Licking County Pro-Active Citizens

From ProgressOhio

People create change.

No matter what campaigns or organizations you worked or volunteered for, you’ve been through a roller coaster ride. Win or lose, your work and the lessons you’ve learned can help move us all forward. RootsCamp Ohio on Saturday, November 13th is your opportunity to share.

RootsCamp is led by people like us, who want to talk about organizing and running campaigns in a new and innovative way. There are no boring panels, no endless powerpoints and no demeaning lectures. It’s an agenda created by us to talk about what we think worked, what didn’t and what we can do better next time.

Join us and special guest Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner by signing up for Rootscamp Ohio today. http://rootscampoh.eventbrite.com/

When: Saturday, November 13, Doors open at 8:30. 9:30am-4:30pm

Where: OCSEA 390 Worthington Rd., Westerville, OH

Cost: Please get your free tickets today.

Who: Volunteers, field staff, new media gurus, data geeks, state-based bloggers, campaign managers - anyone and everyone who played a part in 2010 cycle, with civic engagement campaigns or are a part of issue groups.

Help Get Out the Vote from the Coordinated Campaign

www.fightforohio.com/gotv

We are at the time in every election where we are going to be working as hard as possible---and then keep going. We have a chance to claim victory and influence the next presidential election as well as the next 10 years here in Ohio.

We are in need of your help. Please come and phone bank or canvass with us. Every voter we turn out is one step closer to victory. If you absolutely cannot talk on the phone or knock on a door, then please help out…we need: Computers and surge protectors to borrow for GOTV. Bottled water. Snacks.

If you are interested in helping out by canvassing or phone banking, please contact myself or the GOTV contact for Licking County, Andy Sager (andy.c.sager@gmail.com or 330-204-0506). You can also sign up on www.fightforohio.com/gotv

If you have not yet volunteered, and you want to keep Ohio Moving Forward, please find an hour between now and Tuesday…yes this Tuesday is election day.

Thanks, and please make sure to vote!

REFERN: DEMOCRATS ORGANIZED TO WIN

  Licking County today officially opened a state Democratic Party campaign office on Church St., one of 40 now spread across the state as part of the party's drive to continue its winning ways at the polls this November.

Speaking at the opening, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern said he expects this number of coordinated campaign hubs to double by election day. That would be approaching the scale of the ground game put together by the state party in 2008 which was critical in sweeping Barack Obama into the White House.

ODP is the largest state Democratic Party organization in the country, with total staffing expected to reach 250 by this fall, said Redfern. Three state party workers are already based in Newark helping to coordinate local, state and federal campaign activities.

Addressing an overflow crowd of volunteers at the local Democratic office, Redfern said despite press reports of gloomy Democratic prospects this November, he expects a combination of better candidates and a much superior on-the-ground organization will serve the party well just as it did in 2006 and 2008.

Redfern acknowledged that the Ohio economy is in bad shape, as shown by the 17 per cent jobless rate in his home county of Ottawa. But it's the Democratic ticket, headed by Governor Ted Strickland, that is pulling us out of the ditch, he said.

By comparison, it's the Republican team, John Kasich for governor and Rob Portman for Senate, who were among the architects of this recession, Redfern charged. Kasich was a former managing partner at the Lehman Brothers brokerage house whose bankruptcy was instrumental in the Wall Street collapse. Portman, as former President George Bush's former U.S. trade representative, is blamed by Democrats for trade agreements which resulted in the outsourcing of millions of U.S. jobs to other countries.

But the chairman also signaled that the party this year will also be focusing on returning Congressman Zack Space (18th District) and Mary Jo Kilroy (15th District) to Washington and replacing 12th District Republican Pat Tiberi with the Democratic challenger, Franklin County Commissioner Paula Brooks.

It was unconscionable, Redfern said, for Tiberi -- or any Ohio congressman for that matter -- to have opposed the Obama administration's rescue of General Motors given how much the auto industry - both in terms of assembly plants and parts suppliers - means to the Ohio economy.
Redfern also strongly urged Ohio voters to re-elect State Rep. Dan Dodd, who was present at the rally.

