Blue Buckeye Blog

11 New Subscribers - Have You Joined?

In the past 24 hours, eleven Ohioans have joined the Ohio Democratic Party by filling out the subscriber information form at www.ohiodems.org.

Using the form, these users stay connected by signing up for ODP emails and action alerts.  They can also tell us if and when they want to volunteer - and what roles they want to serve - which will help the ODP launch an aggressive Victory 2006 coordinated campaign immediately following the Democratic primaries.  They also let us know what issues matter to them - helping shape the focus of the Ohio Democratic Party in 2006.

Have you signed up yet?

Go to http://www.ohiodems.org/ht/d/Join/subscriber/Y to sign up to stay connected with the Ohio Democratic Party. 

House Dems: Voting ID Bill Sowing Distrust

House Democratic Leader Joyce Beatty said a Republican proposal to require citizens to present ID cards in order to vote is sowing distrust in her caucus that could impair future discussions with Republicans on ethics and redistricting reform.

Beatty called H.B. 3 "a solution in search of a problem," and said that "voting is at the heart of our democracy.  Any plan to change it ought to be bipartisan."

Instead, House Republicans plan on ramming through a poorly-written bill that could serve to disenfranchise thousands of Ohio voters, particulary the poor, the elderly and college students.

Long lines, which Ohio voters were familiar with in 2004, could become worse in 2006, thanks to H.B. 3.  House Democrats say even more voters could be forced to vote using complicated, lengthy provisional ballots due to lack of proper identification.

“After 160,000 jobs lost and scandal after scandal, Republicans have lost credibility.” Beatty said. “Instead of presenting a real vision for change, they would rather game the system by making it more difficult for hardworking, honest citizens to vote.”

Beatty's stinging criticism of Republican "reform" didn't stop there...

“When you hear Statehouse Republicans tossing around the word ‘reform,’ look out,” Beatty said. “Thanks to Republican campaign finance ‘reform,’ special interests can now write $10,000 campaign checks -- four times larger than before. Thanks to Republican tax ‘reform,’ middle-class Ohioans now shoulder more of the tax burden.”

Makes you wonder what Republican ethics or redistricting 'reform' will look like.

Chandra Joins List of Anti-Corruption Crusaders Calling for Petro Investigation

Attorney General candidate Subodh Chandra joined the call for a special investigation into current Attorney General and Guberantorial candidate Jim Petro's demands for campaign cash in return for special-counsel work.

Earlier in the day Ohio Democratic Party Chair Chris Redfern sent a letter to Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien and Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh asking for an investigation.  Redfern's call comes after a Cleveland Plain Dealer interview with two GOP lawyers who claim Petro personally told them they would be punished for supporting Joe Deters, who was briefly Petro's primary opponent in 2002.  The punishment Petro described would be a loss of special-counsel work for a period of one year, the attorneys claim.

From Subodh's campaign:

Hearing Jim Petro argue with Betty Montgomery supporters about how Attorney General’s special-counsel contracts were steered to campaign contributors is like listening to burglars complain about the division of their loot.  It doesn't matter which side is right – they all sound like thieves.

If former Akron Bar Association President Jack Morrison’s allegations that Petro demanded contributions as a condition of awarding special-counsel contracts are true, then Petro should be the subject of a criminal investigation.