Heading into October the race for governor is by most accounts tighter than expected even though many pundits figured Ohio was continuing to trend red. Earlier this summer, polls had Democrat Richard Cordray leading Republican Mike DeWine. Of late, some polls show a dead heat or DeWine with a small lead.

Cordray is a relative unknown, but may have a chance, as Danny O’Connor did this past August in the special election. Cordray is probably best known for directing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau during President Obama’s second term.

DeWine, on the other hand, is essentially the incumbent if you take Gov. John Kasich into account, says Cordray press secretary Mike Gwin.

“Mike DeWine has spent decades in Congress and in Columbus supporting policies that favor the wealthy, health insurers, and big drug companies, but hurt middle class Ohioans,” said Gwin to the Free Press. “After 42 years in politics, voters shouldn’t expect anything different from DeWine as governor.”

   But the Cordray campaign, along with many others, are keeping a close-eye on who DeWine will embrace more as November 6th nears.

The tragic trajectory of The New York Times inches full throttle  
towards the fate of the Pravda when the communist Soviet Union fell in  
1991. Cracks in the iron curtain splashed a disinfecting dose of  
sunlight on mother Russia. The propaganda agenda of the Pravda entered  
the mainstream consciousness of this nation’s populace. The partial  
collapse of this bogus broadsheet’s readership ensued.

In recent years, the adjective ‘fake news’ has entered the English  
language lexicon. It is difficult to pin-point precisely when the  
global mass media transformed from its heyday function as a  
disseminator of current affairs and facts into a totalitarian machine  
staffed by partisan ‘presstitute’ puppets.

There is safety in numbers. The Times spearheads a brutal brigade of hound dog
harlots. Corruption of mainstream Western media is endemic. This  
wickedness pervades the oligopoly mockingbird media throughout America’s television, radio, print and  
digital outlets.

Hope

Monday, October 8, 6-10pm
Woodlands Tavern, 1200 W. Third
Honorees include: Free Press “Libby” Award for Community Activism: Sandy Bolzenius, Free Press Artist Award: Malcolm J., Free Press Volunteer Award: Steve Caruso, Bill Moss Outstanding Black Activist Award: Kojo Kamau. Food, drink. Emcee: Dan Dougan. Music by Brian Clash Griffin and the Coffee House Rebels, Guilded Sun, Something Else, Willie Phoenix. $10 admission (sliding scale). See ad this page.Ave., Grandview

Live Stream Broadcast Saturday, October 6, 3:00-6:00pm eastern time
Featuring Bob Fitrakis, Mark Crispin Miller and Jonathan Simon

Was the 2016 election rigged for Trump? Will the 2018 midterms be rigged too? Did Bernie actually win the primaries over Hillary?

The 2016 exit polls varied widely from the actual vote count in the key states–this combined with other pattern evidence is a strong indicator that the vote counts were manipulated. Did those victories express the will of the electorate? Or were they based on the same tactics—rampant vote suppression and computerized election fraud—that have “elected” losing candidates since 2000, including Bush/Cheney, and a multitude of other rightist politicians now controlling Congress, and statehouses and legislatures from coast to coast.

A Star Is Born has been made and remade so often, it must hit a chord with the American psyche. Either that, or it’s such a perfect star vehicle that Hollywood just can’t let it gather dust for long.

Whether it’s set in the movie industry (like the 1937 and 1954 versions) or the music industry (like the 1976 and current 2018 iterations), the tale centers on a couple who fall in love while her career is rising and his is drowning in a pool of alcohol. The result is a potent mix of drama, romance, histrionics and (in most versions) music, giving both of its stars a chance to shine.

Certainly Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga shine brightly in the current remake, which Cooper also co-wrote, produced and directed. The beginning is a particular joy.

The first scene throws us into the middle of a country-rock concert in which singer-songwriter Jackson Maine (Cooper) holds forth to the adoration of his fans. Afterward, in desperate need of a drink, he instructs his driver to drop him off at what turns out to be a drag bar. It’s there he first hears and marvels at the vocal talents of Ally (Gaga), the only woman in the night’s lineup.