While the statewide and federal races get most of the attention, it's the state legislative contests which will decide which party controls the mapping of new congressional districts following the 2010 census.

"That's why we say the 2010 election is really about who controls Ohio for the next 10 years," the chairman said.

-- David Lore

JON HUSTED: VOTED "NO," PREACHES "YES"

Those of us who worked for passage five years ago of State Issue 4, the gerrymandering reform amendment, are getting a bit weary of Republican Jon Husted's hand-wringing on the issue.

Husted, a state senator from Kettering currently running for Ohio Secretary of State, is quoted in today's Dispatch as lamenting -- once again -- that "there just doesn't seem to be the will from enough Democrats and Republicans to get this done."

Husted became a born-again believer in gerrymandering reform beginning in 2006 - after doing everything he could to defeat a proposed fix placed the ballot by public interest groups in November, 2005.  At that time, he explained he was all for leveling the partisan playing field when it comes to the drawing of legislative districts.  He just didn't like how the Issue 4 plan went about it.

"'I can agree to drawing districts in a more fair and balanced manner. I just don't agree with the way this amendment attempts to do that,'' said Ohio House Speaker Jon A. Husted , a Kettering Republican.
This month, Husted went to Washington to confer with Ohio's 12-member GOP House delegation and the Republican National Committee, but he denied planning campaign and fund-raising strategies to defeat the amendment."
(Dispatch June 26, 2005)

LICOPAC, which had just organized that spring, worked hard with other public interest groups around the state to gather hundreds of thousands of petition signatures to put Issue 4 and several companion amendments before the voters.  But intense Republican opposition -- combined with Democratic Party disinterest -- resulted in a one-sided  "Vote No" campaign and voter rejection that November.

Husted, opposed to the citizen initiative, was under the impression the Ohio General Assembly could do a better job.  He was wrong in 2006.  And 2007.  And 2008. And 2009.

And now, according to today's report, redistricting reform is once again dead in the assembly for 2010.

"Another year of talking and removing politics from the processing of drawing congressional and legislative districts has come and gone," reports the Dispatch.  "Once again, nothing has changed."

The Dispatch, it should be noted, has likewise been championing gerrymandering reform (and Husted) since 2006 - after opposing Issue 4 editorially in 2005.

As Sarah Bear would say, "Gerrymandering reform by the Ohio General Assembly - How's that workin' out for Ya!"

-- David Lore

 

Political Fact Checking

We liked it when the Dispatch and other Ohio newspapers began doing critical reviews in print of political ads, and now the feature has evolved -- and improved.

This from the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

"Starting today, The Plain Dealer officially kicks off PolitiFact Ohio, a new way to examine the claims, ads and statements of players in the political world. Once distilled, the newspaper's findings are posted on the fanciful Truth-O-Meter, whose ratings are True, Mostly True, Half True, Barely True and False. There's a special rating for claims that are downright ridiculous: Pants on Fire."
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2010/07/the_plain_dealer_forms_partner.html

PolitiFact is a feature used elsewhere but now being brought to bear on Ohio politics -- and not a moment too soon.  It provides more information and covers speeches and other campaign statements, not just the television ads.  Check it out.

And remember, we expect you to be paying attention to what our candidates are saying - not Sarah Palin, as much fun as that might be.  (Who, after all, is qualified to refudiate Mama Bear!).

HEY BUDDY, CAN YOU SPARE A VOTE?

You hear it all the time about our Republican 12th District Congressman, Pat Tiberi: 

"He helped me out when I needed help."

Tiberi, let's admit, does well when a constituent wants tickets for the White House tour or needs to speed up action on a passport application or straighten out similar problems with a federal agency.  His official web site is encyclopedic in terms of suggestions on how to deal with federal issues and agencies.  For individual problems, he's your man.  In the trade, it's called being good at constituent services.

