ABC News Revises Story About Wulsin Malariotherapy: Now Says OH-02 Dem Was Cleared

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- ABC News has revised and updated a story that focused on U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt's attack on Democratic opponent Vic Wulsin as some kind of mad scientist. The changes were made after Wulsin's campaign filed written complaints that hinted at legal action against the network. Wulsin contended the "Investigative Unit" story was a hit piece, and noted the original version contained a quote from her although she had not been interviewed for the story. Wulsin's letter to ABC appeared to threaten future legal action, and said "the real story was that Schmidt sent out a letter including a charge she knew to be false." The latest version of the ABC story is here and now reflects Wulsin's concerns. The original version that appeared on ABC Correspondent Brian Ross's Website was written by Joseph Rhee -- and it has been scrubbed from the television network's portal. A written complaint July 3 from Wulsin's campaign to Ross shows the genesis of the dispute. The Daily Bellwether is reprinting that correspondence below:

"Mr. Ross, I just spoke with Joseph Rhee. He refused to update today's story with the fact that the Ohio State Medical Board concluded there was no merit to the charges Jean Schmidt made in her recent fundraising letter. The Medical Board is an independent panel of experts considered legal finders-of-fact. To not include their ruling would be like writing about the details of a criminal indictment months after a jury had found the defendant innocent and then failing to mention the verdict. I understand your unit's interest in Dr. Heimlich and his crazy ideas, but you should know that Dr. Wulsin is one of the medical experts who has publicly said his ideas are crazy. Moreover, Rhee's piece was ostensibly framed as a news story about Schmidt's use of this false charge in a fundraising letter last month. In a story about one campaign attacking another, I can not believe Rhee did not find is necessary to contact us for comment. Dr. Wulsin made her quotes to you in a different context, a different campaign and under different circumstances. It was simply misleading to include her quotes as if she was responding to Schmidt's recent fundraising letter. The real story is that Schmidt sent out a letter including a charge she knew to be false. Of course, that point isn't at all clear without mention of the Medical Board's findings. Attached, please find a pdf version of a letter issued to Dr. Wulsin from the Medical Board stating that, after a thorough review, any allegations that she acted improperly did not merit investigation. I hope that Rhee's story is removed or updated to fairly reflect the Medical Board's findings before further action is required by our campaign.

Kevin Franck
Communications Director
Wulsin for Congress"

Wulsin's campaign also shot out this letter to her political supporters that portrayed the Brian Ross piece as unfair journalism. It included the letter to the ABC correspondent:

"Friends,

"Some of you may have already seen the hit piece on Vic running on the ABC News 'Investigative Unit" website. Masquerading as journalism, the piece is basically a campaign ad for Jean Schmidt. It pretends to be a news story about Schmidt making false charges about Vic, but doesn't actually report any news. Rhee, the 'reporter,' did not include the fact that Schmidt knew the Ohio State Medical Board found no merit in the charges when she sent out that letter - in fact, the article doesn't even mention that the Medical Board made a ruling.

"Rhee did not contact our campaign for this story, instead he dredged up quotes Vic made to another ABC reporter a long time ago about something else. Remember this story is supposed to be about Schmidt's letter last month, how could quotes from Vic from before the letter was mailed be used as a response?

Rhee repeated Schmidt's charges that Vic participated in experiments without noting that a representative for Heimlich said she did not participate. When I asked Rhee to correct his story, he threatened to revise the piece to include MORE allegations against Vic

"[Attached] is a letter I wrote to Brian Ross, the head of the "Investigative Unit." We need help to act fast to counter this filth before it festers further. We've already heard that right-wing groups are about to start robo-calls against Vic for this same false charge.

"Please feel free to pass along Brian Ross' contact info (212) 456-7612, brian.e.ross@abc.com ) and ask people to demand that he take down this unfair, untrue hit piece against Vic Wulsin."

OH-02 Turns Blue In 2008: 126,739 Registered Dems Now Outnumber 121,660 Republicans

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- It doesn't look like Republican country anymore. And the sudden shift to the Democrats clearly has reshaped the political complexion of the eastern suburbs of Cincinnati, where 51,753 Democrats are now registered versus 42,527 Republicans. Those suburbs are densely populated and hold more than a third of the OH-02 electorate. They have been a pillar for Republican candidates and officeholders. Just two years ago, the GOP had a lock on the area with 17,513 more registered voters than the Dems. And across Ohio's entire 2nd Congressional District -- which touches seven southern counties near the Ohio River -- a blue wave has risen. Overall, there are 126,739 Dems compared to 121,660 Republicans, a 129 percent increase since 2006.

The dramatic change in declared party alignment could be considered bad news for Republican U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, who is seeking reelection in a district that no longer looks to be a GOP stronghold. David Margolis, field director for Democrat Vic Wulsin, says the voter registration figures made public today show "the entire character of the district has changed. The number of committed Democrats in the 2nd District has more than doubled since March, turning what had been a Republican advantage into a Democratic majority." Wulsin lost by 2,517 votes in 2006 -- a year when the district had only 55,389 registered Dems.

Below are the latest numbers of Republicans and Democrats in the counties comprising Schmidt's district, with the counties color-coded by party. The data comes from the Ohio Secretary of State's office, which gets monthly reports on voter registrations from county election boards:
Adams County -- 4,354 D; 4,925 R, Dems up 89% since 2006.
Brown County -- 8,725 D; 6,108 R, Dems up 82% since 2006.
Clermont County (Schmidt's home county) -- 30,998 D; 38,579 R, Dems up 113% since 2006.
Hamilton County -- 51,753 D; 42,527 R, Dems up 167% since 2006.
Pike County -- 6,509 D; 2,741 R, Dems up 67% since 2006.
Scioto County -- 9,514 D; 4,242 R, Dems up 46% since 2006.
Warren County -- 14,859 D; 22,538 R, Dems up 188% since 2006.

To be fair, there are more registered Republicans in OH-02 now than in 2006, when Schmidt last faced Wulsin in a general election. GOP registrations are up by nearly 17%. But that didn't come anywhere close to keeping pace with the wave of Ohioans who registered as Democrats.

OH-02 GOP Mean Jean Schmidt: Another Missive From The Mistress Of Prevarication

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Republican U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, who is well known for spreading untruths (falsely claiming two college degrees and plagiarism) is again practicing her dark arts. This time, the Mistress of Prevarication is circulating a fundraising letter that claims her opponent's "contempt for the culture of life has even led her to participate in grotesque medical experiments." But that is not factual. It is a smear aimed at Democrat Vic Wulsin, the physician who opposes Schmidt in Ohio's 2nd Congressional District.

Wulsin has her critics. And Dr. Robert S. Baratz might be at the top of the list. His complaint of unethical practices was recently dismissed by the Ohio State Medical Board. In fact, Baratz was clear the experiments cited by Schmdit were conducted by Henry Heimlich. Repeat -- Henry Heimlich. Here's a portion of a press release Baratz issued earlier this year:

"The experiments were conducted in Africa by Henry Heimlich, MD (popularizer of the 'Heimlich Maneuver' for treating choking.) These experiments were either conceived, coordinated, devised, supervised, funded, or managed by Heimlich and/or The Heimlich Institute in Cincinnati."

Wulsin did do some consulting work for the Heimlich Institute. But Schmidt's fundraising letter falsely portrays Wulsin as a mad scientist: "Wulsin was paid for her work in medical 'studies' where victims of AIDS in Africa and China were, without their consent, injected with the malaria virus, all in the name of 'scientific inquiry'."

How can we prove Schmidt doesn't know what she is talking about? For starters, Schmidt's claim that victims in China and Africa were injected with the "malaria virus" is freighted with intent to deceive because a "malaria virus" does not exist. Malaria is caused by a parasite of the Plasmodium genus. And Baratz, who filed the medical board complaint, says Wulsin didn't inject anyone in China or Africa:

"In 2004, Heimlich engaged Dr. Wulsin to review his work on 'malariotherapy' and write a business plan for promoting it. Wulsin concluded "the preponderance of evidence indicates that neither malaria nor immunotherapy will cure HIV/AIDS and that the Heimlich Institute had been too secretive about its work. Despite claims by Heimlich that no active work on malariotherapy was being done, Wulsin's report shows that it was."

Baratz contends Wulsin should have condemned the Heimlich Institute's work and turned "in the individuals involved to regulatory and other authorities."

[UPDATE: Jeff Coryell has weighed in at Ohio Daily Blog and says Schmidt is engaged in a poltical smear. Meanwhile, Buckeye State Blog says Schmidt's tactics smack of desperation and notes that she made light of the horrendous conditions at Walter Reed Army Hospital as overblow by the media. And Tim Russo wonders why Schmidt is obsessed over experiments "nobody has ever heard of."]

[UPDATE: Does Schmidt have a motive to stretch the truth? Schmidt's fundraising letter does state that Democrats "are energized and united." It acknowledges she faces a fight to hang onto the Republican House seat. Schmidt says: "With this election likely to be so tight, we can't take any chances Vic Wulsin's campaign will be successful in fooling the voters. We desperately need to finance the highly expensive media campaign and get-out-the-vote efforts that will bring us victory."]

What's Up With This? A Democrat Is Holding A Fundraiser For Mean Jean

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Not The Fishwrap has a satirical item up on YouTube about the Ohio Democrat who's holding a fundraiser for Republican U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt at his home. Schmidt is running against Democrat Victoria Wulsin for the OH-02. Several prominent Cincinnati-area Republicans are on the the same host committee. More than a few Dems are wondering: What gives? After all, the Dem is close to Strickland and the Clintons, and stayed at the White House as a guest of Bill.

Congrats To Joel Coon: Dem Childers Took Mississippi House Seat From GOP With Joel As Manager

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Could he help knock off Republican U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt? Joel Coon saw her as extremely vulnerable when he was in Ohio last year. His work in Mississippi produced the third straight victory for the Democrats in a special election in Republican territory. Coon was the campaign manager for Travis Childers, the newest Dem in Congress. The Hill, the newspaper that serves Capitol Hill, said the win sends "the listless GOP into further disarray."

For a few months last year, Coon was in Ohio managing the campaign of Steve Black, a Cincinnati lawyer who switched parties to seek the Democratic nomination in OH-02. Coon moved on for reasons that have never been publicly disclosed. Black lost the March primary to Dr. Victoria Wulsin. In Ohio, Coon believed that the shift of manufacturing jobs overseas was a critical issue for Democrats to emphasize during contests in GOP-controlled House districts such as OH-02. Coon also believed a Democrat running in a Republican district has to be a moderate to win. Before leaving the Black campaign, he told the Daily Bellwether last fall:

"One thing is, you have to find a certain kind of Democrat that doesn't scare independent voters. You have got to have a moderate, but a moderate who is progressive on the right issues like the war, like S-Chip"

And:

"I think trade has to be a huge issue in general . . . a lot of the eastern part of the district (OH-02) has been decimated. NAFTA is a disaster. We're not looking to run a duplicate Sherrod Brown campaign. But he won 30 rural counties statewide that John Kerry didn't win, so our rhetoric is going to be very, very similar. Clearly people were listening to what Sherrod Brown had to say. Sherrod Brown was on to something."

In Mississippi, Coon largely ran that kind of campaign with Childers. He didn't scare independent voters. He talked down trade agreements. And it worked.

OH-02 GOP Jean Schmidt: As If America's Cops Weren't Already Busy Enough . . .

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt is co-sponsoring the inaptly named "Stop Adolescent Smoking Without Excessive Bureaucracy Act of 2008." But if HR 5513 ever becomes law, the conservative Republican could have the cops busier than ever. The measure says police agencies will have to inform parents whenever kids are spotted or suspected of having any kind of tobacco product. Which probably means more bureaucracy and more paperwork. And probably less time to fight serious crimes like rape, robbery, murder, burglary, larceny and all the other offenses already on the books. Not that smoking is a good thing. But maybe law enforcement agencies have other things to do than tell parents that Johnny or Janie might have been puffing on a Marlboro.

Schmidt's proposed federal law would make it illegal for anyone under 18 to "possess or attempt to possess a tobacco product in a public place." And the cops would have to deliver the news, even if the kids "allegedly" had tobacco. Section (C) of the Schmidt bill declares:

"A law enforcement agency, upon determining that an individual under 18 years of age allegedly purchased or received a tobacco product, or allegedly received a tobacco product in a public place, shall notify the individual's parent or parents, custodian, or guardian (if the name and address of a parent, guardian, or custodian is readily ascertainable) . . "

No arrest, no jail, no fine. But parental notification by the cops. Just a knock on the door. Or a letter. Or a phone call from the local gendarmes. Or maybe the FBI. Or maybe an entirely new law enforcement agency would have to be created to deliver the news -- the tobacco police.

Schmidt is one of eight cosponsors of the bill, which was filed Feb. 28. The measure -- which hasn't drawn much attention -- is intended to reduce youth usage of tobacco products. Schmidt, who hails from Clermont County and represents the section of the state where Ohio's tobacco industry is based, faces Democrat Vic Wulsin in the November general election. Wulsin is a public health physician.

Besides Schmidt, the others on the tobacco police bill -- all Republicans -- are Marsha Blackburn, TX; Howard Coble, NC; Mary Fallin, OK, Tom Feeney, FL; Trent Franks, AZ; Patrick McHenry, NC; Peter Sessions, TX; John Shadegg, AZ.

OH-02 GOP Jean Schmidt: New Poll Numbers Seem To Show She's A Weak Incumbent

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- An internal poll taken for U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt's reelection effort shows the OH-02 Republican is under 50% in her district's rural counties, at 51% in her suburban base, and at 52% in urban Hamilton County. The poll was taken a week after the March 4 nominating primary. Across OH-02, Schmidt's polling shows she leads Democrat Vic Wulsin by anywhere from 10 to 20 points. But nowhere does Schmidt get anywhere but a sliver beyond 50% support. The numbers indicate there's a huge amount of room for Wulsin between now and November; the numbers also show Schmidt isn't a popular incumbent.

But there is more than Schmidt's poll that gives the GOP pause. What should be most troubling for Republicans about OH-02 -- and most encouraging for Democrats -- is that Schmidt ran worse and turned out to be the weakest of the three GOP House incumbents who faced opposition for renomination in Ohio's March 4 primary. In OH-05, U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (R-NW Ohio) carried 74% of the ballots; 53,401 Republicans picked Latta in that contested primary. In OH-12, U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Central Ohio) carried 91% of the GOP voters with 60,924 ballots in his contested primary. Schmidt received only 57% of the vote and 40,891 ballots. Compared to the two other Ohio congressional GOP incumbents who defeated primary opponents, Schmidt's performance was lackluster. Bottomline: Republicans who took part in the OH-02 primary showed they aren't enthralled with their congresswoman.

Matt Hurley at Weapons of Mass Discussion writes from the Republican side and sees Schmidt's latest internal polling as not entirely encouraging news:

"I'd still like to see Schmidt do better. Where might she pick up some of that support?"

Jeff Coryell, at Ohio Daily Blog writes from the Democratic side and also sees Schmidt's poll as not entirely good news for the conservative congresswoman from Clermont County:

". . . Schmidt barely cracks the 50% line even without a serious primary challenge. Wulsin received 14,074 more votes than Schmidt in the March 4th primary, a troubling sign for the incumbent."

Former Ohio GOP U.S. Rep. Bob McEwen: Yes, My OH-02 Republican Friends Voted For Vic Wulsin And Hillary

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- OH-02 Democratic Congressional candidate Vic Wulsin remarked Wednesday in a blog comment that conservative Republican Bob McEwen told her his guests at a dinner party earlier this week had abandoned the GOP. The six picked up Dem ballots on primary day March 4 and joined the crossover crowd. McEwen, who spoke to The Daily Bellwether about the big switcheroo, confirms Wulsin's account is correct. He said he phoned her Wednesday morning with the news. Says McEwen:

"I guess she left out the other part -- that they voted for Hillary, too. I had six people over for dinner that night and we talked about the voting. They all picked up Democratic ballots. Everybody was Republican, and they voted for Hillary and for her [Wulsin]. The reason they took a Democratic ballot? They wanted to help Hillary. I think it really was the Rush stuff."

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh urged listeners to vote for Hillary rather than John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee. McEwen told the Bellwether he stuck with the GOP on primary day. He also wonders if his friends -- the half dozen new Democratic converts -- would switch back to their original party by November's general election. "Only time will tell. I guess we're going to find out."

Wulsin's comment about McEwen's dinner party appears in this thread on FireDogLake. Here's what she said:

"The 2nd District has some very interesting dynamics. Congressman Bob McEwen [OH-R]called this morning to congratulate me. He said that at his dinner table last night, the other six guests-- all Republicans -- had chosen Democratic ballots and voted for, yep, Vic Wulsin! He says the Repubs want her OUT (he barely lost to her in the '06 primary so remember where he's coming from) and want a reasonable alternative. So, I'd like to think some of the crossing over comes from a desire to get Schmidt out. As an epidemiologist, I look forward to crunching some numbers to where the biggest 'crossing over' occurred and how that affected the Clinton:Obama ratio and the Wulsin:Black ratio."

OH-02 Dem Vic Wulsin: Here's The List Of All Endorsers Including Elected Officials And Unions

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Democratic congressional candidate Vic Wulsin's campaign is circulating a compilation of all her endorsers for the March 4 primary. The campaign also said opponent Steve Black hasn't nailed down as much support. Here's the complete list:
Labor
-American Federation of Teachers / Ohio
Federation of Teachers
-American Postal Workers Union
-Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers &
Trainmen
-Greater Cincinnati United Auto Workers
-International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
-International Union of Painters & Allied Trades
-National Association of Letter Carriers
-Services Employees International Union
-Shawnee Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Media
-Buckeye State Blog
-Cincinnati Enquirer
-Dayton Daily News
Medical Groups
-American Academy of Family Physicians
-American Medical Association Political Action
Committee / Ohio State Medical Association
Political Action Committee
-American Psychiatric Association Political
Action Committee
Organizations
-League of Conservation Voters
-Appalachian Political Action Committee
-Feminist Majority
-National Organization of Women
-National Women's Political Caucus
-Women’s Action for New Directions
-Women’s Campaign Forum
Public Officials
-Former Ohio Governor Jack Gilligan
-Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory
-Former Cincinnati Mayor Dwight Tillery
-Former Cincinnati Mayor Bobbie Sterne
-Silverton Mayor John Smith
-Cincinnati Vice Mayor David Crowley
-Cincinnati Council Members Cecil Thomas,
John Cranley and Y. Laketa Cole
-Hamilton County Commission President Todd
Portune
-Former State Representative Catherine Barrett
-Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones
(OH-11)
-Congresswoman Betty Sutton (OH-13)
-Congresswoman Vic Snyder (AK-02)
-Congressman Dennis Moore (KS-03)
-Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47)
-Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (KS-02)
-Congressman John Murtha (PA-12)

OH-02 Dem Steve Black: 'Nothing In Our Ad Is False' About Vic Wulsin And Medical Experiments

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Dan Herkert, the campaign manager for OH-02 Democratic congressional candidate Steve Black, has sent an e-mail and press release to The Daily Bellwether about the TV ad sharply criticizing Victoria Wulsin's work for the Heimlich Institute. Rather than summarize, here's what Herkert and the Black campaign have to say:

Bill: Below you will find a press release we emailed out today with regard to our television ad. We fully stand by this ad and I would be happy to provide you with all copies of the documents upon which it is based. Nothing in our ad is false.

We have merely exposed the fact that Dr. Wulsin is in fact under investigation by the Ohio State Medical Board and the fact that she did not report these experiments to any government body. Also, she has claimed on different occasions that she merely wrote a "literature review" for the Heimlich Institute. This so-called literature review does not cite any of the numerous articles from the New York Times, LA Times, or New England Journal of Medicine that are critical of malariotherapy. Further, her report actually lists recommendations to the Heimlich Institute for ways to continue these experiments.

We have never gone "negative" in this campaign. The public record of a candidate is indicitive of how they will perform as a Member of Congress and that record should be compared to other candidates. The truth is often harsh, but every statement that has ever come from Steve's campaign is fully based on public documents.

Below is our press release from earlier today. If you have any questions or would like copies of the documents supporting our ad, don't hesitate to call me.

Dan Herkert

For Immediate Release
Date: February 29, 2008
Contact: Dan Herkert, Campaign Manager
(513)561-7232 office

Just The Facts

Today, the Steve Black for Congress campaign began airing a television ad that exposes the fact that Dr. Victoria Wulsin is currently under the cloud of an active ethics investigation by the Ohio State Medical Board. The information contained within that ad is entirely true, factual, and based on public documents. Click here to read all relevant documents and to watch the President of the National Council Against Health Fraud explain the issues surrounding their request for this ongoing investigation.

In an effort to distract voters from her own record and the ongoing ethics investigation that currently surrounds her medical license, Victoria Wulsin's campaign has spent the past two weeks knowingly running a television ad that completely distorts the truth with regard to Steve Black's family farm. Click here to view the documents that prove Wulsin's ad to be a complete distortion of the truth.

"The public record of a candidate is indicative of how they will perform as a Member of Congress," said Dan Herkert, Campaign Manager. "Voters should be well aware of the public record of a candidate when making a choice on Election Day. Congress has been plagued in recent years by ethics investigation after ethics investigation, from Republican Bob Ney in Ohio to Democrat William Jefferson in Louisiana. As a nation, we cannot restore public trust in our government and focus on the needs of the American people if we continue to elect public officials who are surrounded by ethical questions."

"As Democrats, we cannot beat Jean Schmidt with a candidate currently under the cloud of an active ethics investigation," continued Herkert, "and we certainly can't change Congress until we change the people we send there."

"All communications that emanate from the Steve Black for Congress campaign are true and supported by public documents," said Herkert. "As a campaign, we are happy to provide any member of the press or any voter with a copy of those documents."

OH-02 Dem Vic Wulsin: Steve Black's New TV Ad A 'Dying Gasp' Lie

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A new OH-02 attack ad by Steve Black has drawn a sharp rebuttal from Vic Wulsin's campaign, which describes it as deceptive and a "dying gasp" falsehood. With the the March 4 Democratic primary less than a week away, Black has gone nuclear. He appears in the ad claiming she took part in unethical medical experiments led by Dr. Henry Heimlich, the inventor of the Heimlich maneuver. Wulsin, a medical doctor, said Black gave her a $1,000 campaign contribution in 2006. Black sent the money to help Wulsin finance her campaign that year against Republican U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt -- which seems to take some wind out of his 2008 argument that Wulsin is an unethical physician. The campaign also notes she has received donations from doctors and medical organizations:

"With over 270 physicians donating to her campaign and support from the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Psychiatric Association, and the American Medical Association, Wulsin's reputation and character should not be in question."

The complete text of the Wulsin campaign's press release responding to the Black TV ad about "dangerous experiments" follows:

For Immediate Release Contact: Ann Herzner
February, 29, 2008 Phone: (513) 233-4180
Black Lies to Voters
Continues His Negative Campaign Of Smear And “Innuendo”
With one last dying gasp, Steve Black’s campaign, in a desperate effort to mislead the voters, is accusing Vic Wulsin of covering up experiments described in press accounts a full 10 years before her work occurred.
Steve Black’s inability to connect with voters on the issues that matter to the people of Ohio led him to run this baseless and negative ad.

The Cincinnati Enquirer described Black’s attacks as “based more on innuendo than fact,” and the Dayton Daily News said the attacks “don’t wash.” Both papers took Black to task for running a negative campaign against Wulsin. In his commercial, Steve Black supports his misleading claims with an LA Times article from October 30, 1994. Medical experiments: "Dangerous" "Scientifically unsound" Source: Los Angeles Times, 10/30/94

What Steve Black doesn’t tell voters is that Vic Wulsin’s work for the Heimlich Institute was in 2004, a decade after the article was written. How could Dr. Wulsin be responsible for “covering up” experiments described in a newspaper article ten years earlier? The answer, of course, is that she didn’t cover up anything. Dr. Wulsin, as she has maintained all along, did nothing wrong. She was hired by The Heimlich Institute to perform a literature review and was fired when the Institute realized her report opposed further research without proof of effectiveness and significantly upgraded standards of review.

In fact, Steve Black supported Vic Wulsin in her 2006 run against Jean Schmidt, and the families have known each other for decades. His $1000 donation to her campaign was the largest he's ever given to a Democrat.

With over 270 physicians donating to her campaign and support from the political arms of the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Psychiatric Association, and the American Medical Association, Wulsin’s reputation and character should not be in question.

OH-02 Dem Vic Wulsin: The Malariatherapy Case That Won't Go Away

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Dr. Victoria Wulsin, the Democrat seeking renomination in Ohio's 2nd Congressional District, has been hounded by critics who contend she abetted unethical medical experiments in Africa. The allegations swirled in the background of her 2006 campaign, and they have returned for this year's Dem primary against lawyer Steve Black. Wulsin supporters insist the allegations are baseless and a smear. Still, the allegations have not gone away. Below, uncensored, is the latest installment on malariatherapy, which landed in blog and media outlet e-mail boxes today [Ed. Note: The Bellwether neither endorses nor dismisses the information. But you might as well have an opportunity see it and give it the weight or weightlessness you feel it deserves. Make of it whatever you wish]:

Victoria Wulsin Linked to Unethical Experiments
Robert S. Baratz, MD, PhD, DDS

Victoria Wells Wulsin, MD, DrPH, who is running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, has been linked to unethical human experiments in which malaria infection was used as a treatment for HIV infection. The experiments were conducted in Africa by Henry Heimlich, MD (popularizer of the "Heimlich Maneuver" for treating choking). These “experiments” were either conceived, coordinated, devised, supervised, funded, or otherwise managed by Heimlich and/or the Heimlich Institute in Cincinnati. State filings show that The Heimlich Institute has been part of the Deaconess Associations Inc. since 1998.

Dr. Heimlich speculates that the high fever would kill the AIDS virus. There is no rational basis for this notion. His experiments were despicable because the experimental subjects were not treated for their HIV and some were infected with malaria by either injecting them with human blood that contained malaria parasites (and perhaps other pathogens) or by allowing them to contract malaria from mosquitoes. Malaria is a dangerous disease that kills millions worldwide annually. It can produce recurring high fevers; liver, spleen and kidney damage; and a host of other complications.

People with malaria are very sick. Heimlich's experimental subjects were allowed to have at least ten cycles of recurrent fevers over several weeks before they were offered treatment for the malaria. Most had bed-shaking rigors.

HIV infection depletes the body of its ability to fight off parasites. Thus the experimental subjects became sicker than would occur without HIV and, predictably, their HIV infections also worsened. Some later died. These experiments were on a par with the worst Nazi medical crimes. There are also parallels between the 40-year failure to treat syphilis in poor black men in the infamous Tuskegee Study and Heimlich's failure to treat HIV in poor black people in Africa . In both cases, the lack of proper treatment also caused innocent family members to be infected.

In 2004, Heimlich engaged Dr. Wulsin to review his work on "malariotherapy" and write a business plan for promoting it. Wulsin concluded that "the preponderance of evidence indicates that neither malaria nor immunotherapy will cure HIV/AIDS" and that the Heimlich Institute had been too secretive about its work. Despite claims by Heimlich that no active work on malariotherapy was being done, Wulsin’s report shows that it was [1].

When it became clear that others would make the report public, she released it but added an executive summary in which she claimed that her involvement with the Heimlich Institute was "strictly limited" to a research review. However, the body of the report indicates that she had access to experimental data, knew that something was radically wrong, and was aware of ethical violations that she should have reported to Office of the Inspector General and the Office for Human Research Protection of the Department of Health and Human Services. The report also indicates that an "American sponsor" was collaborating with Heimlich, but Wulsin has refused to reveal the sponsor's name.

As early as 1993, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (an agency for whom Wulsin has worked) condemned the malaria experiments [2]. Instead of being stopped, the studies were shifted from Mexico to Panama and then to China . In 2000, after indicating that the China study was flawed [3], the FDA ordered that patient recruiting be stopped as it clamped down a rogue Institutional Review Board that supposedly oversaw that study. However, the work continued in East Africa .

Wulsin, per her own admission, evaluated the literature, reviewed data, and even euphemistically renamed the malaria treatments “immunotherapy.” She also knew who was funding this work and where it was being conducted. Instead of turning in the individuals involved to regulatory and other authorities, she kept the matter quiet, failed to condemn the work, suggested that the Heimlich Institute continue it in the future, and accepted payment as a consultant. I am stunned that a doctor trained in public health would try to cover and obfuscate any such activity.

Consider these points:

More than ten years before Wulsin wrote her report, the Los Angeles Times revealed that something was wrong [4]. Subsequent exposure in the New York Times [5] and many other media outlets made the information readily available. Yet she did not address the problems noted by the press.

Wulsin stated that her report was only a literature review. But the raw data she analyzed in her report showed that humans were used as guinea pigs. Wulsin claimed she was fired after she report failed to promote the malaria experiments. However, the report is not negative. A basic read shows it renames malariotherapy "immunotherapy" and outlines a program to make it a cornerstone of the future of the Heimlich Institute. It is hardly what one would call critical.

There are conflicting dates of when her consultancy allegedly occurred. The Cincinnati Business Courier reported on 1/21/05: "Dr. Victoria Wells is an epidemiologist who specializes in women's health issues, particularly the spread of AIDS in Africa . Last February, she was hired by the Heimlich Institute to do a four-month literature review of malariotherapy, a review that ended with her recommendation that the institute should not continue active research. "A group in Africa is doing research on this and is at the six- to nine-month state of follow-up," Wells said. "I recommended the institute wait to see what those results showed before pursuing it further." [5] This clashes with Wulsin’s report of December 2004 and her statements that she was fired just after generating her draft report. How could she have written the report after she was reportedly fired?

Despite a claim of 200 references, Wulsin's report lists only 54, and all are without volume and page numbers. The report is not rigorous and fails to mention the obvious fact that when people have both malaria and HIV, both illnesses are made significantly worse.

Some press reports claimed that the location of the studies and the identify of the “American sponsor” of the East African experiments were unknown. However, one report stated that the information was known but wouldn’t be disclosed to the reporter. A subsequent report did reveal where some of these experiments were being done.

I cannot believe that the East African data appeared at the doorstep of the Heimlich Institute or that the Institute had “nothing” to do with the experiments. Heimlich has said repeatedly in press reports that he had met with multiple doctors from East Africa to arrange such experiments. There are more inconsistencies in the statements of Heimlich Institute personnel about the East African experiments, as indeed there are with statements of Wulsin, who clearly knows more than she has revealed.
The public tax returns of the Heimlich Institute and the Deaconess Associations seem to show money moving back and forth, and line items for HIV and malaria-related work. Were any of these funds going to East Africa ? If not, where did they go?

In 2005, Radar Magazine reported an interview with a man described as an Ethiopian immigrant who makes his living renting out cars in the San Francisco area, but works for Heimlich in spare time, "doing everything from "recruiting the patients to working with the doctors here and there and everywhere." The man claimed that the patients were recruited by looking for people with HIV who reside in areas where HIV is epidemic. However, he confirmed that the researchers were asked to delay treatment and did so [7].

The Deaconess Associations, home of the Heimlich Institute, receives federal money and must comply with requirements for human research. A full investigation of the Heimlich Institute is also warranted.
Was Wulsin unaware of the wealth of stories detailing the sordid facts about the malaria therapy experiments in major, respected, media? Somehow these are missing from her report. In 2006, I asked the Ohio Medical Board to investigate all of this. Their investigation is still active. On February 27, 2008, I held a videotaped press conference in Cincinnati to call further attention to Wulsin's conduct.
Additional Information
Bioethics Watch
CIRCARE
Medfraud.info
References
Wulsin VW. Immunotherapy and Beyond: Heimlich Institute. Dec 2004.
Induced malaria infection for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. CDC memo, April 29, 1993.
Marciello SA. Warning letter to L. Terry Chappell, M. D., Secretary, Great Lakes College of Clinical Medicine IRB, March 9, 2000.
Warrick P. Heimlich's audacious maneuver. Los Angeles Times, Oct 30, 1994.
McNeil DG Jr. Malarial treatment for Chinese AIDS patients prompts inquiry in U.S. New York Times, March 4, 2003.
Monk D, Tortora A. Family ties unraveling: Henry Heimlich faces firing squad of criticism from surprising source. Cincinnati Business Courier, Jan 21, 2005.
Francis T. Outmaneuvered. Radar Magazine, November 10-11, 2005.
This article was posted on February 29, 2008.
A list of additional document repositories on these matters appears below.

Robert S. Baratz, MD, PhD, DDS
President, National Council Against Health Fraud, Inc.
Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine
Medical Director, South Shore Health Center

617-594-7776
imcsi@rcn.com; permanent email baratz@alum.bu.edu; baratz@ncahf.org
The views herein are those of Dr. Baratz and do not necessarily represent those of Boston University School of Medicine

OH-02 GOP Jean Schmidt: Dayton Daily News Says Dump Her For Brinkman (R) Or Wulsin (D)

DAYTON (TDB) -- Republican U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt's reelection bid was sneered at today by the Dayton Daily News, which endorsed her GOP primary opponent, State Rep. Tom Brinkman. In rejecting Schmidt, the newspaper said she has a history of "bush league mistakes" in Washington. The newspaper contends Schmidt's antics have turned the once solidly Republican 2nd Congressional District into a battleground that can be taken by a Democrat this November. The Dayton Daily News editorial said:

"Rep. Brinkman could represent the district better than the incumbent and probably be a better candidate in November."

On the Dem side, the newpaper picked Dr. Victoria Wulsin, a physician who was the party's 2006 nominee. Wulsin was barely beaten by Schmidt. It said Wulsin's opponent, Steve Black, is a lawyer and his candidacy "devolves" into a single issue; that Congress needs another lawyer. It prefers Wulsin because she is fresh and from another profession.

"Dr. Wulsin has a remarkable resume of medical work, both here and abroad. She had devoted years to humanitarian causes. She had not been a politician . . . Dr. Wulsin would bring unusual experiences, sensibilities and ability to Washington. In a primary race in which the Democrats do not differ profoundly on the issues, she is the right choice."

Brinkman, a hardcore conservative, seems to be finding traction in an uphill contest against Schmidt by citing her House vote last year against President Bush's push to increase access for college loans. Bush said the federal grants and loans would increase U.S. competiveness in the global economy and help better schooled workers land jobs. Brinkman agrees. The Dayton Daily News noted: "He says when he ran for the legislature eight years ago, the main thing he wanted to do was cut taxes. He says he has since learned that there's a more important consideration in building an economy: Improving the quality of education."

OH-02 Dem Steve Black: Is This Why He Quit The GOP?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Democratic congressional candidate Steve Black has suspended OH-02 campaigning for a few days to bury his father, a former Hamilton County judge and World War II veteran who died Thurdsay. Judge Robert L. Black was a lifelong Republican, he called himself a "born Republican," whose loathing of President George W. Bush boiled over just ahead of the 2004 presidential election. He abandoned his party for the Democrats -- as has his son -- and published a lengthy explanation for the change. The manifesto says a lot about the late Judge Black, whose memorial service is Monday:

"When in the course of a lifetime, it becomes necessary for a born Republican to refuse to support the re-election of the party's incumbent president, to exercise his discretion, and in all good conscience, to vote for an opponent (even a Democrat), a decent respect to the opinions of his fellows requires that he declare the causes that impel him to switch.
I am grateful to the Republican Party for the support it gave me on each of three elections as judge. I respect many of the party leaders in Ohio. Nevertheless, my loyalty to the party must give way to my love of this country. I consider it a patriotic duty to speak up when the future of our democracy is at stake.

"It is self-evident that everyone has certain unalienable rights endowed by the Creator, and that among these are the right to his/her own conscience and the right to pursue his/her sense of justice. Whenever in the field of politics the party to which he has belonged, and that party's president, become destructive of his vision of what is not only right and fair but also good for our future, it is his duty to call the tune as he hears it. When that future is endangered by the present policies of the administration, it is time to act. The record of this incumbent president is a history not only of repeated violations of the key principles underlying our democracy, but of the core values of the Christian faith to which he claims commitment. Let his actions be stated candidly.

"He has taken us into a pre-emptive war, misleading the country by alleging without qualification that there was an immediate threat to our safety. No weapons of mass destruction have been found despite the president's unconditional declarations that he had to pre-empt Saddam Hussein's use of weapons of mass destruction.

"He engaged in this war without any workable plan to win the peace. While the ultimate outcome of this adventure is unknown, the loss of human life and the imposition of human suffering weigh heavily against us.

"The effect of this adventure is to solidify the deadly opposition of radical Muslim extremists, who are currently leading of the Muslim world. He has exacerbated a dangerous confrontation, a conflict of religious dimensions. The result of the arrogant way the war was handled is that the president has alienated our long-established allies: and it will take decades to re-establish friendly working relations with these other powers.

"He acted unilaterally in pulling the nation from international treaties designed to move toward a more livable and a more just world, such as the Kyoto Treaty and the treaty creating the World Court of Law.
At the same time, he has cut the taxes owed by the richest 1 percent or 2 percent of the population, giving meaningless decreases for all the rest, and with no resulting benefit to the job market or the economy. He has presided over the largest loss of jobs since the Great Depression.
He has appointed or sought to appoint to the federal judiciary persons who hold extreme right-wing views, views that are driven by political bias and that ignore established legal precedent. (He threatens to appoint such a person to the Supreme Court.)

"He has ignored or denied widely accepted scientific findings. For example, with respect to stem cell research, captured by a religious minority, he limited this research to a degree that radically restricts research leading to benefits for hundreds of thousands of persons subject to major disabilities and early death.

"He has re-emphasized abortion as a political issue, when it is a purely personal decision for the woman.

"He has allowed an increase in the number and type of media organizations any one company can acquire, thus permitting a further concentration of power over the news.

"He has again and again reversed the regulations and policies designed to protect the environment, always adopting a policy that favors those manufacturers and industrialists whose actions have clearly fouled the air and water. He pushes for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and throughout northern Alaska. He is allowing the logging of our national parks. He ignores scientific findings that the world is being subjected to a warming climate change that is man-made and that could otherwise be forestalled or radically slowed down. He has adopted or proposed regulations that endanger the safety of persons, when a Republican two-house legislature will not act in his favor. His regulations would prevent the release to the public of car safety information, such as warranty claims, consumer complaints and individual rights on safety issues; he would relax the rule on allowable coal dust in mines; he would eliminate the rule requiring employers to keep records of employees' ergonomics injuries; he has cut 77 personnel from the staff of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; he has raised the allowable mercury content in the air.

"I am, as American citizens ought to be, free to express my deeply held convictions, derived from my conscience and sense of justice, and to vote for candidates who in my opinion will act in the best interests of the country. In this, as in other life actions, my prayer is I am in line with the will of God."

OH-02 Dem Steve Black: In Attack, Slams Wulsin Over '06 Gas Tax Remark

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Democratic congressional candidate Steve Black, whose mailed-out campaign literature declares he's "tough enough" to beat Jean Schmidt, is now in attack mode against Vic Wulsin in the OH-02 Dem primary. Black accuses Wulsin -- the '06 nominee who came within a whisker of defeating Schmidt -- of "betraying our trust" and contends she wants higher gasoline taxes. He also says she is under investigation by the Ohio State Medical Board. Wulsin is a physician.

The attack comes about a month before the March 4 primary and demonstrates Black will play rough. Here, quoted verbatim, are the four charges he delivered to Democrats who received the mailer:

1. The President of the National Council Against Health fraud has requested an investigation of Wulsin by the Ohio State Medical Board on charges that she covered up unethical medical experiments.
2. Ohio has lost over 200,00 jobs to places like Mexico and China. Unbelievably, Wulsin supports the Bush free trade expansion plan to places like Armenia.
3. She has refused to disclose tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions.
4. Wulsin even called for higher taxes on gasoline as a way to solve America's energy crisis. Aren't middle-class families struggling enough?

Wulsin's staff, no doubt, will truth-squad those Black slams. And it may strike back at him for going negative. Already, Wulsin campaign chief Josh Levin has noted the photo of his candidate in Black's hit piece appears lifted from Schmidt. Levin says Schmidt used the same unflattering head shot against the Democrat in the '06 showdown. The Wulsin camp may soon argue that Black -- a former Republican -- is recycling the tactics of the Schmidt campaign. Levin said in an e-mail: "The attacks are right out of the GOP playbook did you notice he used the same photo Schmidt did in '06. The donations thing is funny, given that he's refused to disclose over 10K in small donations himself."

Clearly, the Democratic contest seems to be moving in a new direction -- a turn to the low road.

Black's charge Wulsin wants to raise the gasoline tax originally cropped up in April 2006 -- when Wulsin was campaigning in that year's Democratic primary. Black cites the Cincinnati Enquirer as his source. Although the newspaper story is no longer freely available on its Web site, there is a version still online in the archives of the Buckeye State Blog. It shows she had mused publicly about raising gas taxes. She wanted gas taxes to be progressive, which is how the federal income tax is levied -- the higher your income the more you pay:

"One more thing about gas prices . . . I believe we need some sort of progressive tax on gas prices. The way they work now, again the working class, the middle class, pays more than their fair share than the very wealthy. And I believe that we as a country believe in equality for all, and that means that we who benefit from our society need to contribute."

Inquiring minds are wondering: Does Black's gas tax attack gain him any ground? It appears timely, considering that pump prices have soared over $3 and high fuel costs are blamed as a major factor behind the current economic slowdown. But what about Armenia -- are Ohioans concerned about trade policies with the former Soviet Republic?

OH-02 Dem Steve Black: Campaign Jingle Ready For Rural Radio

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Democratic congressional candidate Steve Black has a minute-long campaign jingle that you can hear by clicking this link. It's called "Backin' Black" and begins airing this week on rural radio stations in Ohio's 2nd Congressional District. The lyrics knock lightweight politicians who "vote just like a buttlerfly and sting like a daisy." No names are mentioned. It also ties into 2008's top campaign themes: The jingle says he'll keep jobs at home and bring the soldiers back from Iraq.

Black is competing against Vic Wulsin for the OH-02 Dem nomination. Last week, she released Wulsin Girl, which delivered a splash on YouTUBE. The music video was written and performed by Ann Driscoll, a former Wulsin volunteer. Black's campaign manager, Dan Herkert, said the radio jingle was created by the campaign's advertising operation and was paid for by the campaign.

OH-02 Dem Primary: 'Wulsin Girl' Was A Paid Wulsin Staffer

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Wulsin Girl video that is making a splash in the Ohiosphere has raised a question. Should there have been a disclaimer somewhere in the reporting about singer Ann Driscoll's ties to candidate Victoria Wulsin, who is running for the OH-02 Democratic nomination? Driscoll's performance has popped up everywhere from The Plain Dealer's OPENERS political blog to The Cincinnati Enquirer's POLITICS EXTRA. Nowhere do the reporters seem to make clear she once was a paid staffer for Wulsin -- perhaps they were burned by some exquisite viral marketing by that camp.

Back in June 2006, Driscoll posted on the pre-Jerid version of BuckeyeStateBlog over the need for transparency and disclosure in politics. She wrote about a joint appearance by Ted Strickland and Wulsin, who was the Dem party's nominee against U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt. Driscoll said Strickland had enthusiastically endorsed Wulsin that year, and added:

"Full Disclosure: I am currently a paid staffer for Dr. Victoria Wulsin. I first got my start in blogging as an early supporter of her candidacy in the special election primary last summer, which Paul Hackett ultimately won. In light of the recent discussion regarding the dubious ethics of some of the biggest liberal bloggers in the nation, I think it is especially important to emphasize disclosure and transparency."

[UPDATE: 7:45 AM -- Jean Schmidt has seen the video and praises Driscoll. She told WKRC-TV, Channel 12: Ms. Driscoll is obviously a talented young woman. I liked the tune but have some issues with the lyrics. It's cute, she did a great job." The TV news report mentioned that Driscoll had worked for Wulsin previously, but called her "a past volunteer in the office." That seems to imply Driscoll was not a paid staffer.]

OH-02 Dem Steve Black: New Campaign Chief Is Union President's Son

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- As things stand now, voters can expect at least two televised joint appearances/debates next month by OH-02 Democratic candidates Steve Black and Vic Wulsin. Final details have not yet been ironed out, but the candidates are expected to appear on WKRC-TV, Channel 12 and WCET, the public broadcasting outlet in Cincinnati. Dan Herkert, Black's campaign manager, told The Daily Bellwether today that details are being set. (Prediction: Expect to see this in the Cincinnati Enquirer after you read it here first.)

Herkert, 26, is an Illinois native who became Black's manager in mid-December. His father is the president of a Painter's Union local in Alton, Ill., and is chairman of the Democratic Party in Calhoun County, which is where the Illinois and Mississippi rivers converge. Herkert said he was a consultant to U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, a Democrat elected in 2006. He has also worked on local races in southern Illinois.

"My dad has been involved in politics since he got out of the service. I actually walked door-to-door for the first time (1988) for Dukakis and Bentsen. I'm as diehard Democrat as you can be. If my right hand tried to vote for a Republican, my left hand would cut it off. I'm a very strong partisan. The joke in my family is that if I had a death wish it would be to become a Republican and join the Navy. My dad was a Marine."

Herkert, a graduate of the University of Illinois/Springfield, said he knows that Black was a Republican who changed parties to seek the OH-02 nomination against Wulsin. He said Black's conversion is genuine. He also said OH-02 -- which borders the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Portsmouth -- is quite alike to the area of Illinois where he cut his political teeth.

"The thing is, the district is very similar to the St. Louis metro area. The issues are very close to being the same."

And what are the big issues? Economy and jobs; health care, the Iraq War. Mostly, says Herkert, "kitchen table issues." Also, pushing Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt aside. "Jean Schmidt can be beat. I think Steve Black is the guy to do it."

Herkert predicts Feb. 9 could give a hint how strongly Black -- who has a well-financed campaign -- is competing against Wulsin for the Dem nomination. The Clermont County Democratic Party holds a forum that night followed by a straw poll. If Black comes close, Southwest and Southern Ohio Dems can expect a real showdown.