Watch Boccieri-Renacci Debate from October 18 in Canton

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

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

Legal Issues Plague "Young Gun" Republicans

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

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

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

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?