How I am Voting in the Upcoming Ohio Primary

I have voted as a Democrat for over 30 years, and this is most likely the last time.  Now that I saw how corrupt the party is in Cuyahoga County, I am going to drop my affiliation and become an Independent.  I want to vote against some of the stuffed shirts I met when I bid for the County Council position.  I was shocked at how the party infrastructure did not care about issues or platforms or the positions of candidates on corruption, reducing poverty or in fact anything.  They did not want to know your history of solving problems, implementing public policy or even how many people you as a candidate helped to vote.  All the party leaders cared about was patronage and who's turn it was for the seat.  So, I am leaving the party that appoints people as a thank you for their service instead of the value of their ideas or their ability to get things done.  

In those 30 years, I have never voted for a Republican so I could never jump to that corrupt party.  The Dems in Cuyahoga County have squandered their previous power and have absolutely no authority down in Columbus.  They have been in power in Cuyahoga for 35 years and have no fear of losing any of their positions of power here locally. They are comfortable controlling the County, the City and most of the inner-ring suburbs.  There is no pressure to solve problems and make tough decisions.  Even massive corruption did not knock them out of their positions handing out contracts and work.  It is my belief, the Cuyahoga County Democratic party is rotten to the core, and I don't need the headache. 

Republicans are also rotten but on a much bigger scale.  They are a party that is in power exclusively to enrich the wealthy while campaigning as the party of the people.  The Republicans have fooled people into voting against their own interests for decades.  They are a party of hate for immigrants, hate of poor people and anyone different from them.  They run for office with two made up goals of being against abortion and any raising taxes, but the reality is that if abortion was illegal the Republican Party would disappear.  The tax cut from last year is going to cripple our country for decades, and the reality is that if they don't like government so why run for to administer that government? It is like Al Gore campaigning to be CEO of Exxon.  The Republicans see failings in people and try to find a legislative solution to "reform people" like forcing work among the disabled or the hungry.  So, the Republican party rots from the head while the Dems are rotting from the tail.  

Here is who I am voting for in the Ohio May Primary, and I know I am just some guy from Cleveland Hts.  You don't need to read any further because what do I know?  I don't have a huge following; I don't influence groups of people, and I am just a low paid service worker.  

1. I am voting for Joe Schiavoni for governor. I love Dennis Kucinich, and I went to Iowa to work on his Presidential campaign.  He was one of the best US Representative I have ever seen because of his constituent services, but working for Fox News cost him my vote in the primary. Also, his defense of Syrian Butcher Assad is pretty hard to swallow.  I have also decided that I am not voting for anyone over 70 years old from now on.  These old folks need to retire and let younger citizens take these jobs.  I like Cordray, but he seems like a good boring candidate with no real fixed positions especially on guns in our society.  I would rather see a person run who has some strong positions (that they advertise on their website) especially against assault weapons in our society. I could never vote for Judge O'Neill, because of his odd behavior, his age and his protest against the Browns who took a knee.   I wish Betty Sutton was still a candidate she is an honest and an honorable politician.  No matter what happens, I will vote for one of these guys in November, because the two Republicans are deplorable candidates who will do harm to Ohio.  

2. I am voting yes on the statewide ballot issue for redistricting, but it will only help a little.  It will still allow the Rs to gerrymander, but just not as much. 

3. Blaine Griffin is a good guy for Central Committee. I worked with him at the City.

4. Jeff Johnson is better than Williams for State Senator, but only because he is so outspoken.  He was found out to be a corrupt politician, but he at least listens to people. He will call out the hypocrisy down in Columbus.  Williams does nothing and is basically a wall flower in my opinion. 

5. For Common Pleas judge  Kilbane is far better than her competition. I use the Judge4Yourself website for my judicial pics.

6. McGinty is the highest rated judge over Santoli who was endorsed by the Plain Dealer. In my book, a Plain Dealer endorsement is a strike against a candidate, because the editors are normally wrong.

