This ad is mainly targeted right here in Southeastern Ohio. It will be ran on country and Christian radio stations to target people outside the typical Democratic base.

One of the main points of the ad focuses on McCain’s claim that the way to avoid foreclosure is “working a second job, skipping a vacation”. I find two things really interesting about this.

1. John McCain is talking about second jobs even has he and his staff try to avoid his first job. You see, they think it could be inconvenient if McCain got caught up in any controversial moments in the Senate.
2. As a candidate of a party that claims to base itself on family values, it seems hypocritical that McCain seems hellbent on keeping families apart.  It’s hard enough for families to find time together when there’s only a single job in the equation.

You can find the script of the ad and associated documentation here. The ad itself is embedded below.

The DNC is also going after McCain with a television ad.

BELMONT COUNTY Democratic Central Committee members elected Ed Good to take over as the county’s party chairman during their re-organizational meeting Tuesday at Undo’s in St. Clairsville, replacing Jim Tekely who chose to step away from the job after 17 years.

Good, a Mead Township trustee, faced opposition from Charles Wiley of Shadyside, who currently is on that village’s board of trustees of public affairs.

Prior to the vote, each of the nominees were given time to speak to the committee.

Good said he is a lifelong Democrat, an active union member and volunteer who wants to move the party forward.

“We have to have a plan. We have to have a vision,” Good said. “I have that plan. I have goals. No matter what I have, I cannot do it alone. It needs to be our vision and some thing that we can do.”

He also said he wants better communication and to build on the party’s strengths. He also said it’s time the county party had it’s own Web site.

Notice that last bit? He wants to finally get the Belmont County Democratic Party online. Of course building a website and keeping one up to date are two different things.

But his volunteer work isn’t the only thing getting Vukelic press coverage, he’s also a convicted federal felon and is currently unable to hold the seat he’s running for. He must either get his record sealed, as he is currently attempting to do, or receive a presidential pardon.

STEUBENVILLE — Robert Steve Vukelic, the Democratic nominee for the Jan. 2 county commissioner seat, is scheduled to face a judge on May 15 to determine if he can take office if he wins the November general election.

Vukelic, a convicted federal felon, has to get the record sealed in his case or get a presidential pardon for him to take office.

Vukelic was sentenced to six months in a federal prison in April 2001 after pleading guilty to misprision of a felony, which is having knowledge of a felony and not reporting it to authorities. Three former members of the former North Ohio Valley Air Authority pleaded guilty in federal court to charges they conspired to receive about $170,000 in improper payments from Vukelic to get a license for the demolition landfill and then hid the income from the Internal Revenue Service.

Source: Herald Star Online

Jeff reminds us that this Friday is a crucial fundraising deadline for General Assembly candidates. The reports released from this reporting period will be used by many to indicate which candidates are viable, worth watching, or don’t have a chance.

There are two real House races down in this part of the state that I urge you to take a look at:

94th District

I don’t know as much about this race as I should, but I do know it’s an open seat and the candidate is Jennifer Stewart.

92nd District

This on is a little closer to home, but I still don’t know it as well as I should. The candidate, Debbie Phillips, ran in 2006 but was defeated in a very close election. This time around the seat is open and is considered on of the top 10 Democratic pickup opportunities in the state.

Please consider making a donation to these campaigns soon. You can donate to Phillips online here or mail your donation for Stewart to the following address:

Jennifer Stewart for
State Representative
PO Box 190 • Zanesville, OH 43702

Update: Apparently the segment was bumped to today.  He appeared on MSNBC earlier at 10:30 this morning and will do so again at 2:30.

Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) will be released from his minimum security prison later this month, according to a source close to the former Congressman.

It’s unclear what the next step will be for Ney, but according to the source, Ney is leaving the Morgantown, W.Va., penitentiary earlier than scheduled, but will serve out the remainder of his sentence in a different type of facility.

Ney was sentenced to 30 months in prison for corruption charges. He entered the prison in late February 2007.

Ney has a projected release date of 8/16/2008.

Fun Fact: Bob Ney was the man behind “Freedom Fries” in the House of Representatives cafeteria.

As I was looking for the text of today’s State of the State address I noticed that the Governor has a new website up.

It’s nice, but I think I liked the old one better. I’m also not sure how long it’s actually been up.

