...but it is characteristic of a desperate, conniving, cheating, no good, no integrity power hungry politician who is watching his lead evaporate....From a Blackwell email:
STRICKLAND USES WRONG AND UNAUTHORIZED INFORMATION IN AD
Blackwell Campaign to File Complaint with Ohio Elections Commission
COLUMBUS - Gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell's campaign today demanded Congressman and former prison psychologist Ted Strickland immediately pull an intentionally false ad regarding Blackwell's comprehensive health care initiative. In the ad, Strickland deceptively claimed Blackwell's health care plan "would force everyone to buy health insurance. That could cost an average Ohio family without coverage over $4,836 a year." In response, the Blackwell campaign will file an elections complaint with the independent Ohio Elections Commission.
Strickland sourced the bogus claim with an unauthorized quote from eHealthInsurance.com, an online insurance provider. The online provider offers quotes based on current insurance structures which do not contemplate the significant savings that would be realized by consumer-driven health care initiatives such as Blackwell's.
eHealthInsurance.com expressly prohibits third parties from using its quotes in commercials. The company's website states, "You are not permitted to use this web site or its contents for any commercial or non-personal purpose (direct or indirect)." A company spokesperson confirmed this afternoon that Strickland has not received special permission to use the information.
"When given the opportunity to engage in a meaningful debate on an issue Ohioans care deeply about their family's health care coverage Strickland chose to deceive and mislead," said Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo. "The voters will not be fooled by Strickland's deceitful tactics. He should pull this ad immediately and apologize to Ohioans for trivializing such an important issue."
Blackwell has offered a comprehensive health care initiative modeled after the lauded Massachusetts plan. His plan aims to provide health care coverage to 1.4 million uninsured Ohioans by innovatively combining employer, individual and restructured Medicaid dollars into medical insurance accounts. The proposal would provide Ohio's poorest families with private health insurance at no personal cost through restructured and more efficiently allocated Medicaid dollars. Under the plan, health insurance premiums for all Ohioans are expected to decrease. The plan eliminates the need for insurance providers to pass along costly emergency room and urgent care charges currently incurred by the uninsured to customers.
"Strickland lacked the courage to offer a bold solution to Ohio's health care crisis and instead attacked Ken Blackwell's comprehensive proposal," added LoParo. "Ohioans deserve better."
Honestly, guys, what do you expect? This is the same guy who tried to pass off himself and John Kerry as hunters in Ohio...remember the "can I get me a hunting license" fiasco? Guess who was there? Yep, Teddy boy. Oh yeah, Ted's ideas for healthcare: he supported and continues to support HILLARYCARE. Don't make the mistake of voting for this guy. He is an insult to Congress, an insult to ministers, and an insult to Ohioans. Send Ted home for good.
And unlike Nate Noy's frivolous and tiresome allegations against Jean Schmidt, this complaint is one that the OEC needs to take action on immediately and do the right thing.