7. I wish that there was a Democrat running against Judge John O'Donnell.  He found the cop who got up on the hood of Timothy Russell's car to shoot the two unarmed homeless people to death in East Cleveland not guilty.  His grandstanding decision by getting off the bench and reading his verdict while walking around to describe the scene was excessive. I would never vote for this guy for letting Officer Brelo off because the People could not prove that his bullet was the one that killed Russell or Williams.  It is insane logic to miss the forest for the trees. "I am sorry your honor but all of the bank robbers fired on the security guard and you cannot prove that it was my bullet that killed him, so you will have to find me not guilty of murder."  

8.  In my opinion, Rendon is the best of the other judicial race from Judge4Yourself over Rucker and Hagan. The other two candidates got "not recommended" by the Bar Associations in this crowded field. 

9. Vodrey is one of the best rated in the other competitive judge race in a crowded field.  He was a housing court magistrate while the other two higher rated judges were prosecutors (Howard) or very wealthy (Rein).  I would give the nod to a housing magistrate anytime. 

9. Finally, County Council is the race that I applied for and am not happy with either candidate.  Houser has close ties to our troubled County Executive, and had no ideas for what he wants to do in this office.  So, at least Cheryl Stephens is female and from Cleveland Hts..  She has experience in the Cleveland Hts Council, so I am going with her.  She is more likely to be forced to actually do something, while Houser is just looking for the next opportunity.  

But what do I know?

Brian Davis

Random Thoughts for the 50th Anniversary of the Tet Offensive

Last week was the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Pulitzer Prize winning photo just before the execution of the Viet Cong soldier as part of the Tet Offensive.  This marked the escalation of the Viet Nam war; the beginning of my dad's tour in country and the end of the Johnson Presidency in 1968.  The escalation of the war that would cost us the lives of over 50,000 Americans who could not find a doctor to sign a medical waiver for bone spurs in the foot.

I love NPR; and it is the background music of my life. It is public radio so really these announcers, reporters and journalists are representing our interests.  They receive some public money and rely on the public donations to stay in business.  There is no doubt that we are well represented by people like Nina Totenberg in the Supreme Court, Pam Fessler on Voting, and Laura Sullivan and her reports with ProPublica.  Each of these three have stories that made a difference from Anita Hill to the scandals at the Red Cross to Gerrymandering and the evils of ID for voting.  They have served the public well. 

One reporter who in my opinion is not pulling her weight is Mara Liasson at the White House.  She asks good questions but she also has many strikes against her. Those good questions do not turn into good stories or they get bogged down in being overly friendly with the administration.  Her biggest issue is that she also works for the biased Trump media outlet of Faux News.  Other issues include the reality that her stories are not memorable.  I can't think of one important story broken by Ms. Liasson, and I have never said, "I need to go back and listen to that Mara Liasson story again."  A quick Google search did not return one news story with her byline in the top 20 searches.  She is so dedicated to the "both sides do it narrative" that it colors her journalism.  What has gone on from the podium of the White House is so abnormal this past year, it is silly to mention previous administrations or the powerless Democrats.  At what point do you get angry and reflect that in your stories?  What do they have to do to get some passion and call out the suspicious and criminal behavior.  The White House communication lies with immunity on the airwaves of NPR.  Liasson is so prone to giving "both sides" of the story that she misses the forest for the fig leaf. Two weeks ago, every news outlet had sources to confirm that the President had ordered the firing of Mueller (even FauxNews), but NPR stated that they could not confirm the story.  What good is Liasson if she could not confirm this bombshell?  It is time to make Liasson a senior correspondent thinking of unique ways to talk about gross Thanksgiving meals and interviewing academics about the marvelous art of ancient Persia.

Speaking of NPR, have you noticed that on the local NPR affiliate WCPN the Friday news roundup show is heavily dominated by white commentators?  Yes, I realize that the host, Rick Jackson is African American and does a fantastic job, but the people who are commenting on the news are overwhelmingly not representative of Cleveland.  I went back six months in the WCPN archive to look at the commentators on the news over the last 25 Friday shows.  From July 2017 to the February 2, 2018 show, there were 75 guests (3 per show) and in all that time only 3 shows featured a member of a minority.  There was one African American in January 2018 and two times Andy Chow was a guest or 96% of the commentators were white.  Nearly every show was pretty white, older, educated, suburban and therefore came from one small segment of our society. 

There were two African Americans competing for Mayor of Cleveland during that span.  There were shooting deaths, the problems associated with charter schools, Medicaid work requirements, federal tax cuts mostly for the wealthy, using public money for improving playgrounds for the rich, and cuts to arts institutions with the cigarette tax that could be better informed with African American or Hispanic individuals who do not live in the suburbs.  I know that the audience is largely white, educated and suburban, but is that a chicken or an egg problem?  They are publicly supported with public money and donations so shouldn't they have to reflect the community they serve?  It is no wonder there is a boiling anger out in the community that white educated folks are talking down to all the rest of the population.  These announcers know nothing about the juvenile justice system for an African American teen.  They have no idea what goes on with the mom trying to figure out what is best for her kids poisoned because the only house they could afford was lead poisoned.  The white commentators cannot give a solid picture of the news if they do not understand poverty, or why kids carry a gun or the desperate hope that someone will come along to lift them out of the drug crisis in their family.  Young people, minorities, non-college educated residents of Glenville have opinions about the news and we should hear them every once in a while.

NPR did carry a story about the withdraw of FEMA food support in Puerto Rico that caused a stir because still one-third of the island does not have power.  It drew immediate condemnation especially from leaders in Puerto Rico.  In the most tone deaf statement of the year so far, the coordinator for FEMA on the island said,

"The reality is that we just need to look around. Supermarkets are open, and things are going back to normal," said Alejandro De La Campa, FEMA's director in Puerto Rico. "If we're giving free water and food, that means that families are not going to supermarkets to buy," De La Campa said. "It is affecting the economy of Puerto Rico. So we need to create a balance. "

FEMA had to back down after all the criticism, but still the idea of cutting off food when the power is out is insane.  How do people keep things cold or go to a job to earn money without electricity?  Just because you seek help from the government does not mean that you are undermining capitalism.  There is very little relationship between the two.  Everything is complicated if an island does not have the infrastructure to meet the basic needs of a population.  If a government cannot offer basic power, they owe the population at least free food and water. 

I have been trying to figure out why Mary Taylor is running for Governor.  In Ohio, Republicans are divided between the Kasich branch and the Trump core of the party.  Every Republican who got into the race at the beginning (Husted, DeWine, Taylor and Rennaci) appeal to the Trump followers of the party.  There have to be Kasich supporters who will vote in the primary.  Why is no one supporting Medicaid expansion or fake bipartisanship?  Why not try to expand the party instead of strictly appealing to the narrow Make America Great crowd?  What is the difference between the Taylor and Dewine ticket?  Why bother?

Now that I tried to get involved in the local Democratic party, I can say with first hand knowledge, they suck.  It is no wonder that people are turned off the party and Cuyahoga County does not have the power down at the Statehouse as they did in the 1970s and 1980s.  How could they not endorse one of the best elected officials in Ohio with Nickie Antonio?  She listens and tries to react.  She cares about her constituents even if they do not agree with her.  She truly tries to represent all her constituents and not just her donors or her fellow progressive Democrats.  This is the opposite of former Council President Marty Sweeney.  Does anyone remember one Marty Sweeney led initiative that benefited his constituency either at Council or at the State House?

Then the Democrats decided to not to give Kenny Yuko the endorsement blocked by John Barnes who got enough support so that the Dems will endorse no one in the State Senate vote. This is an outrage since Barnes is barely a Democrat regularly crossing the line and voting with Republicans when offered crumbs.  Barnes tried to eliminate the Cleveland Housing Court until the Plain Dealer revealed conflicts of interest.  We would be better represented by Michael Moore's Ficus tree over John Barnes.   How many good people are being turned away from participating because the Cuyahoga County Democratic party is so poorly managed?  Why doesn't substance and issues matter to the Cuyahoga County Democrats?

by Brian Davis

What is a Democrat?

John Kasich said that he does not know what is going on with the Democrats and he could not identify with the party of FDR and JFK.  Then this week we saw Southerners say that they do not care if a candidate dated high school students and maybe assaulted some of them, they would not ever vote for a Democrat.  So, what does this mean?  What is the issue with Democrats?  What has caused some in America to so misunderstand Democrats?  Where does this come from?

