The Downside to DeWine's War on Prescription Pills

There is an article in the Washington Post in which Attorney General Mike DeWine says,

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine (R), whose office has focused on the heroin epidemic, said he was astonished at how easily pill addicts made the switch.“There used to be some psychological barrier to heroin,” DeWine said. “That barrier is gone today.”

I don't know what the number is, but I suspect the number is a lot higher than the AG's office would care to admit; there are people who had to switch to heroin because of efforts to hamper illegal distribution of prescription drugs that effected and affected patients with legitimate need to control their pain.

Don't get me wrong, I applaud the AG for dealing with an out of control problem, but I fear that in the zealousness and righteousness of taking prescription drugs off the streets we may have gone too far and pushed people who would otherwise have stayed with their doctor's planned prescriptions on to illegal narcotics.

The article is about trafficking, but DeWine's point was important enough that I felt compelled to speak about.  Maybe I'm wrong about this entirely or not at all, I don't know; but it sure would be reassuring to hear from our government that they are at least aware of the problem of their own causing.

Mike Wilson Stands with Military Voters

Release:

Columbus, OH – August 6, 2012: Republican candidate for State Representative in Ohio’s 28th District, Mike Wilson announced Monday his opposition to a lawsuit filed by Obama for America, the Democratic National Committee and the Ohio Democratic Party against Secretary of State Jon Husted and Attorney General Mike DeWine.

The lawsuit seeks to extend early voting privileges held by members of the United States Armed Forces to all voters in the three days prior to Election Day. The lawsuit refers to these extra privileges held by our armed forces as “arbitrary” and unconstitutional. In answer to the lawsuit that was filed on July 17, 2012, a large number of military organizations filed a motion to intervene and a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in order to prevent the lawsuit from impacting the ability of members of the military to vote.

Wilson said, “It is not arbitrary or unconstitutional to give our military an extra three days to ensure their vote is counted. They are subject to restrictions on their travel and free time that regular citizens do not have.”

Wilson also called the actions by Democrats to suppress the military vote hypocritical.

“Democrats at the statehouse voted to enact this change unanimously1, but it is unfortunate they put partisanship ahead of our military when the chips are down. My opponent wears her military experience on her sleeve, but then she is strangely quiet on important issues such as these that directly affect our military. Shame on Connie Pillich for turning her back on our military and staying silent while her President and her party file this lawsuit,” Wilson said.

Another Reason Romney Not Trustworthy: The Company He Keeps

From our friends over at 3BP:

A month ago on BigGovernment.com and Third Base Politics, we told you about how Mitt Romney’s campaign has been relying on Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine and a scandal-plagued political consultant named Brett Buerck to advise him on his Ohio campaign.

Brett Buerck, widely known among Ohio political activists for his scandal plagued career, is now back as one of Mitt Romney’s point men in organizing Ohio. Buerck is also known as ORP Chairman DeWine’s closest consultant on Party politics. Finally, Romney’s sole appearance in Ohio during this entire campaign season was months ago when he appeared arm-in-arm with DeWine in southeast Ohio and proceeded to flip flop against Kasich’s government union reform bill, all at the recommendation of DeWine.

In other words, Romney is counting on Buerck and DeWine to lead him to victory in Ohio.

In fact, if you remember last fall when Romney punted on supporting governor John Kasich’s government union reforms in Ohio, it was reported that it was DeWine who advised him not to get involved with the issue. The reforms were strongly supported by the grassroots conservatives who vote in Ohio’s primary, and the incident surely cost him votes in the state. Romney later said he supported those reforms, furthering the “flip-flopper” narrative that his opponents use against him. In short, the entire incident was a disaster for him and it all started with bad advice from DeWine.

But it gets worse...This Buerck clown really is a colossal f-up:

The incompetence didn’t end there. In a press release likely put together by the Buerck/DeWine team, they listed a “Mr. Butterworth” as an Ohio state representative part of Romney’s Ohio team, when no such representative has ever existed in the Ohio Legislature.
A couple of weeks ago, Romney suffered another embarrassment in Ohio when Attorney General and former Senator Mike DeWine withdrew his endorsement of Romney and switched to Rick Santorum. Mike DeWine and Kevin DeWine are second cousins, and not necessarily very friendly with each other. The Ohio AG said he felt snubbed by the Romney campaign.

GEORGETOWN, Ohio -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says he didn't call the Romney campaign before endorsing Rick Santorum because "they haven't called me for months."
"I didn't think I owed them anything," DeWine told BuzzFeed tonight at a Lincoln Day Dinner event in Brown County that featured Santorum as a speaker. "They didn't have the courtesy to have the Governor even ever call me. Even after I endorsed him and called to say I was endorsing him."

In just the past few hours, the reason he didn’t get a call has become clear. In an email, Brett Buerck advised the campaign that it would be a waste of time, and went on to rudely insult Mike DeWine. Buerck intended to send the email to Kevin DeWine in his communication with the Romney campaign. However, he accidentally sent the message calling Mike DeWine “very high maintenance” to Mike DeWine himself. Oops.

