Blue Bexley

• Election Day Tomorrow. Blue Bexley Supports...

  Number of comments: 1
  My policy here at BB is to confine myself to the candidates and issues appearing on the ballot in Bexley. You can view the Bexley ballot here, courtesy of the Franklin County Board of Elections. If you're in Franklin, and you'd like a sneak peek at your own ballot, [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 10:13am EST
  by bonobo

• Dispatch Slams Tiberi in Editorial, but Somehow Confuses Him with Obama !?!?

  Number of comments: 0
  Yesterday, Blue Bexley's favorite Washington correspondent Jonathan Riskind posted the following on the Columbus Dipatch's political blog The Daily Briefing:
  
  Rep. Pat Tiberi says the furor over no Social Security benefit increases should lead people to consider a proposal he and two other Republicans made earlier this month.
  [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 9:16am EDT
  by bonobo

• Bexley City Schools

  Number of comments: 0
  A couple of years ago, Bexley City Schools were accused by some parents of racial bias in the enforcement of residency requirements. This year, they're going after a wealthy white family.
  
  The district has spent thousands of dollars on legal fees and a private investigator in an' [...]
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  Posted: September 29, 2009, 12:58pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Blissful Ignoramus of the Day

  Number of comments: 0
  Michael Keenan, Dublin City Councilman.
  
  Mr. Keenan wrote a letter to the Dispatch, in which he states "I know (Rep. Pat) Tiberi and he is deeply concerned about the welfare of his family, his country and all of his constituents."
  He offers this up in contrast to [...]
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  Posted: September 29, 2009, 8:01am EDT
  by bonobo

• Bexley's Irvine to run as Libertarian in OH-12

  Number of comments: 1
  Ex-mayoral candidate, congressional intern, film director, and comedian Travis Irvine has announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Libertarian. He will presumably be taking on incumbent Pat Tiberi and Democratic challenger Paula Brooks.
  
  Make no mistake, if Travis is still an active candidate at this [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 9:42am EDT
  by bonobo

• Local Health Care Debate Question

  Number of comments: 0
  When Paul Leithart uses a Dispatch LTE to attack an article on preventable deaths from medical errors, because it contains references to a 1999 report from the Institutes of Medicine that he doesn't agree with, despite the fact that the estimates in the article are based on' [...]
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  Posted: August 28, 2009, 10:09am EDT
  by bonobo

• Recess Equals Playtime

  Number of comments: 0
  So, in the ongoing saga of Pat Tiberi's love/hate relationship with pork, he's holding his annual hog roast this Saturday, an event at which the newly formed Central Ohio Republican Women will be a Hog Sponsor. I found out about it from Sara Marie Brenner's blog. Sara's a [...]
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  Posted: August 27, 2009, 2:02pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Lurching into the present...

  Number of comments: 2
  1) This is bound to get ugly someday: If you've ever worried about the source code for touch screen voting systems, and the things that could go accidentally or intentionally awry as a result of modifying that code, would it make you feel better to know that Franklin County' [...]
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  Posted: August 20, 2009, 12:45pm EDT
  by bonobo

• 8/14/08 - In which I'm disappointed.

  Number of comments: 2
  There are some who see no difference between Republicans and Democrats. If I believed that, this blog would never have existed. Or I'd be posting more these days instead of less. Given the way our system works, putting a "bad" Democrat into office rather than a "good" Republican is the' [...]
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  Posted: August 14, 2009, 5:45pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Paula Brooks for OH-12

  Number of comments: 2
  While I was writing that last post, the high-powered candidate for the Dems announced that she was running. So at least I wasn't crazy.
  
  And, by the way, I'll take credit for the idea. [...]
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  Posted: August 05, 2009, 3:25pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Can someone please tell me what has caused Tiberi's sudden "weakness?"

  Number of comments: 0
  Okay, so I was never that connected and these days I'm totally out of the loop. But I'm still interested, and I'm hoping somebody can tell me what's going on...
  
  During the last two election cycles, a major focus of this blog was putting pressure on Pat Tiberi, and [...]
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  Posted: August 05, 2009, 2:13pm EDT
  by bonobo

• One Off

  Number of comments: 6
  It's going to be a couple of months before I resume blogging, and it is still up in the air what that will look like. But enough has been happening that I can't keep my mouth shut, so to the folks still subscribed to the RSS/e-mail of Blue Bexley, Here [...]
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  Posted: February 18, 2009, 8:04am EST
  by bonobo

• Hibernation

  Number of comments: 9
  This election season was different from the last two, in that the majority of the results were consistent with the results I was working for here at Blue Bexley - Nancy Garland won in the 20th Ohio House District, helping to give Democrats a majority in that body. Issue 5 [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2008, 8:24am EST
  by bonobo

• Franklin Co., where vote totals are more like guidelines or suggestions...

