news & articles

Rep. Bob Gibbs voted against impeaching President Donald Trump for inciting an insurrection against the United States government. Now Republican members of the Senate what us to forget. “Forget? Forget? You are out of your mind and you’re not a conservative. That’s how conservatives do not talk,” said Joe Scarborough. “We don’t forget, if you attack our country, we go after you, we jail you, we throw away the key.” ... See MoreSee Less

Keep this in mind if Gibbs refuses to step down.
[2020 WAS] SUPPOSEDLY OHIO'S LAST ELECTION UNDER GERRYMANDERED DISTRICTS. WILL CHANGE COME? 3 Nov 2020
High points of the article written by Randy Ludlow and Anna Staver
“With Republicans jury-rigged into a dozen mostly safe districts and Democrats packed into
four, not a single seat in the U.S. House of Representatives has flipped during the past nine
years in Ohio.
“Tuesday’s election is supposedly the last staged under some of the most gerrymandered
political boundaries in the nation — lines deliberately drawn in 2011 to reinforce the reign of
the ruling Republicans over state politics.
”Guided by 2020 census figures, two constitutional amendments overwhelmingly approved by
Ohio voters in 2015 and 2018 will lead to the redistricting of legislative and congressional
lines ideally to create more competitive districts for 2022. How out of line are some of the current sprawling U.S. House lines?
“They are so out of line that a panel of three federal judges last year unanimously declared Ohio's congressional gerrymandering unconstitutional, finding it "so skewed toward one party that the electoral outcome is predetermined." But the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the ruling. Ohio's Republicans in Congress received 52% of the statewide vote in 2018, but continued to own 75% of the seats.
“Republicans retain the upper hand in the coming map-drawing in Ohio, but face a
mandatory duty next year to draw politically neutral, more-compact districts. They also are limited in splitting political jurisdictions to intentionally pack certain voters into certain districts.
“However, there might not be much time for state officials and lawmakers to design new
maps, with the stagnant population of Ohio likely accompanied by the loss of a seat in
Congress.
“The pandemic-delayed census might not produce the final numbers needed to recraft
political boundaries until late June, leaving only a few months to produce new maps, one leading Democrat warns.
“The Ohio Redistricting Commission will consist of Republicans Gov. Mike DeWine, Auditor Keith Faber, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, plus four members appointed by the House and Senate majority and minority leaders, ensuring two Democrats.
“Faber said he expects the commission to "studiously follow" the constitutional mandate to draw lines that are politically neutral. As Senate president, he helped draft the ballot
measures. "I think they are readily achievable," Faber said. "Keeping communities intact — if you can do that, you are going to take care of a lot of other problems; that's a huge factor."
“LaRose, who also participated in the redistricting plans while in the Senate, is optimistic that the General Assembly and the commission will follow voters' expectations of fairly drawn districts. "Ohioans wanted to see a more balanced process based on compromise and working together, with the concept that voters pick their politicians rather than the other way around," LaRose said. The secretary of state is confident the process will produce bipartisan "reasonable and competitive and compact lines and keep, where possible, communities of interest together."
“Downtrodden Democrats are still leery about Republicans attempting to craft political boundaries that favor their party. “It’s been a lost decade in Ohio politics,” Ohio Democratic Chairman David Pepper said. “The folks who rigged the state in 2011 deprived Ohioans of their choice for the legislature and Congress for a decade.” THE “RIGGED” DISTRICTS HAVE ALLOWED REPUBLICANS TO RULE WITH IMPUNITY, LEADING TO CORRUPTION SUCH AS THE FEDERAL RACKETEERING PROBE OF FORMER GOP HOUSE SPEAKER LARRY HOUSEHOLDER AND HOUSE BILL 6 AND A LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY THAT PERMITS U.S. REP. “JIM JORDAN AND (STATE REP.) NINO VITALE TO ACT LIKE NUTS,” PEPPER SAID.
“The key is following the voter-mandated process in the redistricting revamp. “If it is respected, we can have a new day in Ohio politics where elected officials have to earn their reelections," the chairman said. ... See MoreSee Less