BREAKING: John Edwards To Announce Run For President

John Edwards is planning on announcing a 2008 run for the presidency towards the end of this month.

I was lucky enough to see Edwards speak during the '04 election run-up and I liked what I heard. The fact that his parents were regular, working class people really helped him connect with the Ohio Valley.

Last I heard though, he still owe's $300,000 from his last run. That could potentially make it hard for him to raise money.

It also seems certain now that Evan Bayh has decided to not make a presidential run.

Evan Bayh Might Drop Presidential Bid

The rumor going around is that Evan Bayh has decided not to run for President in '08.

Bayh Bailing On '08?, Intense Speculation That Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., Won't Make A Presidential Bid - CBS News

Define Irony: quis custodiet ipsos custodes

This one doesn't even require a comment, just read the paragraph below.

A fence-building company in Southern California agrees to pay nearly $5 million in fines for hiring illegal immigrants. Two executives from the company may also serve jail time. The Golden State Fence Company's work includes some of the border fence between San Diego and Mexico.

Oh, and the title is Latin for "Who will guard the guards themselves?".

Source: NPR : Border Fence Firm Snared for Hiring Illegal Workers

Only In Ohio: Haven't They Got Something Better To Do?

Alternate Titles: "Please God, Get Me Out Of This Place..." or "Shoot Me With A Concealed Weapon" or "I've Never Been Happier To Live By The West Virginia Border"

Have you ever watched a sporting event on TV? You know how when they go to commercial the commentators work in things like "brought to you by _____, the official _____ of Nascar"? Welcome to the new and improved state of Ohio. Yesterday the state legislature passed a bill creating more of those stupid, obscure official state something-or-others that kids will have to learn all about in our under-funded schools.

Among the stupid votes:

• June 12th as "Ronald Reagan Day".
• April 29th as "Dale Earnhardt Day".
• Tomato as state fruit.
• Bull Frog as state amphibian.
• Carle's Bratwurst as state sandwich.
• Pawpaw as state's official native fruit.

Hell, there's even a special license plate for homeless people now. There had better be a cut of the money from those plates going to a well respected charity that deals with homeless people.

Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer

C-SPAN Fighting To Be Less Boring

C-SPAN is taking advantage of the new Democratic majority to renew a bid to take back control over it's cameras.

Current rules, created as part of the 1979 agreement that allowed cameras in the chambers, put the cameras under the control of the Speaker of the House and prevents C-SPAN from showing anything but the person speaking at the podium.

I guess they didn't want everyone to see just how few people actually bother to show up and pay attention. I'll be heavily disappointed if the Democrats fail to take any action on this.

Noting that Democrats have pledged to increase transparency and accountability in government, C-SPAN Thursday called on House Speaker-in-waiting Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to give television viewers the same real-time access to views of the House floor as anyone sitting in the gallery would have.

In a Dec. 14 letter, C-SPAN CEO and Chairman Brian Lamb asked Pelosi to roll back the three-decade old practice that put the House Speaker in charge of the cameras. C-SPAN and the House reached the current agreement in 1979 when cameras were first introduced to the chamber. He wrote that he sought a similar agreement in 1994 when Republicans captured control of the House, but he did not get it.

Lamb wrote that the current 28-year-old arrangement is "an anachronism that does a disservice to the institution and to the public…Congressional technicians are limited to taking static, head-on shots of the representative who's speaking at the podium."

Rules and established practices prevent cameras from taking individual reaction shots or from panning the chamber, leaving viewers with an incomplete picture of what's happening in the House," he added.

In addition, Lamb asked Pelosi to immediately post how individual lawmakers voted on a piece of legislation. Currently, the parties' totals appear on screen, but the individual tallies are not posted until hours later.

Source: C-SPAN presses Pelosi on transparency

Skip The Stupid Sentence And Jail Him

This is just one of those stupid, unrelated stories that I just felt the need to share.

A Lake County, Ohio man may get a reduced sentence for killing his dog if he agree's to dress up as "Safety Pup" and participate in animal safety programs.

It seems that the guy only shot his (one) dog so I'm not sure what the circumstances were, but if he just shot it for no reason I say jail him.

A man convicted of shooting and killing his Great Dane may lead a kind of dog's life to reduce his jail time.