  Number of comments: 1
  In 2004, I got the blogging bug. I posted a diary on DailyKos that showed one Gahanna precinct with more than 4000 votes for W, several times the number of registered voters. This got picked up and started a buzz that ultimately helped fuel the stolen elections meme (I'm sorry' [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2008, 9:44am EST
  by bonobo

• The more things change

  Number of comments: 1
  The 2008 numbers are nowhere near final, so the tables below will change a bit when all is said and done, but they probably won't change enough to alter whatever interpretation you project upon them. In 2000, there was a hard fought presidential election in which Ohio was a swing' [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2008, 9:53am EST
  by bonobo

• Either Franklin Turnout Blew, or

  Number of comments: 2
  There are a buttload of outstanding paper/provisional/absentee ballots.
  
  Total Franklin County votes cast 11/04: 533,575
  Total Franklin County Votes cast 11/08: 490,035 (as of current unofficial FCBOE results)
  
  
  UPDATE: According to one well-placed source:
  "Franklin County BOE is still processing 100K paper ballots. In addition, we are" [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2008, 12:40pm EST
  by bonobo

• What in the hell is going on with the numbers in OH-12???

  Number of comments: 1
  Every media outlet has a different set of numbers, and most of them don't even make sense. The Franklin County BOE is showing what would appear to be more than 500,000 votes cast in the race (paper + machine), which is obviously ridiculous. The numbers on the pdf' [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2008, 8:19am EST
  by bonobo

• All Things Are Possible

  Number of comments: 1
  Really mixed emotions here at Robinson's election night HQ. Dispatch Media and others have called the race for Tiberi (sad) but looking at the numbers, this seems premature. There are a ton of uncounted paper ballots, ballots which should break pretty heavily for Robinson (hopeful), and before everyone had processed' [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2008, 11:59pm EST
  by bonobo

• From Somewhere in the Renaissance Hotel

  Number of comments: 0
  So, the ODP promised wireless access. They couldn't deliver. They did give me a nice media badge, which helped me get back into the hotel after the fire marshall had shut it down. The second floor ballroom, which erupted like a volcano when Ohio was called for Obama, was barricaded' [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2008, 10:50pm EST
  by bonobo

• Voting Problems

  Number of comments: 0
  There was a debate going on, with Tim Russo on one side, and most everybody else he brings the subject up with on the other: Should you refuse a provisional ballot?
  
  The answer is no. You should not. But that doesn't mean you should simply accept one either.
  [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2008, 3:52pm EST
  by bonobo

• Issue 5: Now We Wait

  Number of comments: 2
  I dropped by COHHIO to chat with Bill Faith and Sandy Theis about the final day in the campaign to keep HB545 intact. Earlier today reports had been coming in of Payday Lending supporters using aggressive tactics at the polls, especially in Central Ohio. Those reports have trailed off, but [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2008, 3:36pm EST
  by bonobo

• GOTV and the Garland Campaign

  Number of comments: 0
  Dropped by a non-descript house in Blacklick, because Liz Brown of the Garland campaign is Staging Manager for the coordinated Obama GOTV effort in this ward. They're making their second sweep of all identified voters, with two dozen volunteers working out of this location alone.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2008, 1:35pm EST
  by bonobo

• Parade of Polling Places

  Number of comments: 0
  I talked to the volunteers pictured on this video. It's supposedly pronounced "Berrick." At least one voter insisted the name changed since last year, but no. In 2006 Ted and Sherrod both got between 75-80% at this precinct. I think our guy will just own this place:
  
  [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2008, 12:23pm EST
  by bonobo

• How About That Youth Vote?

  Number of comments: 0
  
  
  So I realize that 9:30 is not a peak time, but this scares me almost as much as the opening nostril shot probably scares you...
  
  In other news, I'm getting word that pollworkers in Reynoldsburg STILL don't know how to handle a Driver's License with an address' [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2008, 9:51am EST
  by bonobo

• Bexley Lines, 6:45 am

  Enclosure: [download]

  Number of comments: 0
  I walked the block and a half to Montrose Elementary half an hour ago. The plan was for me to vote, come home, and get the toddler up and ready while Mrs. Dr. Bonobo went to vote. We had budgeted about 45 minutes apiece for voting under this plan.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2008, 7:11am EST
  by bonobo

• Blogging Today, Blogging Tomorrow

  Number of comments: 0
  Today I have to take care of all my non-political/non-blogging responsibilities so that I have an entirely clean plate for tomorrow (and into Wednesday Morning).
  
