Wayne County Democratic Party Blog

Top 10 Worst Things about the Republicans' Immoral Budget

2011-03-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

via MoveOn.Org

The Republican budget would:

1. Destroy 700,000 jobs, according to an independent economic analysis.

2. Zero out federal funding for National Public Radio and public television.

3. Cut $1.3 billion from community health centers--which will deprive more than three million low-income people of health care over the next few months.

4. Cut nearly a billion dollars in food and health care assistance to pregnant women, new moms, and children.

5. Kick more than 200,000 children out of pre-school by cutting funds for Head Start.

6. Force states to fire 65,000 teachers and aides, dramatically increasing class sizes, thanks to education cuts.

7. Cut some or all financial aid for 9.4 million low- and middle-income college students.

8. Slash $1.6 billion from the National Institutes of Health, a cut that experts say would "send shockwaves" through cancer research, likely result in cuts to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's research, and cause job losses.

9. End the only federal family planning program, including cutting all federal funding that goes to Planned Parenthood to support cancer screenings and other women's health care.

10. Send 10,000 low-income veterans into homelessness by cutting in half the number of veterans who get housing vouchers this year.

Sources

Voters: If You Care About The Economy and Jobs, Why Vote Republican?

2011-02-20T21:02:00.002-05:00

After cynically rooting against the recovery for two years, Republican lawmakers no longer ignore the signs of progress. Instead, they are shamelessly crediting their new House majority and Obama's bipartisan tax compromise for job creation and GDP growth that predated both. And after campaigning on an incessant chorus of "Where are the jobs?" Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) now says that if Republican policies cause job losses, "so be it. (Source)

Congressman Renacci Raises The Level of His Game

2011-02-03T16:45:00.003-05:00

We thought it would be proper to point out that Congressman Jim Renacci (R) appears to be raising the level of his game. Then again, when you set the bar of performance and truthfulness so low that it lays on the ground, clearing it takes very little effort.

During his first town hall (Walsh University/Jan. 10) since joining Congress, Renacci responded to a member of the audience with this line as justification for voting to repeal the health care law:

"I agree with you, there are some good things, but there are also a half a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare that are going to go in place."

I don't think you actually needed to do any research to recognize that this statement seemed a little ridiculous. Common sense would tell you that this doesn't seem right. Fortunately PolitiFact, a Pulitzer Prize winning website, fact-checked this claim and found it to be Barely True.

Here is a part of PolitiFact's assessment of Renacci's claim, which is often repeated by other Republicans:

That statement had a familiar ring to it. We decided it was one worth another look.

Renacci’s exchange with his constituent hit on the same themes as the health care debate in 2010. And more than once during the election season we looked at the claims from Republicans and groups that opposed the reforms that the health care package would cut $500 billion from Medicare.

But it’s important to note that the law does not take $500 billion out of the current Medicare budget, as Renacci and the bill’s foes make it sound. Rather, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act slows the program’s projected growth in Medicare spending by about $500 billion over 10 years.

That’s a big difference.

Medicare spending will still increase. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated it will reach $929 billion in 2020, up from $499 billion in actual spending in 2009. (Link)

So what Renacci is doing is taking a number that does actually exist ($500,000) but completely misrepresents what it means. Instead of using the words "slowing projected growth," he decides to throw in the buzz word "cuts." This completely changes the meaning of what the bill will do with Medicare.

So the question remains. Is Renacci ignorant, or deceitful? I suppose only Renacci and the political people closest to him know whether this misrepresentation is born of a lack of knowledge, or a lack of scruples.

On a positive note, a statement that at least brushes past the truth is better than what he has done before, as noted by both PolitiFact and fact-checking we did of Renacci's debate performance in September 2010.

Obama: The Only Recent President to Cite 'American Exceptionalism'

2011-01-31T22:39:00.001-05:00

Only one sitting president in the last 82 years has publicly uttered the magical phrase “American exceptionalism”--care to guess who it is? Ronald Reagan, he of the “shining city on a hill?” George W. Bush, who closed his speeches by asking that “God continue to bless” America? Nope. The only president to publicly discuss (and for that matter embrace) “American exceptionalism” is Barack Obama.

This would be the same president, of course, who is subject to a steadily rising stream of suspicion because of his supposed refusal to give voice sufficient voice to his love of country.

Congress Passes Socialized Medicine and Mandates Health Insurance - In 1798

2011-01-30T23:34:00.002-05:00

Rick Ungar lays out a pretty compelling case in Forbes magazine that the Founding Fathers supported the individual mandate (a Republican idea at one time, lest we forget).

Ungar points out that in July of 1798, Congress passed "An Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seaman," which was signed by President Adams. That law authorized the creation of a government operated system of marine hospitals and mandated that laboring merchant marine sailors pay a tax to support it.

Read more ...

GDP Grows in 4th Quarter of 2010

2011-01-30T23:22:00.002-05:00

I know it is hard to believe the economy is growing a steady pace with Democrats in charge. Republicans say it isn't so. But the facts tell another story. Real GDP, the total amount of goods and services produced in the country, grew at a 3.2 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter of last year, the sixth straight quarter of positive growth. For 2010 as a whole, GDP rose 2.9 percent, the fastest since 2005.

Here is a chart demonstrating the dramatic turnaround in the GDP since President Obama took office:

The Health Care Repeal Nonsense -- Summarized

2011-01-16T22:36:00.003-05:00

Steven Pearlstein from the Washington Post sums up exactly what is going on here. This is a great place to start if you are looking to pen a Letter to the Editor:

"[T]he next time you hear some politician or radio blowhard or corporate hack tossing around the 'job-killing' accusation, you can be pretty sure he's not somebody to be taken seriously. It's a sign that he disrespects your intelligence, disrespects the truth and disrespects the democratic process. By poisoning the political well and making it difficult for our political system to respond effectively to economic challenges, Republicans may turn out to be the biggest job killers of all." (Link)

Since the health care bill was signed into law, 1.1 million jobs have been created in the private sector, and over 200,000 of them have come in the health care field. So how to Republicans like Congressman Renacci say the bill is a job killer. By LYING. Really, it's that simple.

Does Congressman Renacci Believe Child-Labor Laws are Unconstitutional?

2011-01-16T22:14:00.003-05:00

We ask this question, not to sensationalize, but to see whether the freshman congressman from Ohio's 16th district agrees with the position that newly-elected Republican senator from Utah Mike Lee has taken. That position is that child-labor laws are unconstitutional. This same line of thinking also believes that programs like Social Security, student loans, the minimum wage and civil rights are also unconstitutional. A passage from a letter President Eisenhower (a Republican) wrote his brother in 1954 shows us how far gone the modern Republican party has become:

Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid. (Link)

Ultra-Liberal Forbes Magazine Touts Success of ObamaCare

2011-01-13T23:10:00.002-05:00

Virtually all of the media is "liberal," so I guess this isn't news that a columnist from a major business magazine would tout the success of the health care law, but here it goes anyway:

The first statistics are coming in and, to the surprise of a great many, Obamacare might just be working to bring health care to working Americans precisely as promised.

The major health insurance companies around the country are reporting a significant increase in small businesses offering health care benefits to their employees.

Why?

Because the tax cut created in the new health care reform law providing small businesses with an incentive to give health benefits to employees is working.

Wayne County Young Republicans Elevate the Political Discourse

2011-01-04T22:19:00.021-05:00

We had a previous post about the childishness of the Wayne County Young Republicans, and I guess we can't expect them to behave in the adult manner that their older counterparts in Washington will be doing the next couple of years, but still, some of their Twitter comments need to be examined a little more closely:

Oct. 25, 2010: "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." (Link)

I don't think they would even know what socialism is, or could define what is bad about it. But since labels are things better used for school-aged children to better understand the world rather than some sort of enlightened political observation, we will just let the numbers speak for themselves.

Sept. 20, 2010: "Come take a bite out of Porkulus! Saturday 6-10 @ Lamplighters in Wooster! $5 per person, portion of proceeds benefit Every Woman's House" (Link)

It's nice they held an event with proceeds going to charity, but again, they couldn't help themselves with the name calling. The "Porkulus" as they call it saved us from another Great Depression -- which would have been the creation of Republican policies. Of course, not only did the stimulus save the economy, it has created million of jobs.

July 27, 2010: Liberals...hard on babies, soft on terrorists. (Link)

Maybe the Young Republicans should check in with President Bush's Director of National Intelligence, Vice Admiral Mike McConnell (ret.), who told CNN that President Obama has been "as aggressive, if not more aggressive" in pursuing terror threats.

July 20, 2010: "Socialism only works in two places: Heaven where they don't need it and hell where they already have it." -Ronald Reagan (Link)

Looks like the Young Republicans need a little history refresher. Tax rates under President Reagan for the top income bracket were significantly more than what President Obama proposed. President Reagan also tripled the national debt. Looks like Reagan was more familiar with Socialism than Republicans want to admit.

July 15, 2010: Cheney has heart device implanted...Biden still on waiting list for a brain... (Link)

Young Republican sense of humor.

July 3, 2010: Happy Independence day to one and all! We said no to tyranny then and we still say no to it now! All you liberals - take note. (Link)

Here the Young Republicans make veiled threat that they will use force to keep down the tyranny of liberals. You know, since the Founding Fathers were Republicans, as are all veterans (trying to bring a little humor to this abhorrent comment).

June 15, 2010: Obama's Cap & Trade scam will prevent future oil spills in the same way that Obamacare will prevent syphilis... (Link)

Tried to come up with a response to this ignorance, but it's hard talking with people who think 2+2=5.

June 13, 2010: Tuesday @ 6:30 pm - Come to Three Amigos in Wooster and celebrate the Arizona immigration law!!! (Link)

I wonder if they had the guts to tell the owners of the restaurant this is what they were celebrating. If they wanted to celebrate the law, they should have found the nearest private prison, since their lobbying group wrote the law.

June 8, 2010: Bobby Jindal has already done more than Obama to try and mitigate the oil spill. (Link)

No matter how much Republicans want to wish it so, President Obama's handling of the Oil Spill was spot on, while Governor Jindal made a fool of himself.

May 31, 2010: Obama - quick to criticize BP but slow to give honors to our nation's fallen. (Link)

Apparently nothing is off limits for the Young Republicans. Talk about no respect for the Office of the Presidency.

May 12, 2010: Cap & Trade criminalizes the act of breathing. (Link)

I wonder if the Young Republicans are comfortable telling Sarah Palin, John McCain, first President Bush, President Reagan, etc., they are criminalizing the act of breathing. Again, study up on history.

April 12, 2010: Being a liberal means smoking dope while complaining about tobacco company CEOs. (Link)

This was either written by a 12-year old or someone smoking dope.

March 31, 2010: Wherever you find rampant crime there you shall find a permissive, liberal government. (Link)

Sounds good, except that it is completely wrong. But then again, facts don't matter, just a nice soundbite. Of course we won't mention how within the first year of that tough-conservative government that President Bush oversaw we saw the largest successful act terrorism ever on American soil.

March 21, 2010: I'd take a chill pill about the passing of Pelosi-Care but the government would deny my Rx... (Link)

Must have lost their talking point notes that day, calling it "Pelosi-Care" instead of "ObamaCare."

March 11, 2010: The only smart thing 1960’s era liberals ever said was, “Question authority.” Too bad their drug-addled minds have lost that principle. (Link)

They seem unusually obsessed with drugs here, sort of like Rush Limbaugh.

March 9, 2010: When the feminists shouted, “Keep your laws off of my body,” did that include ObamaCare??? (Link)

They've gone from mocking liberals and the '60s (the birth of the feminist movement) to speaking for them.

Nov. 18, 2009: Urban Dictionary's 2nd definition of Obama is "The Messiah for brain-dead Democrats." Goodbye Webster....Hello Urban Dictionary! (Link)

Last but not least, nothing like creating a label (Messiah) then using it as a criticism of the President, as if he or any of his supporters ever thought or called him that.

Game, Set & Match To Republican & Teabaggers' No. 1 Talking Point

2011-01-04T22:13:00.003-05:00

President Obama is a socialist who is bad for employment, bad for business, bad for growth and bad for America, right? That's what Republicans and their brethren the Teabaggers would have you believe. Heck, even our new congressional representative Jim Renacci (R), continually went to the "uncertainty" in the economy talking point that amazingly was uttered by every Republican in the country last year. I wonder what their response would be to this graph?

Read more of what should be a devastating and total rebuke of the Republican Party, but then again this information isn't secret, yet people voted for Republicans anyway.

Obama's 2010: By the Numbers

2011-01-04T21:49:00.002-05:00

At any given point during the past two years, both Republicans and Teabaggers (and sometimes the media) have criticized the President for both working too hard and not enough; for taking too much vacation but forcing Congress to work too hard; too not being accessible enough to the media and the public, etc. Well, CBS News detailed, in numbers, pretty much everything President Obama did in 2010, and it is very impressive. While they don't provide equivalent numbers for President George W. Bush, I imagine they far surpass the efforts he made in this area:

Speeches, statements and remarks: 491

-Since taking office: 883

News conferences and press availabilities: 27

-Formal, solo White House Press Conferences: 6

-Since taking office: 69 total, 11 WH.