It's just when Representative Tiberi actually votes on something that affects thousands of his 12th District residents - and millions of Ohioans or Americans as a group - that he seems to forgot how to extend that helping hand.

Take the issue of extending unemployment benefits to millions of jobless workers hobbled by the current recession.

According to Congressman Pat's web site:

"With unemployment growing across the nation and in Central Ohio, rest assured I am working in Congress to make our futures a little brighter.  While I know it isn’t a permanent solution, I have supported multiple temporary extensions of unemployment compensation to help families pay their bills while workers are looking for a new job."

http://tiberi.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=4688

But meanwhile, Congressman Pat's evil twin, Representative Tiberi, is listed in Today's Dispatch ("How Ohioans Voted Last Week") as voting "NO" on H.R. 4123, the extension on jobless benefits to some 2 million Americans whose benefits had run out.

So it must have been a bad bill, or maybe it was just a GOP tactic to keep the unemployed desperate and angry right up to the November elections.  Either way, all but about three dozen House Republicans joined Rep. Tiberi in voting "No" to help the jobless.

But wait!!  Since the Democratic Congress and President Obama eventually approved the extension, despite Republican opposition, Congressman Pat still is there to provide a handy link on his web site  --constituent service, remember? -- to the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.  Where you find out:

"On July 22, 2010, President Obama signed legislation that extends the deadlines for the federally funded Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program and federal funding for State Extended Benefits. As a result, claimants who recently exhausted their benefits may be able to restart their claims.

Claimants should continue to file for benefits, which will be retroactive to the former program deadlines of May/June, 2010 by calling 1-866-962-4064 toll-free between 7:00 AM. and 7:00 PM, Monday through Friday, and between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM on Saturday. Because of the late passage of this extension, claimants may notice a delay in the posting of funds to their accounts.
On July 22, 2010,"  http://unemployment.ohio.gov/

So to sum up, Congressman Tiberi votes against extending unemployment benefits to 2 million Americans including thousands in his own 12th District  But he says on his web site that he's really in favor of such assistance, and even uses his official web site to directs constituents to state-provided information on how to qualify.

That Pat Tiberi, he's one Washington politician who really helps a guy out!

SO YOU THINK THE DEMOCRATS HAVE A BETTER PLAN?

HERE'S SOME UPCOMING EVENTS WHICH NEED YOUR SUPPORT:

Tuesday, July 27 - Vicky Christiansen Fund raiser, 4:30-7 p.m., 172 E. Hudson St., Newark

Tuesday, July 27 - Licking County Democrat Central Committee Meeting - 7pm - County Administration Bldg

Wednesday, July 28 - Licking County Campaign HQ Kickoff featuring Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern, 2:30-3:30 p.m. at county party headquarters,15 W. Church St., Newark (Will be preceded by a postcard party for Naomi Compton at 1 p.m.) 

August 6 - 6pm to 9pm, Licking County Democratic Club "house party" at the county Democratic Office on Church St., Newark.  Please contact Allen Schwartz at alschwartz1@aol.comor 937 515 6461 to volunteer to help. 

August 7 - Ohio Democratic Party State Dinner, Columbus Convention Center.

August 8-14, Hartford Fair.  Booth.

August 18-21 - Pataskala Street Fair booth. (Parade on Saturday)

August 28: Judge Branstool fund raiser.  Details TBA.

Grumpy Grand Folks

We all had a good laugh when elderly Tea Partiers last summer barnstormed political meetings to denounce federal spending and warn members of Congress "to keep the government out of my Medicare."

But it seems grumpy grand folks are nothing to laugh at.  I was reminded of this by the NY Times last Sunday which ran an inside analysis piece by political reporter Matt Bai headlined "Beneath Divides Seemingly About Race Are Generational Fault Lines."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/us/politics/18bai.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Bai&st=nyt

The alleged racism within the ranks of the Tea Party, Bai proposes, may be in large part the inevitable result of the less-than-progressive views on race held by many older Americans at a time when polling finds the elderly most sympathetic to the Tea Party's rhetoric.

But that's just the beginning, he writes.

