Target the Corrupt Republican Campaign (Ohio Focus)

I have been spending some time targeting 5 particularly corrupt Republicans. Well, it is time to add numbers 6 and 7 and they are BOTH from Ohio. So the state that brought us such dubious, possibly fraudulent elections in 2004, now brings us three disgustingly corrupt politicians.

Rep. Mike Oxley (R-Ohio): Ohio Congressman Mike Oxley, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, suggested that a congressional probe of mutual fund companies might be dropped if its Washington-based trade group, the Investment Company Institute fired a prominent Democrat and replaced her with a Republican. Check out these Washinton Post stories: Here and Here

The Toledo Blade also ran a series documenting Oxley's questionable connections to the corporate special interests that he is supposed to be regulating entitled "The Price of Power Politics." -

This series documents Oxley's many ties to corporate special interests and his efforts to block real accounting reform.  Not to mention, the numerous worldwide trips he takes on the corporate dime.

So let's keep Mike Oxley as one of this week's targets.

But now we have two more Ohio Republicans who show themselves to be disgustingly corrupt.

Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH):

From the Campaign for America's Future:

Rep. Ney is emblematic of everything that's wrong with Washington. He uses the power of his office to do favors for influence peddlers that have nothing to do with his voters back in Ohio. What kinds of favors? When a Texas Indian tribe wanted to open a casino, tribal leaders sent him on a luxury trip to Scotland and give him more than $30,000 in campaign donations. When a Washington lobbyist wanted to buy a Florida gambling cruise line, he gave Bob Ney the biggest campaign contribution the law allows and Ney, in return, used the power of his office to put pressure on the cruise-line's owner to sell. When a foreign company wanted to sell planes in the Middle East, its lobbyists flew Bob Ney to London to gamble with them. All of this wheeling and dealing has linked Ney to some of the most notorious corporate lobbyists in Washington, and it's gotten him in hot water.

Who is Bob Ney supposed to work for? The citizens of his district, of course, not some lobbyist who wants to buy a casino in Florida. Where should he be focusing his job-creation efforts? On the working families in Ohio, not on an Indian tribe in Texas. Who pays his salary? We, the American people, do. Who pays for the phone he uses to talk to his lobbyist friends? We, the people, do. Rep. Bob Ney: another out-of-touch politician wasting our tax dollars to fulfill the wishes of lobbyists while the real needs of our country go unaddressed.

Go here to find out more about Bob Ney's corruption.

Then petition House Speaker Hastert demanding an investigation of Bob Ney's behavior.

And, if you can, donate to put an ad on the air publicizing Rep. Ney's corruption.

But then there is also the Governor of Ohio and his crew!

Corrupt Republican Target #7: Governor Bob Taft (R): (and his little Sec of State, too)

Popularly known as "Coingate," Gov. Taft's administration has apparently mismanaged a major state fund and failed to keep it free from corrupting political influence. From Common Cause:

The story begins with Thomas Noe, a rare-coin dealer and Republican financial backer, who has been a player in Ohio politics for years.  Noe is at the center of a major scandal and is under investigation for the loss of up to $12 million worth of rare coins that were part of a dubious $50 million investment by the state workers' compensation fund he was responsible for managing.

While Noe cannot account for millions of Ohio taxpayers' dollars, he has contributed thousands to the campaigns of President Bush and state Republican leaders, including Governor Bob Taft (R), Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell (R) and Attorney General Jim Petro (R).

Even the state Supreme Court has been affected by the Noe scandal.  Recently, 5 of the 7 justices recused themselves from cases involving Noe because they had received contributions from him.

And the fallout from the "Coingate" scandal has reached beyond Ohio.  Noe is a focus of a federal investigation in his role as a Pioneer for President Bush's 2004 reelection campaign, responsible for raising at least $100,000 for the President.  He is accused of violating federal campaign finance law by reimbursing donors who gave to the President's campaign committee.

While Noe's beneficiaries are falling over backwards to disassociate themselves from him, Ohioans are waiting answers as to how their tax dollars fell through the cracks.

Given the wide swath of Noe's influence in a state dominated by the Republican party in all branches of government, the only way that we can get to the truth is to enlist an independent investigator to thoroughly examine these allegations.

Start by demanding an independent investigation.

Now comes the meat of this week's action. It is time to write the media about the deep, deep corruption of Ohio's Republicans. Above is ample meat to show that through every level of politics, from Ohio Sec. of State to Congress to the Governor, Ohio Republicans are not running a clean operation.

Start by writing the national and your local media.

But also write the media in Ohio. They have to hear from across the nation that people do not like seeing this kind of corruption.

Keep up the pressure folks! We need to keep hammering at this issue of Republican corruption.