Political Suck-Up

Tick Tick Tick...only hours, really, as the campaigns try to convince us they are our only hope. I'd normally says this is what separates the men from the boys but that's a tad bit outdated...

Chelsea brings a busload of Hillaristas to the University of Akron campus to showcase the "Women for Change Tour", all the big guns they can muster for that one last push in what is geographically the center of the Northeast Ohio war for the Democratic Presidential Nomination (DPN). It'll be interesting to see the contrast from Obama's six-thousand strong standing-in-the-cold crowd a week ago at the convention center named after Akron's most illustrious First Amendment journalist. Will it showcase his best appearance to win the hearts and minds on a campaign built on our jobs and wallets?

Bill Clinton came through the area today as part of the DPN push for Hillary; the campaign won't admit it but it is clear to the naked eye his contribution has been better relegated to smaller, more intimate events -- or they just wanted to avoid any repeat of South Carolina or that quickie quote ABC's Charlie Gibson pointed out a week ago, telling Hillary supporters Obama hasn't really been part of anything good in the recent past. Today the FFH (future or former First Husband based on how the vote turns out Tuesday) visited Wayne County and New Philadelphia as part of his tour along Routes 224 and 30 through the Heart of it All; four days to go and the best the ex-President gets is south of the voter-heavy snowbelt? What a difference three months make since those snows of Iowa...

Obama is holding another Town Hall meeting, of all places in Parma, a city with a rick history of not seeing there really isn't a difference between black and white on so many levels. It is a hotbed of Democrat politics (to be a Republican in Parma is living in Seven Hills) and Hillary's best support has some from older Democrats, according to some of the demographic analysis of Ohio voters we've seen. Will he outdraw the First Daughter and FFH?

Best voting bribe so far: Eat'n Park is offering free coffee to anyone sporting an "I voted" sticker Tuesday. A voting stub will work, too if you remember to ask for one.

Back Home -- And Voting

Yes, it's been an extended hiatus away from the blog keypad for yours truly, as my friend Diana Keough in Atlanta (formerly The Plain Dealer) so kindly reminded me over pasta and salad during lunch last week. Those newspaper people -- deadlines, always deadlines! I must note, however, that Southern living agrees with her; she looks younger!

Random thoughts:

- I took advantage of the early voting in Summit County today (it would be cheating to say who) but one thing struck me as potentially confusing for some: when you cast your votes for your favorite Presidential candidate, note you are choosing delegates to the national convention. It isn't exactly rocket science to figure it out but I wouldn't be surprised if some were distracted because they're just looking for a "vote for this candidate for President" line instead of choosing delegates to the convention.

- that said, what a Godsend early voting is! At last report over the weekend 15,000 were expected with 10 days to go and folks at the Board of Elections (all smiles and helpful, by the way-- good job!) told me they figure the crush will really be on when the weather gets better and more people figure out they can do their duty today without worrying about a week from now.

- flying into Atlanta last week I was struck by all the empty truck shipping depots on the arrival into the airport runway zone, but of course the rest of Atlanta seems like an orgasm of construction cranes, highway expansion and economic development. How unlike Northeast Ohio.

- three days away from the phone where every surrogate, public interest group or soul with an opinion has been calling to pitch their piece of wisdom on WAKR. It is a wonderful reminder of how incredibly narcissistic one must be to run for office, or at least their campaigns. That old practice of making sure there was a slave in Caesar's carriage whispering how fame and fortune are fleeting should be required personnel for any candidate.

- speaking of why you aren't hearing the former Deputy Assistant Undersecretary for Development of Underwater Resources on the air waxing poetic about Hillary/Barack/John/Mike, it's been our practice to require candidates to actually speak for themselves first before we open the floodgates to all those well-meaning folks who want to speak on their behalf. This has worked well in limiting the "spin" on our station to real voters with an opinion rather than the professional campaign apparatus. In 2004 John Kerry was the only candidate to speak with us; maybe that's why the others just send invitations to these canned photo ops posing as a campaign voters can use.

- watching all the fervor of this week's TV ads (and hearing them on the radio as well) reminds me how wimpy we've become as a nation when it comes to truly hardball politics; Hillary goes off on Barack because he says she loved NAFTA once but now scorns it because she's running for President this time (instead of her husband, who followed up Bush 41's lead and got NAFTA passed way back before it became organized labor's rallying cry.) This is hardball? This stuff draws tears, sharp breaths, and angry fist-shaking? Too bad Andrew Jackson's not around to recount suffering bigamy charges, Grover Cleveland's to recount smears over his alleged illegitimate child, or even Ohio's Warren Harding to discuss the Shadow of Blooming Grove whispered racial lineage to show 'em some real dirty politics.

What's really counting for me on this eve of what we hope will be the final Democratic Presidential Debate: the YouTube vote. Obama Girl's got it running away, more than six million views to Hot4Hill's less than 1.3 million.



Here's what you've been missing from the pro-Hillary video:



And with that I figure Diana will be glad the next time I go two weeks without a post.

Justice

The pundits will now move on, the center ring slowly emptying outside the Stark County Courthouse as the snaking cables from live trucks are rolled back into their hiding places, ready to unfurl at a courthouse or crime scene to be named later. Bobby Cutts, Jr. is guilty.


The questions most of us will ask the jury will likely center on just what
they talked about during their 27 hours of deliberations -- about half as long as the total testimony they heard inside Judge Charles Brown's courtroom. How did they decide against finding for aggravated murder in Count One, the murder of Jessie Davis? Was is Bobby's tears or did they find plausible attorney Fernando Mack's opinion that the death was a horrible accident, the intersection of a powerful elbow and soft tissue?

What plays loudest in the follow-up to the State v Bobby Cutts, Jr. is the apparent view of jurors forged by what seems to have been a lifetime behind closed doors, a dozen people charged with deciding life or death: the adults in this tragic play were held to a different standard than the one player who never had a voice to speak her side. Baby Chloe's only story could be told through the evidence, gruesome photographs simply too graphic to show on TV or the web. It was in consideration of her, two weeks shy of entering this world, that the jury found murder was more than just murder, it was enough to call aggravated and now triggers the next step.

The gag order continues for the lawyers and family members; no commenting, please, despite the calls coming in from New York to feed the media hunger when tonight's viewing audiences watch the evening after Nancy shared tragedy of school killings, OJ's girlfriend and other cases with her babies in the studio to spend some of Valentine's Day with mom. The so-called penalty phase will determine the measure of justice for Bobby Cutts, to be spelled out by the still promise of his unborn daughter.

Pimping For The Truth

A sad day indeed as reporters walk on eggshells and contemplate acting as robots watching the news unfold because political campaigns are much better at using words to cynically manipulate the press. The issue: just when does "pimping" come into play?

I ask this question as Chelsea Clinton is scheduled to take a stage and podium (and likely a microphone, too) to campaign for Mom at the University of Akron. We've all seen the hue and uproar stemming from MSNBC's David Shuster unfortunate slip of the tongue in describing the use of Chelsea to make support phone calls to fat cats as "pimping", and Hillary's camp wrapping themselves in the flag of protective political motherhood to protest such a term being used to describe young Chelsea. It was a fine display of a political protection order, cowing the Ohio media lest we lose the 18th debate between Hillary and Obama. Leave my little girl alone!

At 28.

Double standard here because the Clintonistas are much better at bullying the debate than others? After all, most of us had a snicker or two at Billy Carter's beer belly in the 70s, Mama Carter's occasional pronouncements, the derring-do of Bush 41's progeny (including now-43) and Roger Clinton's occasional snorts with the law. The media, for the most part, leaves the children of Presidents alone with a few exceptions (such as boozy Bush daughters employing the typical rites of passage that come with college life; Chelsea herself had a few run-ins along those lines as well with the British tabloids) but for the most part the rule has been under 18, keep it clean.

Happier days in the big house


But Chelsea's not 12 anymore, the age when Dad moved the family to 1600 Pennsylvania; she's not in college anymore, as the Bush twins were; she's earning her own living, making her own way, and stumping for Mom like there's no tomorrow.


Except when she's treated like an adult, and then it's hands-off my daughter!

Just what IS the definition of pimping for political purposes? Let's be honest: these candidates and their families know full-well what comes with putting everyone on the platter for public consumption during the obligatory "we are family" moments. Spouses and children are part of the display, part of the show, part of the sell to convince voters that O, and H, and J, and B are all regular folk with regular family lives.

But they aren't. Your kids, most likely, aren't part of the process when you make a presentation to your boss or board of directors. Unless I miss my guess most kids aren't calling big donors and appearing on candidates behalf at fundraisers and business events. Families take pains to keep those worlds separate, and for good reason: this is rough trade, asking for our votes. We expect campaigners to talk with us, answer questions, and make the case on why we should vote for Mom or Dad.

John Kerry's kids did it four years ago; the Kennedy's do it so much we take it for granted; the Bush nieces and nephews and grandkids do it on camera during national conventions; McCain's daughter has a running blog that drives his buttoned-up campaign staff crazy.

