tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77435304386807742502024-03-13T10:02:49.340-04:00Third Base PoliticsAn Ohio-based conservative political blogNick (aka Bytor)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15826772166599084105noreply@blogger.comBlogger3499125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-16818188147486488442012-12-21T16:18:00.002-05:002013-01-03T12:28:00.725-05:003BP has moved!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are pleased to announce that we have moved Third Base Politics. You can now find us at <a href="http://www.thirdbasepolitics.com/">www.thirdbasepolitics.com</a>. The entire post history, including comments, is also at the new address.<br />
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No more posts will be put up here at Blogger. Please update your bookmarks and we'll see you over there!<br />
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Nick (aka Bytor)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15826772166599084105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-10451330569957135782012-12-16T14:04:00.000-05:002012-12-16T14:04:41.041-05:00Issue 2 Then And NowA year ago, voters rejected <a href="http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/Research/electResultsMain/2011results/20111108Issue2.aspx">State Issue 2</a> by a 61.6% to 38.4% margin. A month ago, voters rejected <a href="http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/Research/electResultsMain/2012Results/20121106issue2.aspx">State Issue 2</a> by a 63.2% to 36.8% margin.<br />
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They were two completely different issues, with almost identical results, and one more thing in common: union special interests were involved in both. In 2011, Big Labor backed the "No" vote, and ended up with the win. This year, they were asking for a "Yes" vote, and fell flat on their faces.<br />
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So why the huge difference? Put simply... spending.<br />
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>In 2011, the <a href="http://ohio.mediatrackers.org/2012/04/27/we-are-ohio-bankrolled-by-liberal-unions-not-bipartisan-citizen-groups/">union front-group We Are Ohio</a> raised and spent some $40+ million on defeating the reasonable reforms contained in Senate Bill 5. The campaign to keep the bill, Building a Better Ohio, came in around $12 million. All told, it was about a $3.50 to $1.00 spending advantage for the unions.<br />
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In 2012, well, the unions raised roughly $8.2 million to support the redistricting reform via Issue 2. Of that:<br />
<ul>
<li>$8,134,000, a full 99.2%, came from special interest groups.</li>
<li>A mere $63,000, or just 0.8% came from individual citizens.</li>
<li>A full third--$2,722,000--came from out-of-state special interests.</li>
<li>$3,899,000, or nearly half, of the entire sum came from teachers unions, based on them <a href="http://ohio.mediatrackers.org/2012/06/21/teachers-union-hikes-dues-for-redistricting-takeover/">stealing from... err... "assessing" their members</a> earlier in the year.</li>
</ul>
Their $8 million haul was just 20% of what unions spent on their efforts last year, and almost identical to the fundraising by their opponents this year--the successful Protect Your Vote Ohio--who raised $8.21 million, and 81.5% of it came from here in the Buckeye State.<br />
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In other words, unions had 99.9% parity in fundraising in 2012 and got trounced at the ballot box. What does that say about Issue 2 then and now?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqYoKbgeqbs">Unions can't win on the facts</a>.<br />
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They spent a small fortune--almost all of which came from mandatory "assessments" on members rather than actually asking for contributions--beating Issue 2 in 2011. The same funding wasn't there this year, and wouldn't you know it, unions got their hindquarters handed to them. Unions were matched dollar for dollar, and they lost the messaging war.<br />
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Doesn't seem like a group that can win <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TndXDGFpbr4">using the truth</a>.<br />
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Ultimately, this just underscores why unions are truly afraid of what's happened in Indiana and what's currently happening in Michigan. It's not about "free riders" or the loss of power. It's not about losing dues dollars or campaign funding. In the end, it's about actually having to be responsive to their membership.<br />
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That bears repeating: <b><u>The biggest fear of every union is actually having to be representative of their membership.</u></b><br />
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Currently, <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2011/02/union-bosses-love-unions.html">union leaders are nothing but liberal Democrats</a>, interested in furthering liberal politics, no matter the cost to their membership. Whether it's your local school district, or Hostess, union leaders have proven they'd sacrifice the jobs of every one of their members rather than give up any of their perceived power.<br />
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In a right-to-work state, unions actually have to show their value to keep their members--they have to represent the values and beliefs of their membership. And instead of simply stealing from... err... assessing members every time a political issue pops up, unions would have to make an honest-to-goodness appeal for contributions.<br />
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You know, like every other professional organization.<br />
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<i><b>*GASP* Unions having to play by the same rules as everyone else?!? The horror!</b></i><br />
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Unions have strayed very far from their original purpose: representing their members. Just look at the results of Issue 2 this year--they couldn't sell their proposal to the general public, let alone their members, and yet they still paid for their $8 million campaign using 99% member "assessments."<br />
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Perhaps if union members believed unions actually represented them, they'd actually believe the political messages... without unions having to spend $40 million (of member money) to convince them.<br />
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GOHPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074117622374712474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-85689574156857464052012-12-15T22:37:00.000-05:002012-12-15T22:37:08.111-05:00Thoughts and Prayers with Newtown, CT<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N1fN4FCSJaI/UM0_0y93ZWI/AAAAAAAAADQ/o2qqGpostqU/s1600/Sandy+Hook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N1fN4FCSJaI/UM0_0y93ZWI/AAAAAAAAADQ/o2qqGpostqU/s320/Sandy+Hook.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="imagecredit"><span style="background: white; color: #999999; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">AP Photo/Charles
Krupa</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Yesterday, tragedy struck at Sandy Hook Elementary. Our
thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">The teachers, law enforcement officers and rescue workers
are heroes. The stories being shared about the courageous acts of the teachers
is nothing short of remarkable. A custodian ran through the halls warning
teachers and students, a teacher ushered her students into a bathroom to hide
them from the suspect, and Victoria Soto, lost her life shielding her students
from the suspect. </span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
This is not the time to discuss politics of gun laws. This
individual carried out an intent that appears to be pre-meditated. Some news
outlets are stating that the individual responsible was mentally ill or had
some form of autism. The conversation that needs to occur is about changing the
culture in this country and helping those that are mentally ill. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">As a nation, we need to come together and make sure those
families affected by this tragedy in Sandy Hook know that they are not alone.</span> </span><a href="http://www.wlos.com/shared/news/top-stories/stories/wlos_how-you-can-help-sandy-hook-shooting-victims-9939.shtml"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">Many
individuals have started funds to help those affected.</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">May God Bless the victims, and may he comfort
those who are affected.</span> </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10960665495601542367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-82392274878656507722012-12-12T22:47:00.000-05:002012-12-12T22:47:05.849-05:00Kasich gets good news but also room for improvement in latest pollQuinnipiac University released an Ohio poll yesterday, so let's take a look at where John Kasich stands with the gubernatorial election still almost two years away.<br />
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The poll's <a href="http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes-centers/polling-institute/ohio/release-detail?ReleaseID=1822">top line</a> shows their highest approval rating for Kasich to date, but there is also some more catching up to do in the next couple of years.<br />
<blockquote>
Ohio Gov. John Kasich has a 42 - 35 percent job approval, the first time since his inauguration in 2011 that registered voters have given him a thumbs-up rating, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Gov. Kasich seems to be benefitting from high levels of satisfaction among Ohio voters with life in the Buckeye State. <br />
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But the governor does not deserve a second term, voters tell the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll by an almost identical 43 - 36 percent margin. All voters say 44 - 37 percent that another Republican should challenge the governor for the 2014 nomination. By 45 - 41 percent, self-described Republicans say no other Republican should challenge Kasich. </blockquote>
First off, those reelect numbers are obviously not where the administration wants to be. More on that later. Let's move to the positives in this poll.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
As mentioned, 42-35 is the best net approval rating that Quinnipiac has found for Kasich during his term. That tells us that his approval rating is moving in the right direction.<br />
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Ohioans are also genuinely positive about where Ohio is headed right now. 60% are very or somewhat satisfied with the way things are going in Ohio today. In January, only 41% felt that way.<br />
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How do people feel about Ohio's economy? 42% believe it is getting better, while only 19% feel it is getting worse. <br />
<br />
Of those who think it is getting better, 61% think Governor Kasich deserves a lot or some of the credit, while 58% say President Obama deserves a lot or some of the credit.<br />
<br />
Voters aren't the only folks who know things are looking up in Ohio. <a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2012/12/11/ohio-tax-credits-to-help-companies-add-900-area-jobs.html">From the Dispatch yesterday,</a><br />
<blockquote>
<b>“There’s a great deal of momentum going on in central Ohio and Ohio generally</b>,” said James Newton, chief economic adviser at Commerce National Bank. “We were kind of the armpit of the nation, and <b>now it’s dawning on people that it’s a fine place to do business.</b>”</blockquote>
<br />