  Tomorrow, I'm planning a full day blog blitz, with photos and videos from around Central Ohio, starting with Montrose Elementary School before sunrise and' [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2008, 7:45am EST
  by bonobo

• Falling Back

  Number of comments: 1
  I'm out of state tonight, watching McCain on SNL in between attack ads that make Ohio look warm and fuzzy. Of course, the worst of the slime always drops in the last 72 hours, so maybe it's that bad back home tonight, as well.
  
  More negative mailers. Ho [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2008, 12:12am EDT
  by bonobo

• More Trafficking - Early Voting Apparently Really Really Favors Dems

  Number of comments: 3
  So, I'm probably going to end up being a big fat hypocrite.
  I've got one more shot, then I'm going to end up voting on election day.
  
  While the Cleveland media were talking about waits of more than half an hour in NE Ohio earlier this week, waits were' [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2008, 10:52pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Every once in a while, I traffic in rumors

  Number of comments: 6
  I've been given some numbers. I've asked around and found that at least one other person has heard a similar story. Consider this to not be worth the paper it's printed on. But here goes:
  
  Tiberi - 49
  Robinson - 44
  Other - 1
  Undecided - 6
  
  The' [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2008, 4:48pm EDT
  by bonobo

• OH-12 update - Tiberi begins biennial use of frivolous complaints to spread misinformation

  Number of comments: 1
  Dang things move fast when you get into the homestretch. I got my hands on a copy of the mailer I referred to earlier. The complete text:
  
  DAVID ROBINSON
  YOU CAN T BELIEVE A WORD HE SAYS
  
  David Robinson had a complaint filed against him with the [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2008, 11:53am EDT
  by bonobo

• Got Hope?

  Number of comments: 0
  As I was driving into work this morning I was listening to an interview with a guy who does focus groups, and he was saying that each time they tested one of McCain's (or allied groups') negative/contrast ads, it strengthened the resolve of those already categorized as McCain supporters, but [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2008, 8:56am EDT
  by bonobo

• Tiberi "Feeling the Heat" in OH-12

  Number of comments: 0
  This morning, I saw Robinson signs in parts of town where I'd never seen yard signs, period. Later this morning, somebody emailed me a link to this video:
  
  
  
  Of course, I'd seen it before, it was posted here before (I think) it had even made its [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2008, 11:49pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Absentee Vote Panic Attack

  Number of comments: 0
  1.2 million Ohio voters have asked for mail-in absentee ballots.Applications for mail-in absentee ballots can still be made through noon on Saturday.In Colorado, only a third of requested absentee ballots had been returned as of this morning.Absentee ballots can be postmarked through Nov.3, and must be [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2008, 1:05pm EDT
  by bonobo

• The Dem Ticket, All the Way Down

  Number of comments: 1
  
  The image above is the generic "sample ballot" listing the candidates and issues endorsed by the Franklin County Democratic Party. For those of you who have not been around the blog, I operate under a modified version of Reagan's 11th Commandment... I don't like [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2008, 10:25am EDT
  by bonobo

• BTW, Go Lions!

  Number of comments: 2
  I've been remiss in not remarking at all this year on Bexley High School Football, although with my track record, that probably assisted them in their spectacular achievement:
  
  First ever appearance in the state football playoffs.
  
  Bexley plays on the road against undefeated Logan Elm in the' [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2008, 2:46pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Robinson-Tiberi Debate Post

  Number of comments: 0
  Thursday Night (lo, those many nights ago) I had the pleasure of being in the studio audience when Pat Tiberi and David Robinson had their second debate live on WOSU. The most pleasurable part was probably watching Mike Thompson moderate a debate, it was the best performance by a [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2008, 11:11pm EDT
  by bonobo

• 'Vote From Home' Volunteers Won't Be Prosecuted

  Number of comments: 3
  That's the good news. The bad news is that their votes and registrations are being tossed out, although Prosecutor O'Brien is hinting that this will not be the case for presidential campaign staffers. I don't have details yet, but the upshot seems to be that the registrations are [...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2008, 5:08pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Noise Builds, Part 2 - Daytime, Nighttime, Anytime

  Number of comments: 0
  Catch the debate on WOSU tonight at 8pm, either alone at home or at the Short North Tavern with other folks.
  
