Garry Wills is one of my favorite writers. A devout Catholic, he writes with incisive clarity about the church, both its credal underpinnings and its real-life shortcomings, taking a scalpel to the latter to reveal the contradictions and hypocrisies of men who fall short of what they profess way too often.

In this column from the New York Review of Books, titled "Bullying the Nuns," Wills contrasts what the nuns do with what the hierarchy of the church and its bishops do in way too many cases.

http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2012/apr/24/bullying-nuns/

He opens with this:

The Vatican has issued a harsh statement claiming that American nuns do not follow their bishops’ thinking. That statement is profoundly true. Thank God, they don’t. Nuns have always had a different set of priorities from that of bishops. The bishops are interested in power. The nuns are interested in the powerless. Nuns have preserved Gospel values while bishops have been perverting them. The priests drive their own new cars, while nuns ride the bus (always in pairs). The priests specialize in arrogance, the nuns in humility.

He talks about the nuns who educated him, the nuns he observed serving those in need, and contrasts the church hierarchy's scoffing attitude toward this Gospel-based service with the same hierarchy's fawning eagerness to reintegrate an ultra-right-wing anti-Semitic, Holocaust-denying breakaway sect.

As Wills points out, important, compassionate work has been done and is still being done by Catholic groups, including the American nuns whom the Vatican feels are wasting too much time pursuing social justice and not enough time condemning gay marriage. But the church's hierarchy seems determined to double down on the oppressive, unaccountable structure that led to the appalling pedophile coverups.

As Wills says,

Yes, today was the big day — the latest set of "hearings" on the Republican scheme to try to defund Planned Parenthood in Ohio. Never mind that nothing about it makes sense; that it's based on lies; that it would strip women of essential health services and leave some to die; that it has absolutely nothing to do with abortion and even if it did, abortion is LEGAL, and all the posturing is an inappropriate value judgment on a LEGAL medical procedure.

If you want to know what the latest manipulated sideshow looked like, NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio has a series of reports on their Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/naral.ohio?ref=ts

It sounds like they let a bunch of anti-choicers come up and spew opinion, baseless rumors, and condescending crap like "post-abortion syndrome" where they claim poor addled-brained women just don't understand how much they might regret it afterward (funny how no one talks about women who regret having children — mostly likely an equally if not more numerous group considering the constant reports of child abuse and neglect).

One even upped the ante on the lie that Senator John Kyl told a few months back about how 90% of Planned Parenthood's services are abortion-related. Afterward his spokesperson said that wasn't meant to be an actual fact. According to NARAL's updates, the even bigger liar who testified today in our legislature claimed that it's 98%.

It's more like 3% (and abortion services are legal).

Another ignoramus whined about her tax dollars being used for abortion — which of course they are not. I wonder how she feels about her tax dollars being used to provide services for unwanted children.

NARAL also reported this:

Today Dennis Kucinich sent out an email to his supporters, announcing that he will NOT pursue a congressional seat in Washington state, as I predicted a long time ago. There seemed to be very limited enthusiasm there for an out-of-state carpetbagger, despite Kucinich's claim in his email that "tens of thousands" of people contacted him about running there. That wouldn't made much difference if most of those people were in Connecticut or Florida.

It never seemed to make sense to me, with Kucinich's roots so deep in Cleveland and his wife's work in D.C., for him to add a third regular pit stop all the way across the country. Apparently, he's come to the same conclusion. He hasn't said what he WILL do, although he says that that work will be outside of Congress.

We'll see if the other half of my prediction — that he will form a nonprofit or think tank to focus on furthering one or more of the policies he's associated with, such as the promotion of peace — is also correct.

Here's his email:

I would like to thank you for your support, and thank the tens of thousands of concerned Citizens for Kucinich who in the past few months have written, emailed and called to discuss my running for Congress in Washington State.

Just a little while ago, I got a request from a candidate to add his website to our candidates page, and I did so.

Since I was there, I updated the page with a number of new websites for candidates running this year, particularly in congressional races. I'd like to call everyone's attention to this resource — just click on the word "candidates" at the menu underneath our banner.

http://www.ohiodailyblog.com/content/candidates

I also want to address this to candidates — especially candidates for the state house and senate. We'd like to know more about you, and we'd love to include a link to your website/Facebook page/Twitter feed/whatever else you've got. Send it along and we'll add it to the list. Send it to anastasia at ohiodailyblog.com.

