Reposted from Plnderbund
As we're sure you're aware of by now, the White House is in the merciless throes of the NoBama plague that has had everyone on edge. For six years, the president has faced assaults from the NoBama GOP that will feverishly grow for another couple of years. Even the party's newly minted African-American Democrat-turned-Republican , Ben Carson, a doctor from South Carolina of all places, has added to his conservative star power by accusing Obama of presiding over worsening race relations,which takes a lot of white guys off the hook, right?
Keep an eye on him. He's an author, essayist and opponent of Obamacare who figures to get royal treatment by his party. There's already a "Run, Ben, Run" national presidential draft movement under way .
But if you've been too busy to notice the rise of the NoBama phenomenon, the right-wing pundits will hammer it into your consciousness. Up in Cleveland, for example, a VIP Plain Dealer editor/columnist showers NoBama thunderbolts from his aerie high atop the Ivory Tower.
Oddly enough, NoBama Kevin O'Brien's column this week led the reader over a path of direct orders to the NoBamans in Congress to stonewall the president's proposed appointments unless he cancels his immigration plans (as if this crowd hasn't thought of it already!). He wanted to punish Obama for "posterity". I'm sure he knows his own choir well.
But wait, he is only warming up, and what comes next is an astonishing leap of logic from a guy who is offended by a president trying to execute immigration reforms that have long been stalled in the Republican Tea Party House. For this disconnect, he singles out Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, Democrat from Northeastern Ohio, archly accusing her of being "irresponsible" for saying that Ferguson was a "miscarriage of justice".
From his perch, he didn't know how Fudge could possibly reach that conclusion from her district 500 miles from Ferguson.
But since we're only talking about distance here and not of the right or wrong of the grand jury decision, I suspect your draconian dictates to Congress, Kevin, have little force inasmuch as you live 363 driving miles from Washington. So I am a tad impressed by such Palin-like powers that enable you to see Capitol Hill from your front porch.
Showing posts with label Marcia Fudge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marcia Fudge. Show all posts
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
The Republican massacre of Summit County districts
As you might have suspected, Summit County's two Republican congressmen voted against the debt ceiling increase while the county's two Democrats supported the clean bill offered by House Speaker John Boehner. The nays were Rep. Jim Renacci and Rep. David Joyce; the yeas, Rep. Tim Ryan and Rep. Marcia Fudge.
About Joyce: Wasn't he the guy who succeeded Steve LaTourette and billed as a moderate in the mode of his predecessor? We're still waiting, folks. Renacci, meanwhile, has been a perfect fit for the Tea Party.
Since the congressional districts were mercilessly gerrymandered by Republicans, Summit County's bizarre carving have left us with four congressmen who don't have homes in the county. (For comparison's sake, Gaul had only three parts.) Religious scholars might call it penance for the sin for long harboring the late John Seiberling back when the liberal Democrat represented the entire county.
Today, Renacci calls Wadsworth home; Fudge, Warrensville Hgts; Joyce, Russell Townshp in Geauga County, and Ryan, Howland ( near Warren).
On the map, the four new districts are virtually indescribable, appearing as though they fell off a truck. Look for yourself.
* * * * *
Sen. Rob Portman can't be feeling too chipper these days. The latest Public Policy Poll revealed the Ohio Republican is taking a heavy shelling from voters for his vote against extending unemployment insurance. The PPP figures say 51 pct. of the Buckeye voters are now less likely to vote for him; only 27 pct. more likely.
According to the pollster, Portman, a passive sort of pol, is "pretty undefined with voters right now. 36 pct. have no opinion one way or the other, with only 28 pct. approving of him to 35 pct. who disapprove. He doesnt have the kind of politlcal capital stored up that lets you vote against something more than 60 pct. of your constituents support."
As I've mentioned before, one of Portman's favorite responses when the other side doesn't agree with his position is that he's disappointed. In the wake of the PPP poll, he has a lot to be disappointed about.
UPDATE: Portman voted NO on cutting off debate to raise debt limit, defying Senate minority leader McConnell; Ohio's Democratic senator, Sherrod Brown voted yea. Measure passed handily. If it had failed, it could have led to another government shutdown. Way to go, Rob!
About Joyce: Wasn't he the guy who succeeded Steve LaTourette and billed as a moderate in the mode of his predecessor? We're still waiting, folks. Renacci, meanwhile, has been a perfect fit for the Tea Party.
Since the congressional districts were mercilessly gerrymandered by Republicans, Summit County's bizarre carving have left us with four congressmen who don't have homes in the county. (For comparison's sake, Gaul had only three parts.) Religious scholars might call it penance for the sin for long harboring the late John Seiberling back when the liberal Democrat represented the entire county.
Today, Renacci calls Wadsworth home; Fudge, Warrensville Hgts; Joyce, Russell Townshp in Geauga County, and Ryan, Howland ( near Warren).
On the map, the four new districts are virtually indescribable, appearing as though they fell off a truck. Look for yourself.
* * * * *
Sen. Rob Portman can't be feeling too chipper these days. The latest Public Policy Poll revealed the Ohio Republican is taking a heavy shelling from voters for his vote against extending unemployment insurance. The PPP figures say 51 pct. of the Buckeye voters are now less likely to vote for him; only 27 pct. more likely.
According to the pollster, Portman, a passive sort of pol, is "pretty undefined with voters right now. 36 pct. have no opinion one way or the other, with only 28 pct. approving of him to 35 pct. who disapprove. He doesnt have the kind of politlcal capital stored up that lets you vote against something more than 60 pct. of your constituents support."
As I've mentioned before, one of Portman's favorite responses when the other side doesn't agree with his position is that he's disappointed. In the wake of the PPP poll, he has a lot to be disappointed about.
UPDATE: Portman voted NO on cutting off debate to raise debt limit, defying Senate minority leader McConnell; Ohio's Democratic senator, Sherrod Brown voted yea. Measure passed handily. If it had failed, it could have led to another government shutdown. Way to go, Rob!
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Marcia Fudge: Much work to do, including voting rights
Reposted from Plunderbund:
In her recent talk at an Akron Press Club/ Bliss Institute program, Rep.Marcia Fudge covered the entire spectrum of the unfinished business of combatting racism in America. A Democrat who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, she represents Ohio's new 11th District stretching south from Euclid to Fairlawn - graphic evidence of the liveried Republican map-drawers' free-wheeling ability to redefine the upside of hometown politics.
A compelling speaker, Fudge surveyed the legacy of Martin Luther's King's place in today's world that has met with no more than mixed results in a nation that is more polarized than at any time in a generation.
As we have mentioned many times, the seating of an African-American in the Oval Office has inspired his opponents to the excesses not seen during the two terms served by George Bush. From being the alleged peacemaker with the invasion of Iraq, to the amassing of public debt by a guy who had no inclination to cap it, we allowed Dubya to comfortably enjoy his dream-swept environment.
The political right has been so traumatized, in Ohio and elsewhere, by Obama's successive victories so soon after the Civil War, that it has spent a lot of its time determined to have Obama suffer a similar trauma rooted in a disgraceful legacy.
One of its biggest contracts is called voter repression. And you'd think that by now the Republican public officials who are working deep into the night to purify the vote would at least confess the motives of the their scandalous schemes.
"Cutting back on our voting options has a disproportionate negative effect on certain populations, among them communities of color, urban voters, students, elderly and low income, not just minorities," Fudge told her audience.
There've been too many attempts to stymie the voters with the clumsy efforts of people like Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted to shape the electoral outcomes according to his party's needs. From cutting back early voting periods, to voter IDs, to shortening voting days to align with business hours, to rearranging precincts - even the failed attempt to blockl third-party candidacies to protect Gov. Kasich in November . Etc. etc etc.
State Sen. Nina Turner, Husted's Democratic opponent this year, summed it up with one word: "Immoral."
Without being tempted to predict the outcome of the November balloting, I can vouch for one absolute that will be a leading issue in the campaigns It's the various ploys, sometimes peddled as eradicating voter fraud (Huh!), that will be driven home on the stump from Cleveland to Cincinnati.
You can take it from there.
Oh. And let the honest votes fall where they may.
In her recent talk at an Akron Press Club/ Bliss Institute program, Rep.Marcia Fudge covered the entire spectrum of the unfinished business of combatting racism in America. A Democrat who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, she represents Ohio's new 11th District stretching south from Euclid to Fairlawn - graphic evidence of the liveried Republican map-drawers' free-wheeling ability to redefine the upside of hometown politics.
A compelling speaker, Fudge surveyed the legacy of Martin Luther's King's place in today's world that has met with no more than mixed results in a nation that is more polarized than at any time in a generation.
As we have mentioned many times, the seating of an African-American in the Oval Office has inspired his opponents to the excesses not seen during the two terms served by George Bush. From being the alleged peacemaker with the invasion of Iraq, to the amassing of public debt by a guy who had no inclination to cap it, we allowed Dubya to comfortably enjoy his dream-swept environment.The political right has been so traumatized, in Ohio and elsewhere, by Obama's successive victories so soon after the Civil War, that it has spent a lot of its time determined to have Obama suffer a similar trauma rooted in a disgraceful legacy.
One of its biggest contracts is called voter repression. And you'd think that by now the Republican public officials who are working deep into the night to purify the vote would at least confess the motives of the their scandalous schemes.
"Cutting back on our voting options has a disproportionate negative effect on certain populations, among them communities of color, urban voters, students, elderly and low income, not just minorities," Fudge told her audience.
There've been too many attempts to stymie the voters with the clumsy efforts of people like Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted to shape the electoral outcomes according to his party's needs. From cutting back early voting periods, to voter IDs, to shortening voting days to align with business hours, to rearranging precincts - even the failed attempt to blockl third-party candidacies to protect Gov. Kasich in November . Etc. etc etc.
State Sen. Nina Turner, Husted's Democratic opponent this year, summed it up with one word: "Immoral."
Without being tempted to predict the outcome of the November balloting, I can vouch for one absolute that will be a leading issue in the campaigns It's the various ploys, sometimes peddled as eradicating voter fraud (Huh!), that will be driven home on the stump from Cleveland to Cincinnati.
You can take it from there.
Oh. And let the honest votes fall where they may.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Why am I now grouped with Cleveland voters?
To my despair, I have learned that my neighborhood in Fairlawn, which is a few minutes away from Akron, is in the Eleventh Congressional District. That means my vote will be dumped into the new boundaries that include Euclid, East Cleveland, Shaker Heights and Cleveland. My congresswoman will be Marcia Fudge, a Democrat, the former mayor of Warrensville Heights. I'm sure she is a competent representative. But I live in Fairlawn, some distance from the bulk of her constituents. Excuse me if as a voter I feel isolated from the crowd. Excuse me again if I say the Republicans responsible for butchering the new congressional districts couldn't have cared less about the relationship between the People's House on Capitol Hill and me. Am I not a people?
Did I say People's House? Defining people has taken some strange turns this political season. Mitt Romney insisted that corporations are people. And the gang in Columbus that isolated my neighborhood in an alien Cleveland people zone was greedily at work in building a still greater GOP force in Congress that already boasts of 12 of the state's 16 congressional seats.
Their math is telling. May we conclude that three out of four Ohioans are Republicans even though the state went to Barack Obama in 2008?
A little history of this ridiculous scheme: When I arrived in Summit County more than four decades ago , there was but one congressman, Bill Ayers, a Republican. He was ousted by Democrat John Seiberling in 1970. To no avail, the local Republican front office spent many restless nights trying to figure out how to win back the county.
It didn't get any easier in 1987 when Seiberling retired and turned the seat over to Tom Sawyer, the city's Democratic mayor. After more restless nights, the local and State GOP decided the best way to rid the county of Sawyer after 15 years was to carve up his district, pitting him against Tim Ryan, of Niles, in the Democratic primary. It was a no-win challenge to Sawyer with the eastern part of the county dumped into Ryan-leaning territory. The county has now evolved into three congressional districts with Fudge, Ryan and Republican Steve LaTourette (a bit of the northern patch of the county).
It's a mess from the Master Carvers of Columbus. (There was a moment or two when I thought my neighborhood would end up in Toronto).
Ah. but others have taken note of this villainous handiwork. Voters First, set up by the League of Women Voters, has filed petitions with the Secretary of State - more than 430,000 signatures - to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to create a non-partisan citizens commission to draw up district boundaries. I hope it works , but at least I am now assured that there are 430,000 others in this a state who care about fairer representatation as much as I do.
UPDATE: Thanks to a reader, I now can tell you that the goulash called Summit County congressional districts is even more tasteless. The county actually has four congressmen - four! I have overlooked Democratic Rep. Betty Sutton, which ended up with a horribly malformed district zigzagging south across part of the county from Lorain to Green. How did my new district escape Toronto? I stand corrected.
UPDATE NO. 2: A Republican called to inform me that there were four congressmen with bits of Summit County in 1972 when Democrats drew the lines. The one that escaped me was a single township assigned to the late Rep. John Ashbrook. So I must ask: Is there anyone out there who can report five?
Did I say People's House? Defining people has taken some strange turns this political season. Mitt Romney insisted that corporations are people. And the gang in Columbus that isolated my neighborhood in an alien Cleveland people zone was greedily at work in building a still greater GOP force in Congress that already boasts of 12 of the state's 16 congressional seats.
Their math is telling. May we conclude that three out of four Ohioans are Republicans even though the state went to Barack Obama in 2008?
A little history of this ridiculous scheme: When I arrived in Summit County more than four decades ago , there was but one congressman, Bill Ayers, a Republican. He was ousted by Democrat John Seiberling in 1970. To no avail, the local Republican front office spent many restless nights trying to figure out how to win back the county.
It didn't get any easier in 1987 when Seiberling retired and turned the seat over to Tom Sawyer, the city's Democratic mayor. After more restless nights, the local and State GOP decided the best way to rid the county of Sawyer after 15 years was to carve up his district, pitting him against Tim Ryan, of Niles, in the Democratic primary. It was a no-win challenge to Sawyer with the eastern part of the county dumped into Ryan-leaning territory. The county has now evolved into three congressional districts with Fudge, Ryan and Republican Steve LaTourette (a bit of the northern patch of the county).
It's a mess from the Master Carvers of Columbus. (There was a moment or two when I thought my neighborhood would end up in Toronto).
Ah. but others have taken note of this villainous handiwork. Voters First, set up by the League of Women Voters, has filed petitions with the Secretary of State - more than 430,000 signatures - to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to create a non-partisan citizens commission to draw up district boundaries. I hope it works , but at least I am now assured that there are 430,000 others in this a state who care about fairer representatation as much as I do.
UPDATE: Thanks to a reader, I now can tell you that the goulash called Summit County congressional districts is even more tasteless. The county actually has four congressmen - four! I have overlooked Democratic Rep. Betty Sutton, which ended up with a horribly malformed district zigzagging south across part of the county from Lorain to Green. How did my new district escape Toronto? I stand corrected.
UPDATE NO. 2: A Republican called to inform me that there were four congressmen with bits of Summit County in 1972 when Democrats drew the lines. The one that escaped me was a single township assigned to the late Rep. John Ashbrook. So I must ask: Is there anyone out there who can report five?
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