Robert Clark of Madison Township in northeast Ohio's Lake County was sentenced yesterday to serve at least 30 days in jail. But Painesville Municipal Judge Michael Cicconetti has told Clark he can cut that to just ten days if he gets into costume as "Safety Pup" and takes part in animal safety programs at elementary schools.

Clark hasn't said whether he plans to accept the offer. Court officials say he has asked for a delay in serving his sentence.

Source: Convicted Dog Killer May Dress As Pup To Reduce Jail Time - News

More On Senator Johnson

While that last post was sending, the following story from First Read, an NBC politics blog, popped up in my feed reader.

Sen. Tim Johnson's office just released this statement: "Admiral John Eisold, Attending Physician of the United States Capitol said, 'Senator Tim Johnson has continued to have an uncomplicated post-operative course. Specifically, he has been appropriately responsive to both word and touch. No further surgical intervention has been required.'"

Source: First Read : Update on Johnson

The original release posted on Johnson's Senate site also included remarks from the Senator's wife.

Contact: Julianne Fisher, Megan Smith (202)224-5842

 

Statement from Mrs. Barbara Johnson

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Washington, DC— Barbara Johnson, wife of U.S. Senator Tim Johnson, wanted to touch base with the people of South Dakota this afternoon to thank them for their support. The office of Senator Tim Johnson has released the following at approximately 5:15 pm ET:

 

Barbara Johnson said, "I would like to thank the people of South Dakota for their love and support as Tim has met this unexpected challenge. Our family is very pleased with his progress and the excellent care he is receiving at George Washington University Hospital. We ask for your continued prayers as Tim continues through the recovery process."

Mrs. Johnson continued by saying that Senator Johnson was responding to her voice and following directions after the surgery. By this morning, he was reaching for and holding her hand.

 

Earlier this afternoon, Admiral John Eisold, Attending Physician of the United States Capitol said, "Senator Tim Johnson has continued to have an uncomplicated post-operative course. Specifically, he has been appropriately responsive to both word and touch. No further surgical intervention has been required."

 

###

 

For more information on Senator Tim Johnson visit his website at http://johnson.senate.gov.

Press Release From Tim Johnson's Office

The following press release is the latest put out by the Senator's office.

Contact: Julianne Fisher, Megan Smith (202)224-5842

Statement from Office of Senator Tim Johnson

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Washington, DC—The office of Senator Tim Johnson has released the following:

Admiral John Eisold, Attending Physician of the United States Capitol said, "Subsequent to his admission to George Washington University Hospital yesterday, Senator Tim Johnson was found to have had an intracerebral bleed caused by a congenital arteriovenous malformation. He underwent successful surgery to evacuate the blood and stabilize the malformation. The Senator is recovering without complication in the critical care unit at George Washington University Hospital. It is premature to determine whether further surgery will be required or to assess any long term prognosis."

Barbara Johnson, wife of Senator Johnson, said, "The Johnson family is encouraged and optimistic. They are grateful for the prayers and good wishes of friends, supporters and South Dakotans.

"They are especially grateful for the work of the doctors and all medical personnel and GWU hospital."

Last I heard was that he was responding to touch, which is great news. Please join me in hoping for a full recovery.

Source: Statement from Office of Senator Tim Johnson

Johnson's Campaign Website

Mike DeWine On The Supreme Court?

I know Mike DeWine needs to find a job right now but that doesn't mean I'd put him on the short list to fill a Supreme Court seat.

Has DeWine ever even been a judge at any point in his life? I know he was a prosecutor, but even that was a long time ago. I think a Supreme Court appointee should have to have some experience behind the bench.

To push a nomination through a Democratic Senate, Bush may choose a U.S. Senator, a suggestion once recommended by incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Ont he short list: Mike DeWine (R-OH), Mel Martinez (R-FL), Mike Crapo (R-ID) or Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

Source: Political Wire: Will Justice Stevens Retire?

Ethics Panel Clears Harry Reid

I never had any doubt that this would happen but it's still good to know.

Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), "did not break Senate rules in accepting free ringside seats at boxing matches from the Nevada Athletic Commission, the Ethics Committee has concluded," reports the New York Times.

Source: Political Wire: Reid Cleared of Ethics Charges

Bob Ney Wants Letters Of Support

I'll let this one pass for now. Maybe I'll comment on it tomorrow.