Town hall meetings: 17

-Since taking office: 40

-Backyard chats: 7

Domestic trips: 65 spanning 104 days

-Since taking office: 111 spanning 176 days

States visited for the first time: 9

-Since taking office: 38

Vacation trips: 6 (all or part of 32 days)

-Since taking office: 10 spanning 58 days

Foreign trips: 6 trips to 8 countries spanning 22 days.

-Since taking office: 16 trips to 25 countries spanning 70 days.

Flights on Air Force One: 172

-Since taking office: 328

Flights on Marine One: 196

-Since taking office: 386

Unemployment Rates:

-January 8 2010: 10 percent.

-December 3, 2010: 9.8 percent.

National Debt in 2010: Up $1.56-trillion

-January 1, 2010: $12.311-trillion

-December 28, 2010: $13.871-trillion

Bills signed in 2010: 203.

-Since taking office: 329.

Cabinet meetings: 6

-Since taking office: 12

Visits to Camp David:

-In 2010: 4 visits, 8 days.

-Since taking office: 15 visits: 35 days.

Recreation:

-Golf: 29 rounds in 2010

-Since taking office: 57 rounds.

-Basketball: 20 basketball outings.

-Since taking office: 28

Interviews: 107 in 2010

-Since taking office: 254

Meetings with foreign leaders: In 2010, President Obama had face-to-face meetings with 61 foreign leaders, 30 for the first time.

Days of no appearances: 24

-Since taking office: 45

Presidential pardons: 9

-President Obama granted the first and only pardons of his presidency on Dec 3, 2010.

"Obamacare" Kicks in Jan. 1

2011-01-04T21:44:00.002-05:00

We've previously talked about how childish it is that Republicans use the term "Obamacare" for the health care bill, but since even major media outlets are using the term in their headlines (in this case positively), I guess we can't ignore it. Better yet, lets turn the term into something that is actually accurate — "Obama cares."

President Obama: Two Years of Progress

2011-01-04T21:43:00.000-05:00

Unprecedented Progress Over the Past Two Years

2011-01-04T21:22:00.003-05:00

You have to look and listen real hard to the "liberal media" to know this (OK, you still won't learn it), but the past two years is on the very short list of most productive years, both for Congress and the President, of all time. Here is a short list of what was done:

3.2 million jobs saved or created thanks to the Recovery Act,
6.7 million small businesses eligible for the health care tax credit under the Affordable Care Act,
111.4 million middle class families (95%) receiving a tax cut through the Recovery Act,
5.6 million Americans with pre-existing conditions who can no longer be denied coverage thanks to the $5 billion high risk pool,
161,000 teaching jobs saved through state aid, and
Almost 4,000 Recovery Act projects for clean, safe energy production.

A new website has been put together that allows you track, in real-time numbers, the progress that has been made in areas economy, health and education over the past two years. You can even get information within your specific zip code. Here is a snapshot of what this progress looked like in late December:

Learn more ...

Voters Say November Election Full of Misleading and False Information

2011-01-04T21:14:00.003-05:00

Filed under the category of "tell me something that I don't already know," a poll found that 9 in 10 voters said that in the 2010 election they encountered information they believed was misleading or false, with 56% saying this occurred frequently. While the majority of this information was coming from Republicans (our opinion, but considering PolitiFact's last two Lies of the Year came from Republicans about the health care bill, our assessment stands on pretty solid ground), voters overwhelmingly voted for Republicans in November.

Why did this happen? Because voters, inexplicably in our assessment, believed a lot of the misinformation and lies being spread. And how do we know this? This same poll asked some specific policy questions, and the results were remarkable (and troubling). Here is a sampling:

Though the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) concluded that the stimulus legislation has saved or created 2.0-5.2 million jobs, only 8% of voters thought most economists who had studied it concluded that the stimulus legislation had created or saved several million jobs. Most (68%) believed that economists estimate that it only created or saved a few jobs and 20% even believed that it resulted in job losses.
Though the CBO concluded that the health reform law would reduce the budget deficit, 53% of voters thought most economists have concluded that health reform will increase the deficit.
Though the Department of Commerce says that the US economy began to recover from recession in the third quarter of 2009 and has continued to grow since then, only 44% of voters thought the economy is starting to recover, while 55% thought the economy is still getting worse.
Though the National Academy of Sciences has concluded that climate change is occurring, 45% of voters thought most scientists think climate change is not occurring (12%) or that scientists are evenly divided (33%).
86% assumed their taxes had gone up (38%) or stayed the same (48%), while only 10% were aware that their taxes had gone down since 2009

Fact-Checking Jim Renacci's Wooster Debate Performance

2010-10-21T22:40:00.000-04:00

In an effort to shed more light on the candidacy of Jim Renacci (R), who is the primary challenger to incumbent John Boccieri (D) for Ohio's 16th congressional district, we poured over every statement Mr. Renacci made during a Sept. 20, 2010 debate in Wooster, Ohio, sponsored by the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce. Ideally, the local media would do this work, but since they either don't have the time or the will to do so, we will fill this void.

The debate featured the three candidates named on the ballot — Boccieri, Renacci and Jeffrey Blevins (Libertarian). What we discovered is that a great many of the accusations that Renacci makes are exaggerations, distortions or downright falsehoods. But was most surprising is that taking Mr. Renacci at his word for some of his policy positions leads one to an unusual conclusion — that he supports many Democratic ideas. Read on to learn more.

Opening Comments:

Renacci wasted no time in uttering his first falsehood — in fact, it came in his first sentence. He opened by stating:

"I'm a business man of 27 years, not a politician."

Well, according to his own website, Renacci served two terms as President of Wadsworth’s City Council from 1999-2002, and then served as Mayor of Wadsworth from 2004-2008. Unless you obtain these positions in Wadsworth by being randomly selected, Renacci ran for office and was elected — thus making him a politician. So don't fall for the old "I'm not a politician" line in this case, because it is false.

Right after this statement, Renacci then accused Boccieri of:

"voting 94% of the time with the Nancy Pelosi agenda."

This statement, which he made repeatedly throughout the debate and along with ads from the Republican Party and outside groups, has been made countless times on the campaign trail, needs to be more closely examined. Fortunately, PolitiFact, a Pulitzer Prize winning website that examines statements from politicians and evaluates their truthfulness, specifically looked at this claim. They rated the claim as Barely True, which PolitiFact defines as "The statement contains some element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression."

Please refer to the PolitiFact article about this claim for more specifics, but to summarize, the 94% number comes from a Washington Post database that represents "the percentage of votes on which a lawmaker agrees with the position taken by a majority of his or her party members," rather than the frequency with which they vote with a particular party leader. In other words, Boccieri is voting with his fellow Democrats 94% of the time, not Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Why is this not the same? Because House speakers seldom vote. In fact, Pelosi has voted a mere 94 times in the past two years, while Boccieri has cast 1,550 votes.

So how did Boccieri vote with Pelosi during the times she actually voted? PolitiFact did the math, and found that Boccieri voted with Pelosi in 77 out of 91 votes (they ignored three "quorum calls"), an agreement ratio of 84.6 percent. Much different than the exaggerated 94% that Renacci keeps stating.

It is also interesting to note that Minority Leader John Boehner (R), using the metric that Renacci is using (saying that a vote for your party is the same as a vote for your party's leader), has voted with Pelosi 52% of the time — a majority. The same is true of Mike Pence (R), someone that Renacci spoke highly of later in the debate. (source)

Finally, why are Republicans so intent on tying Pelosi, who represents San Francisco, to candidates all around the country? What is so bad about the first woman Speaker of the House?

Question 1:

Increased health care costs to employers ultimately are passed onto consumers through increased cost of their products. What is your plan to limit increases in health care costs and provide affordable solutions for employers and their employees.

This question, as you can imagine, produced a number of ridiculous statements from Mr. Renacci.

"We all know that John Boccieri voted for the Obama-Pelosi health care plan."

Can Republicans stop acting like they are in grade school. Obama-Pelosi health care plan. Really? The same goes with ObamaCare, which Renacci used later in the debate. These are nothing more than Frank Lutz phrases ginned up to scare and confuse voters. The bill is called the Affordable Care Act. While the final bill obviously contains a lot of policy ideas that both Pelosi and President Obama wanted, anyone who followed the health care debate at all realizes how many changes were made to the bill in Congress, especially the Senate. The final bill that passed did not have a public option, something President Obama had pushed for and Pelosi voted for and passed in the House version of the bill in November 2009. Heck, even former Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who is also a doctor, said he would have voted for the health care bill. Former Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole said he supported the Democratic efforts to overhaul the health care system.

One of the certainties of the plan as it was passed that it will drive costs up.

I've seen increases in health care costs anywhere between 28% and 69%.

These were two statements made by Renacci in relation to the health care bill. First of all, the assertion that the health care plan will certainly cause costs will go up is false. Predicting what costs will be in the future, particularly when they are affected by a new piece of legislation, is always speculative, but the Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan organization that projects costs going forward, estimates that health care premiums will go down or hold steady for most people going forward. The CBO estimates that 4 out of 5 people who get their insurance through their employer will see savings between 0 and 3 percent range by 2016. Low-income people who qualify for new credits to buy insurance would see the biggest drops. The CBO does say that people who buy insurance on their own, but who don't qualify for government subsidies, could actually see their premiums rise by as much as 10 to 13 percent, but that's largely because they'll be getting beefed-up policies that would pay for more basic services, especially preventive care.

Where Renacci gets the figures of health care costs rising between 28% and 69% is anybody's guess. But this does raise an important point that I think a lot of voters who oppose the health care bill miss. It is natural to initially think when you hear that the Affordable Care Act costs approximately $940 billion that there is no way the government can afford to do this. But there is two points to remember.

The cost of the bill is stretched out over 10 years, so the average cost of the bill is $94 billion a year. But to put this in better perspective, let's look at the year 2016, the first year when the bill is fully functional. That year, the bill's cost will be about $160 billion, According to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, total health-care spending that year will be about $3.7 trillion. In other words, the bill's spending is equivalent to about 4 percent of what we'll spend in health care in a year, and it will be covering 30 million people. (source)

The other point that is tough to grasp is that you can spend money on something while simultaneously saving money. Let's use this example. Say you have old, drafty windows in your house. A window expert looks at them and determines that you are wasting about $300 a hear in heating costs because the windows are drafty. He recommends you get new windows to fix this problem. The windows cost $500 to replace. While the windows will cost more than the money lost on the old windows in the first year, it will save you money by the second year and every year after that. If you ignored the cost savings of installing the new windows and just looked at the cost of the windows itself, you may have said you couldn't afford to get the windows.

The same is true with the health care plan. What people forget is that health care costs are out of control right now. So the debate shouldn't be about the cost of the health care bill. It should be about the projected cost of health care over the next decade without the health care bill and with the health care bill. And on that score, the health care bill wins easily. The Affordable Care Acts will reduce the deficit by more than $100 billion over the next 10 years, and could save another $1 trillion dollars the decade after that, according to the CBO.

One final point. Renacci seems to be implying that provisions of the health care bill itself are currently driving up premiums. If this is actually happening to anyone that Renacci has talked with, they should contact the Department of Health and Human Services, because they are likely using the health care bill as an excuse to raise costs. As reported by the Chicago Tribune, the projected health care cost increases are primarily due to advances in medical technology, and an older workforce. The article reports that the increasing costs associated with an aging workforce has been exacerbated by the economic downturn because business "are hiring fewer younger people," whose premiums typically "absorb the costs of older employees."

Renacci went on to say this:

We need to repeal and replace that health care bill. We need to replace it with a bill that takes cares of cost. 85% of the problems are costs. We have one of the greatest health care systems.

His comment about taking care of costs puts him oddly in agreement with Boccieri, who voted against the House bill but in favor of the Senate version of the health care bill because the CBO said the Senate bill would lower costs more. We just demonstrated how the health care bill attacks the problem of costs, so Renacci's complaint makes no sense. He then follows this up with a doozy, saying that we have one of the greatest health care systems. That is just patently ridiculous. As we already talked about, America spends way more on its health care than any other country. And what do we have to show for it? Well, the U.S. currently ranks 49th in the world for both male and female life expectancy combined. About 1 in 8 U.S. births are premature, compared to only 1 in 18 babies in Ireland and Finland. And the Institute of Medicine says a lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States.

Renacci then offered up a standard Republican complaint of the medical system:

We practice defensive medicine. We really need a comprehensive plan to address tort reform.

First of all, in states where tort reform has been adopted, little to no difference in rising health care costs has been noticed. This is true in Ohio, where in 2004, the year tort reform was passed, the average premiums for employer-based family health plans were $9,590. By 2008, the premiums had risen to $11,425. Second, the Affordable Care Act did include tort reform legislation, as detailed by the Wall Street Journal. Ironically, the GOP.gov website listed the government's efforts to "to explore alternatives to tort litigation" as one of the "159 Ways the Senate Bill Is a Government Takeover of Health Care."

Question 2:

With our unemployment tracking higher than the national average, what in your opinion are the key initiatives that should be supported to improve the job picture in the 16th district.

Another theme that Renacci has been hitting on consistently during the campaign is the number of jobs that have been lost since Boccieri took office.

Over the last two years that Mr. Boccieri in office, we have been hemorrhaging jobs in the 16th district. We have gone from almost 6 1/2 to 12 percent when talking about job creation.