Gov, Kasich, here is what I know of the Democratic Party as a 35 year member of this disorganized group of Americans. Maybe this will help you decide to jump to the party of the people away from the crazy party. The Democrats still believe in the lofty ideas laid down in Franklin Roosevelt's four freedom's speech given to Congress on the eve of America's entry into War World II in 1941.  Democrats still believe that all people have a right to freedom of speech and expression, freedom to worship, freedom from want, and the freedom from fear. The freedom of speech includes universal access to the fastest internet possible to exchange information.  The freedom to worship includes not being stigmatized because your country of birth is majority Muslim nation. With the freedom from want, Democrats believe in an end to homelessness, hunger and bankruptcy due to health care bills.  Freedom from fear is a world that every year reduces the number of bombs, tanks and weapons of mass destruction as well as freedom from one country threatening another through tweets or a blockade.  Here is how Roosevelt characterized the struggle,

"The basic things expected by our people of their political and economic systems are simple. They are: Equality of opportunity for youth and for others. Jobs for those who can work. Security for those who need it. The ending of special privilege for the few. The preservation of civil liberties for all. The enjoyment . . . the enjoyment of the fruits of scientific progress in a wider and constantly rising standard of living."

That is what a Democrat believed and still believe.  We also still recognize John Kennedy's summary of our Democratic values in the Inaugural Address in 1961.  Everyone remembers the, "ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country," but there was plenty of other important doctrine in this Kennedy speech.  He talked about the importance of science and exploring the stars and the earth.  Kennedy spoke about unifying the country, but it was really a speech for the world laying out the reason for America taking a leadership role and a reason for the rest of the world to follow without fear.  "To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required--not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich."

Kennedy's words echo through history and are still relevant today. These are neither Democratic or Republican values, but they are certainly lost on many in the current political environment.

"So let us begin anew--remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.  Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us."

The Democrats still believe in the Great Society even though it came from a deeply flawed President in Lyndon Johnson. Think of all he could have accomplished if he had just gotten out of Southeast Asia. All the Civil Rights speeches by Johnson are still relevant today.  I think we also learned from Johnson that we should never ever involve ourselves in unnecessary or presumptive wars as we did in Vietnam.  Johnson's words are still relevant today with all the groups trying to restrict access to the ballot box.  "There is no moral issue. It is wrong — deadly wrong — to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country. There is no issue of States rights or national rights. There is only the struggle for human rights. I have not the slightest doubt what will be your answer."

Democrats embrace the belief in being a good steward of the natural resources and as Jimmy Carter often spoke working to improve the environment. "Intelligent stewardship of the environment on behalf of all Americans is a prime responsibility of government. Congress has in the past carried out its share of this duty well--so well, in fact, that the primary need today is not for new comprehensive statutes but for sensitive administration and energetic enforcement of the ones we have. Environmental protection is no longer just a legislative job, but one that requires--and will now receive-firm and unsparing support from the Executive Branch."  Even though he was widely criticized, we do believe as Democrats that our leaders should be able to "feel our pain" and that ordinary people should not be excluded from political power.

Democrats do not support working with a foreign power to win an election as we suspect happened in 1976 with Iran and the hostages and we know happened in 2016 with Russia.  But we do support a former Democrat's perception of America as "city on a hill," and not another former Democrat who sees America's great days as only being in the past and our describes the current country as "American carnage."

I was never a big fan of Bill Clinton, but he did have some good speeches at conventions after his presidency. Here he is in the 2004 convention urging the country to unite around John Kerry, "My friends, at every turning point in our history, we, the people, have chosen unity over division, heeding our founders' call to America's eternal mission to form a more perfect union, to widen the circle of opportunity deep in the reach of freedom and strengthen the bonds of our community. It happened every time, because we made the right choices."  In his Southern style he was always able to be Bubba to the American public and not William Jefferson, the Ivy League graduate. That style worked and people followed him.  Any of his convention speeches were great summaries of what it means to be a Democrat.