It's time to acknowledge a truth in this campaign: Chelsea isn't a teenager anymore, she's just like us: an adult, pushing a product, trying to get us to love that product enough to vote for her March 4th.

Welcome to politics, where one puts another on display to gain a benefit. To sell or not to sell, still the question.

Not A Good Night's Rest

The jury heads home for the night -- as long as you consider home a hotel paid for by the State, a location where they've set up dinner for everyone at the same time. No side trips to the Bell for a quick burrito, no slipping out to Rockne's even for a Firestone salad.

Chris Keppler has an excellent sidebar posted on AkronNewsNow on what it's like for the men and women making up the jury hearing the murder case against Bobby Cutts, Jr. It's no picnic and it is something that will stay with them for the rest of their lives regardless of what their verdict is.

Right now the decision is of guilt or innocence; the jury could accept the manslaughter charge, it could find aggravated murder or it could even acquit; these things are never the guarantees the pundits expect them to be. How many times have you turned on those programs and gotten an earful of "wow, what a surprise!" from the experts?

Tina Kaufmann was clearly exhausted after all the adrenalin of courtroom coverage the past seven days; last night she was on Fox with Greta, tonight she's on CNN Headline with Nancy. Eric Mansfield tells me MSNBC has been calling him as well and I know Phil Trexler's phone has been also ringing off the hook at the Akron Beacon Journal during his coverage of the story. I believe the local reporters have done a credible and responsible job reporting what's been happening in the courtroom, and note the public interest in this case hasn't hijacked the coverage to the point where we've seen a Judge Ito moment (or a Cochran or Clark moment from the lawyers, either) and justice seems to have been served well by the broadcast and webcast coverage of the trial. Even the usual suspects have been keeping their eyes on the ball and presenting the story in fairly straightforward terms and tone.

Another day of deliberations start bright and early for the jury and given tonight's forecast they can at least be thankful someone else is taking care of their ride into work tomorrow morning.

Will Tears Work?

In a stunning reversal of strategy the defense team for Bobby Cutts, Jr. put their client on the stand to plead his own case to the jury considering the capital murder case against him.

Fernando Mack's thoughts may have been the testimony in the prosecution's case may have been so damning last week that the defense had only once chance to keep Cutts out of the death chamber, and that was to make the jury feel sorry for him. After five straight days of graphic testimony and images surely seared in the brains of the jury will this afternoon's tears be enough to put the benefit of a death-row doubt in their hearts?

Cutts painted a confusing picture of Jessie's last night on earth, complete with another woman and claims he accidentally killed her when his elbow caught her in the throat. He could barely answer questions during the defense testimony without breaking down and crying but now that the prosecution is asking questions he's noticeably guarded in responding to the State. As a cynic I question the changing mood, but also admit he may simply be emotionally drained at this point after two hours before the cross examination begins.

If it was the decision of the defense team to put Cutts on the stand -- what a risky move. Just about any defense attorney you speak with will note the absolute worst thing most defendants can do is open their mouths, especially with the chance for prosecutors to take aim and come after their target and that's exactly what is happening now with a question on whether Cutts had a cold because prosecution lawyers really didn't see any tears. That may be enough to plant the seed in a wavering juror's mind to question what he or she has just witnessed as to whether it was sincere and the truth. If no, the strategy backfires in the worst possible way but then many question whether Cutts has anything to lose.

Ethics Question: When Is It Enough?

Quite a bit of discussion this morning in the newsroom on the graphic testimony from Dr. Lisa Kohler, the Summit County Medical Examiner, on the condition of Jessie Marie Davis' body when it was discovered after nine days of exposure. This is coverage you will not hear on our radio stations, and that's our choice.

The audio from today's testimony in Stark County Common Pleas Court in The State v Bobby Cutts, Jr. is very specific and not at all atypical of what any Medical Examiner or Coroner would testify to on the condition of a body and resulting autopsy procedure; anyone who's watching any of the CSI programs can figure that out. The difference is real versus Hollywood, and whether it really matters that those of following the Cutts case through broadcast reports (radio and television) should hear this testimony.

We will not use the graphic, disturbing autopsy audio on our broadcast reports. This material (condition of organs, viewing of Jessie's unborn child, etc.) doesn't leave much to the imagination and for the purposes of the official court record that's a good thing. For the purposes of reporting the case to the general public outside the courtroom, however, I'm not sure it is appropriate.

The testimony, while necessary for the jury, can be paraphrased for the sake of an audience that doesn't have the ability to control whether or not they hear or see it. If you are monitoring the case through online reports, you are in control of listening; when you are in the car a "...this graphic audio may be disturbing..." with a two-second warning to hit the switch offers little if in fact no choice at all for the listener.

The key issue in Kohler's testimony is not the condition of the body; we get that. If you don't, wait until summer and perform your own experiment by leaving dinner outside for nine days. The key issue is just why it has been so difficult for the experts to pinpoint the exact cause of death, and those questions can be answered in a fashion that doesn't require us to have advanced medical degrees or a lust for the excessively disturbing. It's a criminal trial, not another episode of the SAW movies.

Bottom line: if you want to hear it, you choose to click on the link; if you are in the car, washing the dishes, or listening at work we don't need to invade your space with the nitty-gritty. The content depends on the context it is presented in this case, and our judgment is to err on the side of the listener.

That difference of control is paramount.

Akron's New World of Politics

Everybody has an opinion. Why not share it?

The experiment continues on Ohio.com's The Point political blog which raises questions on just what the role of blogging is and what should it be this election cycle? Even though half of the team is operating under editorial restrictions because of "old media" ethical considerations, just when does the "new media" part kick in?

Mind you, I freely admit on my blog I hate the term "new media"...because I don't consider blogging "new" by any stretch, and much of what's new comes out of "old media", AKA mainstream media. The field of commenting on politics is hardly new; Thomas Paine figured it out hundreds of years ago. Thank Gutenberg for the first giant leap toward making the media the business we can all share in.

The only thing remotely fresh here is the use of a new platform (the Web) in spreading the ideas and words to a broader audience.

LINK to the AkronNewsNow blog with audio of this morning's interview

When we were setting up this morning's interview segments with Ben Keeler and Kyle Kutuchief on WAKR's Ray Horner Show part of the fun was the ongoing discussion with both Ben and Kyle on just what's going on here; do we consider the Web and projects such as The Point and even Cleveland.com's defunct Wide Open competitors?

My response: no. As noted before, you don't add to a discussion by subtracting voices and ideas. Adding alternate viewpoints to the political mix in Akron can only be healthy, especially given the one-party rule of the City and what looks increasingly like one-party rule of the County as well with the exception of a handful of offices.

What I find fascinating is the simple power of blogs to stimulate thinking; even with the restrictions posed by Ben's candidacy for the Summit GOP Central Committee, Alex Arshinkoff's objections and Ohio.com's ground rules after the flap he's still able to articulate his views on his own website The Keeler Report; Kyle certainly has the same opportunity to handle his opinions both on Ohio.com as well as his own independent website The Chief Source he administers with six others. It's the free flow of information that drives the American political process, and what the web had clearly done is to take the flow from the fingers of the few and expanded the reach more democratically.

It powers Senator Kevin Coughlin's attempt to unseat Arshinkoff with his New Summit Republicans site, allowing him and his supporters greater reach. Arshinkoff supporters have the same opportunity with their Keep Summit County Republicans Strong site but now instead of limiting the debate to those who can finance the printing presses and broadcast transmitters anyone can utilize the technology to make a difference, no matter what their perspective may be.

Sitting On The 50

While Nature Girl and I sit on the couch watching the Super Bowl -- she's scanning cookbooks, I'm surfing the Internet and both of us are thinking: we should send Rupert Murdoch a nice note thanking the network for scotching any political ads the rest of the nation's 20+ states with primary and caucus votes coming up next week are likely watching.

The rest of our conversation in this spousal communication:

- What's the difference between a sack and a knockdown? Sack is when you still have the ball; knockdown is when they want to make you pay for getting rid of it a half-second earlier.

- Go online and see why the Danika Patrick video was too much for Fox to run! It isn't because of anything -- or lack thereof -- when she unzips her jacket. It has to do with the beavers the other models are showing and yes, I mean beavers (see the photo, left) in context with Ms. Patrick's observations on the charms of GoDaddy.com.


You might also want to take a moment to check out the director's cut of the White Light GoDaddy commercial as well; I'm over 50 but must admit those ads make me feel like 14 was worth it.

- Nature Girl's favorite commercial in the first half: when the Budweiser dog helps Hank the Horse reclaim his rightful place leading the Clydesdales hauling beer over America.

- Nature Girl's least favorite commercial in the first half: the Doritos ad where the guy sets a mousetrap and snacks on chips while waiting, only to have a man-sized mouse come out of the hole and beat the snot out of him. "Too violent," she says, but she didn't seem to think watching Tom Brady go down under a pile of Giants was too violent. She did like the GoDaddy beaver commercial, however, because they are cute.

- Where's Jerrod the Subway Guy, she wants to know? What kind of Super Bowl ads are these?

- I really liked the $40,000 commercial for the University of Akron; it was cool watching Luis Proenza toss around lightning bolts like he was auditioning for a Highlander sequel.

- FINALLY a halftime show worth a damn. The sound was a bit hollow -- and Tom Petty looks a bit too much like Gregg Allman with that beard for my taste -- but at least we didn't have to worry about middle fingers (Kid Rock) and Tom's jacket coming off.

Feeding The Habit

The litany of "thanks to me" releases are making their way into the newsroom as anyone who's anyone in Congress (the House, at least) trumpets their support of the economic stimulus package. Maybe this should also be called the "feeding the crack addict more crack" bill.

I know it's probably un-American to say this but this rush to give taxpayers $600 of their own money -- borrowed from their own tax refunds next year -- is exactly one of the reasons why the perception of the economy is trouble, trouble, and more trouble.

Just why are we tanking? The subprime mortgage crisis is a big reason, say the experts, with a half-million Americans losing their homes to foreclosure and more to come in 2008. What we're paying lip service to is that banks didn't do their jobs making sure the loans were repayable and the borrowers (that'd be us, folks) didn't quite grasp the American Dream actually had to be paid back. The lenders were the crack dealers and the consumers were the crack addicts.


Whatever happened to "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is?" or is that just the postscript on Better Business Bureau news releases?

The answer from Washington doesn't really ding the lenders and the scores of high-paid subprime geniuses who likely cashed in on huge bonuses during the greed-glory years, although the sinking stock prices are a nice reminder that stockholders still hold the bag. The answer isn't a call for a financial come-to-Jesus for consumers to wake up and realize adults do have to pay attention to the fine print and you really shouldn't expect to get something for nothing. The solution marked bipartisan: borrow from next year's taxes so people think they're getting a gift this year. You are likely excited at the prospect of hundreds of dollars by summer but as that check lands in the mailbox remember it's your money, so a couple of ideas ahead of the splurge:

YES, America is now a consumer and service economy but the health and welfare of Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Sears and Macy's really isn't more important than your own economic health. Instead of making the plasma screen your top priority (thereby increasing the trade deficit) how about making your personal deficit a higher priority and paying down some debt? Not sexy, not as much fun but a better way to improve your personal finances in the long run.

SURE, consumer spending is important to jump start the economy but consider for a moment going to the grocery store, paying utility bills, making needed home improvements to improve the value of your home and maybe even taking those college classes you've thought of but couldn't afford are also "consumer spending", but a far better investment in you than in Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba.

SPENDING isn't a bad thing as long as you use smart think; would you buy that big-ticket item if you didn't get the $600 bucks and more importantly is it a question of want or is it a question of need? We've gotten to the point where American society is being defined by what we're buying instead of what we're doing and that's a step toward the Pax Americana signaling the beginning of the demise of the U.S. era.

It won't be a sudden overnight event; it'll take time, and the slide will be in cents rather than dollars until we wake up and find the banks all run by someone else overseas. Buy into the dealer's argument that we need the drug to keep the neighborhood alive and the only one who prospers is the dealer, and even then without the customers in the long run he won't have much of a future. Blowing our own money in a gigantic consumer spending orgasm this summer is a down payment not on a stronger economy but just a momentary fix until the next pangs of hunger strike.

Do Bloggers Get A First Too?

Here it is Monday and we still can't get "The Point" -- at least today, but it IS coming back, so what's the point? It's the First Amendment.

The editors down on Exchange and South Main now say they will restore The Point, the political blog on Ohio.com's new politics website that's been on hiatus since it was yanked off the web after Summit County GOP Chairman Alex Arshinkoff launched complaints that blogger Ben Keeler shouldn't be able to make his point since he (Keeler) is a candidate for the county GOP Central Committee on the slate that wants to give Arshinkoff the heave-ho. Thanks for getting open debate opened up again.


This may sound very confusing but in reality it's pretty simple: just how willing is the media to extend the First Amendment to those who contribute political content online, and what unique power to stifle debate should politicians have?

Arshinkoff's argument (we can only surmise since Alex isn't talking for himself, as usual) is that Keeler is biased since he's openly running on the New Summit Republicans platform to make a change in the county GOP. That bias is no surprise since Keeler made the point openly and honestly in his own blog from Day One. Apparently no good deed goes unpunished because Keeler was shut down, according to management's original posting, after Arshinkoff complained.

Their point is that someone might argue paying the bloggers might constitute support from the Beacon Journal and Ohio.com despite the frequent disclaimers posted all over the blog posts and site on how neither the ABJ nor Ohio.com are responsible.

What is interesting is how this hasn't really surfaced beyond a couple dozen blog notes, this one included, in questioning why a media organization (in this case the Beacon Journal, owner of Ohio.com) didn't use the occasion to respectfully remind Alex of Keeler's right to his own opinion and political views as not only a blogger but also as a candidate, and encourage Arshinkoff to use the occasion to respond or challenge Keeler directly.

In their own terms of use the new political feature on Ohio.com notes it doesn't "...control, and is not responsible for, any Content made available through the Site by members." Doesn't Keeler's opinion and the thoughts of fellow bloggers and responses fall into that category? The Point's very own disclaimer also makes it clear Keeler and opposing view blogger Kyle Kutuchief have their own opinions and neither the ABJ nor Ohio.com are tied to any opinions or endorsements.

Alex Arshinkoff is absolutely right to note Keeler's bias (just as Keeler did himself) as a matter of his personal opinion, but using the complaint to pull the blog is the absolute wrong decision by the folks at Ohio.com, which should be commended for encouraging open debate and discussion on public issues and setting up a site devoted to politics.

Critics of the way things are done in Summit County often talk about how we in the media fail to illuminate the shortcomings of the elected and powerful, relegating the real decision making to power lunches at the Portage Country Club or downtown restaurants known as political watering holes. Anyone taking in a tasty bite at Bricco can attest to the movers and shakers who meet over a plate (full disclosure: me included) to talk strategy. This decision only reinforces and gives credence to that criticism.

I'm glad the posting will start up, sometime next week according to the update. In the meantime how about not losing sight of the fact that the real point is to generate enough heat to shed light on the way the people's business is decided?

(First Amendment image from www.reedexpo.com; it's a t-shirt from booksellers promoting the First Amendment and you can buy it for $25 bucks through this link.)

Political Math 101

We've become so desperate to bend over backwards on what's "fair" that we've forgotten the central issue in politics is the exchange of ideas -- and to let the chips fall where they may.

The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com went through this exercise recently when it took down it's political blog exchange when it was revealed one of the bloggers supported candidates with their wallet; now the Beacon Journal and Ohio.com are in the middle of it.

The ABJ's efforts should be commended; building a website to encourage political debate is a good thing. Providing commentary from a variety of backgrounds and viewpoints is exactly the point, and those who opine shouldn't be disqualified from doing so because they take their politics personally, even to the point of working as candidates.

If Ben Keeler feels strongly enough to take not only an editorial stand on the web but also to put his time, money and effort into that passion -- and is honest and transparent to his readers -- isn't that the greater good of the political debate?

There's a big irony here in that Keeler and the Ohio.com blog are placed on hiatus because Alex complained to the editors behind the scene while the blogger in question was open about his stand.

The political debate in Akron isn't helped by shutting down the conversation between opposing parties. The editors at the Beacon Journal should realize the chairman of the county party, his supporters and his opponents should (and can) speak up for themselves, just as Keeler does.

Consider this political free speech math: you can't add to the debate by subtracting voices.

Ohio's Worst Case Political News

Geez, this took it's own sweet time.

The Plain Dealer reports that Dennis Kucinich has ended the months of white-hot speculation (OK, so I admit to a teeny bit of sarcasm) and confirmed he's dropping out of the race, considering his next steps and desires to remain in Congress. The breaking news on cleveland.com's entry by Mark Naymik includes audio of Kucinich.

Which of these things did we NOT think was coming?

So far the race for the district house seat has been dominated by Cleveland Councilman Joe Cimperman's funny jabs at the Kucinich travel record, namely he's off talking about the rest of America far more than he's at home working on behalf of Cleveland and the western suburbs. Dennis faces multiple challengers in the primary and the next six weeks are likely to be highly entertaining as he strives to re-establish his roots with his core, which given the politics of the district isn't likely to be too much of a stretch.

As a former West Park resident who used to engage in spirited discussion with my neighbors on the merits of Dennis (they've long since passed away, thank God, and don't have to witness this spectacle), it has always fascinated me how much loyalty the Boy Mayor continued to generate; the most-often reason to support him didn't have a thing to do with his political stand but had everything to do with his reputation as a guy who didn't swallow the party line from anyone.

I guess tilting at windmills still works in some neighborhoods.

Welcome back, Dennis. Sorry to say this ends northeast Ohio's position as a presidential punk'd tag line but at least we have another political car wreck to watch closer to home.

We've All Been There

There's been plenty said today on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day but by far the funniest clip on such a somber occasion is the New York Post piece catching former President Bill Clinton snoozing away during a chuch service in the Big Apple.

Headline: "Bill Has A Dream".

You've GOT to watch this one...even though it takes awhile to settle down and properly buffer.

To be fair Bill's not the young man he used to be -- but the shot of him waking up to check his watch is worth an extra snicker. Just how these candidates (and former candidates) manage to NOT do this more often is a constant wonder to me; at the very least it should be considered cruel and unusual punishment to put anyone who's had to sit through a State of the Union from these guys to endure a speech from anyone without a proper nap.

Thanks to the NY Post for the photo, too.

Sorry Dan, You're Off-Base

This is very inside media baseball but does anyone besides me wonder why this kind of stuff is news?

From Romenesko, a widely-read media columnist at the Poynter Institute comes word of this interview published in the Sacramento Bee with NPR's Daniel Schorr:

"I'm glad I'm not 20 years younger," says NPR's Schorr
Sacramento Bee
"In my day, as a newspaper man, radio man and television man, I had the feeling I was telling people something they wouldn't otherwise know," says 91-year-old Daniel Schorr. "That's no longer true. I'm glad I'm not 20 years younger, because I'd be very discouraged. ...At my age, I look at [the media landscape] and say, 'Boy, I'm glad that's for other people.' I couldn't stand what's going on today."
Posted at 9:09:51 AM

Now I don't have any quibble with Daniel Schorr's ability to express his opinions; he's had a wonderful career of doing so extending beyond broadcast and print, but this is exactly the type of "when I was your age I walked 20 miles barefoot to school -- uphills both ways!" stuff that drives anybody younger than the speaker crazy.

Now I'm not going to speak for Schorr but I can imagine that when he was in his 20s, during the heyday of network radio and the rise of Edward R. Murrow and broadcast journalism's real birth during World War II, there were many grizzled newspaper veterans who scoffed at the media landscape then and noted how glad that funky thing in the box with wires was "for other people."

Hey, we're those other people!

Journalism's still important and the fact the "media" is accessed by more people, at more times, in more places than ever before in history is exciting. We're seeing the demise of the top-down editor driven brand of The Front Page make way for democracy in the truest sense of the word: voters and non-voters alike search for and find the stories they are interested in, and communicate with each other using social networks and other means the architects of big-media business models could hardly imagine a decade ago.

Musical link: this is like Frank Sinatra in the 40s (just look at those girls!); Elvis in the 50s(those hips are the sign of the devil!); The Beatles in the 60s(that hair!); The Bee Gees in the 70s (disco? You're kidding, right?); The Clash (those damn kids again); Run DMC (hip-hop?) and every other style trendsetter that set teeth chattering in any head with a touch of gray.

Get over it. It's the natural progression; how about less whining about how horrible things are now compared to the way things were and more faith in the generation next in line?

The Magic of Get Go

Nature Girl and I went hunting for cheap gas today (she's not a big football fan) and hit upon a true miracle of marketing: Giant Eagle's "Get-Go" convenience stores and the possibility of huge growth for the Pittsburgh-based grocery store chain.

Besides getting cash off based on grocery purchases they also have car washes called "Wet Go"; what a concept! Just imagine the potential for expansion!

- add an Internet cafe called "Net Go";
- why not slots and wagering for "Bet Go";
- looking for loans? There's always "Debt Go";
- let's not forget a travel agency: "Jet Go";
- opera fans can get their tickets through "Met Go";
- dog grooming has a home with "Pet Go";
- once Fido's trimmed a doctor's visit is a quick stop at "Vet Go";
- check out the guitar shrink at "Fret Go".

Of course, if none of these ideas ever work out there's always: "Let Go", which may be the final word but I'm sure you have some I've missed...feel free to add.

Elephant Wars Heat Up

We're set new lows in the battle for control of Summit County's GOP; now we may see more hardball as both sides ramp up for the March central committee elections.

When's the last time you saw THAT in a lead?

I spoke with State Senator Kevin Coughlin, who called to ask me about a conversation with long-time county chairman Alex Arshinkoff. I reported last August on a Saturday morning call when I asked about some of the charges Coughlin and the New Summit Republicans leveled at the current GOP leadership. Of particular interest was Alex's comment on why he didn't field a candidate to challenge Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic, then-running against fellow Democrat Joe Finley with clear sailing ahead in the general election.

I thought Alex's point was well-taken, that he didn't push a Republican challenge because Akron would benefit with Plusquellic in a position of influence with Columbus statehouse executive offices under Democrat control and a strong likelihood the White House would see a change in power as well. That bit of honesty may cost Arshinkoff, however.

Coughlin wanted to let me know the report -- in addition to similar comments made to others -- could form a basis of a challenge to remove Arshinkoff from the county executive committee.

Here's how it would work: the anti-Alex camp believes he violated the county party's by-laws, as filed with the Secretary of State's office, over language that calls for members to get the boot for supporting candidates who don't have the party's official stamp. That would certainly be Plusquellic, and in an ironic twist they say it's exactly the same strategy used by Alex years ago to have former Fairlawn Mayor Pete Kostoff removed (for supporting Wayne Jones' bid to unseat Republican incumbent Don Robart in the hotly-contested Cuyahoga Falls Mayor's race) from the GOP Executive Committee.

Following along? In a nutshell the charge is that by giving Plusquellic a free pass -- and even telling me the reason shows support -- should be enough to remove Arshinkoff from office.

The New Summit Republicans lawyers will huddle over the weekend to decide strategy; they may ask Arshinkoff to step down for violating his own rules, something Alex would certainly reject. The next step would be to take the case in front of a judge (after all, the by-laws are mandated by state law) or even ask Ohio's top elections official, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, to order Arshinkoff removed.

- - -

All of this hasn't even risen to boil level yet; the undercurrent of story commenting on the Akron Beacon Journal (through Topix) has been particularly personal and vile, aided no doubt by the ability to log-in and post anonymously or even using someone else's name. Eric Mansfield reports on a particularly graphic and nasty YouTube video making the rounds that drags up sexual orientation, martial fidelity and other mud (I agree with one commenter on YouTube: this one looks like it came out of Democrat quarters...) and both sides are already flying with charges and counter-charges of dirty tricks, fake mailings, vicious personal email attacks under false names and far worse.

- - -

The circus-like atmosphere of this challenge to Arshinkoff's authority -- coming from Coughlin -- is just scratching the surface. What may be lost in this is an honest discussion the party should be having: what's the definition of success for the GOP in Summit County, at what cost and with what face? Arshinkoff is a powerful force in local and state politics aided by his longevity, his amazing fundraising ability and his take-no-prisoners strategy in past races. But he's had some episodes of Nero-like excess, such as threatening those who dare question his leadership; that includes blasting local judge, the United Way (was Mother Theresa busy that weekend?), this week's public shouting match with fellow Board of Elections member Jones and other bizarre personal incidents that lead even his supporters to shake their heads. Coughlin has been one of the region's more consistent GOP names and performers despite the tag he's a little too ambitious; he's managed to put together his own faction within the local GOP that can ignore the bluster from the Arshinkoff wing and win without their help.

A dangerous thing, such independence from the county machine. Sheriff Drew Alexander is unusual in that he stands above that fray, seemingly immune to the entreaties and barbs from either side, the truly non-partisan public official. Coughlin could have taken that route, let Alex play in his own sandbox, but he tells me he can't stand what's happened to the local party and it needs to change to grow, prosper, and win.

- - -

The New Summit Republicans appear, on paper at least, to fall short of their goal but expect them to go head-to-head with Arshinkoff loyalists on filings for the central committee. A real key to this fight will be whether Alex is confident enough in his own game to allow the committee members an honest shot at deciding this contest, without manipulating meetings and the process, with a secret ballot in voting for the executive committee (and, by proxy, the chairman's job). Not surprisingly, his critics say that's the one thing he should be most afraid of because without the power to identify and punish he won't survive an honest accounting. That power play will come after the March primary vote with those hundreds of committee positions on the line.

Ted's Death Row Test

I was struck by the depth of consideration Governor Ted Strickland gave John Spirko, the Death Row inmate who has big-city help in trying to overturn his execution sentence for the murder of western Ohio postmaster Betty Jane Mottinger in 1982.

I think it's important to make sure her name is included in the first paragraph of this story rather than as an afterthought.

Rather than rubber-stamping an expected politically correct call to give Spirko a pass the Governor fully explains just why it'll be life in prison for a killer rather than the needle.

“John Spirko was convicted, by a jury, of a heinous murder. At times, when he wasn’t denying having committed the murder, he appears to have admitted doing so. Ohio and federal trial, appellate and supreme courts reviewed his conviction and upheld it. Alibi claims and claims regarding evidentiary weaknesses, including more recently developed theories and interpretations of evidence, were considered by those courts and rejected. In addition, Governor Taft and I granted Mr. Spirko, collectively, seven reprieves to allow for the analysis of DNA related to the case. Once completed, these DNA tests neither exonerated Mr. Spirko nor implicated him or anyone else.

The Ohio Parole Board twice unanimously recommended against clemency for Mr. Spirko. Most recently, in 2005, six members of the Board recommended against clemency and three recommended that Mr. Spirko be allowed time to exhaust newly developed legal theories in the courts. Mr. Spirko was ultimately allowed that opportunity and his claims were rejected. Mr. Spirko’s claims that his own lies led to his conviction for an offense that he did not commit are unpersuasive in the face of the judicial scrutiny this case has received. Nonetheless, I have concluded that the lack of physical evidence linking him to the murder, as well as the slim residual doubt about his responsibility for the murder that arises from careful scrutiny of the case record and revelations about the case over the past 20 years, makes the imposition of the death penalty inappropriate in this case.

In making this determination, my staff and I conducted a thorough review of the judicial decisions associated with this matter, the Adult Parole Authority’s reports and recommendations, letters received in the Office of the Governor and by the parole board, the arguments and exhibits presented at the Parole Board hearing, the arguments presented by Mr. Spirko’s counsel in favor of clemency, recordings of various interviews, relevant photographs, newspaper analyses of this matter and Mr. Spirko’s institutional mental health records.

Based on this review, I have decided to commute Mr. Spirko’s sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.”

Here's the Governor's official order in the Spirko case:

Warrant of Commutation of Sentence

John Spirko, Jr., #A171-433 was convicted of the crime of Aggravated Murder with a Death Penalty Specification and sentenced by the Van Wert County Common Pleas Court to death.

Mr. Spirko is currently incarcerated in the custody of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and is scheduled to be executed on January 24, 2008.

I find that Mr. Spirko’s claim that his own lies led to his conviction for an offense that he did not commit is unpersuasive in the face of the judicial scrutiny this case has received.

I also find that the lack of physical evidence linking Mr. Spirko to the above-mentioned murder, combined with the slim residual doubt about his responsibility for the murder arising from a careful scrutiny of the case record and revelations about the case over the past 20 years, makes the imposition of the death penalty in this case inappropriate.

Accordingly, I direct that the sentence of death of John Spirko be commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

I signed this Warrant of Commutation on January 9, 2008, in Columbus, Ohio.

It's noteworthy the Governor's commutation order so strongly considers the DNA evidence as neither clearing nor implicating Spirko, something missing from most of the media coverage (notably the Plain Dealer) which centers on the evidence not linking Spirko to the murder of Mottinger, whose body was found in a Findlay area soybean field six weeks after she was kidnapped, without noting it doesn't really clear him, either.

It is interesting to note Spirko escapes the death chamber because we think he did the deed but we're not sure enough to allow the sentence to be carried out.

The Governor's reasoning is plainly and clearly expressed and while it may not be a full endorsement of withholding lethal injection for any prisoner (it is important to note there have been a pair of executions in Ohio under Strickland's term: James Filiaggi and James Newton) it comes at the time when the U.S. Supreme Court weighs arguments on whether lethal injection poses "cruel and unusual punishment" enough to order different methods or procedures to be used.

Does Ohio Matter?

Sitting here watching the New Hampshire results:

- listening to the McCain supporters chant "Michigan, Michigan" will anyone be chanting for Ohio in March? We're two months away and in just a month "Super Duper Tuesday" may very well signal this whole thing is over with California and New York's rich plums still to be plundered;

- I'm struck by just how much everybody loves New Hampshire and I'm wondering just how many return as President (or otherwise) for a vacation? Do any of these professional-class politicians spend a day or two on a color tour in the fall without asking someone for a vote?

- With all the discussion on experience v change this popped in my mind: if you buy the argument the Clinton camp is making then shouldn't you be supportive of the son of a two-term Vice President and one-term President, the guy who was elected Governor of one of the nation's most populous and growing states, the fellow with degrees not only from Harvard but also Yale? If being the spouse with a ringside seat means you're more experienced than the candidate with more time spent actually serving in elected office then what's the weight of the second generation who actually served as a state's executive?

- with just about half of the precincts reporting from the Granite State it's a close race between Hillary and Obama...so did the softer, choking-back-tears work? Polls showed she was ten points down before "the moment" and voters may well decide she's human, too and the exit polling has women coming out for Clinton as they were supposed to in Iowa but the voting is still being tallied without big counts coming in from college-age voters;

- on CNN the pundits are really couching their conventional wisdom by saying even if she wins she loses because she had a big lead...but also she should be seen as a winner because she was ten points down 36 hours ago.

On to Michigan! On to South Carolina! Will there be a reason to vote in a presidential primary here in March?

The Worst Scum I Can Think Of

Have you gotten one of these in your email lately?

We've all gotten used to the "bankers" or "government officials" in this old web scam but this latest wrinkle show just how low these people go. I'm including header information...nice to note the path comes from an anonymous server supposedly using Hungarian language (Inupiak, according to ISO listings)...weird grammar and spelling left intact:

Content-Type: text/plainContent-Transfer-Encoding: 8bitReturn-Path: anonymous@server.ik.nlX-OriginalArrivalTime: 06 Jan 2008 13:49:55.0359 (UTC) FILETIME=[04E04AF0:01C8506B]

Attention Please!!! Greetings to you! I am Lieutenant Colonel William Adams...a US MARINE in Iraq.

As you may Know,there are several cases of insurgents attacks and suicide bombing going on here.However We managed to move funds belonging to some deceased persons who were attacked and killed through insurgent attacks.The total amount is US$25 Million dollars in cash.We want to move this money to you so that you may keep our share for us untill when we shall come over to meet You. We will take 70%, my partner and I while you take 30%.No strings attached.Just help us move it out of Iraq as Iraq we all know is a war zone.Note that We plan to use the British Diplomatic courier in shipping the money out in two large metallic Boxes,using diplomatic immunity.If you are interested I will send you the full details.My job is to find a good partner that we can trust and that will assist us. Can I trust you? When you receive this letter, kindly send me an e-mail signifying your interest including your most confidential telephone/fax numbers for quick communication and also your contact details. This business is risk free. Get back to me immediately for more directives.

Respectfully,Lieutenant Colonel Williams Adams

Like there's really a Lt. Colonel Adams in the USMC?

Winning The Widget War

If the race for the White House was measured in widgets there's little doubt who pushes the envelope for change: it's Obama.

I've been playing around a bit with my blogspot blog and came across Widgetbox, a site with thousands and thousands of free tools to use in adding content to websites. Those of you with more blog experience can roll your eyes and note I'm a couple years late to the party; that's OK.
I was interested in the presidential candidates; not a real surprise but Barack Obama seems particularly in front of the pack when it comes to making it easy for his supporters to syndicate the campaign's message with a simple widget:

Now I don't know how well the other candidates are doing with this...Obama's had over 600 subscriptions and a quick search for Hillary pulled up a dancing Hillary widget that likely doesn't have the official campaign stamp of approval (but it's funny as hell) and her official gadget only had 42 subscriptions...John Edwards has a widget but it only had about 38 subs. Among the GOP candidates nobody comes even close to breaking 30.

An accurate sign of things to come? Maybe worth considering the next time you read about the demographic breakdown as younger voters swarm to Obama the way they were supposedly swinging four years ago for Kerry?

Open Letter to Kevin & Alex

The confusion of the past couple days as both sides worked furiously to get their slates -- and alliances -- in order ahead of the filing deadline for the March primary election should be resolved by midweek when most of the head-counting is officially over. In the meantime can both of you agree on one thing: keeping the partisan yapping to a minimum should be a goal of some of the publicly paid-for political appointees?

My gripe in particular is the way Summit County Board of Elections Director Bryan Williams comes off in Stephanie Warsmith's coverage of the ongoing Coughlin-v-Arshinkoff saga. Stephanie's usually dead on with her quotes, so I think it's unlikely Williams was misrepresented in her Akron Beacon Journal story this morning.

I'm not so naive to think that political appointees don't have strong opinions about their masters (good and bad); I'm actually a fan of the spoils system since having to answer to a political boss may sometimes be a better deal in the long run for citizens since it's easier to bring pressure on an errant bureaucrat who can't hide behind Civil Service protections when unwarranted.

The particular quote that really got my goat this morning was this one: ''The guy can't produce what he says he's going to produce,'' Williams told the ABJ in reference to Coughlin. Funny how those observations weren't made in public while both were serving down in Columbus in elected positions a few years ago. Maybe it's payback for thinking Coughlin didn't help Williams enough in that 2003 mess of a Akron Mayor's race...

