Tom Ganley (R-OH)-- First Of Cantor's Young Guns To Be Indicted

Did you think Boehner's crooked buddy Tom Ganley-- remember him?-- landed on the garbage heap of history after being thrashed by Betty Sutton 56-44% last November? The multimillionaire sex predator is the first-- though surely not the last (keep an eye on David Rivera)-- of Eric Cantor's and Paul Ryan's Republican Young Guns to be indicted.

A seven-count indictment accuses Tom Ganley, a high-profile auto dealer and onetime congressional candidate, of kidnapping a 39-year-old Cleveland woman and having sexual contact with her.

Ganley, 68, faces three felony charges of gross sexual imposition, and single counts of kidnapping, abduction, solicitation, and menacing by stalking, according to Ryan Miday, a spokesman for County Prosecutor Bill Mason.

A county grand jury returned the indictments late Tuesday, nearly six months after the woman filed a lawsuit accusing Ganley of grabbing her from behind, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her and reaching into her pants during a meeting at one of his dealerships.

...The woman's lawyer, Ed Heben, commended the thoroughness of the investigation by Cleveland detectives and the county prosecutor. He also said his client welcomed the indictments.

"My client feels somewhat vindicated already that the grand jury had the faith and belief that these allegations appeared to be true and that somebody's business and political stature did not effect the efficiency of the investigation," he said. "We believe all of the charges will be proven true."

The woman, a married mother of four children, had volunteered to work on Ganley's campaign after she heard him speak at a Tea Party rally in downtown Cleveland in 2009, according to her lawsuit.

She later met Ganley at his Chevrolet dealership on Lorain Avenue, where she said he solicited sex from her, Miday said.

In exchange, she said in the lawsuit, Ganley offered to lower the interest rates on a van she bought from his dealership, to repair her van for free, and to give her a job at one of his dealerships.

Her lawsuit accused Ganley of making threatening calls after the encounter at the dealership. Miday said the calls resulted in the menacing-by-stalking charge.

Heben said the woman didn't report her allegations to police until October 2010 because she feared no one would believe her, due partly to Ganley's close ties to law enforcement.

...Another woman also accused Ganley of sexual misconduct after the Cleveland woman went public with her story. A 50-year-old woman from Broadview Heights told Cleveland police that Ganley grabbed her inappropriately five years ago during a visit to his Chevrolet dealership.

According to DCCC spokesman Jesse Ferguson, “Tom Ganley is just one of the candidates with dangerous histories and violent behavior that House Republicans backed in past elections and it’s only a matter of time until the troubling histories of the others come to light. With the criminal investigation expanding into Representative David Rivera, it’s clear that Ganley isn’t the first-- or the last-- of the candidates Republican leaders promoted whose background and behavior sends a chilling message.”

Republicans are desperate to knock off Betty Sutton, an effective and inspiring leader. All Ganley's millions didn't do it-- he threw $2,363,417 of his own money into the race, far more than Sutton was able to raise-- so now the GOP is determined to gerrymander Ohio in a manner that will eliminate her district and force her into a primary with Dennis Kucinich, another progressive champion.

Washington Is Already Too Full Of Crooks; It Doesn’t Need Tom Ganley Added To The List

When Sherrod Brown left a his House seat to run for the Senate in 2006, state Rep. Betty Sutton stepped up to the plate and defeated Lorain Mayor Craig Foltin 61-39%, a percentage that she increased to 65% in 2008 (as Obama was beating McCain 57-42%). A blue collar district that includes parts of Akron plus suburbs of both Akron and Cleveland, it tends to go for Democrats and for progressives... like Betty Sutton. But 2010 is shaping up as a very challenging year for Democrats and incumbents in general and Ohio Democratic incumbents in particular. And in Betty's case, she's up against a very wealthy, free-spending Republican with gigantic name recognition because he's been selling cars in the area since 1968.

Tom Ganley is the latest in a long line of self-funding millionaire Republican candidates attempting to take out solid, hardworking Democrats this cycle. Widely regarded as a dishonest used car dealer Ganley is eager to buy himself a congressional seat in northeastern Ohio (since the state GOP drove him out of the Senate race he was waging against Rob Portman).