(It should go without saying that I am addressing Democratic candidates. Republicans, you're on your own!)

I wrote the other day about Democrat Sharen Neuhardt, who is taking on congressman Mike "Who?" Turner in the new 12th district (Dayton area), outraising him in the first quarter.

http://www.ohiodailyblog.com/content/sharen-neuhardt-outraises-mike-quot...

Now Emily's List has jumped on board her campaign. Emily's List is a 25-year-old D.C. based group which recruits, supports, and raises money for pro-choice woman candidates for offices ranging from U.S. Senate to state legislatures. They were instrumental in helping Betty Sutton win her first congressional primary.

www.emilyslist.org.

Their press release on Neuhardt said:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, announced today that Sharen Swartz Neuhardt, candidate for Congress in Ohio’s tenth district, has been put “On the List.”

The EMILY’s List community now stands at more than one million members strong. These supporters are getting their information earlier, quicker, and on the web and they’re ready to take action now. “On the List” is a new way for EMILY’s List members to engage with and support promising candidates early in an election cycle. By putting Neuhardt “On the List,” EMILY’s List is ensuring that she has access to this powerful network of supporters.

“Sharen has been a strong advocate for improving healthcare access for the people of Ohio,” said Stephanie Schriock, President of EMILY’s List. “As a champion for women’s health, Neuhardt has served both as a member of the Board of Trustees for Planned Parenthood of Miami Valley and on the board of a community health organization that provides access healthcare for underserved women. Voters are eager for leadership in Washington that addresses the needs of working families, and they know a candidate like Sharen has their best interests in mind. Sharen will help Democrats to take back the House in 2012, and EMILY’s List is thrilled to support her campaign.”

http://www.neuhardtforcongress.com/

This has zilch to do with Ohio, but it's so good I have to share.

Democratic U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California is up for reelection. She is such a shoo-in that the California GOP is having a problem similar to what the Ohio GOP faced in the 9th congressional district here: no serious Republican wanted to run and get their ass kicked by Marcy Kaptur or Dennis Kucinich. So they got stuck with Not-Joe the Not-Plumber.

Look who's making a bid for the GOP nomination in California and apparently leading in some polls among a field of nonentities:

http://orlytaitzforussenate2012.com/

That's right; the Queen of the Birthers, dentist/lawyer/real estate agent/wacko Orly Taitz!

Oh please please please, let her win the June 5th primary!!!

Go to her website and watch her campaign video, an amateurish effort a sixth grader would be ashamed of. It appears to have been taped in the lobby of a busy building with people in the background talking and banging things and walking behind her oblivious to her historic announcement. Needless to say, it doesn't take too long before she gets to her favorite topic: Barack Obama's birth certificate.

Her platform includes this item:

I will launch an investigation of Barack Obama for occupying the White House, while using a fraudulently obtained Connecticut Social Security number 042-68-4225, which was never assigned to him according to E-verify and SSNVS and for using a computer generated forgery (according to experts) instead of a valid Long Form birth certificate. I will demand investigation and prosecution of governmental officials who are aiding and abetting Barack Obama in his occupation of the position of the U.S. President without any valid identification papers.

She also claims she's leading Feinstein — in Google searches.

Josh Mandel may be the worst candidate running for U.S. Senate, but Orly Taitz is undoubtedly the wackiest.

Nice CNN piece on how Toledo-based Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (who will also be representing a swath of Cleveland's western suburbs starting early next year) is urging foreclosed constituents to stay in their homes if they have not had adequate legal representation:

Kaptur is also going after banks for the way they've traded and speculated upon mortgages so much, that in many cases it's unclear who actually holds the mortgage document — and she'd like to see banks which have gotten so much help from taxpayers rework some of these loans.

Some — particularly on the right — invoke that slogan of selfishness "personal responsibility" and suggest that foreclosed home owners should have been smarter and more informed, and that somehow helping them is an affront to responsible homeowners. But keeping homeowners in their homes makes sense for communities and the quality and value of their housing stock: vacant, abandoned houses bring down the value of their neighbors, putting till more homeowners under water.