Lawyers for Bob Ney last week urged his friends to write letters of support in advance of the former Ohio Republican representative’s sentencing on corruption charges in January.

The attorneys hope to show the judge that the actions that led Ney to plead guilty to corruption charges in October were an aberration in a professional career otherwise dedicated to public service. Ney was a member of the House at the time of his guilty plea, but later resigned his seat.

“Letters of support are a very important part of the sentencing process, and, we hope, will give Judge Huvelle a clear picture of the kind of person Bob is, the contributions he has made, and the support that he continues to enjoy from his friends and others in the community,” wrote Ney attorneys Mark Tuohey and David Hawkins of Vinson & Elkins in a Dec. 6 letter obtained by The Hill.

Source: Ney lawyers urge letter-writing

Somebody Catch This Idiot

The person that has been vandalizing the state Republican headquarters in Columbus struck again last week.

The Mad Glass-Smasher, the guy who's been using the state headquarters of the Ohio Republican Party for target practice, has used rocks, bricks and a broken padlock to shatter windows and doors.

Last week, even after Columbus police gave the GOP the OK to post video of the guy bouncing a rock off of its HQ's front door, he struck again -- this time using a broken tree branch.

Source: cleveland.com: Weblogs

House To Start Blogging?

The word from Wonkette is that the House of Representative's will now have access to "Web Blog" tools to maintain a blog on their House web sites.

I hope my local rep's (both Charlie Wilson neighbor Zack Space) take advantage of this.

Good news: You will soon be able to access pictures of your congressperson’s cat and learn who their favorite Project Runway contestant is without the filter of the “mainstream media.” According to the Committee on House Administration, “web log tools” have been enabled on House websites!

Source: Blogs For Everyone! - Wonkette

Two More For Online Ohio Vote Record

Just to make it easy to follow, I'm going to try and keep track of everyone posting about the need for an online record of our state rep's votes.

• Bizzy Blog
• Buckeye State Blog
• Left of Ohio
• Right Angle Blog
  

Well I'm Glad That's All Cleared Up

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) doesn't want Fidel Castro assassinated after all it seems, she just want's him dead. The Congresswoman claims a video of her calling for Castro's assassination was made from several video clips stitched together. She also went on to say that "If someone were to do it, I wouldn't be crying".

MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- A congresswoman says a video clip showing her calling for Fidel Castro's assassination is fake, a charge denied Sunday by the film's director.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Florida, appears in the 28-second clip made available on the Internet by the makers of a new British documentary, "638 Ways to Kill Castro."

In it, she says: "I welcome the opportunity of having anyone assassinate Fidel Castro and any leader who is oppressing the people."

However, the Havana-born lawmaker, recently tapped to become the top Republican on the House International Relations Committee, says the filmmakers spliced clips together to make the sound bite.

"It's twisted in a way that gives the viewer a totally wrong impression," Ros-Lehtinen told The Miami Herald. "I've said the community has moved on, that those strategies are not being used today, but apparently the filmmakers think we're still in a '60s mentality."

Still, she said it was possible she has, at some point, mentioned Castro's potential assassination.

"If someone were to do it, I wouldn't be crying," she said.

Source: Lawmaker wants Castro dead, not assassinated - CNN.com

It's Not Something I'd Do Everyday, But I'd Do It Again

Al Gore announced recently that he wasn't planning on running for President again, but later clarified that he hadn't completely discarded the idea. That little addition, added to the speculation by some that Gore could get the greatest amount of publicity with a last minute announcement, makes this a very intriguing situation.

"I am not planning to run for president again," Gore said last week, arguing that his focus is raising public awareness about global warming and its dire effects. Then, he added: "I haven't completely ruled it out."

Those words make Gore the 800-pound non-candidate of the Democratic field. The possibility of another presidential bid delights many Democrats still steamed over the disputed 2000 election, in which they argue a few more votes, a state other than Florida and a different Supreme Court could have put Gore, not George W. Bush, in the White House.

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is the front-runner, but a polarizing one for some Democrats. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is the electrifying newcomer, but limited in his experience. Gore remains, for many party activists, the Democrat and popular vote-getter done wrong.

