Tom Brinkman NOT corrupt enough for Congress

By Nate Noy

Most Americans agree that our current 435 “representatives” in Congress are collectively one of the most vile and untrustworthy groups in this great nation’s history. Those of us that have inside knowledge of how Washington DC “really” works know that most politicians at that level are bought and paid for by special interest groups. Sure there is the occasional honest Congressman, but for the most part the character of the members is fairly consistent with recent approval ratings (which hover somewhere around 20% or below.) I for one KNOW that Tom Brinkman does not fit the “norm” for this group.

I personally have had two memorable discussions with politicians in the past 18 months. The first was when I had the pleasure of deposing our “esteemed” Congresswoman Jean Schmidt. I had a number of questions that Jean was forced to answer under oath since my case was before the Ohio Elections Commission. When Schmidt was asked about October 24, 1993 she remembered the day as if she had just watched a movie about it. She stated that she “had to use the restroom [sic]’ before the race and that the line was too long. She added that she thought she would use it during the race but decided to hold it for 3 hours and 19+ minutes.” This recall ability was consistent with an article the Cincinnati Enquire wrote on July 31, 2005 stating that Schmidt had a “file card memory.”

The perplexing thing about Schmidt’s incredible memory was the sworn testimony she gave before the OEC on April 20, 2006. Excerpts from this include:

Q. Is that a B.S. or a B.A.?
A. I'm not sure. I think it's a B.A., or is it a Bachelor of Science? I don't know. I would have to say I don't know.

Q. And when did you start pursuing, then, the master's of education degree at UC?
A. I'm not sure.
Q. When did you stop attending the classes in pursuit of the master's?
A. I'm not sure.
Q. Do you know what years -- after 1974, do you know what years specifically you attended classes at UC?
A. I'm not sure.
Q. To your knowledge, did you attend any classes after 1986?
A. I'm not sure.

Q. And have you ever received a degree in social studies?
A. I'm not sure.
Q. What classes would you have taken that would make you unsure or make it a possibility that you would have obtained a degree in social studies?
A. I don't know.

Q. You completed some course work in 1986 at UC, is that correct?
A. Yes.
Q. That was in pursuit of the master's degree, is that right?
A. I'm not sure.

Q. Have you ever had a teaching certificate?
A. Yes.
Q. When was that?
A. I'm not sure.
Q. When you completed your course work, then you also had to do certain hours of teaching, isn't that correct?
A. I don't know.

Q. What is your understanding of the certificate that you had?
A. I don't have any understanding of the certificate that I have.

We ALL know how the above turned out for Jean Schmidt, the OEC found her GUILTY of lying about her FAKE college degree and gave her a public reprimand for a “reckless disregard for truth” and making "false and misleading statements."

Of course this is par for the course for Schmidt who also taken campaign contributions from lobbyists trying to bring a nuclear waste dump to Pike county, plagiarized another congresswoman’s opt ed piece, and voted to destroy our economy by raising the rates of unemployment and inflation with her support of the minimum wage increase. Jean Schmidt fits right in with Congress from any honest person’s perspective.


My other memorable moment was a meeting I had with Tom Brinkman in June. I had only actually met Tom once prior at the Anderson Township GOP picnic in August 2006; I had called Tom and asked for a few minutes of his time in Columbus to discuss the 2008 election. Tom got caught up in a subcommittee meeting and I arrived early, so I sat in the lobby on the floor he shares with 8-10 other State Reps in Columbus for about 1 ½ hours. During that time I saw about 20 different lobbyists come and go, all had meetings with the other 8-9 State Reps that share the same floor as Tom, NONE had meetings with Tom. I also had a chat with Tom’s assistant and it became pretty clear that the lobbyists KNEW they were wasting their time playing “politics as usual” with Tom, because Tom simply does not play that game.

While I was researching Jean Schmidt I reviewed about six years worth of the official record of the Ohio House. I wanted to see how Jean voted and I personally verified that she had in fact been a puppet for Bob Taft and Larry Householder and voted for every single tax increase and expanded government intervention proposed by her puppet masters. However, the thing I remember the most from reviewing these votes was the number of 98-1 votes in the record. The topics of legislation ranged from tax increases to expanding the reach of various state government agencies and programs, and I was amazed how many times a single vote was cast for NO TAX INCREASES and limited government. Tom had stood against the lobbyists, the Democrats and even his own Republican Party on so many occasions it was almost mind boggling. That’s when I thought to myself, “Wow, here is a politician that actually has a set of beliefs and sticks to them.”