This is the leadership in Ohio GOP circles. It is no wonder we can't get things done right and just engage in circle firing squads. Kevin DeWine and Mr. Buerck really seem to be on the ball, don't they? Oh boy are we ever screwed......

TIB All Stars Discuss and Stuff Happens: Stan Chesley Removed from OH Fannie Case

We discussed this last night on the TIB All Star Show and have mentioned in the past how OH Attorney General Mike DeWine is doing business with shady megatort lawyer Stan Chesley when it comes to lawsuits on behalf of the Buckeye State. Recently, the KY Bar Association recommended that Chesley be disbarred and the KY Supreme Court is looking into the recommendation. Well, after we bring the story up, politicians take action. Chesley has been removed from the Fannie Mae case:

Attorney Stan Chesley is already facing the loss of his licenses to practice in both Kentucky and Ohio, but now he could lose much more.

Chesley has now been pulled off of a potentially high profile case after a group in Kentucky recommended that he be disbarred. He was lead council for the case against mortgage company Fannie Mae. The class action law suit involves at least 30 million people across the country.

Tuesday, the Kentucky Bar Association's board of governors recommended his disbarment after they decided that Chesley may have lied or withheld information related to a settlement in the Fen-Phen case. Chesley is able to appeal the decision to the Supreme court.

A spokesperson for Mike Dewine's office says Chesley will be pulled from other cases as well.

Stan Chesley is a dirtbag sheister who represents the conniving, corrupt, ambulance chasing disease that infests the legal system. Kudos to Mikey for removing him. Better late than never....

Ohio Legislature Needs to Fix 128th-SB77

It is a pretty rare day when I agree with the ACLU of Ohio and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, but this is one situation where I think they are right...  In the 128th General Assembly, both the House and Senate passed SB 77 which when it became law with Ted Strickland's signature destroyed the Constitutional right to a presumption of innocence.  SB 77 required that DNA from anyone arrested -- not convicted, just arrested -- for a felony.

THAT needs to be fixed.  Pronto.

UPDATE:  As usual, Mike DeWine wants to add red tape as a solution...

Tom Stickrath, who heads the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, said he and Attorney General Mike DeWine are exploring their options that may include a process whereby people who are acquitted file a document with the trial court to have their DNA removed from the national crime database.

WRONG ANSWER, MIKEY...try again.

Gov. Kasich Brings New Help to Prescription Drug Abuse Fight

Gov. John Kasich

Release:

PORTSMOUTH – Today Gov. John R. Kasich announced a range of new resources to help Scioto County and Ohio better fight the prescription drug abuse epidemic, including new funds for a Portsmouth drug treatment center, new access to advanced treatment methods and a new multi-agency coordinating effort that will be advised by former Attorney General Betty Montgomery.

Since 2007, unintentional drug overdoses have been the leading cause of accidental death in Ohio, and Scioto County has been ground zero.  Last year 9.7 million doses of prescription painkillers were dispensed in Scioto County—123 doses for every man, woman and child in the county.

Kasich announced the new resources in Portsmouth after a meeting with local drug treatment officials and legislators, together with Montgomery and Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Director Orman Hall.

Details of today’s announcement include:

·         $100,000 in state funds for a new treatment center at the Counseling Center, a private, non-profit drug treatment center in Portsmouth.  $300,000 in additional federal funds is being sought;

·         A new prescription drug addiction task force advised by Montgomery to work with state agencies, Attorney General Mike DeWine, the Supreme Court of Ohio, local law enforcement leaders, and other states;

·         An Executive Order signed by Kasich allowing the state’s local treatment partners to use new medications approved by the federal government to assist with opiate addiction therapies.

Fact Sheet:

·         New Resources: $100,000 for drug treatment in Portsmouth; $300,000 match pending.

o   Through a partnership among the Rehabilitative Services Commission, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and local treatment professionals, $100,000 in state funds will be matched with $300,000 in federal vocational rehabilitation funds to provide a total of $400,000 for a new halfway house and outpatient treatment facility in Portsmouth.  These new resources will expand access to cost-effective addiction treatment and recovery support services so people with addiction can get the help they need to get back to work.  The Administration is exploring how similar partnerships can be created in other counties across Ohio.

·         New Cooperation: State agencies will work together more closely.

o   An interagency coordinating body will be formed comprised of representatives from the Governor’s Office, Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Department of Public Safety, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Ohio Department of Youth Services, Office of Medicaid, Attorney General’s office and the Supreme Court.

o   This group will coordinate the efforts of a broad range of stakeholder groups, spanning all major areas involved in the treatment, law enforcement and judicial systems.

