Democrats pile on GOP with statewide attacks

[Algorem]

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050610/NEWS24/506100330

CLEVELAND - Sensing an opportunity to overturn 16 years of Republican dominance of Ohio government and deliver the state to the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008, Democrats yesterday launched coordinated attacks across Ohio.

From a stiflingly hot meeting room in the downtown City Club of Cleveland to the lobby of Government Center in Toledo, party leaders and Democratic elected officials joined to try to tar the leading lights of the state Republican party with the ooze of the unfolding scandal at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.

Democrats insisted the events, held before a multitude of reporters and news cameras, were prompted entirely by a desire to safeguard the bureau's $14 billion investment portfolio and uncover wrongdoers...

"It's just hogwash," Rep. Chris Redfern of Catawba Island, the House Democratic leader, said in Cleveland. Members of his party, he said, won't participate in a committee that does not include equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. "Democrats won't participate in a cover-up."

[Condor]

1. Rightwing newspaper?

Doesn't sound like the toledo blade is taking things very seriously. Look at the way the article is written, quotes from Republicans appear strong, quotes from Democrats are weak, and in between frases like:

It's far from certain that will happen.
The state Democratic organization recently supplemented its Web site with prominent sections on "Coingate timeline" and "Coingate plan of action."

Their main point in this article is to show the way the Democrats have planned this counterattack, the issue itself isn't discussed at all.

[liberal N proud]

2. Welcome to DU Condor, Excellent observation

[murielm99]

3. The Toledo Blade uncovered the coingate story.

Their reporting was excellent.

Please go back and do a DU search on this topic. You will be surprised by the Blade's reporting.

[rogerashton]

5. Here is an editorial that doesn't help the pubicans

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050610/OPINION02/506100332

AFTER two months of staggering revelations in the "Coingate" scandal, Ohioans now must cope with one more remarkable and disgusting example of arrogant, out-of-control, one-party rule.

A memo to Gov. Bob Taft's office last October from then-BWC Director James Conrad reported that the hedge-fund manager, MDL Capital Management of Pittsburgh, adopted an investment strategy that went far beyond the bureau's established risk limits.

Only now, seven months later, is the massive loss uncovered, and yet the governor's press secretary insists that Mr. Taft never saw Mr. Conrad's e-mail, never was told about it, never talked to Mr. Conrad about it, and only learned the extent of the loss this week.

That's beyond belief, but why should the citizens of Ohio believe anything this governor or his minions utter any more?

...

At the same time, we don't assume and neither should the leaders of the Ohio Democratic Party that their candidates only have to show up on the ballot in November, 2006, to recapture the executive and legislative branches of state government.

Many Ohioans - certainly including most of the folks who live in rural areas and the state's rapidly growing suburbs - distrust the Democratic Party because they see it as a party in bed with the public employee unions, a party concerned only with the welfare of the inner cities, and a party that loves to raise taxes.



Sounds like they don't much like political parties in general.

[OzarkDem]

8. They all seem tentative

the major papers in Ohio are tiptoeing around the issue of Dems regaining power in Ohio. R's are still very strong and powerful here, they must still be afraid of something or are hedging their bets.

Looks like the scandal goes very deep, its clearing the R bench for elected office.

[acmavm]

4. "Democratic elected officials joined to try to tar the leading lights of

the state Republican party with the ooze of the unfolding scandal at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation."

The leading lights? Hey, this article ain't too biased or anything, is it?

[Demit]

6. I agree. The writer says, "Democrats seemed eager to draw parallels

to another scandal that brought down a prominent Republican politician", instead of the straightforward "Democrats drew parallels to another scandal..." Shows me that the writer's focus is on the Democrats' manner of response, and not on the substance of the scandal. He wants to trivialize & minimize the matter. Shame, shame.

[rodeodance]

7. Lets hope the Ohio Dems can make some political hay of this by 06!!

[TheFarseer]

9. self delete

[geckosfeet]

10. Don't let up till Dec. 2008 !!!

Tighten the screws a little more every day.

[Roy]

11. Comparisons with Washington

and republican actions all over the country Should absolutely be made.

This is nothing new for republicans, and dems will go nowhere until not only the crimes, but the criminals and criminal patterns and procedures are exposed.

[Judi Lynn]

12. Democrats Eye Unfolding Ohio Coin Scandal

Democrats Eye Unfolding Ohio Coin Scandal
By JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press Writer

Friday, June 10, 2005

(06-10) 11:16 PDT Toledo, Ohio (AP) --

A disastrous investment by the state in rare coins has erupted into both a financial and political scandal, with Ohio's Republicans running for cover and the Democrats seeing great opportunity.
(snip)

"This isn't necessarily the end of the Republican reign, but I'm sure it's got them very concerned," said William Binning, chairman of political science at Youngstown State University, who also works for Taft as a liaison in northeastern Ohio. "We just don't know what the fallout is going to be. It's potentially explosive."

The GOP has controlled the Ohio governor's office since 1991, has held all statewide non-judicial offices for 10 years, and dominates both houses of the Legislature. In Ohio, voters do not register by party, but based on the party affiliations given by primary voters, perhaps two-thirds of the electorate is independent, while Republicans and Democrats are close to even in numbers.

Democrats believe that if they can capture the governor's office, the party's presidential nominee will have a better shot at winning the state in 2008. Last year, the presidential election came down to Ohio, with Bush winning by 118,000 votes. No Republican has ever won the White House without carrying Ohio.

"One of the reasons everybody's so worried about this is that it does have the potential to change not only Ohio politics but also national politics," said John Green, director of the University of Akron's Ray C. Bliss Institute for Applied Politics.
(snip/...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/06/10/national/a111651D60.DTL