When I actually sat down with Tom and had a talk ALL of my initial perceptions about his beliefs and character were reinforced. Talking with Tom was like sitting down and talking with one of my friends, he came across as a genuine and honest person, and I NEVER would have taken him for a politician if I did not already know what his job was. The other thing that stuck with me from the meeting was that Tom had to wrap it up about 3:30pm because he was going back to Cincinnati for the night, like he did EVERY night to spend time with his wife and kids. While the other State Reps spent the afternoon meeting with lobbyists and being wined and dined after hours, Tom was in his car driving back to Cincinnati and later at home enjoying his nightly quality family time.

“Change” has become a hop topic as of late. I KNOW that Tom Brinkman would bring a serious change to Congress by adding an individual that actually can be trusted, believes in the same type of government that our Founding Fathers believed in and will stand for the beliefs of the conservatives that overwhelmingly make up the base of Ohio-2. Jean Schmidt on the other hand (who likely will not even survive the general election if she does win the primary) is THE candidate for those in the controlling elite and lobbyists that want the “game” to go on as usual.

UPDATE: For anyone that may have missed it, this is one of the best websites I have found regarding this primary (be sure to watch the 2nd video if you have never seen it.)

Republicans in Ohio-2 beware: Jean Schmidt has NO CHANCE in the general election

By Nathan Noy

Let me paint a quick picture of what is going to happen this summer. Rolling Stone Magazine is going to give a great plug to help promote a film that is coming out that focuses on corruption in Ohio politics. The movie will almost certainly get significant traction and will have a major impact on the fall election if any of the featured individuals in the film are still candidates for political office.

Fact: As John Craig reported in the Cincinnati Enquirer I spent a few days with a Hollywood film crew in the fall of 2006.

Fact: My friend at Rolling Stone Magazine Matt Taibbi did a hilariously funny article about Jean Schmidt in November 2006 calling me a “classic Reagan-era Conservative.”

It is a virtual given that Matt will run another great piece this summer giving significant exposure to the aforementioned film. What did not get reported in the press was the purpose of the film: an in depth review of corruption in Ohio politics, focusing primarily on the likes of Tom Noe, Bob Ney, and Jean Schmidt.

I corresponded with the producers of the film this week and found out the release date is set for July 4, 2008. The ironic thing is that the time I spent with this film crew and producers actually cost me the endorsement of the Constitution Party in 2006. I had already wrapped up endorsements from the Reform Party and America First Party and I was informed that my relationship with the people from Hollywood had cost me the CP endorsement. It turns out the folks at the CP did some research and the producers of the film had strong ties to Michael Moore and the CP felt the film would essentially be a DCCC hit piece, I was skeptical of this at the time, but given what I know now, this in fact appears to be what we are in store for later this year.

I won’t spoil the film by divulging the gory details of what I gave the folks from Hollywood, but it can be safely assumed that the dirt I provided on Schmidt would rival the work of even the best investigative reporters. It was amazing how many people came out of the proverbial woodwork with information on Schmidt for me while I made my run in 2006, she has made more than a few enemies in her day.

I spent some quality time with the crew and they made it clear that my appearance in the film would be about Schmidt, not about me, but that is exactly what I wanted. After they finished with me they spent a day in Cincinnati with Jean Schmidt’s other greatest fan: Charles Foster Kane aka The Whistleblower. And if you doubt how much dirt I was able to provide on Schmidt you can rest assured that The Blower gave them enough dirt to make a dent in filling the Grand Canyon.

For those that still doubt Schmidt could have that much hanging out there consider that a person who is a sloppy enough liar to actually get publicly reprimanded by the OEC for a “reckless disregard for truth” has left more than just a few loose ends on her way up the food chain. Believe me when I say that not only will the movie paint Schmidt in a very similar light to Bob Ney, but it will also leave voters as likely to vote for Ney as they will Schmidt this fall. Also mind you that the aforementioned Ney and Noe are already doing time in the federal prison system, a place Schmidt may be headed as well if the proper authorities actually launch a few investigations after seeing the film.

The key thing in all this: everything and I mean EVERYTHING I gave these guys was 100% true. Jean Schmidt did it all, the fact that she was successful in covering it up and it finally will come back to haunt her is her own fault. When someone decides to go after a person as shady as Jean Schmidt it isn’t hard to build a strong case in a nanosecond as long as the proper stones are unturned.

So, Republicans in Ohio-2 you have the chance that the voters in Ohio-18 did not have in 2006. Imagine if the voters in OH-18 knew what they did about Ney before the primary and not after it? The seat would likely still be controlled by the Republican Party.

If Republicans want to keep this seat they MUST vote for Tom Brinkman. Oh, and by the way, Brinkman just happens to be the candidate of the two that actually voted against all of Bob Taft’s tax hikes. Brinkman happens to be the one with a clean conservative record who never bows to the special interests, and Brinkman happens to be the one that actually has an honest character. If Schmidt wins this primary, Republicans will regret it, especially as they watch a Democrat get sworn in next January.

Ohio GOP a stupid microcosm of national party

By Rick Morris

Ohio, considered the quintessential bellweather state in recent presidential elections, is often referred to as a microcosm of the nation. With its blend of urban and rural and representation from most of the country's major ethnic groups, the designation seems to fit.

Unfortunately for any folks with a rightist orientation such as myself, the complete incompetence and utter small-minded failure of imagination of Republican leaders in Ohio is mirrored by the national picture. Political observers everywhere are familiar with the lengthy bill of indictment against the national Republican party during the Bush years, from the arrogant pork-barrel spending in the "heady" days of one-party rule to the inability to carry out working governance in post-Katrina Louisiana or effective policies (prior to 2007) in Iraq to the overall tin-eared, ham-handed political machinations that have done nothing but empower Democrats and lead to a Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid.

But in Ohio, a sad similar inability to stop shooting itself in the foot afflicts the GOP.

Today's Cleveland Plain Dealer informs us of a plan, openly admitted to by the Einsteins at the Ohio Republican Party, to attempt to call the bluff of newly elected Democratic state officeholders with a mountain of public records requests and threaten lawsuits if the issues are not settled expeditiously. Also, in an editorial, the PD writes about the pathetic attempts by the barely-alive Cuyahoga County Republican Party to target Dennis Kucinich not in his next election -- but in a freaking recall!

As for the public records plot: if the too-clever-by-half dime-store Machiavellis who have been running this operation into the ground for over a decade can't figure out that they're only making martyrs of the Democrat officeholders with this stunt, then they're too stupid to live. And spare me the whining about how the "lib-rul media" is just trying to make the Republicans look bad on this. Yes, they most certainly are, but idiot Republicans don't have to keep handing them the ammunition to do so.

The party needs to realize that after years of governance by stiffs like Bob Taft, Betty Montgomery and George Voinovich, who all cared about nothing but polls and the politics of expediency, the public has no tolerance for the shenanigans of the GOP. Whether it be on a national or local level, the Republicans will NEVER NEVER NEVER beat the Democrats at their own game of shameless opportunism. The Columbus insiders who have aided and abetted the assassination of the Republican brand over the last decade need to realize that further alienating voters with political gamesmanship will not elevate the party back to power in the statewide offices and prevent what appears to be an inevitable loss of the House of Representatives next year. Winning with the superiority of public policy ideas will do that.

While I'm not a big fan of Newt Gingrich due to the fact that he talked a big game about government reform but accomplished little as Speaker back in the day, he is right that Nicolas Sarkozy had to overcome the enormous hurdle caused by Vichy French President Jacques Chirac's tarnishing of the UMP party label in his successful candidacy for President of France. Finally freed from the reign of the spineless and pathetic Governor Bob Taft, the Ohio Republican Party in 2007 needed to chart a new course, one built on demonstrating how conservative ideals of limited governance were the best means to carry the state forward. At every opportunity, however, the fools in charge never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. By not having the patience to wait out the honeymoon periods of Ohio's statewide officeholders, the party has played into their hands by making them sympathetic figures and has cast itself as a propagator of government waste as statewide employees scurry to carry out their tasks at the expense of actual duties. Well played!

And as for the recall of Kucinich, the Plain Dealer makes a good point (I can't believe I'm saying that, as Cleveland's Morning Mediocrity is not known for brilliant and pungent analysis) about how targeting the worst congressman in America with AN ACTUAL CANDIDATE AT THE BALLOT BOX is the way to demonstrate displeasure with his asinine antics. But why do that when you can grandstand with a recall campaign in the interim, then shirk into the default mode of dredging up an anonymous victim willing to play cannon fodder and collect 20% of the vote and no campaign contributions whatsoever against Kucinich next November?

For people like myself who don't like being governed by liberal ideas, these are the people who stand between us and that reality. God help us.