  Catch Michelle Obama in Bexley tomorrow morning at Capital University, where the power of Hope will eliminate any lingering infestation of McCooties. [...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2008, 1:45pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Hey Mr. Tiberi,

  Number of comments: 1
  Any guesses on who might be somewhat insulted when you say:
  
  For my daughter and her class, for the teacher to be held responsible for not only the way she learns, but that child next to her who might be from another country, maybe from Somalia where [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2008, 10:01pm EDT
  by bonobo

• We've Got Issues

  Number of comments: 7
  There will be long lines in Franklin County. Not everywhere, but in some precincts. Perhaps yours. One way to avoid losing the franchise yourself is to vote early. Please, vote early.
  
  If, like many, you find yourself lamenting the best laid plans when November rolls around (next week!), you [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2008, 5:15pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Two Weeks and the Noise is Building, Part 1

  Number of comments: 0
  Barack- He's going to Hawaii for two days to visit with his ailing grandmother. I'm hoping she'll be in D.C. visiting him on Jan. 20, 2009. Most pundits have placed their chips on an Obama victory, which has led to a conventional wisdom corollary: Ohio is just not that [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2008, 9:39am EDT
  by bonobo

• Supreme Court Backs Brunner, Dispatch Rails Against Hyper-Partisan Court

  Number of comments: 0
  The first part is true, the Supreme Court has vacated the temporary restraining order that the GOP thought would help them stem the overwhelming tide of new voters for Obama. The second part is just a guess. The Dispatch is convinced that Brunner is acting as a partisan if [...]
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  Posted: October 17, 2008, 12:25pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Vuja De?

  Number of comments: 0
  Ever get the feeling that what you're experiencing now is an exact duplicate of something you'll be experiencing again in the future? It's kind of a sickening feeling...
  
  National Democratic operatives pulled out of Alabama’s 3rd District shortly before Election Day in 2002, conceding the newly redrawn open seat [...]
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  Posted: October 17, 2008, 11:22am EDT
  by bonobo

• Transient Campaign Workers Register to vote in Franklin County

  Number of comments: 1
  Ryan Meerstein is a political operative. As a teenager, he ran races in Pennsylvania, then attended college in PA. He played basketball in college against teams like Otterbein, so he had been in Central Ohio before he got the gig running Bush's 2004 Central Ohio office. He voted in [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2008, 12:33pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Is there a defensible argument to be made

  Number of comments: 3
  For voting for Obama and Tiberi on the same ballot? Any at all? Republicans scared of a President Palin, perhaps. Otherwise? I'm usually pretty good at understanding both sides of an argument before I make a case, but I'm at a loss, here. Obama will win in the 12th District. [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2008, 12:24pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Robinson - Tiberi Debate Video Online

  Number of comments: 3
  If you missed the first showing on Monday night, you can still catch David Robinson giving a very strong showing against a clearly peeved and surprisingly petty Pat Tiberi (and an amusingly befuddled Libertarian candidate). You can watch it or Tivo it Sunday at 1pm, or you can [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2008, 10:04am EDT
  by bonobo

• Slammed

  Number of comments: 0
  I went out of town for work last week. Came back and everything was going crazy. I've been putting in 15-hour days and trying to help my wife pick up her work slack that came of being on solo toddler patrol.
  
  I'll try to update ASAP w/ opinions on [...]
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  Posted: October 15, 2008, 3:11pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Dates and Places and Stuff

  Number of comments: 1
  Not much time, but some things that need wider distribution:
  
  Obama at Genoa Park - Columbus - Friday. Gates open at 11am. Genoa Park is the riverfront area right behind COSI on the Franklinton side of the Scioto.
  
  Hoedown with David Robinson - Westerville - Friday 6-10pm. [...]
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  Posted: October 09, 2008, 9:41am EDT
  by bonobo

• Stains on the Notebook

  Number of comments: 0
  1) This is totally true! My brother-in-law was a police officer before he got fired for something that had absolutely nothing whatsoever with him being my brother-in-law, and he told my sister to warn everyone about this! If you see someone driving with their high-beams on, don't flick your high [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2008, 7:50am EDT
  by bonobo

• Stop Going to the Well, You Idiots.

  Number of comments: 1
  I got an email this morning from someone affiliated with the same cause Ann Fisher wrote up in Today's Dispatch: A group trying to protect folks from campaign calls, particularly robo-calls.
  
  Not an unsympathetic cause, but I'm not going to be helping out with that, for a rather [...]
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  Posted: October 03, 2008, 4:02pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Though My Lack of Education Never Hurt Me None...