In a rare move, President Barack Obama went to Chicago and delivered a farewell speech in January 2017.  This gives a good summary of what it means to be a Democrat, and is delivered in the shadow of knowing that the country had rejected his candidate for an extremist business man sent to Washington to basically burn the place down. Obama went through all the things that he did as President, which I believe are core values of Democrats.  He talked about the slow growth in the cost of health care, the decrease in terrorist attacks, and the restoration of confidence in the stock market after the crash.  Obama talked about turning away from Cold War disputes in Cuba, and helping with a smooth transition to a more compassionate society with marriage and gender equality.  As the leader of the Democratic party, he talked about the rights of workers and the support for unions as both strong values for the country. Finally, he systematically destroyed all the dog whistles offered by the current occupant of the White House.

"If every economic issue is framed as a struggle between a hardworking white middle class and an undeserving minority, then workers of all shades are going to be left fighting for scraps while the wealthy withdraw further into their private enclaves. If we’re unwilling to invest in the children of immigrants, just because they don’t look like us, we will diminish the prospects of our own children — because those brown kids will represent a larger and larger share of America’s workforce."

This is what it means to be a Democrat from the past five occupants of the White House with a D next to their names.  They support workers over rich people and corporations. I believe that after the repeated attempts to undermine the healthcare system, most Democrats will have to support universal health care.  The Democrats are the party of poor people, and support a basic safety net to include housing.  They support (for the most part) criminal justice reform and assistance to poor people who need representation in court (even civil court).  Democrats believe that government can solve problems and the people who work in government are providing us a service. They believe in leading the world, but not getting involved in unnecessary conflicts.  They embrace diversity and the overwhelming amount of positives brought by immigrants far overwhelming the small amount of risk. Democrats follow precedent and the best intentions of our founding documents.  Democrats do not put party over the interest of its citizens and institutions.

Brian Davis

Random Thoughts on Phonograph Invention Day

Today in 1877 is one of the most important inventions in history--the phonograph.  Imagine, the ability to record sounds, keep those audio records, and then play them back.  Amazing, then we got Dark Side of the Moon, Sgt. Peppers, and Automatic For the People.  Thank you Mr. Edison.

I have been thinking about Roy Moore.  It is not pretty and I nearly took an ice pick to the brain when I thought about this creepy guy scoping out the Mall, but what happens if he wins?  I mean for the people of Alabama how loyal is he going to be to the "establishment in control of Congress?" He has repeatedly attacked Mitch McConnell and so how many votes can he be counted on to toe the party line?  Unless it is a vote against abortion, some attack on immigrants or refugees or some stripping of the rights of members of the LGBTQ community, is he going to support the Republican doctrine?  Now, maybe this is good enough for Alabama voters, a solid vote on extremist judicial candidates and hate filled legislation, but a wild card on anything else supported by Mitch and his cronies.

There was an amazing interview with the US Surgeon General Jerome Adams on NPR today.  He proved to all that he is sympathetic to addiction issues with his brother and other relatives struggling, but what is he going to do to reduce the opioid crisis in America?  The reporter asked him over and over how he was going to reduce the overdose deaths in the United States and he did not answer.  Adams talked about his past, but could not identify where the money was going to come from to add additional treatment beds.  He could not say that there would be help for his brother in prison to kick the addiction.  When pressed, the Surgeon General said that the changes proposed by the Trump administration to gut healthcare would have added funds for treatment.  This was just an outright lie besides the fact that it did not pass, so why bring it up?

It brings up an interesting topic for the next high school debate club.  Which is the greater evil: the administration that denies that there is a problem or the administration that admits there is a problem but does nothing to solve that problem?  For example, which was worse the Reagan administration denying that HIV was a real issue or the Trump administration denying funding to fight a crisis that they proclaimed was a health emergency? It is one thing to allow people to die of a new disease that is associated with a politically radioactive group compared to allowing people to overdose because you prefer giving tax cuts to corporations.  Both will put you in hell, but in my opinion there is a special place with 23 hours a day rotisserie pitchfork spinning for the tax cut over helping with addiction crowd.

