Blue Buckeye Blog

Noe pleads guilty - which Toledo Republican is next to plea?

Today in U.S. District Court Tom Noe, the former Lucas County Republican Party Chair and central figure in Ohio's rare coin investment scandal, plead guilty today to charges he illegally funneled thousands of dollars to President Bush's reelection campaign.

Noe, who has since fled to Florida, will soon be sentenced to three felony charges for violating federal election law.  He faces up to 15 years in prison for his role in the scheme.  Noe is awaiting a seperate trial related to his involvement in the rare coin investment scandal at the BWC.

Who are the 'conduits'?

The Noe investigation into campaign money laundering identified several current and former Republican officeholders as willing participants in the scheme.  They are:  Toledo City Councilwoman Betty Schultz, Lucas County Commissioner Maggie Thurber, former Toledo Mayor Donna Owens, and former State Rep. Sally Perz.

Expect Noe's cohorts to get "The Taft Treatment."  All face potential state ethics charges for failing to disclose the money from Noe. 

The breaking news article from the Toledo Blade

GOP catfight! OTA Head Pullins sues Rep. Collier for $1 million!

With a record of failure, pay-to-play scandals, cronyism and corruption to run on in 2006, it should come as no suprise Republicans are busy turning on their own kind:

Knox County attorney (and former head of the Knox County Republican Party) Scott Pullins has filed a $1 million libel lawsuit against State Rep. Thom Collier (R-Mt. Vernon), alleging Collier caused him "physical and mental anguish, humiliation, embarrassment and great loss of reputation," based on comments Collier made about Pullins in a recent Canton Repository article.

Read the article in the Mt. Veron News

Collier called Pullins "a scoundrel, liar and cheat" in the Repository article.  Collier and Pullins competed for the same open Ohio House seat in 2000 - and apparently there is no love lost between the two.

Pullins is currently working to bring casino gambling to NE Ohio, an idea Ohioans have rejected in the past.

Residents of the 90th House District (Knox, Morrow, parts of Richland and Ashland counties) who want a new voice at the Statehouse should vote for Democrat Duane Grassbaugh this November.

An Inconvenient Truth

Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth - have you seen it?  Is this Gore's vehicle to get back into the national spotlight for a Presidential run in '08?

'08 Open Thread

A steady stream of national Democratic figures, some with obvious presidential aspirations, have visited Ohio in the past few months - Sen. John Kerry,  Sen. John Edwards, Sen. Hilary Clinton and Gov. Tom Vilsack.  Sen. Joe Biden will speak at our 2006 State Dinner.

So the question is...do you have a favorite?  Are you supporting a candidate listed above, or are you considering someone else?  Lets hear it!

Blue Buckeye Radio Hour...On the Air!

The latest episode of the Blue Buckeye Radio hour is on the air!  Hosts Mike Shea and ODP Chair Chris Redfern talk with Zack Space and Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

Lucas County Treasurer Wade Kapszukiewicz fills Mike and Chris in on Sen. Kerry's visit to Toledo - and talks some Buckeye football.  State Rep. Todd Book also drops by.

Download RadioShow1.mp3

Download RadioShow2.mp3

Download RadioShow3.mp3

Download RadioShow4.mp3

Ohio GOP blog says economy is rebounding - statistics show otherwise

Looks like the Ohio Republican Party is putting out an interesting spin in response to some troubling unemployment figures released this week.  In a blog post released today the ORP claims the economy is booming.  That claim, however, runs contrary to a increase in Ohio's unemployment rate reported on in yesterday's Dispatch.

Ohio's unemployment rate shot up to 5.5%, from 5% the month before.  In the central Ohio region, the unemployment rate increased in 6 of the 8 counties.  Unemployment tops out at 11.2% in hard-hit Monroe County.  Youngstown, a large manufacturing city, has an unemployment rate of 8.3%.

These disturbing numbers are yet another reminder of what 16 years of corrupt, Republican rule have brought to Ohio.  Republicans have had over a decade to provide for Ohio's citizens a prosperous, economically vibrant state.  But Republicans in Ohio's Statehouse seem to have other priorities - they either spend time appealing to their rabid, right-wing base by pushing divisive legislation centered around hot-button social issues, or, they spend their time raising Ohio's taxes.  Neither strategy has proved successful.

The Turn Around Ohio program championed by Ted Strickland, and Sherrod Brown's innovative ideas for a trade policy that rewards companies that create jobs at home will right Ohio's sinking economic ship - and undo the damage caused by 16 years of Republican control.

Creating jobs through clean energy/ethanol programs, providing broadband access to all corners of our state, investing in early childhood education and continuing the process through life-long learning will help make our state more competitive - and lead the economic boom the Ohio GOP so desperately wishes we could experience.

Jennifer Brunner speech on YouTube

Redfern's floor remarks on Blackwell's legislative TEL

ODP Chair Rep. Chris Redfern spoke on the floor of the Ohio House yesterday in opposition of Ken Blackwell's legislative TEL Amendment.

Like several other Democrats, Redfern spoke to the cuts in education, health care and other social services that will result from the legislative TEL.  Ken Blackwell's gimmicks will hurt Ohioans - and Redfern, along with all Democrats - will continue to fight for fiscal discipline.

Redfern's remarks prompted Republican House speaker John Husted to cut off his microphone.  View his comments, along with the comments of several House Democrats here.  Redfern begins his remarks at the 17:45 mark. 

A transcript of Rep. Redfern's remarks can be found after the break.

Kerry in Gambier, Utica, Delaware, Toledo

The Ohio Democratic Party was fortunate to have Sen. John Kerry come to Ohio this past Saturday for a swing through central and northwest Ohio to raise money for the party, rally volunteers and supporters, and to give the commencement speech at Kenyon College.

View all the photos from the day's activities at the ODP website photo gallery.

Read about the rally in the Toledo Blade.

Organizer training at the DNC

Just got back from the airport after an intense two-day training at the DNC for the state organizers they've hired as part of their 50 State Strategy.  The training was so packed I haven't had time to update the website or blog - got some catching up to do tomorrow.

I thought I'd throw up this picture from the training - it shows some of our Ohio organizers in action.  More on the training - including our pep talk from Gov. Dean - tomorrow.  In the meantime, check out Tracy Joan Russo's postings about the training on the DNC blog.  Tracy is a new hire at the DNC and she attended the training, taking photos, video clips and doing some live-blogging.