As CQPolitics succinctly put it this spring when Ganley dropped out of the OH Senate race to challenge Sutton, “it only took a few strokes of a pen for Ohio car dealer Tom Ganley (R) to become the best-funded challenger to a House incumbent thus far this cycle.” At that point, Ganley had only dumped a little under $2 million into his campaign. By the end of the summer, Ganley had moved millions in and out of his account-- loaning himself $6.5 million at one point, and then pulling $4 million of that back out. Makes you wonder what he’s going to do with all that money, and how much he’s willing to spend to buy himself a seat in the House-- questions Ganley is of course completely unwilling to answer. Smells like... Darrell Issa.

Speaking of which... another good question arises from Ganley filtering so much in and out of his account: how did he come to make his millions? Lucky for us, the answer to that one is simple: by preying on and even outright deceiving Ohio’s workers and families. You name it, Ganley has been accused of doing it to make a buck-- forgery, lying, fraud, deception, even age and sex discrimination against his own employees.

Even the GOP’s pet news station Fox dropped a hit on Ganley just last week, pointing to the over 400 lawsuits he’s been the target of for his crooked business practices. But not to worry, Ganley is “very proud of his record” of getting rich by trampling on middle-class folk, or so says his spokesperson (Ganley hardly ever opens his own mouth, doesn’t seem to go too well when he does). Really, these tactics are just business as usual for someone who’s as “successful” as Tom Ganley.

And like so many other right wing extremist candidates this cycle, Ganley never shies away from an opportunity to pander to the tea partiers. Just a few weeks ago he touted his Republican bona fides when he announced he’d “cut the dickens” out of Federal entitlement programs (read: Social Security, Medicare, Veterans benefits, etc. etc. etc.) if elected. He was quick to sign onto ATR’s 2010 Pledge, and Ganley’s even gone so far as to support the inappropriately misnamed “Fair Tax”-- a plan to put a 23% sales tax on food, clothes, medicine... the works, while giving a big ol’ tax break to himself and corporations.

If you weren’t sure by now whether Ganley has your vote in November, he has the mother of all Ohio endorsements to solidify his reputation as a would-be advocate for his fellow millionaires and business men-- that of minority leader and fellow down-the-line corporate shill John Boehner.

Betty Sutton on the other hand is a true Democrat through and through, and it’s distressing to see someone who has done so much for her constituents facing the fight of her life from a worthless tea party hack like Tom Ganley. Sutton helped jump start auto sales throughout the country last summer with the successful “Cash for Clunkers” program she authored, and as a former labor-lawyer, she’s fought tirelessly (and successfully) to insert what should be no-brainer “Buy American” clauses and amendments wherever possible.

At the end of the day, the choice for voters in Ohio’s 13th district should be a simple one-– Betty Sutton, an advocate for workers and working families, or Tom Ganley, a tea party pandering corporate GOP crazy who rips off customers and treats employees poorly, wants to put a 23% sales tax on EVERYTHING, and-- this GOP stand-by is my favorite-- doesn’t believe in global warming.

Two Kinds Of Democrats-- The Ones With Courage And Heart And... The Cowardly Curs Who Go Along With Boehner

Ohio Democrats Betty Sutton & Justin Coussoule, fighting for middle class families & small businesses

An odd-- only Inside-the-Beltway-- juxtaposition of headlines when I woke up this morning: from Gallup we get Americans OK Allowing Tax Cuts For Wealthy To Expire and from The Hill we get Momentum Builds For Extending All Of President Bush's Tax Cuts. Since the only disagreement is over the tax cuts for the rich-- everyone agrees the middle class needs and should get an extension-- the real headline should be "The Richest Americans Thwart Democracy And Exert Power Through The Corrupt Members Of Congress They Own Once Again."