Melissa Mark Viverito was on Nicolle Wallace's show on MSNBC yesterday to talk about Puerto Rico. She is the current New York City Council President, but has been one of the strongest advocates for Puerto Rico on the mainland.  She was recently back from the island and gave some good information about the on-going crisis.  She said that only half the power generation was restored but that does not mean that half the people of Puerto Rico had their power restored.  She said that if you leave San Juan most of the rest of the island is still struggling with water and power issues.  In stating the obvious, Ms. Mark Viverito said that we all know that most businesses rely on electricity in the modern economy (since about 1910 I believe.)  She also pointed out how the grid is still unreliable.  Puerto Rico still needs help, and it is crazy that the military is drawing down.  In other news on the island, Whitefish has stopped working on repairing the grid claiming they are owed $83 million. We sure miss having someone in the White House who cares for people living in the aftermath of a Hurricane.  I believe at this point we would take the inept initial response of the GWB II over the current administration.  After all, after the criticism the Bush administration assigned a competent military guy who went to work to save lives and restore the infrastructure.

From "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M.
"If you feel like you're alone
No, no, no, you are not alone
If you're on your own in this life
The days and nights are long
When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on
Well, everybody hurts sometimes
Everybody cries."

by Brian Davis

The Ship Has Sailed

by MAX JOHNSON

According to the Columbus Dispatch

"I just want Ohio to be great; this is our chance," Kasich said during a luncheon at Brio Tuscan Grille at Polaris. "Please leave the cynicism and the political maneuvering at the door. Because we need you on the bus, and if you're not on the bus, we will run over you with the bus. And I'm not kidding."

This means you, NAMI, Bill Faith, Ohio Council of Churches, John Gallo, The Center for Community Solutions, Have a Heart Ohio Coalition, Lisa Hamler Fugitt, and the rest of you bleeding heart liberals. Some of these individuals need to think about retiring in order to avoid being run over by a bus. Thank God Kasich canceled the train or they would have been run over by the train. This unusually harsh tone seemed bitter, but why not? There is in fact no democratic opposition left in Ohio. The only difference between the Democrats and the Greens in Ohio now is that everyone knows exactly where the Greens stand on issues.

Other things that we have learned:

• Nancy Pelosi believes that the Democrats will come back. Why else would she want to be the minority leader? I like the strategy of all the Democrats voting for Michelle Bachman for Speaker of the House.
  
• The Blue Dog democrats were routed. I guess that it may be true that the only thing found in the middle of the road is a yellow line and a dead opossum.
• Both Waters and Rangel won big. So, that will allow the majority party to focus two years on corruption within the Democratic party. What happened to draining the swamp?
  
• The Corporate Party overwhelmed the Democratic Party at the state level all across America. The last time that there was anywhere close to that level of turnover was the 1974 post Watergate election. Amazing.
• Thank goodness for the tea party saving the Senate for the Democrats. Thank you O'Donnell, Angle, and Ken Buck of Colorado for your fringe beliefs.
  

Bloodbath

by Max Johnson

What a horrible night on Tuesday for America. The minority population that takes the time to vote rejected the Democrats. What an amazing move by Fox News and Corporate America. They had their boys in power in the late 1990s, and they repealed Glass Steagall, and created the risky housing financing schemes. Their Corporate Boys in DC stripped away regulations on many corporations and began reducing corporate taxes while also reducing taxes on the rich. This continued through most of the Bush administration until 2006 when it all began crashing around them. The Corporate party in Congress began being exposed for corruption led by Tom Delay and Casino Jack. The kicking out of the corporate party was complete in 2008 just as the world was plunged into deep financial chaos. The Democrats had two years to straighten out 15 to 20 years of propaganda against government. Very little changed and people are angry. A paranoid person would look at this as some grand conspiracy: Give the keys over to the other party temporarily and then come back with tons of private money to rebrand themselves as the party to save the day.

How do you compete against this? They have their own network that has mastered the art of turning spin into propaganda. They have a Supreme Court that will make new rules to maintain the power of corporations even to the point of declaring that Corporations have the same freedom as an individual. I thought that they were originalists? Where is that in the founding documents? And now they are awash in money from corporations to flood the airwaves with vicious tearing down of the Democrats. People are now routinely voting against their own interests in the hopes for a change. They have now voted to change to the party that bankrupted the country. They voted to bring back the party that turned a surplus into massive deficits under the guise of fiscal responsibility.