·         New Leadership: Former Ohio Attorney General and Auditor Betty Montgomery will serve as a special advisor to the Governor on prescription drug abuse.

o   Montgomery will serve as a liaison to the federal government, Attorney General DeWine, local law enforcement leaders, and other states to help coordinate a more robust response to the problem and advise Kasich on the best strategies for tackling and winning the fight.

·         New Tools: A new executive order expands treatment options and new legislation will strengthen the fight against crooked clinics.

o   Kasich signed an emergency Executive Order to immediately amend existing rules to allow ODADAS treatment providers to utilize a comprehensive list of FDA-approved medication to assist in the treatment of opiate addiction. 

o   Kasich supports an emergency clause for House Bill 93 sponsored by Rep. Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) and Rep. Dave Burke (R-Marysville), cosponsored by Rep. David Bubp (R-West Union) that establishes critical restrictions on unscrupulous pain clinics and limits excessive in-office prescribing.

FACTS ABOUT Rx ABUSE IN OHIO/SCIOTO COUNTY

·         9.7 million doses of Rx painkillers were dispensed in Scioto County last year: 123 doses for the 79,000 men, women and children in the county. (Source: Ohio Board of Pharmacy, 2010)

·         Between 1999 and 2008, there was a 360 percent increase in accidental over-dose deaths in Scioto County; 92 percent of these deaths are due to prescription medications. (Source: Scioto County Rx Drug Action Team)

·         Oxycodone toxicity deaths in Scioto County have quadrupled in the past three years. The majority of these deaths occurred in the 25-35 year-old age groups. (Source: Scioto County Rx Drug Action Team)

·         Eighty-five percent of substance abuse treatment requests at the Scioto County Counseling Center are now for opiate addiction, marking a 300 percent increase in just the past three years. (Source: Scioto County Rx Drug Action Team)

·         Since 2007, unintentional drug overdoses have been the leading cause of accidental death in Ohio. Fatal and non-fatal poisonings cost Ohioans $3.6 billion annually. (Source: Ohio Department of Health, “Burden of Poisoning in Ohio, 1999-2008”)

·         The Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring (OSAM) Network reports a move from prescription painkillers to heroin among opiate abusers. Heroin is highly available in all regions of the state. (Source: ODADAS, OSAM Network, 2011)

Don't Blame Me, I Wanted Prosecutor Dave Yost for Attorney General

Attorney General Lieutenant Mikey DeRINO may have moved on to Freddie and Fanny, but people still want to know why Mikey is sitting on the sidelines for ObamaCare.

Despite a federal ruling declaring ObamaCare unconstitutional, the administration is moving forward with implementation anyway.  DeRINO could get in the game and ask the court to declare the administration in contempt of court, but he has already wiped his hands of this claiming that he has fulfilled his campaign promise even though there is still much more work to be done.

This is typical of Ohio Republican elected officials.  They promise to fight for us while they are campaigning, but when they get elected the best we get out of them is symbolic empty gestures that really don't mean anything.  Ohio needs bold leadership...we aren't getting it in the AG's office.

House GOP Members Praise Attorney General DeWine on Efforts to Fight Prescription Drug Abuse

Release:

COLUMBUS — State Representatives Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) and Danny Bubp (R-West Union) joined Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine at a press conference today to support his office’s efforts in combating the prescription drug abuse program in Ohio.  Yesterday, Reps. Johnson, Bubp, and Dave Burke (R-Marysville) introduced House Bill 93 to enhance statewide programs aimed at combating this epidemic.

 

“We are so very fortunate to have someone like Mike DeWine who understands the gravity of the prescription drug abuse problem Southern Ohio faces,” Rep. Johnson said.  “This is a situation that is measured in lives lost and state government officials must work together to ensure this problem continues to decline.” 

 

The group Surviving Our Loss and Continuing Everyday (SOLACE) also attended the press conference to show their unified support for the attorney general and his efforts.  Lead by Joanna Krohn, SOLACE is a group of mothers that have lost children to prescription drug abuse.

 

“We are so grateful that SOLACE joined us today to show their support,” Rep. Bubp said.  “These women have turned tragedy into perseverance as they strive to ensure that others do not have to suffer as they have.”

 

In a release earlier today, Attorney General DeWine announced that his office is hiring Adams County Prosecutor Aaron Haslam as co-unit coordinator of its Special Prosecutions Unit.  Haslam will coordinate the office's efforts with prosecutors and local law enforcement on prescription drug abuse. The Attorney General's Office also is hiring two additional assistant attorneys general with prosecutorial experience who will specialize in prescription drug cases.

Paging Mike DeWine: ObamaCare Work STILL to Be Done

Regular readers of WMD know that Tom Blumer of BizzyBlog.com is a co-host of the TIB All-Stars Show.  In the third hour of this past weekend's show, Tom and I got to discussing the federal court ruling that ObamaCare is unconstitutional.  Unfortunately for the American people, President Obama doesn't give a rip about being in contempt of court and is moving forward with his job-killing policy anyway.