Back to the reelect numbers. There is work to do there, but consider that the governor isn't even close to being on the airwaves yet. When that time comes, we expect him to have a significant cash advantage with which to tell voters about his successes and how they are propelling Ohio's recovery.<br />
<br />
Consider the election that just finished. President Obama spent tens of millions of dollars taking all the credit for Ohio's recovery. And yet, when asked who deserves "a lot of credit" for it, Obama only leads Kasich by 8%. <br />
<br />
When you're this far out, reelect polls aren't as important as how people feel Ohio is doing right now. And that number is moving the right way.<br />
<br />
Don't fall for the doom and gloom that <a href="http://www.plunderbund.com/2012/12/12/george-voinovich-canceled-his-reelection-campaign-when-he-saw-poll-numbers-as-bad-as-kasichs/">liberals are already spouting.</a> These guys are focusing on the negatives and using bad analysis to boot.<br />
<br />
Take their comment about 42% being a bad number <a href="http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/02/myth-of-incumbent-50-rule.html">according to Nate Silver.</a> Silver's analysis was referring to 42% in a head to head matchup, not approval rating (and they even note that). But for some reason, the Plunderpals <i>apply it to an approval rating anyway.</i> <br />
<br />
Second, Silver says in his post that "This analysis focuses only on early polls: those conducted <b>between January and June of an incumbent's election year."</b> Hey guys...we are over a year away from January of the election year. So not only are you applying Silver's analysis to the wrong number, you're applying it to the wrong time frame. Derp.<br />
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Voinovich retired because of poll numbers like this? Yeah, that's brilliant. He was really afraid of running against <i>Mr. 39% of vote Lee Fisher</i>. Guess what? Voinovich would have been 75 at the start of his new term. Maybe he just wanted to retire and relax after a lifetime in politics.<br />
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The election is far off, and there is room for improvement. But there is certainly fertile ground for a successful Kasich reelection.<br />
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Nick (aka Bytor)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15826772166599084105noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-31425002494746954622012-12-12T12:49:00.002-05:002012-12-12T12:51:02.505-05:00Unions: Ending forced unionism is like Pearl HarborOn December 7th, 1941, the U.S. was attacked by Japan, thrusting us into World War II. That attack devastated our Pacific naval fleet, killed 2,402 people and injured thousands more. The subsequent war with Japan would cost hundreds of thousands more American lives, not to mention millions of Japanese.<br />
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Recently, we've been told by Ohio and national Big Labor leaders that an equally horrifying and costly event has taken place.<br />
<br />
<i>Witness the horror</i> that is the freedom to choose whether you want to join a union or not. Last week, Media Trackers Ohio reported that the union group "We Are Ohio" <a href="http://ohio.mediatrackers.org/2012/12/07/we-are-ohio-compares-michigan-republicans-to-japanese-who-bombed-pearl-harbor/">compared Right-to-Work legislation in Michigan to Pearl Harbor.</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pXw7Thh_VBc/UMjAllwAxbI/AAAAAAAACyc/kCHm_u4bOLU/s1600/WeAreOhio-MI-pearl-harbor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pXw7Thh_VBc/UMjAllwAxbI/AAAAAAAACyc/kCHm_u4bOLU/s400/WeAreOhio-MI-pearl-harbor.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
And just yesterday, Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa made the exact same comparison.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="371" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/j_gjF1Lbap4" width="580"></iframe><br />
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This is all quite ironic, because yesterday a union member demonstrated that he loves sneak attacks, when <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/12/unions-deploy-their-best-argument-for.html">he grabbed Steven Crowder from behind a sucker-punched him</a> for daring to ask that they not tear down the tent he was volunteering in.<br />
<br />
Of course, maybe the union protesters were only following the orders of head thug Barack Obama. After all, <a href="http://articles.nydailynews.com/2008-09-18/news/17906768_1_sen-obama-john-mccain-chicago-politics">he told them</a>,<br />
<blockquote>
“I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. <b>I want you to argue with them and get in their face.</b>“ </blockquote>
Seriously, there is no logical or moral argument in favor of forcing people to join unions. Unions have a tough time explaining why, if their services are so great, do they need the force of law to make people join? That's why you see them get so frustrated and turn to ridiculous comparisons, lies, and even violence to make their case.<br />
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Nick (aka Bytor)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15826772166599084105noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-27478712573766505152012-12-11T20:46:00.001-05:002012-12-11T20:46:49.627-05:00Unions deploy their best argument for forced unionism in Michigan: violenceAlternate title: <i>this is what union thuggery looks like.</i><br />
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As the Michigan legislature finalized plans to make Michigan a right-to-work state, and Governor Rick Snyder prepared to sign it into law, thousands of union protesters gathered in Lansing. They brought their most thought out and reasonable and civil debate points with them, right?<br />
<br />
Yeah right. They did what unions usually do when you ask them to explain why they believe workers should be forced to join. They use their fists.<br />
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Watch one of them attack conservative comic Steven Crowder. Another brave union thug even comes back, grabs his collar from behind and sucker punches him. Finally, the thugs tear down the AFP tent and collapse it while there are still people in it, including women and children.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="371" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/u_F3oev06i0" width="580"></iframe><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Unions do not have a monopoly on the public space in Lansing. AFP had as much right to demonstrate there as the unions did.<br />
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Earlier in the day, Democrat Michigan legislator Doug Geiss promised that <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/11/fox-news-contributor-punched-in-face-at-pro-union-protests-in-michigan/">"There will be blood".</a> As of this writing, neither he nor the unions have apologized for the violence they encouraged and perpetrated against Crowder and AFP.<br />
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Here in Ohio, Ted Strickland said he <a href="https://twitter.com/Ted_Strickland/status/278551829191741442">"stands in solidarity"</a> with these goons. And union front group "We Are Ohio" have been <a href="http://ohio.mediatrackers.org/2012/12/08/we-are-ohio-solidarity-with-some-of-michigan/">pumping out propaganda</a> like comparing the end of forced unionism with the bombing of Pearl Harbor.<br />
<br />
As I write this, Governor Snyder has signed the bill into law. That's now two of our neighboring states that no longer force workers to join unions. It's time for Ohio to join the RTW club.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, Ohio legislators screwed the pooch last year. While we supported the reforms in Senate Bill 5, the bill was poorly executed and overcomplicated. We would have been much better off if they had passed a bill like Michigan's. It still would have gone to referendum. But as I stated <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2011/11/ohio-right-to-work-amendment-right.html">over a year ago,</a> it would be much easier to defend a simple "Right to Work" bill than SB5 was.<br />
<br />
Calls for the legislature and Governor Kasich to pass similar legislation are ill-advised. That well is poisoned. This time, it will be up to us. We got healthcare freedom on the ballot and passed it overwhelmingly. We can do the same to stop forced unionism. Visit <a href="http://ohioansforworkplacefreedom.com/">Ohioans for Workplace Freedom</a> and sign up to collect petition signatures and contribute to the cause. <br />
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I expect and hope that Ohio's Tea Party movement will be getting heavily involved with this very soon. We'll keep you updated.<br />
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Nick (aka Bytor)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15826772166599084105noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-44170495554419130422012-12-07T13:31:00.001-05:002012-12-07T13:32:42.675-05:00Obama Ready To Throw Middle Class Americans Over The Fiscal Cliff<div>
If there's one thing President Barack Obama has made clear in the discussions surrounding the fiscal cliff, it's that he's not budging on increasing taxes on "those making $250,000 or more." Of course, the problem with that logic is the hundreds of thousands of businesses who are structured as pass-through entities (S-Corp's) that will be drastically affected with such an absurd proposal. Many S-Corporations are some of the biggest job creators in Ohio and throughout the nation--employing millions of middle class Americans--but apparently Obama doesn't much care if they get hit.</div>
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Or, to put it another way, <strong><u>in order to screw "the rich," Obama is willing to throw the middle class over the fiscal cliff.</u></strong></div>
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Just ask his Treasury Secretary:</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<em>"If Republicans do not agree to that, is the administration prepared to go over the fiscal cliff?" </em></div>
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<div>
[Geithner]<em> "Absolutely. We see no prospect for an agreement that doesn't involve those rates going up..."</em></div>
</blockquote>
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<a name='more'></a>No agreement? No room for negotiation? That seems more like an ultimatum than a desire to come to agreement. After those comments, you have to wonder what, exactly, is the Obama Administration's fiscal cliff strategy...</div>
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The position of the Obama Administration is disheartening, especially given the GOP's willingness to compromise for the betterment of the country. At the end of the day, the only person who's ready to reach across the aisle has been U.S. House Speaker John Boehner. And yet his proposal--a plan to keep tax cuts for the middle class and our strongest job creators, while also reforming our tax system--was completely <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2012/12/04/obama-gop-fiscal-cliff-offer-out-of-balance/">brushed aside by the President</a>.</div>
<div>
<em><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<em>“It’s not me being stubborn, not me being partisan; it’s just a matter of math,” Obama said during the interview in the White House. He said that the Republican proposal to raise $800 billion in new tax revenue by closing some loopholes and eliminating some deductions would not be enough to reach his goal of up to $1.6 trillion.</em></div>
</blockquote>
</em>Math, huh? Like adding $4 trillion to the national debt in 8 years in "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kuTG19Cu_Q">unpatriotic</a>," but adding over $5 trillion in under 4 years is just all sunshine & rainbows? Sorry, Mr. President, but apparently your math skills leave a little bit to be desired.