And who's leading the momentum? If you can't guess the names, you obviously haven't been paying any attention to this blog for the last 5 years. Ladies and gentlemen, selling out the interests of working families by hooking up with GOP corporate whores we have... in the U.S. Senate whore house... Ben Nelson, Evan Bayh, Kent Conrad and, obviously, Joe Lieberman. Anyone want to take bets on where Blanche Lincoln stands as she contemplates which K Street firm she will be working for after January? Over on the other side of Capitol Hill it's not even just the Blue Dogs lining up to smooch the rich campaign donor class. Sure, you get the worst of the worst like Bobby Bright (Blue Dog-AL) and Harry Mitchell (Blue Dog-AZ) but this is the kind of values driven battle that brings to the fore traits like cowardice and fear so very, very clearly. Will displays of cowardice save moderate, endangered Democrats like Jim Himes (CT) and Ron Klein (FL)? Or do voters prefer the more courageous types like Alan Grayson and Anthony Weiner?

Perhaps the vulnerable and cowardly among House Democrats should keep in the back of their mind how rabid dogs and wild animals sense fear and instinctually attack in that direction. Virtually all the Democrats who are being pummeled with millions and millions of dollars of corporately-financed TV and radio ads by the GOP and their front organizations are the very Democrats who have voted most frequently with Boehner and his cronies, reactionaries like the aforementioned Mr. Bright and his colleagues Allen Boyd, Ann Kirkpatrick, Joe Donnelly, Travis Childers, and Tom Perriello.

Betty Sutton is one Democratic incumbent, who is also under attack-- although not from the NRCC but from a wealthy car dealer with an outsized ego who thinks he can buy himself a House seat-- and who is not wavering from her pro-working family values:

"When so many families are struggling, getting Ohio back to work and protecting tax relief for the middle class must be our top priorities. That means not giving millionaires and billionaires a free ride on the backs of working families. By allowing tax breaks for the richest 2 percent of Americans to expire, we give hardworking people a fair shake and make real strides in reducing the deficit."

Earlier today we saw that Sutton had urged Ohio voters to dump John Boehner and replace him with progressive Democratic Justin Coussoule. I reached Coussoule this morning just as he was going into a meeting with the editorial board of the Hamilton Journal News in Butler County. Coussoule had the unfair tax breaks for the rich very much on his mind. And he sees it much like Sutton does.

"George Voinovich is a Republican but he says he's going to stop playing games and end the senseless GOP filibuster against the small business aid package the House passed and was blocked in the Senate. That's the kind of bipartisan cooperation Ohio voters want to see. Small businesses and middle class working families need the kinds of breaks and incentives President Obama has been proposing. The wealthiest Americans who have gotten so much wealthier because of unfair Bush-Boehner tax policies and trade policies do not need another tax break. It's time to let that sunset. Before I drove over here this morning I read the analysis by Gallup about why most Americans want this special treatment for a few wealthy families to end. They pointed out that Americans are not sympathetic to Boehner's argument that people in the upper-income bracket are overtaxed. This is a direct quote from Gallup: There is widespread consensus that 'upper-income Americans pay too little in taxes and favor higher taxes on wealthy Americans as a means to fund government programs, such as Social Security.' Voters in this district will have a clear choice in November. I want to make sure small businesses get the tax credits and the flow of credit they need to expand and increase employment for Ohio workers who have been devastated by ill-conceived fiscal and trade policies for John Boehner's two decades in the House. And I'll work to protect the interests of middle class families struggling to survive and thrive in this tough environment. John Boehner's record speaks for itself-- he stands for big banking interests, big tobacco interests, big business in general and for the wealthy few who approach him through lobbyists and on exclusive golf courses. It's time ordinary Ohio workingmen and women reclaim their government. That's a pledge to voters in the 8th I'll never break."

