Showing posts with label John Kasich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Kasich. Show all posts

Monday, February 15, 2016

Kasich named in 'conspiracy' to get LP off ballot

Kasich Court Docs Reveal “Civil Conspiracy” Behind Take Down Of Libertarian Gov Candidate In 2014 - John Michael Spinnelli, Plunderbund:

February 14, 2016 - "Gov. John Kasich was one of six Republican candidates on stage in South Carolina Saturday night at the debate sponsored by CBS News ... but CBS moderators didn’t know enough, apparently, to ask him about the toxic stew of campaign tricks he’s alleged to have participated in two years ago.

"According to court documents, Kasich successfully derailed his Libertarian Party competitor for governor in 2014 in order to clear his path of obstacles so he could win without worry, then launch his second bid for president.

"'The Kasich Campaign, Borges, Schrimpf, Damschroder, the Governor’s staff and Casey from the very beginning were in constant contact about the protest,' wrote plaintiff attorneys for Libertarian Party of Ohio (LPO) candidate Charlie Earl in court documents. According to filings from Mark Brown and Mark G. Kafantaris, co-counsels for Charlie Earl: 'They shared a common objective — to keep Earl off the ballot. Their minds had met; they acted together.' Filed nearly three months ago, [the documents] 'concisely collect the evidence showing that the Kasich Campaign, the Ohio Republican Party, Casey, Borges and officials in Husted’s office were all involved in removing Earl'...

"Matt Borges, who in spite of a prior conviction for public influence peddling became chairman for the state party when Gov. Kasich orchestrated a take over of the party shortly after winning election, testified at his deposition that he 'did not recall' communicating with Casey in February and March of 2014, according to court documents.... 'Borges was obviously attempting to hide ORP’s involvement. Borges is not credible. ORP was involved from the beginning,' Brown and Kafantaris wrote.

"The Ohio Republican Party, under Borges’ direction, began making payments to the Zeiger firm on Casey’s behalf on November 19, 2014. The first payment was $100,000 on November 19, 2014. The second payment for $100,000 was made on December 22, 2014. The third payment, $50,000, was made on December 29, 2014. The fourth payment, $50,000, was made on February 24, 2015. The four total $300,000, though more may have been made,' the co-counsels wrote. Casey on November 11, 2014 hand-delivered his November 10, 2014 invoice reflecting a $552,305.26 bill....

"Terry Casey, for his part, has stated that his objective was a political one. 'The documentary evidence proves that Casey’s animus was shared by others in the conspiracy — notably members of the Kasich Campaign, the Ohio Republican Party, and even in the Secretary’s Office,' co-counsels wrote....

"'Regarding the first question, the evidence leaves little doubt; even the Defendants appear to concede (after eighteen months of denials and several discovery violations) that Casey acted together with either the Kasich Campaign, the Ohio Republican Party, or both.'

"On the second question, plaintiff attorneys argue that Terry Casey was a state officer engaged in state action, as was Matt Damschroder, a state agent engaged in state action. Each was also involved with Ohio Republican Party and the Kasich Campaign."

Read more: http://plunderbund.com/2016/02/14/kasich-court-docs-reveal-civil-conspiracy-behind-take-down-of-libertarian-gov-candidate-in-2014/
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Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Cruz wins Iowa caucus, Rand Paul 5th

Rand Paul Campaign, SuperPAC Speak on Iowa and What's Next - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Brian Doherty:

February 2, 2016 - "Rand Paul's vote in the Iowa caucus tonight could have been roughly predicted from the most recent polling. It was discouraging for those who hoped for a last-minute surge to third driven by student turnout and over a million voter I.D. and GOTV [get out the vote] calls.

