Dirty (Illegal?) Dealings in Ohio Governor's Race

Have you been watching the race for Governor in Ohio? John Kasich (R) is up at least ten points over Ted Strickland (D).

Large Democratic leaning counties have mailed ballots to all eligible voters and they're paying for return postage. Many counties aren't sending them out and / or aren't paying return postage.

Lawsuits are in motion.

It could be a tough case if counties in Ohio usually do their own thing when it comes to elections. Some counties won't be able to afford to pick up the tab for two-way mailing.

Four people have filed suit saying its unfair, pretty much "why should I have to pay or request a ballot when my neighbor across the street doesn't because he's in another county". I think one of the people filing is disabled and unable to get out to vote.

I'm just skimming articles, sharing the gist of what I'm reading urge you to do some more reading to get the details.

It seems sneaky, underhanded and to my way of thinking it should be illegal. No problems with disabled or those who are going out of town or whatever, getting an absentee ballot. However, I think if someone doesn't care enough to get an absentee ballot, they shouldn't vote, have that right handed to them on a silver platter.

Here are a few article links if you'd like to get more details and follow the issue:

http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/09/05/copy/gop-resurgent.html?adsec=politics&sid=101

http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/ohio-news/lawsuit-challenges-ohio-absentee-ballot-methods-896406.html?cxtype=rss_ohio-news

http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20100904/NEWS01/9040310/1002/Lawsuit-decries-Ohio-absentee-ballot-process

Looks like all the rest of the stories I'm finding are (AP) repeats...

Handel’s Online Petition Opposing Obama Justice Department Gets Over 6,000 Signatures in 48 Hours

We posted this elsewhere on one of our "political" blogs, but it is SO important I wanted to do it again on "my" blog. This has far-reaching implications and we all need to get involved, voice our opposition, and work to keep this issue in the forefront. I've included the original press release at the end of the e-Update from Karen Handel's campaign (Georgia Governor):

E-Update: June 5th, 2009

When President Obama’s Justice Department told Georgia over the weekend that it could no longer verify the citizenship of voters going to the polls, Karen Handel sprang into action. She exposed the Obama plan and revealed that it would allow groups like ACORN to actively find and register illegal aliens to vote in Georgia elections.

Karen took to the airwaves and the Internet to rally opposition to the Obama plan. She appeared on Fox and Friends, the Regular Guys and Herman Cain radio programs, as well as radio and TV news stations across Georgia.

She even started an online petition with the goal of getting 10,000 signatures of Americans who opposed this terrible plan and want to have their voices heard in Washington.

In the first 48 hours, more than 6,000 signed that petition, and Karen is well on her way to the 10,000 signature goal. If you have not signed the petition, please do so now, and be sure to forward this email along to your neighbors, friends and family members. If this progress continues, our voices will be heard.

Please help us tell the Obama Administration that only U.S. citizens should be voting in Georgia by signing the petition today.

Leading conservative activists, columnists and publications have joined Karen's fight for the integrity of our elections. Below are just a few of the stories that have run nationally this week:

The Democrats Are Already Winning the 2010 Elections — Which Is What Happens When the Justice Department Is Really Politicized
National Review, June 3, 2009
Justice Dept. shifts on voting, deportation
The Washington Times, June 4, 2009
Justice Dept. Rejects Ga. Prevote Citizenship Checks
The Wall Street Journal, June 1, 2009

Please join Karen Handel's fight for the integrity of our elections by signing the petition today.

JMac - Here are a blog on the subject and the original press release on the issue:

Obama continues to erode election integrity
Over and over I hear people saying that things are going to get so bad that by the time the 2010 and / or 2012 elections roll around the voters will put Republicans back in control. If not in control, then at least there will be sufficient Republican numbers elected to mitigate Obama's actions...

Obama Justice Department Decision Will Allow Non-Citizens to Register to Vote in Georgia
Decision Bars Georgia From Continuing Voter Verification Process

Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel issued the following statement following the U.S. Department of Justice’s denial of preclearance of Georgia’s voter verification process:

“The decision by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to deny preclearance of Georgia’s already implemented citizenship verification process shows a shocking disregard for the integrity of our elections. With this decision, DOJ has now barred Georgia from continuing the citizenship verification program that DOJ lawyers helped to craft. DOJ’s decision also nullifies the orders of two federal courts directing Georgia to implement the procedure for the 2008 general election. The decision comes seven months after Georgia requested an expedited review of the preclearance submission....

Toomey isn't going to take on Arlen Specter

Yesterday at the Fayette County (GA) Republican Convention a friend and I were discussing Pennsylvania Republican Arlen Specter's defection from the Republican Party and conservative values. It seems he's going to have a tough election next year and he'll be depending on true conservative Republican's to come out and support him. Well, if he votes for the stimulus, I think he can kiss what's left of that support goodbye.

If a good solid conservative Republican runs against him, I'm going to send a donation and do whatever I can to help him or her unseat Specter.