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Not to mention, <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2012/12/04/gop-fiscal-cliff-plan-echoes-failed-budget-talks?page=2">using the President's accounting practices</a>, <strong><u>the GOP proposal would actually save the country some $4.6 trillion</u></strong>. But, I suppose it would be too much to ask the President to apply his math to anything outside his cherry-picked facts and figures.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Regardless of our Commander-in-Chief's apparent lack of arithmatical talent, it's his stubborn approach that will ultimately ensure America goes off the fiscal cliff at full speed. He's willing to sacrifice the middle class--yes, <a href="http://twitchy.com/2012/12/05/campaigner-in-chief-white-house-website-displays-political-my2k-tweets/">even #My2k</a> and your $2k--all in the name of making "the rich" pay their fair share, even though the top 5% in this country already pay nearly 60% of all income tax.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<strong><u>That's not fair</u></strong>. And apparently President Obama and I agree on that point, we're just on different sides of the argument.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Of course, I would be remiss if I failed to credit the work of Speaker Boehner through this whole mess. He's stuck between a rock and a hard place, with a stubborn President and a useless U.S. Senate, and yet he's still making the best case he can. He might be the only man in Washington, D.C. capable of balancing that many interests.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Yet, if you read through twitter, he's come under some criticism from some on the Right--with several going so far as to ask if Congressman Jim Jordan should challenge him for his post. We conservatives can have an honest debate about the best policy positions, but Speaker Boehner doesn't have that luxury--he must be pragmatic in his approach, or President Executive Order will just do whatever the heck he wants.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
If conservatives want to whine and moan about Speaker Boehner, perhaps <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/11/this-one-was-on-us.html">we should have given him a little more assistance last Election Day</a>. We failed, and Speaker Boehner is left to deal with the results. And that's what he's doing: stepping up and showing his willingness to negotiate. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
It's time our President did the same.</div>
GOHPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074117622374712474noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-72341789387510296582012-12-04T22:28:00.001-05:002012-12-04T22:28:42.756-05:00Congressman Tim Ryan arrested for public drunkennessCongressman Moonbeam is back in the news. Remember this guy? He's the congressman from Ohio who thinks the answer to our problems is to...<i><a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/05/say-hello-to-congressman-moonbeam.html">meditate with raisins.</a></i><br />
<blockquote>
A Plain Dealer article from Saturday goes into more detail, but the idea of staring at a raisin comes from one of the first exercises behind this way of thinking. A student gazes at a raisin and holds it to their lips without eating it then they squeeze the raisin to hear its sound. By the time they actually eat the raisin they are aware of all of the sensory urges that it elicits. Apparently the awareness is the lesson.</blockquote>
Today, the Washington Post reported that <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/12/04/rep-tim-ryan-arrested-in-august-for-public-intoxication/">Tim Ryan was arrested</a> in Virginia in August for stumbling around in public in a state of apparent intoxication.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vwuc_2MBQL8/UL6-rjA9b7I/AAAAAAAACxM/kRyaCrLtooE/s1600/ryanraisin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vwuc_2MBQL8/UL6-rjA9b7I/AAAAAAAACxM/kRyaCrLtooE/s400/ryanraisin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<a href="http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2012/12/us_rep_tim_ryan_of_niles_was_a.html">When asked by the Plain Dealer</a> to explain himself, Ryan, who wants to be governor, said he was walking funny due to "an old football injury."<br />
<br />
Uh...<i>sure.</i> This guy travels the country telling people about <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/in-meditative-mindfulness-rep-tim-ryan-sees-a-cure-for-many-american-ills/2012/04/04/gIQA1mk8vS_story.html">how much healthier he is because of his raisin fondling</a>, but he can't walk down the street without appearing drunk to an experienced police officer?<br />
<br />
Ryan got his case dismissed, probably due to being a Congressman. Lucky for him. I don't think "mindfulness" would go over too well in the joint. <br />
<br />
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Nick (aka Bytor)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15826772166599084105noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-64373994210424429552012-12-04T12:11:00.000-05:002012-12-04T12:13:01.279-05:00Green activist who wants you to live like a caveman visits Columbus<i>The following is a guest-submitted post.</i><br />
<br />
On Tuesday, Columbus hosted one of the most prominent green activists today, Bill McKibben, on his nationwide <a href="http://math.350.org/">“Do The Math” tour.</a> For most of his career, McKibben has acknowledged the widespread deprivation his agenda would cause and tried to put a happy spin on it, but that’s not the message he brought to the Capitol Theater.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mvF1vemY-rg/UL4ukjFsoXI/AAAAAAAACv8/FhHNnpxEGlw/s1600/bill_mckibben.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mvF1vemY-rg/UL4ukjFsoXI/AAAAAAAACv8/FhHNnpxEGlw/s320/bill_mckibben.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
McKibben is on the attack full-time now, and his argument, on its face, is that it would be risky to use even a fraction of the world’s known fossil fuel reserves, so we should divest from fossil fuel companies.<br />
<br />
But does his plan even make sense?<br />
<br />
The top 10 companies with the largest oil and gas reserves in the world, with 71 percent of proven reserves, are all owned by governments like Iran and Venezuela. Divestment from investor-owned American companies wouldn’t solve more than a tiny fraction of the problem, it would just give foreign state-owned industries the upper hand.<br />
<br />
As Ohioans know, those American companies are investing heavily in production of natural gas, the use of which is a substantial part of the reason U.S. emissions have been dropping.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
If stopping that trend isn’t self-defeating enough for McKibben, get this: U.S. oil and gas companies invested $71 billion in the last decade in emissions-reducing technologies, more than the federal government’s $43 billion and almost as much as the rest of the private sector combined ($74 billion).<br />
<br />
So what is McKibben thinking? Based on what he’s been saying lately, his real problem with American companies is less about their direct effects than that they’re an obstacle to <a href="http://www.tarsandsaction.org/bill-mckibbens-speech-occupy-wall-street/">his more radical politics</a>: “The reason that it’s so great that we’re occupying Wall Street is because Wall Street has been occupying the atmosphere. That’s why we can never do anything about global warming. Exxon gets in the way. Goldman Sachs gets in the way. The whole fossil fuel industry gets in the way… The problem is 20 blocks south of here. That’s where the empire lives. And we’ve got to figure out how to tame it and make it work for this planet or not work at all.”<br />
<br />
So what is “the whole fossil fuel industry” getting in the way of?<br />
<br />
Nothing all that appealing. Looking back at his career as an author, he’s been trying to convince people that they’d be better off as poor as the people of Namibia, doing particularly labor-intensive farming, without air conditioning or appliances, without air travel or food grown more than a bike ride’s distance away.<br />
<br />
But even McKibben admits that it <a href="http://www.marcgunther.com/do-the-math-bill-mckibben-takes-on-big-oil/">hardly anybody could divest <i>personally</i></a> from the energy he hates: “There’s really no way for most of us to divest ourselves of fossil fuels in our daily life, completely,” he said. “If there is no train, you can’t take it.” <br />
<br />
Then again, they do have trains in Europe, and punitive taxes on gasoline, but haven’t cut their emissions even close to the level that McKibben wants. <br />
<br />
When the world had a billion fewer people, <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1998/05/running-out-of-time/8314/4/">McKibben said</a> that his preferred climate policy would allow each human being to <br />
<blockquote>
“produce 1.69 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually—which would allow you to drive an average American car nine miles a day. By the time the population increased to 8.5 billion, in about 2025, you'd be down to six miles a day. If you carpooled, you'd have about three pounds of CO2 left in your daily ration—enough to run a highly efficient refrigerator. <b>Forget your computer, your TV, your stereo, your stove, your dishwasher, your water heater, your microwave, your water pump, your clock. Forget your light bulbs, compact fluorescent or not.</b>”</blockquote>
In other words, if McKibben had his way, he would have had to build a fire on the stage of the Capitol Theater and shout so that his previously middle-class audience could see and hear him.<br />
<br />
Since none of them could or even would do that voluntarily, he wants the government to do it to them, and to us. His “math” adds up to enforced poverty. <br />
<br />
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Nick (aka Bytor)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15826772166599084105noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-17965725565228128212012-12-03T21:43:00.001-05:002012-12-03T21:58:12.804-05:00Bob Costas: Anti-gun idiotUnless you live under a rock, you know about this idiotic anti-2nd amendment editorial that Bob Costas chose to deliver during halftime of the Eagles/Cowgirls game last night:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="371" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uOi7If0zW9s" width="580"></iframe><br />