Back in February, before she won her primary, I wrote about Democratic congressional candidate in the new 10th district, Sharen Neuhardt:

http://ohiodailyblog.com/content/sharen-neuhardt-running-congress-again

Sharen ran against Steve Austria in 2008 in his heavily Republican district and lost. But with the former 3rd district in the Dayton area, now the 10th, reconfigured, she feels she's got a shot against former Dayton mayor, Mike "Who?" Turner. The district reunites Montgomery County (Dayton), currently split between Turner and John Boehner, and includes Greene County (where Neuhardt lives), and northern Fayette County. Montgomery County comprises 75 % of the district's voters. And the district has shed is chunk of blood-red Warren County, which changes its complexion.

She told me in February,

The new Ohio 10 puts Montgomery County with Greene County and northern Fayette. I was born and raised and come into Montgomery County every day, which was the strongest fundraising area for me last time. My husband & I have owned a farm in Greene County for last 17 years. So this is the perfect district for me.

A few weeks ago, she shared some happy news with supporters:

In the first head-to-head test of the 2012 election cycle, Miami Valley attorney and 10th District Congressional Candidate Sharen Neuhardt outraised incumbent member of Congress Mike Turner by over $100,000. Neuhardt raised $224,903 while Turner brought in $111,583 during the quarter which ended March 31, 2012. ... Over 90% of the amount Neuhardt raised came from individuals. In contrast, only 44% of Turner’s contributions came from individuals, while 56% came from PACs.

She'll need every penny (and special interests and SuperPACs will undoubtedly jump in to make up the difference for Turner). Here's how close the new district is divided: in 2008, 50.0% of its voters voted for Barack Obama.

I don't know how many of you have been following the saga of "Americans Elect," a "new model" Internet political party started by a handful of deep-pockets funders.

Its contention is that voters are turned off because politics is too polarized, and what voters REALLY want is a "centrist" presidential candidate. Never mind that it would be difficult to be more centrist and open to negotiating than President Obama, and that nobody could find balance with a far-right Republican Party that consistently says "Our way or the highway."

It proposed to have its members — who joined online — nominate candidates online, with Internet "caucuses" to follow this month. If the presidential candidate was a Democrat, the vice presidential candidate had to be a Republican and vice versa. The non-transparency of its funding and its real goals, as well the online voting process — it's hard to trust a process that people don't even trust for "American Idol" — made the entire enterprise shady at best, despite the fact that Americans Elect somehow managed to get on the ballot in more than two dozen states without having a party structure, transparent campaign finance reports, or real-life conventions or caucuses at which you could see your party voters.

But it's all moot because:
http://www.salon.com/2012/05/03/americans_elect_canceling_caucuses_has_n...

Right. They're canceling the so-called "caucuses" because no candidate is getting enough support to meet their nomination criteria.

Says writer Alex Pareene,

Americans Elect is a weird experiment in applying a lot of money and time and resources into proving a common elite myth: That Americans as a whole are crying out for “bold,” nonpartisan political leadership, and that their strong desire for moderate, independent solutions is stifled by the two-party system.

http://www.treehugger.com/public-transportation/walkscore-ranks-25-us-ci...

This recent story, ranking 25 U.S. cities in terms of how user-friendly and effect their public transit systems are, has some unsurprising news about Ohio's two largest cities. While New York, San Francisco, and Boston lead the list of cities where you can actually live without a car, Cleveland and Columbus, not so much.

Cleveland ranks #14 with a score of 45 out of 100 (toward the top of the "some transit" category), which frankly I think is a little high. But that's nothing compared to Columbus, which ranks an execrable #24, with a score of 29, barely enough to keep it out of the "minimal transit" category.

The article linked above explains how public transportation systems were rated.

Ohio spends a laughable $10 million a year on public transportation, which is why systems like Cleveland's RTA depend so heavily on local sales taxes. I recall reading at one point that Ohio spent less per capita on public transportation than any state in the country. I don't know if that's still true with all the state cutbacks.

Of course, our governor probably thinks money spent on public transportation is wasted, just like money spent on passenger rail, because "no one wants to use it." But how do you ride a bus that isn't there?

You should have been in Shaker Heights this evening when Sherrod Brown spoke to a full house at the Stephanie Tubbs Jones community center. (Yes, Connie came too).

He opened by pointing out how the Republicans ran in 2010 on jobs, jobs, jobs, and after they tricked the voters into electing them (my words, not his), they governed on taking away voter rights, taking away women's rights, taking away collective bargaining rights.

He reminded us of what is really causing the gridlock in D.C. — not the failure of "both sides" to compromise, but an open vow by the Republicans in the Senate, led by minority leader Mitch McConnell, to make defeating Barack Obama this year their number one goal

"That drives all his caucus' decisions," said Brown.

He pointed out what we all know: that his opponent, Josh "The Empty Suit" Mandel, will be relying on the money advantage of the shadowy, secretive outside organizations that have already run $6 million worth of attack ads, most of them lies. Brown said that although Mandel is a great fundraiser, he himself will likely outraise Mandel directly — but outside groups will be spending on Mandel's behalf. He said that those unknown entities behind Mandel will likely expect a return on their money.

"If George Soros decides to write a $20 million check to help us, he doesn't get anything except to feel good," said Brown. "If the Koch Brothers invest a few million, they get huge benefits yo the tune of $10 million o $100 million. That's why the system is so fragile and broken."

Tonight, from 6:30-8 p.m., in an event sponsored by the Shaker Heights Democratic Club and cosponsored by ten other area Democratic organizations, Sherrod Brown will meet & greet supporters, answer questions, and make it manifestly clear why he and not Josh "The Empty Suit" Mandel should be the U.S. Senator from Ohio. It's a great chance for Democrats to get fired up for this important race, which pits incumbent Brown, a true champion for regular working people, against the arrogant, unaccountable and drastically underqualified Mandel, who can't even be bothered to tell voters where he stands on most issues.

The events takes place at the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Community Building at 3450 Lee Road in Shaker Heights, adjacent to the Shaker Heights Public Library. It's free and open to all.

So the defunding of Ohio Planned Parenthood was stripped from the budget review bill in the legislature. But don't be fooled: the Republican leadership there is still contemptuous of women and wants to strip them of access to health care.

They've got another hearing on the defunding of Pllanned Parenthood — the only source of health care for many poor and moderate-income women, especially in isolated rural areas — coming up in Columbus this Wednesday. Our legislators just don't care if these women can get cancer screenings or birth control or pre-natal services. They just don't like women.

But you don't have to just sit there and seethe. Here are some things you can do.

First of all, you can sign a petition here:

http://www.ppaction.org/site/PageServer?pagename=oh_ppao_2012DefundingPe...

Thank you.

Then on Monday you can call House speaker Bill Batchelder atcall Speaker of the House Bill Batchelder at (614) 466-8140 and tell him why this bill, HB 298, should not be brought up for a vote in the House.

And then, if you've got the time and the ability to get to Columbus, you can show up at Statehouse room 116 at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 16, to show your support for women's health services. They're requesting you wear pink.

If you're in Cleveland, there's another thing you can do. This Tuesday, May 15, from 5-8 p.m. there's a phone bank and action evening at Planned Parenthood's office at 25350 Rockside Rd. in Bedford Heights. Dinner and training will be provided, so stop by as soon as you can after work. For more info or to RSVP, contact Ashley at advocacy@ppneo.org or 216-961-8804 extension 1253.

We need to let our legislators know we are sick and tired with their efforts to destroy services that keep women, children and families healthy. With Mother's Day on Sunday, they should be ashamed!

I hit a bunch of art openings tonight in Cleveland including the one at artist-run contemporary gallery SPACES, which features conceptual, installation, and mixed-media art. The show was a commentary on Cleveland tourism. One artist invited visitors to write things about the area on little wooden cutouts in categories like "Growth," "Abandonment," "Stagnation," and "Regeneration." I wrote "Food, Farms" on a little tree cutout and placed it under "growth" since I am into growing food.

Then I walked around to see what other people had written, and I saw this:

I did not do this! I looked around the gallery wondering which of the many young art-student types might harbor an animosity toward the Empty Suit, but I just couldn't tell.

We agree on the fellow behind him too!

There is probably no one with more contempt for democracy than the Republicans in the Ohio legislature. The very concept of fair, free, transparent, and straightforward elections seems to unnerve them.

While there were things that still needed tweaking, following Jennifer Brunner’s term of secretary of state, Ohio’s elections were no longer fundamentally broken. Yet last year, the Republicans in the Ohio legislature produced a bill, HB 194, featuring hundreds of pages of mostly unnecessary changes to Ohio election law. A large number of them made voting more difficult. The rationale they offered was the prevention of voter fraud — which is so rare as to be nonexistent.

