Veterans Speak Out Against Mandel
COLUMBUS, Ohio --
Patriotism and military service is a big part of Josh Mandel’s campaign persona. But the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate raised some eyebrows recently when he used the term “un-American" to refer to his opponent, incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown's vote in favor of the auto industry bailout.
Thursday, local veterans, including two retired Army Generals, denounced Mandel’s choice of words. Ret. Major General Dennis Laich said, "having spent 35 years in the military, I have a sense of what un-American looks like in terms of words and deeds and I can tell you that the vote that Senator Brown took, in no way, represents an un-American act."
In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch editorial board last week, Mandel said, "I don't toss around the word un-American very often - it's a dangerous word to use. But stripping Delphi employees of their pensions with that vote - that is un-American,"
Mandel is referring to the 20,000 salaried, non-union Delphi workers who had their pensions cut by 30 to 70 percent as a result of the auto industry bailout. The pensions of most Delphi union workers were fully funded.
The “vote” Senator Brown cast was for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), the $700 billion dollar bank bailout. TARP funds were loaned to General Motors and Chrysler to stave off near certain collapse.
http://www2.ohio-votes.com/news/2012/aug/30/3/veterans-speak-out-against-mandel-ar-1155694/