<br />
There are so many things wrong with this.<br />
<br />
The first of which is...it's a <i>football game,</i> Bob! Nobody is tuning in to hear political arguments. Your comments belong on the Sunday morning talk shows, not Sunday Night Football. Bob Costas took advantage of his position to air his liberal views to a captive audience. If NBC and the NFL knew about this ahead of time, shame on them as well.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Costas's final conclusion came down to this brilliant piece of logic:<br />
<blockquote>
"If Jevon Belcher didn’t possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today."</blockquote>
His reasoning seems to be that since Jevon Belcher committed a crime with a gun, all guns should be outlawed and nobody should possess them. What simplistic garbage. Let's apply Bob's logic to other tragedies.<br />
<br />
- If airplanes didn't exist, those 3000 people who died on 9/11/2001 would still be alive today. We need to ban airliners so this never happens again.<br />
- If big tractor trailers weren't allowed on the highways, <a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/11/06/I-71-crash-kills-one.html">Ali Ali would still be alive today.</a> Large trucks are killers and need to be outlawed.<br />
- If Marina Krim hadn't possessed knives in her home, her two children would still be alive today, <a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/national_world/2012/11/14/nanny-indicted-for-murder-in-stabbing-deaths-of-kids.html">and not stabbed to death by their nanny.</a><br />
<br />
Clearly, we need to apply Costas logic to make the world safer. What's worse, the usual anti-gun suspects have jumped on the bandwagon to take advantage of a tragedy to advance their political agenda. Remember the folks who <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/08/liberals-used-ohio-school-shooting-to.html">created a fake condolence website</a> to trick people into joining their anti-gun email list? They've been sending emails like this out:<br />
<blockquote>
Dear Nick,<br />
<br />
We've been receiving an overwhelming response from people wanting to thank NBC sportscaster Bob Costas for speaking up about the problem of gun violence in America.<br />
<br />
If you haven't already, send your message before we deliver them.<br />
<br />
Many have asked for additional ways to show their support publicly. After you send a message, we encourage you to share your thanks by writing on the NFL's Facebook page or by Tweeting this message at them.<br />
<br />
--Mark Glaze, Director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wkg4PQhWQIE/UL1htNH6kLI/AAAAAAAACus/seP-Se0Lu7M/s1600/simpson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wkg4PQhWQIE/UL1htNH6kLI/AAAAAAAACus/seP-Se0Lu7M/s320/simpson.jpg" width="170" /></a></div>
I found it quite comforting, and humorous, when I checked out the Facebook pages for the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NFL?fref=ts" target="_blank">NFL</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SNFonNBC?fref=ts" target="_blank">Sunday Night Football</a> that the people calling for Costas to be fired far outnumber the people thanking him.<br />
<br />
It's still a shame, though, that NBC allowed Costas to take the focus off of the problem of domestic violence, and instead make this a story about guns. After all, O.J. Simpson showed us that professional athletes don't need guns to commit violence against women. Do they, Mr. Costas?<br />
<br />
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Nick (aka Bytor)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15826772166599084105noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-61493756524322253862012-11-28T22:49:00.000-05:002012-11-28T22:50:28.262-05:00Ohio's left twists the truth to attack KasichThe Plunderpals are at it again. Twisting the facts of even the most minor of news stories to turn it into an attack. This time they focused on <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Ohio-gov-aims-to-untangle-job-training-programs-4068077.php">a story</a> from the San Francisco Chronicle about comments Governor Kasich made at a meeting of the Executive Workforce Board.<br />
<br />
Let's take a look at <a href="http://www.plunderbund.com/2012/11/27/kasich-replacing-workforce-development-czar-with-25-member-panel/">their analysis</a> of the story.<br />
<blockquote>
On Monday, Kasich helped kick off the first meeting of Ohio’s Executive Workforce Board – a 25-member panel that appears to be charged with accomplishing the same exact tasks Frederick failed to accomplish.<br />
<br />
Remember when John Kasich, the supposed small government conservative, promised to eliminate red tape, simplify the way state government operates and help get Ohio moving at the “speed of business”?</blockquote>
Plunderbund intentionally makes it sound like Kasich replaced one man with a panel of 25, thus betraying small government conservatives.<br />
<br />
As usual, however, they aren't telling you the whole story.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rMiTVGIizLg/ULbYfi0LqWI/AAAAAAAACtc/WHy6JkKKTA0/s1600/1177472_plain_sunburst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rMiTVGIizLg/ULbYfi0LqWI/AAAAAAAACtc/WHy6JkKKTA0/s400/1177472_plain_sunburst.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
Kasich didn't appoint the board to replace Frederick. He did it because it is <a href="http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/6301"><i>required by law.</i></a> It's required for the state to be in compliance with federal law, passed under the Clinton administration as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workforce_Investment_Act_of_1998">Workforce Investment Act of 1998.</a><br />
<br />
There was a board under Ted Strickland's administration, too. As evidenced by the 400,000 jobs lost under his administration, they didn't accomplish anything. But since the creation of this board is <i>mandatory</i>, the Governor thinks one good purpose for them would be to streamline the 77 different worker training programs that are spread throughout 13 government agencies.<br />
<br />
If the Plunderpals think this is a bad thing, that's their problem. When they misrepresent the facts about it, then it's an entirely different story.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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Nick (aka Bytor)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15826772166599084105noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-37905744336985061672012-11-28T20:40:00.000-05:002012-11-28T21:25:16.764-05:00The Obama Plan: Tax Your Way to Prosperity<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Perhaps
the reason President Barack Obama does not understand how job creation works is
because he's never created a job. President Obama has never understood what it
takes for a small business to make payroll each week, refinance a line of
credit, or even prepare a set of financial statements. But somehow, he has
managed to become the CEO of the largest business in the world, the United
States of America. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">The
delusional reality that President Obama lives in is one of the most perplexing
situations. He thinks you can simply tax the rich and it will not affect the
middle class. What he seems to forget is that "the rich" are the job
creators and small business owners. When these business owners have less money
in their companies, they create fewer jobs.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Now,
it's pretty common knowledge that President Obama is only good at campaigning. Even
today, he was campaigning to</span> </span></span><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/28/republicans-question-whether-obama-is-selling-or-solving-on-fiscal-crisis/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">sell his tax hikes</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. <span style="color: black;">His public pitch,
from the White House, was made with "a backdrop of hand-picked,
middle-class voters".</span></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Meanwhile,
Republican leaders have tried in negotiations to solve the looming fiscal
crisis. Texas Senator John Cornyn and other Republican leaders are appealing to
the President to become more engaged in the negotiations. President Obama has
no public plan to reduce spending.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“All that Republicans are asking is to maintain
the current rates until we adopt real bipartisan tax reform,” Cornyn said in an
editorial Wednesday in the Dallas Morning News. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">The tax reform needs to include cuts to
entitlement spending. A good friend of mine said it best. "We are like a
guy with 26 maxed out credit cards, in default, squabbling with his wife over
which card we want to put the new car on."</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BI7sookyaxw/ULa61knxqmI/AAAAAAAAACk/7doYoTJGysU/s1600/Pile-of-Credit-Cards-0011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BI7sookyaxw/ULa61knxqmI/AAAAAAAAACk/7doYoTJGysU/s320/Pile-of-Credit-Cards-0011.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The equation is simple, Mr. President. If more people are employed, they pay taxes. And, they have more disposable income to purchase items and services, which also creates more jobs. Bottom line: More people need jobs. That is what the President should be concentrating on. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In Ohio, Governor Kasich and the Republican
legislature reduced spending without raising taxes. They have increased jobs
and pulled Ohio out of the ditch. If President Obama truly cared about the
middle class, he would be asking for a meeting with John Kasich on how to get
the country running again.</span></span></div>