  Number of comments: 2
  I was doing a bit of quick research on a fun post following up BSB's assertion that Steve Stivers is claiming that MJK is a Socialist, in part because she was in law school at OSU at the same time (1979-1981) as the French Director who made a film [...]
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  Posted: October 03, 2008, 2:01pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Friday Morning

  Number of comments: 0
  I'm going to my alma mater's homecoming game (against my other alma mater, but undergrad trumps in this sort of thing) this weekend, and I expect that I'll be pretty conflicted over whether or not to blog. For the first time in several years I'm hoping my hotel doesn't have [...]
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  Posted: October 03, 2008, 8:27am EDT
  by bonobo

• I Can't Keep Up, But... {OH-12, OHSH-20, POTUS, PaydayLenders, FranklinCoCo, SOS}

  Number of comments: 0
  That's no reason to punt. So here goes:
  
  OH-12
  David Robinson has been given a very enthusiastic endorsement by the most well-liked Democrat in office in Ohio today - Governor Ted Strickland:"It is my pleasure to endorse David Robinson's candidacy for Ohio's 12th Congressional District. I believe that [...]
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  Posted: October 02, 2008, 9:59am EDT
  by bonobo

• Tiberi Apparently Some Sort of Prima Donna

  Number of comments: 0
  I have no idea what to make of this story. The Liberty Voice is an independent paper published in Delaware County with a distinct Libertarian worldview and a growing distribution network. They have also been on fire lately with their opposition to the re-election efforts of Pat Tiberi. Some examples:
  [...]
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  Posted: September 30, 2008, 10:34am EDT
  by bonobo

• Tiberi Votes Against Bailout / List of OH-12 Candidate Forums

  Number of comments: 1
  Me, I would have voted for it. How confused and confusing was this process? This is the Ohio Delegation Breakdown:
  
  For Bailout:
  Ryan
  Pryce
  Space
  Boehner
  Hobson
  Regula
  Wilson
  
  Against Bailout:
  Kaptur
  Kucinich
  LaTourette
  Tiberi
  Chabot
  Schmidt
  Latta
  Sutton
  Turner
  Jordan
  
  Those coalitions have all the surface [...]
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  Posted: September 29, 2008, 3:08pm EDT
  by bonobo

• In 2006 I Registered to Vote and Cast a Ballot on the Same Day.

  Number of comments: 0
  This seems to need repeating.
  
  It may not have gone smoothly, but it was legal, and suggested to me by elections officials. In 2006, Ohio had a Republican governor, a Republican Secretary of State, a Republican Attorney General, a Republican State Senate, and a Republican State House. Franklin [...]
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  Posted: September 29, 2008, 11:04am EDT
  by bonobo

• McCain and Palin in Bexley

  Number of comments: 2
  First of all, the McCain website lists the rally location as the corner of Main and Pleasant Ridge in Columbus, OH. That intersection, along with the rest of Capital's main campus, is in Bexley, not Columbus.* Second, that location is so close to my house that getting to work [...]
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  Posted: September 28, 2008, 10:46pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Negativity

  Number of comments: 6
  Everybody seems to want to talk about the "wolves" ad by the OHRCC, that takes on John Carney and Nancy Garland for being a lawyer and a lobbyist, respectively. I haven't addressed it for a couple of reasons. First of all, if you're the sort of person who listens [...]
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  Posted: September 26, 2008, 1:24pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Help Me Out, Pat, What am I Supposed to Write?

  Number of comments: 1
  In the time since my last post, I've had more than 10 visits from computers on the U.S. House of Representatives network. When I got my first visit from house.gov two years ago, I felt like I had really hit the big time. Nowadays, visits from the hill are pretty [...]
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  Posted: September 25, 2008, 12:12pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Issue 5 (Payday Loans) is apparently MUCH more extensive than you may have realized

  Number of comments: 12
  And by "you" I mean "me." I might well have been wrong yesterday when I said that the passage or defeat of Issue 5 was irrelevant to the creation of a statewide database of payday loans, and therefore voting "no" would do nothing to protect Ohioans' privacy.
  
  The [...]
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  Posted: September 24, 2008, 12:22pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Lenders have 10 more days to come up with valid signatures signatures

  Number of comments: 1
  First of all, let me say that I still don't understand the timeline. My original reading of the law (though IANAL) indicated that the referendum would have to go on the first General Election occurring AFTER this November's election. It turns out my original reading was wrong (which I [...]
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  Posted: September 23, 2008, 4:52pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Late Start to the Week

  Number of comments: 4
  Some thoughts:
  
  1) The Payday Lenders have a new ad up, claiming that HB545 gives the government Big Brother-like oversight of your financial activities. I will admit that it burns me up every time the pharmacist has to write down my Driver's License number in order to let [...]
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  Posted: September 23, 2008, 8:12am EDT
  by bonobo

