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Friday, October 10, 2008
Alaska inquiry finding: Palin abused power
The Associated Press, in an article by Matt Apuzo, just reported that an Alaska legislative panel decided GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power as governor in the investigation of a trooper who used to be her brother-in-law.
Here’s the just released AP story…
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power as governor by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper, the chief investigator of an Alaska legislative panel concluded Friday. The politically charged inquiry imperiled her reputation as a reformer on John McCain’s Republican ticket.
Investigator Stephen Branchflower, in a report by a bipartisan panel that investigated the matter, found Palin in violation of a state ethics law that prohibits public officials from using their office for personal gain.
The inquiry looked into her dismissal of Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, who said he lost his job because he resisted pressure to fire a state trooper involved in a bitter divorce with the governor’s sister. Palin says Monegan was fired as part of a legitimate budget dispute.
The panel found that Palin let the family grudge influence her decision-making even if it was not the sole reason Monegan was dismissed. “I feel vindicated,” Monegan said. “It sounds like they’ve validated my belief and opinions. And that tells me I’m not totally out in left field.”
Branchflower said Palin violated a statute of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Palin and McCain’s supporters had hoped the inquiry’s finding would be delayed until after the presidential election to spare her any embarrassment and to put aside an enduring distraction as she campaigns as McCain’s running mate in an uphill contest against Democrat Barack Obama.
But the panel of lawmakers voted to release the report, although not without dissension.
“I think there are some problems in this report,” said Republican state Sen. Gary Stevens, a member of the panel. “I would encourage people to be very cautious, to look at this with a jaundiced eye.”
The nearly 300-page report does not recommend sanctions or a criminal investigation.
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Palin’s smokin’ arrival
Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin arrived for her campaign rally near Wilmington in a big black Straight Talk Express bus, which drove right onto the convention center floor. With dry ice smoke shooting into the air, multi-colored lights flashing in the darkened Roberts Centre and pounding music blaring, the bus seemed to come out of the wall itself. It was something to see, and the crowd of 10,500 loved it.
Not long ago Sen. John McCain disdainfully dismissed his Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, as a celebrity with rock star appeal. Now the McCain campaign has its own candidate making a rock star-style entrance, complete with smoke and, apparently, mirrors.
Just before the bus burst in, what the audience saw on a giant projection screen was the bus barreling up the road toward the convention center. Anticipation was high, particularly because U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, had promised Alaska Gov. Palin would have “a great big entrance.” On screen the long bus came closer, closer, closer and then BAM! there it was inside the hall, coming though a giant door to the side of the stage. Moments later, Palin emerged to take the stage and deliver a blistering speech attacking Obama and touting the McCain/Palin ticket.
But the video apparently was not exactly as it seemed. Long after the Palin people had cleared out, one of the workers in charge of tearing down the stage said the whole thing had been practiced in advance. Although it appeared to be live, he said the video was on a time delay so the bus could first stop and let all the national press people off and get them in place inside the convention center. Once that was done, the video could be played and the grand entrance made.
McCain/Palin spokesman Paul Lindsay did not respond to a request for comment.
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Crites files complaint against Cordray
Republican Mike Crites filed a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission on Friday, Oct. 10, that seeks to have his opponent in the race for attorney general, Democrat Richard Cordray, tossed off the ballot over an improper campaign contribution — a move that appears to be a long-shot.
“There is no relationship between contributions to my campaigns and actions of my office. None,” Cordray said. “And as such, we believe strongly and will show that this action has no merit.”
Crites argues in the 6-page complaint that Cordray, who is state treasurer, knew or should have known that a $10,000 contribution from Lindsey Kuty came from someone else. Kuty, who was 21-years-old when she donated the money, is the stepdaughter of Wachovia Securities broker Montford Will.
After the contribution, Wachovia’s bond trading business with the treasurer’s office jumped from about 1 percent during the previous six years to 37.5 percent under the Cordray administration.
Cordray has said he knew nothing about the Kuty contribution. He returned it soon after the Dayton Daily News told Cordray that Will said the $10,000 came from Kuty’s mother, not Kuty.
