ProgressOhio

You can bet Gov. Sarah Palin knows what a gerund is, but she's hardly prepared to be on the national political stage -- let alone a heartbeat away from the presidency -- with merely a bachelor's degree from the University of Idaho.

It's like the Republicans have thrown us a woman-bone. "Here she is. Happy now?" We're supposed to be appeased by this political prop. Woof.

I can get over the fact that she's a fitness-crazed, automatic weapon-toting mother of five. Well, actually, it does concern me that she very recently had a baby, delivered within her brief tenure as governor of Alaska. Evidently, she is still fertile. Can she promise us that she won't get pregnant if elected heartbeat-away Commander in Chief?

Negotiating with Iranians while nine months pregnant is, well, I don't know, awkward.

You betcha, she's a tough and ambitious Northern woman, this weird amalgam of Republican values. But, c'mon, a Journalism degree? It would be laughable if it wasn't so scary. Can you imagine what a Rovian tool she could become? This short-sighted vice presidential pick is a very real national security threat.

Yes, Sarah Palin has a compelling life story. So does John McCain. But this isn't a contest about who deserves to be President and Vice President.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121969145343270091.html?mod=hpp_us_inside_today

Published August 26, 2008, by The Wall Street Journal.

Walk into almost any hotel here this week and you can find an odd sight: Liberal Democrats starting their day by lobbying moderate and conservative Democrats.

The lobbyists are members of the Progressive Democrats of America, an activist group working to keep the party true to liberal priorities, and they have been assigned to every hotel housing Democratic convention delegates.

"At breakfast, where they go to get their talking points [from the national party], we will be there," says Tim Carpenter, a veteran of Democratic campaigns and national director of the PDA.

The fact that Mr. Carpenter and his cohorts feel compelled to buttonhole other Democrats to push a liberal agenda is a sign of a quiet tension lurking within the Democratic Party. That tension is a potential complication for Sen. Barack Obama now, and it is certain to be one for him and his party if he is elected president.

Progressives--the term of art for the party's liberal wing--contend, with some justification, that they have provided much of the fuel that could propel the party to win control of the White House and both houses of Congress for the first time in 16 years. They have contributed and raised large amounts of money, fired up their troops on the Internet, and generally are thrilled at the prospect of a Democratic sweep.

Yet they aren't sure the party they think they are leading to victory is really following them. Sen. Obama has been essentially nonideological in his campaign, has made much of his desire to reach across the ideological spectrum to Republicans, and spent several weeks this summer moving away from the left and toward the center on issues ranging from warrantless wiretaps to abortion to gun control.

More than that, liberals realize that if the party expands its control of the House and Senate, it may do so by electing moderate and conservative Democrats who vanquish sitting Republicans. Thus, while Democratic control in Congress could expand, liberal influence may not.

So the progressive wing of the party has gathered in Denver uncertain whether to celebrate or fight for its due.

"The party doesn't get it," says Mr. Carpenter, who worked on the presidential campaigns of Jesse Jackson, former California Gov. Jerry Brown and former President Bill Clinton. "That's why organizations like the PDA have to organize and energize."

The big question, of course, is: Exactly what do progressives want? For many, the short answer is: Quick and unconditional withdrawal from Iraq, no parallel buildup in Afghanistan, a reduction in the military budget, a broad rollback of the Bush tax cuts, an increase in corporate taxes and a shift of those funds to social spending, a huge government drive for alternative energy sources, and a much bigger government role in providing health care.

Sen. Obama doesn't exactly oppose any of those impulses, but he hasn't fully bought into all of them, either. He'd roll back some but not all Bush tax cuts, for instance, and is a long way from backing the kind of government-funded universal health-insurance system many progressives want.

Rob Kall, a radio host and editor of liberal Web site OpEdNews, says flatly, "Liberals and progressives don't see him as liberal. Universally among liberals and leftists, they seem him as a centrist."

That may be fine with the Obama campaign, which likely calculates that victory hinges more on the candidate's ability to win over independents and former supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton than the party's liberal base, which figures to go along for the ride. Still, Mr. Kall says some members of his Web site are drifting toward third-party candidates Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney or questioning how hard they want to work this fall.

The most likely campaign effect, though, is continued pressure on Sen. Obama through the fall to move left on key issues.

The Ohio Republican Party funneled $495,000 into an account used to support the candidacy of former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell that should have only been used to support candidates for national office, according to a letter from Ohio's current Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and a GOP spokesman.

A spokesman for the Republican Party disagreed with the secretary's findings, saying, "We're seeking a legal opinion. We feel federal funds can be spent on a statewide race."

Despite an earlier statement to the contrary, that spokesman for the Republican Party said only one statewide candidate received the money in question. The spokesman said it was the candidate for Governor,  Ken Blackwell.

Blackwell achieved notoriety after allegations he abused his office as the state's top elections official. While serving as Secretary of State, which handles statewide elections, he also doubled as state chairman for George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign. Blackwell has been named in more than ten voter disenfranchisement lawsuits.

He was also named in a 2006 lawsuit after his office publicly disclosed the Social Security numbers of Ohio residents.

See Also:

Ohio GOP illegally funneled $495,000 from federal account, top campaign finance official writes

COLUMBUS - Voters who have asked for their names to be removed from payday lending petitions are featured in a new video that explains how others who were deceived into signing can get their names off of the petitions.

"The payday lenders took my name and I want it back,'' Bexley resident Peder Johanson says in the video. Johanson, who is studying for the seminary, was told the referendum is intended to lower interest rates, rather than raise them.

He urges others who were deceived into signing to call the new hotline at 1-866- 966-8727. Consumer advocates staffing the hotline will work to ensure that removal requests are honored.

Others in the video include:

· Dayton's Alan Noble, a retired middle school teacher who signed after the petition circulator told him the ballot issue would lower interest rates. He is attempting to get his name removed.

· State Rep. Robert Hagan and his son, James, who refused to sign petitions but watched circulators convince others to sign with false promises of lower interest rates.

· Painesville voter Michelle Mezaris who refused to sign after being told that she could not cast a vote on the issue - one way or another - unless her name appeared on one of the petitions. Mezaris' right to vote on the issue is not tied in any way to her signature on a petition.

The national payday loan lobby is financing a statewide referendum to undermine a 28 percent rate cap on payday loans that was approved by legislators and signed by Gov. Ted Strickland. Lenders want to be able to charge 391 percent APR on a typical two-week loan and have claimed that the 28 percent rate cap would put them out of business.

To qualify for the November ballot as State Issue 5, the lenders need to collect 241,365 signatures from registered voters by August 31.

Voters can ask for their names to be removed from the petitions - a step that must be taken before petitions are turned into the Secretary of State on Aug. 31.

The Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio set up the hotline after hearing complaints that lenders were not honoring removal requests in a timely fashion. The video may be viewed on COHHIO's website at www.yesonissue5.com.

A YES vote on Issue 5 keeps caps rates at 28 percent. A NO vote would allow lenders to continue charging triple-digit interest.

Watch It:

Here is what PDA has planned in Denver to help further the shift left:

PROGRESSIVE CENTRAL at the DNC CONVENTION

Join PDA and The Nation in the heart of Denver at the Central Presbyterian Church, 1660 Sherman St.--a progressive oasis, where like-minded individuals can meet to network, share ideas, learn from the country's foremost progressives, and help build the progressive movement.

Paid parking is located nearby; but we recommend public transportation, visit http://www.denver.com/transport/masstransit.html

Check back frequently for additions or changes to panels. Panelists are still confirming availability.

To volunteer, contact DNCvolunteers@pdamerica.org.

For more information or to make a hardship request, contact Denver@pdamerica.org.

During an afternoon news conference at AARP's state offices, Franklin County voter Peder Johanson told reporters he encountered a deceptive petition circulator earlier this month. When told the petition was about payday lenders, Johanson made it clear that he opposed the industry.

"I told them I thought the lenders charged too high an interest rate and I wanted them to change the way they operate," said Johanson. "The circulators responded by saying something along the lines of, 'So do we. That's why we're out here.'"

An affidavit from Johanson is included in the materials delivered to the elections board, along with links to four audio recordings of circulators falsely stating that interest rates would drop.

Joining Johanson were former state legislator E.J. Thomas, a Republican, and Charleta B. Tavares, a Democrat who chairs the Health, Housing and Human Services Committee for Columbus City Council.

Tavares said she is troubled by reports of similar deception across the state.

"At the very least, petition circulators should be able to answer this question: Is your goal to make interest rates go up - or go down, "Tavares said. "The goal of the payday lenders - the vote NO side - is to reject the reforms and continue charging 391% APR."

>Thomas said it is unclear whether petition circulators are intentionally misleading voters or are so poorly trained that they accidentally mislead them.

As voters debate the merits of Issue 5, Thomas urged them to look at what each side has to gain.

"The payday lenders - the NO vote - have millions of dollars on the line and that's why they'll spend literally millions of dollars on their campaign to keep interest rates high," Thomas said. "Those of us voting YES on Issue 5 want to see interest rates drop and will see not one dime of financial gains as result of its passage. What we'll see is stronger families and stronger communities."

Issue 5 seeks to repeal a portion of House Bill 545, which caps interest on loans at 28 percent, down from 391 percent APR allowed under the old law.

To qualify for the November ballot, lenders must collect 241,365 signatures from registered voters by August 31.

Voters who already signed a petition have the right to have their names removed.

Johanson asked for his name to be removed and urged others to ask for their names to be taken off petitions by immediately calling COHHIO's hotline at 1-866-966-8727.

Watch it here: