BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (TDB) -- Sentinel-Tribune editor David C. Miller pens a harsh editorial that accuses State Sen. Steven Buehrer of allowing the out-of-state Club for Growth PAC to spread a lie about State Rep. Bob Latta. Buehrer and Latta are in a heated GOP primary for Ohio's vacant 5th Congressional district seat. The editor says Buehrer's ally, the Club for Growth, has falsely claimed that Latta voted to raise taxes in 1998. Miller said Republican voters in Northwest Ohio should reject Buehrer's candidacy because he hasn't been willing to denounce the Club for Growth's attack ad.
You can read the complete text of the editorial here and it uses blunt language from start to finish to slam Buehrer's refusal to distance himself from the Club for Growth.
"It is time for voters to send a clear message to candidates who distory their opponents' records as well as those who quietly allow others to distort it for them. The message is simple: If that's your ethics during the campaign, we don't want to risk that being your ethics once you're in elected office."
That's the first sentence. Here's the final sentence:
"Voters expect more ethical campaign tactics than spreading lies from the person who wants to represent them in the halls of Congress."
Showing posts with label State Rep. Bob Latta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label State Rep. Bob Latta. Show all posts
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Monday, October 08, 2007
OH-O5 GOP: Latta To File Charge That Buehrer Lied About Tax Vote
COLUMBUS (TDB) -- State Rep. Bob Latta plans to file a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission Tuesday that accuses his Republican primary opponent and the Club for Growth of making false statements about a 1998 sales tax vote. Latta's legal filing says he did not raise taxes, but voted only "to place an issue on the Ohio ballot to allow voters to decide whether or not to raise state sales taxes while lowering local property taxes." But both State Sen. Steve Buehrer and the Club for Growth have distributed materials saying Latta voted for a "$1 billion tax hike in 1998."
Latta faces Buehrer in an increasingly bitter primary for the GOP nomination in Ohio's 5th Congressional district, which covers a broad swath of NW Ohio. The seat became vacant after Paul Gillmor died suddenly last month. The Club for Growth, an ultra-conservative anti-tax group, has endorsed Buehrer and is pledging to spend up to $75,000 on ads in his behalf.
Latta's Ohio Election Commission complaint was prepared by Scott Pullins, a Mount Vernon lawyer and GOP activist who represents the campaign.
Matthew Parker, Latta's campaign manager, told The Daily Bellwether that it simply is not true that Latta voted to raise taxes in 1998.
"He didn't support a tax hike. He voted to put it before the voters in a referendum, where it failed by a huge margin. They are not telling the truth about Bob Latta's record. It's an effort to distort his record."
Parker said Latta received an award that year as "Watchdog of the Treasury" for opposing taxes, and also was voted outstanding freshman legislator by the United Conservatives of Ohio.
A draft of the complaint to be filed in the Ohio Elections Commission shows that the 1998 referendum has become a much-litigated issue. In April of that year, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the measure did not levy any new taxes, but "merely authorizes the electorate to determine whether the proposed taxes should be levied."
And that same month, the Ohio Elections Commission found probable cause that a GOP candidate, Lisa Pfeifer, made a false statement in a campaign flier when she said her opponent had voted for a $1 billion tax increase. The wrangling in that case appears to be a replay of Latta's showdown with Buuehrer and the Club for Growth.
Pullins said he wants an expedited hearing on Latta's complaint. The primary is less than a month away.
Latta faces Buehrer in an increasingly bitter primary for the GOP nomination in Ohio's 5th Congressional district, which covers a broad swath of NW Ohio. The seat became vacant after Paul Gillmor died suddenly last month. The Club for Growth, an ultra-conservative anti-tax group, has endorsed Buehrer and is pledging to spend up to $75,000 on ads in his behalf.
Latta's Ohio Election Commission complaint was prepared by Scott Pullins, a Mount Vernon lawyer and GOP activist who represents the campaign.
Matthew Parker, Latta's campaign manager, told The Daily Bellwether that it simply is not true that Latta voted to raise taxes in 1998.
"He didn't support a tax hike. He voted to put it before the voters in a referendum, where it failed by a huge margin. They are not telling the truth about Bob Latta's record. It's an effort to distort his record."
Parker said Latta received an award that year as "Watchdog of the Treasury" for opposing taxes, and also was voted outstanding freshman legislator by the United Conservatives of Ohio.
A draft of the complaint to be filed in the Ohio Elections Commission shows that the 1998 referendum has become a much-litigated issue. In April of that year, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the measure did not levy any new taxes, but "merely authorizes the electorate to determine whether the proposed taxes should be levied."
