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To remedy a broken campaign finance system, the 2016 Democratic Party Platform advocates a number of reforms, including ending “secret, unaccountable money in politics by requiring . . . significantly more disclosure and transparency.”
In recent years, however, information has come out indicating Ohio Democratic leaders at the state level and in Columbus have acted to conceal sources of campaign funds. The undisclosed contributors received substantial benefits from Democratic elected officials.
As for Republican leaders, they’ve been no better on the problem of hidden donors.
Alleged concealment of donors supporting Richard Cordray, Kevin Boyce and David Pepper in 2010
In 2016 the law firm BakerHostetler issued a state-commissioned investigation report on the crimes of former deputy treasurer of state Amer Ahmad, who is serving 15 years in federal prison. From 2009 to 2010, Ahmad orchestrated the largest bribery and kickback scheme in the state government’s history.
In early September of this year, the Washington Post created what was called an alternative storytelling issue in which it solicited news stories through non-traditional media. The issue included poems, a board game, a three-act play and a Trump-themed Mad-Libs story. It also included an astonishing piece of music from singer-songwriter Ben Folds, a song entitled “Mr. Peepers.”
The “Mr. Peepers” title refers to President Trump’s purported nickname for bespectacled Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein, of course, is currently supervising the investigation into Russian election interference headed by Robert Mueller. Rosenstein has been under fire by Trump and some of his allies in Congress who seek to short circuit or at least discredit the investigation by demonstrating that it was started by the political left and/or the “deep state.” As of my deadline Mr. Rosenstein still has a job, but word on the street is that he may be out soon.
Thursday, October 4, 5-7pm, OSU Oval [near the Thompson statue]
The International Socialist Organization [ISO], in collaboration with other activist groups, will be hosting a protest and speakout to oppose sexism and the recent Kavanaugh nomination.
During the past several weeks, Dr. Christine Blase Ford has bravely spoken out against her sexual assault by right-wing nominee for the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh. Disturbingly, the Republicans have vilified Ford and have continued to support Kavanaugh. This represents the intense sexism and rape culture promoted every day by the establishment.
We are in a political moment of intense attacks on reproductive and abortion rights. These are rights that our lives depend on and must be collectively fought for! At the same time, the growing #METOO movement is building solidarity among survivors who are demanding an end to sexual violence and rape culture. With the unfolding #Kavanaugh nomination, we must unite on campus and declare that we #BelieveFORD and all victims!
Thursday, October 4, 5-7pm, OSU Oval [near the Thompson statue]
The International Socialist Organization [ISO], in collaboration with other activist groups, will be hosting a protest and speakout to oppose sexism and the recent Kavanaugh nomination.
During the past several weeks, Dr. Christine Blase Ford has bravely spoken out against her sexual assault by right-wing nominee for the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh. Disturbingly, the Republicans have vilified Ford and have continued to support Kavanaugh. This represents the intense sexism and rape culture promoted every day by the establishment.
We are in a political moment of intense attacks on reproductive and abortion rights. These are rights that our lives depend on and must be collectively fought for! At the same time, the growing #METOO movement is building solidarity among survivors who are demanding an end to sexual violence and rape culture. With the unfolding #Kavanaugh nomination, we must unite on campus and declare that we #BelieveFORD and all victims!
The Columbus Dispatch's opinion writers do not take its news coverage seriously.
A few weeks ago, the newspaper/website took down four Republican candidates for statewide office for being asleep at the switch while ECOT and its charter school kin ripped off Ohio taxpayers and Ohio public schoolchildren for $1 billion.
Taken to the woodshed were Attorney General Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Jon Husted, Auditor Dave Yost and State Rep. Keith Faber.
On Sept 9, the Dispatch endorsed former Congressman Zack Space, a Democrat, for state auditor over Republican Faber, while tagging the latter for his ECOT failures.
Two Sundays later, on Sept. 23, the Dispatch put on the blinders and ignored Yost's abject failure in policing ECOT while endorsing Yost over Democrat Steve Dettelbach for attorney general.
The Dispatch had little bad to say about Dettelbach, but forgot to mention that as U.S. attorney in Cleveland, Dettelbach brought down corrupt Cuyahoga County elected officials and sent them to jail.
White Boy Rich
Now it all makes sense. In 1992 I ran against John Kasich in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District. Everyone told me Kasich liked to smoke a little dope, and later Roger Stone would finger him as the man who was kicked out of the 1976 Reagan campaign for selling pot to the field staff.
Also running that year was Richard Cordray. You wouldn’t think about approaching Rich for a blunt, let alone a three-finger lid of primo bud.
But apparently I had it all wrong.
Ohio Attorney General and Republican governor wannabe Mike DeWine set me straight. Heretofore I will only call Richard Cordray by his street name – White Boy Rich.
This is what I learned from a DeWine commercial. Cordray, raised on the mean streets of Grove City, headed a huge cartel beginning at Grove City High School. White Boy Rich was smart enough to throw the DEA off his trail by joining the high school quiz team and working a minimum wage job at Mickey-D’s. All the time, building his southside suburban drug empire.
I woke up today with what Devo would call an uncontrollable urge.
And the urge was urging...what?
To watch Downton Abbey?
No, grandma.
To learn the chords and lyrics to Carmen Ohio?
God, no. (There are lyrics?)
To send all my money to the Clinton Foundation so one person in Haiti might get at least a hamburger next week?
To paraphrase Adolf Hitler in Inglourious Basterds, "Nein, nein, nein, nein, nein" (I've counted the neins).
As I laid propped up on my three mismatching pillows, I eagerly dialed up on You Tube my guiltiest of pleasures: Deep Purple – the greatest British hard rock band of the '70s (Led Zeppelin being the worst) – and their 1972 or thereabouts live version of one of the greatest headbangers ever made. And I mean one of the two or three best ever, bubby.
No, not Smoke On The Water. Highway Star!
The year was 1968. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. The nation was in turmoil. There were riots in cities across America. That following school year, the Columbus East High School Basketball and Baseball Teams both won State Championships in Ohio, an unheard of feat at that time.
The events of that championship season, both on and off the baseball diamond and basketball courts, is the basis of the latest book, Tigerland 1968-1969: A City Divided, A Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing, by Wil Haygood.
Haygood made several appearances around Columbus to promote the book upon its September 18 release, including the place that was the focal point of the book, Columbus East High School.
On September 20, Haygood spoke to an audience at Columbus East High School, where several surviving members of the 1969 State Championship Baseball and Basketball Teams were in attendance.
“It was (East High Principal) Jack Gibbs that kept East High School together during the days after Dr. King was shot,” Haygood said to a full audience at the East High School auditorium.
As we barrel towards Election Day, it’s become clear the Ohio Debate Commission wasn’t actually created to ensure robust debate for Ohio’s voters. On the contrary, it was meant to stifle any real discussion about the issues and keep Ohioans from knowing about all their options on the ballot in the gubernatorial race this year. Case in point – the recent debates held between the two major party candidates for governor, Republican Mike DeWine and Democrat Rich Cordray, that excluded half of the candidates on the ballot, including myself, the Libertarian Party candidate, and Constance Gadell-Newton with the Green Party.
As was to be expected, all this exclusion did was allow for the “debates” to descend into the typical arguing and mudslinging Americans have become accustomed to in our duopoly-dominated discourse, as opposed to actual conversation about policies and the problems facing our state. DeWine and Cordray predictably attacked each other on their equally dismal records as attorney general, directly quoted their negative ads and blamed each other for Ohio’s opioid crisis, all while only offering big government solutions that waste more taxpayer dollars.
Wanted: Election Protection Volunteers
Help us protect our right to vote.
Green Party/Free Press will again be placing election observers inside the polling places for the critical November 6th election. Fair elections require vigilance. The Free Press continues to be the leader in election reporting. We held the public hearings after the 2004 election debacle, and have worked hard on election issues since. For more information: http://freepress.org/article/election-protection-2018
Election Protection Observers:
Ohio law allows election observers inside the County Board of Elections and/or local polling places if appointed by a political party 10 days in advance of the November 6th election. The Free Press, in conjunction with the Green Party, is looking for interested activists to observe and report on this election. Training and materials will be made available.
What is the job of an Election Observer? The answer is to show up, to observe, to ask questions and take notes.