While the unemployment rate has certainly been higher in the two years (2009-10) Boccieri has been in office than it was in the year previous, claiming the unemployment rate doubled is quite an exaggeration. According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the unemployment rate for Ohio's 16th district in 2008 was 6.35% (23,900 unemployed out of a labor force of 375,500). Over the two-year period of 2009-10, the unemployment rate was 10.31% (77,200 unemployed out of a labor force of 748,900). And if you just look at this year, the unemployment rate, through the month of July, is 10.26% (38,500 unemployed out of a labor force of 375,300). Now if you double the unemployment rate of 2008, you end up with an unemployment rate of 12.7%. That is a full two points higher than the current unemployment rate, which is a pretty significant mischaracterization. And if you take into account that the economy was bleeding over 500,000 jobs a month when Boccieri took office in January 2009, laying all the blame for job losses over the last two years on the 111th Congress is quite an exaggeration.

Sticking with his consistent theme of the importance of small businesses, Renacci stated:

67% of the jobs created in this country and in this district are created by small businesses.

We would need further clarification from Renacci about exactly what he was referring to with this statement. It is true that small businesses (firms with 500 employees or less) have created about 65% of the 15 million new net jobs between 1993 and 2009, but it should also be pointed out that when looking at the entire job picture, small business employ about half of the workforce. So if Renacci was referring specifically to the role small businesses are currently playing in hiring, he is accurate. If he is talking about overall employment, he overstates the role of small businesses.

Central to Renacci's economic argument is the following:

Businesses will not hire right now because they are concerned about predictability and certainty -- ObamaCare (raise costs between 28% and 60%); cap & trade (the CBO says it will be $1,200 increase per family and some studies say a cost to a business owner will be as high as 30%); taxes - has already approved $1.4 trillion in new taxes.

We've already talked about the notion that the health care bill has or will raise costs is false. As for the assertion that the CBO said cap & trade would increase the average family's utility bills by $1,200 seems to be come from nowhere. State Senator Bob Gibbs, who is running for Congress in the district to our south, made a somewhat similar claim, stating that cap & trade would cost families $1,761 a year. PolitiFact gave this assertion its worst rating of Pants on Fire. The CBO actually analyzed the bill that passed the House last year, and estimated that "the average per-household loss in purchasing power would be $90 in 2012 and $925 in 2050 and would average about $455 per U.S. household per year over the 2012–2050 period." So the CBO did find that there would be an increase in costs to the consumer, but it falls well short of Renacci's claim. In addition, the CBO has estimated that the cap & trade bill is a wash when it comes to job creation/loss, which is a far cry from the claims of this bill being a "job-killer."

Finally, Renacci's claim that Boccieri and the Democrats have already approved $1.4 trillion in new tax cuts is a case of needing to look a little closer at the details. It is true that President Obama's budget calls for an increase of $1.1 trillion in taxes, but this is spread out over the next 10 years. But this is not the important distinction. What needs to be pointed out is that the tax increases only come from couples making more than $250,000 and individuals making more than $200,000 by not renewing tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush. In fact, Obama proposes to lower taxes on middle-class families and many businesses to the tune of $330 billion over the next 10 years. On top of that, Obama only proposes to increase the tax rate on the top income bracket to 39.6%, which is well below the 50% the rate was under President Reagan and significantly lower than the 91% they were under President Eisenhower.

Question 4:

What single policy change is most important to restore our economy?

Mr. Renacci claims:

The No. 1 concern that most Americans have is our out of control spending.

Well, it is hard to completely refute this statement by Renacci, as a lot depends on the exact question asked of the public, but a recent poll conducted by Newsweek seems to fly strongly in the face of Renacci's claim that the No. 1 concern of Americans in government spending. When asked this question: "Which one of the following do you think should have the higher priority for policy-makers in Washington right now," the answers were as follows:

37% Reducing the federal budget deficit

57% Federal spending to create jobs

6% Don't know

This is a full 20% percent more of the public, or a solid majority, that would like to see more government spending, not less, particularly if it means creating jobs. In other words, the public seems to be asking for another stimulus bill.

Question 5:

What role do you think quality education plays in creating jobs in Ohio?

In response to this question, Renacci had this to say:

Education needs to be moved back to the local level. States and local government need to be the ones who understand what is being taught in schools are how we are teaching our children. This is something that can't be done from Washington, D.C.

Trying to figure out exactly what Renacci is saying here isn't easy, but this seems to be a standard conservative position that removing government's role in something will make it better. I guess you could call it deregulation of the education system. Of course, I'm not sure how government is interfering with our schools. Does Renacci propose cutting of federal grants to schools? Does Renacci believe that the government should remove laws that protect against discrimination and insure an education for every American? Is he really advocating a kind of "every child for him/herself" mentality for our education system? Kind of an odd position to be taking considering he went to Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a public school.

Question 6:

Do you support or oppose the estate tax?

This one was a softball question for a conservative like Renacci. As you knew he would, he managed to slip in twice during his answer the phrase "death tax," another Frank Lutz word term meant to scare voters. Here is how Renacci answered this question:

I stand with the farm bureau and with small business with a 100% repeal of the estate, or death tax, as you would call it.
The government takes anywhere between 45 and 55 percent (in estate taxes)

It is important to make two points when it comes to the estate tax. First, the estate tax rates over the last nine years were set by the Bush tax cuts passed in 2001. As it so happens, the estate tax rates were phased down over several years and eliminated entirely for those who die in 2010, but it’s set to return in 2011 at levels that prevailed before 2001. So if Congress does nothing between now and Dec. 31 of this year, then someone who dies in 2001 with an estates worth more than $1 million would be subject to taxation at rates as high as 55 percent on amounts over that threshold. (source)

But this is unlikely to happen. The House, including Boccieri, already voted and passed a bill last December that would have permanently exempted estates of up to $3.5 million from taxation (effectively, $7 million for couples). The top rate would have been 45 percent. There has been trouble reconciling this bill with one from the Senate, so the exact rate of the estate tax next year is unknown.

The other point to make is that the estate tax only applies to millionaires, and if legislation is passed in the next two months, multi-millionaires, and the tax is only on the amount of money pass the designated threshold. To give you an idea of how few people the estate tax affects, if the bill that Boccieri voted for in the House became law, taxes would be levied on only 6,400 estates nationwide in 2011 -- about three-tenths of one percent of all those who die that year. If Congress doesn't act at all, 44,200 estates would pay taxes-- still only 2 percent of deaths expected in 2011. (source)

We will give credit to Renacci for stating the figures right in terms of the percentage that the government does take in estate taxes. But he didn't put the number of people that would be affected by the estate tax in any type of context, allowing the voter to think they might be subject to this tax, when the chances are slim to none.

Question 7:

What are your plans to stimulate economic development in this region and can those plans be accomplished without increasing the national debt?

Renacci didn't really have a plan to detail, he just gave the same three reasons he gave before as to why the economy is struggling:

ObamaCare is taking 28% to 69%. Taxes - if you don't know what your taxes are next year, you're not going to hire anybody. Cap & Trade - if you don't know what your utility bills are going to be, you aren't going to hire.

The only thing he said that even resembled some sort of policy was his desire to "bring jobs back with certainty and predictability." As we already detailed, the idea that health care costs are rising is false. The tax rates for next year have yet to be determined because Congress has yet to vote on a bill that would address the expiring Bush tax cuts. The main reason Congress hasn't acted yet is the same reason Congress hasn't acted on a lot of things — Republican obstruction. The same goes with the cap & trade bill. While the House has already passed its version of an energy bill, any efforts to do the same in the Senate are basically dead. And regardless of what happens, the changes in taxes, utility rates, etc., has almost nothing to do with the economy. The reason that employers aren't hiring is that consumer demand isn't there. And the best way to drive up consumer demand is to get more people employed. It would help if large, wealthy corporations would choose to invest their money in their business instead of just holding onto the money. And if history is any guide, the best way to get the wealthy to spend their money is to raise their taxes, not lower them.

Question 12:

The current stimulus program may fix unemployment in the short term, but what do you propose to maintain job growth in the long term?

It was clear from the start that Renacci was going to attack the stimulus bill, and the charges he levied were way off the mark. Here is his first miss:

The current stimulus program is money borrowed from China.

Another scare tactic from Renacci that is demonstrably false. While it is likely that a portion of the money used in the stimulus came from Chinese investors, most of the money came from right here in the United States. Rising domestic demand for U.S. debt allowed the government to sell more than $1.7 trillion of Treasurys during fiscal 2009. Those sales paid for billions of dollars of stimulus spending.

Renacci's next statement also made little sense:

When Boccieri took over unemployment was appx. 6 1/2 % now it as 12%; that is what the stimulus has gotten us.

We already talked about how this unemployment figure is an exaggeration and a poor measure of what has happened the last two years in terms of job growth. But Renacci has taken it to another level here. He is saying the stimulus bill itself has caused a near doubling in the unemployment rate in the 16th district. That is so laughably ridiculous that this statement should disqualify Renacci from ever becoming a member of Congress.

By any measure you want to use the stimulus package, or the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, has been a huge success. Taken as a whole, the CBO estimates by the time the all the money is spent from the stimulus plan, approximately 3.7 million jobs could be attributed to the Recovery Act. The CBO says the stimulus plan alone created up to 2.1 million jobs in the fourth quarter of 2009. Closer to home, nearly 26,000 jobs have been created in Ohio as a result of the stimulus plan, while 7,300 jobs were created in the 16th district in 2009.

Renacci then closed with this gem:

If we are going to do these kind of stimulus programs, they have to be directed to produce jobs.

Besides the fact that this statement really makes no sense, he seems to be agreeing that the stimulus bill was a good idea, since it created so many jobs.

Closing Statements

Renacci began his closing statement predictably enough, repeating the exaggerated claim that Boccieri has voted with Pelosi 94% of the time. But then he veered sharply off course, even for him, providing the most memorable portion of the debate for those in attendance. He fired off these three provocative statements:

Mr. Boccieri has stood in front of you once already and he told you that he "will not vote for cap & trade"
He also told you that he will not vote for health care for the first time around because it was too expensive, yet when it got to a point when the vote was needed, he voted for health care
Mr. Boccieri has lied to you twice.

Let's take the last accusation first. It is pretty rare to hear one politician call another a liar, particularly in Renacci's case, as we have already documented his propensity to be wildly off-base with some of his assertions. It is probably helpful to clearly define what a lie means. According to Webster's online dictionary, to lie means "to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive."

With the cap & trade bill, we have heard repeatedly from Renacci that Boccieri told voters that he wouldn't vote for cap & trade. We are unable to verify this statement. An extensive search of the web does not find any instances where Boccieri is quoted as saying this, but that doesn't mean he didn't. But even if he did, Boccieri's ultimate vote in favor of cap & trade legislation hardly qualifies as a lie. In order for Boccieri to have lied about his position you would have to believe that when he told voters that he would vote against cap & trade, he actually knew that he would vote in favor of it. That seems pretty unlikely.

With health care, here we have a case of a Republican once again seeing the world as black and white instead of different shades of gray. This is certainly true when it comes to governing, as almost nothing is ever black and white. Boccieri voted against the House version of the health care bill because he felt it didn't go far enough to control costs. When he was presented with the Senate version of the health, he felt that enough cost controls had been added, and the bill would do more to go after fraud, waste and abuse. These were two different bills. I know this is something conservatives have trouble grasping, but creating legislation is a sausage-making process that sometimes leads to different conclusions (and therefore votes) depending on the bill's final language.

As for the notion that Boccieri voted for health care in the end because Pelosi needed his vote is both irrelevant and likely wrong. If Boccieri did vote for the bill because Pelosi asked for his support as a Democrat, is this supposed to be a revelation? As if Republicans haven't voted in lockstep on almost every piece of legislation the last two years? And since Renacci's positions are identical to your standard conservative Republican, it is pretty easy to assume he would do the same. But we were pretty confident that Boccieri was going to vote for the Senate version of the health care bill in January 2010 — a full two months before his final vote. Why? Because a member of his campaign staff said so in an email sent on January 9:

The Senate version of the health care bill looks a lot better than the House version. The overall cost is lower. The mandates aren't as strict, there is no public option, and we are working to fix some issues with medical equipment suppliers and the cuts to Medicare and Medicare Advantage. The Senate version was always going to be the framework for the final bill so we look for the conference committee version to be similar. John wants to vote for health care reform and we are definitely moving in that direction.

Everything in this statement meshes with what Boccieri said publicly about his reasoning to vote against the House bill and for the Senate bill.

To summarize this very long piece on Renacci's statements from the Sept. 20 debate, two things are very clear. One is that Renacci doesn't really stand for much, other than the standard Republican talking points. You could tell this by being in the audience. He only seemed comfortable when attacking Boccieri. When asked for policy positions, he struggled to articulate anything. The second is that most of his criticisms, which are the basis for his entire campaign, are either exaggerations or outright false. So taking these two things into account, it becomes very difficult to build a case for Renacci serving as a representative in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Video of League of Women's Voters Candidate's Night Oct. 19

2010-10-21T22:26:00.002-04:00

The League of Women's Voters Candidate's Night on Tuesday, Oct. 19, was the last time that candidates for Ohio's 16th congressional district would debate each other before the November 2 election. We have video of the entire debate below:

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Watch Boccieri-Renacci Debate from October 18 in Canton

2010-10-17T23:54:00.000-04:00

Watch First OH-16 Congressional Debate (Sept. 20)

2010-10-11T20:03:00.003-04:00

Watch the first OH-16 congressional district debate (broken down into six parts) that was sponsored by the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce and took place in Wooster on Sept. 20. We plan to fact-check and analyze some of the statements made during this debate in the coming days. Both Jim Renacci (R) and Jeffrey Blevins (Libertarian) got off a few doozies.

