Appalachian Populists
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Freshman Congressman Zack Space thought for a while today that his campaign for re-election might literally crash and burn in a Fairfield County farm field.
As Space told the story during a Newark fundraiser this evening, he was flying with his committee chairman, Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson, from Zanesville to Lancaster in Peterson's Beechcraft Bonanza when the single-engine aircraft suddenly lost all electric power.
Peterson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, was in Ohio to support Space in his bid for a second term as congressman for Ohio's sprawling 18th District, which covers 16 eastern Ohio counties. The Dover Democrat is a member of the agriculture committee, so the two lawmakers were spending the day visiting farms across the district.
Space admits to a life-long phobia about flying, and so he admits the malfunction gave him plenty to think about other than politics. "I began wondering if I could survive jumping out of the plane into some body of water," he said at the fundraiser.
Peterson, however, seemed less concern. The problem with the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza was a bad alternator, which had gone out several times before, Peterson said. Despite the power outage, the Minnesotan landed the plane without incident in Lancaster.
"We were never in any danger," Peterson said.
The two congressmen last night told supporters that energy is the number one issue now facing Congress.
And as Space now knows, when you're out of power, you're in for a white-knuckle landing.
As Space told the story during a Newark fundraiser this evening, he was flying with his committee chairman, Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson, from Zanesville to Lancaster in Peterson's Beechcraft Bonanza when the single-engine aircraft suddenly lost all electric power.
Peterson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, was in Ohio to support Space in his bid for a second term as congressman for Ohio's sprawling 18th District, which covers 16 eastern Ohio counties. The Dover Democrat is a member of the agriculture committee, so the two lawmakers were spending the day visiting farms across the district.
Space admits to a life-long phobia about flying, and so he admits the malfunction gave him plenty to think about other than politics. "I began wondering if I could survive jumping out of the plane into some body of water," he said at the fundraiser.
Peterson, however, seemed less concern. The problem with the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza was a bad alternator, which had gone out several times before, Peterson said. Despite the power outage, the Minnesotan landed the plane without incident in Lancaster.
"We were never in any danger," Peterson said.
The two congressmen last night told supporters that energy is the number one issue now facing Congress.
And as Space now knows, when you're out of power, you're in for a white-knuckle landing.
If you're like me, you've been to a family reunion this summer where -- after the chicken and potato salad have been attacked, and the kids dispatched to the playground -- the talk inevitably turns to presidential politics.
Up until this year, at least in my extended family, this usually meant spirited disagreement when the Red Herd finds out there's a Blue Bull amongst them (that would be me).
But this year, the discussion was more disturbing -- and depressing.
"Who do you like for President?," asked one of the old Red Bulls, a guy who I know for a fact thinks Bush is too liberal.
"Definitely, Obama," I replied, girding for battle.
"Oh, yeah, I guess," replied Red Bull. "But it doesn't make any difference, does it? They're all crooked."
And we went back to watching the Olympics on televison.
Later, talking with a cousin who I suspect is cautiously non-political, the same question was asked.
"Obama," I said. "I like the way he's getting the young people involved."
Oh, yeah, I guess," she replied. "But it doesn't really make any difference who's elected, does it. They're all the same."
Now this "they're-all-the-same" approach may be a good way to avoid offense at a family reunion, but it does reflect an increasingly common attitude which is a cancer on our democracy.
So with my sweet cousin, I decided to keep the conversation going.
"No, actually, it does make a difference," I said. "What would have happened if Lincoln hadn't been elected...or FDR? Don't you think the history of this country would have been a lot different, for the worse?"
At the Open House last night celebrating the opening of the new offices of the Licking County Democratic Party, Congressman Zack Space, D-Dover, was also taking about the upcoming election from the historical perspective.
"This is going to be the most important election since 1932, and one can make the argument that there's been no more important election cycle since the Civil War," he told the volunteers and candidates who crowded into their new Church St. command center.
The news this morning, by the way, is that Space's predecessor, former Republican Congressman Bob Ney, will be released from federal custody on Saturday after being incarcerated for corruption in connection with the Abramoff lobbying scandal.
Space has spent the last two years in Congress and in Ohio working hard to improve the economy of his sprawling Southeastern Ohio district. Ney was convicted after getting swept up in the Washington pay-to-play game with lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. So are Space and Ney equally corrupt because they're both politicians?
And did it make any difference that 18th District voters, seeing how they had been duped, decided to shuck off their traditional allegiance to the Grand Old Party in 2006 and vote instead for a conservative but progressive Democrat like Space?
No, they're not all corrupt and they're not all the same, and we shouldn't let people -- even those we love, at family reunions -- get away with such a cynical dismissal of the whole political process. This is not a time to remain silent about your candidate or your hope for a better future.
Up until this year, at least in my extended family, this usually meant spirited disagreement when the Red Herd finds out there's a Blue Bull amongst them (that would be me).
But this year, the discussion was more disturbing -- and depressing.
"Who do you like for President?," asked one of the old Red Bulls, a guy who I know for a fact thinks Bush is too liberal.
"Definitely, Obama," I replied, girding for battle.
"Oh, yeah, I guess," replied Red Bull. "But it doesn't make any difference, does it? They're all crooked."
And we went back to watching the Olympics on televison.
Later, talking with a cousin who I suspect is cautiously non-political, the same question was asked.
"Obama," I said. "I like the way he's getting the young people involved."
Oh, yeah, I guess," she replied. "But it doesn't really make any difference who's elected, does it. They're all the same."
Now this "they're-all-the-same" approach may be a good way to avoid offense at a family reunion, but it does reflect an increasingly common attitude which is a cancer on our democracy.
So with my sweet cousin, I decided to keep the conversation going.
"No, actually, it does make a difference," I said. "What would have happened if Lincoln hadn't been elected...or FDR? Don't you think the history of this country would have been a lot different, for the worse?"
At the Open House last night celebrating the opening of the new offices of the Licking County Democratic Party, Congressman Zack Space, D-Dover, was also taking about the upcoming election from the historical perspective.
"This is going to be the most important election since 1932, and one can make the argument that there's been no more important election cycle since the Civil War," he told the volunteers and candidates who crowded into their new Church St. command center.
The news this morning, by the way, is that Space's predecessor, former Republican Congressman Bob Ney, will be released from federal custody on Saturday after being incarcerated for corruption in connection with the Abramoff lobbying scandal.
Space has spent the last two years in Congress and in Ohio working hard to improve the economy of his sprawling Southeastern Ohio district. Ney was convicted after getting swept up in the Washington pay-to-play game with lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. So are Space and Ney equally corrupt because they're both politicians?
And did it make any difference that 18th District voters, seeing how they had been duped, decided to shuck off their traditional allegiance to the Grand Old Party in 2006 and vote instead for a conservative but progressive Democrat like Space?
No, they're not all corrupt and they're not all the same, and we shouldn't let people -- even those we love, at family reunions -- get away with such a cynical dismissal of the whole political process. This is not a time to remain silent about your candidate or your hope for a better future.
Can Congressman Zack Space, by staying in the middle of the road, avoid being run over in the highly-partisan national energy debate?
Or does he risk becoming road kill?
Space, D-Dover, has sought to defuse the issue of Alaskan and off-shore drilling by criticizing both parties in Congress for failure to act on skyrocketing oil prices. At the Licking County JFK Breakfast last Saturday, he said he favors a comprehensive study of all options, including drilling but also including conservation measures, development of alternative fuels and energy sources and tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Today, the Dispatch caught up with that story, quoting Space as saying,
"I am frustrated by the lack of debate, by the lack of candid discussion, by the inability of leadership in both parties to cut through all the political nonsense, roll up their sleeves and get down to work and come up with a solution that makes America stronger."
Meanwhile, of course, Republicans continue to howl in chorus to drill, drill, drill, despite the potential environmental cost, even though every expert in the field agrees that that wouldn't produce any increase in oil supplies for decades, and even then wouldn't have much impact of world oil prices.
Seeking to return Space's 18th District to Republican control, challenger Fred Dailey of Mt. Vernon is furiously waving the oily rag, accusing Space of "liberal lip-service...with his support of so-called energy legislation that does nothing to lower gas prices or help America become energy independent."
http://www.daileyforcongress.com/newsDetails.cfm?i=25
The Dispatch interprets the congressman's even-handedness as an attempt by Space and some other Democrats "to distance themselves from their leaders" on the drilling issue.
Isn't it just possible, however, that Space, as a first-termer, just brings a fresh perspective to Congress' partisanship-as-usual way of doing business? Shouldn't the guy get some credit for calling out party leaders on both sides of the aisle for grossly simplifying the very complicated set of energy problems facing America?
Our resident poet, Hummingbird, has faulted Zack in the past for supporting legislation that weakens protection for wild mustangs. But on this issue, she thinks the congressman is smart to stay clear of the herd:
GALLOPING TO THE FINISH
There is a young politician //
stumping his Buckeye Partition. //
His name is Zack Space -- //
He's top of the race. //
Despite GOP derision. //
-- A Political Pepper Spray (TM) by Hummingbird
Congress needs to stop playing politics with energy, U.S. Rep. Zack Space, D-Dover, told Licking County Democrats this morning.
And in saying all energy options should be on the table, Space didn't spare members of his own party from criticism.
"I'm not proud that my party has engaged just as much as have Republicans in political rhetoric on these issues," he said. "The politicians need to be fair and square and honest with the energy problem, and far too many have not been."
Space has introduced legislation to help working families offset gasoline costs through tax credits, and has voted to support legislation requiring oil companies to start exploiting the 68 million acres of onshore and offshore oil leases they have already been granted by the federal government.
In a column on his congressional web site this month, he also endorses various oil conservation measures in the short term and the development of "advanced energy sources" in the long term.
http://space.house.gov/?sectionid=24&parentid=8§iontree=8,24&itemid=465
In his re-election bid, the 18th District congressman has come under heavy attack from Republicans and conservative groups for not supporting approval of new offshore drilling leases and for opposing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
But Space said today that he thinks Congress should put all energy options, including new drilling in Alaska and offshore, "on the table" for study. Drafters of any new national energy plan, however, must also consider the other options, such as stronger energy conservation programs, the development of alternative fuels or tapping into the Strategic Oil Reserve.
OBAMA
Space, who as a superdelegate remained uncommitted during the Democratic primaries, also said he now strongly supports Barack Obama for the nomination in August.
"Barack is the nominee," he said. "If you're a supporter of Hillary Clinton, you need to come over to Barack's side.
"This guy has the ability to change the perception the rest of the world has of this nation," he continued.
America's leadership role in the world has been badly eroded during President Bush's tenure in office, he said.
"Two years ago, I thought it would take decades to restore it. But now I think Barack will restore it the first day he takes office."
"Not only do I feel better about him after talking to him. I feel better about myself."
And in saying all energy options should be on the table, Space didn't spare members of his own party from criticism.
"I'm not proud that my party has engaged just as much as have Republicans in political rhetoric on these issues," he said. "The politicians need to be fair and square and honest with the energy problem, and far too many have not been."
Space has introduced legislation to help working families offset gasoline costs through tax credits, and has voted to support legislation requiring oil companies to start exploiting the 68 million acres of onshore and offshore oil leases they have already been granted by the federal government.
In a column on his congressional web site this month, he also endorses various oil conservation measures in the short term and the development of "advanced energy sources" in the long term.
http://space.house.gov/?sectionid=24&parentid=8§iontree=8,24&itemid=465
In his re-election bid, the 18th District congressman has come under heavy attack from Republicans and conservative groups for not supporting approval of new offshore drilling leases and for opposing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
But Space said today that he thinks Congress should put all energy options, including new drilling in Alaska and offshore, "on the table" for study. Drafters of any new national energy plan, however, must also consider the other options, such as stronger energy conservation programs, the development of alternative fuels or tapping into the Strategic Oil Reserve.
OBAMA
Space, who as a superdelegate remained uncommitted during the Democratic primaries, also said he now strongly supports Barack Obama for the nomination in August.
"Barack is the nominee," he said. "If you're a supporter of Hillary Clinton, you need to come over to Barack's side.
"This guy has the ability to change the perception the rest of the world has of this nation," he continued.
America's leadership role in the world has been badly eroded during President Bush's tenure in office, he said.
"Two years ago, I thought it would take decades to restore it. But now I think Barack will restore it the first day he takes office."
"Not only do I feel better about him after talking to him. I feel better about myself."
Politics is a numbers game, but which numbers really count these days?
In Ohio's 12th District, 4-term Republican incumbent Pat Tiberi is easily winning the money race, having raised nearly $1.4 million in campaign contributions so far this year, including $246,000 in the second quarter alone.
By comparison, in reports to the Federal Elections Commission, Democratic challenger David Robinson has raised $80,254 this election cycle, which includes $52,371 in the second quarter. (Disclosure: that includes $200 from LICOPAC).
No surprise there. As the Dispatch reports today,
"Quarterly congressional campaign finance reports due yesterday provide a reminder of why it is usually an uphill battle to beat an incumbent lawmaker: They raise tons of campaign cash."
Robinson himself has told volunteers he expects to be heavily outspent by Tiberi, who draws major support from utilities, insurance companies, banks and financial institutions and national Republican PACs. His hopes lie in outworking Tiberi at the grassroots -- and on cashing in the 12th District numbers in terms of 12th District voter demographics.
According to a Robinson fact sheet:
---George Bush beat John Kerry in the district by only 2.8 percent back in 2004.
---Democratic Governor Ted Strickland won the 12th with a 58.4 percent margin in 2006.
---Republicans registered only 18 percent of primary registered voters in the district in March, as compared to 30 percent Democratic and 52 percent independent.
---Robinson won his primary race in March, gaining 51 percent in a 3-way race, despite the fact that he was not the party-endorsed candidate.
Despite his modest bank account, Robinson spent early and heavily on the tools of the trade -- campaign buttons and stickers and signs and a high quality video and web site (www.robinson2008.com ) operation. And there are now signs he's putting more emphasis on fund raising, although it may be too late to impress the dollar-fixated Democratic sugar daddies in Washington and Columbus (ie, DCCC, DNC, ODP).
In part, Robinson is hoping that the Obama tide raises all Democratic boats, even the small ones.
"I'm not a career politician, so we're creating our campaign from scratch," Robinson said back in April. "We are confident that we will have the resources to put our ideas and plans before every voter for the general election."
Meanwhile, in the 18th District, Republican challenger Fred Dailey must be praying for a McCain tide because his small craft needs a boost as well in its bid to unseat Democratic incumbent Zack Space.
Space, despite swearing off all gifts from lobbyists, raised $322,147 during the second quarter, easily outdistancing Dailey, a former state agriculture director, who brought in $116,000 over the same period.
According to the Dispatch, this gives Space a 10-1 dollar advantage over Dailey for the entire 2007-2008 election cycle.
It wasn't too long ago that national Republicans announced they intended to make Space their number one target in 2008, on the belief that his victory two years ago in a normally Republican district was a fluke, resulting only from the lobbying scandal which engulfed former Republican incumbent Bob Ney.
Only in this case, the "target" decided to fire back, and now seems headed for an easy re-election win.
I was one of a number of Ohio peace activists who linked up with Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown earlier today via conference call to talk about the war funding bill now approaching a Senate vote.
Unfortunately, when it comes to Iraq (or Iran), the senator didn't have much encouraging news to share.
Brown said he will vote against the $165 billion supplemental funding bill for Iraq and Afghanistan which will soon be on the Senate floor. This is no surprise, since Brown cast a similar vote against a $70 billion supplemental war-funding bill last December.
Once again, however, the war funding bill is expected to pass without significant concessions by the White House.
Brown's position on war funding has hardened since last June when he vowed in e-mail to Ohio Quakers to "continue to fight to fully fund our troops.."
And, in fact, in May 2007 Brown voted in favor of an earlier $120 billion war supplemental bill brought to the Congress by the Bush administration.
Now, however, "I don't trust anything he (Bush) says when he's talking about Iraq," Brown said. In view of the administration's failure earlier in the war to provide adequate body and vehicle armor, Brown said legislators can't be sure the President would recall U.S. troops even if future funding was denied.
Brown said in voting against continued war funding, he is taking a risk that congressional opposition could weaken U.S. forces abroad.
"It's a real hard call," he said. "In an election year, a lot of Democrats flinch from it. (Note: Brown was elected to a 6-year term in 2006 and isn't up for re-election until 2012.)
"But politics aside, it's a hard legitimate question," he said. "Do you cut funding when you have soldiers in the field? It's more than politics."
In his response to Ohio Quakers last June, Brown said, "I voted against the Iraq war and I generally support the principles of the (withdrawal) legislation. I will continue to fight to fully fund our troops, to ensure accountability and oversight, for economic and political changes that benefit all Iraqi citizens and to redeploy our troops as soon as possible."
Brown said he opposes any attempt by the Bush administration to ink a long-term security agreement with Iraqi officials that ties the hands of the next administration. The U.S. reportedly wants to preserve more than 50 U.S. bases in Iraq under such an agreement, and give U.S. soldiers and contractors immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law.
Administration officials say they don't need to get congressional approval for such an agreement. Brown said he's not sure Congress could block such a move, although the next President could overturn any Iraqi pact not approved by Congress.
Likewise, if the outgoing administration launched a pre-emptive attack against Iranian nuclear facilities before leaving office in January, its congressional critics might not be able to do much more than complain.
"If there's an attack on Iran, and they (Iran) haven't attacked us,....there will be all sorts of reaction," said Brown. "That would be met with skepticism and rage by a lot of us..."
The bottom line, he said, is that the debate on the war has now shifted from Congress to the Presidential campaigns.
"The party will take the lead from Barack, he said. "In the end, what he says is pretty much what we follow. And we'll just have to fight about it after the election."
It was announced by Cleveland Peace Action during the conference call that an Iran Coordinating Group will meet this Saturday in Cleveland as part of the National Assembly to end the Iraq War and Occupation. For more information, go to www.natassembly.org or call 216-736-4704.
Unfortunately, when it comes to Iraq (or Iran), the senator didn't have much encouraging news to share.
Brown said he will vote against the $165 billion supplemental funding bill for Iraq and Afghanistan which will soon be on the Senate floor. This is no surprise, since Brown cast a similar vote against a $70 billion supplemental war-funding bill last December.
Once again, however, the war funding bill is expected to pass without significant concessions by the White House.
Brown's position on war funding has hardened since last June when he vowed in e-mail to Ohio Quakers to "continue to fight to fully fund our troops.."
And, in fact, in May 2007 Brown voted in favor of an earlier $120 billion war supplemental bill brought to the Congress by the Bush administration.
Now, however, "I don't trust anything he (Bush) says when he's talking about Iraq," Brown said. In view of the administration's failure earlier in the war to provide adequate body and vehicle armor, Brown said legislators can't be sure the President would recall U.S. troops even if future funding was denied.
Brown said in voting against continued war funding, he is taking a risk that congressional opposition could weaken U.S. forces abroad.
"It's a real hard call," he said. "In an election year, a lot of Democrats flinch from it. (Note: Brown was elected to a 6-year term in 2006 and isn't up for re-election until 2012.)
"But politics aside, it's a hard legitimate question," he said. "Do you cut funding when you have soldiers in the field? It's more than politics."
In his response to Ohio Quakers last June, Brown said, "I voted against the Iraq war and I generally support the principles of the (withdrawal) legislation. I will continue to fight to fully fund our troops, to ensure accountability and oversight, for economic and political changes that benefit all Iraqi citizens and to redeploy our troops as soon as possible."
Brown said he opposes any attempt by the Bush administration to ink a long-term security agreement with Iraqi officials that ties the hands of the next administration. The U.S. reportedly wants to preserve more than 50 U.S. bases in Iraq under such an agreement, and give U.S. soldiers and contractors immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law.
Administration officials say they don't need to get congressional approval for such an agreement. Brown said he's not sure Congress could block such a move, although the next President could overturn any Iraqi pact not approved by Congress.
Likewise, if the outgoing administration launched a pre-emptive attack against Iranian nuclear facilities before leaving office in January, its congressional critics might not be able to do much more than complain.
"If there's an attack on Iran, and they (Iran) haven't attacked us,....there will be all sorts of reaction," said Brown. "That would be met with skepticism and rage by a lot of us..."
The bottom line, he said, is that the debate on the war has now shifted from Congress to the Presidential campaigns.
"The party will take the lead from Barack, he said. "In the end, what he says is pretty much what we follow. And we'll just have to fight about it after the election."
It was announced by Cleveland Peace Action during the conference call that an Iran Coordinating Group will meet this Saturday in Cleveland as part of the National Assembly to end the Iraq War and Occupation. For more information, go to www.natassembly.org or call 216-736-4704.
What a difference incumbency makes!
By the spring of 2006, Democratic congressional candidate Zach Space had raised $77,194 to win the 18th District primary en route to his successful election that November to the open seat vacated by Republican Bob Ney.
Now, two years later, Rep. Space, seeking to retain that seat, has reported first quarter contributions of nearly $1.5 million, with a net of nearly $1 million cash-on-hand.
That's about as much as Space raised and spent during all of 2006 to initially win the office. His 2006 race gained significant post-primary help from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). (By the time he took office, in January 2007, Space's checking account had been drained to less than $28,000 with debts in excess of $56,000, according to the Dispatch.)
Given that Democrats are determined to hold the 18th, and Republicans have vowed to reclaim it (calling Space "an accidental congressman" given Ney's imprisonment on corruption charges), one can only assume the cost of victory in the 18th will rise significantly this year.
Space, knowing he was targeted for extinction in 2008 by the GOP the day he took office, never got the chance to sit back down in Washington and slack off his fund-raising efforts.
"I never thought I'd have a million in the bank," the Dover attorney said last week during a fund-raiser in Newark. "But I think it's necessary."
So-called independent (527) groups raised over $4 million two years ago in an attempt to defeat him, Space said, "and if they did it once, they can do it again."
Incumbents seek to discourage challengers (and their challenger's potential supporters) by flashing a significant bankroll in their early election-year reports to the FEC. Without a significant war chest going into the race, Space said, "it will be like sharks smelling blood in the water--if my fundraising is anemic, they'd be all over me."
This is not to criticize Space, who LICOPAC endorses in his race against Republican challenger Fred Dailey of Mt. Vernon. The freshman congressman is just following the rules of the game as he found them, even though he recognizes the money game seriously erodes public trust in the process as well as the time legislators can actually spend legislating.
In 2006, Space ran on an anti-corruption plank, vowing not to accept campaign contributions from lobbyists.
In his latest filing with the FEC, the congressman reported contributions of $644,428 from individuals and $817,760 from political action committees. All PACs are not lobbyists, but still it's obvious that Zach now needs organized support from unions and other heavy-hitters in the Democratic camp.
"Eventually, I'd like to help take the money out of the process," he said last week.
But with seemingly little support for public financing of elections, that's as likely in the near term as finding a substitute for oil.
When one looks at the FEC first-quarter reports, it's striking how incumbents of different parties have more in common with one another than they do with challengers from their own party.
In the neighboring 12th District, for example, four-term congressman Pat Tiberi, R-Delaware, reported $1.5 million in contributions - again, mostly from PACs - with $757,719 on hand going into the defense of his seat against Democratic challenger David Robinson of Columbus.
Robinson and Dailey both face tremendous odds in their bids to dislodge the incumbents.
Dailey, a former state agriculture director, reported first-quarter contributions of $113,000, but that includes $40,000 of his own money.
"... unless Dailey comes up with a lot more campaign cash pretty soon, it's difficult to see how he can compete against the well-funded Space in the 16-county, multiple-media market district," the Dispatch said on April 16.
Robinson, a newcomer to politics, reported first-quarter contributions of $27,382 (most of that from individuals) but only $7,611 cash-on-hand.
"Following our primary win, we've been strategically getting our campaign structure in place," said Robinson in a prepared statement.
"I'm not a career politician, so we're creating our campaign from scratch. But we're right on plan. We are confident that we will have the resources to put our ideas and plans before every voter for the general election," Robinson said.
By the spring of 2006, Democratic congressional candidate Zach Space had raised $77,194 to win the 18th District primary en route to his successful election that November to the open seat vacated by Republican Bob Ney.
Now, two years later, Rep. Space, seeking to retain that seat, has reported first quarter contributions of nearly $1.5 million, with a net of nearly $1 million cash-on-hand.
That's about as much as Space raised and spent during all of 2006 to initially win the office. His 2006 race gained significant post-primary help from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). (By the time he took office, in January 2007, Space's checking account had been drained to less than $28,000 with debts in excess of $56,000, according to the Dispatch.)
Given that Democrats are determined to hold the 18th, and Republicans have vowed to reclaim it (calling Space "an accidental congressman" given Ney's imprisonment on corruption charges), one can only assume the cost of victory in the 18th will rise significantly this year.
Space, knowing he was targeted for extinction in 2008 by the GOP the day he took office, never got the chance to sit back down in Washington and slack off his fund-raising efforts.
"I never thought I'd have a million in the bank," the Dover attorney said last week during a fund-raiser in Newark. "But I think it's necessary."
So-called independent (527) groups raised over $4 million two years ago in an attempt to defeat him, Space said, "and if they did it once, they can do it again."
Incumbents seek to discourage challengers (and their challenger's potential supporters) by flashing a significant bankroll in their early election-year reports to the FEC. Without a significant war chest going into the race, Space said, "it will be like sharks smelling blood in the water--if my fundraising is anemic, they'd be all over me."
This is not to criticize Space, who LICOPAC endorses in his race against Republican challenger Fred Dailey of Mt. Vernon. The freshman congressman is just following the rules of the game as he found them, even though he recognizes the money game seriously erodes public trust in the process as well as the time legislators can actually spend legislating.
In 2006, Space ran on an anti-corruption plank, vowing not to accept campaign contributions from lobbyists.
In his latest filing with the FEC, the congressman reported contributions of $644,428 from individuals and $817,760 from political action committees. All PACs are not lobbyists, but still it's obvious that Zach now needs organized support from unions and other heavy-hitters in the Democratic camp.
"Eventually, I'd like to help take the money out of the process," he said last week.
But with seemingly little support for public financing of elections, that's as likely in the near term as finding a substitute for oil.
When one looks at the FEC first-quarter reports, it's striking how incumbents of different parties have more in common with one another than they do with challengers from their own party.
In the neighboring 12th District, for example, four-term congressman Pat Tiberi, R-Delaware, reported $1.5 million in contributions - again, mostly from PACs - with $757,719 on hand going into the defense of his seat against Democratic challenger David Robinson of Columbus.
Robinson and Dailey both face tremendous odds in their bids to dislodge the incumbents.
Dailey, a former state agriculture director, reported first-quarter contributions of $113,000, but that includes $40,000 of his own money.
"... unless Dailey comes up with a lot more campaign cash pretty soon, it's difficult to see how he can compete against the well-funded Space in the 16-county, multiple-media market district," the Dispatch said on April 16.
Robinson, a newcomer to politics, reported first-quarter contributions of $27,382 (most of that from individuals) but only $7,611 cash-on-hand.
"Following our primary win, we've been strategically getting our campaign structure in place," said Robinson in a prepared statement.
"I'm not a career politician, so we're creating our campaign from scratch. But we're right on plan. We are confident that we will have the resources to put our ideas and plans before every voter for the general election," Robinson said.
(from WWW.LICOPAC.ORG)
"Columbus, Ohio: Did Hillary Clinton's come-from-behind win in the March 4 Ohio Democratic Primary signal a seismic shift in the presidential campaign or the erosion of Ohio's standing as the "heart of it all" in national politics?
Is it still true, in other words, that "as Ohio goes, so goes the nation?"
A panel of distinguished central Ohio journalists and political observers will take up this question during an April 9 forum sponsored by the Central Ohio Coalition of Democratic and Progressive Organizations. Speakers are:
Darrel Rowland, public affairs editor of the Columbus Dispatch.
Bill Cohen, veteran Statehouse reporter for WOSU-Radio.
Sandy Theis, media consultant and former Cleveland Plain Dealer bureau chief.
Brian Rothenberg, founder and executive director, ProgressOhio.org
Moderator Bob Ruth, retired investigative reporter for the Dispatch.
The program beings at 7 p.m. at the IBEW 683 Hall, 23 W. Second Ave. Attending will be representatives from Coalition grassroots clubs, PACs and organizations as well as a number of federal, state and local candidates.
For more information, see http://coalitiondemscentralohio.org
"Columbus, Ohio: Did Hillary Clinton's come-from-behind win in the March 4 Ohio Democratic Primary signal a seismic shift in the presidential campaign or the erosion of Ohio's standing as the "heart of it all" in national politics?
Is it still true, in other words, that "as Ohio goes, so goes the nation?"
A panel of distinguished central Ohio journalists and political observers will take up this question during an April 9 forum sponsored by the Central Ohio Coalition of Democratic and Progressive Organizations. Speakers are:
Darrel Rowland, public affairs editor of the Columbus Dispatch.
Bill Cohen, veteran Statehouse reporter for WOSU-Radio.
Sandy Theis, media consultant and former Cleveland Plain Dealer bureau chief.
Brian Rothenberg, founder and executive director, ProgressOhio.org
Moderator Bob Ruth, retired investigative reporter for the Dispatch.
The program beings at 7 p.m. at the IBEW 683 Hall, 23 W. Second Ave. Attending will be representatives from Coalition grassroots clubs, PACs and organizations as well as a number of federal, state and local candidates.
For more information, see http://coalitiondemscentralohio.org
Republicans may have a hard time painting 18th District congressman Zack Space as a liberal zealot, given a new ranking of members by the conservative National Journal.
In a Friday news release, Space boasts of his placement smack dab in the middle of the ideological pack.
"WASHINGTON, DC - Reaffirming his position as one of the most moderate and independent Members of Congress, National Journal today published rankings that place Congressman Zack Space's (OH-18) voting record almost dead-center. Of the 435 Members of Congress, there are 212 more "liberal" and 218 more "conservative," placing him squarely in the middle of the ideological spectrum.
"My constituents do not need statistics to prove what they already know - I am their independent voice in Congress," Space said. "I pride myself in working for the best interests of my district - not a political party - and I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish this Congress."
"In the 18th Congressional District, people are not looking for a Democrat or a Republican, and they are not looking for an ideologue. They want a moderate, independent, Ohioan who will fight for them every day. I am proud to do that, and I am proud of this ranking," Space continued.
See the release at:
http://space.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=20&parentid=8§iontree=8,20&itemid=398
As a Zack supporter, this leaves me with mixed emotions. While I'm always happy to deny the GOP a talking point, it's kind of difficult to keep cheering on the guy sticking to the safe middle.
With all due respect, Zack, I'm not looking for a moderate independent in the 18th -- I want a Democrat!
In a Friday news release, Space boasts of his placement smack dab in the middle of the ideological pack.
"WASHINGTON, DC - Reaffirming his position as one of the most moderate and independent Members of Congress, National Journal today published rankings that place Congressman Zack Space's (OH-18) voting record almost dead-center. Of the 435 Members of Congress, there are 212 more "liberal" and 218 more "conservative," placing him squarely in the middle of the ideological spectrum.
"My constituents do not need statistics to prove what they already know - I am their independent voice in Congress," Space said. "I pride myself in working for the best interests of my district - not a political party - and I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish this Congress."
"In the 18th Congressional District, people are not looking for a Democrat or a Republican, and they are not looking for an ideologue. They want a moderate, independent, Ohioan who will fight for them every day. I am proud to do that, and I am proud of this ranking," Space continued.
See the release at:
http://space.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=20&parentid=8§iontree=8,20&itemid=398
As a Zack supporter, this leaves me with mixed emotions. While I'm always happy to deny the GOP a talking point, it's kind of difficult to keep cheering on the guy sticking to the safe middle.
With all due respect, Zack, I'm not looking for a moderate independent in the 18th -- I want a Democrat!
Just as Ohioans get all puffed up today about their influence in the raging Democratic primary, along comes Congress.Org with their annual congressional power rankings -- rankings which explain why Licking County (and Ohio, for that matter) doesn't command much influence at the Capitol.
The rankings are at http://www.congress.org/congressorg/power_rankings/index.tt
Legislators' scores depend on things like their committee assignments and other official positions, their tenure and whether they're in the majority or minority party in the House or Senate.
The envelopes, please.
Four-term Republican Pat Tiberi in the 12th District gets points for his tenure and committee assignments but ranks only 281st out of 435 House members because he's now in the minority and has little to show for 2007 in terms of legislative accomplishments or earmarks (ie, pork).
In the 18th District, freshman Democrat Zack Space does slightly better, 241st out of 435, because of his committee assignments and because he's a Democrat. He also gets slightly more credit than Tiberi in terms of winning earmarks but likewise gets little boost in these power rankings in terms of legislation since he's still the new kid in town.
Likewise, Ohio's two U.S. senators are well back in the pack in the senatorial power game, according to this survey. Sen. George Voinovich, Republican, ranks 95th out of 99 senators and freshman Sen. Sherrod Brown, Democrat, ranks 73rd.
If sports statistics are your thing, and you consider politics a sport, check out this site.
The rankings are at http://www.congress.org/congressorg/power_rankings/index.tt
Legislators' scores depend on things like their committee assignments and other official positions, their tenure and whether they're in the majority or minority party in the House or Senate.
The envelopes, please.
Four-term Republican Pat Tiberi in the 12th District gets points for his tenure and committee assignments but ranks only 281st out of 435 House members because he's now in the minority and has little to show for 2007 in terms of legislative accomplishments or earmarks (ie, pork).
In the 18th District, freshman Democrat Zack Space does slightly better, 241st out of 435, because of his committee assignments and because he's a Democrat. He also gets slightly more credit than Tiberi in terms of winning earmarks but likewise gets little boost in these power rankings in terms of legislation since he's still the new kid in town.
Likewise, Ohio's two U.S. senators are well back in the pack in the senatorial power game, according to this survey. Sen. George Voinovich, Republican, ranks 95th out of 99 senators and freshman Sen. Sherrod Brown, Democrat, ranks 73rd.
If sports statistics are your thing, and you consider politics a sport, check out this site.
Hear about the big ethics scandal involving Zack Space?
If not,it shows you don't read the Newark Advocate.
(http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080221/NEWS03/802210342/1002/NEWS17
In an otherwise forgettable Thursday article about three Republican congressional hopefuls pitching the Licking County Republican Women's Club, candidate Jeanette Moll from Zanesville made this remarkable statement:
"Moll, a former magistrate judge for the Guernsey County Court of Common Pleas, said her concerns about ethical issues tied to current 18th District Rep. Zack Space, D-Dover, are part of what prompted her to seek office to ensure transparency and strong conservative leadership." (emphasis added)
This remark, buried in a page 3 story, should be a bombshell since Space was elected on his promise to clean up the ethics stain left behind by his predecessor, Republican Bob Ney.
But nowhere in the Advocate article does Moll document her charge against Space, other than to say, "many members of Congress are more concerned about re-election than anything else."
A check of Moll's campaign website doesn't turn up anything scandalous about Zack either, unless you count her discomfort with the congressman accepting $170,000 in campaign contributions from the liberal MoveOn.Org during the 2006 campaign. (See http://jeanettemoll.wordpress.com/category/op-ed )
Given that the MoveOn contribution went towards replacing Ney, a Delay era poster boy for corruption, with a scandal-free Democrat, that would seem to be money ethically spent. Moll, who boasts her affiliations with Right to Life and the National Rifle Association, finds MoveOn unacceptable because of its opposition to the Iraq occupation.
One would expect more precision from Moll, an attorney and former magistrate.
Nothing in the article indicates that she -- or the other 18th District Republican hopefuls at the GOP club meeting -- had anything to say, ethically or otherwise, about the news that their fellow 18th District Republican Bob Ney is being sprung from a federal prison after serving a year of his 30-month sentence for corrupt acts in the Abramoff lobbying affair.
That, even though the article about Ney's release ran right next to the article about the club meeting and Space's alleged ethical lapses.
Kudos to the Advocate copy editor who laid out that page!
If not,it shows you don't read the Newark Advocate.
(http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080221/NEWS03/802210342/1002/NEWS17
In an otherwise forgettable Thursday article about three Republican congressional hopefuls pitching the Licking County Republican Women's Club, candidate Jeanette Moll from Zanesville made this remarkable statement:
"Moll, a former magistrate judge for the Guernsey County Court of Common Pleas, said her concerns about ethical issues tied to current 18th District Rep. Zack Space, D-Dover, are part of what prompted her to seek office to ensure transparency and strong conservative leadership." (emphasis added)
This remark, buried in a page 3 story, should be a bombshell since Space was elected on his promise to clean up the ethics stain left behind by his predecessor, Republican Bob Ney.
But nowhere in the Advocate article does Moll document her charge against Space, other than to say, "many members of Congress are more concerned about re-election than anything else."
A check of Moll's campaign website doesn't turn up anything scandalous about Zack either, unless you count her discomfort with the congressman accepting $170,000 in campaign contributions from the liberal MoveOn.Org during the 2006 campaign. (See http://jeanettemoll.wordpress.com/category/op-ed )
Given that the MoveOn contribution went towards replacing Ney, a Delay era poster boy for corruption, with a scandal-free Democrat, that would seem to be money ethically spent. Moll, who boasts her affiliations with Right to Life and the National Rifle Association, finds MoveOn unacceptable because of its opposition to the Iraq occupation.
One would expect more precision from Moll, an attorney and former magistrate.
Nothing in the article indicates that she -- or the other 18th District Republican hopefuls at the GOP club meeting -- had anything to say, ethically or otherwise, about the news that their fellow 18th District Republican Bob Ney is being sprung from a federal prison after serving a year of his 30-month sentence for corrupt acts in the Abramoff lobbying affair.
That, even though the article about Ney's release ran right next to the article about the club meeting and Space's alleged ethical lapses.
Kudos to the Advocate copy editor who laid out that page!
Last July 31, LICOPAC (www.licopac.org) borrowed from that famous Wendy's ad and asked of our two Licking County congressfolk, "Where's the Beef?"
Or in the case of Congress, where's the pork?
Despite all the reform talk about ending pay-to-play politics, Congressional earmarks are still very much the reality. So, after the usual lip-service to ethics, let's move on to the real business of Washington and count up the "earmarks" (otherwise known as loot) that Reps. Zack Space and Pat Tiberi scored for their districts last year. Read More »
Or in the case of Congress, where's the pork?
Despite all the reform talk about ending pay-to-play politics, Congressional earmarks are still very much the reality. So, after the usual lip-service to ethics, let's move on to the real business of Washington and count up the "earmarks" (otherwise known as loot) that Reps. Zack Space and Pat Tiberi scored for their districts last year. Read More »
One good reason to be suspicious of the economic stimulus package now being thrown together in Washington is the unseemly haste in Congress to get something approved. The reason given, of course, is that those $300 to $1,800 checks need to get out to the taxpayers so they can rush out and spend them, thus heading off the freight train of the oncoming (or at least frequently forecasted) recession.
If only there was such a scramble at the White House and on Capitol Hill to do something about other oncoming freights, such as global warming, nuclear proliferation and African genocide, not to mention our own slide to becoming a beggar nation at the mercy of China, Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing states.
But is it also unreasonable to suspect that the crash program to get out the bonus checks might also have something to do with the upcoming election? Every incumbent Congressman and Senator on this year's ballot is salivating at the chance to vote for this $150 billion Easter egg.
Our own 12th District Congressman Pat Tiberi, for example, is quoted in today's Dispatch as brooking no delay, scolding Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., for wanting to take a second look at the House decision to drop extended unemployment compensation benefits and increases in food stamp allotments from the package.
"Everybody can't get everything they want," said Tiberi. "The important thing is doing this quickly."
Yet, as the independent watchdog group, Taxpayers for Common Sense (www.taxpayer.net) reminds us:
"A 2002 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report compares the tradeoffs inherent in many of the more popular proposals for priming the economy. In the end it comes down to predicting individual behavior - a favorite pastime of economists. That said, a more recent CBO report proposes three fixes that at least do minimal harm: temporary tax cuts and rebates, temporarily extending or expanding unemployment benefits, and temporarily increasing foods stamps. Other economists suggest tax breaks and incentives for business investment, such as temporary provisions for accelerated depreciation on new equipment purchases."
In the grand bargain in the House, it looks like Nancy and the Democrats got snookered again. The rebates are there, along with accelerated depreciation on new business equipment, but the hungry and unemployed didn't make the cut.
Here's one taxpayer who would like to see the Senate take the time necessary to help out the neediest instead of just the greediest as usual. Maybe Congressman Pat should check out the depleted food pantries in his district. Maybe then he wouldn't tell those down on their luck that "everybody can't get everything they want."
We hope that our other Licking County ocngressman, Zack Space, D-Dover, who's about to launch a series of economic development workshops across his 18th District, also thinks of the poor and unemployed when he votes for this stimulus package.
In a news release earlier this week before the compromise plan was announced, Space had this to say:
"In an effort to tackle an economic crisis that is devastating Southeastern Ohio's families, Congressman Zack Space (OH-18) today said that his first order of business upon returning to Washington next week would be to tell Congressional leaders that an economic package must be enacted quickly.
Reports indicate that a stimulus package could include targeted tax cuts for individuals and businesses, rebates for individuals that may be several hundred dollars, and an extension of unemployment benefits for those who have lost their jobs as a result of the declining economy."
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/oh18_space/stimuluspackage.html
http://space.house.gov/RENEWOH18.shtml
Bottom line: It's always nice to get a check in the mail, but $600 or $1,200 ain't going to change my life (or my spending habits).
If the government feels it's necessary to send out rebate checks now, why not direct at least some of them to those who really are in the most desperate need of recovery?
If only there was such a scramble at the White House and on Capitol Hill to do something about other oncoming freights, such as global warming, nuclear proliferation and African genocide, not to mention our own slide to becoming a beggar nation at the mercy of China, Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing states.
But is it also unreasonable to suspect that the crash program to get out the bonus checks might also have something to do with the upcoming election? Every incumbent Congressman and Senator on this year's ballot is salivating at the chance to vote for this $150 billion Easter egg.
Our own 12th District Congressman Pat Tiberi, for example, is quoted in today's Dispatch as brooking no delay, scolding Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., for wanting to take a second look at the House decision to drop extended unemployment compensation benefits and increases in food stamp allotments from the package.
"Everybody can't get everything they want," said Tiberi. "The important thing is doing this quickly."
Yet, as the independent watchdog group, Taxpayers for Common Sense (www.taxpayer.net) reminds us:
"A 2002 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report compares the tradeoffs inherent in many of the more popular proposals for priming the economy. In the end it comes down to predicting individual behavior - a favorite pastime of economists. That said, a more recent CBO report proposes three fixes that at least do minimal harm: temporary tax cuts and rebates, temporarily extending or expanding unemployment benefits, and temporarily increasing foods stamps. Other economists suggest tax breaks and incentives for business investment, such as temporary provisions for accelerated depreciation on new equipment purchases."
In the grand bargain in the House, it looks like Nancy and the Democrats got snookered again. The rebates are there, along with accelerated depreciation on new business equipment, but the hungry and unemployed didn't make the cut.
Here's one taxpayer who would like to see the Senate take the time necessary to help out the neediest instead of just the greediest as usual. Maybe Congressman Pat should check out the depleted food pantries in his district. Maybe then he wouldn't tell those down on their luck that "everybody can't get everything they want."
We hope that our other Licking County ocngressman, Zack Space, D-Dover, who's about to launch a series of economic development workshops across his 18th District, also thinks of the poor and unemployed when he votes for this stimulus package.
In a news release earlier this week before the compromise plan was announced, Space had this to say:
"In an effort to tackle an economic crisis that is devastating Southeastern Ohio's families, Congressman Zack Space (OH-18) today said that his first order of business upon returning to Washington next week would be to tell Congressional leaders that an economic package must be enacted quickly.
Reports indicate that a stimulus package could include targeted tax cuts for individuals and businesses, rebates for individuals that may be several hundred dollars, and an extension of unemployment benefits for those who have lost their jobs as a result of the declining economy."
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/oh18_space/stimuluspackage.html
http://space.house.gov/RENEWOH18.shtml
Bottom line: It's always nice to get a check in the mail, but $600 or $1,200 ain't going to change my life (or my spending habits).
If the government feels it's necessary to send out rebate checks now, why not direct at least some of them to those who really are in the most desperate need of recovery?
Congressman Zack Space's Thanksgiving trip to Greece turned out to be a turkey, politically at least. The Democratic freshman was roasted for joining a Congressional delegation visiting Greece and Cyprus over the holiday, including a planned stay at a $400-a-night luxury hotel in Athens.
Space responded to the criticism by switching to a cheaper hotel and announcing he'd pay for the trip himself, rather than charging it off - as presumably the rest of the delegation, Republicans and Democrats, did - to the taxpayers.
Good recovery from what was a dumb move on Space's part.
As the Newark Advocate said yesterday, "Let's chalk it up to a rookie mistake that needs to be learned from - and not repeated."
But let's also recognize that the whole affair was a pretty cheap shot - and the kind of cheap shot likely to be resurrected repeatedly over the next year as Republicans desperately try to reclaim the 18th District seat lost last year in the wake of the Bob Ney-Jack Abramoff scandal. Read More »
Space responded to the criticism by switching to a cheaper hotel and announcing he'd pay for the trip himself, rather than charging it off - as presumably the rest of the delegation, Republicans and Democrats, did - to the taxpayers.
Good recovery from what was a dumb move on Space's part.
As the Newark Advocate said yesterday, "Let's chalk it up to a rookie mistake that needs to be learned from - and not repeated."
But let's also recognize that the whole affair was a pretty cheap shot - and the kind of cheap shot likely to be resurrected repeatedly over the next year as Republicans desperately try to reclaim the 18th District seat lost last year in the wake of the Bob Ney-Jack Abramoff scandal. Read More »
Women Have Options ( www.womenhaveoptions.org ) need your help in supporting women's reproductive rights. Justice demands that ALL women be able to make personal decisions about childbearing. Access to conraceptives or abortion should never be denied because of inability to raise enough money to pay for services.
Please join us in protecting women's lives and women's futures !
Did you know that donations may be made through United Way ? Choose the 'Donor Option' and name Women Have Options to receive your dollars. You can also contribute on our website
We help women all over Ohio. We would particularly like to contact pro-choice women in the Appalachian counties of Ohio. It is difficult to get our message out and to reach women who need the financial help we offer.
Please check out our website - we could use some help there also. And you can send e-mail to us or contribute at the website.
I wrote this October 1, 2007, but it seems to have a different date and I have no ideas how to correct that !
Please join us in protecting women's lives and women's futures !
Did you know that donations may be made through United Way ? Choose the 'Donor Option' and name Women Have Options to receive your dollars. You can also contribute on our website
We help women all over Ohio. We would particularly like to contact pro-choice women in the Appalachian counties of Ohio. It is difficult to get our message out and to reach women who need the financial help we offer.
Please check out our website - we could use some help there also. And you can send e-mail to us or contribute at the website.
I wrote this October 1, 2007, but it seems to have a different date and I have no ideas how to correct that !
Coal industry exec Mike Carey dropped out of the 18th District Congressional race today, narrowing the Republican field running against Democrat Zack Space to three (at least for now).
In a letter to volunteers, Carey, 36, of Granville, said he couldn't take on a Congressional race at the same time his son, Prescott, was taking on kindergarten.
"Being one who promotes family values, I must live by those same values and it is on that principal I have based my decision," he said.
This leaves GOP candidates Fred Dailey, Mt. Vernon, and Jeanette Moll, New Concord, and Paul Phillips, Chillicothe, to duke it out with Space who won the district last year following the corruption conviction of former Rep. Bob Ney, R-Heath.
There's an article in today's Newark Advocate, but it doesn't offer any alternative theories as to why Carey might drop out at this early stage. As the former candidate says in his letter,
"During the past 3 months I have campaigned daily through out all 16 counties. Attending parades, county fairs and picnics now more than ever I know the values my campaign was built on are what matter most to the people of the 18th. When I started this voyage I thought I clearly understood the commitment needed to wage this campaign."
Now no doubt kindergarten is a major commitment for the Carey family. But one has to wonder whether national Republicans -- who have made defeat of Space a top priority for 2008 -- convinced Carey to step aside, now that Dailey, a former state agriculture director, has entered the race.
It will be interesting to see if Moll, 41, and Phillips, 44, also decide they need to spend more time with the kids.
Or it could be that Carey, president of the Columbus-based Ohio Coal Association, was hearing from coal industry owners who might not want their association president to be involved in a fight with an incumbent (or future) congressman who will be voting on coal legislation.
In a letter to volunteers, Carey, 36, of Granville, said he couldn't take on a Congressional race at the same time his son, Prescott, was taking on kindergarten.
"Being one who promotes family values, I must live by those same values and it is on that principal I have based my decision," he said.
This leaves GOP candidates Fred Dailey, Mt. Vernon, and Jeanette Moll, New Concord, and Paul Phillips, Chillicothe, to duke it out with Space who won the district last year following the corruption conviction of former Rep. Bob Ney, R-Heath.
There's an article in today's Newark Advocate, but it doesn't offer any alternative theories as to why Carey might drop out at this early stage. As the former candidate says in his letter,
"During the past 3 months I have campaigned daily through out all 16 counties. Attending parades, county fairs and picnics now more than ever I know the values my campaign was built on are what matter most to the people of the 18th. When I started this voyage I thought I clearly understood the commitment needed to wage this campaign."
Now no doubt kindergarten is a major commitment for the Carey family. But one has to wonder whether national Republicans -- who have made defeat of Space a top priority for 2008 -- convinced Carey to step aside, now that Dailey, a former state agriculture director, has entered the race.
It will be interesting to see if Moll, 41, and Phillips, 44, also decide they need to spend more time with the kids.
Or it could be that Carey, president of the Columbus-based Ohio Coal Association, was hearing from coal industry owners who might not want their association president to be involved in a fight with an incumbent (or future) congressman who will be voting on coal legislation.
The Angel Power Emporium, Inc. ~ TAPE for Cracks in the System ~
TAPE is officially a non-profit charity and is established to receive donations to help fund scholarships plus education and social awareness activities in schools and communities.
Substantial donations can be rewarded with a memorial scholarship created in honor of a person of your choice.
Won't you please add us to the list of charities you help support?
Make checks payable to: TAPE, Inc.
Mail: POB 509, Corning, OH 43730
Online: Go to http://www.nvboh.com/ (North Valley Bank)
Phone: (740) 347-4355 It is routing# 044109297 and acct# 130675
For additional information: theangelpoweremporium@yahoo.com Read More »
TAPE is officially a non-profit charity and is established to receive donations to help fund scholarships plus education and social awareness activities in schools and communities.
Substantial donations can be rewarded with a memorial scholarship created in honor of a person of your choice.
Won't you please add us to the list of charities you help support?
Make checks payable to: TAPE, Inc.
Mail: POB 509, Corning, OH 43730
Online: Go to http://www.nvboh.com/ (North Valley Bank)
Phone: (740) 347-4355 It is routing# 044109297 and acct# 130675
For additional information: theangelpoweremporium@yahoo.com Read More »
Women Have Options is a grass roots group which has been in existence since 1992. Our mission is to support the right of every woman to make her own reproductive decisions. We provide financial help for contraception or abortion. Our special area of interest is the southeast quadrant of Ohio, but we help women all over Ohio by collaborating with other funds.
The cost of a first trimester abortion can be more than a poverty-level family lives on in a month. Today, women forgo food, risk eviction, and pawn their possessions as they attempt to raise money for an abortion. Some are forced to continue the pregnancy, abandon their education and stay trapped in poverty. Since 1992, Women Have Options has helped more than 1200 women pay for an abortion or afford contraception.
Join us in protecting women's lives and women's futures. Come to our Annual Fall Receptin, Sunday, September 30, 2007 at The Works Gallery, 54 South Second St., in Newark, Ohio. Our special guest is Michael Payton, Executive Director of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. Good food, good music, amazing raffle and inspiration. Suggested contribution is $30. More information or a free pass needed?
Go to our website and send me an e-mail.
The cost of a first trimester abortion can be more than a poverty-level family lives on in a month. Today, women forgo food, risk eviction, and pawn their possessions as they attempt to raise money for an abortion. Some are forced to continue the pregnancy, abandon their education and stay trapped in poverty. Since 1992, Women Have Options has helped more than 1200 women pay for an abortion or afford contraception.
Join us in protecting women's lives and women's futures. Come to our Annual Fall Receptin, Sunday, September 30, 2007 at The Works Gallery, 54 South Second St., in Newark, Ohio. Our special guest is Michael Payton, Executive Director of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. Good food, good music, amazing raffle and inspiration. Suggested contribution is $30. More information or a free pass needed?
Go to our website and send me an e-mail.
A Republican posse has been recruited in the 18th District to try to bring down first-term Democratic congressman Zack Space.
And some strident anti-war Democrats seem ready to join in the hunt.
In today's partisan Congress, there's no honeymoon for a Democratic freshman elected from a normally GOP-voting district.
So far, however, Space appears to be weathering the storm. Some of this is just hard work on his part. The freshman from Dover has been stomping every corner of his 16-county district and focusing on the issues that matter to its residents.
But he's also being helped by the targets his opponents have selected.
Republicans, for example, are trying to make hay out of the fact that Space supports legislation extending health insurance coverage for children and proposing gasoline tax breaks for low-income rural commuters. Space is also accused of being inconsistent in his stated opposition to illegal immigration.
He has also run into criticism from some Democrats for supporting a gradual rather than immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. And he disappointed even loyal supporters by voting, at the request of his party's leadership, in favor of a temporary expansion of the government's controversial domestic surveillance program.
From both Left and Right, the criticism is that Space is paying more attention to the dictates of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi than he is to the interests of his constituents. Although this is unfair on the basis of only a handful of votes, Space, who has touted his independence, can't afford to let this charge stick. Read More »
And some strident anti-war Democrats seem ready to join in the hunt.
In today's partisan Congress, there's no honeymoon for a Democratic freshman elected from a normally GOP-voting district.
So far, however, Space appears to be weathering the storm. Some of this is just hard work on his part. The freshman from Dover has been stomping every corner of his 16-county district and focusing on the issues that matter to its residents.
But he's also being helped by the targets his opponents have selected.
Republicans, for example, are trying to make hay out of the fact that Space supports legislation extending health insurance coverage for children and proposing gasoline tax breaks for low-income rural commuters. Space is also accused of being inconsistent in his stated opposition to illegal immigration.
He has also run into criticism from some Democrats for supporting a gradual rather than immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. And he disappointed even loyal supporters by voting, at the request of his party's leadership, in favor of a temporary expansion of the government's controversial domestic surveillance program.
From both Left and Right, the criticism is that Space is paying more attention to the dictates of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi than he is to the interests of his constituents. Although this is unfair on the basis of only a handful of votes, Space, who has touted his independence, can't afford to let this charge stick. Read More »
"earmark n 1. An identifying mark on the ear of a domestic animal," The American Heritage Dictionary.
In the Congressional barnyard, "earmark" has taken on a whole new meaning. Instead of a notch on the bovine ear, the congressional earmark is a notch on the politician's belt, indicating he or she has sufficient standing in the legislative cattle call to bring home the steak for their district.
Earmarks have been much in the news in Washington because of the ethics push this year to make these $pecial Request$ more transparent. But don't look for repeal of these targeted appropriations, since both Republicans and Democrats love 'em.
So, in Licking County and Central Ohio, the issue is not so much ethics as division of the spoils. In other words, are Reps. Pat Tiberi, R-Delaware, and Zack Space, D-Dover, bringing home the beef?
Looking first at Tiberi, Congressman Pat should be thanked for listing his earmark requests at his web site. See www.tiberi.house.gov
But a look at his voting record raises questions about his consistency, since it appears he's voting against most of the very appropriation measures which would carry his earmarks. Read More »
In the Congressional barnyard, "earmark" has taken on a whole new meaning. Instead of a notch on the bovine ear, the congressional earmark is a notch on the politician's belt, indicating he or she has sufficient standing in the legislative cattle call to bring home the steak for their district.
Earmarks have been much in the news in Washington because of the ethics push this year to make these $pecial Request$ more transparent. But don't look for repeal of these targeted appropriations, since both Republicans and Democrats love 'em.
So, in Licking County and Central Ohio, the issue is not so much ethics as division of the spoils. In other words, are Reps. Pat Tiberi, R-Delaware, and Zack Space, D-Dover, bringing home the beef?
Looking first at Tiberi, Congressman Pat should be thanked for listing his earmark requests at his web site. See www.tiberi.house.gov
But a look at his voting record raises questions about his consistency, since it appears he's voting against most of the very appropriation measures which would carry his earmarks. Read More »
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