• Cruel Fate Mocks Jim McGregor in the 20th Statehouse District

  Number of comments: 3
  Seriously, what are the odds of a former mayor, who has been out of the public eye for almost a year, making headlines on an ethics issue on the very same day his endorsement letter for Jim McGregor lands in local mailboxes?
  [...]
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  Posted: September 19, 2008, 11:26pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Signatures from Arno to be Voluntarily Tossed by Payday Lenders

  Number of comments: 7
  The headline is clear enough. The rest of it has me confused/chagrined...Payday Lending Campaign Agrees to Toss Disputed Signatures
  Consumer Groups Warn Issue 5 Still Expected to Make November Ballot
  
  For Immediate Release: September 19, 2008
  
  COLUMBUS -- The payday lending campaign finalized an agreement today to throw [...]
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  Posted: September 19, 2008, 12:16pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Bexley Headlines

  Number of comments: 0
  This one was a disappointing false alarm.
  
  The one about former Mayor Madison letting his wife carry a city-issued cell-phone, unfortunately, wasn't. The review that led to this revelation began in early 2007. After you read the cell-phone article, read the "Bexley" part of my post [...]
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  Posted: September 19, 2008, 8:16am EDT
  by bonobo

• Race and the Rational

  Number of comments: 0
  In amongst the heavy weather and financial sector meltdown, there's been a steady uptick of talk about the role race will play in the Presidential election. Everyone from Jill Miller Zimon to Tim Russo, from Paul Hackett to Sherrod Brown, From Ted Strickland to [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2008, 3:38pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Payday Lending Form 15 Hearing Canceled, Settlement in Works

  Number of comments: 1
  I've gotten nowhere in my attempts to catch myself up with the Issue 5 story. Pardon the lack of links, but the story is basically that the petitions that were turned in are largely unacceptable, and the lenders will have to go to a second round of signature collection in [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2008, 3:38pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Emergency Caffeine Management

  Number of comments: 0
  For those of us who start off our commute on Main St. in downtown Bexley, we've been treated to a pretty nifty sight these past couple of mornings. With Cup'O'Joe and Starbuck both victims of the power outage, there was no way to make or obtain hot coffee for (literally) [...]
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  Posted: September 17, 2008, 2:01pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Joyce Beatty Hired by OSU

  Number of comments: 0
  As Vice-President in charge of Outreach and Engagement, effective after her term in the legislature ends.
  
  From the Announcement:Beatty will begin her new role at Ohio State in January, following the completion of her final term as a state representative.

  “This university was founded to improve lives and enrich [...]

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  Posted: September 16, 2008, 1:57pm EDT
  by bonobo

• When Foreclosures First Started Making Headlines Here

  Number of comments: 1
  Three years ago this week, the Columbus Dispatch ran an excellent series on a problem that was just then beginning to explode: suburban foreclosures due to bad loans made by greedy lenders, and trapped homeowners who were making their payments, but couldn't sell their homes because the rash of [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2008, 10:21am EDT
  by bonobo

• Garland's Rally Big Fat Success

  Number of comments: 0
  I'm sure it was because of my promotion here at Blue Bexley, rather than the draw of Sherrod Brown or the hard work put in by the folks at the Garland campaign. Approximately 100 people showed up to a meeting room in Gahanna for a September rally sponsored by the [...]
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  Posted: September 15, 2008, 4:08pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Payday Loan Charge More Than a Technicaltity

  Number of comments: 2
  From Blue Bexley, 08/13/2008:
  Given that OPC's website exclaims in bold that "We pay by the hour, not by the signature," either Hagan is wrong, OPC is lying, or someone other than OPC is paying circulators. That last seemed the most likely, so I pursued it first. At least [...]
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  Posted: September 12, 2008, 3:22pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Bexley Police Chief's Bike Ride Against Domestic Violence

  Number of comments: 0
  Sounds like a great way to start the weekend:
  
  
  
  
  Clickable Links:
  Original PDF
  Bexley PD's flyer
  Choices: Eliminating Domestic Violence
  Collaboration between Bexley PD and Choices
  Bexley Police Dept. [...]
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  Posted: September 11, 2008, 9:05am EDT
  by bonobo

• Some Updates Courtesy of My Poor Time Management Skills

  Number of comments: 0
  I should be busy doing other things right now, but there are a few things that have been on the back burner that should get posted:
  1) There is still time to RSVP for the rally in Gahanna this weekend where you'll be treated to the presence of Nancy [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2008, 1:57pm EDT
  by bonobo

• On Brunner

  Number of comments: 0
  Someone recently gave me credit for defending Jennifer Brunner against partisan attacks on her performance. Unfortunately, I can't take much credit on that front. I've spent most of my time concerned with the County BOE's, and only indirectly supporting Brunner by focusing on our shared opinion that there is some [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2008, 9:40am EDT
  by bonobo

• In which I Attempt to Actually Influence Votes

  Number of comments: 2
  There's a number of reasons to be a Republican. Bear with me as I start with the bad ones:
  
  You resent just about anyone who's not like you (racially, linguistically, geographically, economically, physically, sexually).
  