I can't believe that Richard Cordray lost. He seemed very committed to addressing the concerns of Ohioans especially with regard to the foreclosure crisis. We now have to hope that the Attorney General of New York can take up the cause for us, because we know that Dewine will never buck the people who put him in power. Cordray seemed like he had everything going his way including law enforcement endorsements, every major daily newspaper endorsed him, and he was regularly making news for bringing dollars back to the State in lawsuit settlements. The only thing he did not have was huge money. This is going to be bad for Ohio.

What do the Independent's Want?

by MAX JOHNSON

It is election day, and there is a stench of anger in the air. The electorate hate the Democrats and want them gone. I heard today on NPR a woman say that she can't stand that Obama has brought such divisiveness to the country and is now looking for divided government. This makes no sense. She wants more unity, so she is going to put polar opposites in charge of each branch of government? I watched the day long summit that the President hosted on health care with the Conservative leadership. There is no doubt that the President pummeled the Corporate Stooges, but all they kept spouting was their tired spin on health care reform. All they could talk about was tort reform no matter how many times Obama shot it down. The President has tried to extend a hand of compromise only to be shot down repeatedly.

He could have pushed through an end to Don't Ask Don't Tell. He could have closed Guantanamo prison. He could have gone ahead on the trial in New York City against KSM, but each time he stepped back to reach across the aisle. His party did not pass a budget, and there was a compromise on the auto bailout to serve the Big Business leaders. He has not attacked the other party over the slow process for judicial and executive branch appointments. Obama has allowed the party of "No" to get away with opposing everything. He should be on the news every week doing press conferences and the Sunday shows to sell his ideas to the public. He needs to talk about how un-American it is not to pay taxes. These guys are so conservative that we need a counter balance in this country. Americans voted for change, but we all we are getting is a tepid version of the Clintons. If they are going to call you a socialist anyway, you might as well make it worth their while by forwarding a progressive agenda.

No matter what he needs to go after the Independent voters. He needs to solidify the tea partiers or at least neutralize them by convincing them to vote Libertarian. He needs to show the hypocrisy of the other party every day. Obama must show that the Democrats are much better at fiscal discipline than the other party every single day. He has to throw out Geitner and anyone else who guided previous economic teams, and then he has to take on the banks on behalf of the nation. He needs to force a vote on Global Warming, and a vote on immigration policy. We need simple votes on big issues to show the stark contrasts between the parties. He needs to take on unemployment, and the foreclosure crisis. The party needs to enforce discipline and force unity on populists issues.

It is all so depressing.

Will it Be A Landslide?

by Max Johnson

I just can't believe that the people who got us in this mess are even close. How bad are the Democrats in marketing themselves that the party of big oil, big banks, and the corporate industrial war machines is going to take back control of one branch of Congress along with the Judicial branch of government that they already own? Only 50% of the population actually votes, so maybe there will be surprises and an additional 10 to 15% who have not voted for years will show up and turn the tide. Maybe the teaparty voters will be so angry with both parties that they will vote for libertarians giving the election to the Democrats. Maybe the toxic money injected into this campaign will turn off so many people that the incumbents will retain their seat. Maybe there will be a surge in people who will not vote out of fear or those who can ignore the propaganda that that has swept over the country will vote this year.

Now, if the Corporate party does take over the House, who should the Dems appoint as Minority Leader? Should Pelosi, Hoyer, Clyburn, and Van Holleran all be cast out? Should the Dems wipe the slate clean and start over? What about Jim McDermott of Washington or John Conyers of Detroit representing the old guard Democrats? Or maybe they should tap one of the moderate democrats to try to negotiate with the other side? Nancy Pelosi has to go whatever happens. She is such a polarizing figure in the United States, and it defies logic. She has not stood her ground as a progressive or there would have been trials of Bush administration officials for torture and entering a war based on lies. We would have ended Don't Ask Don't Tell and we would have started the health care debate with Canadian Style health care then compromised from that point. She has not served any known constituency, and has made the Democratic brand poison. Pelosi needs to be fired.