And that same month, the Ohio Elections Commission found probable cause that a GOP candidate, Lisa Pfeifer, made a false statement in a campaign flier when she said her opponent had voted for a $1 billion tax increase. The wrangling in that case appears to be a replay of Latta's showdown with Buuehrer and the Club for Growth.
Pullins said he wants an expedited hearing on Latta's complaint. The primary is less than a month away.
OH-05 GOP Primary: Corrupt Fundraiser Tom Noe Donated $$$ To Buehrer
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (TDB) -- Nearly $8,000 in campaign donations flowed from crooked GOP insider Tom Noe, who is now serving federal and state prison sentences, to Republican State Sen. Steve Buehrer, a candidate for a seat in the U.S. House.
Noe has come to symbolize the face of political corruption in Ohio. He has been convicted of stealing from Ohio's $50 million rare coin fund, and also for illegally laundering some $45,000 into President Bush's reelection campaign.
There is more about Noe's crooked activities in this Toledo Blade story from Nov. 20, 2006. Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Osowik said Noe "cooked the books" in a scheme to cheat the public.
Campaign finance records examined by The Daily Bellwether at the Ohio Secretary of State's office show Noe began writing checks to Buehrer's campaign fund during the 2000 election cycle. He donated $2,500 to Citizens for Buehrer that year. Six other check brought in another $5,479 between 2001-2004.
Records examined by The Bellwether indicate that State Rep. Bob Latta -- Buehrer's opponent in the OH-05 GOP primary -- received just one campaign contribution from Noe, a $750 check. (For some reason, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's Web site has been malfunction today. The links either fail or misdirect. There is a note saying the portal is undergoing maintenance. )
Latta and Buehrer are both conservatives, but Buehrer has been portraying himself as the stronger foe of any efforts to raise taxes, and contends his anti-abortion credentials are superior to Latta's. Buehrer also has backing from the Club for Growth, which is vehemently opposed to any new taxes.
But the Noe contributions may present an opening for Latta -- who might begin to make a case that Buehrer was silent, inactive, or inattentive during the scandals of the Taft years because Buehrer accepted campaign funds from a known crook. Political corruption is an issue that is high on the public's radar, and the eight checks totaling $7,979 from Noe to Buehrer's campaign fund are likely to become a way to dredge up the recent scandals and pin more sins on the jailed fundraiser.
Noe has come to symbolize the face of political corruption in Ohio. He has been convicted of stealing from Ohio's $50 million rare coin fund, and also for illegally laundering some $45,000 into President Bush's reelection campaign.
There is more about Noe's crooked activities in this Toledo Blade story from Nov. 20, 2006. Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Osowik said Noe "cooked the books" in a scheme to cheat the public.
Campaign finance records examined by The Daily Bellwether at the Ohio Secretary of State's office show Noe began writing checks to Buehrer's campaign fund during the 2000 election cycle. He donated $2,500 to Citizens for Buehrer that year. Six other check brought in another $5,479 between 2001-2004.
Records examined by The Bellwether indicate that State Rep. Bob Latta -- Buehrer's opponent in the OH-05 GOP primary -- received just one campaign contribution from Noe, a $750 check. (For some reason, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's Web site has been malfunction today. The links either fail or misdirect. There is a note saying the portal is undergoing maintenance. )
Latta and Buehrer are both conservatives, but Buehrer has been portraying himself as the stronger foe of any efforts to raise taxes, and contends his anti-abortion credentials are superior to Latta's. Buehrer also has backing from the Club for Growth, which is vehemently opposed to any new taxes.
But the Noe contributions may present an opening for Latta -- who might begin to make a case that Buehrer was silent, inactive, or inattentive during the scandals of the Taft years because Buehrer accepted campaign funds from a known crook. Political corruption is an issue that is high on the public's radar, and the eight checks totaling $7,979 from Noe to Buehrer's campaign fund are likely to become a way to dredge up the recent scandals and pin more sins on the jailed fundraiser.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
OH-05 GOP Buehrer v. Latta: Attack Ad Uses Phony Plain Dealer Front Page
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- The Club for Growth PAC has released a political attack ad in Ohio's 5th Congressional District that displays a faked front page of the state's largest newspaper, The Plain Dealer. The bogus Plain Dealer is visible at the beginning of the 30-second spot that criticizes State Rep. Bob Latta as a tax-and-spend Republican. The ad was created to generate support for State Sen. Steve Buehrer, and is running on cable and broadcast outlets in OH-05.
[UPDATE: 2:58 pm EDT -- There was a story in the newspaper under the headline "Taft OKs tax increase, largest budget in Ohio history," but it was not on the front page as the Club for Growth asserts in its attack ad. The story written by Julie Carr Smyth and Stephen Ohlemacher, who are now both with the Associated Press, then with the paper's bureau in Columbus. It ran on Jun 27, 2003 and was on page B-4, which means it was buried in the metro section and nowhere near the front page. It was 592 words long and mentioned that Taft used his line item veto several times on the bill.]
Ironically, the Club for Growth says the ad "sets the record straight" about Buehrer's conservative economic principles. But some might say it seems disreputable, underhanded or even dishonest to present a non-existent newspaper page as proof in an attack ad. The tactic smacks of a political dirty trick.
By the way, The Plain Dealer page that that appears in the ad has plenty of clues that give it away as a phony. It doesn't have a date. It has a generic picture of the Ohio Statehouse. It uses the wrong style headline typeface. And it does not have the correct column format. The clues might not be instant giveaways in Northwest Ohio -- where OH-O5 is located -- because The Plain Dealer does not circulate in that portion of Ohio and people are not familiar with how the newspaper really looks.
There are real versions of front pages from Cleveland at this Web portal. The Club for Growth issued a press release accompanying the attack ad that says Latta "wasted no time twisting the truth." Pat Toomey, the Club for Growth's president, went on to say:
"It is sad to see Bob Latta distort the facts in order to paint himself a 'rock solid conservative' when in fact he supported tax and spending increases. The Club for Growth PAC ad will inform voters of the truth about Bob Latta's record."
Apparently, it has done some distorting of its own by creating a phony newspaper page.
[UPDATE: 2:58 pm EDT -- There was a story in the newspaper under the headline "Taft OKs tax increase, largest budget in Ohio history," but it was not on the front page as the Club for Growth asserts in its attack ad. The story written by Julie Carr Smyth and Stephen Ohlemacher, who are now both with the Associated Press, then with the paper's bureau in Columbus. It ran on Jun 27, 2003 and was on page B-4, which means it was buried in the metro section and nowhere near the front page. It was 592 words long and mentioned that Taft used his line item veto several times on the bill.]
Ironically, the Club for Growth says the ad "sets the record straight" about Buehrer's conservative economic principles. But some might say it seems disreputable, underhanded or even dishonest to present a non-existent newspaper page as proof in an attack ad. The tactic smacks of a political dirty trick.
By the way, The Plain Dealer page that that appears in the ad has plenty of clues that give it away as a phony. It doesn't have a date. It has a generic picture of the Ohio Statehouse. It uses the wrong style headline typeface. And it does not have the correct column format. The clues might not be instant giveaways in Northwest Ohio -- where OH-O5 is located -- because The Plain Dealer does not circulate in that portion of Ohio and people are not familiar with how the newspaper really looks.
There are real versions of front pages from Cleveland at this Web portal. The Club for Growth issued a press release accompanying the attack ad that says Latta "wasted no time twisting the truth." Pat Toomey, the Club for Growth's president, went on to say:
"It is sad to see Bob Latta distort the facts in order to paint himself a 'rock solid conservative' when in fact he supported tax and spending increases. The Club for Growth PAC ad will inform voters of the truth about Bob Latta's record."
Apparently, it has done some distorting of its own by creating a phony newspaper page.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
OH-05 House Race: GOP Begins Arguing Over 2004 Chickenpox Vaccine Vote
BOWLING GREEN (TDB) -- Adding chickenpox to the list of required immunizations for Ohio schoolchildren was opposed by some right-to-lifers when the issue came up three years ago in the Ohio General Assembly. Now the debate has been resurrected, where it has spilled over into the Oh-05 Republican congressional primary to replace the late Paul Gillmor.
Then State Rep. Steve Buehrer voted against the chicken pox vaccinations with 27 others, a group that included the current House Speaker, John Husted, and State Rep. Tom Brinkman, the Cincinnati Republican who has sponsored legislation to outlaw abortion in Ohio. Buehrer's opponent in the OH-o5 GOP primary, Bob Latta, voted for the chicken pox vaccines.
Don't even think for a minute this is trivial. It is huge to the pro-life movement. None other than Cardinal Ratzinger -- the current Pope Benedict -- delved into the moral questions about fetal tissue in vaccine cells lines in 2005. The Vatican issued this lengthy report which said there was a duty among Catholics to try to avoid vaccines that were created in violation of church teachings. The Vatican report explained in part:
"As regards the preparation, distribution and marketing of vaccines produced as a result of the use of biological material whose origin is connected with cells coming for foetuses voluntarily abortted, such a process is stated, as a matter of principle, morally illicit, because it could contribute in encouraging the performance of other volultary abortions, with the purpose of the production of such vaccines. Nevertheless, it should be recognized that, within the chain of production-distribution-marketing, the various cooperating agents can have differing moral responsibilities."
The statement, and the debate starting in OH-05, carries echoes of the arguments over stem cell research, and the pro-life movement's opposition to using tissue from aborted human life to explore and develop promising biomedical technologies for Parkinson's and other diseases.
A blogger called Ohio Farmer brought the vaccine issue back to life today with a post that wondered whose pro-life commitment was stronger: Buehrer or Latta. The anonymous blogger favored Buehrer, citing as one reason the chicken pox vaccine:
"On a third vote that both Latta and Buehrer had a chance to take a stand on was the issue of mandatory chickenpox vaccinations. What do chickenpox vaccinations have to do with pro-life issues? Well, to date every chickenpox vaccination requires aborted fetal tissues in its production. When the bill came up for a vote in the House, Latta voted for the bill. When the bill got to the Senate, Steve Buehrer voted against it. This was not a high-profile bill that got a lot of limelight.
"Frankly, to be pro-life is relatively easy when the vote is about cutting funding for abortion. The true test of being pro-life is how you vote on obscure measures that deal with non-high profile issues like aborted fetal tissue used in production of vaccines."
The Daily Bellwether's research shows that Substitute House Bill No. 463 dealt with mandatory chicken pox immunizations. The House Journal for May 26, 2004 (pdf) shows the official vote, which is reported on page 117. There were 70 yeas, including Latta. Buehrer is listed among the 28 nays, including Brinkman, Husted, Jim Trakas, Tim Grendell and Jean Schmidt, who now represents OH-02 in the U.S. House and is a longtime supporter of the pro-life movement.
Matt Naugle of Right Angle Blog also spotted Ohio Farmer's discussion of chicken pox as a right-to-life issue. Matt says he is going to have more on the topic later today, and promises some inside dish on what went down in the Ohio House.
Then State Rep. Steve Buehrer voted against the chicken pox vaccinations with 27 others, a group that included the current House Speaker, John Husted, and State Rep. Tom Brinkman, the Cincinnati Republican who has sponsored legislation to outlaw abortion in Ohio. Buehrer's opponent in the OH-o5 GOP primary, Bob Latta, voted for the chicken pox vaccines.
Don't even think for a minute this is trivial. It is huge to the pro-life movement. None other than Cardinal Ratzinger -- the current Pope Benedict -- delved into the moral questions about fetal tissue in vaccine cells lines in 2005. The Vatican issued this lengthy report which said there was a duty among Catholics to try to avoid vaccines that were created in violation of church teachings. The Vatican report explained in part:
"As regards the preparation, distribution and marketing of vaccines produced as a result of the use of biological material whose origin is connected with cells coming for foetuses voluntarily abortted, such a process is stated, as a matter of principle, morally illicit, because it could contribute in encouraging the performance of other volultary abortions, with the purpose of the production of such vaccines. Nevertheless, it should be recognized that, within the chain of production-distribution-marketing, the various cooperating agents can have differing moral responsibilities."
The statement, and the debate starting in OH-05, carries echoes of the arguments over stem cell research, and the pro-life movement's opposition to using tissue from aborted human life to explore and develop promising biomedical technologies for Parkinson's and other diseases.
A blogger called Ohio Farmer brought the vaccine issue back to life today with a post that wondered whose pro-life commitment was stronger: Buehrer or Latta. The anonymous blogger favored Buehrer, citing as one reason the chicken pox vaccine:
"On a third vote that both Latta and Buehrer had a chance to take a stand on was the issue of mandatory chickenpox vaccinations. What do chickenpox vaccinations have to do with pro-life issues? Well, to date every chickenpox vaccination requires aborted fetal tissues in its production. When the bill came up for a vote in the House, Latta voted for the bill. When the bill got to the Senate, Steve Buehrer voted against it. This was not a high-profile bill that got a lot of limelight.
"Frankly, to be pro-life is relatively easy when the vote is about cutting funding for abortion. The true test of being pro-life is how you vote on obscure measures that deal with non-high profile issues like aborted fetal tissue used in production of vaccines."
The Daily Bellwether's research shows that Substitute House Bill No. 463 dealt with mandatory chicken pox immunizations. The House Journal for May 26, 2004 (pdf) shows the official vote, which is reported on page 117. There were 70 yeas, including Latta. Buehrer is listed among the 28 nays, including Brinkman, Husted, Jim Trakas, Tim Grendell and Jean Schmidt, who now represents OH-02 in the U.S. House and is a longtime supporter of the pro-life movement.
Matt Naugle of Right Angle Blog also spotted Ohio Farmer's discussion of chicken pox as a right-to-life issue. Matt says he is going to have more on the topic later today, and promises some inside dish on what went down in the Ohio House.
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