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Jan 28 2013

[Video] Husted on Record Touting Right Wing Electoral College Takeover

Last week we brought you a post regarding a concerted GOP effort to change election laws in “blue” states so that Electoral College votes would be given to presidential candidates based on congressional district rather than the winner takes all system currently in place in 48 of our 50 states. The only reason this is possible is because Republicans ruled the roost in several state governments during the last reapportionment of congressional districts in 2011 – leading to gerrymandered districts in many large states, including Ohio. lovechildOhio’s Democratic congressional candidates, as a whole, received more votes than Republican candidates in 2012. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, carried the state. Yet, Republicans hold more seats in Ohio’s congressional delegation by a 3-1 margin. Our current federal (and state) legislative maps were conceived in a downtown Columbus hotel room, the love children of U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R) and Ohio House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R). Of course, that was done in 2011. Their legislative plans worked out – Ohio Republicans are disproportionately represented (and rule) the Ohio General Assembly and our congressional delegation. Gerrymandering doesn’t work for statewide races, though. When all Ohioans vote, this fairly evenly divided state can swing either way. In the past two presidential elections, Ohio has favored a Democrat. In the past two gubernatorial elections, Ohio has elected a Democrat and then a Republican. Because Ohioans who identify with one or the other party are evenly divided along partisan lines, and most are self-described Independents in the middle, you might think that the GOP can’t fool with statewide general elections. You would be wrong. The current GOP tyranny in Columbus is inviolable for the time being short of real and immediate redistricting reform. With both houses of the legislature and the governor’s office under their control, they can do anything. The governor and Ohio’s GOP legislative leaders have been quiet on the possibility of changing the way Ohio’s Electoral College votes are cast, but Republican Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted seems comfortable with the idea: Husted does include “redistricting reform” in his statement, but what does that mean? You will hear other Republicans say things like, “Statewide candidates will have to compete in every congressional district – not just the urban centers.” That’s a meaningless statement when our districts are not competitive and there is no plan to correct that fact. Be on the lookout Ohio. You’ve been able to count on one person, one vote when voting for president. If the GOP has its way, the rules change and a candidate with a majority of statewide votes could go down in flames courtesy of a gerrymandered Electoral College.

Written by ronsylvester · Categorized: Fair and Open Elections, Innovation Station · Tagged: Bill Batchelder, Elections, Electoral College, John Boehner, Jon Husted, Ohio

Dec 26 2012

Ninety-eight percent of US held hostage by “chuckleheads” in Congress

Still time for Boehner to put country before politics

movermfeatJust before Christmas, 40 or so House Republicans embarrassed House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio by sinking his so-called “Plan B” for deficit reduction. These members – whom Ohio Republican congressman Steve LaTourette called “the same chuckleheads who have screwed this place up” – made it clear they won’t increase taxes even on those earning more than $1 million per year. Never mind that these millionaires and billionaires constitute less than 3/10 of 1% of the population. Never mind that every mainstream economist, whether Republican or Democratic, says deficit reduction should include new revenue as well as spending cuts. And never mind that every public opinion poll taken since the November election shows that at least 60% of the American people want to see tax rates increased for the richest Americans. For Tea Party Republicans, “compromise” means “my way or the highway.” (For analysis on how the Fiscal Cliff would affect Ohioans, see our recent report.) So what now? House Speaker Boehner says its “up to the Senate and the President” to come up with a solution. But there are now only a handful of days left before the country hurtles over the fiscal cliff. And Mr. Boehner’s extremist wing has amply proved that it will not accept ANY solution that involves new revenue. In other words, Tea Partiers believe every dime of deficit reduction should come from budget cuts. But cuts that large would be all but certain to cast the economy back into recession. Neither the President, the Senate, nor the American people themselves will stand for a “cuts only” approach. Which means that if the country is going to avoid the December 31 cliff, only one course of action is left. Boehner and the President should cut a deal along the lines they were so close to agreeing on before the ill-fated Plan B debacle. Boehner should then bring that agreement to the House floor for a vote – and use Democratic as well as non-Tea Party Republican votes to get it passed. Roughly 200 House Republicans seemed prepared to vote for Plan B. Most of them would likely also support a “grand bargain” worked out between Speaker Boehner and the President. Combined with the roughly 200 House Democrats who would likewise support it, the plan could be sent to the Senate for approval, with the President’s signature quickly following. There’s still time to avert the Cliff. The question is whether Speaker Boehner is prepared to put the good of the country over politics as usual.

Written by dale · Categorized: Innovation Station · Tagged: Barack Obama, Fiscal Cliff, John Boehner, Steve LaTourette, Tea Party

Dec 12 2012

Republican fiscal cliff proposal to cap deductions protects the rich by harming middle-class Americans

On Friday, our sister organization, Innovation Ohio Education Fund, released a report that, among other things, compared and contrasted the fiscal cliff proposals of President Obama and Congressional Republicans. A portion of the report focused on the Republican proposal to cap deductions and close loopholes to generate $800 billion in new revenue over the next two years. The report concluded that the plan would not raise the estimated $800 billion and could lead to the elimination of other deductions that millions of Ohio families rely upon. The report focused on Speaker Boehner’s proposal which included $800 billion in new revenue. While the proposal from Speaker Boehner was strikingly absent of details, some key Republicans have publicly stated capping deductions at $25,000 a year for those making over $250,000 a year would help raise $800 billion over ten years. While on paper this may work, in reality it is much less likely to do so. [Read more…]

Written by bpeyton · Categorized: Innovation Station · Tagged: Barack Obama, Bush Tax Cuts, Deductions, Fiscal Cliff, John Boehner, Taxes

Nov 20 2012

Claim that leaving top 2% out of Bush Tax Cut extension will hurt small business – Not True

A common talking point from the Right is that no extension of the Bush tax cuts for the top 2 percent of incomes in the U.S. will hurt small business. Our research is not finding evidence that this is true. First, let’s hear what House Speaker John Boehner, (R-OH), has said recently about the Bush tax cuts and small businesses:

“Raising taxes on small-business people is the wrong prescription given where our economy is.” “Raising taxes on small businesses will kill jobs in America. It is as simple as that.”
Actually, it’s not so simple. The Treasury Department released a report in 2011 that tried to better define what a small business is and who exactly are the small business owners in America. The report found that very few small business owners face the top two tax rates. Treasury found that only 2.5 percent of small business owners, and 7.9 percent of filers with any income from small businesses that employ people, face the top two tax rates. Only 0.5 percent of small business owners, and 3.3 percent of filers that receive any income from small businesses that employ people, make $1 million or more per year. Giving a tax break to high income Americans would be giving a very large benefit to people who overwhelmingly do not work at or run small businesses. [Read more…]

Written by bpeyton · Categorized: Innovation Station · Tagged: Bush Tax Cuts, John Boehner

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