All of which brings us to Mike DeWine, Ohio's new Attorney General, who campaigned pretty heavily against ObamaCare.  He won, got in to office, joined the lawsuit and near as anybody can tell, he washed his hands of the whole thing.

Blumer has a piece up at his place explaining the whole situation and outlines what DeWine really must do if he is to fully comply with his campaign promises.

Tom has tried to contact Team DeWine and I will put out the bat signal here too: If there is a DeWine staffer or flack who can speak for the Attorney General's Office, we'd love to hear from you.  Tom can be reached at bizzy - at - bizzyblog - dot - com and I can be reached at wmdtvmatt - at - yahoo - dot - com.

Let's hope that Mike DeWine meant what he said and that he isn't just going to sit on the sidelines.  Ohio deserves better than we are getting from ObamaCare.

Mikey Steps In It

Ohio RINOvichian candidate for Attorney General, Mike DeWine, tried his very desperate best to tie Democrat Rich Cordray to the Cuyahoga County Demcorat Culture of Corruption scandal and wound up looking like a fool. The final lines of this Columbus Dispatch piece sums the whole thing up:

"This is grandstanding on Mike DeWine's part," Cordray said. "That's all it is, pure and simple."

I am no fan of Cordray by any stretch of the imagnination, but I despised Democrats who tried to pin Tom Noe crap on every Republican in this state and this is no different.

Stay focused, people. No more unforced errors!

Mike DeWine's Half Truth

I just read the PolitiFact piece on Mike DeWine's claim about the fundraising in the Attorney General's race and have to conclude that Mike managed to take a good talking point and twist it in to a "half-truth." Don't take my word for it, PolitiFact lays it all out for you.

Cordray is receiving 60% of his donations from the various party operations, Big Labor, and law firms doing business with Cordray's office. That's a pretty big story, but Mikey just had to go that one step further and instead of saying the "majority" he had to say "almost exclusively" and THAT is a HALF TRUTH.

The FULL TRUTH is plenty damaging enough on its own, why did Mikey feel compelled to stretch the truth? Because that's what he does to score political points. That, and I think he is trying to compensate for lagging behind. let's not forget, this is the candidate who claimed he could "self fund" "if necessary"...

Mikey wasted a valuable talking point.

From the Ohio GOP State Dinner and Selling Out to George Voinovich Party

I think this pretty much says it all about the state of affairs with these two.
Click on the picture if you cannot read the caption.....It is worth it.

A Mike DeWine / ORP Fundraising Question

We have all been told that Mike DeWine can not only self-fund his race, but through his mere presence on the ticket, he can force Rich Cordray to spend money instead of spreading it around.

If this is actually the case, why did the Ohio Republican Party (ORP) give Mikey $60k in the last filing?

EXIT QUESTION: Why is Mikey getting this money in the first place, he wasn't endorsed and therefore shouldn't have access to party resources like funding.

It looks -- more and more every day -- that my "Shenanigans!" call on this whole charade was right on target all along...

Mike DeWine Lied

ObamaCare Lives...

I told ya so...

Pathetic...

UPDATE (Introducing the DeWine Meter):

UPDATE 2:

Thank DeWine for ObamaCare Failure? Puh-leeeeze!

I've been seeing the Mike DeWine camp trying to get somebody...anybody...to write a story giving the failed senator credit for blocking ObamaCare from being passed.  Joe Hallett decided to comply...(Check out the exerpts -- and analysis -- over at BizzyBlog)

For the love of all things sacred and holy...  Mike DeWine must think we're gullible or stupid (likely both).  DeWine's involvement in the Gang of 14 had NOTHING to do with ObamaCare.  The judicial and legislative filibusters are "second cousins" at best and have very little to do with each other.  (Tom Blumer's comments over at Rose's BizzyBlog post sums it up best: "The Constitution demands an up-or-down vote of the Senate on judicial appointments as part of advise and consent; the filibuster has not ever been and CAN NEVER BE a constitutional option in connection with votes on judicial appointments.  The filibuster’s availability for all other matters has never been in question, and the Gang of 14’s attempts in connection with judicial appointments have had NO bearing on its continued existence. None.")

In case you work for the Republican Party in Columbus or Greene County, the real reason why ObamaCare failed is...

YOU

Your phone calls, letters, and faxes are the reason why ObamaCare failed.  All those polls where the American People overwhelming rejected ObamaCare is the reason why it failed.

Senate Republicans weren't even talking about a filibuster.  Even threatening such a move would require having a backbone that our "leaders" in the United States Senate don't have.

Furthermore, here is a secret that Mike DeWine and his liberal friends don't want you to know...

OBAMACARE ACTUALLY PASSED

The only reason why ObamaCare hasn't hit the President's desk is that the version that the Senate passed is not the same version that sailed through the House.  Our "leaders" in Washington are unable to come to an agreement on whether or not to send the Bad version or the Even Worse version to the President.

And we're supposed to believe Mike DeWine saved the day?  If it weren't so pathetic, it would be hilarious.

UPDATE:  What really is irritating about this is that the piece doesn't even address the real problem that the Gang of 14 caused.  We lost a LOT of good judges because Miek DeWine wanted to grab a few headlines.

What about Miguel Estrada, Priscilla Owen, Charles W. Pickering, Carolyn Kuhl, David W. McKeague, Henry Saad, Richard Allen Griffin, William H. Pryor, William Gerry Myers III and Janice Rogers Brown?  How about Terrence Boyle, William J. Haynes, II and Michael B. Wallace?  Let's hear how DeWine saved Peter Keisler, Robert J. Conrad, Steve A. Matthews and Glen E. Conrad?

These are just the names from a Wikipedia entry, there are LOTS more that got screwed by Mike DeWine and his liberal friends in the Gang of 14.  That last set was held up by Senate Democrats so that Obama could fill those appointments. 

Obfuscating the issue is the real travesty here.

In 2 of 3 Key Races, Brown County Tells Kevin DeWine and the ORP Establishment to Buzz Off

Kevin Dewine and the Jason Ochocincos and John Ochocincos thought they had it all figured out. Snow Dave Yost into giving Mike DeWine a clear path to the AG, and tell little Seth Morgan to know his place and wait his turn. Well, the people of Brown County told Kevin and Co. that they don't agree with backroom deals and trying to take away the choice of the people. Tonight in Georgetown, in 2 of 3 key races with Kevin DeWine's pawprints all over them, the people of Brown County started telling Columbus thanks but no thanks.

In Brown County, a candidate must receive 65% of the vote of the Central Committee to win endorsement. The party had to suspend the rules regarding the standard endorsement procedure to vote on the State Auditor's race, due to the late departure of Mary Taylor and the subsequent announcements of candidacy by Yost and Morgan.

I will run down the races beginning with US Congress 2nd District. Incumbent and frequent firebrand Jean Schmidt is opposed by Mike Kilburn of Warren County and Debbie Allsfelder (sp?) of Mariemont.

US Congress, 2nd District

Mike Kilburn was first to speak. Mike has served the good people of Warren County for over 20+years as a Warren County Commissioner. In his tenure, the County went from being broke to having 180 million in the bank. He spoke of his dedication to fiscal conservatism, and his record on cutting costs and being pro growth are testaments to that. He spoke of his belief in capitalism and low taxes on entrepeneurs and businesses, as well as all people. Mr. Kilburn has an impressive record as a Commissioner of one of Ohio's biggest and fastest growing counties, and the story of Warren County is one to be lauded. He would bring fiscal conservatism and common sense to Washington. He made news and appeared on the Glenn Beck show for standing up and saying "we don't need Obama's filthy stinking stimulus money" for Warren County. He is pro 2nd Amendment, a gun owner, and is a solid social conservative as well. He gave a very informational speech and his record speaks volumes about his conservative credentials. Two big lines from his talk: God only asks for 10%, why should we give government so much more?" and he is a big flat tax advocate.
Debbie Allsfelder is originally from Clinton County and currently resides in Mariemont. She is a CPA and a lawyer, and her three sons all attended West Point. Her oldest is getting ready to start his 2nd deployment and her 2nd son is getting ready to be deployed. Her 45h child is a little 10 year old girl. She is very active in her community. She is in favor of term limits, as well as a strict constructionist view of Constitution. She said she would have a 3 part test for bills that came to her desk: 1. is it constitutional? 2. Can we afford it? 3. Do we need it? One of her biggest assets is that she is not a career politician and doesn't want to be one. She wants to serve her country like her boys are. She says she is conservative across the board and talked in general about strong defense, lessening size of government, and cutting spending and taxes.
Jean Schmidt is the sometimes controversial incumbent. She said you know where she stands and has fought for the district. She is mad at the direction the country is going and was appalled last week when the Democrats applauded after getting the votes to raise the debt ceiling for the 5th time in 14 months. She said she is solidly conservative, pro gun, pro life, pro traditional marriage. She talked of her assistance to crisis pregnancy centers, as well as her role in helping Perry twp. with water troubles. She also talked about how President Obama has not kept his promise to Ohio to send money and business to the Piketon plant, money which is now going to go to Iowa and a French company, our tax dollars going to the French. She urged people to call the White House Switchboard and tell the President to honor his promises and also to express dissatisfaction with his myopic focus on side issues like healthcare, cap and trade, etc. when the main issue is jobs. That number is
(202)456-1414. Jean faced a very deft question from Mt. Orab resident Dennis Wright, who asked her about her stance on the stimulus and bailouts. Jean said she voted for TARP I because local businesspeople were telling her they would not be able to survive if she didn't. She did say she voted against TARP II and is opposed to the Stimulus. She said she voted for TARP I because it would help loosen credit, however, as most people can tell, that hasn't happened.

2nd District US Congress Results

Jean Schimdt won the endorsement with 81% of the vote. All three candidates have some impressive credentials and would be great in public service, but the Central Committee in Brown County felt Jean Schmidt should get the endorsement and return to Washington.

US Senate

Tom Ganley had no representation. A rep from Portman's campaign spoke and discussed Rob's ties with the district, his record, etc. They discussed his solid NRA rating as well as right to life rating of 100 percent. They also said they were advancing in the new media aspect, including text updates you can get by texting "rob" to
46262. 9000 donors have given Portman a bank account of over 6 million as of the end of 2009.
RESULT: Rob Portman received 94% of the vote and won the endorsement of the county central committee.

Judge, 12th District Court of Appeals

Rachel Hutzel, prosecutor of Warren County and WMD contributor, won endorsement for one of the seats on the court with 94% of the vote. She spoke of her solid record as a prosecutor and her conservative credentials.
Robin Piper, prosecutor of Butler County, won endorsement for the other seat on the court with 89% of the vote.

88th District, State House of Representatives

Danny Bubp is seeking one last term before being term limited. He spoke of his solid conservative record on guns and life and such, as well as detailing the horrible actions by the current speaker in regards to the essay contest winner discussed earlier here at WMD. Danny Bubp won endorsement with 88% of the vote.

County Commissioner

Rick Eagan, two time former candidate, is seeking to run again, despite his debilitating car accident detailed previously on WMD. His daughter spoke for him as he is continuing his recovery. She gave an impassioned plea to the central committee, citing Rick's love for the area and his service in many different facets. Rick won endorsement with 75% of the vote.

State Central Committee, Male

Incumbent John Becker, who keeps everyone in his area informed through appearing at tea parties, rallies, and committee meetings, as well as the Becker report, fell two votes shy of the 65% needed for endorsement, but did have a majority of the votes. He has represented us well and I was disappointed for John. He votes how the people tell him and is willing to take unpopular stands. I wish him the best and hope he continues to fight hard for SW Ohio.

State Treasurer

Josh Mandel is an up and comer on the Ohio political scene. Danny Bubp spoke on his behalf. He won endorsement with 89% of the vote.

Secretary of State

Unfortunately, the establishment won this one. Jon Husted won endorsement with 83% of the vote, despite being a State senator who represents Montgomery County but lives in Columbus. Despite bringing this up, I was unable to get people to vote against him. He did not show up himself, but sent a representative who deflected the residency question by saying the Ohio Supremes voted unanimously for Husted, but not detailing it was all Repubs and that the questions remain. He said he voted for lower taxes but did not discuss the CAT tax. Ugh. One win for team ORP.

Governor of Ohio

Brown County spoke with one voice in saying we want a New Day and a New Way by voting 100% to endorse John Kasich and Mary Taylor. Danny Bubp spoke on John's behalf, who will be the keynote speaker at Brown County's Lincoln Day dinner, March 13th, at the Eagle's Hall in Georgetown. Check out the Brown County GOP's website for further details or hit them up on facebook.

County Auditor

The popular Doug Green won endorsement with 88% of the vote. He has served the county for 12 years, I do believe, and has headed up the State County Auditor's association, also, I think.

And now, for the kick in Team ORP's behind....

State Attorney General

Mike DeWine carried Brown County solidly in his failed reelection to the US Senate vs. Sherrod Brown. I guess he thought he didn't need to show up to speak to us hicks, because he sent campaign staffer John Hall to speak to us. Mr. Hall spoke about how DeWine wanted to improve efficiency in the crime lab, and how DeWine wanted to stop suing businesses in Ohio like Cordray has done. Well, the fit hit the shan when it was opened up to questions. Doug Sikking asked how dewine wanted to improve the efficiency in the crime lab and picked apart Mr. Hall's answer, saying it wouldn't make much difference. Mr. Hall was also asked how Mike DeWine could claim to be pro 2nd Amendment when the NRA gives him an F as does the Buckeye Firearms folks and how he could be pro traditional marriage when he was opposed to Ohio's DOMA and was endorsed by a gay activist group. Mr. Hall gave the standard DeWine dodge that he believes in the right to bear arms and will seek more reciprocity for conceal/carry and that he thought Ohio's DOMA was vague. Mr. Dewine failed by double digit percentage points to win the endorsement, despite his 2nd cousin clearing the field for him. Wonder what Dave Yost was thinking as he prepared to discuss the auditor's race?

State Attorney General Results

The central committee of Brown County rejected backroom deals and nepotism by REJECTING Mike DeWine. No endorsement awarded by double percentage points.

State Auditor

First, let me say that I really like Dave Yost. I admire his record as a prosecutor and as an auditor, and he writes a great blog. He is a man of deep moral beliefs and has conservative values. He is a great guy who has promoted our blog and reads it regularly. He sai some very gracious things to my party chairman Paul Hall regarding our work here and how much he appreciates what we do. That being said, I was disappointed in Dave's decision but was resigned to possibly supporting him for State Auditor. Dave discussed his record as a prosecutor and county auditor, having won a certificate of excellence as auditor 4 times in a row. He received awards as auditor from both Jim Petro and Betty Montgomery. He says he is the only candidate who has been a county auditor and who has headed an executive agency. He discussed how the only jobs Obama has created are in NJ, VA, and MA. Dave gave a good presentation. One central committee member asked Dave why he switched races and he said it was because that the state apportionment board is important and that he was asked by people around the state because he brought experience, no offense to his primary challenger Seth Morgan. He said he mulled it over and thought it was best for the party that he switch.

Seth Morgan took the podium and was electric. He discussed his humble beginnings as an outsider council member in Huber Heights and how he fought against incumbents and worked his way to the Ohio Statehouse. He talked about how he stood for what was right above party as he discussed taking on the party on several key votes, including standing up for conservative House Republican leader Batchhelder against the establishment pick of Matt "the tool" Dolan. He is a CPA and a small businessman. He said the key to beating the Daddy Bigbucks campaign of David Pepper is to have a candidate who presents a clear choice to the people. He said Ohioans were fed up with the establishment and politics as usual and that his recor has shown that no bureaucrat or party is too big for him to take on. While Dave Yost discussed experience as an auditor, Seth Morgan said he has experience standing up under pressure and doing what is right, and that is what Ohio need more than someone who could be charged with bowing to political pressures on backroom dealing. He discussed how he forced transparency in education in Ohio as well as taking on his own party to do not what was safe, but what is right, adn that we need more transparency and someone who will not bend to political pressure and his record has shown that.

State Auditor Results

Seth Morgan won the endorsement with 75% of the vote, while Dave Yost garnered 13%. I felt really bad for Dave Yost. He got screwed over by Kevin DeWine and the establishment ORP. He fell prey to the calls for unity and doing what is best for the Dewines, er, I mean the ORP. Instead of standing on principle, Dave went for making friends in the party. While that may win him some cash and some invites, these people are not his friends. They played Dave to clear the field for Mike DeWine as well as trying to keep an outsider like Seth Morgan from stepping out of line and daring to buck the elite. Dave Yost is a good man who agonized over this decision, but I think he chose wrongly. People were turned off that Yost gave up on his original goal, especially after winning endorsement after endorsement. The cash would have come as things heated up, especially in the general. But, Dave was seduced by the forked tongue of Kevin DeWine, who has engineered this whole thing. If this is his leadership, I don't think we should be impressed by 13 percent. Dave Yost went all in for the party, and he got screwed. A good man was humbled tonight, but another good man was given momentum in a vote that shocked many of the political class in the room. However, this should be a bellwether to Team ORP. Stop the politics as usual. Let the people's voice be heard, and quit the mindgames and manipulation. Or, continue on the path of expediency and continue to wander in the wilderness. For a wrinkly old fossil of a second cousin, Kevin DeWine sacrificed the political future of Dave Yost, who lost credibility when he switched, even though he did so for what he felt were the right reasons. I hope it was worth it Kevin, and I hope other county parties continue to send the message that the Ohio Republican Party should stand for something other than expediency and backroom dealing.

Still Not Buying It

I've watched my good friend Kyle Sisk tease this poll over the last few days and while he has given us a little more information in this post than previous mentions, what data he does present only asks more questions rather than answer the old ones.

First of all, the only link in Kyle's piece is to some pollster's bio.  Like that is going to convince me of something.  Come on, Kyle, you can do better than that.

Meanwhile, over on Twitter, our good friend phoning it in from Virginia is trying to say that a poll (the same poll?  I dunno, he doesn't link to anybody or anything.  He could be pulling these numbers out of the air for all I know...) has Republicans backing DeWine 96 - 3 90 - 3 (he had to issue a correction).  Has ANY Republican, let alone an Ohio Republican EVER had numbers that looked like that in Ohio and have something not be wrong with the poll?  I can't think of one...  if this is a poll of 600 likely voters, then all the Republicans were at Beef O'Brady's in Greene County.....

Even Kevin Holtsberry has been sucked in by this crazy talk...

Where is the poll???  Public Opinion Strategies did this poll, so where is it?  somebody provide a link that gives us all the details.  I got the impression that this wasn't even a poll about this race, so what was it about?  What were the target demographics?  What was the purpose of the poll?  Who put the poll in the field?  And who paid for it?

Seriously, my fellow bloggers, we should be a little more skeptical of some of the stuff that we get from campaign sources.

One last point, one poll does not a trend make.  Even if these numbers have some basis in a reality somewhere outside of Greene County, you simply can not tout these numbers as gospel until there is a trend.  There are reasons why instead of going through the Rasmussen polls line by line, I create charts that plot trends...

UPDATE:  Here is a piece that djtablesauce left out of his tweets courtesy of the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

DeWine campaign consultant Mark Weaver pointed to  DeWine's 90-3 margin in the poll with voters who called themselves "strong Republicans" as evidence that the GOP base is happy with his candidate.

Let's hear what DeWine's numbers with "strong conservatives" is rather than "strong Republicans"...we all know where the "establishment" "strong" "Republicans" stand on the issue of Mike DeWine...
 My gut still  tells me that this is a VERY bogus poll...

Grendell for AG?

This just in from one of my millions of sources somewhere in the battleground state of Ohio:

State Sen. Tim Grendell's wife won the Mega Millions lottery. Not sure for how much - Friday's was 144 million and Tuesday's was 14 million, or something close to that so it could have been either one. Anyway, the rumor now is that Senator Grendell will now be running against...Mike Dewine. Mwahahahahaha.

I have to say that this one is pure rumor and I am getting this one third-hand, so feel free to pour on a few mountains of salt...

BUT...

While I am not a huge fan of Tim Grendell, I could support him over Mike DeWine. And if he is willing to self-finance, then I'm all for both of these cats breaking the bank in an all out war for the heart and soul of the Ohio Republican Party.

UPDATE: I have heard from another source saying that the story is all over Geauga County and that the Grendell's hit the big one ($144 million) with five (maybe six) other winners. And I have seen a VAST increase in hits involving the words "Grendell", "lottery", and "Mega-Millions" so.....

UPDATE 2: The Big One appears to have had a sole winner from Texas... But I got the impression that the lottery that Mrs. Grendell won was to be split six ways.....

UPDATE 3: Let's be clear... Earlier, when I said I wasn't a big fan of Grendell, this is the sort of thing I was talking about... I do, however, think we ought to hear Grendell's side of that particular story before we cast judgement on him based on philosophical differences. I get it that it is a FAIL on the Politicial Party Loyalty Test...but I have always considered myself to be a conservative first and Republican second, so he does have an out with me on this issue but I think that would require some serious issues with the R candidate.

Unbelievable Letter From Mike DeWine

DeWineLetter

Well, Mikey, you OPPOSED State Issue 1 which was OHIO's Defense of Marriage Act so maybe that has something to do with why people in OHIO think you have failed to support traditional marriage.

Let's chat about judges...  While your membership in the Gang of 14 may have secured Chief Roberts and Justice Alito, you FAILED to get us the rest of the conservative judges that President Bush nominated.  Justice Miguel Estrada, and Janice Rogers Brown, among MANY others got the shaft because of YOU, Mikey.

Another point on judges:

After President George W. Bush nominated White House Counsel Harriet Miers on October 3, 2005, for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, DeWine said "I think the fact she doesn't have judicial experience will add to the diversity of the Supreme Court... There is no reason everyone has to have that same (judicial) background."Opposition from conservative groups unhappy with Miers' resume ultimately sank her nomination.

I think we'll keep our own counsel on judges, Mike...

I find this passage particularly fishy:

In all likelihood prevented President Obama's health care bill from passing. If the judicial filibuster had been eliminated, a simple majority of Democrats in this Congress could have voted to eliminate the legislative filibuster, paving the way for easy (51 votes) passage of Obama's health care bill.

But I'll point out that Mike DeWine had the Gang of 14 had NOTHING to do with preseerving the judicial OR legislative filibuster(s).  He is trying to take credit for something he DID NOT DO...

This bit...

Mike DeWine believes strongly in the 2nd Amendment and an individual’s right to bear arms. Government should focus on keeping guns out of the hands of criminals -- not law abiding citizens! DeWine respects the right of Americans to carry firearms for protection and self-defense. He supports Ohio’s concealed carry law and as Attorney General, he will work to expand reciprocity agreements with other states.

...is so completely ridiculous all I'm going to do is point out that the Buckeye Firearms Association has declared Mike persona non grata and for GOOD reason.  Mike, Ohioans want politicians who actually practice what they preach.

Now, I haven't touched on everything in this letter because quite frankly there are some things that Mike DeWine got right.  But let's not pretend -- even for a minute -- that on the serious issues that conservatives got everything they ever wanted from Mike DeWine.  That is simply a fairy tale.  We can agree on supporting the military, pro-life issues, and the naming of post offices; but on the bulk of other issues, Mike DeWine's conservative credentials are a deception bordering on fraud.

But don't take my word for it...by all means, check out his record.  It speaks volumes.

Prediction for (Ohio) Attorney General's Race

Over on Facebook, Warner Todd Huston says this:

Now that Mark Kirk won the Ill Senate Primary, expect conservatives and Tea Party groups to check out of the election and sit on their hands.

This is EXACTLY what I expect will happen in the AG race here in Ohio.

When this happens, it will somehow be declared my fault...since, of course, no one with actual power will do anything to prevent this from happening by actually addressing the issues and concerns of this block of voters. 

Even though Mike DeWine has a double-digit loss on his record, look for the establishment to pin blame on anybody and everybody else but themselves when history repeats itself.