  You can't differentiate between morality and legality.
  
  You believe that the primary purpose [...]
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  Posted: September 09, 2008, 12:03pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Early Childhood Candidate Forum

  Number of comments: 0
  Sheesh. I dropped the ball on this one. The organizers were very helpful in getting me extra info about this event a month ago, but until it popped up on my calendar, I had completely forgotten to post about it.
  
  groundWork is an organization that works on promoting [...]
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  Posted: September 09, 2008, 9:54am EDT
  by bonobo

• OH-12 profiled in Dispatch

  Number of comments: 0
  Despite an atrocious headline (It would still be an accurate summary of the article if the headline began "Despite the Evidence,..."), Catherine Candisky's piece in today's CD is a pretty good summation of the race. When Tiberi says that he "goes his own way," the article points out two [...]
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  Posted: September 08, 2008, 11:02am EDT
  by bonobo

• More Shenanigans at the Franklin County Board of Elections

  Number of comments: 0
  In the Dispatch this weekend:
  
  Barbara Carmen reports that the Franklin County BOE had quietly allowed top managers to cash out banked compensatory time to the tune of a couple hundred thousand dollars, something which surprised and distressed the county commission. The article states that Matthew Damschroder, former [...]
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  Posted: September 08, 2008, 9:59am EDT
  by bonobo

• At Least McGregor's Got a Sense of Humor

  Number of comments: 0
  Earlier this week, I came home and there was a piece of Jim McGregor campaign lit on my porch. I had previously noted (mocked, actually) the lack of campaign activity coming from the McGregor camp, and although some disputed my take, concurring opinions from folks with more mainstream cred [...]
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  Posted: September 07, 2008, 10:26pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Why Palin Matters to Me

  Number of comments: 0
  In 2000, George W. Bush ran as a "Compassionate Conservative," a "Uniter, not a Divider," and as a Republican Governor who had worked with a Democratic Legislature in a spirit of bi-partisanship he would take with him to Washington.
  
  The first member of his future administration he brought on [...]
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  Posted: September 04, 2008, 9:40pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Obama And Biden in Dublin, OH on Saturday

  Number of comments: 0
  Please join Barack Obama and Joe Biden at an event in Dublin, OH, where they will talk about their vision for bringing America together and creating the kind of change we can believe in.
  
  An Evening on the Road to Change
  with Barack [...]
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  Posted: August 28, 2008, 11:08am EDT
  by bonobo

• Vote From Home. Please.

  Number of comments: 0
  A couple of weeks ago I met up with a guy named Neil who had just arrived in Columbus as part of a group called 'Vote From Home.' These folks are working hard to A) register voters, and B) Encourage all voters to vote early/absentee in the upcoming election. [...]
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  Posted: August 28, 2008, 8:27am EDT
  by bonobo

• Data Dump Day

  Number of comments: 0
  The U.S. Census poverty numbers are out for 2007. The early reports all focus on ranks, and I can play along with that. The problem is, the rankings are very different depending on your unit of analysis. For instance, when the Plain Dealer has Cleveland at #2 [...]
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  Posted: August 26, 2008, 11:49am EDT
  by bonobo

• Old Business

  Number of comments: 15
  1) A commenter on yesterday's post counters that Larry Flowers (R-Canal Winchester), who has run up against term limits this year, is the more likely candidate to fill a potential vacancy in the third senate district. They're probably right, although it makes a lot more sense to move Flowers [...]
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  Posted: August 26, 2008, 8:48am EDT
  by bonobo

• Franklin Appeals Court Race, Nancy Garland, connecting some dots.

  Number of comments: 0
  A thoughtful reader has pointed out that I could have been more specific and more explicit about the reasons a Goodman victory in the Court of Appeals race could potentially be bad for Democrats trying to get and maintain Statehouse majorities:
  
  If Goodman does not win his race, [...]
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  Posted: August 25, 2008, 9:29am EDT
  by bonobo

• This'd be a good weekend to start getting involved.

  Number of comments: 0
  Yes, I know, you're waiting for a text message. And all eyes will be pointed at Springfield, IL. But are you just going to lounge around the house all weekend, watching CNN, reading blogs, and waiting for your phone to vibrate?
  