Now I don't have a problem with Alex letting fly with the dig to Coughlin; both of the Dons (Plusquellic and Robart) do it with ease, as well as my blue pals on NewsNight and that's OK; they're either elected as political animals or express their opinion thanks to the journalist hats they wear. But Williams is a different animal: he's supposed to be the administrator in charge of the Board of Elections and while he has his post because of politics he should be wise enough to avoid sounding like a candidate while holding down that job. His predecessors knew the difference, as do most officials (appointed or elected) to oversee the people's business of making good on democracy's promise of a fairly-run and rightly-counted election process.

It's when they step over the line and become obvious toadies for their political masters that they get in trouble. Any doubts ought to be erased with the memory of Ken Blackwell's wearing of the handling of the 2004* election around his neck when he ran for Governor in 2006*. The tag of a too-partisan election official helped mobilize opposition to people and groups around the country who probably couldn't even point to Columbus on a map, but the tag stuck and was a great opportunity for partisans to step in and helped sink Blackwell's aspirations.

It wasn't just because of that one reason, but it didn't help.

Alex could fight this fight for himself or even let surrogates such as popularly-elected supporters such as Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Robart play the front man in this battle. What should be clear is the role of workers, including management, at the Elections should at least provide the appearance everyone will get a fair shake, even if the bosses can't wait to sink in the knife.

*dates corrected 1/6; thanks to John Dziurlaj at the University of Akron for catching my error.

Political Junkie Update

I've posted the Summit County filings from today's deadline for the March 2008 primary on AkronNewsNow but among the things to watch for:

• Sheriff Drew Alexander gets another free pass; so does Council's Cazzell Smith. Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh isn't so lucky;
• as noted elsewhere Russ Pry has primary opposition from Joe Finley, with Jim Laria waiting in November;
• John Widowfield lost his bid for Municipal Court Clerk last fall; now he's looking to boot Louise Heydorn from her County District 3 post;
• the big fight will be among judges again, with the GOP contested nomination for a Common Pleas seat between David Drew and Tom Parker; also Democrat Elinore Marsh Stormer will face Probate veteran Judge Bill Spicer in November;
• still to be tallied: the onrush of candidates for the highly-coveted Republican Central Committee positions (sarcasm here for my friends in northern Summit County...) and the likelihood Senator Kevin Coughlin's New Summit Republicans rounded up enough horses to make it a hot race to unseat longtime GOP Chairman Alex Arshinkoff.

UPDATE Red Stamp Justice

The City of Akron does the right thing and reinstates Jesse Jones, the 22-year veteran of the Akron Fire Department originally placed on indefinite unpaid suspension when he was facing sex charges. You may remember this case: Jones was given a pass when a grand jury ruled "no bill", but the prosecutor's office slapped the wrong stamp on the paperwork and the case moved ahead as if he'd been indicted (that would be a true bill) by mistake.

The error was caught and the correct paperwork entered, with apologies (how would you have liked to get that call from your lawyer!) and case dismissed, with prejudice meaning it won't come up again.

The City tells AkronNewsNow's Larry States they will put Jones back on duty, with back pay. But should there be more coming? After all, the neighbors and co-workers and total strangers will remember the case when it broke -- and we all reported it. We're reporting now that the case was dismissed but is that really fair to a man's reputation built on a lifetime and sent up in flames in a matter of hours? What price does Jones think is fair for the months he spent with no job, no money, and likely no support? A hard lesson to play out to find out who your friends are -- and how justice works.

- - -

The deadline just came and went in the election filing crush at the Board of Elections in Summit County. New Summit Republicans headmaster Sen. Kevin Coughlin was filing his paperwork this afternoon on South Grant Street; I've got to imagine the growling behind the scenes from the partisans backing incumbent GOP chairman Alex Arshinkoff as Coughlin claims he's got his slate ready to go to give the long-time party boss a run for the money. It would be educational to hear more from Alex but as usual he's not talking. This, I predict, will be THE race we're all watching over the next eight weeks. When is the last time anyone even mentioned "central committee" and eyes didn't glaze over? Nothing like a family feud to satisfy our lust for political bloodletting, and in a rare switch it isn't Democrats beating each other over the head. At this point the Summit County elections folks were laughing at our reporter's attempts to get a read on just how many people are filing for those central committee slots and tell us they may not have a full list until Monday.

I just want to know: is anyone running against Alex in his home precinct? How big a sign can Alex put up in his front yard this time, with or without the help of the ACLU?

- - -

Speaking of races to watch: the early conventional wisdom says Joe Finley's challenge of Russ Pry in the Democrat primary for County Executive will be a snoozer. I tend to agree with the analysis that running against bossism isn't always the best idea because successful bosses keep their machines in power by doing what they promise; besides, as Pho points out in his Pho's Akron Pages blog it isn't as though people don't like Russ Pry...even political opponents tell me privately they like the guy off-ballot and he's won high marks for his first six months since being appointed to the job. But to rule out Finley at this point is like buying into the wisdom that had Hillary Clinton winning Iowa a month ago: let's not forget it's voters, not the pundits, who decide. Still, Finley's opening salvo today and in his interview earlier this week with ANN's Craig Simpson wasn't the best start...Pry showed a more steady campaign style in not reacting to the bluster when we spoke with him on Thursday.

Out-Of-This World Politics

We could talk about Iowa and New Hampshire but why bother? None of the candidates save Dennis Kucinich are coming close to the real big issue of our time.

I must share this with you -- being on the receiving end of the constant stream of spin mail (both snail and e-variety) can wear a person out. There are, however, notable exceptions such as this note from my friends at the "Paradigm Research Group" (PRG); the links are theirs:

Tomorrow night, January 5 at 7–11 pm EST, ABC News will hold back-to-back debates ahead of the New Hampshire primaries. News anchor Charles Gibson will moderate what may be an unprecedented double header debate at the same venue. Which political party debates first will be determined by a coin toss.


Once again more than a dozen candidates will stand before the American people seeking to be the leader of the most influential nation in the world. And once more there will be an opportunity to ask them not silly, but serious questions about their views on the most profound issue confronting all people and all nations – the presence of intelligent, non-humans engaging the human race and the 60-year truth embargo imposed on formal acknowledgement of this fact by elements within the government they wish to head.

The door was opened by the dean of Washington television journalists, Tim Russert, at the October 30 Democrat debate in Philadelphia with the now famous question to Dennis Kucinich. This led to questions to Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani and scores of news articles.

Kucinich, who is quite knowledgeable on the subject and has been briefed extensively on the UFO/ET evidence by colleagues of PRG, essentially dodged the subject. It is up to the working journalists to keep the issue in play and insist on comprehensive answers from these candidates.

PRG executive director, Stephen Bassett, stated, “It is understandable but not acceptable that these candidates are scared silent after 60 years of institutional propaganda and disinformation regarding the extraterrestrial presence. However, it is neither understandable nor acceptable that top-tier news organizations refuse to challenge these aspiring presidents to state clearly their views on a matter 50% of the American people have stated in poll after poll they consider valid.

Does ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, FOX and the top-tier print media think the presence of extraterrestrial beings engaging the human race is not a matter of national security? Is it their conclusion that the tens of thousands of detailed reports accumulating in the files of researchers around the world of contact, often coercive, between humans and these beings is not a serious societal concern?

ABC News has received reams of material on the UFO/ET issues from PRG and other organizations for the past 20 years. Meetings with producers have been held. ABC News attended the May 9, 2001 and November 12, 2007 press conferences at the National Press Club in which dozens of government witnesses of high rank and station presented extraordinary and compelling testimony.

On January 2 the Wall Street Journal, to its great credit, gave the Kucinich question serious, front page exposure. Can Charles Gibson in a debate just three days later simply ignore such a confirmation that the issue is finally in play and candidates need to be challenged?

Can there be anything but consensus that if there is an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race (and be assured there is), any candidate who refused to speak to that issue is not fit to lead?

And finally, when will the esteemed moderators of these debates ask Senator Hillary Clinton about the Rockefeller Initiative?

Where are Scully and Mulder when we need them most? God bless the true believers.

The Sports Suckers

We are such chumps. For a shining Sunday moment we believed the Browns really had a shot.

We should know better.

The latest from MSNBC and WFAN, New York's sports talk station, with reports Titans backup QB Kerry Collins says Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher and Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy must have been talking because it was clear Indy wasn't going to contest losing Sunday's game. The Titans win knocked the Browns out of the NFL playoffs since Cleveland needed an Indy win to slip in.

Now the fact the Browns had to depend on another team to beat the roadblock standing between postseason and playing golf in January should be enough to throw some cold water on those playoff dreams for Cleveland fans; anytime you depend on the "other guys" to do your work for you it's a sure signal you put yourself in a crappy position. Having said that, however, doesn't get the Titans and Colts coaches off the hook for what looks, sounds and smells like collusion, especially given Dungy's postgame comments that three division teams made the playoffs.

So what's worse: the crooks on the sidelines or us suckers sidelined?