"Older Americans now - no longer the New Deal generation but the generation that remembers Vietnam, gas lines and forced bussing - are less enamored of expensive government than their parents were.  They fear changes in their own entitlement programs, even as they denounce the explosion in federal spending.  They are less optimistic about the high-tech economy, more fearful of the impact of immigration and free trade."

A lot of younger Americans - especially those who are jobless right now - must find it odd that the generation most protected from the worst of the recession by Social Security and Medicare and state and federal tax breaks would be the group most upset with the state of the nation.  Yet, as one myself, I can attest there's plenty for us old coots to be angry about.  It's great when the check shows up in the mail each month but it's every day that you have to deal with the inevitable aches and dislocations and insults that accompany aging.  (What insults?  Ask grandpa.)

Hummingbird and I, for example, got downright grumpy reading an article in Tuesday's Dispatch about a horrible new idea called the back yard "accessory dwellings," otherwise known as the "granny pod."  Here's the link but if you're over 65, better skip it.  It will just make you mad.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/national_world/stories/2010/07/20/backyard-module-offers-close-to-home-care-for-aged.html?sid=101

In his Times article, Bai refers to Pew Research Center findings that "there is nearly a 20-point spread between Mr. Obama's approval ratings among voters younger than 30 and those older than 65."  As you might guess, the oldsters as a group didn't support Obama in 2008 and haven't warmed up to him since.

Not surprisingly, another Pew poll last month found that it's the older Republicans who now are the biggest promoters of change, not only in the Oval Office but in Congress as well. 

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1615/seniors-negative-congress-incumbents-older-gop-anti-compromise

"Anti-incumbent sentiment also is more widespread among Republicans and GOP leaners older than age 50 (50% less likely to vote for an incumbent) than those younger than age 50 (37%).

About four-in-ten Republicans and Republican-leaning independents ages 65 and older (43%) say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who has never held elective office; 29% say they would be less likely to vote for a political novice and 21% say it would make no difference. Republicans younger than age 50 are more divided -- 28% say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who never held elective office, 27% say less likely and 42% no difference.

Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, age differences are evident, though less pronounced."

Unfortunately, Pew didn't ask whether this anti-incumbent mood was just important in the party primaries or whether it might result in significant numbers of unhappy oldsters changing their party preferences in the general election. 

My guess is this might be a factor in primary voting but that you won't see many testy tea-bag Republicans voting Democratic in November or many long-in-the-tooth liberals deserting to the GOP.

Of more concern to candidates is which seniors are energized this year by their discontent, and which are just discouraged and won't bother to vote. 

I wish I had some good advice about all this for our candidates here in Licking County.  But all I can say is treat your older voters as you would your own parents or grandparents: with respect, regardless of their views, and with the understanding that it's probably not really you they're angry about.

-- David Lore

COMING UP! 

July 24, 6 p.m., Knox County fund raiser featuring Senate Candidate Lee Fisher, Rep. Zack Space and Ohio AFL-CIO President Joe Rugola.  At Vino Where You Live, 6400 Newark Rd., Mt. Vernon.For information, contact mt.vernon.mary@gmail.com

July 27 - Vicky Christiansen Fund raiser, 4:30-7 p.m., 172 E. Hudson St., Newark

July 27 - Licking County Democrat Central Committee Meeting - 7pm - County Administration Bldg

August 7 - Ohio Democratic Party State Dinner, Columbus Convention Center.

August 6 - 6pm to 9pm, Licking County Democratic Club "house party" at the county Democratic Office on Church St., Newark.  Please contact Allen Schwartz at alschwartz1@aol.comor 937 515 6461 to volunteer to help. 

August 8-14, Hartford Fair.  Booth.

August 18-21 - Pataskala Street Fair booth. (Parade on Saturday)

August 28: Judge Branstool fund raiser.  Details TBA.

PRESSING THE FLESH, TIBERI STYLE

If money is the mother's milk of politics, you've got to admire how our 12th District Congressman, Pat Tiberi, so vigorously massages those corporate teats.