  How about hanging with a sitting Senator? Or [...]
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  Posted: August 22, 2008, 8:55am EDT
  by bonobo

• Follow Through Thursday

  Number of comments: 0
  1) The allegations made against petition circulators for the Payday Lenders have faded to the back burner. Every entity collecting signatures for the referendum effort is required by law to file a 'Form 15' with the Secretary of State. Lisa Renee at Glass City Jungle tried to get [...]
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  Posted: August 21, 2008, 9:52am EDT
  by bonobo

• David Goodman Makes a Case

  Number of comments: 0
  State Senator David Goodman has introduced a bill that will make more DNA evidence available to more convicted felons, without compromising their rights. In addition, the bill would require videotaping all interrogations from the time Miranda Rights are read, and that all lineups be administered by officers who are [...]
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  Posted: August 21, 2008, 9:10am EDT
  by bonobo

• Condolences

  Number of comments: 0
  For the second time in less than a year, U.S. Representative from Ohio has passed away. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a staunch Democrat and the first African American woman from Ohio to serve in the House, has died following the rupture of a brain aneurysm.
  
  Ms. Jones would have [...]
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  Posted: August 20, 2008, 10:09am EDT
  by bonobo

• And if drilling does go on the table?

  Number of comments: 0
  Pat Tiberi has been making the rounds, trying to strike a pose that makes him look reasonable on energy. He says he favors an "all of the above approach" that includes drilling, conservation, and innovation.
  
  While that does, in fact, sound reasonable when put that way, there are [...]
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  Posted: August 19, 2008, 9:27am EDT
  by bonobo

• My Own Beeswax

  Number of comments: 3
  Perhaps my cynicism is more than a bit unfair, but these are the email exchanges I've been having regarding the issues in my last post:
  
  1) Attempting to get the summary data for the voting machine report (just the data already publicly reported)
  ----------------
  From the BOE:
  

  Jason, [...]

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  Posted: August 19, 2008, 8:45am EDT
  by bonobo

• Ballots and Machines

  Number of comments: 1
  Expect a lot from me in the coming weeks and months about election processes. I'm of the opinion that the problems that have arisen in Ohio voting in the past have been (with a few notable exceptions) due to performance difficulties in the administration of elections rather than political attempts [...]
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  Posted: August 15, 2008, 11:15am EDT
  by bonobo

• Quote of the Campaign from McCain

  Number of comments: 2
  Maybe I was the last person to see this, but my jaw dropped when I heard it.
  
  
  
  "In the 21st Century, nations don't invade other nations."
  
  I'm still speechless. [...]
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  Posted: August 14, 2008, 5:09pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Expand Drilling? Fine, Put it on the Table.

  Number of comments: 0
  The Republicans think they have a winner in their support of more domestic drilling. Like many non-Republicans, my initial instinct is that it's only a winner for the GOP base. The upward price pressure is much more demand-driven than supply-driven, the delay from legislative action to gas at the pumps [...]
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  Posted: August 14, 2008, 11:47am EDT
  by bonobo

• Is Anybody Telling the Truth About Payday Lenders?

  Number of comments: 4
  Once again I'm in violated kitten territory. That's what I call it when I'm defending the awful against charges of the horrendous. It comes from an example I give of an argument I just can't seem to avoid:
  
  Them: Stalin liked to rape kittens.
  Me: There is absolutely no [...]
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  Posted: August 13, 2008, 4:02pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Air Robinson. Slam Dunk.

  Number of comments: 0
  [...]
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  Posted: August 12, 2008, 11:50am EDT
  by bonobo

• PolitickerOH, Garland, Tiberi

  Number of comments: 1
  I didn't want to get sucked in too early, and I had my reasons. The first one had to do with a completely unrelated operation called Politico.com, which debuted this year with great fanfare promising to be the premier new media/old media blend of mass market/insider politics. While there is [...]
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  Posted: August 12, 2008, 9:44am EDT
  by bonobo

• Fun with LTE's

  Number of comments: 7
  Albert Gabel, a retired OSU professor, wrote a Letter to the Editor of the Dispatch that praised David Robinson for his campaign while decrying the fact that Pat Tiberi receives big chunks of money from the types of donors (PACs, Lobbyists, Corporate interests) who are looking for favors.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: August 11, 2008, 4:41pm EDT
  by bonobo

• Rating Schools

  Number of comments: 1
  Last week I threw out a comment about suburban school districts whining about State Report cards that don't let them coast on their demographic profiles. Paul from Save the Hilliard Schools took some exception in the comments, in part as I seemed to have implied that Bexley's success [...]
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  Posted: August 11, 2008, 11:08am EDT
  by bonobo