State elections law prohibits giving money in someone else’s name and knowingly accepting contributions given in someone else’s name. Anyone convicted of violating this section could be forced to forfeit his party’s nomination for elected office, according to Crites’ complaint. If this isn’t sorted out until after the election and Cordray wins, Crites wants the election nullified and the second highest voter getter to be declared the winner.
“The Ohio Elections Commission has never invoked any provision like that in its history,” said Phil Richter, commission director since 1996.
Richter said the commission will consider the complaint after the Nov. 4 election. “This is not a matter that requires an automatic expedited review,” he said.
He also noted that Crites would have to bring evidence that Cordray knew the contribution was in someone else’s name before the commission could make a finding against Cordray. And the commission can refer its findings to the county prosecutor, who can seek convictions in court.
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Obama proposes small business rescue plan
CHILLICOTHE -With the economy still staggering from the falling stock market, Democratic presidential candidate on Friday, Oct. 10, unveiled a small business rescue plan aimed at getting more money to job-producing companies.
Obama said the plan would be similar to efforts after 9-11 to help start up firms, restaurant and shops like those here in Chillicothe.
It will include a program to provide affordable, fixed-rate loans to small businesses to be run through the Small Business Administration’s Disaster Loan Program, he said.
It also would include expanding SBA guarantees to encourage private lending to small businesses and temporary tax incentives for small businesses.
Blair Latoff, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, brushed off Obama’s proposal.
“In an economic downturn it makes absolutely no sense to raise payroll and income taxes on the backbone of America’s job creating small businesses but that’s exactly what Barack Obama is proposing,” she said in a prepared statement.
“Obama’s tax policies will result in a top tax rate of over 55 percent for many small businesses. You don’t have to be an economist to know that taking money from the engine of our economy and giving it to the federal government is not a recipe for economic recovery.”
Obama toned down his attacks on his Republican opponent John McCain - they were harsh on Thursday, Oct. 9 - to focus more on encouraging Americans to pull together and not be swept up with fear. He harked back to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s efforts to get the country through the Great Depression.
“It’s been about rising to the moment when the moment is hard; about having to be Americans, about rejecting panicked division for purposeful unity…. “That’s why we remember that some of the most famous words ever spoken by an American came from a President who took office in a time of turmoil - ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,’ Obama told the crowd of about 5,000 gathered outside the Ross County Courthouse on a cool fall day.
It was Obama’s third event in Ohio’s Appalachian region and Gov. Ted Strickland, a native of the region, urged the crowd not to be swayed by efforts by the McCain-Palin campaign and their followers to discredit Obama. Success with the regions moderate and conservative Democrats is critical to Obama’s campaign.
Hunters and gun owners have nothing to fear from Obama, said Strickland.
“You have nothing to fear from Barack Obama,” Strickland said. “…Unfortunately there have been those who have tried to spread untruths about Barack Obama. Barack Obama is a strong, Christian family man….the McCain-Palin campaign and unfortunately some of their followers would want you to be afraid of Barack Obama.”
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New poll: Ohio race still tight
A new poll released today, Oct. 10, shows the presidential race in Ohio is a virtual tie between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.
In the poll from Strategic Vision, a public relations company, the Obama-Biden ticket led the McCain-Palin ticket, 48-46 percent. The poll was conducted Monday, Oct. 6-Wednesday, Oct. 8 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Click here for the full results.
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Former Mead worker to introduce Obama in Chillicothe
It’s not hard to find economic despair in Ohio and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama plays up that theme at every stop on his two-day campaign swing through the state.
Today, Oct. 10, in Chillicothe, Obama will be introduced by Matt Kendall, who lost his job in 2002 at the Mead paper plant in that Ross County city in a massive layout, the Obama campaign announced.
The introduction follows the pattern of Obama’s first day on the Ohio campaign on Thursday, Oct. 9. In Dayton, Tony Curington, who took a buyout from Delphi introduced him and in Cincinnati Raquel Huseman, who took a buyout from Ford after working at the Batavia plant, introduced him.
Kendall, the Chillicothe worker, has been laid off a number of times since 2001 and currently is unemployed, Obama’s campaign said. Ohio has lost nearly 200,000 jobs since President Bush took office in January of 2001 and Obama has made creating new jobs a major campaign theme.
Obama also will campaign in Columbus today before heading for Pennsylvania.