Justin Coussoule Campaign Taking Off In Southwest Ohio

Justin Coussoule's campaign is little the little train that could-- David vs Goliath, although in this case, Goliath is a drunken, orange-tinged golfer whose pockets are bulging with bribe money from Wall Street, Big Pharma, Real Estate interests and Big Tobacco. The Inside-the-Beltway Democratic Establishment wants nothing to do with Justin Coussoule's campaign against John Boehner. After all, Coussoule, a West Point graduate, was a former captain in the U.S. Army... and you know what sticklers those types are about the rules and stuff like ethics and fair play. And Inside the Beltway-- whether you're a stinking Republican career hack or a stinking Democratic career hack-- they play by their own rules, rules that allow the kinds of flagrant, blatant bribery that encourages the rise to power of low grade criminal types like John Boehner, Pete Sessions, Eric Cantor, Tom DeLay and Rahm Emanuel.

The DCCC, led Debbie Wasserman Schultz, someone whose bought her way to power with sugar lobby money and cash from anti-Cuba fanatics, made it clear from the day Coussoule decided to run that their only interest in Boehner was to use him as a cash cow to raise money to save the seats of Blue Dogs-- Blue Dogs who are unpopular with the Democratic base because... they always vote with Boehner! They wouldn't even invite him to Democratic Party events down the road from his own house and hoped he would just fade away quietly and leave them to collect money to save slimy conservatives like Bobby Bright (Blue Dog-AL), Frank Kratovil (Blue Dog-MD), Travis Childers (Blue Dog-MS) and Glenn Nye (Blue Dog-VA). But that's not what happened-- thanks to dedicated grassroots supporters up and down OH-8, and thanks to Blue America donors and to Ed Schultz. And now, thanks to the million-strong DFA. If you're not a member, here's part of the e-mail Democracy For America sent out yesterday:

I have three words for you-- Speaker John Boehner.

There is nothing-- nothing-- that would be a bigger setback for America than seeing right-wing corporate lapdog John Boehner take the gavel from progressive champion Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House.

That's why Republican John Boehner has earned DFA's first Anti-Endorsement.

DFA members chose John Boehner and right-wing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to "win" the 2010 Progressive Villain Anti-Endorsements. These two represent the worst Washington D.C. has to offer. Their Republican Party is more interested in doing the bidding of corporate lobbyists and racist tea baggers to repeal, overturn or defeat President Obama at all costs than they are in doing what's right for America.

What is an Anti-Endorsement? It's an important part of our 50 State Strategy. DFA will make a long-term, high-priority investment in the winners' states, including dedicating staff to increasing Democratic voter registration, campaign training, increased resources for local progressive activists and a commitment to defeat these Villains with a progressive Democrat.

Democrats in Washington are playing defense. But we're not. We're committed to taking out right-wing corporate sell-outs like John Boehner and Mitch McConnell whether it takes one or two or 10 election cycles to do it.

Today, DFA is endorsing Boehner's Democratic opponent, Justin Coussoule, for Ohio's 8th district. We'll contribute volunteers, money, and campaign resources to support Justin's uphill race to defeat the House's biggest Villain. But that's not all we're doing. We're going on offense right now in races across the country to make sure we never see "Speaker John Boehner."

Beth Krom, Bill Hedrick, Steve Pougnet, Manan Trivedi-- these are four great progressive Democrats running in districts held by Republicans that President Obama won in 2008. We're not just going to make sure Speaker Pelosi keeps a Democratic majority this fall-- we're going to send her more great progressives to build a real, progressive majority.

Democratic political insiders in DC have also warned incumbents not to waste their energy on challengers in "impossible" races-- "impossible the way Donna Edwards' and Alan Grayson's were once judged. But this is how Congressional Progressive Caucus chairman Raul Grijalva responded to that like this:

Justin Coussoule is the right man to improve the representation of the 8th District, and he's running at the right time. John Boehner is too busy playing inside baseball against his own deputy, Eric Cantor, to give a thought to the people of Ohio. His idea to get the economy back on track is to extend tax cuts for the wealthy. We tried that for eight years under George W. Bush, and it just didn't work. John Boehner didn't listen. Justin Coussoule did.

Justin has worked hard all his life, served five years in the military, and started a small business to support his family. He knows the value of personal relationships, keeping in touch with your roots, and remembering who you're working for. He also understands public policy and knows that cutting Social Security to pay for more upper-income tax breaks, as Boehner recently suggested, isn't what Ohio needs.

