Plunderbund

Yep - 18 years.
A former GOP fundraiser at the center of a scandal-plagued state investment in rare coins that helped Democrats seize power in the midterm elections was sentenced Monday to 18 years in prison.
Tom Noe, a prominent coin dealer accused of taking at least $2 million, was convicted last week of theft, corrupt activity, […]

Rush Limbaugh yesterday:
I’m liberated from having to constantly come in here every day and try to buck up a bunch of people who don’t deserve it, to try to carry the water and make excuses for people who don’t deserve it. I did not want to sit here and participate, willingly, in the victory of […]

In today’s papers…
The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is investigating a potential new scandal within the beleaguered agency: whether political influence played a role when premium rates for certain employers were lowered without proper justification.
A draft internal audit released yesterday shows that, in 75 percent of the 153 largest reductions, agency rules weren’t followed or […]

Big news popped up last night.
At least two dozen federal judges appointed by President Bush since 2001 made political contributions to key Republicans or to the president himself while under consideration for their judgeships, government records show. A four-month investigation of Bush-appointed judges by the Center for Investigative Reporting reveals that six appellate court judges […]

Get the screensaver!

Steve Chabot
Jean Schmidt
Deborah Pryce
Joy Padgett
Sandra O’Brien
Greg Hartmann
Mike Turner
Mary Taylor
Mike DeWine

Again, I refuse to drive traffic to this guy’s site, rewarding this kind of behavior. But it should be documented.
After printing some unsubstantiated “rumors” the other day, he continues today, “documenting” these rumors with an email from his “informant.” An excerpt:
I was at [redacted] almost all day last Monday trying to get evidence […]

Confused yet?
Eric takes a swing at the Dispatch for failing to mention public officials by name who are currently running for office who are seen “chumming it up” with Noe in the now-infamous birthday roast tape. Specifically, the official running for Attorney General. You know, the state’s lawyer and top law enforcement official? […]

Apparently Tiberi is suffering from tendonitis. Eric speculates that it might be from too much rubber-stamping, and suggests a solution.
Heh.

Saw this over at BSB this morning…
Kenny “Belt-buckle” Blackwell protected a Treasurer’s office employee who was arrested multiple times for cocaine possession and armed robbery.
The situation couldn’t be more unlike the Strickland situation, where a nasty anonymous letter at the end of a campaign attempted to “out” his campaign manager. Strickland confronted the campaign manager […]

Eric over at ProgressOhio has the skinny - basically in yesterday’s Toledo Blade made note of a tape of a 2004 roast of Noe by several prominent Republicans at his 50th birthday party.
“Mr. Voinovich then launched into the rareness of Noe’s dual roles on the Turnpike Commission and the Ohio Board of Regents and on […]

Eric has the scoop at his new blog at ProgressOhio.
“When a party approves as to ‘form’ only, that party is stipulating to the ‘composition and organization of the particular legal document…’ In the instant case, the Settlement Agreement was signed only as to form. Therefore, the Ohio Attorney General did not approve the terms of […]

This faux outrage on the right about Strickland’s former staffer’s expunged exhibitionism conviction is exactly why I hate politics. It is also why our voter turnout is so low, and people just tune out. It’s vile, disgusting, unsupported smears like this that drive citizens out of the political process.
What’s worse is that right-wing […]

I’m shocked - SHOCKED I tell you - that Bob Ney pled guilty today… and refuses to resign from Congress.
Standing before Judge Ellen S. Huvelle, Ney pleaded guilty to conspiracy and making false statements. He acknowledged taking money, gifts and favors in return for official actions on behalf of Abramoff and his clients.
Ney did not […]

Hope you viewed the Noe video at ProgressOhio, because it’s gone now.
We have been informed by Ohio Government Television that using video of Tom Noe at Justice Lanziger’s swearing in ceremony is in their opinion a violation of copyright. While we disagree with the premise that state government can generate video to promote themselves and […]