Ohio State Rep. Tom Brinkman: Is He In The OH-02 GOP Race?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- State Rep. Tom Brinkman appears ready to jump into the OH-02 Republican primary against Jean Schmidt. He's a term limited anti-taxer and straight shooting maverick Republican who refuses to accept or seek the endorsement of the Hamilton County Republican Party in his home base. Brinkman, who lives in Cincinnati, considers his independence a matter of principle. He is not everybody's cup of tea. But he is about as genuine and unvarnished as an elected official can be. With Brinkman what you see is what you get -- no new taxes, no abortion rights, no Big Brother government, no unions, no gay rights, no restrictions on the Second Amendment.

The Bellwether had a session with Brinkman last March, and he said he was interested in running for the OH-02 seat. Indeed, there seemed to be little doubt he was going to jump in the race with hopes of ending Republican U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt's congressional career. In the photo above (courtesy of Charles Foster Kane), Brinkman ceremonially cut off Schmidt's head at a 2006 fundraiser sponsored by COAST, a Cincinnati-area anti-tax group he helped found. COAST has been among Schmidt's sharpest critics.

Brinkman's own Web portal is here. It gives a sense of his political philosophy. A Brinkman campaign could have the aura of a Ron Paul type candidacy -- connecting with Republicans who feel their party has forgotten its roots, corporatized, and been swallowed by the RINOs -- Republicans In Name Only.

Matt Hurley at Weapons of Mass Discussion has more about Brinkman and OH-02. Matt's conservative-leaning blog seems to be turning into the semi-official GOP voice of Ohio as the 2008 election year approaches, which shows that his hard work and spirited interest in his own political party is paying off.

Mean Jean And Her Schmidt-Kickers: Heimlich Will Spin The Sour Notes

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Republican congressional candidate Phil Heimlich has been busy in the studio putting together a campaign album that he calls Jean Schmidt's Greatest Hits. The platter will come out the same week that tables are loaded with Thanksgiving turkeys. No coincidence there. Check out the album cover, and a list of some of the tunes coming our way. It is the start of his long and winding road to the March 2008 primary.

Heimlich, a former Hamilton County Commissioner and Cincinnati City Council member, wants to get back into political office. He is challenging U.S. Rep. Schmidt in a contest for the GOP nomination in Ohio's 2nd Congressional District. Some Republicans have spread rumors he plans to drop out of the contest. But the upcoming attack on Schmidt seems to belie those rumors as coming from a bunch of day trippers. Heimlich says he's got an "amazing Internet offer" that won't be available in any stores.

"Over the next several weeks we'll be unveiling Jean Schmidt's Greatest Hits. a compilation of outrageous statements, misleading rhetoric, backpedaling positions, and is some cases outright falsehoods. The accomplishments have earned Jean notoriety, not just locally but all across the nation. From labeling people cowards to eating crow, Jean Schmidt has squeezed so many embarrassing moments into such a short amount of time, it's hard to imagine what she could accomplish in yet another term in Congress."

Heimlich's spin, of course, is that Schmidt is an inept and boorish political figure, an impetuous diva, who is out of tune with her district, which covers seven counties in southern Ohio.

Ohio Elections Commission: It Says Both OH-05 Republicans Are Liars

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- Ronald Reagan used to invoke the 11th Commandment -- thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican. The Ohio Elections Commission -- a panel that is supposed to keep state campaigns on the straight and narrow -- has found the top two GOP candidates in OH-05 have trouble honoring No. 8 on the list from the Old Testament. The one that says, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."

Last month, the OEC said State Sen. Steve Buehrer and his chief financial backer, the Club for Growth PAC, sponsored ads containing false information about State Rep. Bob Latta's vote on tax legislation. Today, the OEC reprimanded Latta for distributing campaign literature that made false claims about Buehrer. The political flyers said Buehrer opposed school prayer and "didn't want" the Ten Commandments posted in public schools.

There is some irony in today's OEC decision that benefited Buehrer on the last day before the primary election. Last month, the Club for Growth ripped the OEC as being in the tank for Latta. Of course, the panel proved today it was unbiased and willing to smack down questionable rhetoric from either Republican.

The Toledo Blade's Jim Provance reports the OEC stopped short of recommending criminal prosecution against Latta.

"Today's reprimand marks the most severe stance taken to date by the bipartisan commission in dueling complaints filed by both sides. . . The commission had the option of referring either candidate for possible criminal prosecution, but opted not to."

H/T to Jeff Coryell at Ohio Daily Blog for spotting the Provance story when it appeared today. No matter which Republican wins the primary, they will be under a cloud for the next round. An official body has determined they lied to gain political advantage. So the GOP is not exactly holding the ethical high ground in a special election set for Dec. 11 against the Democratic party's likely nominee Robin Weirauch.

OH-05 Buehrer: Oops, Club For Growth Ad Used Project Vote Smart Data

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (TDB) -- Oh-05 Republican Steve Buehrer says it was "despicable" and unethical for Bob Latta to use Project Vote Smart candidate survey data in an attack ad. Yet the Club for Growth -- which has given Buehrer about $260,000 for his House campaign against Latta -- did the same thing in another political contest. It used Project Vote Smart data as a political weapon.

Jeff Coryell at Ohio Daily Blog had this piece on Oct. 18 about Project Vote Smart's complaint that Latta had used its material in an attack ad. The PVS presser noted it happened very rarely.

Still, Red SeaLLC made an attack ad with PVS as a source for the Buehrer-backing Club for Growth to use in an Idaho House race. It seems that what is wrong in the Midwest is proper in the Far West. Or maybe the Club for Growth and Buehrer figured nobody would notice.

Buehrer and Latta are arguing over a 2002 survey about school prayer and the Ten Commandments. Latta did a mailer to GOP voters earlier this month noting that the Project Vote Smart survery showed Buehrer was opposed to religion in schools and public buildings. Buehrer, however, said he didn't answer a question and indeed supports school prayer and the Ten Commandments. Meanwhile, Project Vote Smart has complained Latta was not supposed to use the survey results in an attack ad, and Buehrer has been ballistic over the incident. He was quoted in the Toledo Blade:

"Project Vote Smart is categorically criticizing Mr. Latta for using something that is supposed to be a guide for voters as a political weapon. I think that is the most despicable sort of attack you can think of."

Apparently, the Club for Growth -- Buehrer's financial angel in the NW Ohio GOP primary contest -- had already delivered the "most despicable sort of attack you can think of." Doesn't seem like Latta is the only guy with muddy hand in the NW Ohio House contest.

The Blade story was by Joe Vardon and it captures nicely Buehrer's horror. Of course, it doesn't mention that Buehrer's backers had done the same thing in another state.

OH-O5 Steve Buehrer: Payday Lenders Now Sending $$$ His Way

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (TDB) -- A campaign finance report filed this week with the Federal Election Commission shows major players in the payday lending industry have started making contributions to State Sen. Steve Buehrer's GOP primary campaign. The Daily Bellwether noted $6,000 came in Monday in three separate contributions from two executives and a Kansas PAC.

Payday lenders have been tarred as preying upon low-income Ohioans. State lawmakers are considering measures that would place new limits on the industry, which has a growing reputation for gouging its customers.

Now Buehrer has found backers in the industry. A. David Davis of Cincinnati is listed as the executive vice president of Check N Go. He gave $2,000. So did Steven Scroggins of Cleveland, who is listed as the CEO of Check Into Cash. The PAC from Overland Park, Kan., is affiliated with QC Holdings.

Buehrer is a conservative Republican running for the GOP nomination in a Nov. 6 primary against State Rep. Bob Latta. Ohio's 5th Congressional District has been vacant since the death of U.S. Rep. Paul Gillmor last month.

[UPDATE: The race on the Republican side is rancorous and sharp-elbowed. Here's Right Angle Blog with news of the National Taxpayers Union endorsing Buehrer, a candidate who is running to the right of Latta and portraying him as a Bob Taft ally. And here's Buckeye State Blog with a new Latta ad that describes Buehrer as misrepresenting the state rep's record on tax votes in the legislature. No doubt about it, OH-O5 is political mudwrestling. Or a barnburner in a section of the state, NW Ohio, where there still are a lot of barns. RAB and BSB are lighting the fires in the 'sphere.]

Payday lending is under increasing scrutiny in Ohio because the short term loans can become quite costly if they are not paid off quickly. Earlier this month, a bill was filed in the Ohio House with 28 co-sponsors that takes aim at reported payday lending consumer abuses, and it includes a cap on interest rates. This Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial says legislators must act to clean up the industry, an industry that now seems to be in process of trying to purchase a seat in the U.S. House.