John Boehner's favorability ratings are lower than the Republican Party in general. They're even lower than the IRS. Western Ohio is tired of John Boehner. Justin Coussoule is the man the 8th District needs, and he's going to make a great Congressman. Please join me in supporting him today, because we can't go another two years with John Boehner using the 8th District as a springboard for his inside-the-Beltway power games and political maneuvering. The voters of western Ohio need someone looking out for them first. Justin is the man for the job-- a working man, a family man, a man who served his country and continues to serve it today.

Justin Coussoule for Congress. It's time for better days in the 8th District.

He's also been endorsed by high profile Democrats like Alan Grayson, Barney Frank, Henry Waxman, Bob Filner, and Earl Blumenauer. And today two of Boehner's Ohio congressional colleagues, Betty Sutton and Mary Jo Kilroy joined the courageous Democrats willing to take on the orange man. Earlier today Mary Jo issued this statement:

"I became the first member of Ohio's Congressional delegation to endorse Justin Coussoule because he is the sort of leader that South west Ohio deserves. John Boehner is a dangerous man with a radical agenda for our country. He wants to privatize social security and reward companies that send our jobs overseas. Justin will stand up for people like you and me, and against the special interests that John Boehner has represented since the day he went to Congress."

And early this afternoon Betty Sutton, who will be issuing a joint statement with Mary Jo, sent us this:

“Minority Leader Boehner has continually fought against the best interests of hardworking Ohioans-- from his ceaseless attempts to slash and burn Social Security to his willingness to ship American jobs overseas at the drop of a hat. Justin Coussoule knows that creating jobs in Ohio and rebuilding our middle class must be our number one priority, and I am proud to lend him my support."

If you hit that thermometer up above, you can help us keep this ad running on TV in Butler and Montgomery counties:

Cash For Clunkers Passes House By A Big Margin

Each is too old for a trade in voucher

Betty Sutton's bill, H.R. 2751, colloquially dubbed "Cash For Clunkers," passed yesterday evening 298-119. 59 Republicans of all stripes abandoned their party's leadership to vote with the Democrats-- from right-wing extremists like Steve King (IA), David Dreier (CA), Phil Gingrey (GA) and Gary Miller (CA) to mainstream conservatives like Frank LoBiondo (NJ), Mike Castle (DE) and Chris Smith (NJ). 110 knee-jerk obstructionist Republicans-- kooks and extremists like Michele Bachmann (MN), Mean Jean Schmidt (OH), Patrick McHenry (NC), Virginia Foxx (NC) and John Shadegg (AZ) stuck with the lockstep anti-progress leadership of John Boehner (OH), Eric Cantor (VA), Mike Pence (IN) and Paul Ryan (WI).

Unless the 100 mini-presidents in the House of Lords kills it, the one-year trade-in program would start upon enactment of the legislation, rather than being retroactive to March 30, which is what Sutton first proposed. Oddly, vehicles made before 1984 are ineligible for the rebate.

Under the bill, consumers could receive a voucher worth as much as $4,500 for the purchase or lease of a new, fuel efficient vehicle upon trading in the less efficient passenger car, SUV or truck.

To receive a voucher of $3,500, the consumer must purchase a new car that gets at least four more miles per gallon. To receive a voucher for $4,500, the new car must have a rating at least 10 mpg higher.

For a light-duty truck or SUV, the old truck must have a rating of 18 mpg or less. To receive a voucher of $3,500, a consumer must purchase a new vehicle rated at least two miles per gallon higher. To receive a voucher for $4,500, the new vehicle must get at least five miles per gallon more.

The bill had 51 co-sponsors including Michigan Republicans Fred Upton, Thaddeus McCotter, Mike Rogers, Candice Miller, and Dave Camp as well as committed progressives like Carol Shea-Porter (NH), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Dave Loebsack (IA) and Marcy Kaptur (OH). Eric Massa (D-NY) was effective in explaining why the bill is a positive to his economically hard-pressed district in New York's Southern Tier. "I'm proud to have voted for the cash for clunkers program because it's a good deal for our environment and our economy. This program will help keep our auto manufacturers and auto dealers in business and help consumers purchase 21st century clean automobiles. It's a win-win solution and I'm glad we've been able to pass this overwhelmingly bipartisan program to help get America back to work."
 
