If you had any questions about what sort of fellow Ohio Secretary of State (and Co-Chair for Ohio’s Bush/Cheney ’04 campaign) J. Kenneth Blackwell is give a quick listen to this 4-minute audio report on yesterday’s hearings from Ohio Public Radio featuring some of the heated exchanges between His Arrogance Mr. Blackwell, and some the questioners.
(See our previous report explaining this rare appearance by Blackwell who has, until now, snubbed all such hearings at which he was called to testify and refused to answer a single question about the 2004 Election which he was designated to oversee as “fair and impartial” arbiter.)
Additionally, we received this report from a congressional staffer who was inside the hearing room in Columbus on Monday:
When Miss Tubbs Jones called him out on it, Blackwell explained that he wanted to see “how she acted” before he was willing to shake her hands. As if she was the one responsible for the voting rip-off and long lines in Ohio.
Because of his stonewalling during the question period, Tubbs Jones was forced to declare that Blackwell would have to “haul butt” if he wouldn’t respond to his questions.
When called to task concerning the absurd paper weight requirements, he left the explanation for a staffer, and than left and made an obnoxious salute gesture toward the Democrats on the panel – Ranking Member Millender McDonald and Tubbs Jones.
(Hat tip to BRAD BLOG commenter, “MelissaB”, for the link to the audio report!)
Isn’t Blackwell required, by law, to explain himself? How can he legally skip out of hearings?
What happened to his neck?
Where will the rope go?
I just wish the Democrats who confronted Blackwell stopped sounding so "sugary sweet." I know they eventually let out some telling words – but – I want them to sound angry with him. Am I missing something about "politics" or is this one of the problems Democrats have?
Wouldn’t His Blackwellness be required under law to answer to a subpeona? Couldn’t he be arrested if he refused? I don’t get this at all. Is he counting on B***Co to send in Special Forces to hawl him out of there if he really gets into trouble?
What on earth are the decent people of this country waiting for? There must be some, even in Ohio…
"haul"
Kira #3
That has been one of the democrat’s problems. I think they’re finally starting to wake up from their long strange trip to the right and some are starting to remember what a democrat is supposed to stand for. Of course Rep. Tubbs-Jones and the rest of the Congressional Black Caucus never lost sight of who they are and for a long time seemed like the only democrats willing to state the obvious and not run from Bush like the rest of those sickening wimps.
Peg C #4
If I was Blackwell, I’d be a little worried that I was becoming too much of a liability to Bushco. The man obviously has little, if any self control, and seems to act out like a child. With all that happened in Ohio, and all thats at stake if those crimes were ever to be revealed, I would think he is being watched closely by "The Family" for any sign that he’s on the verge of slipping up and spilling the beans, and the way he seems to have a flair for drawing attention to himself with all his arrogance and antics must surely qualify him as a top candidate for a good old suiciding. He’s making a lot of enemies right now and I’m hoping it’s gonna come back and bite him in the ass. And quick.
They ought to put him in a room, alone, with some of the black voters who waited all day and night to vote, or who were told to go to the wrong place, and filled out provisional ballots that got tossed. That should sort this loser out. What a disgusting man!
"obnoxious salute gesture towards the Democrats"? He gave them the finger? shot em a bird? WOW, like Gannon, he is very cocksure. Like Gannon somebody big has his back.
"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely".
Blackwell has been corrupted by exposure to relatively little power … if he were to become governor he might go over the top … or perhaps he already has.
BRAD, I am sure you have heard by now, but Bradblog and the Blackwell hearing story was featured on Air America Radio, Unfiltered with Rachel Maddow.
Was great coverage of your story and they even played the Blackwell recording.
Maybe you can get in touch with them to discuss it on the air. There is no phone where I am working right now or i would call them up and suggest it.
They gave you a big plug and really praised the Bradblog and your work.
Big Grats!!!
I managed to get on The Majority Report, but it was real brief . .regarding propaganda being rampant in the MSM.
BRAD, I am sure you have heard by now, but Bradblog and the Blackwell hearing story was featured on Air America Radio, Unfiltered with Rachel Maddow.
Was great coverage of your story and they even played the Blackwell recording.
Maybe you can get in touch with them to discuss it on the air. There is no phone where I am working right now or i would call them up and suggest it.
They gave you a big plug and really praised the Bradblog and your work.
Big Grats!!!
I managed to get on The Majority Report, but it was real brief . .regarding propaganda being rampant in the MSM.
sorry, please delete the extraneous post. You know if you double click on the submit button on accident, it does a double post? 🙁
What about the illegal recount? Where the hell is the oversight? This ass-clown thinks he is the dictator of Ohio, and if he had nothing to hide he wouldn’t be acting so defensively.
oh no, he wouldn’t shake hands and he was rude… proof of a conspiracy! he must be impeached!
