Now I’m not saying that team Stivers is scrubbing his Wikipedia page – but there does certainly appear to be a lot of information missing from the most recent version.
Fortunately, Wikipedia stores a complete history of the edits made to the page- and with the Stivers’ page there have been quite a few.
The changes started in November after Stivers decided to run against Mary Jo Kilroy in the 15th. But they really picked up in late February after the ORP unanimously endorsed him.
The most recent version of Steve Stivers’ page, last edited on June 3rd, is 100% positive. All of the information seems to have come straight from the Stivers for Congress website complete with pro-Stivers spin.
Again, I’m not saying anyone over at the Stivers for Congress campaign office is actually making these changes- but all of the unfavorable information about Steve’s past seems to be removed each time it is added.
Keep in mind that a “Criticism” category is pretty standard on Wikipedia pages related to politicians and usually includes a list and description of controversies involving the subject.
And Steve Stivers has had at least a few controversies that certainly should be listed like they used to be on previous versions of the page.
The first relates to his history as a registered lobbyist…
Stivers has recently come under criticism for being a registered lobbyist. Stivers is a registered lobbyist but told the Columbus Dispatch that he was not. When confronted with this he claimed his job title was “vice president of government relations” and that he was “not a lobbyist per se”. However, documentation from the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee proves he was a registered lobbyist.
And the other related to the “Vets for Freedom” endorsement…
In March 2008, Stivers received criticism locally and nationally from conservatives for receiving and accepting the support and endorsement of a conservative group “Vets for Freedom”. This group has fallen to scandal after it was discovered that a chief contributer and blogger for the group is a gay porn star. This individual starred in films such as “Touched by an Anal”.
It’s up to us to keep these guys honest, folks.
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