Part I:

Part II:

Part III:

Part IV:

Part V:

Part VI:

John Boccieri discusses the foreign-funded US Chamber of Commerce on Countdown with Keith Olbermann

2010-10-11T19:28:00.000-04:00

Legal Issues Plague "Young Gun" Republicans

2010-10-04T00:11:00.002-04:00

Under the category of news that isn't really news, a number of the "Young Gun" Republican candidates for the House are confronting serious legal issues. In our district, Jim Renacci has some questions to answer. The following is from the Democratic Congressional Candidate Committee:

Jim Renacci made millions of dollars as the owner and operator of nursing homes throughout Ohio. Republican officials thought Renacci would be able to tout his experience in health care – but did they know he endangered his nursing home residents to make more money while sheltering his income from taxes?

A Renacci Nursing Home Patient Dies. In 2001, a woman died in a nursing home operated by Renacci after another patient with a history of verbal and physical abuse attacked her. The woman died two days later.

Renacci Placed Profits Before Safety. In a deposition, the nursing home administrator testified that the center did not have sufficient trained staff to control aggressive patients but that Renacci opposed any attempt to remove those patients because it would adversely affect the income of the center. [Stark County Clerk of Courts, 2001CV00598]

Renacci Sheltered $14 Million from Taxes. In 2006, Renacci was assessed nearly $1.4 million in unpaid state taxes, interest and fees after trying to shelter some $14 million in income. For years, Renacci fought the assessment after ignoring warnings from the Tax Commissioner of Ohio that it would impose fraud penalties on taxpayers who did not file amended returns and pay the taxes due. Politifact.com found “mostly true” the statements that Renacci “cheated on his income taxes” and was a “deadbeat.” [Associated Press, 4/13/10; Politifact.com, 8/27/10]

Renacci received $34,000 from GOP Leadership. Renacci has received $34,000 from GOP leadership. [CQ Moneyline]

A funny, but sadly true billboard

2010-10-01T00:12:00.002-04:00

Over past 32 years, Republican presidencies have created over 80% of U.S. Public Debt

2010-10-01T00:04:00.002-04:00

We've talked about this before on our site, but Teabaggers should really support Democrats. Because if their number one issue is the national debt and government spending, there really is no comparison between the two parties. Problem is, they keep picking the wrong party.

Teabaggers Must Really Dislike Eisenhower, Nixon and Reagan

2010-09-26T21:54:00.002-04:00

Note that the tax rate on the top marginal tax rate under President Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican, was 91% between 1956-1960. In other words, the very wealthy only kept 9% of what they made. Under President Richard Nixon (Republican), the wealthy only kept 30%, while under the Ronald Reagan, another Republican, it was an even split. Talk about "spreading the wealth (or in Teabagger lingo, "socialism").

President Obama only wants to return the top marginal tax rate to 39.6%, what they were before President George W. Bush's tax cuts in 2001 and well below that of Reagan. But again he is spreading socialism. Care to explain this Teabaggers?

4 Signs the Country Is Actually Moving to the Left

2010-09-21T22:49:00.002-04:00

Written by Chris Bowers of The Daily Kos.

The rise of the tea party, and the pending Republican gains in Congress have led quite a few observers to declare that the country is shifting to the right ideologically. Those calls will only grow louder after the election.

The problem with these sentiments is that they are just flat out wrong. Completely inaccurate. Demonstrably false, and easily so. The country has shifted dramatically to the left from where it was 40, 30, or even 15 years ago. Many positions that were quite recently liberal and contested are now mainstream to the point of being unchallengeable (or, at least, it is shocking when they are challenged). Many others that were lefty-fringe positions only 20 years ago are now held by a majority of the country, or at least a substantial, mainstream minority. Further, the current incarnation of the Democratic Party has managed to expand public sector social investment spending to heights that are the equivalent of the New Deal and the Great Society combined.

Site changed for 16th District debate in Wooster

2010-09-19T23:39:00.001-04:00

WOOSTER — Thursday’s storm has forced a debate featuring candidates for Ohio’s 16th District congressional seat to be moved to Wooster High School.

The debate will be in the Performing Arts Center at the high school, which is at 515 Oldman Road. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The debate begins at 7. The event is sold out.

Read more ...

New Strickland poll shows Ohio Governor down three points

2010-09-19T23:37:00.000-04:00

After a battery of recent public polls showed Gov. Ted Strickland (D) slipping in his bid for re-election, the Democratic incumbent released his own poll that shows he’s not dead yet.

Former Cong. John Kasich (R) led Strickland 48%-45% in large sample of 1,200 likely voters conducted September 7-9 and 12-14 by the Feldman Group.

Wayne County Democratic Party Fair Booth - Sept. 11-16

2010-09-04T22:46:00.002-04:00

The Wayne County Democratic Party will have an exhibit booth at the 161st Wayne County Fair, http://www.waynecountyfairohio.com/ September 11-16. We invite one and all to drop by the booth to say hello, discuss the hot issues of the day and meet a few of the candidates. Information on all the Democrats running for office this November will be available. Various political paraphernalia will also be available for purchase. During your visit you may enjoy a multimedia slide show highlighting the activities of the past year of the Wayne County Democratic Party. We look forward to seeing you at our booth located beneath the main grandstand.

First 16th Congressional Debate Set for Wooster

2010-09-02T17:25:00.001-04:00

WOOSTER -- The Coalition for the Support of Business and Jobs announced Wednesday a candidates' forum the organization is sponsoring in the race for the 16th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Incumbent Congressman John Boccieri, D-Alliance, Jim Renacci, R-Wadsworth, and Jeffrey Blevins, Libertarian-Wadsworth, will square off in the 90-minute debate on Sept. 20 at the Arden Shisler Conference Center, 1625 Wilson Road, on the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center campus in Wooster.

GOP Tea Party: These People Could be in Charge

2010-09-02T17:21:00.001-04:00

Posted without comment. This is a must watch:

What Happens When Teabaggers & Hate Radio Team Up

2010-08-22T22:39:00.003-04:00

Regardless of your personal opinion about whether a Muslim community center (not a mosque, by the way) should be constructed two blocks away from "ground zero," the fact remains that the constitution and the law protect the right to do so. The fear-mongering and hate being spewed by the Radical Right has created situations like this -- in 21st century America.

Five Things to Know About Rob Portman

2010-08-21T11:25:00.002-04:00

The Democratic National Committee has put together a website called "Five Things You Should Know About Rob Portman." It highlights his time as President Bush's Budget Director (which was obviously a failure), plus other facts that make him a very unbecoming candidate for Senate.

Wooster 912 Project Photo of the Week

2010-08-21T11:23:00.002-04:00

Why feature photos from the Wooster 912 Project (or local Tea Party group)? Because these are the voters that Republicans candidates, including Jim Renacci, are courting, and these are the people that they will listen to if elected. I don't think enough people appreciate how radical the Teabaggers are, both in their views, and their tactics. Here is one titled Father & Son:

Yes, President Obama is being compared to Hitler. Now, this gentleman isn't comparing Obama to Hitler because he gives great speeches. Instead, he is implying that Obama has a sinister side, just like Hitler. What that sinister side is, you'll have to check with your local Teabaggers. But to think that someone would compare the first African-American president with a leader who executed ethnic genocide at a level never seen in the world is beyong disgusting. And the fact that this picture has been on the Wooster 912 Project website for close to a year speaks volumes to the principles of this organization specifically and Teabaggers in general.

Wooster 912 Project Photo of the Week

2010-08-12T10:44:00.003-04:00

Why feature photos from the Wooster 912 Project (or local Tea Party group)? Because these are the voters that Republicans candidates, including Jim Renacci, are courting, and these are the people that they will listen to if elected. I don't think enough people appreciate how radical the Teabaggers are, both in their views, and their tactics.

Here is one titled Obama-Stuttering_Idiot:

This is what they have to say about a man who went from a State Senator to President in four years, defeating a highly-qualified candidate in Hillary Clinton then easily defeating Vietnam war hero John McCain. The same man who was the president of the Harvard Law Review. The same man many consider one of the best speakers, both on and off stage, in the history of the presidency. Yet this is the nonsense they believe in.

Would Jim Renacci Vote to Save Teacher and Police Jobs?

2010-08-12T10:24:00.004-04:00

It would be interesting to hear what Jim Renacci would have to say about the bill recently passed in Congress that was nearly unanimously voted against by Republicans. The $26 billion dollar bill is fully funded, and according to the CBO would reduce the deficit by $1.3 billion over the next 10 years. This is a perfect Republican bill, right? Fully paid for, reduces deficit, and helps save jobs for middle class Americans?

So what's the problem? Two reasons. One, the modern Republican Party has no policy platform. Their only strategy is to vote against anything Democrats support, particularly if it might help the economy (therefore hurt their chances in the November election). The other reason is that the bill was paid for by closing tax loopholes for multinational companies that try to claim domestic tax credits. So Republicans, in essence, are choosing to protect large corporations who ship job overseas from paying their due taxes at the expense of teachers, police officers, firefighters and more.

It makes you wonder how self-proclaimed "job creator" Renacci would have voted if he was in Congress. Would he vote in lockstep with his Republican buddies? I imagine so. John Boccieri clearly showed who's side he is on by voting for this bill. And Americans understand this, as 60% support this bill.

Republicans Love Government Spending When on Weapons

2010-08-12T10:08:00.004-04:00

In another case of blatant GOP hypocrisy, Republican members of the Senate are threatening to stop the ratification of the New START treaty, which is a significant breakthrough in the slowing down of the global arms race. Officials like Brent Scowcroft, George Schultz, Colin Powell, former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Reagan Chief of Staff Howard Baker, and former Sen. John Danforth (R-Mo.) have all urged the Senate to ratify New START. But what is the problem? Republicans want the Obama administration to spend more government money on weapons, including nuclear weapon facilities.

Here is how the world is seeing this tactic:

Many U.S. allies had assumed New START would easily be ratified this year. The treaty commits the United States and Russia to modest cuts in their long-range, ready-to-use weapons and extends a 15-year system allowing each side to check the other's nuclear facilities. It is the cornerstone of the Obama administration's attempt to "reset" relations with Moscow.
The treaty has been endorsed by six former secretaries of state and five former secretaries of defense from both parties, and nearly all former commanders of U.S. nuclear forces. French Ambassador Pierre Vimont said recently that after diplomats cabled home that the treaty could run into problems, "People ask us, 'Have you been drinking?' " Link

And yet Teabaggers in sizable amounts support Republicans. Again, how are we supposed to take this movement seriously?

GOP Job-Killing Agenda

2010-08-12T10:01:00.001-04:00

From the Senate Democrats:

House Minority Whip Admits Economy is More Important Than Deficit

2010-08-02T22:00:00.003-04:00

As we speak, Teabaggers are jumping ship from the Republican party after learning that House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has admitted that cutting taxes will "dig the hole deeper" when it comes to the deficit, but ultimately what is more important than the deficit is getting the economy going again.

In response to a question asking whether Republican tax cuts would hurt the deficit, Cantor said this:

What I said in the beginning is, um, if you have less revenues coming into the federal government, and more expenditures, what does that add up to? Certainly you're gonna dig the hole deeper. But you also have to understand, if the priority is to get people back to work, is to start growing this economy again, uh, then you don't wanna make it more expensive for job creators. Link

Here is the video:

Director of President Reagan's Office of Management & Budget Says GOP Caused Economic Apocalypse

2010-08-02T21:43:00.003-04:00

For Republicans and many Teabaggers (see photo to the left), President Ronald Reagan is a hero and icon. But the truth is that Reagan oversaw a 189% increase in the national debt during his eight years in office. His economic philosophy of giving tax cuts to the most wealthy has led to the average American, which Teabaggers are supposed to epitomize, to pay the debt.

Well, some people are starting to realize what Reaganomics in general and what passes for current Republican economic policy specifically has and will do to this country. Joining this group is David Stockman, who was Reagan's director of the Office of Management and Budget. He published an op-ed in the New York Times on July 31. He outlines four deformations of the economic apocalypse, but this passage is the one that needs to be heard the loudest:

This debt explosion has resulted not from big spending by the Democrats, but instead the Republican Party’s embrace, about three decades ago, of the insidious doctrine that deficits don’t matter if they result from tax cuts.

In 1981, traditional Republicans supported tax cuts, matched by spending cuts, to offset the way inflation was pushing many taxpayers into higher brackets and to spur investment. The Reagan administration’s hastily prepared fiscal blueprint, however, was no match for the primordial forces — the welfare state and the warfare state — that drive the federal spending machine.

Soon, the neocons were pushing the military budget skyward. And the Republicans on Capitol Hill who were supposed to cut spending exempted from the knife most of the domestic budget — entitlements, farm subsidies, education, water projects. But in the end it was a new cadre of ideological tax-cutters who killed the Republicans’ fiscal religion. Link

Jim Renacci and His Anti-Environmental Buddies

2010-07-29T01:07:00.000-04:00

From MyDD:

In Ohio's 16th Congressional District, Rep. John Boccieri(D) is being challenged by Jim Renacci (R). Boccieri is an environmental champion who voted for the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) and who received a 93% League of Conservation Voters score in 2009. In contrast, Jim Renacci erroneously believes that comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation, far from helping our economy, national security, and environment, would instead "amount to one of the largest taxes in American history, would cause electricity prices to skyrocket and would very likely bankrupt an enormous portion of our domestic energy industry."