OH-02 Phil Heimlich: His 2nd Amendment Shot May Aid Jean Schmidt

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Former Hamilton County Commissioner Phil Heimlich, a Republican who hopes to topple U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt in the OH-02 GOP primary next March, is out with a statement saying he's a big supporter of gun rights. Heimlich pledged to support a House bill intended to make all 50 states recognize each other's concealed carry laws. But he drew attention to Schmidt: The Daily Bellwether found the Clermont County congresswoman has been working to get the same measure through Congress.

Here's Heimlich:

"Our nation is in need of a uniform policy regarding the recognition of state concealed carry laws. The Stearns/Boucher Right-To-Carry Reciprocity Bill would help solve the problem. Introduced n the U.S. House by Representatives Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and Rich Boucher (D-Va.) . . . the bill would allow any person with a valid carrying permit issued by a state to carry a concealed firearm in any state."

But Schmidt was much faster on the draw. She is one of the two Ohioans among the 77 co-sponsors of the bill. The other Ohio co-sponsor is U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Oh-01. Schmidt signed up to back the NRA-supported measure on March 15.

Schmidt holds a concealed carry permit in Ohio, as does Heimlich. So he does not trump her as a Second Amendment supporter, and at most is playing catch up. In other words, Heimlich says he publicly holds the same position as Schmidt about reciprocity among the states. And she can respond: I have been trying to get that through the House for much of this year. Indeed, Heimlich almost seems to give Schmidt a kudo in his statement supporting Stearns/Boucher.

"Those of us who support the Second Amendment understand the need for the Stearns/Boucher bill to become law. In Congress, I will fight for the rights of gun owners, and work to make our Second Amendment rights stronger through common sense legislation like Stearns/Boucher."

The full-text of Heimlich's statement is here. At most, his remarks demonstrate to 2nd Congressional District Republicans that he's a gun rights supporter. That is important in a semi-rural district where NRA support is critical, even for Democrats such as Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, whose native county, Scioto, is within OH-02.

OH-02's Republican Phil Heimlich: His New Web Presence Is Anti-Gay, Anti-Tax, Pro-Life

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Republican Phil Heimlich's campaign has its Website up and running. And don't be fooled by the soft blue background colors. He's running from the right side of U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, with Heimlich saying his entire career has been devoted to "sound conservative economic principles." Heimlich says nothing about the War in Iraq, terrorism or supporting President George Bush, the GOP chief executive whose poll numbers have sagged.

It is early, of course, but the former Hamilton County Commissioner obviously has moved to position himself with the evangelicals and social conservatives. While he's blanked out the Bush-Cheney years, Heimlich mentions Dr. John C. Willke, the Cincinnati physician who founded National Right to Life. And Heimlich says he has worked hand-in-hand with Citizens for Community Values -- the group headed by Phil Burress -- to "enact one of the toughest laws in the country keeping strips clubs and porn shops away from schools, homes and churches." That reference harkens back to a Cincinnati zoning ordinance that went on the books during Heimlich's years on the City Council.

About gays, Heimlich describes how he once:

"Served as spokesperson for (the) campaign to oppose special rights based on sexual orientation. When others tried to repeal the City's ban on special rights based on sexual orientation, Phil opposed this repeal and appeared in ads sponsored by Focus on the Family Cincinnati Committee. In these ads, Phil countered the arguments of those fighting to allow special rights." He also notes he, "Received the Citizens for Community Values Community Defender Award. This award reads that it is for Phil's 'commitment to upholding and defending our City's high community values."

For now, Heimlich is stuck in the past. He's not speaking directly about national issues that face Congress. Eventually he'll have to describe his stands on matters such as ethics, global warming, energy prices -- and the war. Overall, Heimlich probably did a poor job of introducing his Congressional campaign to Web audiences. He mouthed old themes about old subjects, and offered nothing new at all. Indeed, he doesn't sound significantly different than Schmidt -- except for one important fact. She's been loyal to the President, and has stuck with him during an increasingly unpopular war. That stand may aid her in the Republican primary because the polls consistently show a majority of party members agree with Bush. Heimlich's Website could hurt because he didn't say what his position was from the very beginning -- Schmidt's supporters can accuse him of dodging, weaving or testing the wind. Indeed, if you read Heimlich's Web site, you wouldn't even know there is a war going on.