"Paul's campaign issued a statement tonight trying to spin the results positively, which read in part:
Rand Paul had a strong top-five finish by placing ahead of Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, John Kasich, and the last two Iowa Caucus winners tonight. The voters spoke for the first time, and they showed that they believe everyone in our country should have the liberty to make the most of their lives, not just the well-connected and the political establishment.Whether the issue is constitutional government, a balanced budget, a rational foreign policy, or preserving the entire Bill of Rights for all citizens, Rand Paul is the only one standing up for conservatives and liberty-loving Americans.
Tonight's vote reveals that the race for the White House is wide open. Dr. Rand Paul believes his voice is important to the debate, and calls on ABC and the RNC to make sure he is on the stage next weekend in New Hampshire. The results today demand it.... 
"Matt Kibbe, formerly of Tea Party-identified liberty activist group FreedomWorks and now with the Paul-supporting unaffiliated SuperPAC Concerned American Voters [CAV], ... worked on GOTV for Paul in Iowa.

"While 'we wanted Rand to do better, given where he has been it was a credible showing. I do think that Cruz and Donald Trump and even oddly enough Bernie Sanders were eating away at Rand's potential voting bloc,' Kibbe says. 'It heightens the now obvious divide between the liberty vote and the anti-establishment populist vote'....

"Kibbe is not as viscerally turned off by Cruz as many libertarians are. 'If you look at Ted Cruz' background, his training as a classical liberal is impressive," Kibbe says. 'He's read Mises and Hayek, he's read all the books [libertarians] have read and I believe he deeply understands those ideas'."

"Kibbe admits that 'I'm more ambivalent today because he has flip flopped on criminal justice and he's flip flopped on surveillance and most worrisome is, what is his foreign policy?...'

"Cruz or no, Kibbe says that 'there is still momentum to move forward [with Paul], it was a very credible performance tonight and we [CAV] will be in it as long as Rand is in it.' They are currently involved in social networking efforts in New Hampshire and ground work in Nevada....

"Kibbe says that even voters who are never going to embrace the full vision of movement libertarianism in an intellectual, bookish manner are still capturable by libertarian-leaning politicians."

Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2016/02/02/rand-paul-campaign-superpac-speak-on-iow

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Thursday, November 5, 2015

Marijuana legalization defeated in Ohio

Future of Legal Marijuana in Doubt After Ohio Defeat - News, Sports, Jobs - The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register - Associated Press:

November 5, 2015 - "The future of marijuana in Ohio faced an uncertain future Wednesday after the resounding defeat of an effort to legalize cannabis for both medical and recreational use in a single vote - though few believe the fight is over.

"The proposal rejected by voters on Tuesday is expected to be followed in 2016 by a more conventional legalization initiative, one that doesn't give exclusive growing rights to private investors....

"'I think there is consensus that it's not over and done, that some type of legalization of marijuana in Ohio is still going to be a part of the public discussion,' said Joe Cornely of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.

"Farmers who would have been shut out of growing opportunities under the plan had joined business groups, children's hospitals, the state NAACP and a host of other groups in opposing the initiative brought by a group called ResponsibleOhio.

"Gov. John Kasich, a Republican presidential candidate, praised voters for their decision to reject marijuana, which he said would have been bad for families....

"Concerns about possibly creating what was dubbed 'a marijuana monopoly' appeared to be the major factor in its defeat, and a leading voice in the mainstream legalization movement said that sent an important national message. Economists more likely would have considered the growing site setup an oligopoly, a not-so-voter-friendly word.

"'The silver lining of the defeat is it's going to discourage anyone else from trying the oligopoly model in other states,' said Ethan Nadelmann, founder and director of the Drug Policy Alliance, the nation's largest drug policy reform organization.

"At least 10 other states are working on some sort of legalization initiative next year, whether for recreational or medical cannabis. In Ohio, the Cleveland-based Ohioans to End Prohibition has been working on its own hybrid plan, which leaves cannabis production to the free market....

"A Quinnipiac University poll released last month found that 53 percent of Ohio voters supported recreational marijuana, as opposed to 44 percent who opposed it. The poll also found that 90 percent of Ohio voters supported medical marijuana, compared with 9 percent who opposed it. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points."

Read more: http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/646186/Future-of-Legal-Marijuana-in-Dou---.html
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Monday, September 21, 2015

Rand Paul wins Mackinac Conference straw poll

Straw poll: Rand Paul tops among Mich. GOP activists - Chad Livengood & Melissa Nann Burke, Detroit News:

September 19, 2015 - "Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul won the presidential straw poll at this weekend’s Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference, capturing 22 percent of the vote among a field of 16 candidates.

"Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina came in second with 15 percent, followed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich in third place with 13.8 percent and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in fourth with 13 percent in The Detroit News/MIRS presidential straw poll among the party activists.

"Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush finished fifth in the straw poll with 9.7 percent of the 785 registered conference attendees who voted....

"'This is an organization test that indicates that (Paul) will over-perform in other organizational contests such as Iowa, Nevada, Minnesota and other caucus states that come before the March 8 Michigan primary,' said John Yob, Paul’s national political director and a Grand Rapids-based GOP consultant.

"The candidate said winning the straw poll — which he did in a similar vote on the island in 2013 — was an honor, 'as it is voted on by the most influential Michigan GOP members, grassroots leaders and party activists from throughout the country...'

"The top five presidential candidates in the straw poll each barnstormed Mackinac Island Friday and Saturday, engaging in retail politicking among 2,200 Michigan Republicans attending the state party’s 31st biennial leadership conference. The top two vote-getters, Paul and Fiorina, were the last candidates to speak Saturday night at the Grand Hotel....

"Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and billionaire Donald Trump, who skipped the conference, trailed behind Bush with 8.4 percent and and 6.8 percent, respectively. Neurosurgeon and Detroit native Dr. Ben Carson, who also skipped the conference, finished eighth at 5.5 percent."

Read more: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2015/09/19/straw-poll-rand-paul-tops-among-mich-gop-activists/72504936/
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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Ohio GOP paid $590k to get Libertarian off ballot

Ohio GOP payouts in ballot fight nearly $600,000 | The Columbus Dispatch:

July 12, 2015 -"A recent court filing showed the Ohio Republican Party’s legal bills in the challenge to 2014 Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Charlie Earl are almost $600,000 — nearly double the amount previously disclosed.

"The additional spending was documented as part of the Libertarian party’s lawsuit against Secretary of State Jon Husted. It challenges Husted’s decision to disqualify Earl.

"The GOP reported and previously disclosed payments toward the disqualification effort totaling $300,000.

"Records show that, by March, the bill had risen to $592,000.

"The party paid Zeiger, Tigges & Little, a firm hired by a Republican consultant Terry Casey, who spearheaded the challenge.

"Casey says he acted on his own.

"The party says Casey only sought its financial help after the fact.

"Earl might have drawn votes from Republican Gov. John Kasich."

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/07/12/ohio-gop-payouts-in-ballot-fight-nearly-600000.html
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Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Kasich consultant behind move to get LP off Ohio ballot, court hears

Libertarians protest Kasich ties to ballot decision - News - The CantonRep - Canton, OH - Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press:

September 2, 2014 - "Libertarians in Ohio cried foul Tuesday after learning a Republican consultant and appointee of Gov. John Kasich was responsible for hiring the law firm whose challenge pushed two of their candidates off the statewide ballot. 

"Terry Casey worked for Kasich’s 2010 campaign and the governor has since appointed him to the $70,000-a-year job chairing the state personnel review board.

"Casey’s role hiring Zeiger, Tigges & Little emerged in a case in which Libertarians are asking federal Judge Michael Watson to restore governor candidate Charlie Earl and attorney general candidate Steven Linnabary to November’s ballot.

"In a new court filing, the party also says Bradley Smith, hired to oversee the disqualification hearing by Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted, didn’t disclose he was working for Ohio’s Republican attorney general, Mike DeWine, doing pro bono work at the time.

"DeWine’s office confirmed Smith held an appointment from Feb. 27, five days before the Libertarians’ hearing, through June 30....

"Libertarians have asked Watson to expedite a trial in their case on grounds the disqualifications were based on partisan, not principled, reasons. The U.S. Constitution prohibits government officials from removing candidates for partisan reasons."

Read more: http://www.cantonrep.com/article/20140902/NEWS/140909913/10286/NEWS/?Start=1
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