<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10960665495601542367noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-61362786415209550102012-11-27T20:12:00.001-05:002012-11-27T20:12:36.898-05:00Sherrod Brown wants to extend unemployment benefits beyond 99 weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SXd0R7D113M/ULVkYsTpYRI/AAAAAAAACsM/Hbobwr-UgRQ/s1600/sherrod-brown-250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SXd0R7D113M/ULVkYsTpYRI/AAAAAAAACsM/Hbobwr-UgRQ/s320/sherrod-brown-250.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
Elections have consequences.<br />
<br />
Our consequence is that we are stuck with Sherrod Brown, arguably the Senate's most left-wing member, for another six years. And he's already exhibiting why he is a textbook liberal extremist.<br />
<br />
Sherrod Brown says paying a person not to work for almost <i>2 years</i> just isn't enough. We have to pay them not to work <a href="http://www.wdtn.com/dpp/news/ohio/ap_ohio/Jobless-benefits-to-end-for-55K-unemployed-Ohioans">for even longer.</a><br />
<blockquote>
The Columbus Dispatch reports workers who used up six months of state payments could get 73 more weeks of aid under a federal benefits program extended several times. <b>Some advocates want Congress to extend it again.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown wants an extension</b> included if Congress makes a deal to avoid the automatic tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff." His spokeswoman says too many Ohioans are still looking for work.</blockquote>
Not matter what the issue, Sherrod Brown's solution is always "more government spending."<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
I believe in reasonable safety nets, but two years of unemployment benefits is far too long. At some point, the program goes from being a safety net for people between jobs, to an incentive to just stay home and live off of the government dole.<br />
<br />
While many in Congress are trying to come to a compromise on a mix of spending cuts and tax policies that would increase revenue, Sherrod Brown is going his own way with a demand for MORE government spending.<br />
<br />
How did this guy ever get elected with such a <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/11/setting-record-straight-on-judicial.html">bad ballot name</a> anyway?<br />
<br />
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Nick (aka Bytor)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15826772166599084105noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-82630827039678613252012-11-27T13:27:00.000-05:002012-11-27T13:33:49.643-05:00Setting The Record Straight On The Judicial Name GameMuch has been made about the races for Ohio Supreme Court this past election, with a lot of focus paid to Name ID over substance. This past weekend, Ohio newspaper editorialists jumped into the fray.<br />
<br />
From the Columbus Dispatch’s <a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2012/11/25/1-voters-should-have-more-to-go-on-than-just-names.html">Joe Hallett</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Cupp and McGee Brown received “highly recommended” ratings from the Ohio State Bar Association. They are members of arguably the best Supreme Court Ohio has had in the past 30 years.</i><br />
<br />
<i>That didn’t matter. On Nov. 6, Ohio voters replaced them with two candidates blessed with Irish names. McGee Brown was defeated by Sharon Kennedy, a Republican domestic-relations judge who was rated “not recommended” by the state bar. Cupp was beaten by Democrat William O’Neill, a former state appellate judge who had been working as an emergency-room nurse.</i></blockquote>
And the Plain Dealer’s <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/11/voters_misjudgments_on_judges.html#incart_hbx">Brent Larkin</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>Republican Justice Robert Cupp was beaten by a Democrat with a far better ballot name: former appellate Judge William O'Neill. And Justice Yvette McGee Brown, a Democrat, failed to keep her seat as the high court's first black woman, losing to Butler County Common Pleas Judge Sharon Kennedy, a Republican. </i></blockquote>
<br />
<a name='more'></a>But while I can agree in the substance of their argument, anyone who lumps O’Neill and Kennedy together is either lazy, or lacking the judicial integrity to actually do some research. Yes, they both certainly benefited from great ballot names, but it seems everyone in the media is content overlooking one key component of judicial electoral victories:<br />
<br />
The actual campaign.<br />
<br />
Justice-elect O’Neill did next to nothing to advance his campaign, refused any and all monetary support from anyone—save having his name placed on Democrat slate cards—and <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/11/ladies-and-gentlemen-your-newest-ohio.html">has a history of running afoul</a> of the Disciplinary Counsel of the Ohio Supreme Court.<br />
<br />
How does someone like that get elected? <u><b>Name ID and nothing more</b></u>.<br />
<br />
As for Justice-elect Kennedy, all she did was <a href="http://www2.sos.state.oh.us/pls/cfonline/f?p=119:44:0::NO::P44_RP_ID,P44_LISTTYPE:123769972,simple">raise more money</a> than any candidate for the Ohio Supreme Court, other than her opponent. All she did was traverse the entire state, making appearances at every event in which she could take part. All she did was work her tail off, visiting every county in Ohio, and many of them more than just once.<br />
<br />
All she did was everything a successful candidate is asked to do—and she won.<br />
<br />
Did Name ID play a role? Almost certainly. But the Ohio Democratic Party’s <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/10/breaking-odp-chair-running-for-state.html">carpet-bagging chairman</a> and Ohio’s media would have us believe that Kennedy’s opponent was a poor victim in the race—that her name was no match for her opponent’s.<br />
<br />
But we’re not talking about Justice Yvette McGee <a href="http://quotebook.us/statements_aphorisms_quotes_about/Dollypoposkallius">Dollypoposkallius</a>. This is Justice <u><b>Yvette McGee </b><b>BROWN</b></u>. Another statewide Democrat candidate seemed to do alright with that name on Election Day…<br />
<br />
Not to mention the <b>two Ohio Governors</b>, <b>two Attorneys General</b>, <b>four Secretaries of State</b> and<b> four Lieutenant Governors</b> who all were elected in this state bearing the same last name.<br />
<br />
Justice Yvette McGee Brown cannot be a victim of the name game when she has a popular ballot name herself. Despite what Redfern and others would have us believe, Justice-elect Kennedy beat her with solid fundraising and a great grassroots campaign effort.<br />
<br />
That’s how campaigns are won.<br />
<br />
Democrats can whine and moan or try to fumble for excuses, but at the end of the day, they got outworked in the Brown-Kennedy race. And they were the only party that took an election based exclusively on the judicial name game.GOHPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074117622374712474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-35000482923851638062012-11-21T10:58:00.000-05:002012-11-21T11:06:40.216-05:00Looking Ahead To 2014: Kasich Leads Weak Field Of DemocratsElection Day 2012 was just two weeks ago, and it seems like all everyone is talking about is Election Day 2014. The voting machines have yet to cool down, but speculation on who Democrats will run against Governor John Kasich is all over the news.<br />
<br />
From the bumbling failure that is <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/09/dems-pick-perfect-speaker-in-former-gov.html">Ted Strickland</a> and that laughable <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/05/say-hello-to-congressman-moonbeam.html">Congressman Moonbeam</a> <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2012/04/rep_tim_ryan_considering_a_run.html">Tim Ryan</a>, to the <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2012/11/ed_fitzgerald_possible_2014_ri.html#incart_river">angry</a> man continuing <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/10/ed-fitzgerand-just-another-corrupt.html">the corrupt politics of Cuyahoga County</a>, Ed Fitzgerald, Democrats have an array of dreadful prospects to challenge Governor Kasich.<br />
<br />
But that hasn't stopped Democrat Chairman Chris "<a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/10/breaking-odp-chair-running-for-state.html">I Don't Live In My House District</a>" Redfern from touting a liberal polling firm's assessment that Democrats are just one point behind Kasich in a <a href="http://www.politifact.com/ohio/statements/2012/nov/14/chris-redfern/chris-redfern-says-poll-shows-support-nameless-dem/">hypothetical 2014 matchup</a>.<br />
<br />
It was just great to see PolitiFact Ohio, the <a href="http://ohio.mediatrackers.org/2012/11/15/politifact-ohio-continues-to-discredit-self/">intellectually dishonest</a> "fact checker," report on the poll, with their hack-job analysis proving their either incompetent or actually advancing Democrat talking points.<br />
<br />
Maybe both.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Though the poll in question does have Kasich one point ahead of an unnamed Democrat, the "analysis" dismisses not only the growing number of <a href="http://polltracker.talkingpointsmemo.com/contests/john-kasich-job-approval-oh">polls that show Kasich's approval increasing</a>, but also the statistics of <a href="http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_ReleaseOHVA_1104.pdf">the actual poll itself</a>. We get it--it's easy when you just look at the top line of the poll--but that's not journalism.<br />
<br />
Just looking at the election we had two weeks ago sheds light on the potential challenges Democrats face come 2014. Obama's <a href="http://polltracker.talkingpointsmemo.com/contests/obama-job-approval-oh">aggregate approval in Ohio</a> was roughly +2.5% when voters cast their ballots, reelecting him by a 2% margin. Kasich's approval rating currently sits at nearly +13%. Using voter logic from 2012, that translates into a 10% reelection victory.<br />
<br />
That's certainly not a one-point gap.<br />
<br />
And of course the analysis forgets to mention why a nameless Democrat does so well--it's nameless. Democrats have a very, very weak field of candidates interested in the job. Probably the one populist candidate who stood the best chance was <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/04/cordray-isolated.html">shunned</a> from the party by <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2011/02/ohio-democrat-chairman-chris-redfern.html">Pirate-in-Chief</a> Chris Redfern.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8lkJGXfJZX8/UKztqUmgYVI/AAAAAAAAANA/qi1yW1_jlr0/s1600/redfern-pirate-cordray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8lkJGXfJZX8/UKztqUmgYVI/AAAAAAAAANA/qi1yW1_jlr0/s320/redfern-pirate-cordray.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
And as <a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/11/05/next-up-fight-over-same-sex-marriage.html">the Dispatch reported</a>, Democrats themselves really aren't all too enthusiastic about any of their options:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If you want a real question mark with voters, ask which Democrat interested in opposing Kasich in two years would make the best governor. The man Kasich beat in 2010, Ted Strickland, is a weak favorite, with support from 22 percent. <br />
<br />
Next is former Ohio attorney general — and now federal consumer czar — Richard Cordray, with 11 percent. Lagging badly are Cuyahoga County Executive Ed Fitzgerald, with 4 percent, and Youngstown-area Congressman Tim Ryan, with 3 percent.<i></i><br />
<br />
And <u><b>61 percent say they don’t know which Democrat would make the best governor</b></u> [Emphasis mine].</blockquote>
The walking-talking recession Governor, Ted Strickland, can only pull 22%, while no one other than the rejected Cordray can muster even 5% support. Against Governor Kasich's average approval of 51.6%, it seems like Democrats have a pretty large difference to make up.<br />
<br />
That's certainly not a one-point gap.<br />
<br />
Of course, that doesn't even take into consideration the <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/09/kasich-fundraising-way-ahead-of.html">immense funding advantage Kasich already enjoys</a>--and without having committed seriously to the effort as of yet. Strickland has a few dollars, but unless Ryan can squeeze dollars from raisins, or Fitzgerald takes some <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/corruption-currents/2012/07/31/dimora-gets-28-years-in-prison/">criminal advice</a> from his fellow Cuyahoga political pals, how do any of them mount a serious challenge in 2014?<br />
<br />
And then there's the numbers, which <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/10/kasichs-approval-carrying-weight-in-ohio.html">we've highlighted before</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
According to <a href="http://media.cleveland.com/open_impact/other/monday_pollmenu.pdf">the
new Ohio Newspaper Poll</a>, Governor Kasich is getting the job done,
earning the approval of 56% of Ohioans. And that number comes not only
from Republican allies, but from almost every demographic:<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7743530438680774250" name="more"></a>
<br />
<ul>
<li>60% approval among Independents.</li>
<li>54% approval in liberal Northeast Ohio.</li>
<li>34% approval among, wait for it... <i>Democrats</i>.</li>
</ul>
That's right, over a third of the Democrat party approves of the job
Governor Kasich is doing. And that's not even the end of it, as Kasich
has made substantial headway with traditional Democrat voting blocs:<br />
<ul>
<li>53% approval among women.</li>
<li>28% approval among African-Americans.</li>
<li>64% approval among those ages 18 to 29.</li>
</ul>
So does Kasich deserve another term? A whopping 52% of likely voters
think so, compared to just 37% who say no. And if you remove the
party-line Democrats from the mix, that number falls to a measly 10% who
think Kasich shouldn't be reelected. Heck even a<u><b> quarter of the
Democrat party--27% to be exact--thinks Kasich deserves a second term</b></u>.</blockquote>
What's really bizarre is the fact that those numbers came from <a href="http://media.cleveland.com/open_impact/other/monday_pollmenu.pdf">a poll done by the Cleveland Plain Dealer</a>, and yet their PolitiFact team ignored them. Maybe the staff at the PD might want to work on their inter-office communication skills. <br />
<br />
But even the liberal PPP poll shows Kasich's strength, despite the 43% Democrat sample:<br />
<ul>
<li>Against a nameless Democrat, Kasich's even with women.</li>
<li>Against a nameless Democrat, Kasich takes 14% of the vote from Democrats</li>
<li>Against a nameless Democrat, Kasich wins every age demographic, except the youth vote.</li>
</ul>
And I'm willing to bet once young Ohioans start finding jobs, they'll be much more willing to thank Governor Kasich for his efforts in <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2011/12/plain-dealer-notices-that-kasich-is.html">helping to attract businesses who create jobs in this state</a>.<br />
<br />
But probably the most telling statistic is Kasich's support among Independent voters. He's +8% in that category, even by PPP's liberal standards. They had Romney at +2%.<br />
<br />
The fun part? Romney won Ohio's Independent voters by 10%. PPP undershot Romney by 8% among Independents in a year where Democrats demagogued every fiber of his being with hundreds of millions of dollars. It's impossible to tell what Kasich's actual advantage with Independents is, but +15% or more isn't a far stretch, given what we know from PPP's projections versus the actual results last Election Day.<br />
<br />
That's certainly not a one-point gap.<br />
<br />
All of this adds up to Kasich being one elected official Democrats are none-too-keen to face come 2014. Unless Ohio's economy tanks--<a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2010/05/hallett-is-wrong-ted-strickland-is.html">like it did under Strickland</a>--Governor Kasich's prospects for reelection are looking pretty darn good.<br />
<br />
That being said, nothing is a guarantee. We never have and never will be arrogant enough to etch any victory in stone, or say that our candidate will win by +20%, especially this far out. But with the way he's polling in key demographics, and with an approval rating on the rise, Governor Kasich is in a great spot for reelection come 2014, and in a better position than any potential Democrat challenger.<br />
<br />
And not by just one-point.GOHPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074117622374712474noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-10722267951062368982012-11-16T08:50:00.001-05:002012-11-16T08:50:53.822-05:00Ohio Unemployment Falls, Continues To Outpace National RateThe October unemployment rate for the Buckeye State was <a href="http://jfs.ohio.gov/RELEASES/unemp/201211/unemppressrelease.asp">released this morning</a>, and it comes in a full 1% lower than the national rate:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Ohio's unemployment rate was 6.9 percent in October, down from 7.1 percent in September, according to data released this morning by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). Ohio's nonfarm wage and salary <u><b>employment increased 13,900</b></u> over the month...</i><br />
<br />
<i>The U.S. unemployment rate for October was 7.9 percent, up from 7.8 percent in September... </i>[Emphasis mine]</blockquote>
Ohio's rate has continued to outpace the national rate ever since voters replaced failed Governor Strickland back in November 2010. And with last Tuesday's election results, it's crucial now more than ever to have strong state leadership. <br />
<br />
When Obama's policies <a href="http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000129180&play=1">start costing jobs</a> right and left, it's those leaders that will keep Ohio's economy moving. GOHPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074117622374712474noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-77379588393355582102012-11-14T21:36:00.002-05:002012-11-14T21:37:23.252-05:00Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Newest Ohio Supreme Court JusticeIt's one thing to lose a distinguished, experienced and knowledgeable jurist like Justice Robert Cupp. It's another completely to not only lose him, but have him replaced by an unqualified, ill-equipped former judge turned nurse.<br />
<br />
But that's who you elected, Ohio. Ladies and Gentlemen, Ohio Supreme Court Justice-elect Bill O'Neill.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4d/William_oneill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4d/William_oneill.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a>For those who are unfamiliar with our newest justice--having voted for him because of his familiar ballot name over the more qualified Justice Cupp--he's erratic, prone to rambling, and was investigated back in 2004 by the Disciplinary Counsel of the Ohio Supreme Court for potential violations of the judicial ethics canons. Plainly put, his election was solely based on a good ballot name, and had nothing to do with his judicial qualifications.<br />
<br />
But O'Neill doesn't seem to see it that way. On his website, <a href="http://www.oneillforjustice.com/the-name-game">he responded to the criticism</a>, crediting the Democratic party and special interests (you know, <a href="http://dispatchpolitics.dispatch.com/content/blogs/the-daily-briefing/2012/11/3-november-2012---osba-chides-oneill.html">the ones he seems to rail against</a>):</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Organized labor and the Ohio Democratic Party delivered the vote for the Irish team of O’Neill and Obama. It is that simple."</i></blockquote>
<div>
<b>The Irish team of O'Neill and Obama? Really?</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In case our newest justice would like a lesson in "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG_OezlTZ1A">nameology</a>," our President's <a href="http://www.alarabiya.net/views/2008/03/05/46508.html">surname</a> is a derivation from Swahili and refers to members of the Luo tribe in Africa who converted to Islam. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Dear Justice-elect O'Neill: President Barack Hussein Obama is not Irish.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How did we elect this guy?!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Having President Obama in the Oval Office and Senator Sherrod Brown returning to Congress is bad enough, but to have this guy sitting on our state's highest court is an embarrassment. </div>
GOHPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074117622374712474noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-48491815679338443672012-11-09T11:56:00.001-05:002012-11-09T11:56:43.038-05:00Stay Classy, DemocratsIn the aftermath of Governor Mitt Romney's loss on Tuesday, there's been numerous things said about the now-failed GOP presidential candidate, with many supporters of the President finally admitting that Romney is a pretty "classy" guy. The President himself <a href="http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/11/07/after-winning-re-election-obama-thanked-romney-then-called-clinton">even said so</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<i>There were just four people in the room when Obama received the call from Romney: the president, campaign manager Jim Messina and senior advisers David Axelrod and David Plouffe. </i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<i>The President expressed satisfaction that it was a “very classy” gesture in terms of how Romney handled the call.</i></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
It sure is nice that Democrats think Romney's a nice guy, now that the elections are over. But where was that civility during the campaign?<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<i><b><a href="http://nation.foxnews.com/cnn/2012/08/08/even-cnn-calls-obama-s-killer-romney-ad-big-fat-lie">Where was the civility</a></b></i> when Romney was called a murderer?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<i><b><a href="http://twitchy.com/2012/10/25/wow-president-classy-obama-tells-rolling-stone-that-romney-is-a-bullshitter/">Where was the civility</a></b></i> when the President called Romney a bulls****er?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<i><b><a href="http://www.lifenews.com/2012/09/25/planned-parenthood-begins-3-5m-ad-campaign-attacking-romney/">Where was the civility</a></b></i> when Obama supporters implied Romney wanted women to get cancer?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<i><b><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/2chambers/post/harry-reid-mitt-romney-didnt-pay-taxes-for-10-years/2012/07/31/gJQADXkSNX_blog.html">Where was the civility</a></b></i> when Democrat Senator Harry Reid called Romney a tax cheat?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<i><b><a href="http://twitchy.com/2012/08/29/war-on-women-i-want-to-murder-ann-romney-left-hurls-misogynist-hate-death-threats-at-multiple-gop-women/">Where was the civility</a></b></i> when liberals called for the death of Ann Romney?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
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<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
The list goes on and on, but the point remains: <u><b>Democrats only care for civility when it fits their agenda</b></u>. The rest of the time, they're content misrepresenting the truth and throwing barbs.</div>
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Though on the plus side, at least Democrats didn't <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/11/dead-pig-wrapped-in-mitt-romney-t-shirt-found-at-gop-office.html">dump a dead pig wrapped in a Romney shirt at a GOP campaign office</a>...</div>
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<i>Oh, wait... </i></div>
GOHPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074117622374712474noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-15442204905946278752012-11-08T13:00:00.003-05:002012-11-08T13:00:57.989-05:00Ohio Election Wrap-upThe results out of the election were bad, but not completely so. Here are some good things for Ohio Republicans to take out of 2012:<br />
<br />
- Republicans still hold a large majority in the Ohio House, 60-39. ODP Chairman Chris Redfern will return to his seat representing the 89th district, <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/10/odp-chairman-chris-redfern-changes-his.html">even though he doesn't live there.</a> He is expected to be the minority leader, and a small minority it will be.<br />
<br />
- Republicans also still maintain a super-majority in the Ohio Senate, outnumbering Democrats 23-10.<br />
<br />
- The Ohio delegation to Congress is 12 Republicans to 4 Democrats. Come 2013, Betty Sutton and Dennis Kucinich will no longer represent Ohioans in the U.S. House of Representatives.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
- Sharon Kennedy was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court, defeating extreme left-wing Strickland appointee Yvette McGee Brown. This was a great win, but unfortunately it is tempered by the defeat of Robert Cupp by <a href="http://truthaboutbilloneill.com/">rapist sympathizer</a> William O'Neill.<br />
<br />
- The defeat of Issue 2. Ohioans weren't fooled by Big Labor's attempted power grab and soundly rejected their misguided redistricting scheme.<br />
<br />
Finally, Governor Kasich's approval rating is in positive territory, 52-39 according to an <a href="http://polltracker.talkingpointsmemo.com/contests/john-kasich-job-approval-oh">average of recent polls</a> as of this writing. We'll be sure to see Ohio Democrats focus their attention on him now and attempt to tear those numbers down. But if Ohio continues to see job growth outpace the nation as a whole, as has been the case during his tenure, he should be a tough man to beat in 2014.<br />
<br />
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Nick (aka Bytor)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15826772166599084105noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-1456072732364415402012-11-07T21:50:00.000-05:002012-11-07T22:13:42.895-05:00This One Was On UsWhether we like it or not, Ohio went blue yesterday. President Barack Obama will get another four years in the Oval Office. The result left many wondering what went wrong, so that Romney would not only lose, but lose by a significant electoral college margin. So what happened?<br />
<br />
We didn't show up. That's right, this one was on us. And the sad part is, we had a path to victory, and just didn't take it.<br />
<br />
Democrats even lent us a hand. In the 16 counties won by President Obama, <a href="http://www2.sos.state.oh.us/pls/enrpublic/f?p=212:52:1235990576271503::NO:::">turnout</a> was down a whopping 210,000 from the overall turnout in those counties in 2008. That alone should have been enough to erase any Obama lead.<br />
<br />
But we didn't take advantage of it, as turnout was down almost 125,000 from 2008 in counties won by Romney. Democrats spotted us 85,000 votes... and we did diddly-squat with it. And while Democrats will tout that their turnout advantage--another historical high on top of their 2008 high-water mark--it wouldn't have held if we'd had just shown up to the polls.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApxqK-hjJIr5dG8xMmxteThqc3VRbm5zc0VIai1DMkE">We measured Romney's performance</a> against turnout from 2008, and had the GOP gone to the polls, Romney would have taken his 2012 deficit of 107,000 and turned it into a lead of over 60,000 votes. We didn't need to do anything special--no massive turnout reminiscent of 2004, and no need to match Democrat turnout like in 2010.<br />
<br />
All we had to do was show up.<br />
<br />
Our <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/11/final-polls-romney-poised-for-victory.html">final poll analysis</a> showed Romney was poised for victory:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>What's even more troublesome for the President is that only if Democrats
turnout at their 2008 levels does he lead Romney. <u><b>Even a
one-point shift to Republicans gives the edge to the Romney</b></u>,
taking the race from 48.3% Obama, 46.7% Romney to 47.6% Romney, 47.5%
Obama.</i></blockquote>
We said for months the polls were skewed. Yesterday proved that they were, but only those forecasting +40% Democrat turnout. Other than that, they were spot on. Independents broke toward Romney by 10%. We didn't need to match Democrat enthusiasm--we just had to get out and vote at our less-than-excited 2008 levels.<br />
<br />
We failed, and Obama carried Ohio. Granted, Romney needed more than Ohio's 18 electoral votes for it to matter overall, but a victory nationwide needed to start with a victory here at home.<br />
<br />
Ultimately we need to own this one, learn from it, and move on with the knowledge that we cannot rest on our laurels and expect to come out on the winning end. Arrogant or not, Democrats are already looking toward 2014, where our statewide officials will be on the ballot. Given Governor Kasich's immense popularity in the state, <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/10/kasichs-approval-carrying-weight-in-ohio.html">particularly among Democrats</a>, he could survive a repeat of last night, but others might not be so fortunate.<br />
<br />
Let's not give Democrats the opportunity. This one was on us. Next time, we'll be ready.GOHPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074117622374712474noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-66015208812779120012012-11-07T10:31:00.003-05:002012-11-07T10:31:21.658-05:00Democrats Showing Ignorance, HubrisWhile many of us continue to comb through the results from last night, it seems Democrats are already turning their attention on 2014, showing not only their ignorance, but also a tremendous amount of hubris.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QWOaj9__U8M/UJp2PKngR4I/AAAAAAAAAMs/EFsFLulWHz8/s1600/DemHubris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QWOaj9__U8M/UJp2PKngR4I/AAAAAAAAAMs/EFsFLulWHz8/s320/DemHubris.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Karen Kasler, via <a href="https://twitter.com/karenkasler/status/266037285164826624/photo/1">Twitter</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a name='more'></a>One, I can't believe they actually had these things printed up. It's one thing to wave around dumb hand-written signs; it's another to have printed materials.<br />
<br />
Two, Democrats are really bad at math. Given the current national debt or the $8 billion hole left by our last Democrat governor, this shouldn't be much of a surprise.<br />
<br />