My friend, Jane, mentioned that Pat Toomey had run against Specter in the last election and probably would have won if not for the Party's support of their friend.

I think with Michael Steele at the helm of the RNC we'll see less "good old boy's club" politics and more support for those who walk the walk.

I took a look this morning to see if Toomey might be willing to try again. Seems he's going to run for Governor and won't be trying to unseat Specter. I'm going to keep my eye on Specter's race.

The Republican Party is making strides to get back on track. I think it took this recent election to really shake things up and make some realize they'd strayed from the principles that the Party is built upon. I also think that the grassroots needs to be more involved in all critical elections, not just those in our neck of the woods.

Toomey not taking on Specter

Allentown Morning Call's Josh Drobnyk has the scoop that Club for Growth president Pat Toomey is exploring a run for governor of Pennsylvania, and has decided against taking on Sen. Arlen Specter in a GOP primary:

Former Lehigh Valley Congressman Pat Toomey has begun formally exploring a run for governor, setting up a meeting with area GOP donors as he assesses his potential candidacy in 2010.

Toomey, president of the anti-tax group The Club for Growth, is scheduled to sit down with several influential and deep-pocketed Lehigh Valley Republicans in early February to “discuss his thinking of a possible gubernatorial run,” according to an e-mail invitation sent out Friday on behalf of Arcadia Properties founder Richard Thulin.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/0109/Toomey_not_taking_on_Specter.html

"Stimulus" Stats...

Contact every Senator, the Governor (stories are out saying Republican Governors are pressuring Congress to vote yes so they'll get their share of the money). If you think the so-called "stimulus package" is good for America, read the following excerpts from an article in the Canadian Free Press (http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/8006):

Alan Reynolds at the Wall Street Journal also tells us the stimulus package doesn’t even target the groups hardest hit by unemployment.

The December unemployment rate was only 2.3% for government workers and 3.8% in education and health. Unemployment rates in manufacturing and construction, by contrast, were 8.3% and 15.2% respectively. Yet 39% of the $550 billion in the bill would go to state and local governments. Another 17.3% would go to health and education—sectors where relatively secure government jobs are also prevalent. If the intent of the plan is to alleviate unemployment, why spend over half of the money on sectors where unemployment is lowest?

Here's a list of some of the things included in the "stimulus" package:

Global Warming

$2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects Link
$400 million for global-warming research Link

Government Upgrades

$2.5 billion for the National Science Foundation Link
$2.0 billion for the National Park Service Link
$800 million for AMTRAK Link
$650 million for the U.S. Forest Service Link
$600 million for NASA Link
$276 million to the State Department to upgrade and modernize its information technology Link
$150 million for maintenance work at the Smithsonian Institution Link
$209 million for maintenance work for the Federal Agricultural Research Service Link
$44 million for repairs and improvements at the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the Department of Agriculture Link
$245 million to upgrade the information technology of the Farm Service Agency Link
The Coast Guard wants more than $572 million for “Acquisition, Construction, & Improvements” They claim these funds will create 1,235 new jobs. Crunch the numbers and this brings the cost of “creating” each job to a staggering $460,000+ Link
$200 million for Dep. of Defense to acquire alternative energy vehicles. Link
$600 million for new cars for the federal government Link
$200 million to re-sod the National Mall Link
$400 million for a new Social Security Administration computer system Link
$1.9 billion for the Energy Department for “basic research into the physical sciences Link

Schools

$66B on education, but they specifically exclude private K-12 schools from getting one dime of it. Link
$17 billion for Pell Grants Link
$13 billion in IDEA, Part B State grants to help pay for “the excess costs of providing special education and related services to children with disabilities. Link
$13 billion in Title I grants “to provide extra academic support to help raise the achievement of students at risk of educational failure or to help all students in high-poverty schools meet challenging State academic standards Link
$6 billion goes to college and universities Link
$3.5 billion for higher education facilities. Link
$2.1 billion is for Head Start Link
$1 billion for Technology Education Link
$250-million for an after-school snack program. Link

Social Programs

$87 billion is to be spent on Medicaid, a welfare program already costing roughly $400 billion per year Link
$83 billion for the earned income credit for people who don’t pay income tax Link
$36 billion for expanded unemployment benefits Link
$20 billion for increased food stamps, including lifting restrictions on how long welfare dependents can receive food stamp benefits. Link
$6 billion program to “weatherize modest-income homes Link
$5 billion is devoted to public housing Link
$3 billion for health care prevention and wellness programs, such as childhood immunizations and other state and local public health programs Link
$2 billion is to be spent on Child Care Development Block Grants, which provide day care. Link
$1.7 billion is to be spent to help the homeless Link
$1.1 billion for so-called federal comparative effectiveness research in regard to health-care services Link
$1 billion goes for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program, to help low income families pay their heating bills Link
$500 million to speed the processing of applications for Social Security disability claims. Link
$200 million goes for senior nutrition programs, such as Meals on Wheels Link
$200 million for AmeriCorps, to help satisfy “increased demand for services for vulnerable populations to meet critical needs in communities across the U.S. Link
$120 million to finance part-time work for seniors in community service agencies. Link
$100 million to reduce lead-based paint hazards for children in low income housing Link