Read More: Governor of Ohio, Ted Strickland

Dear David,

Today is an important day for Hillary’s campaign. As I write this message, millions of American’s are casting their vote to make Hillary Clinton our next president.

On March 4, less than one month from today, it will be Ohio’s turn to vote in our primary. In order to win, Hillary and I need your help. There are thousands of Ohio voters we need to call this week and remind them to vote on March 4. We can’t do it without you.

To volunteer, please click here.

This presidential election is making history, and Hillary is leading the way. The time for change is now, and Hillary is ready to lead. But she can’t do it alone. Every state and every delegate will matter, which means everything you and I can do before March 4 makes a big difference.

Won’t you help us? Click here to get involved now.

You understand how much is at stake for us here in Ohio and for millions of other Americans. Hillary is simply the best qualified candidate to get our economy running again. She has a plan to create millions of new jobs and address the home foreclosure crisis. But she can’t get it done unless we get her to the White House first.

I need your help to reach out to thousands of Ohio voters this week. Won’t you join me and help win the Buckeye State for Hillary?

Click here to get involved now!

Sincerely,

Governor Ted Strickland

CNN has announced back-to-back presidential debates in Ohio later this month.

LOS ANGELES (CNN) – CNN announced Thursday that it will partner with the Ohio Democratic Party and the Ohio Republican Party for back-to-back presidential debates at the end of February.

With the race for each party nomination likely to extend beyond the February 5 Super Tuesday contests, it’s increasingly possible the critical battleground state of Ohio – which holds its presidential primary March 4, along with three other states — could very well determine the 2008 Democratic and Republican nominees.

“Ohio will once again decide who wins the White House,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern. “The Ohio Democratic debate is important because it will allow the next President of the United States to address the issues most important to Ohioans.”

Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine also highlighted the state’s potential kingmaker status. “No Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio,” said DeWine. “It’s a critical battleground state in November that could play a deciding role on March 4. We’re proud to partner with CNN on this debate in advance of what could be a decisive primary election in the Buckeye State.”

The Democratic debate will take place Wednesday, February 27, while the Republican debate will follow on Thursday, February 28. The network said further details will be released soon.

Jerid at Buckeye State Blog has some speculation on where the events will be held.

You can subscribe to Garrison’s email list on her website. Even if you don’t live in the district, it’s a good way to keep up on what’s going on in the Ohio House.

The Ohio House passed two pieces of legislation this week that can directly affect the lives of the citizens of the 93rd House District.

The first piece of legislation, House Bill 244, allows townships to bury overhead cables, wires and equipment underground.  This is vitally important because townships would now have authority that cities and municipalities already enjoy. Under the bill, township citizens will be able to petition their township to bury the utility lines in their neighborhood.

The township has been given the option to assess the situation prior to burial, in order to find out which property owners will benefit and who will be affected by the project.   Before a petition for burial can be submitted, a minimum of 75 percent of affected landowners must sign the petition.  If the petition is approved, the township would then work with the utility company that owns the overhead wires to place the wires underground in a safe and timely manner.  

This bill simply allows a neighborhood to take action, but does not mandate any townships or neighborhoods to bury their overhead wires. The costs associated with the relocation would be paid by the township. However, if the residents wish to step forward and pay for the burial of the wires themselves, they also have this option.  

Allowing property owners to unite and decide on the appearance of their neighborhood is an essential right of all Ohioans.  This is especially true if they are willing to step up and pay the costs incurred for implementing the project.

H.B. 244 passed unanimously, including my “yes” vote. It will now head to the Senate for its consideration.  I will keep you updated on any progress.

Substitute Senate Bill 157 is also a very important piece of legislation because it allows parents of an adult incompetent child to nominate a guardian for their adult child. Current Ohio law only gives a parent the ability to designate a guardian for a minor child.  However, it does not grant authority for the parents to designate a guardian for an adult child who is incompetent.

The bill requires the court to give preference to the person who is nominated by the parents over someone else who has applied for guardianship.  This is on the condition that the incompetent adult child does not have a spouse or an adult child of his/her own, or has not designated a guardian for himself/herself prior to becoming incompetent.

Parents are far better suited, in most cases, to determine who would best serve as a guardian for their mentally disabled child.  Their opinion is valued and should be respected.  It is my belief that Ohio law must back the parents on this issue.

This bill passed unanimously, including my “yes” vote.  It is my hope that the Senate will approve some minor changes quickly and send the bill to the Governor for his consideration.

h

I also would like to remind 17-year-olds that they can vote in the primary  election if they will turn 18 before the general election.

This will actually be the first presidential primary I’ll vote in because I missed the deadline back in ‘04. I had constantly been told by my Government teacher that the school would have an assembly where members of the board of elections would register students. Eventually a few students (including myself) got tired of waiting, so I called the board of elections directly. It turns out we had just missed the deadline.

The moral of the story? Stop waiting around and take care of it yourself.

A recent Marietta Times article provides a first glimpse at what type of candidate she’ll be. You can read the article for yourself here (The article has been taken down.), but I briefly want to examine some of the statements Ms. Smith made.

“I’m still formulating my stance on everything. Education is the main thing that’s important to me, but I’m going around the area, talking to different people and seeing what the 93rd District needs. What’s most important to me is what’s most important to the people.”

She cites education as her main issue, yet she goes to a private school in West Virginia. Does her attending a private school mean she’ll support vouchers? What is her experience with the Ohio school system that she’ll base her opinions on?

I also want to point out the interesting line, “I’m still formulating my stance on everything“. Shouldn’t a candidate already know their positions before they decide to run? I have serious concerns about who will actually be making the decisions on this campaign already, statements like that don’t help matters. Is she just going to be a puppet for the local Republican Party?

It’s still pretty early, but Ms. Smith has a lot of work a head of here if she wants to be taken seriously.

You can also read the Washington County Republican Party’s write up on Chelsi Smith here.

Other candidates for office include an 18-year-old high school senior who plans to challenge state Rep. Jennifer Garrison, D-Marietta.

Chelsi Smith of New Matamoras is still attending classes at Wood County Christian School. She is unopposed in the March 4 Republican primary for the 93rd District Ohio House of Representatives seat, as is Garrison on the Democratic ballot.

I doubt that she’ll be able to provide a serious challenge to Garrison, but it’ll still be interesting.

Source: The Marietta Times

The caucus also brought quite a few surprises though. I’m too tired to go into detail now, but these were the two things that really shocked me:

• Of the Obama group, I was probably the only participant (besides the leader) under 50.
• The John Edwards group was around twice the size of the Obama group.

As for the other caucuses:

• Obama won.
• Huckabee won.
• Biden and Dodd have dropped out.

Now I’m calling it a night.

Update: Dodd’s withdrawal email after the jump.

Dear David,

I count the past year of campaigning for the presidency as one of the most rewarding in a career of public service.

Unfortunately, I am withdrawing from that campaign tonight.

But there is no reason to hang our heads this evening — only the opportunity to look towards a continuation of the work we started last January: ending the Iraq War, restoring the Constitution, and putting a Democrat in the White House.

I know a lot of you came to this email list through a shared desire to return our nation to one that respects the rule of law, and I want to make one thing clear to all of you:

The fight to restore the Constitution and stop retroactive immunity does not end with my Presidential campaign.  FISA will come back in a few weeks and my pledge to filibuster ANY bill that includes retroactive immunity remains operative.

You’ve been an invaluable ally in the battle, and I’ll need you to stick by my side despite tonight’s caucus results.

So, one more time, thank you for all of your efforts throughout the course of this entire Presidential campaign.

We made a real difference in shaping the debate, and we’ll continue to do so in the coming days, weeks and years.

I’ll never forget you, and what we’ve fought for, together, over the past year.

Chris Dodd

I’ve been kind of secretive about this, but a few weeks ago I filed my paperwork to run as a delegate for Barack Obama. While I consider this a long shot bid, I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t try.

So if you’re in the 6th district please come out to Marietta tonight and participate. Even if you don’t vote for me (that’s David Potts by the way), it’s still a chance for you to take part in the election process.

Caucus Location:

6th Congressional District
Marietta High School
208 Davis Avenue
Marietta, Ohio 45750
(740) 374‐6540
www.mariettacityschools.k12.oh.us

Again, registration starts at 6:15 and the actual caucus starts at 7:00.