State of the Union

Shocker: Strickland accused of 'politics as usual'

Some are questioning whether Gov. Ted Strickland is breaking his promise to avoid politics in picking judges after his latest round of judicial appointments this week:

Laurel Beatty, 34, and Kim Cocroft, 35, the two new Franklin County judges, have limited experience in civil cases and no criminal-trial experience. Both are Democrats, as is Strickland. ...

Strickland passed over more experienced lawyers, such as Mark A. Serrott, Frank Macke and Mike Rankin, for the job, which pays $121,350 annually. Serrott, for example, has been practicing law for 29 years in Franklin County. Macke, a lawyer for 36 years, ran unsuccessfully for Common Pleas Court in 2006.  (The Columbus Dispatch, 2/26/09)

Strickland continues to use bogus math

The Columbus Dispatch reports on a miscalculation in Gov. Ted Strickland's school funding plan that could have a "huge impact on the money needed" to fund it.  Strickland apparently lowballed the average teacher salary by $3,000 to $5,000:

If those kinds of numbers are plugged into Strickland's formula instead, his plan could come up hundreds of millions of dollars short.

Strickland's latest round of fuzzy math comes just a week after he was caught "overstating the need" for federal stimulus money.  

Joe the Plumber on the Ohio Democrats' Cover Up

Strickland administration scandal heats up

The Youngstown Vindicator says Gov. Ted Strickland's cabinet member should resign if she abused a state computer for political purposes:

After the public scandals that grew out of the misuse of state computers by disgraced Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann and top members of his office, you would think that everyone in the public sector would take a cautious approach to government property.

And yet, there are news reports today that Gov. Ted Strickland’s top human services aide is being investigated for allegedly abusing her state-issued e-mail account. The probe centers on Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, sending names of potential contributors to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

E-mails made public by Strickland’s office indicate extra-official communication. Jones-Kelley has been placed on administrative leave while the probe by State Inspector Tom Charles proceeds.

Strickland cabinet member involved in 'Joe' scandal

The Columbus Dispatch reported today:

Ohio's inspector general is investigating why a state agency director approved checking the child-support computer system for information on "Joe the Plumber."

Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, confirmed yesterday that she OK'd the check on Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher after the Oct. 15 presidential debate, in which he was mentioned repeatedly by Republican Sen. John McCain.

Who's Helen Jones-Kelley?  She's a Democrat appointed by Gov. Ted Strickland.  Oh, and she personally maxed out to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in July 2008. (OpenSecrets.org)  But, don't worry, Gov. Strickland is "satisfied that there are no political overtures to the check on Wurzelbacher."  Of course not.  Ted Strickland's government snoops in your private files every day.  Buzz off.

Update: Strickland administration database scandal heats up

From Gongwer News Service:

Senate President Bill Harris (R-Ashland) asked Gov. Ted Strickland today to provide a copy of the policy – or an explanation of the practice – that let a state agency use a database to check the background of “Joe the Plumber.”
 
Sen. Harris said in a letter to the governor he was “alarmed” to learn the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services logged onto a child-support computer system to determine the status of Joseph Wurzelbacher of Toledo.
 
Sen. Harris found “even more disturbing” a disclosure from ODJFS Director Helen Jones-Kelley that the agency often conducts such probes of persons thrust quickly into the national spotlight.
 
“Further, despite the fact that there is an ongoing investigation, your administration indicated that it was confident that there were no ‘political overtures’ to the check,” Sen. Harris told the governor. “This seems a little premature, and I do not share your confidence.”

Download gov_letterdatabase.pdf

Strickland administration targets 'Joe'

From The Columbus Dispatch:

Ohio's inspector general is investigating why a state agency director approved checking the child-support computer system for information on "Joe the Plumber."
 
Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, confirmed yesterday that she OK'd the check on Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher after the Oct. 15 presidential debate, in which he was mentioned repeatedly by Republican Sen. John McCain. ...

The use of a state computer system to search for information on Wurzelbacher is the fourth uncovered by The Dispatch.

Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, is satisfied that there are no political overtures to the check on Wurzelbacher, a spokesman said.

Of course he is.  Just like he's satisfied that there's "no evidence" of election fraud in Ohio.  Keep those eyes close, governor

Dems use state government to target Joe the Plumber

Did Ted Strickland or someone from his administration authorize the unlawful use of government resources to investigate a private citizen?

From The Columbus Dispatch:

State and local officials are investigating whether state and law-enforcement computer systems were used illegally to obtain personal information about "Joe the Plumber." ...

Public records requested by The Dispatch disclose that information on Wurzelbacher's driver's license or his sport-utility vehicle was pulled from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles database three times shortly after the debate.

Information on Wurzelbacher was accessed through accounts assigned to the office of Ohio Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers, the Cuyahoga County Child Support Enforcement Agency and the Toledo Police Department.

Attorney General candidate Mike Crites issued the following statement in response to this scandal:

“Public resources should never be used for partisan political activity by any office.  As details of this potential illegal use of public law enforcement computer systems continue to unfold, I encourage Attorney General Nancy Rogers, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and other public agencies involved to get to the bottom of the situation quickly, and to take appropriate disciplinary action against any offenders.”

Rep. Danny Bubp Interview from Baghdad, Iraq

OH Rep. Josh Mandel: "Star on the Rise"

Powerline has a post up about Ohio Rep. Josh Mandel, Republican from the 17th District outside of Cleveland.  He was recently invited to speak before a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA.  The former Marine-turned-legislator did not disappoint:

From the moment he began his speech, however, the Republican Jewish Coalition audience hung on his every word.

He was lucky that he could finish talking in his allotted 15 minutes, as he was interrupted by applause 13 times.  When he finished, the audience of mostly jaded, been-there, done-that political junkies gave him a rousing standing ovation, and a couple dozen well-wishers mobbed him as he walked off the stage.

One observer -- who has been to countless political events -- said simply, "Josh is a world-class speaker."

The post also includes details of Mandel's now famous campaign work-ethic, where he knocked on almost 20,000 doors on his way to victory in 2006 and wore clear through three pairs of shoes in the process.  Read the full post here.