryan responds to her.



This guy should be running for President. He would've had the nomination locked up already.

Follow @Bytor3BP

ODP Chairman Redfern under fire, will face challenge for chairmanship

Anthony Giardini
Elyria Chronicle Photo

The Republicans aren't the only party in Ohio with a struggle within the state party. Anthony Giardini is expected to become the new chairman of the Democratic Party here in my home county of Lorain, and he is challenging Redfern for his job.

“We had a disastrous 2010. We lost every statewide office,” Giardini said. “We lost 13 seats in the Ohio House, more than ever before. That’s not necessarily all Chris’ fault, but I don’t think he has acknowledged any responsibility.”

Giardini also noted that Redfern is running for the 89th Ohio House District seat being vacated by Dennis Murray of Sandusky.

“That’s a problem,” Giardini said. “A state representative has to serve the interests of all the people, not just Democrats or Republicans. His duties as a representative could be in potential conflict with his party duties.”

Confirmed: Liberal anti-gun groups used Ohio tragedy to grow their email list

One month ago we all witnessed the terrible tragedy that claimed 3 lives in Chardon. While most of the state was mourning, we saw a suspicious website pop up almost immediately.

Anti-gun group Ohio Ceasefire has created a website for people to send their thoughts and prayers to students and staff in Chardon.

The catch, they don’t make it clear who is sponsoring the site and require that you leave an email address so they can contact you later to “let you know when they get it.”

I’m going to take them at their word and trust that I won’t start getting anti-gun emails as a result of my participation. I really hope that Ohio Ceasefire isn’t going to use this horrible tragedy as a way to increase their email distribution list for future communications.

I hope that I am wrong about their intentions with this site, because playing politics with the lives of those murdered is simply wrong.

Sad to say, our suspicions were correct. I used the website to send my own condolences and prayers. I never did receive notice that "they got my message", but I did start receiving other emails that I had never received before.

Latest poll: Josh Mandel and Sherrod Brown tied at 43

BOOM.

Gone are the days of Sherrod Brown holding a double digit lead over Josh Mandel. According to a new Rasmussen poll of likely voters, they are tied at 43% each.

Republican Josh Mandel, in the first Rasmussen Reports survey since his decisive primary victory, is now running neck-and-neck with Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race.

The latest telephone survey of Likely Voters in the Buckeye State finds Brown and Mandel each with 43% support. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate in the race, and another 11% are undecided.

Josh is officially the nominee now, and as I've been saying for months now, this race is going to be very competitive, be very closely watched nationwide, and potentially determine who controls the Senate next year.

Yet another Republican group calls on Kevin DeWine to resign

This time, its the Ohio Young Republicans. They've had enough of the same shenanigans we've been telling you about.

March 26, 2012

Chairman DeWine & State Central Committee,

As the next generation of Republican leaders, the Ohio Young Republicans have a long-term interest in th decisions made by our state and national leaders. While many people talk about this year’s elections and how they might affect our future, we are the ones who will actually have to live with the consequences.

There Is A Lot At Stake In Sanford, Florida

Kevin DeWine's allies now teaming up with Plunderbund to attack Governor Kasich

If you are a polical wonk in Ohio, you know about Plunderbund, the big left-wing blog in the state. If you love Obama, Sherrod Brown, and their statist policies, you love the Plunderpals. And if you love Ted Strickland and hate Governor Kasich, well, you probably have them set as your browser's home page.

Of course, you expect them to often be on the same side as other left-wing blogs, and the Ohio Democratic Party. What you wouldn't expect is for a supposed self-described "tea partier" to join up and collaborate with them to attack the governor. But that's exactly what is happening.

Meet Justin Higgins. He's a 22 year old ego-maniac who thinks he's God's gift to politics. He's started and ended so many self-promoting blogs, nobody remembers them all. Higgins, for some reason, thinks Kevin DeWine has done a terrific job and that we should look past his corruption and disloyalty to Ohio's elected Republicans like Governor Kasich and Ohio House speaker Bill Batchelder. So in DeWine's pocket is he, that he came out and declared victory for DeWine after the primary, and predicted a DeWine reelection in December.

Obama's Puppet Master on Obamacare, Social Security and Medicare

I got this email over the weekend. If it wasn't so sad, I would have to laugh.

From David Axlerod, Obama's Puppet Master:

I like Obamacare.

I'm proud of it -- and you should be, too.

Sherrod Brown "an accomplished fighter for Ohio’s middle class families?"

These are the words of the former Governor of Ohio, Ted Strickland. Thank God he is the former Governor.

In 2010, the Tax Foundation rated Ohio 47th in the State Business Climate Index. This put Ohio in the Top 10 Worst State Business Tax Climate.

After John Kasich was elected Governor, Ohio improved to the 46th rank, still in the the Top 10 Worst State Business Tax Climate.

In the 2012, Ohio improved to 39th.

Now Strickland wants you to support Sherrod Brown in 2012:

Uber Liberals Brown and Obama Distance Themselves From the Fallout of Their Policies

With higher gas prices turning into a campaign liability, uber Liberals Sherrod Brown and Barack Hussein Obama are trying to distance themselves from the fallout of their energy policies.

Re: Curtain Call for Dennis the Menace

A couple of minor complaints were directed at my recent posting about Congressman Dennis Kucinich’s loss in the recent Democrat primary election. Interestingly, they weren’t concerned with any injustice I might have inflicted upon Kucinich.

BREAKING: GOP Chairmen from Ohio's 7 largest counties demand that Kevin DeWine resign

In an attempt to bring a swift resolution to the issue, the GOP chairmen of 7 of the state's largest counties have sent a letter to Kevin DeWine, requesting that he step down as chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. The county parties represented are Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas, Mahoning, Montgomery, and Summit.

The text of the letter is below.

March 20, 2012

Chairman Kevin DeWine
Ohio Republican Party
211 South Fifth Street
Columbus, OH 43215

Dear Chairman DeWine:

Curtain Call for Dennis the Menace

At the time of the Ohio primary election, I was otherwise busy, which is why I’m belatedly noting the apparent end of Dennis Kucinich’s career as a political office holder.

DeWine admits he doesn't have the majority

Today in an email to the Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee, Chairman Kevin DeWine indicated that he will not run for reelection.

“Over the past year, our state central committee has become the center of a highly charged contest for the future of the Ohio Republican Party,” DeWine wrote. “Too many members, through no fault of their own, have lost sleep, lost friends, and lost hope during this process. I believe that in order to ensure victory for 2012 this family fight must end now. To accomplish that goal, I intend to lead by example.”

DeWine continued: “Those who want to see new leadership in this party will have their chance, as I will not run for another term as your chairman in January of 2013.”

Translation: DeWine knows that in a straight-up election, he would lose badly. The next election isn't scheduled until January. The question now is whether the not-DeWine side has enough votes to call for an earlier election. We may see that happen on April 13 when the new committee meets.

Dude, Happy Saint Paddy's Day!

Folks, please join me in welcoming TobyToons to 3BP. If you read Redstate, you are already familiar with Toby's work and know what a great job he does. Since he is also an Ohioan, I thought he would be a good fit. Welcome aboard, Toby!  -Bytor


Cross-Posted: TobyToons.com (Conservative Political Cartoons)
Follow @TobyToons

New calls for ORP Chairman Kevin DeWine to resign

Ohio Democrats and leftists have tried to take advantage of the infighting within the Ohio Republican Party by claiming that it was all started by Governor Kasich. They accuse the governor of orchestrating a power grab, when in reality, the Republican base has had serious problems with Kevin DeWine since before Kasich was even elected.

For example, I highlighted on BigGovernment.com that 4 major conservative blogs in Ohio are all in agreement that DeWine should step down.

Another case in point is the Tea Party. The following is a press release from Jim Woods, a recently elected member of the State Central Committee. He does an excellent job of explaining why a change is needed. This isn't about the governor, folks. This started long before John Kasich was even sworn in.

Ohio GOP State Central Committee Calls for DeWine to Resign

Medina, Ohio - The “Tea Party Caucus” composed of Tea Party leaders who have
been elected to the Ohio GOP State Central Committee is calling for the immediate
resignation of Ohio GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine. Jim Woods, State Central
Committeeman-elect from Ohio’s 22nd District notes that “There is no shortage
of good candidates available to replace Kevin DeWine. The new State Central
Committee includes a former State Chairman, a former Speaker of the Ohio House of
Representatives, a former Congressman, several county Chairman, and many former
Ohio elected officials from Attorney General to State Representative.”

The Tea Party Caucus cites the following grievances against Chairman DeWine:

Thank God for Paul Ryan

THIS is what a leader looks like, my friends. This is what a leader sounds like.

Sherrod Brown describes Congress as "niggardly"

Watch Sherrod as he uses a word on cable news that people have been fired for using. (It being MSNBC, only a handful of people actually saw it live. Thank God for YouTube!)