Fair elections supporters gathered the signatures needed to place a repeal of HB 194 on this November’s ballot. Now the Republicans in the legislature have decided to repeal HB 194 on their own, perhaps to avoid the embarrassment of another loss like the SB 5 repeal. Yet, some of the provisions of HB 194, such as the blackout on early voting the three days prior to an election — one of those provisions who only reason for existing is to suppress turnout — were included in another elections bill passed subsequent to HB 194. So they’re still in effect, even though 400,000 voters signed petitions demanding the chance to vote on them and to not have them take effect until then.

Is this even legal? Who knows? It’s unprecedented — and unnecessary. It’s the Ohio legislature giving the middle finger to the electorate.

But that’s not ALL. With this legislature, it never is.

Then today I get this press release from Cleveland attorney Subodh Chandra, one of the attorneys in this case:

“Federal judge orders Republican House leaders to stop efforts to interfere with voting-rights consent decree in presidential election year.”

Yes, it’s come down to a federal judge having to slap down the election tamperers in our legislature.

Reactions from around the state to President Obama's statement supporting marriage equality.

From Ed Mullen, executive director of Equality Ohio:

Amid increased speculation, President Barack Obama announced today his full support of marriage equality. With this announcement, Obama becomes the first sitting U.S. president to back the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry.

Obama told ABC News that, after reflection, he had "concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married."

Thank the President and support our efforts here at Equality Ohio by making a donation of $5, $35, $65, $100 or any amount today!

This announcement comes less than 24 hours after a devastating loss for marriage equality in North Carolina, and days after two major Obama Administration officials, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, said they feel comfortable fully embracing marriage equality.

Equality Ohio applauds the President’s decision and we are glad to have the support of our Commander in Chief!

This announcement comes just as we prepare for some of our biggest events of the year, including Lobby Day 2012 and our Equality Express bus tour.Can you make a donation of $5, $35, $65, $100 or any amount today?

Support for equality is on the rise across Ohio and the nation. Today’s announcement gives renews our hopes that we can change hearts and minds, passing important legislation like the Equal Housing and Employment Act and a standalone, enumerated anti-bullying policy.

Help us pass EHEA and protect our children from bullying by donating $5, $35, $65, $100 or any amount today!

With your help and with the support of elected officials like President Obama, we can make Ohio a place everyone can truly feel at home.

It seems like everyone I know has been a-buzz today since President Obama announced his support for marriage equality today. To gay activists. it must feel like maniac-depression, following yesterday's landslide vote in North Carolina in favor of a stringent anti-marriage equality measure. But after years in which the President's avid gay supporters often felt betrayed and abandoned, it also seems like vindication, judging by the joyful messages posted online.

President Obama said,

Today, I was asked a direct question and gave a direct answer: I believe that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.

I've always believed that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally. I was reluctant to use the term marriage because of the very powerful traditions it evokes. And I thought civil union laws that conferred legal rights upon gay and lesbian couples were a solution.

But over the course of several years I've talked to friends and family about this. I've thought about members of my staff in long-term, committed, same-sex relationships who are raising kids together. Through our efforts to end the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, I've gotten to know some of the gay and lesbian troops who are serving our country with honor and distinction.

What I've come to realize is that for loving, same-sex couples, the denial of marriage equality means that, in their eyes and the eyes of their children, they are still considered less than full citizens.

Even at my own dinner table, when I look at Sasha and Malia, who have friends whose parents are same-sex couples, I know it wouldn't dawn on them that their friends' parents should be treated differently.

So I decided it was time to affirm my personal belief that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.

Any furrow-jawed commentator or pundit who opines in the future that Washington is "gridlocked" and that "both sides" are responsible and need to "move to the center" should henceforth be whacked across the face each time he or she utters that piece of common "wisdom."

Yesterday, longtime Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, a hardcore conservative who was nonetheless known for being able to at least converse with those not of his opinion, was defeated in a landslide by ultra-radical Tea Party reactionary Richard Mourdock, who had this to say:

Here's a transcript of his remarks:

CHUCK TODD: You have said that there needs to be more partisanship in Washington. How do you square that with being a legislator?

RICHARD MOURDOCK: Well, what I've said is that I certainly think bipartisanship ought to consist of Democrats coming to the Republican point of view. [...] Bipartisanship means they have to come our way [...] To me, the highlight of politics, frankly, is to inflict my opinion on someone else with a microphone or in front of a camera. [...] Even those Republicans who more often than not vote the right way aren't coming back into their states or their districts and getting in front of the unfriendly crowds and unfriendly microphones to make the point as to why our point of view is good. [...] I feel I can defend the purpose of conservatism, and more Republicans should be doing it just as I want to.