Keep telling yourself it's a game, just a game.

It isn't your kid making the honor roll at school -- that actually has a payoff later when they get accepted on a full scholarship to some pricey university and embark on a career that leaves you in retirement in Boca Raton.

It isn't whether your employer has a heart and vision as well as a constant eye on the bottom line -- that has more to do with your personal happiness and ability to pay your bills than whether a gang of millionaires owned by a group of billionaires claw their way up the ladder to play in-between :30 second ads as Big Sports hooks up with Big Media for the Big Game.

It sure as hell isn't as important as the time you spend helping your parents fix stuff around the house you grew up in or your neighbors dig out from the latest snowfall -- those are the "pay it forward" things most of us do without a second thought because it makes us feel better and besides they're the right things to do.

Is it possible the NFL had the fix in ahead of the Indy-Tennessee game? Is there a remote chance the Colts understood winning the game that meant nothing to them was a favor to a team they didn't really care about? Could the pitch we hear from professional sports on how "winning is the only thing" really be convenient sales babble anyone with a lick of intelligence would dismiss out of hand in a heartbeat?

Count me among the reformed sports suckers: believe the worst, watch for entertainment, but don't give 'em your heart. Leave the love for folks who deserve it.

A Question of Green

Sooo...is it just me or is there something missing from the latest worship at the house of Green?

Thanks to Lorna Barrett of NewsChannel 5 for her story of the Oberlin man who's building a 3,000 square foot home that'll cost less than $400 bucks a year to heat. In this day and age of seeing $400 bucks a month to heat a home that size the accomplishment is considerable, but with the double-banked walls deep enough to handle twice the insulation and the recycled wood/plastic composites used to build the house there's a big question left unanswered:

How much is this costing?

If (and when) going green goes mainstream it won't come because it's cool; it'll come because it's affordable and the "what does it cost" isn't a followup question but where the debate begins.

Call it midwest environmentalism: show me.

- - -

On the subject of the weather: get ready for NE Ohio warming after frigid temps bring zeros down from Canada to the Great Lakes and snow flurries to Florida. By the end of next week we're supposed to be in the upper 60s...this from 19ActionNews meteorologist Jeff Tanchak last night. I don't know how confident I am on predicting any north coast weather 10 days out but I will say if it happens watch our crisis reporting go from snow to flooding.

New Year, Some New & Old

Greetings 2008; can't wait to see what kind of shenanigans we can look forward to this year but no matter what happens I don't think the local political scene can hold a candle to 2007's tight election race for Mayor Plusquellic, the rise of Russ Pry or Marco Summerville's travel travail.

Some new:

• Thorn-in-the-side of City Hall Warner Mendenhall has a new blog about public records; The People's Records provides a nice rundown of FOI issue and also spiffs this blog; thanks for the blogroll, Warner;
• Kevin Coughlin weighs in with some new rules for his New Summit Republicans (link downloads the .pdf file); it's a good rundown on what the "new" GOP has in mind for life after Alex if they're successful in dethroning Arshinkoff from the Summit County chair, led by getting a handle on the $600,000 critics say is spent to keep the party offices going;
• Bruce Kilby is heading to court whether he likes it or not over the property he owns in the Dead Poets neighborhood. This AkronNewsNow story includes our interview with Kilby as he finds himself on a side of the law the law-makers rarely see; it isn't often a sitting councilman is being sued by his own city in an Eminent Domain taking but observers could see it coming when talks started breaking down and Kilby maintains he's getting low-balled because he's a vocal critic of the Administration.

As for the old, I'm still working to prove my existence to the third-party provider of my company's FSA health savings account. As noted earlier under the heading of "Why I Hate Insurance Companies" my simple attempt to access my money being held for my health spending was denied when the company reported I didn't exist -- despite holding their card, which I had used earlier this year, in my hand and complete with account number. No response yet from supervisors who promised to call (I'm not holding my breath) so I went ahead and paid for the stuff anyway. Now starts the battle of documenting my existence; included will be the letter I got from said third-party manager noting my balance on December 5, 2007 for the account that doesn't exist.

My friend Chuck Collins noted I called this experience "Why I Hate Health Insurance Companies" on our AkronNewsNow blog. I apologize to other insurance companies at this time but reserve judgment until I need to get some of my promised money back from them, too.

2007: Why I Hate Insurance Companies

This could be entitled "no good deed goes unpunished" after a very frustrating experience at the end of the year trying to use the HSA (health savings account) money I've salted away throughout the year for a new pair of glasses, right? Simple -- except they say I don't exist.

We started 2007 with these new debit cards from our company through a third-party provider (name withheld at this time). Good idea, giving people better access to their pre-tax health savings account to pay for stuff like out-of-pocket prescription, doctor visits, etc. and it even worked a couple times earlier this year.

But at the end of this year -- today, to be precise -- no go when using the plastic "convenience" card. I know I've got a couple hundred bucks left in the kitty so I called the number on the back of the card and after waiting for 9 minutes and 41 seconds (according to the telephone ticker at the Sears Optical in Twinsburg) I got a live person. All I wanted to know was my balance but the clerk checked my social security number four times, my name (first and last) three times and the card number itself twice before she told me I didn't exist.

"How can this be?", I asked, noting the number I used to call her came from the card she says doesn't exist. She even looked up my company (Rubber City Radio -- that only took another 3 minutes and 32 seconds) and says I didn't exist there, either.

I noted that was pretty strange since they've been taking money out of my paycheck twice a month and they didn't say anything about my not existing at the time. They didn't say anything about my not existing when I used the card in the first quarter of 2007 (that's when I thought it was convenient) but now when I want to cash out not only is the transaction denied but my very existence is denied, too.

This may come as welcome news to my staff.

Now I'm particularly paranoid when it comes to insurance companies and their minions, especially the third-party companies who manage all these programs for our benefit. I imagine the poor clerks answering the phones from pissed-off people such as myself at the end of the year dealing with slow computer uploads and missing records while the executives, who loaded up on six-figure bonuses for their golfing holidays in Hilton Head, celebrate at the end of the year. Personally, I believe America's health care system is crafted to do exactly what it's doing: frustrate and confuse the hell of out the rest of us so we just give up and leave our money with the insurance companies. I'm betting that's part of what leads to those juicy bonuses at the end of the year, as well as the generous lobbying fees to lawyers on Capitol Hill to keep the system as complex and byzantine as possible.

Not that I'm in a position to argue; I asked when a supervisor would be able to find the time to call me back but I'm not holding out my hope. After all, how much hope can one have when they don't exist?

Browns In -- Almost

Great lead from Tom Withers of the Associated Press on today's 20-7 win by the Browns over the hapless San Francisco 49ers: the team now has seven hours of overtime before they find out of there's postseason.

The Browns did their part today, a nice post-holiday gift for the faithful fans who steamed into the chilly lakefront stadium for the final regular season game of the season. We were treated to a win; Cribbs showing why he's Pro Bowl; even a sequence of plays from Brady Quinn spoiled only when a sure TD pass was dropped. Chilly, yes, but a ten-game winning season was enough to warm those beating orange-and-brown with a stripe of white down the middle. Think of orange and black and the suffering in Cincinnati or what it's like to be a 49ers fan.

Root for the blue and white; pray for Indianapolis to beat Tennessee even though the Colts would be incredibly stupid to put any of their starters in harm's way with a game that means little to them. Here's where you see just how much the drive to win is really on display amongst the professional sports class; no calling it in for the Indy 2nd, 3rd and even 4th string players because while this game isn't a must-win for the team it is a must-win for them to showcase their talent and heart.

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Most fun game points: not on the field but off. Ray Horner of WAKR included his Dad Lou and young son Rocco in our party this Sunday. It was Lou's first-ever NFL game and while he didn't forsake his beloved Steelers he did have a good time, especially ragging Ray for our leaving early (and for leaving behind Ray's favorite team, the 49ers). It was Rocco's first-ever NFL game as well and for a five-year old he did a remarkable job staying with the game despite sitting out in the cold just-above-freezing temps. Three generations of Horner; at least Rocco roots for Ohio State.

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Still a good idea to keep a close eye and ear on your kids during a Browns game. The language, for the most part, continues to be coarse (and I'm being charitable here) starting with the griping of folks getting through security before they even show their tickets, right up to simple talk in the stadium. And don't even get me started on the F--- Michigan shirts prominently displayed for all to see walking to and fro the stadium. I think the shirts are funny but could we get some compromise on not flashing it in the faces of the kids? The walk from Cleveland's bluffs to cross the tracks and enter the stadium should be a bit more kindlier and gentler than walking down the street of an Amsterdam brothel district.

Staying On The Straight And Narrow

Anyone else have the experience of seeing just about every police officer in the planet on the highways today? Nature Girl and I were driving to Cleveland's far west suburbs and using Interstate 90 from the Jennings Freeway; there was one Cleveland cop parked in the median (on a hill, no less) grabbing radar with at least SIX patrol cars about a half mile down the road, lights flashing with folks pulled over on both sides of the expressway -- and that's with two other patrol vehicles parked waiting for word to grab someone else.

And this was at 1:00 in the afternoon on a Saturday; wonder just how many light bars will be operating when the bars are celebrating the height of the NY Eve holiday this weekend and Monday night?

Driver beware...

Year End Chores

As part of our end-of-the year stuff in the Esposito home Nature Girl was insisting I get in our semi-annual property tax payment in so it clears before January 1...nice to know tax planning is in her nature.

So off I go to navigate downtown's Ohio Building to personally deliver the check because Nature Girl is not only thorough but also paranoid that we have a stamped copy for the files, and hence started my adventure.

My experience in the Ohio Building has been largely limited to walking in from the parking deck just east of the Building to the fourth floor atrium, then navigating up to County Council chambers. For the most part any other interaction I ever have with the county is handled with a check in the mail, but now I have a newfound appreciation for those who make the trek for business because there sure as hell is little pleasure in it.

From the fourth floor entrance off the deck you need to walk around and find the stairs; it isn't easily marked but thank God Fiscal Officer John Donofrio's staff has plenty of signs posted for idiots such as myself who need to find the third floor. After walking into dead-ends around the lighted atrium with the third floor taunting me from the open space below I finally find the stairs and make my way down...only to find more confusion.

Taxes and property is a big deal with lots of records so I'm forced to navigate to other offices away from the atrium; again, thanks to the proliferation of many signs although the people I literally bumped into were in the same boat. We find the offices, need copies of the bills that won't be mailed until next month, but otherwise the fine folks behind the glass are helpful and courteous.

After all this walking I need to...well, rest. So I notice in this public building on the floor where the people's business is done paying taxes there are doors to the men's room and a women's room at one of the dead-ends in the atrium. Of course, they have security keypads so they aren't open to the public.

Hasn't anyone in government figured out yet if it weren't so hard to find a place to pee in a public building we might not be p-o'd at government as much as we are?

Finally frustrated I opt to hop down a couple flights -- following signs again to tell me where the stairs are because the stairs aren't conveniently located where the giant atrium draws everyone's attention. Finally downstairs I see there is actually a convenient behind-the-glass window on the first floor South Main entrance lobby but it isn't for taking payments to the county -- that might be too easy. Instead it is for the CSEA (Child Support Enforcement Administration) leading me to conclude deadbeat parents needing to drop off a check have an easier time than the people of Summit County who own property and want to pay their taxes on it.

Suggestion to County Executive Russ Pry: the next time Summit County constructs a building for public purposes make every restroom open to the public (after all, they're paying for it) and by all means make the architects have to drop off tax payments in person so they get a full appreciation on how important it is to make doing business with the government as convenient as buying a burger -- not asking for Swenson's curbside service but it's a start.

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Ironman viewing note for tonight: as posted earlier the NewsNight Akron crew already taped our Newsmaker of the Year special but it won't air until a week from today (9:00 p.m. on January 4, 2008) because of scheduling conflicts from the panelists. Tonight Eric Mansfield does his own NNA Year in Review show; pray he doesn't run out of breath. He's also anchoring Channel 3's 6:00, 7:00 and 11:00 newscasts in addition to the Akron-Canton News at 6:30 and 10:00 in addition to the PBS 45/49 9:00 p.m. broadcast.

Holiday Irony

Some more random thoughts post-Christmas holiday:

- is it just me or did the fact Fox News was still running the death-and-destruction ticker while airing Rick Warren's religious hour-long A Purpose Driven Life holiday program sort of counter the reason for the season? I mean, I know the consultants say the 24/7 ticker is an important part of news branding but even during the hug-my-family program aimed at showing the power of positive energy? WWJD if He was the technical director?

- Also on Christmas Day: Instead of running their 7:00 news block WKYC opted instead for Christmas With the Stars which included Lou Rawls, who not only has been dead since January 6, 2006 but his widow's home in Green was burglarized over the holiday weekend and among the items stolen was his passport. I could have overlooked Susan Anton and Erik Estrada among the "stars" but dragging out poor Lou? He was the best voice of the holidays (well, second only to Nat King Cole but we can discuss that one later) but two years after he passed away? At least we can tell the Bing Crosby and Perry Como specials date back to TV's Stone Age...

- Nice headline on Drudge Report on how rotten this holiday shopping season has been for retailers: they reported only a 3% and change increase from last year. Now that's not big stuff according to the bean counters because they want 5% increases but note they never seem to have any problem with salary increases bumping up only 3% -- that's called "normal".

- State Senator Kevin Coughlin is weighing in with an email warning of "false" notices from his New Summit Republicans, now waging war on the Arshinkoff faction of the county party. With slates needing to be assembled for the full assault on the membership of the county committee (literally hundreds of folks) underway communicating the message just stepped up a notch. Add to it the stories from Stephanie Warsmith in the Akron Beacon Journal on expected costs allegedly OK'd by the Summit GOP Executive Committee to defend Alex ($350 grand) and the tough no-holds-barred fight ahead this'll be a gem to watch. Stay tuned...with the early primaries culling the Presidential herd the races for local party faithful in Summit County's GOP ranks may be the most compelling political lesson in the March primary.

- We tape the NewsNight Akron "Top Newsmakers" special this afternoon at Northside...sort of a return to the crime where we last led off with the best and worst of the year. I'm excited Eric Mansfield is at the helm for this one -- especially since he's kept plenty close to the vest so Jody Miller, Steve Hoffman and I are still in the dark. Note: this NewsNight Akron program airs on PBS 45/49 on Friday, January 4, 2008 at 9:00 p.m.

- had the occasion to visit with former WKSU PD and News Director Vince Duffy just prior to Christmas at his new (and impressive) digs at Michigan Radio in the Free Republic of Ann Arbor. He looks well -- I'd opine even younger now that he's back in the solid news trenches and out of the grind of program management. His stations stretch their signal from west to east coast and just about all of the lower half of the "mitten" in Michigan, with a heavier dose of news delivered (each hour) and the challenges obviously invigorate.

- speaking of WKSU these are the final days for Daniel Hockensmith, AKA Dan Taylor from his Akron Radio Center days. Dan's been hosting "Your Way Home" on WKSU but leaves broadcasting behind for a new gig with Plastics News. I'll miss him on the radio but look forward to his work covering such a huge beat that literally extends around the world -- good luck Dan!

Random Holiday Thoughts

I'm very thankful this morning for the energy and dedication of young people; the holidays are usually wide-open in terms of the news business and we are blessed at the Akron Radio Center with talented staff getting into the business. Kent State student (and very recent grad) Kristen Russo holds down the fort on Christmas Day, giving everyone else the most valuable gift of the season: time with family and friends. Yesterday KSU's Lindsay McCoy came in on Christmas Eve to do the same, along with soon-to-depart Rick Green (moving from the Akron Radio Center newsroom to similar duties with Metro Traffic in Cleveland).

Mike Glass, a recent addition, sat in for Joe Jastrzemski (and will on New Year's Eve, too...) with veteran Bob Allen hosting in place of Ray Horner. Ryan Haidet, Shannon Dailey, Shelley Blundell, Alan Courtright -- all work hard to keep our listeners and web visitor to AkronNewsNow informed, even at times when being informed is the last things on our minds. Thanks for the wonderful gift of your time, guys.

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I was saddened to read of the passing of Thomas Morgan III. He was truly a giant in our industry, not because he worked for the NY Times but because he was a leader in journalism and a role model for thousands of aspiring reporters. Morgan was the first openly-gay President of NABJ, the National Association of Black Journalists, earning his election after helping professionalize NABJ's finances while Treasurer. There was considerable angst on his election as President on what message it might send -- and thankfully those naysayers were proven wrong quickly. The message is regardless of color, creed, orientation leadership comes in all shapes. I had the pleasure of briefly meeting Morgan (among hundreds of others) in 2005 when he was inducted into the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) Hall of Fame in Chicago, a much-deserved honor for his work bridging the two groups; his dedication, hard-work and focus on doing what's right should serve as an example to all of us.


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On Thursday Eric Mansfield, Jody Miller, Steve Hoffman and I sit down for NewsNight Akron's best (and worst) of 2007 show. We tape at Northside (next to Luigi's) just after lunchtime with our listing of who we think the top newsmakers of 2007 were, good and bad. So far the input from the panelists as well as from other contributors has been weighing heavily in favor of Mayor Plusquellic and Bob Keegan thanks for the end-of-year gift from Goodyear that they'll stay put with a new headquarters building in Akron. Others ranking high on the list: Russ Pry, the Strickland Administration, Sylvester Small...a long list of positives. There are some making the not-so-nice list too, which opened up debate: are we obligated to make the top newsmakers someone (or group) because of good deeds? Should be an interesting chat...the program airs on PBS 45/49 Friday night at nine.