MISC

New Programs $136 billion of the bill is for unproven ideas—to start 32 new federal programs. Link
$79 billion is to go the states to maintain their runaway government spending, particularly for such spendthrift jurisdictions as California, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts Link
$5.2 billion for ACORN, the left-leaning nonprofit group under federal investigation for massive voter fraud. Link “Community organizers,” such as the left-wing lobbying group ACORN, would get their own new slush fund of up to $750-million. Link
$4.2 billion provided to the Neighborhood Stabilization Fund, which provides the funds to local governments to purchase and rehab vacant housing due to foreclosure Link
$2 billion for Superfund cleanup Link
$1.2 billion for summer jobs for youth Link
$650 million for digital TV coupons to help Americans upgrade to digital cable television Link
$335 million for sexually transmitted disease education and prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Link
$50 million for the National Endowment of the Arts to help “the arts community throughout the United States.
$400 million for “habitat restoration projects” of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Link
$75 million for smoking cessation Link

Elections are already heating up in Georgia!

Confirmed today that Secretary of State Karen Handel (R) is running for Georgia Governor. Personally, I think that's great. She'd do a phenomenal job as Governor.

It's going to be interesting though with Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine already campaigning on the Republican side.

On the Democrat side David Poythress has already announced and has been popping out press releases and info on a regular basis.

Former Governor Roy Barnes name is oft floated, but there has been no concrete info to date that I'm privy to saying he's definitely going to run.

State Senator David Shafer (R) is running for Lt. Governor. Shafer is a good guy, even though he represents Duluth he's been to Fayette County many times and is well-known to many. (www.votedavid.com if you'd like more info*).

State Senator Eric Johnson (R - Savannah) has also announced he'll be running for the Lt. Governor position being vacated by Casey Cagle.

It's early. The election is in 2010, but these days it seems you have to get your name out there early.

I'm sure before it's all said and done that we'll have a few more candidates in the race. I'll try to keep you posted if I can keep up!

On the local Fayette County level, Don Haddix has announced he'll be running for Peachtree City Mayor. You'll find his letter on why he's running on the front of the Fayette Front Page.

*We'll be providing links to the websites of all candidates. As always, the Fayette Front Page and the Georgia Front Page offer ALL candidates a free page on the site and a free blog. For more info email the Editor.

Mel Martinez (FL) to retire; Brownback to run for Gov. (KS)

The 2010 election is already starting to get interesting and this one isn't quite over! I understand Norm Coleman is ahead at the moment and probably will "win" by a slim margin. However, the lawsuits have started already so who knows when it will officially be over. I read that Al Franken is asking the Democrat controlled Congress to intervene on his behalf, but didn't bother reading the details.

Mel Martinez, (R-Florida) has announced he won't run in 2010 which is going to lead to a very hot race for his seat. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) is looking at running for Governor.

Here's a link to one of the stories that includes both tidbits and details (others I found don't mention both):

Mel Martinez To Retire
Florida Sen. Mel Martinez (R) has decided against seeking a second term, a decision he will formalize shortly in the Sunshine State, according to an informed party source.
Martinez's decision was based on a desire for more free time and a less scheduled life, said the source. The first term senator also was an almost certain Democratic target in two years time although those familiar with Martinez's political prospects insisted his strengths in South Florida, coupled with his political base along the I-4 corridor, made his path to reelection possible.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/12/mel_martinez_to_retire.html?hpid=topnews?hpid=topnews

Something interesting

I'm a member of the Read My Lipstick Network of bloggers (I think I may have mentioned that before ;-) Today I was glancing through some of the blog posts of other members and saw one promoting Ray McBerry for Governor of Georgia, 2010. I'd never heard of the guy before so I popped over to check him out. It was interesting reading, especially since I get emails from the Dixie Broadcasting Radio station he mentions (he's president of the station).

I had been deleting the emails as spam because they came to give different email addresses at the same time, thus I figured it had to be spam... And as it was spam, I didn't want to unsubscribe because that typically lets the spammer know that it's a valid email address and all of a sudden you're inundated with similar junk.

Now that mystery has been solved I'm going to unsubscribe from four of the emails and keep one so I can watch.

He's running on a Republican ticket but says up front he's voted all over the map in the past. I applaud his honesty, but that probably means the Republican Party isn't going to touch him with a ten mile long pole.

He also isn't afraid to talk about his views, his religious beliefs and kind of lay it all out on the table. I like that. Unfortunately, while most will say that's what they want, they still vote for the guy who gives the political double-speak answers that make everyone happy.

I'll let you take a look, see what you think: http://georgiafirst.org/SecondVersion/enter.shtml