He's only openly saying what Republicans in Congress have been acting on since President Obama took office: their belief that "bipartisanship" means Democrats doing what Republicans want. To them it means they get 100 % and the opposition concedes everything.

Yesterday, Mitt Romney swept through Ohio, demonstrating again his patented ability to talk out of both sides of his mouth, his nose and lower regions of his body, all at once.

In addition to praising Governor Kasich for doing a "heckuva job" of God only knows what, and failing to chide an ignorant supporter who said President Obama should be tried for treason, Romney — who once wrote an editorial for the New York Times saying the auto industry should be allowed to collapse (and take million of rust belt jobs with it) — told a news reporter in Cleveland, “I’ll take a lot of credit for the fact that this industry’s come back.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57430011-503544/romney-ill-take-a...

Sorry, pal. You may want to "take" credit, but you have no claim to any — and in taking credit where you deserve none, you reveal something about your character — the lack thereof.

Former Governor Ted Strickland and UAW President Bob King responded to Romney's laughable claim in a conference call today.

Romney has been trying to claim that instead of a government bailout, to auto industry should have found loans in the private marketplace — immediately after the collapse of September 2008 when there was no private money to be found anywhere. (And this guy touts his business expertise as his qualification for the presidency — now THAT is scary!)

King said of Romney, "He has made a whole list of absurd statement but this one tops the list."

Apparently, Mitt Romney thinks it's a winning move to imitate George W. Bush at his most pathetic and out of touch.

Remember back in 2005 when, with New Orleans under water, and thousands of people on their rooftops or crowded without food or water into a hot, smelly Superdome (which I noticed, in glancing out the hotel window this weekend, has been renamed, in some sort of obscure irony, "the Mercedes-Benz Superdome"), George Bush told his incompetent FEMA director Michael Brown that he was doing a "heckuva job, Brownie"? Believe me, I thought about it a lot in the last five days, walking the streets of the Vieux Carre, the Faubourgs Marigny and Treme, the CBD, and the Mid-City Fairgrounds.

Turns out Mitt Romney is about as good as Bush at assessing performance and isn't shy about announcing his misjudgment. He told an audience in Northeast Ohio yesterday,

"We have around us many great leaders. I like your governor a lot. I think Governor Kasich is doing a heckuva job."

Please, Mitt, if you like him, take him. Ohioans know he's doing the same "heckuva job" as Brownie.

Two monuments to ineptitude.

After thumbing its nose for a year at public records requests by the Ohio Democratic Party for the resumes of 62 employees hired by treasurer Josh Mandel since his election, his spokesperson has doubled down on duplicity and arrogance. He's claiming the office — which dumped thousands of pages of unrequested records while claiming it had fulfilled the request — doesn't have those particular resumes.

According to the Toledo Blade, spokesman Seth Unger said,

We have given the Ohio Democratic Party every resume that they have requested which the Treasurer's office has in its records. The resumes of individuals who applied, interviewed, and were hired prior to the Treasurer taking office were never brought into office. The Treasurer's office is unable to produce records that it does not have in its possession.

http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2012/05/03/Ohio-treasurer-short-34-r...

The office has produced resumes for only 28 of the 62 people requested.

Missing among the final group of resumes are several Mandel campaign workers who were hired into high-paying appointed positions and then left to work on Mr. Mandel's Senate campaign.

Maybe you've started to think about getting back into campaign mode, or maybe you've never been involved in a campaign but you've realized how essential it is to reelect President Obama. Here's a chance for you to plug into the campaign and hear the President live in person — an experience any politically engaged Democratic will long remember.

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will headline a rally at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus on Saturday May 5. They'll be speaking about 1:30. It's one of the kickoff events as he shifts into full campaign mode.

How can you snag some free tickets? One of the best ways is to sign up to do a phone banking shift tomorrow night. Apparently, those who volunteer a little time will be given special tickets for a close-up section. That might be worth a few hours of your time, eh? Someone I know signed up for a phone bank to get tickets to the Obama campaign-sponsored Red Hot Chili Peppers concert at the House of Blues a few weeks ago. She posted on her Facebook page raving about how much fun she had, how the organizers of the phone bank were great, she had terrific conversations with a lot of people, and she had signed up for more shifts. (Full disclosure: I personally hate to phone bank, but most people are better at it than I am).