According to the Federal Elections Commission, the Republican incumbent through June 30, 2010 had raised $2,1 million in the current election cycle, 56 percent of it (or $1.2 million) from political action committees.

Over the same span, his Democratic challenger, Franklin County Commissioner Paula Brooks, raised just under $1 million, including $158,074 (or 16 percent) from the PACs.

So far, Tiberi has outspent Brooks in the race by a factor of 2 to 1, but the incumbent still has $1.9 million cash on hand going into the third quarter as compared to Brooks with $683,406 left in the bank.

As the Dispatch headline today confirms, "Local GOP candidates out raise opponents: Stivers, Tiberi gain big financial edge against Democrats."

What the Dispatch doesn't report is that for this 2009-2010 election cycle, individual - as opposed to corporate and PAC contributions to the two candidates  - are about equal: $861,853 for Tiberi, $832,620 for Brooks.

This means that if the two had to finance their campaigns just on gifts from regular people, rather than from corporate and labor and professional PACs, the 12th District money race would be just about even. 

Looking at the details, it's also worth mentioning that most of the major PAC contributions to Tiberi came out of association headquarters and lobbying shops in Washington D.C.  The Dispatch mentions several big banks as generous Tiberi backers but the candidate's filing also shows even larger contributions from central Ohio businesses like Limited Brands ($10,000), Anheuser Busch ($10,000), Boich Companies ($9,600), Cardinal Health ($5,000) and the Vorys law firm ($5,000).

Brooks' major backers were the Pizzuti family of Columbus ($12,000) and eight national labor union PACs ($2,500 to $5,000 each).

Few additional details are available on the candidates' campaign web sites.

Tiberi does note that 817 of his 1,860 individual donors were first-time givers.

And he scolds Brooks for catering to "big labor."

"At a time of record deficits and backbreaking record debts, it's alarming to learn that Franklin County Commissioner Paula Brooks wasted the county's money to curry favors and help her supporters in big labor.  These shenanigans added hundreds of thousands of dollars to county-supervised construction projects." (6/14/10)

Brooks, meanwhile, alleges Tiberi paid off the banks and investment community with his opposition to the just-enacted Obama administration's Wall Street reform act.

"Congressman Tiberi voted against H.R. 4173, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which contained key consumer protections for Central Ohio families and businesses, but only after he voted to bail out these very Wall Street banks without enough protections for Central Ohio consumers and taxpayers,"

“Pat Tiberi needs to stand up and tell middle class families and small businesses in central Ohio why he is putting the needs of his Wall Street backers ahead of their needs....We lost good-paying jobs here in central Ohio because Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers put personal greed ahead of the good of America, and now Pat Tiberi is protecting these bad actors.” (July 1, 2010)

-- David Lore

  

LICKING COUNTY'S DEMOCRATIC OPTION

(Photo by Garry Goldsmith)

Waiting for that "surge" of energy by grassroots Democrats?

We found it in Johnstown last weekend when more than 30 Dems (not all of them shown here) turned out for the annual Firemen's Festival Parade.  This for a small town parade which the party didn't even participate in until a few years ago.

The numbers are not yet where we want them to be, given the importance of the 2010 elections in terms of who controls the Statehouse and the Congress, not just over the next four years but over the next decade.  But they're increasing with each festival and fund raiser and parade; a near overflow crowd, for example, turned out for Tuesday night's Democratic Club Meeting in downtown Newark.

What a difference between this year and 2004!

It was in the spring of 2004 that a few of us, frustrated at the lack of activism in Licking County for Democratic Presidential Nominee John Kerry, organized an informal Volunteers for Kerry group which by summer's end had recruited hundreds of new people for the campaign.  George Bush's re-election that November was a bitter pill but instead of quitting the field, many of these volunteers hung around, joining the club or two new progressive organizations: LICOPAC (since 2005) and the Licking County Democratic Women's Caucus (since 2007).

Many of us decided not to choose.  We joined all three.