"He won the election in 2000 — he just lost the (electoral) count," former Democratic National Committee Chairman Don Fowler said. "If I were he, I wouldn't rule out a run. It's an uncertain field, and he's a person who is widely respected."

Source: Gore chases Oscar nod, possible 2008 bid - Yahoo! News

Ohio Legislature Votes Should Be Online

Wow, I agree with Matt Naugle on something. Ohio House and Senate votes should be posted online.

What is so offensive about posting all committee and session votes online? Any cost is NOTHING compared to the type of waste that can end up in a state budget.

And while they are at it, why doesn't someone propose a state version of the Coburn/Obama bill, and create a single, searchable database that anyone could access, which lists all grants, contracts or other monetary awards over a certain amount? Being able to quickly, and immediately, compare extremely current information with the Secretary of State's contribution disclosures would be useful.

In addition, every state legislator who puts their own pet project in a spending bill should have to print their name next to it. You might be surprised to learn how secretative [SIC] this process currently is. I mean, if you are a state legislator who proposes an expenditure, shouldn't you be proud enough of it to have your name attached?

Source: The Ohio Legislature's Votes Should Be Online | Right Angle Blog- Ohio's Online Conservative Community

A long standing complaint of mine is about how none of our local newspapers cover the state congress at all. Being on the state line gives the local media great deal of difficulty, as they have to attempt to cover 2 (or sometimes 3, though they rarely bother with Pennsylvania) states.

I think if all the Ohio blogs could make a bipartisan push on this issue we could really get something done.

Can You Say (President) Kucinich?

My favorite long-shot, Dennis Kucinich, is once again in the Presidential running. Official announcement is coming tomorrow.

U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich is running for president – yes -- of the United States.

He’ll make it official Tuesday from Cleveland City Hall, the site of his political birth – and his biggest public embarrassment.
Kucinich, who was easily re-elected to Congress in last month, ran unsuccessfully for president in the 2004 presidential primary. He was among the last to drop out despite winning only a handful of delegates.

Source: cleveland.com: Weblogs

Britain To Stop Use Of The Phrase 'War on Terror'

Since Congress released that report a while back saying Iraq had no ties to al-Qaeda shouldn't we stop using that phrase? Which is the worst lie, I did not have sex with that women or calling Iraq a war on terror?

Cabinet ministers have been told by the Foreign Office to drop the phrase 'war on terror' and other terms seen as liable to anger British Muslims and increase tensions more broadly in the Islamic world.

The shift marks a turning point in British political thinking about the strategy against extremism and underlines the growing gulf between the British and American approaches to the continuing problem of radical Islamic militancy. It comes amid increasingly evident disagreements between President George Bush and Tony Blair over policy in the Middle East.

Source: Britain stops talk of 'war on terror' | Politics | The Observer

Oh Great, Both My State Reps Are Possible Crooks

Both my state Senator (Joy Padgett) and Representative (Jennifer Garrison) seem to be caught up in some sort of controversy over unemployment taxes. I'm not really fond of either of them.

Sen. Joy Padgett, R-Coshocton, Sen. John Carey, R-Wellston, Sen. Lynn R. Watchmann, R-Napoleon, former Sen. and now Mayor Mark Mallory, D-Cincinnati, and state Rep. Jennifer Garrison, D-Marietta. [emphasis mine]

Source: The Independent

Garrison and Padgett met with a bureau official in October 2005 after a Cambridge bakery complained its premiums were rising from $5,000 to around $43,000 a year.

The same month the bureau authorized an 82 percent reduction for the company, Kennedy's Bakery, continuing a similar reduction it had received the year before. A message was left with bakery co-owner Bob Kennedy.

Both lawmakers said they were doing their jobs as advocates of companies in their districts. "I have never asked the Bureau to bend or violate any rules or laws on my constituents' behalf," Padgett said in a Nov. 16 letter to Donald Petit, deputy director of the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee.

Source: Akron Beacon Journal

Making Some Changes

I finally broke down and registered my first domain name in years, leftofohio.com (Go ahead and click it, you know you want to), and signed up for Google Apps for Your Domain. Of course the domain simply redirects here, so don't expect anything fancy.

With my sign-up to Google Apps comes a new email address, david@leftofohio.com (let's fill that nice clean inbox up with spam). Don't worry though, the old one still works as it all goes to Mozilla Thunderbird through pop anyway.