If you just want to go,you can RSVP here:

http://www.barackobama.com/oh

There's plenty of additional information on ways to get involved and to cnnect with other supporters there.

One additional note: although most items are prohibited at such events, you ARE allowed to bring your camera and make a record of an event you will never forget.

It probably won't surprise you to learn that Josh "The Empty Suit" Mandel has snagged the endorsement of the National Right to Life Political Action Committee.

Although elusive about most issues, he didn't hesitate to endorse the "Heartbeat" Bill last year. He's made it clear he's an enemy of women's rights and their access to health care.

In their statement National Right to Life said,

Josh Mandel is a strong advocate for life. Mandel opposes ObamaCare and will vote to repeal it. He believes that 'government-run healthcare should be repealed in whole immediately.' Mandel’s support is needed to reverse the pro-abortion and pro-rationing effects of ObamaCare.

The National Right to Life folks are the same craven liars as Mandel. "Obamacare" doesn't ration ANY health care (that's what the insurance companies, who own a piece of Mandel, do), and there is nothing in it about abortion.

These lies have fueled a movement that is profoundly ANTI-life, preferring, for instance, that parents who might choose to not abort a child with serious health issues, not be able to get health coverage for the child. "ObamaCare" makes the decision to have that child easier by prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage to children with serious illnesses and congenital conditions. THAT is "pro-life." Nation Right to Life and their lackey Josh Mandel are not.

National Right to Life's executive director said,

We look forward to working with Josh Mandel to restore legal protection for innocent life – unborn children and medically disabled or dependent persons whose lives are threatened by abortion or euthanasia.

http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2012/05/01/ohio-attor...

There's a group called the "Ohio Campaign to Protect Marriage" that's got its undies in a bunch about the fact that attorney general Mike DeWine approved the summary ballot language for Freedom to Marry Ohio to go ahead and start collecting the signatures to place the repeal of the "Defense of Marriage" act and the approval of marriage equality on the Ohio ballot. They've got petitions out on the streets now, working to collect the just over 385,000 signatures they need to do so. They're aiming for the 2013 ballot.

Apparently, the Ohio Campaign to Protect Marriage doesn't want to take its chances at the ballot box, probably alarmed by polls showing that people are becoming less bigoted and homophobic every passing year. They're asking the Ohio Supreme Court to interfere and find the ballot language “not a summary and is not a fair and truthful statement.”

Judge for yourself here:
https://freedomohio.com/main/issue.php

(You can also sign up to volunteer at this site).

DeWine is urging the court to dismiss the case.

In a response filed Friday, DeWine defended his action and argued that the court has no jurisdiction over what he called a pre-certification process — which the law says is exclusively the domain of the attorney general. DeWine said he certified a “fair and truthful statement of a proposed constitutional amendment.” He also noted that his opinion on the merits of the issue is irrelevant.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/05/01/dewine-defends-...

The most baffling people to me are those online commenters who parrot the GOP party line about “less government, lower taxes.” Unless they are multi-multi-millionaires (and those guys probably aren’t in online forums spewing blatantly misinformed crap about President Obama’s “higher taxes, more spending”), it’s mystifying why they would think for even a fleeting moment about voting for Mitt Romney. Romney has made it clear that not only would he destroy their livelihoods and economic security without a second thought, but that he doesn’t even really get why this would be a problem.

Case in point: Romney’s appearance this week at Otterbein college in Westerville, Ohio (Is it a coincidence that he spoke at a college in Governor Kasich’s upscale hometown? I suspect not). Romney said many things to a hilariously bored audience of college students (look at the video and chuckle at the stupefied faces — nothing like the excitement Josh “The Empty Suit” Mandel showed when Al Gore spoke at Ohio State University in 2000!). But nothing he said demonstrated that he lives in a different world from most of us than this:

This kind of devisiveness, this attack of success, is very different than what we’ve seen in our country’s history. We’ve always encouraged young people: Take a shot, go for it, take a risk, get the education, borrow money if you have to from your parents, start a business.

http://thinkprogress.org/special/2012/04/27/473096/romney-borrow-money-p...

How many levels of self-delusion are there in that statement? I mean, forget even his flogging of the lie that there is an “attack of success” that is “very different from what we’ve seen in our country’s history.” That’s just flat-out cynical.

But “borrow money if you have to from your parents”?