The Need for Paddles

In view of Rick Santorum’s victories in Alabama and Mississippi, it seems the general media response is, ho hum, no big deal. As they say, while stifling yawns, no one "in the know" expected Mitt Romney to do all that well in the deep South. Besides, as they’re quick to point out, Romney made it up by picking up delegates in American Samoa and Hawaii. (They're a bit slower to note, American Samoa has no electoral votes and Hawaii will freeze over before it ever delivers any crucial ones for a Republican.)

All the same, even if conservatives find this sort of condescension irritating, they shouldn’t miss that a concession is being made.

Sherrod Brown on gas prices, then and now - Part 2

Over a year ago, when gas prices climbed back to $3.00 a gallon, I wrote this original post, highlighting what Sherrod Brown said about high gas prices in 2006 when he ran for Senate and then again in 2008.

Sherrod Brown on high gas prices in 2006:
"The Bush Administration and Mike DeWine Are to Blame..."

And in 2008:
"The high gas prices are the result of eight years of Bush energy policies, and high food prices are the result of Bush economics."

John Kasich takes Ohio from 48th to 5th

New data was released from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) today, and it contained some great information for Ohio.

From January 2011 to January 2012, Ohio was #5 in Job Creation. This is data direct from the BLS, folks, so no one can make some lame argument that Kasich is cooking the books. Check it out here on the BLS website, Table E.

1. Texas
2. New York
3. California
4. Georgia
5. Ohio

That also makes us #1 in the midwest.

Guess where we ranked during the previous 4 years?

48th.

Senator Marco Rubio endorses Josh Mandel

This is pretty exciting. Anyone who has followed this blog for a little while knows that I'm a huge fan of future President and current Senator Marco Rubio. Marco has started his own leadership PAC called Reclaim America, aimed at promoting Senate Candidates who are dedicated to the conservative principles that made America great.

Well, Rubio is making his very first endorsement, and it is none other than our very own Josh Mandel.

Friend,

Today we're proud to announce our first endorsement, State Treasurer Josh Mandel for United States Senate in Ohio.

If Mitt Romney is the nominee and loses Ohio, here’s who to blame

Photo courtesy Cleveland Plain Dealer

A month ago on BigGovernment.com and Third Base Politics, we told you about how Mitt Romney’s campaign has been relying on Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine and a scandal-plagued political consultant named Brett Buerck to advise him on his Ohio campaign.

Brett Buerck, widely known among Ohio political activists for his scandal plagued career, is now back as one of Mitt Romney’s point men in organizing Ohio. Buerck is also known as ORP Chairman DeWine’s closest consultant on Party politics. Finally, Romney’s sole appearance in Ohio during this entire campaign season was months ago when he appeared arm-in-arm with DeWine in southeast Ohio and proceeded to flip flop against Kasich’s government union reform bill, all at the recommendation of DeWine.

In other words, Romney is counting on Buerck and DeWine to lead him to victory in Ohio.

Sherrod Brown Compares GOP Governors to Hitler, Stalin

Last year while governors across the Midwest worked to reform broken public union laws, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) slandered them in a speech that could have easily been written by one of the millionaire "leaders" at SEIU, NEA, or AFSCME.

During one of his stemwinders about the wondrous things unions do, Sherrod dropped a reductio ad Hitlerum on Governor Kasich (OH), Governor Walker (WI), and Governor Christie (NJ):



Bizarrely, Sherrod claims he's not comparing Kasich, Walker, and Christie to Hitler, Stalin, and Mubarak in the middle of comparing them to Hitler, Stalin, and Mubarak. While he's conflating overdue reforms with mass murder, Sherrod also repeats one of his favorite deceptions by pretending government unions are the same as private industry unions.

Manning's accusation smacks of sour grapes and desperation

After Tuesday's primary election, we now know the makeup of the new Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee going forward. As we told you before, it was a bad night for Kevin DeWine and his allies.

For example, there were 15 members that we know voted for the illegal rule change regarding who can be seated on the committee. Only 6 were re-elected. The author of the amendment, Charles Knight, went down to defeat.

In an effort to save face, DeWine came out and declared victory. And now, committee member Andrew Manning, one of the few sitting members left who are loyal to DeWine, is making allegations against Governor Kasich.

Radicals using Issue 2 to promote their unrelated, Marxist views UPDATED

A friend of the blog sent along this screen shot of an online anti-Issue 2 ad posted by Yahoo! on the Dispatch website. It reads "Vote No on Issue 2! Don't buy the lie! Keep big business out of Ohio's constitution! (www.ohioact.org)"

End in Sight for ORP Fight?