Perhaps they forgot that <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/10/kasichs-approval-carrying-weight-in-ohio.html"><b>Governor Kasich's approval sits at 56%</b></a>? Or that a whopping <u><b>27% of Democrats would vote Kasich a second term</b></u>? Even given yesterday's enormous Democrat turnout, Kasich's numbers have him up 14% on any potential Democrat challenger.<br />
<br />
Despite the policies coming out of Washington that are <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/10/president-obama-doesnt-support-small.html">strangling small-business owners</a> and <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-obamabrown-war-on-coal-causing.html">killing coal jobs</a>, Governor Kasich is moving Ohio in a positive direction. Perhaps Democrats would do well to consider the facts before spouting off about 2014. <br />
<br />GOHPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074117622374712474noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-33540702919436575792012-11-06T23:37:00.001-05:002012-11-06T23:37:44.695-05:00Ohio puts Obama over the topObviously a disappointing night.<br />
<br />
There were a lot of encouraging signs for our side, but the Obama turnout machine did its job well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-umPuky-5VvU/UJnljgWrJgI/AAAAAAAACq0/cqdFpastG-M/s1600/Obama-partye-time.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="305" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-umPuky-5VvU/UJnljgWrJgI/AAAAAAAACq0/cqdFpastG-M/s400/Obama-partye-time.jpeg" /></a></div><br />
It's really scary to me that we are looking at trillion dollar deficits every year without end. This is completely unsustainable and we are on the road to Greece.<br />
<br />
Also frightening is the flexibility we will soon be demonstrating to Russian thugs.<br />
<br />
We'll keep fighting, and soon turn to keeping you updated on the 2014 races, which of course include the reelection campaign for Governor Kasich.<br />
<br />
Good night, folks.<br />
<br />
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<div class="fb-like-box" data-header="false" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/ThirdBasePolitics" data-show-faces="false" data-stream="false" data-width="292"></div>Nick (aka Bytor)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15826772166599084105noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-85224553157325712392012-11-06T19:37:00.001-05:002012-11-06T20:12:35.650-05:00Democrats Sending Unsolicited Campaign MessagesWhether they're <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/11/classless-democrat-tactics-continue.html">painting profanity displayed on public roadways</a>, or <a href="http://thirdbasepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/11/obama-supporter-in-summit-earns-visit.html">throwing coffee on Romney volunteers</a>, Democrats seem to think breaking the law is a good campaign strategy. Having just received a tip from a reader, it looks like our liberal friends are sending unsolicited text messages as well:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h0MLLT5n1xQ/UJmr_jb-dKI/AAAAAAAAAME/bc2dMBKXtfY/s1600/ScreenshotText.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h0MLLT5n1xQ/UJmr_jb-dKI/AAAAAAAAAME/bc2dMBKXtfY/s320/ScreenshotText.png" width="180" /></a></div>
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Luckily, this particular voter had a sense of humor about it. However, how the Obama campaign obtained his cell phone number remains a mystery. Perhaps the Obama campaign would like to be reminded of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act? <br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<b><u>UPDATE</u></b>: Apparently our reader wanted to provoke a response. He was unsuccessful, but thought we'd share his humorous conversation:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0pX14FRa-Wg/UJm1X3Gm8SI/AAAAAAAAAMY/nojfcAQXTNQ/s1600/AllTextConvo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0pX14FRa-Wg/UJm1X3Gm8SI/AAAAAAAAAMY/nojfcAQXTNQ/s400/AllTextConvo.png" width="125" /></a></div>
<br />GOHPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08074117622374712474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-14102950078001521042012-11-06T18:50:00.000-05:002012-11-06T19:08:07.607-05:00Guess what, the ODP is blowing it in Cuyahoga County. Again.You likely won't remember, but in 2010 this blog reported about the underwhelming turnout in Cuyahoga County and its effect on the Ohio governor's race.<br />
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<br />
Well, it's happening again.<br />
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Not too long ago, the Ohio Democratic Party showed their first sign of desperation in a tweet - calling out NE Ohio and begging for higher turnout.<br />
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<div class="stream-item-header" style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14.4444px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17.9815px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="7392352" href="http://twitter.com/OHDems" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="color: #999999; font-size: 12px;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">OHDems</b></span></a></div>
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Don't regret today! We need your help RIGHT NOW to boost turnout in NE Ohio and put Dems over the edge </div>
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<br />
Why the call out?<br />
<a href="http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2012/11/cuyahoga_county_board_of_elect.html#incart_river" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2012/11/cuyahoga_county_board_of_elect.html#incart_river" target="_blank">Because in-person voting in Cuyahoga was just at 23% at 5:00pm</a>.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Let's look at the numbers.<br />
Data from the Secretary of State showed 253,000 early votes already cast in Cuyahoga County. <br />
<br />
23% of in-person voting using total registered Cuyahoga County voters from 2008 would be 255,595 votes for a total of around 508,000 votes.<br />
<br />
In 2008, Cuyahoga ended up casting a little more than 678,000 votes.<br />
<br />
That means that as of 5:00pm, <b>Cuyahoga County is approximately 170,000 votes short of its 2008 total.</b><br />
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The best part? Reports are that suburban Cuyahoga is overperforming right now, so things may be even worse than these terrible numbers appear.<br />
<br />
Ohio Democrat Party Chairman Chris Redfern. You blew it. <br />
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SamAdamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00720259394844970376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743530438680774250.post-14663782408708688972012-11-06T17:49:00.001-05:002012-11-06T19:07:18.213-05:00So, what the heck is going on out there?While we do expect some exit polling to be less than ideal, the real numbers on the ground are looking about as well as we could have hoped.<br />
<br />
Turnout is heavy in red counties and underperforming in blue counties.<br />
<br />
Rich Lowry from NRO <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/332771/data-romney-campaign-looking-rich-lowry" target="_blank">has the rundown</a>:<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">Absentee and early vote activity is over 17 percent higher in counties McCain won than counties Obama won, compared to 2008.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">Turnout is higher in counties and media markets McCain carried in ’08 than in counties and markets Obama carried.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">There are 34 counties in<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Ohio<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>that John McCain won where absentee and early vote turnout is over 120 percent of 2008. There are only 9 counties where Obama won four years ago where this is the case.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">@HotlineJosh: Overall, early vote turnout OH up 2.44% in state. Down -4.1% in Obama/Kerry counties; up 14.39% in Bush/McCain counties.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #333333;"><a name='more'></a>GOP county turnout up</span></span></b></b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">·<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i><i>Plain Dealer:</i></i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.cleveland.com/west-geauga/index.ssf/2012/11/geauga_election_chief_predicts.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Geauga election chief predicts 80 percent voter turnout today</a></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.4pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">·<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Geauga<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>County<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>early vote was 125% more than 2008 early vote</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.4pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">· McCain won<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Geauga<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>County<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>with 57% and Bush got 60% in ‘04</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #333333;">Dem county turnout down</span></span></b></b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">·<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i><i>WOUB:</i></i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://woub.org/2012/11/06/athens-county-election-officials-morning-voter-turn-out-low" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Athens County Election Officials: Morning Voter Turn Out Low</a></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.4pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">·<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Athens<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>County<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>early vote was 10% less than 2008 early vote</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">· Obama won<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Athens<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>County<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>with 67%</span></span></div>
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