While Renacci's anti-environmental views are not surprising, given the groups and individuals who support his candidacy, they are disturbing nonetheless. Let's look at a few of Renacci's key endorsements and sources of money.

"One And The Same"

2010-07-29T01:02:00.003-04:00

Sometimes (OK, most of the time) political ads can be over the top. But in this case, the Republican/Tea Party association is exactly as it is portrayed in this video. There really is no difference in the two groups. Republicans have moved so far to the right, that the Republican Party that tried to impeach President Clinton now looks moderate.

Teabaggers Being Fooled by Sarah Palin Again

2010-07-29T00:25:00.004-04:00

I continue to be astounding by the utter ignorance of most of the Teabaggers. They believe President Obama and the Democrats are out to destroy the country. Why they would do that, I haven't heard a good reason yet. But yet they get behind a political hack and grifter like Sarah Palin and believe almost anything she says.

Let's look at the Cap and Trade issue. Congressman John Boccieri voted for a climate bill that contained a form of Cap and Trade last year. Local Teabaggers like the ones pictured here think it is a threat to our liberty. Again, no rational reason to think this, but I guess because Obama supports it, it must be bad. But I wonder how they would feel if they knew (or would acknowledge) that cap and trade was a signature part of the McCain/Palin climate change platform during the 2008 election?

Seriously, this is one for the ages:

So as we've repeated over and over on this blog — the Teabaggers claim to have policy stances, but often they are in direct opposition to what they actually want. Throw in that they blame President Obama and Democrats for things that Republicans have done, it makes you wonder where this anger is coming from. Where was it when President Bush was running up the deficit and authorizing illegal wiretapping of American citizens? Why aren't they going after Palin for attacking American liberty? Very strange, isn't it.

Rob Portman in His Own Words

2010-07-28T23:37:00.003-04:00

Here is just a sampling of the strange things Republican senatorial candidate Rob Portman has said. (courtesy of the DSCC)

On Ohio's economy...

“The economy here has been relatively strong since the Bush tax cuts.”

[Cincinnati Enquirer, 1/28/08]

On Privatizing Social Security...

“[It] can be a perfectly guaranteed and safe system.”
[Fox News, 6/18/01]

On the Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis...

"I have a hard time imagining that that would have a real world impact on our economy."

[Portman Press Briefing, 7/11/07]

On When He Supported "Cap-and-Trade"...

"Private sector incentives, such as permitting companies to trade discharge outputs, can both reduce pollution and costs."

[Roll Call, 7/6/10]

Fundraiser for Common Pleas Judge Robert J. Brown August 5

2010-07-28T23:24:00.002-04:00

Jean Mohr, David Broehl and John Johnson, Jr. invite you to a fundraiser for Common Pleas Judge Robert J. Brown, candidate for Ninth District Court of Appeals.

Date: Thursday, August 5, 2010
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Place:
SoMar Wine Cellars
211 South Market Street
Wooster, Ohio 44691

Suggested minimum contribution: $50 per person (no corporate checks)

Wine and Hors D'oeuvres will be served.

Please reply to 330-347-7439.

Video: What Wall Street Reform Means For You

2010-07-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

The Party of Fiscal Responsibility - Democrats

2010-07-20T01:39:00.001-04:00

Written by Jed Lewison from the Daily Kos.

In the 2001 fiscal year (which began in October, 2000 and is the last one for which Clinton was responsible), revenue was $1.99 trillion and expenditures were $1.86 trillion. (Figures are in 2005 dollars.)

In the 2009 fiscal year (which began in October 2008 and is the last one for which Bush was responsible, sans about $200 billion from the stimulus), revenue was $2.1 trillion and expenditures were $3.5 trillion. (The recession caused revenue to plummet from $2.5 trillion in the 2008 fiscal year during which spending was $2.98 trillion.)

So even if you discount the spending side by the amount of the stimulus (which Bush wouldn't have supported) that means under Bush, revenue increased 5% while spending increased more than 75% and we went from 4 straight years of surplus to a deficit of more than $1 trillion.

How does Bush's fiscal performance compare to Clinton's? Well, the 1993 fiscal year (the last budget of the first Bush administration) had revenues of $1.15 trillion and spending of $1.41 trillion. So under Clinton, revenues increased 73% and spending increased by 32% and the budget went from deficit to surplus.

And somehow Republicans want to argue they know how to handle fiscal policy?

Earth to Republicans & Teabaggers

2010-07-20T01:16:00.006-04:00

Every time I hear Republicans and the Teabaggers rail about government spending and the deficit, with the implicit or not so implicit implication that Democrats caused this problem, I keep expecting to hear the words "just kidding." But these people are serious. In the case of the Teabaggers, they just don't seem to know any better. For Republicans, they are just lying.

To make the culprits of the rising debt easily identifiable, here are some handy graphics that illustrate exactly who has been the problem. Hint, it isn't Democrats.

Courtesy of PresidentialDebt.org

Source

Source

Armed with this information, I'm assuming that the Tea Party on July 10 in downtown Wooster was a demonstration against Republicans, who are by far the main culprits in our nation's rising debt. But before answering this question, maybe the Wooster 912 Project can address this — how can a group that rails against all things government hold a PUBLIC rally at a TAXPAYER FUNDED town square? Are we the only ones that see the hypocrisy here?

This would be a good time to bring out one of my all-time favorite photos showing the utter hypocrisy that is the Tea Party movement.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack talks renewable energy, farm issues in Wooster

2010-07-20T01:09:00.001-04:00

Courtesy of Chris Kick of the Farm & Daily.

WOOSTER, Ohio –Touting a new agriculture and a new economy for America, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Rep. John Boccieri, D-Alliance, spent the afternoon of July 19 touring some of the accomplishments at Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.

Their trip began with an introduction to the newly installed swing-10 milking unit at the Agricultural Technical Institute’s dairy barn — a $250,000 gift to the ATI from Dairymaster-USA.

Meet the Candidates Steak Fry August 20

2010-07-18T14:44:00.003-04:00

The Wayne County Federated Democratic Women sponsor a Meet the Candidates Steak Fry Friday, Aug. 20, at Quailcrest Farm (2810 Armstrong Rd in Wooster). The event takes place from 4 to 8 p.m., with dinner served between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.

Tickets are $16 per person and $6 for children under 12. Invite family & friends to take the opportunity to meet State and Local Candidates in a beautiful setting and enjoy a delicious meal.

R. S. V. P. by Aug. 10. by contacting Betty Schuler at 330-264-3710 or Donna Anderson at 330-264-0368.

Send Checks To:
Wayne County Federated Democratic Women
PO Box 832
Wooster, Ohio 44691

Letter to the Editor From Past WCDP Chair

2010-07-05T15:48:00.002-04:00

Senatorial right-wing politicians have done their best to kill extension of unemployment benefits. This group, with their 'ultra-conservative tagalong' cohorts, are bent on crippling the middle class citizens, keeping people from paying mortgages and supporting their kids. These Senators don't understand that unemployment benefits are immediately spent right back into the economy and will help keep the economy rolling. They will buy kids clothes, pay mortgages, buy food putting their benefits right back into the economy.

The Party of NO and their “fringe followers” should remember just who got us into this mess in the first place. THEY DID - removing regulations on Wall Street which contributed to this economic mess. “Obstructionism” has DIRE consequences. The great American middle class is feeling those consequences.

“Tea-baggers” claim Congress does not read bills before they vote. This is not true. Congress not only reads the bills, they write the bills and offer amendments to the bills before they vote on them. In the Senate bills are read twice before the bills are sent to the appropriate Senatorial committees for review.

Tell the 'nay-saying' Senators to get back to work; to provide investment in non-fossil fuels power; to concentrate on progressing instead hanging onto the past failures. The former president allowed too many jobs to be sent overseas, too much deregulation of Big Oil, Big Banks, Wall Street and too much pandering to the Huge Insurance Industry.

Investments in solar power, wind power, natural gas power will certainly bring more new jobs to America. Cutting out the perks now being given to Big Oil will help pay for tax benefits for new environmental jobs. Investment in the environment will provide thousands of new jobs for the American middle class to move the economy forward.

Demand that the 'nay-saying' Senators get back to work and start working for progress instead of hanging onto the unworkable past. We have seen what Big Oil can do to our environment.

B. Jean Mohr

John Boccieri to Appear on CNN's State of the Union Sunday

2010-07-03T13:32:00.004-04:00

Update: Here is the video from the State of the Union tv segment:

This Sunday, July 4th, Congressman John Boccieri (D-Alliance) will be participating in CNN’s State of the Union Sunday morning roundtable with Candy Crowley. Boccieri will be joined by Republican Representatives Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and Mike Coffman (R-CO).

All three members of Congress are military members, recently elected. Their conversation will focus on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – discussing the strategies there, the sacrifices and the recent resignation of General Stanley McChrystal.

They will be speaking from experience as military members and will highlight how that experience has shaped their views on military issues as freshmen members of Congress.

CNN’s State of the Union airs at 9:00am and again at NOON on Sunday, July 4th.

We hope you can tune in for this special program.

Yes We Can Still Blame Bush

2010-06-30T23:51:00.002-04:00

You know the so-called mainstream media is letting our democracy down when Comedy Central is constantly reporting stories and distributing facts that they will not. The latest example comes from the Daily Show's Jon Stewart, who makes the obvious case that we can still blame President Bush, because his failures were so immense, it will takes years, even decades to recover:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Blame

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

Why Do Republicans Hate Americans?

2010-06-30T23:39:00.003-04:00

Ed Schultz from MSNBC has a great take on the Republicans, and their seeming disdain for every American outside of those from big corporations. If you needed any more proof, their blockage of unemployment benefits, including to those for veterans, should be all you need:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Fundraiser for Christmas Run Pool July 9 Features John Boccieri

2010-06-25T16:29:00.002-04:00

There will be a fundraiser for the benefit of Friends of Christmas Run Pool, which are the folks raising the funds that are keeping the Christmas Run Pool open this summer. The event will take place on Friday, July 9, from 5 to 9 p.m. on the street in the 100 block of West Liberty Street (between the square and Walnut). Several of the W. Liberty St. businesses are participating. At the El Rancho Grande, our congressman John Boccieri will be a guest server from 5 to 6 p.m. This is not a political event and John will be there to help raise $$$ for the FCRP only.

Since there will be many folks needed to help with this event, we are sending out the call for volunteers. People will be needed to help set up from 4 to 5 p.m. and to tear down and clean the area from 9 to 10 p.m. A few folks are needed to man the beer and wine garden that the FCRP will be setting up. It would be nice if there were a good representation of Dems there to show support for John in this re-election year.
[Submitted by Fran Grande Fuller, theranchwooster@sssnet.com)

Republicans on "Your Side" -- If you are Big Oil, Insurance or Wall Street

2010-06-25T16:25:00.001-04:00

Local Democrats Part of 2010 Statewide Election Kick-off

2010-06-14T17:37:00.003-04:00

Wooster Weekly News - There were two things that Jim Bird feared, as he got ready for the local 2010 Democratic kick-off efforts, June 5. His first fear was that nobody would show up and his second fear was that the keynote speaker wouldn’t make it.

It turned out he had nothing to worry about on the first account, as more than 30 volunteers showed up at the local headquarters eager to get to work. On the second account, he wasn’t as lucky. House Majority Whip Jay Goyal was sick and couldn’t make it after all.

Appearing unfazed after getting the phone call minutes before the 10 a.m. meeting was to begin, Bird took center stage and filled in for Goyal. He began by addressing what he considered the accomplishments of the Democratic Party and Governor Ted Strickland, including education and healthcare reform, a balanced budget, new energy laws, the GI Bill, NATO, Peace Corps, unemployment compensation, women’s suffrage amendment, Civil Rights, Social Security, and a jobs stimulus bill.

Read more

2010 Central Committee Reorganization; 2010 Wayne County Campaign Kickoff

2010-06-05T21:24:00.002-04:00

The Wayne County Democratic Party kicked off the 2010 campaign season with a gathering on June 5 at Party headquarters. View a gallery of photos from the event.

On May 26, the Wayne County Democratic Party held elections to see who would be the new Party officers. View a gallery of photos from the event.

Teabagger Hero Rand Paul is Anti-American

2010-06-05T21:08:00.003-04:00

Yes, it is hard to say the words (not really), but Republican Senate candidate (and Tea Party hero) from Kentucky Rand Paul is "anti-American." Why can we say this? Because he wants to throw out the 14th amendment of the United States Constitution. And where did he state this opinion? On Russian television, of course. Where else would you expect a potential U.S. Senator to speak his views on the United States Constitution?

You see, the 14th Amendment grants citizenship to anyone born in the United States, regardless of whether or not their parents are U.S. citizens. There is no ambiguity about this. But here is some of what Paul says about this issue:

Paul recently suggested to a Russian TV station that the U.S. should abandon its policy of granting citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants -- even if they're born on U.S. soil.

Paul also said he's discussed instituting an "underground electrical fence" on the border to keep out unwanted elements, though he emphasized that he's "not opposed to letting people come in and work and labor in our country."

The real problem, Paul said, is that the U.S. "shouldn't provide an easy route to citizenship" because of "demographics." Link

I wonder what country Paul's ancestors immigrated from? Because unless he is of Native American descent, he is the result of immigration.

So we wait with baited breath the condemnation of Paul from the Teabaggers, who say the constitution is sacred. Isn't that why they are so adamant about having the government stay away from their guns (2nd Amendment)?

Glenn Beck Endorses Nazi Sympathizer

2010-06-05T20:50:00.007-04:00

All this time, we were led to believe by the Teabaggers that President Obama was like Hitler. Or at least that is what some of the posters you see at Teabagger rallies showed. But lo and behold, it is Glenn Beck, one of the Teabagger heroes, who is on record promoting the work of Elizabeth Dilling, a well-known Nazi sympathizer who spoke at rallies hosted by the leading American Nazi group and praised Hitler.

And if this wasn't bad enough, Dilling was charged with conspiracy to overthrow the US Government with the aid of Nazi agents in 1944.

So when Glenn Beck and Teabaggers throw out words like fascism and Nazism to describe President Obama, the truth is they are just projecting — projecting their true feelings onto someone else.

Ohio Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign Kickoff June 5 at Local Headquarters

2010-06-01T11:44:00.005-04:00

For the first time, the Ohio Democratic Party is working with the DNC, DFA, DCCC, and others, and all the Ohio candidate committees. Sharing information, sharing resources, including a great deal of money, all working together to share a win in Ohio this November.

The Obama campaign showed us that it could be done and how to do it. There is a great support system in place, loaded, locked, and beginning to rock. We are the silver bullets that can save Ohio, and turn Wayne County back to Blue!

The Invitation: On Saturday, June 5, at 10 a.m., at Wayne County Democratic Party Headquarters, we're hosting the Democratic Coordinated Campaign Kickoff Party with a Day of Action, part of a statewide event, and you're all invited. Turn out to see who is really committed to change and winning in Wayne. I'll go over how we're going to do it, what's been done already, and prove to you that it's doable. You know that we've done it before, and it's essential that we do it again, and we are going to do it together.

One featured guest will David Pepper, our candidate for State Auditor. He is one indication of the faith the Democratic Coordinated Campaign has in us. Our other guest is Ohio House Majority Whip Jay Goyal.

After the kickoff, we'll ask people to go door to door and talk to our friends and neighbors about why this election is so important. They'll receive all the training you need at the kickoff - no prior experience is necessary! You are all obviously invited to the event and to help canvass on this very important day!

These events are very important and need to have a lot of people there to show how strong we are this year. That being said I need everyone to help drive interest and attendance by making phone calls this weekend and over the next two weeks to get the word out to people. If we all can make calls and turn out a good crowd at these events it will go a long way towards winning in 2010.

Jim Bird
ODP Field Organizer
Ashland and Wayne Counties
330-987-7568

Ohio Added More Jobs in April Than Any Month in 22 Years

2010-05-31T22:26:00.003-04:00

Ohio, like most Midwestern manufacturing states, has been hit very hard over the last decade or so, but believe it or not, the Buckeye state is leading the way back. For the month of April, Ohio led all states with job increases, adding 37,000 jobs, the most Ohio has added in 22 years. Part of the increase comes from the manufacturing and auto sectors, which added 44,000 jobs nationwide.

Ironic, isn't it, considering Jim Renacci, a car salesman, is like all Republican politicians, running around asking where all the jobs are. Well, Mr. Renacci, considering the Republican party that you are a part of, and more importantly whose policies you embrace, decimated Ohio with job losses, you should know where to find them. In the dustbin of failed Republican economic policies, embraced by President George W. Bush and Republicans in Congress during the last decade. As the Wall Street Journal put it — Bush on Jobs: The Worst Track Record on Record.

Democrats Better For The Economy - Yet More Evidence

2010-05-18T10:14:00.002-04:00

Ron Brownstein of the National Journal wrote one of the more poignant things you'll read this year:

"If the economy produces jobs over the next eight months at the same pace as it did over the past four months, the nation will have created more jobs in 2010 alone than it did over the entire eight years of George W. Bush's presidency."

Let that sink in for a minute. Despite the absolute shambles that President Bush left the economy when President Obama took office, in a little over a year the economy has turned around to the point where it might well create more jobs in 2010 than Bush/Cheney did in eight years. And Democrats are doing this despite Republican obstructionism, which demonstrates they are more interested in getting elected than actually helping ordinary Americans.

More on Democrats and the economy.

More Proof That Cable News is a Joke

2010-05-13T21:05:00.002-04:00

Cable News Wonders: If A SCOTUS Nominee Plays Softball ... Is She Gay?

Via

The Daily Show: 'Glenn Beck Has Nazi Tourette's'

2010-05-13T20:52:00.002-04:00

Daily Show correspondent Lewis Black was surprised last night that Glenn Beck had criticized those who have compared Arizona's immigration law to Nazi Germany. "This is a guy," said Black, "who uses more swastika props and video of the Nuremberg rallies than The History Channel."

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Back in Black - Glenn Beck's Nazi Tourette's

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

Via

Teabagger Hypocrisy in Comic Strip Form

2010-05-13T20:42:00.002-04:00

USA Today: Tax bills in 2009 at lowest level since 1950

How Much Oil Has Leaked Into the Gulf of Mexico?

2010-05-13T20:35:00.004-04:00

Here's the BP oil spill superimposed over the New York City metro region.

Republican Ad Against Fisher Just Downright Weird

2010-05-05T20:49:00.001-04:00

Watch and decide for yourself what exactly is going on here. At the minimum the visuals are odd. At their worst they are downright disgusting:

Boccieri Announces Nearly $296,000 in Recovery Dollars for Research at The College of Wooster

2010-04-30T20:53:00.001-04:00

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman John Boccieri (D-Alliance) announced today the College of Wooster will receive nearly $296,000 in Recovery funds to purchase two x-ray machines that will enhance the university's research and educational opportunities.

"These federal funds are an investment in the long-term competitiveness of our district's students," said Boccieri. "By giving our students the tools they need to succeed, we not only produce the next generation of people who can critically think, multi-task and problem-solve, we ensure our ability to compete in the global marketplace for years to come."

According to Meagan Pollock, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology at the College of Wooster, undergraduate research opportunities will be transformed by the new x-ray lab.

Pollock said, "The instruments will give us the ability to analyze the compositions of rocks, minerals, soils, and even archaeological artifacts. Students will be able to conduct authentic research in class, which will better prepare them for the challenges of our nationally recognized independent study (I.S.) program.

"I.S. students will be operating the instruments and performing their own geochemical analyses, providing them with hands-on experience and analytical skills that many students don't encounter until graduate school. Since the lab will be used by geologists, chemists, physicists, environmental scientists, and archaeologists, I anticipate that the new instruments will spark a great deal of interdisciplinary research. We are all very excited to add the new x-ray instruments to our excellent analytical facilities on campus."

These Recovery dollars will help purchase an x-ray diffractometer (XRD) and the x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. According to the National Science Foundation, the availability of the x-ray machines helps all students at the university fulfill their independent study requirement and receive better training. The funding will also benefit existing outreach programs that target middle school girls, high school students, and local teachers by allowing them access to the equipment.

The XRD and XRF will support mineral phase identification, crystallographic structure refinements and elemental analysis of natural materials, respectively.

Wooster 912 Project & Teabaggers: Where is the Outrage?

2010-04-27T19:11:00.006-04:00

We have pointed out numerous examples where the Teabaggers' grievances seemed to have no grounding in policy. If it did, then of the two current political parties, they would side more often with Democrats.

But the Teabaggers in general, and the Wooster 912 Project specifically, have a chance to be genuinely outraged by government intrusion. The new anti-immigration law passed in Arizona creates the closest thing we have seen to a "police state" in America. Even Teabagger favorite Mark Rubio, running for Senate as a Republican in Florida, calls the new law akin to a “police state.” Believe it or not, Seth Myers of Saturday Night Live sums up best what this new law does:

"This week, Arizona signed the toughest illegal immigration law in the country which will allow police to demand identification papers from anyone they suspect is in the country illegally. I know there’s some people in Arizona worried that Obama is acting like Hitler, but could we all agree that there’s nothing more Nazi than saying "Show me your papers?" There’s never been a World War II movie that didn’t include the line "show me your papers." It’s their catchphrase. Every time someone says "show me your papers," Hitler’s family gets a residual check. So heads up, Arizona; that’s fascism. I know, I know, it’s a dry fascism, but it’s still fascism." Seth Meyers

Think about that for a moment. Republican elected officials in Arizona created a law that genuinely has roots in fascism. This law was then signed by a Republican governor. Yet we don't hear any cries from the Teabaggers about fascism or Nazism. Why? They don't have any trouble shouting these words at President Obama? Again, there doesn't seem to be any policy basis behind the Teabagger movement.

Linda Greenhouse, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Supreme Court correspondent for the New York Times, had this to say about the law:

What would Arizona's revered libertarian icon, Barry Goldwater, say about a law that requires the police to demand proof of legal residency from any person with whom they have made "any lawful contact" and about whom they have "reasonable suspicion" that "the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States?" Wasn't the system of internal passports one of the most distasteful features of life in the Soviet Union and apartheid-era South Africa?

Just a question I haven't heard anybody ask: Shouldn't the tea party crowd be having a cow over this new immigration bill that Arizona just passed? Doesn't that sound like big government tyranny to them? Giving the police the power to demand "papers" from someone just on their own suspicion?
Any chatter from the tea party folk to this effect? I haven't seen any. Link

On the home page of the Wooster 912 Project is a Mission Statement. The first two paragraphs read as follows:

Our Mission is to have a non-partisan place of gathering for like-minded Americans who believe that this country was founded on the basis of God given rights and liberty for all citizens.

We believe that the government has grown too large and is no longer responsive to its constituents.

"Liberty for all citizens" and "government that has grown too large." That would certainly seem to fit the new law in Arizona. We should expect to see protests and letters to the editor protesting this new law from Teabaggers very shortly.

Update: American-born citizen is taken away in handcuffs by Arizona police because he didn't have enough paperwork with him. Outraged yet?

March 2010 Warmest March Ever

2010-04-23T22:22:00.002-04:00

While Republicans far and wide continue to ignore science and claim global warming/climate change is a hoax, this past March was the warmest March ever. This comes on the heels of learning that this past winter was the 5th warmest ever. But Republicans say there is nothing going on here, so we won't worry.

Last month was the warmest March on record worldwide, based on records dating back to 1880, U.S. scientists reported Thursday (April 15).

The average temperature for the month was 56.3 degrees Fahrenheit (13.5 degrees Celsius), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported.

Daily Show/Colbert Most Knowledge Viewers; Fox, Not So Much

2010-04-23T22:11:00.002-04:00

A new study by the Pew Research Study shows that viewers of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report have the highest knowledge of national and international affairs, while Fox News viewers rank nearly dead last:

It is a sad commentary on the corporate television media when a comedy channel not only has more knowledgeable viewers than the so-called news channel of Fox, but that many political stories are more thoroughly discussed on Comedy Central than anywhere else on television.

Read more

Teabagger Brilliance on Video

2010-04-23T21:32:00.002-04:00

We ask again, why are we supposed to take the Tea Party movement seriously? And how are we supposed to believe that it is based on policy issues when almost every problem they claim to have is more the result of Republican policies, not Democratic policies?

Medina County Republicans Keeping it Classy

2010-04-23T21:11:00.003-04:00

The Medina County Republican Executive Committee sent out a newsletter this week that had this classy remark — "take Betty Sutton out of the House and put her back in the kitchen." Sutton, a Democrat, is the congressional representative from OH-13.

Now, you're probably thinking this blatant misogyny was just some sort of bad joke or was deemed so offensive by other Republicans in Medina that is was quickly denounced and apologies made. But you would be wrong. Not only has a retraction not been made at this time, this newsletter went to about 15,000 households in Medina. And how many complaints did Medina County GOP Chairman Bill Heck receive about this? None. That's right. Well over 15,000 Medina Republicans received this, yet not one of them complained. Not to get too carried away here, but why would any woman in Medina County vote for a Republican if this sentiment is either accepted or not objectionable enough to be called out?

Congressman John Boccieri stood up for Sutton and released this statement.

Even Republicans Think Mitch McConnell is Full of It

2010-04-15T19:01:00.003-04:00

As touched upon in this post, Republicans have nothing left but to lie about what the Democrats do. They can't run on their record, because it is lousy. And they have no new ideas. But when the Republican Minority Leader in the Senate so blatantly lies about a piece of legislation that even Republicans are calling him for it, then you know they truly have no credibility left.

FDIC Chair Sheila Bair, a Bush/Cheney appointee to the FDIC, a former assistant Treasury secretary in the Bush administration, had this to say about McConnell's comments about the financial reform bill that is currently being worked on in the Senate. McConnell claimed that the bill will perpetuate bailouts of major financial institutions:

Would this bill perpetuate bailouts?
BAIR: The status quo is bailouts. That's what we have now. If you don't do anything, you are going to keep having bailouts. Bankruptcy doesn't work -- we saw that with Lehman Brothers.

But does this bill stop them from happening?

BAIR: It makes them impossible and it should. We worked really hard to squeeze bailout language out of this bill. The construct is you can't bail out an individual institution — you just can't do it.

In a true liquidity crisis, the FDIC and the Fed can provide systemwide support in terms of liquidity support -- lending and debt guarantees -- but even then, a default would trigger resolution or bankruptcy. Link

Taxes Lowest in 60 years, Thanks to Democrats and Obama

2010-04-15T15:40:00.004-04:00

To follow up on the previous post on this topic, it is pretty clear that Republicans and Teabaggers have no credibility anymore. For Republicans, this was pretty obvious after the eight years in which President Bush, along with a Republican majority in Congress for most of the time, drove our country into a ditch. Realizing they can't run on their own record, Republicans are now left to lie about what Democrats do.

For the Teabaggers, those who follow politics closely know they are a farce, but for many they are still an unknown entity. Well, if the Teabaggers are sincere when they say they aren't affiliated with a major political party, they ought to be getting behind Democrats and Obama? Why? Because thanks to them, taxes are the lowest they have been in 60 years.

Today, thousands of Tea Partiers will descend on Washington to declare they've been "Taxed Enough Already." Yesterday's poll found that 64 percent of Tea Party supporters think the administration has raised taxes -- a finding that might leave Democrats banging their heads against their desks.

"The American people need to be reminded that 98 percent of Americans got a tax cut last year," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Wednesday.

Reid was referring to the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the stimulus -- essentially, the only Obama policy to really impact people's 2009 tax returns. In fact, tax refunds reached an all-time high this year in part because of the stimulus, the president said in his weekly address on Saturday. Meanwhile, taxes are at their lowest levels in 60 years, according to William Gale, co-director of the Tax Policy Center and director of the Retirement Security Project at the Brookings Institution.

"The relation between what is said in the tax debate and what is true about tax policy is often quite tenuous," Gale told Hotsheet. "The rise of the Tea Party at at time when taxes are literally at their lowest in decades is really hard to understand." Link

With respect to Republicans, you can almost understand why they need to lie and say that Democrats are raising your taxes. This has been their best issue for decades. Without, what do they have?

But for Teabaggers, what is their excuse for ignoring the truth? Shouldn't they support the fact that Obama has lowered the deficit? Just like previous Democrats have? Shouldn't they support the Democratic Party since they create more private sector jobs than Republicans? Makes you wonder why they despise President Obama and Democrats. One reason is that the Teabaggers are mostly just angry Republicans. They are sore losers from the 2008 election, and for whatever reason, they refuse to acknowledge that President Obama is superior to any politician in America.

Republicans, Teabaggers Praise Obama & Democrats on Taxes

2010-04-15T10:04:00.002-04:00

This headline is obviously a joke, but it shouldn't be. Since Republicans, and especially Teabaggers, rail on and on about high taxes and how Obama and Democrats are raising taxes, they would be happy with this report, right?

According to a recent CBS News/New York Times poll, the vast majority of Americans do not perceive that they have received a tax cut from President Obama. Asked if the President “has already raised taxes this past year,” 53 percent of those polled said that the President has “kept taxes the same,” and 24 percent think that the President has “raised taxes.” A mere 12 percent believe that the President has cut their taxes.
This is an astonishing level of misunderstanding. The truth is that the major tax cuts enacted in the 2009 economic stimulus bill actually reduced federal income taxes for tax year 2009 for 98 percent of all working families and individuals. These tax cuts saved working families and individuals an average of $1,158 on the tax returns they will file by April 15. (The median tax cut was approximately $600.) Link

The Associated Press has more on this as well.

So this begs the question. If objections to Democrats in general and Obama in particular from the Teabaggers isn't about policy (and it isn't), what is the objection? I have a few guesses, but draw your own conclusions.

Boccieri's Potential GOP Challenger Renacci Fought $1M+ Tax Assessment

2010-04-15T09:47:00.004-04:00

Whether this is a big deal, small deal or no deal at all, it is worth pointing out that John Boccieri's likely Republican challenger Jim Renacci was assessed nearly $1.4 million in unpaid state taxes, interest and fees in 2006-a finding he fought vigorously but eventually paid. At the very least, those voters who find those who make millions of dollars elitist or not your "average Joe" should take note of Renacci's personal wealth.

(AP) — COLUMBUS, Ohio - The leading GOP challenger to Democratic U.S. Rep. John Boccieri was assessed nearly $1.4 million in unpaid state taxes, interest and fees in 2006-a finding he fought vigorously but eventually paid.

Republican Jim Renacci and his wife Tina filed adjusted gross income in 2000 of negative $247,000 but a state audit calculated the sum at $13.7 million, according to an Associated Press review of public documents. The couple was assessed $954,650 in unpaid taxes, $146,938 in interest, and a $293,876 penalty as a result of the discrepancy. Link

According to a 2009 personal financial disclosure statement filed with the U.S. House, Renacci holds assets worth between $35 million and $50 million and made salary, interest and other income of between $500,000 and $4.3 million in 2008 and 2009. His precise worth can't be determined from the form because it asks only for ranges. Link

Boccieri Gives Reasons for Health Care 'Yes' Vote on Health Care

2010-04-12T20:37:00.001-04:00

WOOSTER -- When U.S. Rep. John Boccieri cast his vote in support for the Senate version of health care reform, he did so because it was dramatically different from the House bill and "some things you vote on are just the right thing to do."

Boccieri, an Alliance Democrat who represents Ohio's 16th Congressional District, spoke Friday (April 9) to The Daily Record about his vote.

Boccieri had voted against the House version, and he said he did so because it contained a controversial public option that would have set a federally run government insurance company to compete against private insurers. Also, the House version would not save as much money as the Senate version, he said. He also believes the Senate version, which was approved without any Republicans in support of it, will do more to go after fraud, waste and abuse.

Republicans - Lies Have Real-Life Consequences

2010-04-09T16:41:00.003-04:00

I know for a lot of Republicans and most of the corporate media (and some Democrats too), politics is seen as a game. Actual consequences are secondary to simply trying to win the the day, week or month political spin cycle, ultimately leading towards the next election. But policies do matter (why enter government if you are not interested in policy) and have tangible outcomes to people. It's one thing if a given policy results in an undesired outcome for some Americans, but when a bold-face lie intended to scare people jeopardizes someone's health, a definite line has been crossed.

But that is exactly what happened with the Death Panel lie, made famous by half-term governor Sarah Palin:

Amy Townsend, 38, of Hurst was preparing last week for yet another round of treatments in her battle against breast cancer.
In addition to steeling herself for possible side effects, she and husband Jesse, 43, were preparing for the possibility that they might have to pay hundreds of dollars, up front, before radiation treatment can begin.

With both Amy and Jesse unemployed, the family buys health insurance through COBRA with a $5,500 yearly maximum for out-of-pocket expenses -- a threshold the family has not yet met. COBRA coverage generally lasts up to 18 months.

"We've got to come up with some money for next week," she said.

Though she still faces medical bills, Amy said she was against the health care act, fearing so-called death panels and government inefficiency. [emphasis added] Link

GOP Lawmakers Fan the Flames of Hate

2010-04-09T16:29:00.003-04:00

A classic trick of Republicans is to say or do something wrong, pretend it didn't happen, act offended that they are being accused, then hope that no one bothers to look at the facts. Well, thanks to advance of the Web, and in this particular case, video, we can more easily expose the fraudulent activities of the GOP.

In this case, Republican lawmakers, led by House minority whip Eric Cantor, act as if they played no role in inciting violence and hate against Democratic lawmakers leading up to the vote on health care. But the following clearly shows Cantor and his political friends are lying:

Winter of 2010 Was 5th Warmest Ever

2010-04-09T16:24:00.002-04:00

I know it is human nature to somehow think what happens in your tiny part of the world (northeast Ohio) is happening everywhere, but it's not. The cold and snowy February here in Ohio and other places in the northeast part of the United States may make one initially question whether global warming is occurring. But that's why we rely on science and data, not hunches, for answers. And the truth is that this winter was the fifth-warmest in history:

It will probably come as a surprise to most Americans, but the winter just finished was the fifth-warmest on record, worldwide.
Sure, nearly two-thirds of the country can dispute that from personal experience of a colder-than-normal season.

But while much of the United States was colder than usual, December-February -- climatological winter -- continued the long string of unusual warmth on a global basis.

And parts of the United States did join in, with warmer-than-normal readings for the season in New England and the Pacific Northwest. Indeed, Maine had its third-warmest winter on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports.

Longtime Conservative Republican Says Teabaggers Ignorant About Taxes

2010-04-09T16:16:00.003-04:00

Bruce Bartlett, a longtime conservative Republican, has a column in Forbes magazine titled "The Misinformed Tea Party Movement." The subtitle is "For an antitax group, they don't know much about taxes."

The thrust of the article is that the Tea Party movement seems to know very little about federal taxes. Not only are taxes not very high, particularly when looked at historically, but they have gone down under President Obama:

As noted earlier, federal taxes are very considerably lower by every measure since Obama became president. And given the economic circumstances, it's hard to imagine that a tax increase would have been enacted last year. In fact, 40% of Obama's stimulus package involved tax cuts. These include the Making Work Pay Credit, which reduces federal taxes for all taxpayers with incomes below $75,000 by between $400 and $800.

According to the JCT, last year's $787 billion stimulus bill, enacted with no Republican support, reduced federal taxes by almost $100 billion in 2009 and another $222 billion this year. The Tax Policy Center, a private research group, estimates that close to 90% of all taxpayers got a tax cut last year and almost 100% of those in the $50,000 income range. For those making between $40,000 and $50,000, the average tax cut was $472; for those making between $50,000 and $75,000, the tax cut averaged $522. No taxpayer anywhere in the country had his or her taxes increased as a consequence of Obama's policies.

College of Wooster Young Democrats Leader Named 2010 Truman Scholar

2010-04-08T23:42:00.003-04:00

Jessica Schumacher, a junior political science major at The College of Wooster and the head of the Young Democrats on campus, has been named a 2010 Truman Scholar by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. She was one of 60 Truman Scholars selected from a pool of 576 applicants. Each scholarship provides up to $30,000 to outstanding students who plan to pursue graduate or professional degrees leading to careers in public service.

Read more

Exposing Glenn Beck as a Dangerous Fraud

2010-04-07T23:04:00.004-04:00

Bob Cesca, a political writer and one of the more level-headed progressive bloggers, has a new column out titled "Exposing Glenn Beck as a Dangerous Fraud." It is the first of what will be an ongoing look at what Beck really is — "A dangerous faker who deliberately manipulates his audience by appealing to their basest instincts. As a man who only embraces conservatism and the tea party movement as a means to furthering his significant personal wealth and career as a successful TV goon."

I know there is virtually no chance that any Teabagger would read this column and begin to question one of their leaders, but they really should. They are being taken for a ride by con man, plain and simple.

Read more

Teabagger Brilliance in Pictures

2010-04-07T22:47:00.019-04:00

Palm in face ... shaking head.

He'll read it once we can find out what the hell it is.

That's right, Obama doesn't have a birth certifict . He just has a birth certificate.

Looks like he is not the only one.

It's are country dammit!

What is amesty and why doesn't he like it?

No caption needed.

Nothing surprising... typical Fox News/Glenn Beck viewer.

Really? What would you call Medicare?

But we like the pubic option.

Must ride that "Magic Bus" that runs on air.

If you are going to make a statement about needing to speak English, should you know how to spell in English?

Have got to throw one in for those with intelligence and a sense of humor...

When Tax Refunds Go Up, Teabaggers Rejoice. Right?

2010-04-07T22:30:00.003-04:00

I think most Democrats don't need proof that the Tea Party movement has very little to do with policy and mostly to do with fear and hatred. But for Independents who may be in the process of evaluating Teabaggers, take note of this story.

White House officials said Monday that tax credits launched under last year's economic recovery bill have boosted the average refund by nearly 10% from the previous year.

The average tax refund for 2009 has reached $3,036, up $266 from a year ago, according to early data from the Internal Revenue Service. Link

Even Accountants are taking notice:

Jackson Hewitt Manager Patrick Shields says that in the 300 or so returns he filed, most were substantially more than in previous years. Shields says his customers were more than happy.

"Very happy," he said. "Some of them extremely happy."

Most of the tax breaks people are enjoying this year are coming as a result of the Recovery Act, which passed without a single Republican vote in the House and only three in the Senate (and this includes Arlen Specter, who is now a Democrat).

So now that one of the biggest talking points that Teabaggers use against Obama and the Democrats (they raise taxes) has been discredited, will they give the proper credit? I wouldn't hold my breath.

If Jesus Returned as Glenn Beck

2010-04-07T22:21:00.002-04:00

This would be funny if it weren't so true. How does anyone take Glenn Beck seriously? Beck doesn't take himself seriously. He just knows how to play the part to make himself millions of dollars.

Conservative Columnist Calls Out Sean Hannity "Scam"

2010-04-07T22:17:00.002-04:00

Debbie Schlussel, a well known conservative blogger and media personality, has come right out and called Sean Hannity's "Freedom Alliance" and their "Freedom Concerts" a "scam," raising money that is mostly spent on luxury travel and personal perks, with only a small portion going to help the wounded veterans and their families who are the supposed beneficiaries of FA's "Freedom Concerts."