Even two of the most reactionary lobbying groups in America, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers joined with the Democrats and the unions in supporting the bill. Many Republican congressmen running for higher office gave Boehner and Canter the finger and voted for it too, even usual rubber stamps like Matt Blunt (R-MO), Jim Gerlach (R-PA), and Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), respectively running for the Senate, a Lt Governorship and a Governorship. (Adam "Howdy Doody" Putnam, who's giving up his House seat to run for Florida Agricultural Commissioner, ducked the vote entirely.

Another Republican Senator Calls It Quits After Helping Bush Bring The Country To Its Knees-- Who Will Replace Voinovich?

Although George Voinovich had been elected a state representative and, in 1978, Ohio's Lt. Governor, his debut on the national scene didn't really come until he resigned as Lt. Governor after one year to run against-- and beat-- Cleveland Mayor Dennis Kucinich. Later, after a disastrous run for the U.S. Senate in 1988, Voinovich was elected Governor of Ohio. My own awareness of him came because of the tremendous support (both as mayor and governor), to the tune of $65 million, he offered the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. Since 1999 he has been a U.S. Senator and, at least in the beginning, was one of the Republicans most willing to vote with the Democrats on behalf of working families. (Right wing fanatics still haven't forgiven him.) And you may recall that he broke with the far right by refusing to back Bush's choice of extremist sociopath John Bolton as UN ambassador.

Today Voinovich announced that he would retire from the Senate after finishing his second term in 2010. Demographic and political trends, as well as recent polls, showed that he would probably lose a bid for a third term. His excuse for skipping out on the job?

"I have never seen the country in such perilous circumstances.  Not since the Great Depression and the Second World War have we been confronted with such challenges, as a nation and as a world," Voinovich said. "I must devote my full time, energy and focus to the job I was elected to do, the job in front of me, which seeking a third term-- with the money-raising and campaigning that it would require-- would not allow me to do."

OK... I hope some of his GOP colleagues come to identical conclusions, particularly obstructionist extremists like Jim DeMint (R-SC), David Diapers Vitter (LA), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Tom Coburn (R-OK). But what's on everyone's mind now is who's going to be Ohio's next U.S. Senator?

There are four likely Republicans eyeing the seat: Bush's spectacularly failed Director of the Office of Management and Budget (as well as inept U.S. Trade Representative), ex-Congressman Rob Portman; John Kasich, another former Republican congressman, although he had been gearing up to run a hopeless campaign for governor; defeated ex-Senator Mike DeWine; and former vote-stealin' Secretary of State, the much-loathed Ken Blackwell. Four complete losers. The Democratic Party's most likely nominee is Lt. Governor Lee Fisher, although popular Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who did a decent job cleaning up after Blackwell, is also a top contender. There are also four members of Congress considering the race, 2 progressives (Betty Sutton and Mary Kaptur), a moderate (Tim Ryan) and a reactionary whose voting record looks suspiciously Republican (Zack Space). And what about Paul Hackett? [UPDATE: Paul's not interested, according to a mutual friend.]


UPDATE: SENATE "LEADERSHIP" BACKTRACKS ON BURRIS... AGAIN

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Illinois senior senator and Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin said in a Monday statement that the Senate would accept the credentials of Roland Burris. He should be sworn in later this week. I wonder if Reid is embarrassed. Even Oklahoma kook Jim Inhofe likes Burris! They wound up having dinner at the Monocle and afterwards Inhofe said “I was very much impressed with him. From my little, meager research, I thought, ‘This guy looks like Senate material’.”

And you know that Florida Senate seat Mel Martinez is giving up in 2010? The one Jeb isn't running for? It looks like Rep Kendrick Meek will be announcing his candidacy tomorrow.