"A wise and frugal government which shall restrain men
from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government."
(Thomas Jefferson)


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Ohio Secretary of State Appeal denied -- Early Voting Remains

Maybe it is because I grew up in Ohio where I cut my teeth on politics with my Uncle who was very active in Republican politics not only local and statewide but also nationwide, because I have been more livid then normal at what I have seen out of the Ohio Secretary of State  John Husted.  Doesn't take a genius to figure out that he is trying to do voter suppression in Ohio to give Ohio to Romney.  It is not working and now with this ruling all Ohioans not just Republicans will be able to vote the weekend before the election.
BREAKING: Supreme Court Leaves Early Voting In Place In Ohio 
Earlier this month, a unanimous panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit struck down an Ohio law cutting back early voting for most Ohio voters. Today, the Supreme Court rejected a request by the state to stay this decision. The Court’s denial of the stay did not explain the justices’ reasoning and did not include a dissent. Moreover, because their order only concerned the request for a stay, it is possible — if unlikely — that the justices will still decide to hear this case at a later date. Nevertheless, today’s order means that the new restrictions on early voting almost certainly will not be in effect during next month’s election.
Couldn't believed he appealed the unanimous ruling by the panel of Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.  Read that -- UNANIMOUS ruling and yet Husted cost the state even more money appealing to the SCOTUS.  So happy to see that the SCOTUS rejected the appeal.  For two elections Ohio has had extended early voting but along comes Romney running for President against President Obama and Husted has put up a roadblock every step of the way.  One of the most obvious ones was when he was going to allow Republican counties to have more hours to vote then Democrat ones.

Secretary of State in Ohio needs to be ousted in 2014 but frankly with his dirty tactics and then he falsely accuses democrats for being the problem should oust him from office early.  He is sworn to uphold the laws of the State of Ohio not the Romney campaign.  He fired to long time County Board of Election people in Montgomery County because the lawyers told them there was nothing to prevent them from having longer hours in what they read of the SoS ruling, but when they wouldn't back down, he fired two of them.  Know that area well.  Husted just messed with a County that is pretty heavy Democrat, and IMHO they will prove it on November 6th when the numbers come in.

I have found the voter suppression in Ohio to be an insult to the people who have worked their whole lives to make the Ohio Republican Party vibrant again after years of losing Senate elections.  Now with one partisan Secretary of State, he has wiped years of good will away.  I think Sherrod Brown is going to clean the ultra-conservative Josh Mandel's clock on November 6th.  Mandel is an Aiken/Ryan clone IMHO.  I cannot believe I am saying this but if I still lived in Ohio, I would not only vote for Sherrod Brown but I would be out working for his election.  Brown is leading a crusade to get Citizens United overturned to take the huge amount of wealthy donor money out of trying to buy elections.

Romney has taken it to a new low level of dishonesty with his big donors who are routinely breaking the law but they will send in amended returns AFTER the election.  Anyone with a brain can see the Romney reports for his campaign are including money meant for the RNC.  Also never saw a campaign with so little data on donors -- far outside the norm.  This is part of what Sherrod Brown wants stopped along with identifying all major donors so no one can hide behind a group where they don't have to reveal donors.

Republicans are proving that when there are no campaign finance rules in place, they take full advantage including groups who hide donors.  Rules no longer apply if you are a Republican.  I hope the voters of Ohio have the final say in sending Romney to defeat along with Josh Mandel showing that all the ads being bought in Ohio by the Super PACs mean zero, zip, nada.  Voters need to show the GOP that their votes are not for sale to all the negative Super PAC ads and vote their conscience by voting for the campaigns who tell the truth not lies which means their votes would go to President Obama and Senator Sherrod Brown.

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