:doze:
Anyone who is black in America and supports the Repugnantcan party has some serious self-hate issues, so it’s not suprising that he would be so hateful to other people.
Correct, Pinko Liberal.
I think we should go after Blackwell relentlessly. He cracks easily.
Peg C said… "What on earth are the decent people of this country waiting for? There must be some, even in Ohio… "
Yes, Peg C. There are a lot of decent people in Ohio. I’m one of them. 🙂 We worked hard in Franklin County to deliver support for John Kerry in the election. Franklin County went from Red to Blue this election. There are many activists here who are doing their best to ongoingly out Blackwell and his evil, power-hungry, corrupt ways. I sense that lots of people are still mad at Ohio and Ohioans for the outcome of the election. But, please understand that some of us did and continue to do our part and will remain ongoingly committed to reclaiming our state. It’s now more of an uphill battle, but what other choice do we have? I would ask that if there’s anyone out there who is still angry with Ohio for the outcome of the election that you understand that those of us who are fighting the good fight within this state need your support. Lumping all of us into the same bucket of pig slop isn’t going to help the situation or help us turn things around. After the election, Michael Moore referred to the Buckeyes as a bunch of poisonous nuts, which is what a buckeye is. I absolutely love and adore Michael. But, I’ve gotta say that really hurt. Many people here in this state were nearly inconsolable in our grief over the election turnout. We’re now on task again. But, please, don’t imply that we are indecent as a whole. Ohioans are good people. I strongly feel that many who voted for Bush voted out of naivete with a pinch of Karl Rove fear propaganda added in. Now many are starting to see what Bush is trying to do with social security, the inappropriate involvement in the Shiavo case, etc., and I’m hearing more people complain. Thanks for letting me respond. I mean no ill will nor do I try to invite conflict on the subject. I’m just a little sensitive about this issue and felt I needed to respond.
Dear Ga_from_Oh –
Oh dear. My remark was tongue-in-cheek, with absolutely no offense intended. Please review previous postings of mine; I’m certain you will find that I have no bad thoughts about Ohio or its residents (I went to high school, college and grad school there).
It was meant in the way one would say, "There must be some nature-lovers at Yosemite, even if it is a National Park."
Please accept my apologies for any unintended discomfort.
No problem, Peg C. 🙂 Thanks for clarifying what you meant. That is very sweet of you, and I admire your quick response and integrity. I admit I didn’t do the due diligence to look back at your previous posts prior to posting. I ventured here the first time accidentally today, and found the content interesting.
Please do hang in there with us, though, folks. We have a mess in this state, and with Ohio HB#1 that we’re fighting and the Governor’s new budget cuts, it could get a little worse before it gets better. Canada sometimes sounds tempting about now, but it’s not going to solve the problems.
Thanks again.
GA_from_OH #19 –
Stick around. This is a good crowd and getting stronger every day! Yes, Canada IS appealing…I first thought wistfully of emigrating in late 1980. But if we keep at it, maybe we’ll be able to turn things around. Hope is best kept alive by activity and courage.
Hi GA_from_OH,
As we all know, most "red" states turned out looking purplish red in actuality, AND most of us are firmly convinced the election was a farce. Therefore, we need to remember that before we call names.
I’m from GA and my state "went RED" according to the MSM map and the MSM talk. Because they couldn’t steal every vote, my county went BLUE. (It must have, in reality, been extremely BLUE!) A lot of GA counties were BLUE and so many of them were within just a few votes of being BLUE – and they probably in reality were blue.
(Remember, GA’s SOS, Democrat Cathy Cox was responsible for buying and installing Diebold’s paperless DREs in every single county, making GA one of the first to use the horrid Stalin-style voting machines.)
I’ve read several articles on some of my very favorite sites, written by some of my very favorite writers, that were very ugly toward the whole South, and Southerners — vicious name calling, etc. The problem was that they generalized. I took offense because so much of GA really IS BLUE. AND one of the rottenest apples in the RED barrel is J. Ken/Kathy Blackwell and he’s from the North.
Anyway, I still visit those sites because I know everybody has been feeling the same anger and stress of overwork that I have and I believe they wrote to release. But, I hope this message I’m writing will help to remind others that it’s never good to speak too generally when lashing out with anger and name-calling.
We know that not ALL Republicans are lying cheaters, (even though I’m still angry with anybody who cast their vote for *). We know that not ALL Ohioans are rotten, but some are, just like the rotten ones who are from anywhere in the world.
But thank goodness for the people everywhere who believe in integrity, honor and justice – even if it goes against their party line. Now, if they will just get up and FIGHT FOR IT!
BTW – We’re doing what we can to help Ohio AND the rest of the States. There are so many states that have been neglected that had sooo much fraud. You’re right – it’s a real MESS – but eventually we’ll untangle it.
Thanks for sharing!
Kira and everyone. Yeah, you’re a great crowd. It’s nice to be here. Thanks!
And, I have recently been working very hard not to generalize and demonize also. I’m just as guilty for lumping everyone together, too. I know many R’s who are good people, and when we get down to basics, we’re mostly all on the same page.
We just need to continue to focus on what’s the humane thing to do. What’s right and fair for our children? What’s right for the environment? I’m not trying to oversimplify or sound soft. But, for me that’s the place to start and center myself… Trying to find and speak to the common humanity. Some people I’ve learned aren’t capable of compassion. I choose to believe that most are.
Hey, has anyone read the book "It’s My Party, Too: The Battle for the Heart of the GOP and the Future of America" by Christine Todd Whitman? That book was recently recommended to me, but I haven’t read it yet. I guess the premise of the book is that a lot of Republicans are not recognizing their party within the current administration, too.
And, finally, I’d like to throw out an apology to Peg C, too. I got a little overly sensitive there, and I know you meant well. I just can’t tell you how embarrassed so many of us felt when we realized that Ohio was the one that so many were depending on. And our guts told us we had it nailed! :crazy:
Anyway an online toast to Peg C! 😀
Welcome GA_from_OH!
I don’t always get to read all comments, but I try!
Just wanted to toss in, that I don’t believe *anyone* in their right mind would hold Ohioans resopnsible for what happen. Any Ohioan except for Blackwell himself, and those who allowed him to run rough-shod over democracy.
I think Moore, when he said what he said, was actually under the impression that Bush won the state of Ohio.
Months later now, and obviously, I — and millions of Americans — are not so sure about that. If I *had* to give my opinion, I’d say no, Bush did not win the state. John Kerry did. And I don’t even believe it was necessarily particularly close!
Ken Blackwell’s face has that chubby adolescent look of Karl Rove. Wonder if he’s gay too. I’m serious. Seems like only the truly blackmailables can haul water for the current repubs.
Thank you, GA_from_OH. Cheers to you too!
No one holds Ohioans responsible, not even Blackwell.
Unfortunately, the idea that anyone could hold Ohioans responsible probably comes from the lowly jokes that Republicans flurried about with regard to the 2000 Florida debacle.
Best I can recall, the sole reason Democrats didn’t get to vote in Florida in 2000 was that they were too stupid to do so and therefore not deserving. I recall they were pretty much pictured as trying relentlessly to "pull" on the "push" doors to the voting precincts. Basically, they were framed either as idiots or so elderly that they didn’t deserve to vote if they couldn’t operate the machines. Yep, there’s that "frame the issue" thing again.
Funny how these things become the collective conscience!
So, Blackwell keeps one foot fully over the edge of the cliff. He thinks he has it made. Does he? What’s his goal?
Hmmm… Blackwell’s goal? Funny you should ask. Here’s a snippet on the front page of today’s (Sunday) Columbus Disgust, er, I mean Dispatch. Looks like it came from the New York Times.
Conservative Churches to Flex Muscle: Pastors statewide organizing effort to elect candidates
Christian conservative leaders from scores of Ohio’s fastest-growing churches are mounting a campaign to win control of local government posts and Republican organizations, starting with the 2006 governor’s race.
In a manifesto that is being circulated among church leaders and on the Internet, the group, which is called the Ohio Restoration Project, is planning to mobilize 2,000 evangelical Baptist, Pentecostal, and Roman catholid leaders in a network of "Patriot Pastors" to register half a million new voters, enlist activists, train candidates and endorse conservative causes in the next year.
The initial goal is to elect Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, a conservative Republican, as governor in 2006. The group hopes to build grass-roots organizations in Ohio’s 88 counties and take control of local Republican organizations.
"The establishment of the Ohio Republican Party is out of touch with its base," said Russell Johnson, the pastor of Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster and the principal organizer of the project. "It acts as if it lives in Boston, Mass."
Johnson’s challenge to the party could have far-reaching consequences in a state dominated by GOP elected officials but still considered a bellwether in presidential politics. Conservatives in other swing states are watching closely.
It goes on and on… But, you get the idea… Very nauseating, IMHO. :crazy: