Ohio 2nd Blog

Republican primaries are fun as candidates try to out wingnut each other.

Or how the the administration is out to make life so much harder and costly than it needs to be.

It’s all the little things that add up to be a big waste of money and time. I finally got my passport renewed and it ONLY took almost six months. I tried to track it but all I got was an automatic email reply saying it was being processed (the 800 number didn’t connect to a user friendly menu or a live person). I have a friend who missed a trip to Europe with her husband because her passport didn’t arrive in time. She had sent in the renewal with more than five months lead time.

In the further travails of a typical homemaker, I tried to open a new joint bank account this week. The current bank does not have convenient locations or hours so I thought I’ll just go to a bank that has decent lobby hours and is closer. I was informed by the smarmy bank manager that I need TWO pieces of ID and it couldn’t be a birth certificate and if I wanted to open a joint account, my husband had to be there in person with his two ID’s. This is just ridiculous and I want to know how this makes the country more secure. When I rolled my eyes he said it was because of 9/11 and it was necessary to keep us safe. I informed him that no, it was because of the Bush Administration and it had nothing to do with keeping the American public safe from terrorists. He disagreed and then said he was not allowed to discuss politics (oh, but he was). I retorted that I was allowed to discuss politics and the whole thing smacks of a banana republic dictatorship.

My husband opened bank accounts last Fall and I opened one for my daughter in May and did not have to jump through these hoops. What do people do who do not have passports or driver’s licenses? Are they going to ask for finger prints next?

I understand why I must produce my SS number for a bank account. I can understand controls on large sums of money being transferred especially internationally. I just wanted to open a regular checking and small savings account. The Patriot Act does nothing to make the U.S. more secure. It does allow the federal government to track and spy on American citizens. Is this the kind of country we want for our children?

Has any economist calculated the cost of all the provisions in the Patriot Act? No passport, no airline ticket purchase. Not willing to jump through hoops to transfer banks, loss of new accounts to the bank. The cost of getting through airport security and the time it takes. These are small inconveniences but they add up. I have the ability to navigate these obstacles but do the poor and the elderly have the same ability to cope with the consequences of this unconstitutional Act?

Brain Shavings seems to think that this clip from Bob Frantz’s radio show makes Senator Sherrod Brown look bad. (29′ in) Personally I love the way that our Senator gets respectfully angry, stays on offense, and doesn’t let Frantz ala Hannity couch personal attacks in his questions. I’ve only seen Sherrod unplugged in person a couple of times… once was at the Ambush at UD and once when I mentioned the Hackett bus to him. I enjoy seeing him be real. So much of politics is a mask.

I don’t think that the right is going to win many seats deflecting to trivia. Eventually somebody is going to have to deal with the steaming pile of crap that our President left on the White House lawn.

I just received a phone call from a noticeably upset Steve Black, Democratic candidate in the 2nd. He was calling to warn me about a video on YouTube entitled Who is Victoria Wulsin uploaded by someone calling themselves ColorofChangeisBlack. Candidate Black emphatically denied that he or his campaign had anything to do with it. Over Gary Jules’ cover of the song Mad world by Tears For Fears the ad intersperses quotes by Black’s primary opponent Dr. Victoria Wulsin with video of the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Columbine and Virginia Tech massacres as well as depicts in graphic details what is called in right wing circles “partial birth abortion“. The end of the video asks the viewer to vote for Steve Black.

Black called the video “disgusting and deplorable” and said that he was outraged that people were able to post this sort of video anonymously. He said that he had already contacted You Tube to ask them to pull the video and was going to contact Victoria Wulsin personally to warn her as well and assure her that he had nothing to do with it.

Black speculated that the source was Republicans.

It damages me and it damages Victoria. It must have come from the Republicans. This is why people leave the Republican Party, because of this kind of crap.

I would have to agree with him. It appears to be a homage to a highly controversial attack ad run by Mike DeWine against Sherrod Brown last year. Its extremely low quality would indicate that it is the work of one of one the many Karl Rove wannabes drifting about the net.

I agree with commenter franknyt:

Anyone using footage of the attacks for political purpose should simply be forced to shoot themselves with their own gun.

UPDATE: Bill Sloat’s got more.

Loveland Magazine > Remembering 9/11 and “Charleston 9”

U.S. Representative Jean Schmidt was the keynote speaker. She warned that another terrorist attack within the United States is inevitable.

Wikipedia > Fear, uncertainty and doubt

Fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) is a tactic of rhetoric used in sales, marketing and public relations. FUD is generally a strategic attempt to influence public perception by disseminating negative (and vague) information. An individual firm, for example, might use FUD to invite unfavorable opinions and speculation about a competitor’s product; to increase the general estimation of switching costs among current customers; or to maintain leverage over a current business partner who could potentially become a rival.

The term originated to describe disinformation tactics in the computer hardware industry and has since been used more broadly. FUD is a manifestation of the appeal to fear.

One of the reasons why I’m kept at a comfortable distance from many of our more partisan Democratic allies is that I like to keep good relationships with Republicans. I work hard to stay in the loop and go overboard to try and respect their perspective even though I disagree with it. I’m about as liberal as they come, but that and $4.10 still only buys me a venti carmel macchiato.

So a little while ago I heard something that impressed the hell out of me. One of Jean Schmidt’s secret weapons seems to be that she’s kept surprisingly good relationships with quite a few on top of the Hamilton County Democratic Party food chain. Hey… she’s bringing in the pork… people go back a long way.. there are many enemies of her enemies… and as long as the spice flows, who cares?

Congresswoman Jean Schmidt is Congresswoman Jean Schmidt because of lack of hustle by Hamilton County Democrats. For some reason they always seem to be focusing on the 1st when go time rolls around. Her public persona may be that of “Mean Jean”, but I’m not so sure that local Democratic powerbrokers see it that way.

Isn’t politics a wonderfully complex game?

Some things are more important than playing gotcha.

Dayton Daily News > Child struck, killed after getting off school bus

JEFFERSON TWP., Montgomery County — A student was struck and killed Friday after getting off a school bus in the 6400 block of Derby Road near Union Road, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Deputies were called to the 6400 block of Derby about 3:15 p.m. on a report of a child struck by a vehicle.

On the first website I ever created for myself I put up the motto remember what’s important. Sometimes it’s easy to forget.

It bugs me that Congresswoman Schmidt treats the fears and personal tragedies of her constituents with all the gravity of a fashion accessory, but in this case it’s better than nothing at all.

NEWS FLASH

The Enquirer Politics Extra “blog” has finally credited a blog for a story. Of course Sloat being a newspaper man must explain them running the embargo.

Bill Sloat has the scoop.

Word on the street is that Ohio 2nd Democratic Congressional candidate Steve Black is looking for a new campaign manager.