Help Free Ohio from Republican Corruption and Electoral Abuses

[paineinthearse]

I usually post Rep.onyers' blogs to the GEN or GDP forums, but tonight, as this is Ohio-specific, it is posted here. The article is full of hyperlinks, too many to imbed, so I ask you to go to http://www.conyersblog.us/archives/00000272.htm to get the source material.

Good luck, Ohio! (if you want/need outside support, show there is Ohio support and get it to the "greatest" page).

Blogged by JC on 10.12.05 @ 10:58 PM ET

Help Free Ohio from Republican Corruption and Electoral Abuses

For the past couple months, we have witnessed a growing percentage of the population steadily distancing itself from the Bush Administration and congressional Republicans. There has been an even stronger movement away from Republicans in Ohio that is occurring on a much grander scale due to the Coingate scandals.

As you may know, coin collector Tom Noe, a big contributor to President Bush and the Republican Party of Ohio, is the focus of 13 separate investigations for his mismanagement of a $50 million state fund that was supposed to help injured workers. A federal grand jury reportedly is investigating alleged money laundering by Noe for a Bush-Cheney fundraising event organized by Brian Hicks, the former chief of staff to Governor Robert A. Taft II.

Hicks has since been convicted of violating state ethics laws for accepting improper gifts from Noe. Governor Taft, himself, was convicted earlier this year on four criminal counts for violating ethics laws relating to his relationship with Noe – the first time that has ever happened to a sitting Ohio governor. Taft has an approval rating in the mid-teens – lowest in the country. All three of the leading candidates to succeed the term-limited governor have long-standing relationships with Noe and have accepted his contributions.

The Republican Party in Ohio, which holds all state-wide elected offices, is in serious trouble with the voting public. Ohioans are tired of the corruption that is rampant throughout Ohio The closeness of the OH-2 special election, in which Iraq War veteran Paul Hackett came within a whisker of winning in a district that Rob Portman carried with 72% of the vote, was due as much to the widespread disgust with the Republican Party in Ohio as it was to the growing opposition to the war.

As we have seen with the presidential election in 2004, what happens in Ohio affects the whole country. The culture of corruption that exists there is an injustice to our democratic system of government. It is crucial that we put an end to this abuse of power and the corrupt electoral practices that affect our whole country. That is why the vote in Ohio on November 8 this year is of historic national importance. A progressive grassroots organization, Reform Ohio Now, collected more than half a million signatures to put four amendments on the November 8 ballot.

These ballot initiatives would permit voting by mail, impose strict campaign contribution limits, require competitive congressional and legislative districts (and thereby put an end the scourge of gerrymandering), and would create an independent elections board instead of having the Secretary of State, a partisan official, oversee elections (the current Secretary of State is a fellow by the name Ken Blackwell—remember him? He's running for governor next year).

These ballot initiatives are so important, not just because they will provide fairer elections, but because they will provide a national bellwether to measure the growing strength of the Democratic Party. Victory in these measures will lend momentum nationally, will provide Democrats up to 6 six new Congressional seats in the 2006 elections, and could help restore a Democratic majority to Congress. As many have noted, this is the most important election of the year.

Please act today to end the corruption and provide free and fair elections that affect all Americans.

Visit Reform Ohio Now - the organization behind the initiatives to find plenty of resources.

This DailyKos posting by Pounder has a list of ten action items you can do to help.

[ohtransplant]

1. RON is also in need of volunteers and contributions.

Check out the link at

www.reformohionow.org

[paineinthearse]

2. by "help", I mean from DU

Unless a request is made and is more widely visible, it will not be given, or received.

[LaurenG]

3. kicked and recommended n/t

[paineinthearse]

4. Conyers calls for support of RON (Reform Ohio Now)

by email



Help Free Ohio from Republican Corruption and Electoral Abuses
For the past couple months, we have witnessed a growing percentage of the population steadily distancing itself from the Bush Administration and congressional Republicans. There has been an even stronger movement away from Republicans in Ohio that is occurring on a much grander scale due to the Coingate scandals.

Reform Ohio Now
http://reformohionow.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As you may know, coin collector Tom Noe, a big contributor to President Bush and the Republican Party of Ohio, is the focus of 13 separate investigations for his mismanagement of a $50 million state fund that was supposed to help injured workers. A federal grand jury reportedly is investigating alleged money laundering by Noe for a Bush-Cheney fundraising event organized by Brian Hicks, the former chief of staff to Governor Robert A. Taft II.

Hicks has since been convicted of violating state ethics laws for accepting improper gifts from Noe. Governor Taft, himself, was convicted earlier this year on four criminal counts for violating ethics laws relating to his relationship with Noe – the first time that has ever happened to a sitting Ohio governor. Taft has an approval rating in the mid-teens – lowest in the country. All three of the leading candidates to succeed the term-limited governor have long-standing relationships with Noe and have accepted his contributions.

The Republican Party in Ohio, which holds all state-wide elected offices, is in serious trouble with the voting public. Ohioans are tired of the corruption that is rampant throughout Ohio The closeness of the OH-2 special election, in which Iraq War veteran Paul Hackett came within a whisker of winning in a district that Rob Portman carried with 72% of the vote, was due as much to the widespread disgust with the Republican Party in Ohio as it was to the growing opposition to the war.

As we have seen with the presidential election in 2004, what happens in Ohio affects the whole country. The culture of corruption that exists there is an injustice to our democratic system of government. It is crucial that we put an end to this abuse of power and the corrupt electoral practices that affect our whole country. That is why the vote in Ohio on November 8 this year is of historic national importance. A progressive grassroots organization, Reform Ohio Now, collected more than half a million signatures to put four amendments on the November 8 ballot.

These ballot initiatives would permit voting by mail, impose strict campaign contribution limits, require competitive congressional and legislative districts (and thereby put an end the scourge of gerrymandering), and would create an independent elections board instead of having the Secretary of State, a partisan official, oversee elections (the current Secretary of State is a fellow by the name Ken Blackwell—remember him? He's running for governor next year).

These ballot initiatives are so important, not just because they will provide fairer elections, but because they will provide a national bellwether to measure the growing strength of the Democratic Party. Victory in these measures will lend momentum nationally, will provide Democrats up to 6 six new Congressional seats in the 2006 elections, and could help restore a Democratic majority to Congress. As many have noted, this is the most important election of the year.

Please act today to end the corruption and provide free and fair elections that affect all Americans.

Visit http://ReformOhioNow.org - the organization behind the initiatives to find plenty of resources.
This DailyKos.com posting has a list of ten action items you can do to help at http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/21/14379/2169


Thank you for your help and your continued stand for a better democracy.

Sincerely,

John Conyers, Jr.

Ten Action Items
http://www.dailykos.com/
storyonly/2005/9/21/14379/2169

Coingate Articles
http://www.toledoblade.com/
apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=SRRARECOINS

10/9 Article on Noe
http://www.toledoblade.com/
apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051009/SRRARE
COINS/310090001

[eridani]

5. Kick

:kick:

[Algorem]

6. kick

[ohtransplant]

7. Kick!