News and Notes: Ohio Congressional Races UPDATED

A lot happening out there:

OH-01 - Columnist Dana Milbank identified Rep. Steve Chabot (R-West Wood) as one of the GOP incumbents displaying the symptoms of irritability and depression from Re-Election Anxiety Disorder when he barked a testy "I'm running late" as he left the weekly House Republican breakfast meeting Wednesday with a grim face, following the GOP's shocking loss in the Mississippi special election the day before. *** At a fundraising event Laura Bush called Chabot "champion of the men and women of the United States military," but he proved himself the exact opposite yesterday by voting against enhanced benefits for veterans.

OH-02 - Rep. "Mean Jean" Schmidt (R-Loveland), usually a reliable vote for the White House, surprised observers by not voting on the farm bill that Bush has said he'll veto, a sign of how frightened GOP members of Congress have become. *** Schmidt voted against the G.I. Bill expansion, revealing the rank hypocrisy of her statements elsewhere that she supports the troops. Here, for example, she said that "our returning troops, who have sacrificed so much for us, deserve our gratitude, respect, and the very best healthcare available." That's exactly the kind of support that she just voted against.

OH-03 - Rep. Mike Turner (R-Centerville) has abysmal 29% and 34% lifetime scores from the Disabled American Veterans and Retired Enlisted Association, respectively, and received a C grade from the Iraq and Afghanistan Vetarans of America in 2006. Sure enough, he voted against the GI Bill expansion yesterday, and challenger Jane Mitakides (D-Washington Twp) isn't about to let him get away with it unscathed:

I cannot imagine anyone in Congress voting against such crucial legislation, especially one from a district that is home to the Dayton VA Medical Center and Dayton National Cemetery and sits in the shadow of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Whatever the cost of the bill, it is a small price to pay in exchange for the sacrifices made by our brave men and women. ... Unfortunately, Mike Turner and President Bush want to play politics with a real modernization of the GI bill.

This is a significant misstep by Turner.

OH-04 - Unlike Schmidt, anti-government fanatic Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) voted against the farm bill, despite representing a heavily agricultural district.

OH-08 Challenger Nick von Stein (D-Hamilton) got a note of encouragement from Cincinnati musician and composer Wes Finn, who ran for city council in a Cincinnati suburb in 2001, on Finn's eclectic blog : "I wish Mr. von Stein all the luck in the world. My in-laws live in the 8th District, and they deserve someone far better than John 'Day-Glo' Boehner." What a perfect moniker!

OH-09 - Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo) did a great job explaining yesterday's three House bills relating to amendments constituting the military emergency supplemental bill in this "Washington Journal" appearance on C-SPAN, emphasizing that the GI benefits bill is paid for by a tax surcharge but the president has not paid for the costs of the war in his budget: "The sad fact is that this war has cost the American people over $870 billion dollars -- three quarters of a trillion dollars -- and hasn't been paid for. ... We are almost a trillion dollars more in debt. ... In terms of fiscal responsibility, what's happening is very irresponsible."

OH-14 - Vietnam veteran Bill O'Neill (D-South Russell), who earned a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam and whose son served America in Afghanistan and Iraq, angrily denounced the "cowardly inaction" of Rep Steve LaTourette (R-Bainbridge Twp) yesterday in voting "present" on the war funding bill:

At a time when Americans should be applauding the bravery of our troops, we deserve far more than cowardly inaction from our congressman. Say what you will about all the many and varied positions Steve LaTourette has taken on this war, but at least he took a side, even if it was often the wrong one.

This refusal to take a stand shows just how much Washington really has changed him in the last 14 years. Our troops putting their lives on the line for this country and the people of Northeast Ohio deserve an up or down vote, sir.

Nick D has commentary at BSB.

OH-15 - Hat-tip to ohio06win for highlighting this report in The Other Paper, indicating that State Sen. Steve Stivers (R-Upper Arlington) is thought by some supporters of SB 305, which would outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, to be secretly trying to kill the bill in committee in order to prevent a vote that will anger either social conservatives or the gay community. Stivers denies the allegation and says he supports the bill "in concept," but repeats his ill-considered objection that job applicants may blurt out their sexual orientation or gender identity in interview settings in a gambit to coerce employers into offering a job. Ri-i-ight, that's going to happen.

OH-17 - Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Niles) hailed yesterday's quick action on H.R. 6022, the bill he co-sponsored to reduce gas prices by stopping the president from diverting oil to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. “Let me be clear, this bill is intended to give short term relief to middle class and working families who are being held hostage at the pump,” said Rep. Ryan. “I know we have a long way to go to securing our energy independence and believe that this is merely the start of our efforts to bring down gas prices permanently by ending our dependence on foreign oil.” The Energy Deparmtment announced today that has canceled shipments to the SPR, effective when current contracts end in July.

OH-18 - Rep. Zack Space (D-Dover) expressed outrage at George Bush's threatened veto of the G.I. Bill expansion passed yesterday, which would restore full four-year college scholarships to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to help make them part of an economic recovery like the veterans of World War II and make education benefits available to troops who served at least 3 months of active duty since September 11, 2001, including members of the National Guard and Reserve:

It is not enough to arm our young men and women for the battlefield – we must arm them for life after they return home. The President’s threatened veto is a shortsighted move that places politics above the needs of our veterans. So many of America’s heroes went to college through this vital program – including my father. If we allow this promise we make to our brave men and women to depreciate, we will be turning our back on those who protect our freedoms every day. That is unconscionable.

*** The Chillicothe Gazette reports that Space is thankful local farmers for their input at local meetings throughout the district in connection with the farm hill that Space helped steer through the House. Farmers alerted Space to the need for a provision to allow state meat inspection facilities that meet or exceed federal inspection standards to approve meat for shipment across state lines, avoiding the greater expense of travelling farther to federal inspection facilities or shipping live cattle rather than meat.