Sherrod Brown Co-Sponsors Habeas Restoration Act [UPDATED]

It bothered me and many others when Sherrod Brown (D-OH) voted in favor of the Military Commissions Act during his successful campaign for the U.S. Senate. Brown justified his "yes" vote as moving along the process for detainees at Guantanamo who would otherwise continue to languish with no hearings. However, the abrogation of habeas corpus rights for non-citizen detainees was sharply criticized as an unacceptable blow to a bedrock of civil rights.

During my interview with Connie Schultz, Brown's spouse, she revealed that her husband regrets his vote in favor of the Military Commissions Act. Now he has an opportunity to try to undo the damage, and he is seizing it. Sen. Arlen Spector (R-PA) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) have introduced S. 185, The Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007. Brown is on the Judiciary Committee and is one of 18 Democratic committee members (including Leahy) who are co-sponsors.

The bill will be marked up in committee today. Here is a list of Judiciary Committee members who have not signed on as co-sponsors, and capitol switchboard numbers you can use to urge them to support it:

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD)
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ)
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Toll free numbers for the Capitol Switchboard:

1 (800) 828 - 0498
1 (800) 459 - 1887
1 (800) 614 - 2803
1 (866) 340 - 9281
1 (866) 338 - 1015
1 (877) 851 - 6437

UPDATE: Ooops, sorry, Brown is not a committee member, but he is a co-sponsor of the bill. It was approved by the committee today on an 11-8 vote, with Spector the only Republican joining Democrats in voting for it.

Second Half of YDS Interview with Connie Schultz About Campaign Book

The second half of my interview with Connie Schultz is now posted on the State sub-page. The first half is located here.

In the second half we continued our discussion of her new book about the 2006 Senate campaign of her husband Sherrod Brown, due out on June 19th. Schultz describes in detail the evening when she and Sherrod decided that he would run (inspired by watching "The West Wing"), and recounts the promises they made to each other about the campaign. She describes the origins of her political views, and how those views (and one particular episode) shaped her approach to campaigning. She addresses Brown's controversial vote on the Military Commissions Act late in the campaign, and identifies an issue where she and her spouse cannot agree. She describes her negative reaction to comments by James Carville at a fundraiser, relates her moving and sometimes hilarious encounters with voters on the campaign trail, and details her criticisms of journalists and bloggers. We hear about the "plagiarism" flap early in the campaign and the "marijuana-laced banana" allegation in the final candidates debate, and the moment when she knew that it was all but over. In this part of the interview we also talked about topics beyond the book and the campaign, including how she first met her husband, thoughts on winning the Pulitzer Prize, and returning to writing her column.

Read the second half of the interview.

Yellow Dog Sammy Interviews Connie Schultz About Campaign Book

The first half of my interview with Connie Schultz about her forthcoming book on the Senate campaign is now posted on the State sub-page. The interview occurred back on January 29th, a few weeks after I had travelled to Washington for Sherrod Brown's swearing in ceremony. Schultz was then just about finished with her first draft of the book, which is scheduled for release in hardcover on June 19th.

I thought of the interview as a preliminary to her eventual book tour, so we talked extensively about her writing process and how the book developed over the course of the campaign. It was a long conversation with a number of surprises. In this part of the interview we learn the origin of the idea for the book (and it didn't occur to Schultz first), the story of the title, the important role of Moleskine notebooks, thoughts on political journalists and on bloggers, the hardship of taking a leave from writing her column, and some insights into Brown's delayed entry into the race (Schultz was the holdout, and she wanted her husband to go ahead and say so). Schultz gives us a candid look at the private moments she shared with her spouse behind the scenes, including a hilarious early morning episode involving toothpaste, and glimpses of the tremendous strain and anguish they endured, particularly in connection with the loss of Schultz' father early in the campaign. And, we find out what cable TV show they watched on DVD to help provide a late-night distraction.

Read the interview.

Sen. Brown (D) and Rep. Space (D) to Hold Historic Joint VA Affairs Hearing in Ohio

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Avon) and Rep. Zack Space (D-Dover) announced last night that they will hold the first ever joint field hearing of the Senate and House Committees on Veterans' Affairs in Ohio next Tuesday. The hearing will focus on issues affecting veterans in Ohio and across Appalachia, with testimony about access to care, claims processing, information dissemination, and veterans service improvements.

"We have a duty and moral obligation to ensure our nation's veterans receive the care and support they need," said Brown in a press release. "As a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, I take this task very seriously and look forward to hearing from those in the field on how we can better serve Ohio veterans."

"Veterans in rural Appalachia unfortunately often receive a lower level of care due to transportation and access issues," adds Space. "That is simply unacceptable. I look forward to discussing these issues with experts in the field and working with Senator Brown to find solutions so our heroes get the care they deserve."

Attendees at the hearing will include Frank Anderson, Government Relations Director of the Buckeye Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America; Robert Bertschy, Senior Vice Commander of the Disabled American Veterans, Department of Ohio; Tom Burke, President of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Buckeye State Council; Larry Moore, State Legislative Director of the Ohio Chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars; George Ondick, Executive Director of AMVETS, Department of Ohio; Donald Lanthorn, Department Service Director of the Department of Ohio of The American Legion; and Terry Carson, Chief Executive Officer of the Harrison Community Hospital.

The Veterans in Appalachia Joint Field Hearing will be held on Tuesday, May 29th, at 10:00 am on the Kent State University - Tuscarawas campus, 330 University Drive NE, New Philadelphia, Ohio.

News and Notes: Ohio UPDATED

Lots of things going on with Ohio elected officials:

Gov. Ted Strickand says he will decide today whether to sign Senate Bill 16, the Phil Burress/Citizens for Commmunity Values-backed law to impose additional restrictions on strip clubs. He also said he is optimistic about bringing an expansion project by Rolls-Royce North America to Ohio, although he would not say where.
UPDATE: Strickland has just announced that he will allow the bill to become law without signing it. This will get huge media coverage tomorrow.

Senators George Voinovich (R) and Sherrod Brown (D) announced today that they are co-sponsoring a bill to authorize federal grants in support of early education, which would help states "attract, train, and retain high-quality early childhood educators."

Rep. John Boehner (R-West Chester) and Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) have spoken out on the proposed immigration reform bill in the Senate, as reported in the Cincinnati Enquirer political blog Politics Extra, with Schmidt adamantly opposing it and Boehner sending a mixed signal that neither rejects nor supports it. Here is part of Boehner's statement:

“America is a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws – those laws must be obeyed and enforced. The Senate agreement appears to recognize that additional border security measures and more effective immigration law enforcement must come before any other issues are addressed, but I have significant concerns about parts of the Senate proposal - particularly provisions that would reward illegal immigrants who have consistently broken our laws. Republicans look forward to working with our colleagues on common sense reforms to shore up our borders and put a premium on enforcing our laws.”

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Cleveland) has only missed 10 roll calls in the 110th Congress on account of his presidential bid, which is just 2.7% of the votes taken. The other three Congressmen running for President have missed much more: Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) 12.8%, Ron Paul (R-Texas) 14.7%, Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) 24.9%. On the Senate side, Sen. Hillary Clinton is the least absent White House contender at 2.3% of roll calls missed.

Sect'y of State Jennifer Brunner announced a pilot program this morning aimed at getting more young people to vote by distributing voter registration forms and voter information with high school diplomas, calling it "the ultimate civics lesson." Also, information for young people about how to vote absentee and how to become a poll worker is now available on a special section of the Secretary of State web site.

State Senators Tom Sawyer (D-Akron), Dale Miller (D-Cleveland), and Robert Schuler (R-Sycamore Township) are co-sponsoring a bill that would make it a fourth-degree misdemeanor for 911 operators or translators from discussing billing information for translation services before handling an emergency. This proposal follows the drowning death of a 4-year old girl in Franklin County whose non-English speaking parents gave up on their 911 call after the operator brought a translator on the line to explain billing for translation services.

State Sen. John Boccieri (D-New Middletown), an interview with whom was posted on this blog today, will hold a press conference tomorrow at 12:30 pm in the Statehouse Minority Conference Room to announce a bill to bring Ohio law in line with the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA). The law would would protect servicemen and women from discrimination because of their service in the Armed Forces, National Guard or other services, and would safeguard their right to reclaim civilian employment following their time in military service or training.
UPDATE: Gov. Ted Strickland (D-New Lisbon) and Ohio Senate leaders will join Boccieri at the press conference.

The City Council of Oberlin voted last night to ask the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Oberlin becomes the first city in the state to pass such a measure.