There were misgivings at first that the existence of several different groups would fragment the Democrats and reduce the number of volunteers working for party candidates.  But it's turned out not to be a "zero-sum" game.  Instead, LICOPAC and the Womens Caucus brought new people into the fold and increased the variety of local political action. 

LICOPAC, for example, took leadership in rounding up signatures for the gerrymandering reform issues on the 2005 statewide ballot, as well as for the support of Democratic congressional candidates This web site was also created to provide an independent voice on political developments in Licking County, one which supports progressive action and candidates but doesn't spare those Democratic officeholders who duck their responsibilities.

LICOPAC has never had a formal membership, nor a dues structure.  We depend on those who like what they see, both here at at our Facebook page, to contribute as they see fit. And over time we hope to convert some of our readers into writers.  Those whose thoughts can't be squeezed into the posting restrictions of other social media should contact me at dlore@johnstown.net  

The county Democratic Women's Caucus is a more structured organization that over the past three years has put together a series of inventive programs on women's concerns, political and otherwise, and provided major support for club activities while reaching out to other community groups.  The caucus worked closely and effectively with Obama supporters in Granville during the 2008 campaign.  Men as well as women are welcome to join.  More information is available at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Licking-County-Democratic-Womens-Caucus/385524358288

Finally, the county Democratic Club in recent years has dramatically increased its effectiveness, both in terms of campaign performance and community visibility.  Membership is on the increase, and new efforts are being made not only to get out the message at election time but to make the club and the party a strong agent for change in Licking County over the long term.  For more information, check out the club's newly remodeled web site at http://lcdemclub.com

In the photo above, you'll see activists from all three organizations coming together and working together to not only elect Democrats - as important as that job remains - but also to make Licking County a more diverse community where one's options are not limited to one party or one philosophy of government.

-- David Lore

NEXT UP: ALEXANDRIA ON  SATURDAY, JULY 17 (Form up at 10 a.m. on the West side of town, on Rt. 37 at Hutchinson Materials)

July 24, 6 p.m., Knox County fundraiser featuring Senate Candidate Lee Fisher, Rep. Zack Space and Ohio AFL-CIO President Joe Rugola.  At Vino Where You Live, 6400 Newark Rd., Mt. Vernon.For information, contact mt.vernon.mary@gmail.com

July 27 - Vicky Christiansen Fundraiser, 4:30-7 p.m., 172 E. Hudson St., Newark

July 27 - Licking County Democrat Central Committee Meeting - 7pm - County Administration Bldg

August 7 - Ohio Democratic Party State Dinner, Columbus Convention Center.

August 8-14, Hartford Fair.  Booth.

August 18-21 - Pataskala Street Fair booth. (Parade on Saturday)

August 28: Judge Branstool fundraiser.  Details TBA.

 

DEMOCRATS MUSTER, MARCH IN JOHNSTOWN

Johnstown, which historically gave us the Johnstown Mastodon and former Congressman John Ashbrook, saw an invasion of Democrats today.  Long a bastion for Republicans, this Licking County town saw an influx of Blue as more than 30 volunteers turn out for the Johnstown Firemen's Festival Parade to support Congressional Candidate Paula Brooks, County Commissioner Candidate Naomi Compton, Domestic Relations Court Candidate Vicky Christiansen as well as the entire statewide Democratic slate.  A great turnout, and thanks to all from the Democratic Club, the Women's Democratic Caucus and LICOPAC for keeping our visibility high in Licking County. 

NEXT UP: ALEXANDRIA ON JULY 17

July 13 - Licking County Democratic Club Meeting - 7pm - County Administration Bldg

July 17 - Alexandria Parade, gather 10 a.m. on West side of town on Rt. 37.

 

July 27 - Vicky Christian fund raiser, 4:30 - 7 p.m., 172 Hudson Avel, Newark

July 27 - Licking County Democrat Central Committee Meeting - 7pm - County Administration Bldg

August 8-14, Hartford Fair.  Booth.

August 18-21 - Pataskala Street Fair booth. (Parade on Saturday)