For the last several years, Sean Hannity and the Freedom Alliance “charity” have conducted “Freedom Concerts” across America. They’ve told you that they are raising money to pay for the college tuition of the children of fallen soldiers and to pay severely wounded war vets. And on Friday Night, Hannity will be honored with an award for this “Outstanding Community Service by a Radio Talk Show Host” at Talkers Magazine’s convention.

But it’s all a huge scam.

Your Liberal Media at Work Again

2010-04-07T22:07:00.002-04:00

In the latest installment of proof that the media is not liberal, but is increasingly becoming more conservative, CNN has hired RedState.com editor Erick Erickson. RedState.com is a very right-wing Web site. Erickson also has a long history of incendiary, sexist, and racially charged statements, which include asking when voters would "march down" and "beat" lawmakers "to a bloody pulp" and referring to former Supreme Court Justice David Souter as a "goat fucking child molester."

View an exhaustive list of Erickson's outrageous comments.

Tea Partiers Distribute Signs Paid for by RNC

2010-04-07T22:01:00.004-04:00

For whatever reason, the Tea Party movement actually wants us to believe that they are not affiliated with any of the established political parties, and better yet, even include some Democrats. The latter is obviously nonsense, but the former is up somewhat for debate. While there are probably a small number of Teabaggers who are genuinely independent, the vast majority are Republicans who are either embarrassed or unwilling to admit they are Republicans. For proof of the Tea Party-Republican Party relationship, review this story:

The Republican National Committee is paying for signs and political buttons used by Tea Party groups — despite widespread disagreement among the conservative, grassroots activists on whether the movement should work to elect candidates within the Republican party or steer clear from it.

The items, paid for by the RNC, were on full display at a Friday press conference of Tea Party activists in Washington. At the afternoon event at the Capitol Hill Suites, activists in town for the “Take the Town Halls to Washington” project passed out the red-white-and-blue buttons and signs emblazoned with the words “Listen to Me!”

Text at the bottom of the sign reads: “Paid for by the Republican National Committee.” Link

No You Can't (Featuring John Boehner)

2010-03-24T22:28:00.001-04:00

Open Letter to Conservatives: Return to Reality, Please

2010-03-24T22:13:00.003-04:00

In one of the most detailed smack downs of conservatives that you will ever read, a blogger named Russell King absolutely takes apart pretty much every single Republican talking point you have heard over the last year — and does so with references for each. His critique is broken down into four parts: hypocrisy, hyperbole, historical inaccuracy and hatred. While the article obviously exposes the modern Republican party for the farce that it has become, King is simultaneously asking conservatives to rejoin America, since a democracy can't function when a significant portion of its population has gone off the deep end.

You're going to have to come up with a platform that isn't built on a foundation of cowardice: fear of people with colors, religions, cultures and sex lives that differ from your own; fear of reform in banking, health care, energy; fantasy fears of America being transformed into an Islamic nation, into social/commun/fascism, into a disarmed populace put in internment camps; and more. But you have work to do even before you take on that task.

Video: Boccieri speech draws cheers on House floor

2010-03-24T22:08:00.001-04:00

U.S. Rep. John Boccieri, D-Alliance, gave an impassioned 75-second speech on the House floor Sunday in support of the Democrats’ health care bill, sparking cheers from colleagues.

More

Former Obama Campaign Field Officer in Wayne County Publishes Column in Huffington Post

2010-03-24T10:43:00.003-04:00

David Litt, now a speech writer at West Wing Writers, a firm in Washington, DC, ran the Obama campaign field office in Wooster in 2008. In a Huffington Post column, Litt recalls a woman who came into the Wayne County Democratic Party offices (the acting Obama campaign office) to make calls to undecided voters. Here is her story:

When Wendy came into our Northeast Ohio office, she would stay on her feet. Pacing back and forth with a phone in one hand, she'd call undecided voters, urging them to support Barack Obama. If we offered her a chair, she wouldn't take it. If we told her she could take a break, she would turn us down. Later, I learned why she made phone calls with such passion, and why she made them standing up.

"I have to," she said. "I have two herniated disks in my back, and sitting down is too painful. And if I don't make these calls, I won't get the healthcare I need."

Republicans Suffer Crushing Defeat -- So Says Conservative Columnist

2010-03-22T00:46:00.004-04:00

Conservative columnist David Frum has some extremely critical observations of today's Republican party. He is one of the few sane voices left on the conservative side. He published an article titled Waterloo, which is worth reading. Here are some excerpts:

Conservatives and Republicans today suffered their most crushing legislative defeat since the 1960s.

It’s hard to exaggerate the magnitude of the disaster. Conservatives may cheer themselves that they’ll compensate for today’s expected vote with a big win in the November 2010 elections. But:

(1) It’s a good bet that conservatives are over-optimistic about November – by then the economy will have improved and the immediate goodies in the healthcare bill will be reaching key voting blocs.

(2) So what? Legislative majorities come and go. This healthcare bill is forever. A win in November is very poor compensation for this debacle now.

So far, I think a lot of conservatives will agree with me. Now comes the hard lesson:

A huge part of the blame for today’s disaster attaches to conservatives and Republicans ourselves.

And his thoughts on the Teabaggers:

No illusions please: This bill will not be repealed. Even if Republicans scored a 1994 style landslide in November, how many votes could we muster to re-open the "doughnut hole" and charge seniors more for prescription drugs? How many votes to re-allow insurers to rescind policies when they discover a pre-existing condition? How many votes to banish 25 year olds from their parents’ insurance coverage? And even if the votes were there – would President Obama sign such a repeal?

We followed the most radical voices in the party and the movement, and they led us to abject and irreversible defeat.

Immediate Benefits of Health Care Reform

2010-03-22T00:28:00.004-04:00

In addition to the world not ending as Republicans would have you believe, here are nine benefits which come online within six months of the President's signature on the health care bill:

Adult children may remain as dependents on their parents’ policy until their 27th birthday
Children under age 19 may not be excluded for pre-existing conditions
No more lifetime or annual caps on coverage
Free preventative care for all
Adults with pre-existing conditions may buy into a national high-risk pool until the exchanges come online. While these will not be cheap, they’re still better than total exclusion and get some benefit from a wider pool of insureds.
Small businesses will be entitled to a tax credit for 2009 and 2010, which could be as much as 50% of what they pay for employees’ health insurance.
The “donut hole” closes for Medicare patients, making prescription medications more affordable for seniors.
Requirement that all insurers must post their balance sheets on the Internet and fully disclose administrative costs, executive compensation packages, and benefit payments.
Authorizes early funding of community health centers in all 50 states (Bernie Sanders’ amendment). Community health centers provide primary, dental and vision services to people in the community, based on a sliding scale for payment according to ability to pay.

Link

Congressman John Boccieri To Vote for Health Care Plan

2010-03-19T23:21:00.001-04:00

WASHINGTON, DC – At a press conference today (March 19) in the U.S. Capitol, surrounded by constituents from the 16th Congressional District of Ohio, U.S. Congressman John Boccieri (D-Alliance) today announced his position on the health care reform bill.

"Today we're faced with a choice – a choice to pass an imperfect bill or do nothing – and there is a cost to both.

"This health care debate has been long, thoughtful, and emotional. We continue to bear witness to statistics manipulated, political philosophies challenged, and television commercials peddling their points of view.

"It is clear the 16th District of Ohio agrees on the need for health insurance reform and my vote must be about saving money for people in our district and reducing costs. But it is also about the important philosophical question of what side to take – the side of the American people or insurance companies who are already rationing our care.

The Benefits of Health Care Reform In the 16th Congressional District of Ohio

2010-03-18T17:32:00.002-04:00

The U.S. House of Representatives will soon vote on health care reform legislation. This legislation will make health care affordable for the middle class, provide security for seniors, and guarantee access to health insurance for the uninsured – while reducing the federal deficit by over $100 billion over the next decade. This analysis examines the benefits of the legislation in the 16th Congressional District of Ohio, which is represented by Rep. John A. Boccieri.

In Rep. Boccieri’s district, the health care reform bill will:

Improve coverage for 414,000 residents with health insurance.

Give tax credits and other assistance to up to 167,000 families and 13,200 small businesses to help them afford coverage.

Improve Medicare for 111,000 beneficiaries, including closing the donut hole.

Extend coverage to 38,500 uninsured residents.

Guarantee that 9,800 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.

Protect 1,700 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.

Allow 49,000 young adults to obtain coverage on their parents’ insurance plans.

Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and other health care providers by $56 million annually.

Teabaggers Mock & Scorn Man With Parkinson's

2010-03-18T17:15:00.004-04:00

Everyone involved in politics has to be careful with how they react to certain events and the type of language they use, since there is a lot of emotion involved. But I don't think it is overstating it to say that certain members of the Tea Party movement are just downright mean, heartless people.

Outside of Congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy's district office (OH-15) on March 16, teabaggers heckled, cursed at, and threw money at a man suffering from Parkinson's disease. See video below:

Simply put, if you are against health care reform, you are supporting health insurance industries and people like this.

P.S. - The health care bill that Congress is voting on will reduce the deficit by $130 billion in the first decade and $1.2 trillion in the second decade. It is arguably the biggest cost control bill ever. Aren't Teabaggers supposed to be about lowering the deficit?

Update: Parkinson's Victim Mocked by Teabaggers Speaks Out

Wayne County Democratic Party Blog

Top 10 Worst Things about the Republicans' Immoral Budget

Voters: If You Care About The Economy and Jobs, Why Vote Republican?

Congressman Renacci Raises The Level of His Game

Obama: The Only Recent President to Cite 'American Exceptionalism'

Congress Passes Socialized Medicine and Mandates Health Insurance - In 1798

GDP Grows in 4th Quarter of 2010

The Health Care Repeal Nonsense -- Summarized

Does Congressman Renacci Believe Child-Labor Laws are Unconstitutional?

Ultra-Liberal Forbes Magazine Touts Success of ObamaCare

Wayne County Young Republicans Elevate the Political Discourse

Game, Set & Match To Republican & Teabaggers' No. 1 Talking Point

Obama's 2010: By the Numbers

"Obamacare" Kicks in Jan. 1

President Obama: Two Years of Progress

Unprecedented Progress Over the Past Two Years

Voters Say November Election Full of Misleading and False Information

Fact-Checking Jim Renacci's Wooster Debate Performance

Opening Comments:

Question 1:

Question 2:

Question 4:

Question 5:

Question 6:

Question 7:

Question 12:

Closing Statements

Video of League of Women's Voters Candidate's Night Oct. 19

Watch Boccieri-Renacci Debate from October 18 in Canton

Watch First OH-16 Congressional Debate (Sept. 20)

John Boccieri discusses the foreign-funded US Chamber of Commerce on Countdown with Keith Olbermann

Legal Issues Plague "Young Gun" Republicans

A funny, but sadly true billboard

Over past 32 years, Republican presidencies have created over 80% of U.S. Public Debt

Teabaggers Must Really Dislike Eisenhower, Nixon and Reagan

4 Signs the Country Is Actually Moving to the Left

Site changed for 16th District debate in Wooster

New Strickland poll shows Ohio Governor down three points

Wayne County Democratic Party Fair Booth - Sept. 11-16

First 16th Congressional Debate Set for Wooster

GOP Tea Party: These People Could be in Charge

What Happens When Teabaggers & Hate Radio Team Up

Five Things to Know About Rob Portman

Wooster 912 Project Photo of the Week

Wooster 912 Project Photo of the Week

Would Jim Renacci Vote to Save Teacher and Police Jobs?

Republicans Love Government Spending When on Weapons

GOP Job-Killing Agenda

House Minority Whip Admits Economy is More Important Than Deficit

Director of President Reagan's Office of Management & Budget Says GOP Caused Economic Apocalypse

Jim Renacci and His Anti-Environmental Buddies

"One And The Same"

Teabaggers Being Fooled by Sarah Palin Again

Rob Portman in His Own Words

“The economy here has been relatively strong since the Bush tax cuts.”

“[It] can be a perfectly guaranteed and safe system.”[Fox News, 6/18/01]

"I have a hard time imagining that that would have a real world impact on our economy."

"Private sector incentives, such as permitting companies to trade discharge outputs, can both reduce pollution and costs."

Fundraiser for Common Pleas Judge Robert J. Brown August 5

Video: What Wall Street Reform Means For You

The Party of Fiscal Responsibility - Democrats

Earth to Republicans & Teabaggers

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack talks renewable energy, farm issues in Wooster

Meet the Candidates Steak Fry August 20

Letter to the Editor From Past WCDP Chair

John Boccieri to Appear on CNN's State of the Union Sunday

Yes We Can Still Blame Bush

Why Do Republicans Hate Americans?

Fundraiser for Christmas Run Pool July 9 Features John Boccieri

Republicans on "Your Side" -- If you are Big Oil, Insurance or Wall Street

Local Democrats Part of 2010 Statewide Election Kick-off

2010 Central Committee Reorganization; 2010 Wayne County Campaign Kickoff

Teabagger Hero Rand Paul is Anti-American

Glenn Beck Endorses Nazi Sympathizer

Ohio Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign Kickoff June 5 at Local Headquarters

Ohio Added More Jobs in April Than Any Month in 22 Years

Democrats Better For The Economy - Yet More Evidence

More Proof That Cable News is a Joke

The Daily Show: 'Glenn Beck Has Nazi Tourette's'

Teabagger Hypocrisy in Comic Strip Form

“[It] can be a perfectly guaranteed and safe system.”
[Fox News, 6/18/01]