If you've followed the recent head-butting between Governor Kasich and Ohio Republican Party (ORP) Chairman Kevin DeWine, you know Tuesday was not DeWine's day. If you're a Third Base Politics regular, you also know where I stand on the subject: Kevin DeWine has squandered the trust of conservative activists whose support ORP desperately needs this year, and should step down.

Following a couple of posts in January, I've been happy to defer to more knowledgeable observers for ORP State Central Committee coverage. The inside baseball of this dispute doesn't interest me much, but Kevin DeWine's actions over the past two months validate the concerns I shared in December.

Yesterday Bytor posted a list of Central Committee winners, highlighting known losses for DeWine. Today ONN's Jim Heath tweeted a series of updates & questions about the post-election Central Committee meeting DeWine has scheduled:

Actually, the meeting will determine who leads ORP only if a vote is called. Will Kevin DeWine (who has convinced at least 1 person of his success Tuesday) include an up-or-down vote on his continued chairmanship in the agenda?

The Sherrod Brown Twilight Zone

If you haven't yet, go check out Josh Mandel's new website, and sign up to volunteer or make a donation. Travis Considine recently published some information there about Sherrod Brown's record on jobs as Ohio's Senator for the last 5 years. It's not very good. When you hear Sherrod Brown speak about his record, it's like you've entered into another dimension...there's a sign post up ahead...

Sherrod Brown Twilight Zone

The new Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee

Folks, here is a complete list of who the new committee will include after Tuesday's elections. It has come to my attention that even some members of the press are having a hard time finding the complete results.

Funny, in years past, the secretary of state's website provided results for these races. But not this year. I wonder why...oh wait.  Isn't the current SOS a very close ally of Kevin DeNial?  Hmmm....

I have indicated incumbents and unopposed candidates in the updated list:

1	M	Frank Guglielmi	Unopposed
	F	Judy Miller	Incumbent, beat Angela Snyder
2	M	Mark Wagoner	Unopposed incumbent
	F	Dee Talmage	Unopposed incumbent
3	M	David Goodman	Beat Roland Lane (DeWine ally)
	F	Jo Ann Davidson	Unopposed incumbent
4	M	Tim Evans	Incumbent, beat Richard Alderson
	F	Patricia Alderson	Beat incumbent Bea Lyons (DeWine ally)
5	M	Darryl Mehaffie	Incumbent, beat Mark Altier
	F	Lisa Hays	Unopposed incumbent
6	M	Pat Flanagan	Unopposed incumbent
	F	Judy Westbrook	beat Sharon Lowry
7	M	Bob McEwen	Unopposed incumbent
	F	Rebecca Heimlich	Raga (DeWine ally) withdrew
8	M	Richard Finan	Unopposed
	F	Mary Ann Christie	Unopposed
9	M	Alex Triantafilou	Unopposed incumbent
	F	Christa Criddle	Unopposed incumbent
10	M	Kevin DeWine	Beat Michael Boerger
	F	Brenda Lewis	Beat Mary Ann Schmidt
11	M	Joe Stainbrook	Beat Jon Binkley (DeWine ally), Sean Binkley
	F	Meghan Gallagher	Unopposed incumbent
12	M	Keith Cheney	Unopposed
	F	Susan Ranae Lentz	Beat Tess Elshoff
13	M	Bob Rousseau	Unopposed incumbent
	F	Joyce Houck	Incumbent, beat Kirsten Hill
14	M	Scott Nichols	Beat Greg Simpson, Curt Hartman
	F	Kay Reynolds	Unopposed incumbent
15	M	Doug Preisse	Unopposed incumbent
	F	Carolyn Petree	Unopposed incumbent
16	M	Mike Colley	Incumbent, beat Paul Brown, Paul Baker
	F	**empty**	No one filed for this seat
17	M	Phil Bowman	Unopposed incumbent
	F	Bonnie Ward	Beat incumbent Kay Ayres (DeWine ally)
18	M	Andrew Manning	Incumbent, beat Jamie Callender
	F	Amy Sabath	Unopposed incumbent
19	M	Rich Cochran	Beat incumbent Steve Cuckler
	F	Teri Morgan	Unopposed incumbent
20	M	Pat Hennessey	Unopposed incumbent
	F	Diana Fleegle	Beat Lindsay Kuhn
21	M	Joe Miller	Beat Dave Gunning, Steven Bennett
	F	Susan Rodman	Unopposed incumbent
22	M	Jim Woods	Beat Charles Calvert (DeWine ally)
	F	Sharon Ray	Beat incumbent Sandy Calvert (DeWine ally)
23	M	Bob Bennett	Incumbent, beat David Morris
	F	Diane Stover	Beat Doris Dorica
24	M	Jeff Dean	Incumbent, beat Stephen Sabolich
	F	Nancy Suhadolnik	Incumbent, beat Kim O'Malley
25	M	Dan Carter	Beat Ron Lisy, Joe Bosolt, Stephen Emmert
	F	Brittany Williams	Incumbent, beat Phyllis Mosley
26	M	John Matthews	Beat incumbent Charles Knight (DeWine ally)
	F	Lisa Cooper	Beat Karyle Mumper
27	M	Roy Ray	Beat Scott Sigel, John Sullivan
	F	Marilyn Slaby	Unopposed incumbent
28	M	James Simon	Unopposed
	F	Debbie Walsh	Unopposed incumbent
29	M	Curt Braden	Unopposed incumbent
	F	Sarah Brown	Incumbent, beat Beth Williams
30	M	Jim Carnes	Beat Michael Young (DeWine Ally)
	F	Marilyn Ashcraft	Incumbent, beat Lisa Haas
31	M	Gary Burkholder	Incumbent, beat Stephen Fleming, Curtis Johnson
	F	Betty Montgomery	Beat incumbent Kathy Johnston (DeWine ally)
32	M	Casey O'Brien	Incumbent, beat Haberstroh, Law and Pikor
	F	Melissa Pope	Beat incumbent Kathy Creed (DeWine ally)
33	M	David Johnson	Unopposed
	F	Tracy Monroe-Winbush	Unopposed

Kevin DeWine suffered some major defeats, even as he spent hundreds of thousands of party money on those races to try to keep his own job.

For some other good analysis and further data on the SCC races, be sure to check out this post from GOHP Blog.

http://twitter.com/Bytor3BP

Conservative Support for Governor Kasich’s Tax Cut

In a previous post I discussed Governor Kasich’s plan to cut income taxes and why conservatives should view this is a win.

Need more evidence?  Today the Buckeye Institute, Ohio’s pre-eminent conservative free market think tank, posted an article on their site praising the Governor’s tax plan.

The highlight of this article;

…Kasich appears to be proposing a system that holds harmless, or actually lowers taxes, both small energy producers and small businesses while broadening the tax base for larger companies, helping local communities and taking steps toward lowering the income tax.  If these details hold true, this is a proposal that deserves serious consideration.  (emphasis added)

The Buckeye Institute recognizes the importance of lowering the tax burden on all Ohioans.  They acknowledge that Kasich’s plan is doing something “really important” by lowering your taxes and they encourage “serious consideration” of this measure.

Conservative legislators would be smart to get on board and back Kasich’s plan.  This is an opportunity to do the right thing by lowering taxes on their constituents and prove that they aren’t in the pockets of big oil lobbyists.

All conservatives should be proud of Governor Kasich’s efforts to return over $1 billion to the taxpayers who should be the ones deciding where and how their money is being spent.

Ultimately this is a win for Ohio taxpayers, a win for conservatives and one more step in the right direction for our recovering economy.

Thank You Governor Kasich

In mid 2011, I talked about Ohio's Liberals efforts to build "High Speed Rail." The bulk of my message was:

In 2009, Sherrod Brown urged the Federal Railroad Administration to provide stimulus funding for a high speed rail service to connect Ohio’s largest urban areas. Brown’s motivation was “economic development and job creation.” In January 2010, Obama rewarded his fair haired boy from Ohio with $400m in stimulus funds to connect Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. In December 2010, Ohio’s new Governor John Kasich forfeited the stimulus funding saying that “there are too many unanswered questions about how many people would ride the train, how fast the train would go, and how much it would cost.” At the time, the incoming Governor, Kasich, was facing an $8 billion budget deficit courtesy of out-going Governor Ted Strickland. Yet Strickland wouldn’t go quietly. He said “I fear that history will show that this one uninformed decision will be looked upon with regret by future generations of Ohioans.” While the future generations of Ohioans have not weighed in on this yet, it seems like Strickland was uninformed and the early returns suggest that Ohio dodged a fiscal bullet.

ORP Chairman Kevin DeWine is smoking crack

Last night, Kevin DeWine got killed. You would think he would want to lay low and not say much about last night's central committee races. But he isn't. In fact, he came out last night and...declared victory.

"After tonight's primary election, it's clear that a large majority of state central committee members support my continued service as chairman of the Republican Party," DeWine said in the statement.

"There were good people on both sides of the leadership contest and now that it's finally over, we must join together to unify our party moving forward. There will no doubt be a few dissidents who try to continue this dispute. When they do, they will answer to the millions of Republicans in this nation who are counting on Ohio to ensure the defeat of Barack Obama in November.

Folks, I am telling you right now, the anti-DeWine folks not only are now in the majority, it is a significant majority. The committee has 66 members, and I am talking numbers in the low 40s, maybe more.

DeWine is right that we have to unite our party. And the first step is removing a corrupt chairman who spends party resources on central committee races and blatantly violates the party bylaws and election laws. Governor Kasich is right to want him to step down.

Want to see another indicator of how things really went? Let's look at tweets from Kasich staff as last night concluded.

Jai Chabria: It's been a good night.

Jon Keeling: To say the least. RT @jchabria It's been a good night

Sherri Carbo: Smiling big :) RT @jchabria: It's been a good night

Nicole M. Kostura: Smiles all around "@Jon_Keeling: To say the least. RT @jchabria It's been a good night"

These people are some of Governor Kasich's closest advisers and inner circle. Do they sound like they were disappointed last night?

Governor Kasich had this to say himself,

“We did extremely well and we will have a transition to new leadership," Kasich said, referencing the 66 ORP central committee seats up for grabs last night. "You know the results. We will transition to a new chairman at some point. We don’t know exactly what all the numbers are, but we are very pleased we’re in a position where there will be some changes.”

DeWine should probably change his name to DeNial. Because that's what is going on when he comes out and tells Joe Hallett what he told him last night. The next part of his quote gets better.

"The results of the primary election will be certified in late March, at which time I will immediately call a committee meeting in April."

Yes, Kevin, please call a committee meeting as soon as possible. Do it. Call for a vote on your leadership if you really believe that "a large majority of state central committee members support your continued service as chairman". Schedule it. I dare you.

A lot of people have messaged me and asked for a list of all the races. I'm putting together a list of what the new committee will look like, including all of last nights results. I wish I could have had it up for you already. It's just taking a little time, something I haven't had much of this week. Hang in there!

Follow @Bytor3BP

Kevin DeWine has had a very bad night

Things couldn't have gone better for every Ohio Republican who wants new leadership for the Ohio Republican Party. Several of Kevin DeWine's allies were defeated tonight.

Remember our post last night about the Calverts?
Jim Woods easily beat Charles Calvert.
And Sandy is currently losing to Sharon Ray (but we cant call it yet.)

The Vice-chairman Kay Ayers has been beaten. That was a huge defeat.
The Treasurer Charles Knight, a major DeWine ally, has been kicked off the committee.
Betty Montgomery beat Kathy Johnston.
Remember Bea Lyons? She's gone, folks.
DeWine's handpicked candidate, Roland Lane in the 3rd district, was beaten.

No wonder they kicked out Steve Stivers and others and locked the doors!

In fact, the anti-DeWine coalition will have a significant majority on the State Central Committee. For those of us who have been fighting to take back our party from the unethical and selfish behavior of a rogue chairman, tonight couldn't have gone much better.

Chairman DeWine: Ohio's Republican voters have sent you a very clear message. We want new leadership, and you need to step down for the good of the party. No more games. No more breaking the rules. No more secret votes. No more changing the rules. Beating Barack Obama and Sherrod Brown is far too important to continue along with your divisive leadership. Do the right thing.

UPDATE: From Hannah News Service,

Doug Preisse, chairman of the Franklin County Republican Party and ally of Gov. John Kasich, told Hannah News tonight that, in the fight for control of the state Republican Party, "it appears to be a great night, picking up a number of State Central Committee seats. We are winning in races across the state." He said they now have a "strong majority" and look to make a change in state leadership "soon." He said they hope for an "orderly and respectful transition at party headquarters."

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Ohio Republican Party only allowing staff at HQ

We've heard some news that the Ohio Republican Party, run by Chairman Kevin DeWine, has kicked out Congressman Steve Stivers and Ohio State Senate campaigns from its headquarters. Only ORP staff is being allowed to stay. Apparently they are setting up their war room for their coordination against Governor Kasich. DeWine and his staff apparently will stop at nothing to stay in power.

For those who do not know, Governor John Kasich asked DeWine to step down over a year ago. Conservatives and tea-party groups are also unhappy with DeWine and want new leadership. There are several candidates running for the State Central Committee, and those results tonight could determine whether DeWine keeps his job.

Here are a few links where we have covered the desperate moves made by DeWine.
Who voted for DeWine's illegal rule change?
This is Kevin DeWine's kind of Republican. Let's kick her out of the ORP.

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Rick Santorum edges out Mitt Romney in our readers poll

No surprise here. Our readers poll mirrors the statewide polls that show Ohio to be a neck and neck race between Romney and Santorum. Thanks to all who voted!

Rick Santorum: 39.7%
Mitt Romney: 35.9%
Newt Gingrich: 20.5%
Ron Paul: 3.9%

Breaking: Ohio Republican Party members and staff conspiring against Governor Kasich

Third Base Politics has obtained emails that clearly and unmistakably prove that there are Ohio Republican Party committee members and staff working against Governor Kasich.

Sandy Calvert is currently an incumbent member of the ORP State Central Committee. She is an unabashed Kevin DeWine ally. We know she voted for DeWine's illegal rule change in an effort to keep tea party minded citizens off of the committee.

Sandy's husband Chuck Calvert was a long time member of the Ohio House, until he could no longer serve due to term limits in 2006. When Ohio Senator Bob Gibbs was elected to Congress in 2010, Chuck applied for the Ohio Senate seat that Gibbs vacated, with strong support from Kevin DeWine and Jon Husted, who wanted to build a power base in the Ohio Senate. This is where we start with the subject of the first email.

Jim Woods is a co-founder of the Tea Party group Medina County Friends and Neighbors (MCFAN). Woods and his group were involved with the selection committee for Gibbs' replacement. When they recommended Larry Obhof for the appointment instead of Chuck Calvert, Sandy became furious and has had it out for Woods and his group ever since. Now it's 2012, and Chuck Calvert is running for the open men's seat in the same district. Ironically, his opponent is Jim Woods.

With that explanation finished, take a look at an email from Sandy Calvert to the entire ORP State Central Committee, complaining about Governor Kasich and blasting Woods. (I have redacted the email addresses.)

Governor Kasich Wants To Cut Your Taxes

Reggie Fields’ article in Sunday’s Plain Dealer highlights Governor Kasich’s plan to cut Ohioans personal income tax.   The highlight of this plan is a $1 billion tax cut by 2016 for all Ohioans fueled entirely by economic growth.

For conservatives this is a win.  It’s a revenue neutral tax that is offset by a reduction in personal income tax for Ohioans.  Even with this plan in place Ohio will still have a lower rate than Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota and Texas.

Also, Americans for Tax Reform has signed off.  They’ve acknowledged that a plan like the one being discussed is still consistent with Governor Kasich’s pledge to not raise taxes because it’s revenue neutral.

Not surprisingly, Democrats are already discounting the amount as inconsequential to the average Ohioan and want to increase the taxes on severance.  They forget that $1 billion is going back into the pockets of Ohioans who will then spend it, for the most part, in Ohio.  I’m pretty sure that people spending an extra $1 billion in Ohio’s economy could probably be classified as a good thing.

What to Watch For In Ohio Tomorrow

Ohio is considered a vital GOP pickup this fall, as no Republican has ever won the presidency without winning here. Our midterm election’s results send mixed signals: a $40 million Big Labor smear campaign convinced Ohioans to overturn public union reform, but we also voted 66 – 34% to block Obamacare.

Consistent with the whipsaw nature of this primary, polling mid-February suggested Ohio may be a lock for Rick Santorum. Quinnipiac registered a 7-point Santorum advantage in separate polls of likely voters completed 02/12 and 02/26. On 02/15, Rasmussen polling showed Santorum with a staggering 18-point lead, and the University of Cincinnati’s Ohio Poll conducted 02/16 to 02/26 indicated Saontorum was up by 11.

Heading into the February 22 Arizona debate, Santorum looked to be the last heir to the “not Romney” throne. Could he maintain enough momentum to roll Mitt Romney on Super Tuesday, despite Romney’s gold-plated ground game?

The debate was Santorum’s chance to shine, but he didn’t weather attacks from Romney and Ron Paul as well as he could have. I’ve been enthusiastic about zero candidates since Rick Perry dropped out; the Arizona debate finally convinced me to vote for Mitt Romney. How many other Ohio conservatives had a similar reaction to the snippy, discouraging tussle between Romney and Santorum?

When will Mitt Romney dump Kevin DeWine and Brett Buerck?

On Big Government and Third Base Politics, we previously explained how Mitt Romney has been relying on Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine and a scandal-plagued Ohio political operative to advise his campaign in Ohio.

Conservatives are up in arms against DeWine for a number of offenses, such as actively working against Governor Kasich in the mainstream media, by working to divert fundraisers away from Kasich near the end of his close battle against incumbent Gov. Strickland in 2010, lying to contributors, outright shunning members of the Tea Party in Ohio, and most recently, blatantly abusing and violating the Party’s own bylaws in order to prevent Tea Party candidates from getting seated on the State Central Committee.

So how does this all connect to Romney?

Brett Buerck, widely known among Ohio political activists for his scandal plagued career, is now back as one of Mitt Romney’s point men in organizing Ohio. Buerck is also known as ORP Chairman DeWine’s closest consultant on Party politics. Finally, Romney’s sole appearance in Ohio during this entire campaign season was months ago when he appeared arm-in-arm with DeWine in southeast Ohio and proceeded to flip flop against Kasich’s government union reform bill, all at the recommendation of DeWine.

The hits just keep on coming with these guys. Kevin DeWine is now spending 100s of thousands of dollars of party money not on defeating Democrats, but on fighting more conservative Republicans and promoting ORP state committee members who are loyal to him, even when they have a history of supporting Democrats over Republicans.

Governor’s Poll Numbers Keep Improving

Two big things to take away from today’s Ohio Poll

 1.  Kasich’s numbers are moving up, more approve than disapprove of his     

      performance.   

 2.  Obama would love to be in the position that Kasich is in.

Overall;

The big news that will surprise and disappoint the Ohio liberals?  Kasich isn’t underwater -- 44% approve of his job performance versus 42% (+2) who disapprove.  Clearly his numbers are moving in the right direction and the Governor is quickly bouncing back after last November.

Things are not as good for Team Obama.  He remains underwater with a 49% disapproval rating compared to 47% who approve.  

Independents

Independent voters are with Kasich by a +7 margin.  This is huge, especially considering the fact that Democrats were writing Kasich’s political obituary just 4 months ago.  

What’s good news for Kasich isn’t that great for Obama.  The same independents that favor Kasich by a +7 margin aren’t big fans of the President. 52% of them disapprove of Obama’s job performance compared to the 42% who approve (-10). Or, a 17 point swing from Kasich. This number alone is going to cause some anxiety in Chicago.

3BP pre-primary presidential poll

Ok folks, this is it. The primary is in 4 days and we still have a race. It has been a LONG time since Ohio Republicans had a real voice in the nomination process.

And we are going right down to the wire. Just a few days ago, Rick Santorum had an 11 point lead, but 2 new polls out this morning show it a dead heat between he and Romney. Let's see one more time, what our readers think. Vote now. We will close out the poll on Monday night and share the results then.

The Jobs Budget Is Working

Huge news this morning for Ohioans.

According to figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Ohio’s unemployment rate dropped from 7.9% in December to 7.7% last month.  Our unemployment rate is now well below the national average and moving in the right direction.

The kicker, Ohio added an astounding 32,800 jobs in January.

From The Dispatch:  

Ohio liberals strangely quiet about award they lauded Strickland for last year

Ohio just won an "award" from Site Selection magazine, but I highly doubt it's anything we will hear Governor Kasich's administration crowing about.

Illustration courtesy Site Selection magazine.

Ohio has reclaimed the Governor's Cup from rival Texas for new and expanded project activity. The Buckeye State's 498 qualified projects for 2011 represents a better-than-30-percent jump from its 376 projects logged in 2010, which put Ohio behind Texas in the last contest.

Site Selection's Governor's Cup ranks the 50 states according to their success in attracting capital investment projects that meet one or more of these three criteria: a minimum investment of US$1 million, creation of 50 or more new jobs and new facility construction or floor space of at least 20,000 sq. ft.

Sounds like a great accomplishment, right? Well, it's certainly good news, but as a former contributor explained two years ago, the prize isn't exactly a reliable measure of economic health. Why? Because last year Ohio came in second, and was first for the 4 previous years. How did that work out for us?

Andrew Breitbart, 1969-2012.

Everyone by now has heard the terrible news about Andrew Breitbart. After we posted the Connie Schultz story last fall, Andrew asked me to become a contributor and post it on one of his news blogs, Big Government. Later, my co-contributor Jason Hart also became a contributor at BG. I'm sure he shares my feelings in that it was a privilege to be even remotely associated with Andrew.