Democrats take shots at Brown, DeWine ( Terrobill )

[Algorem]

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/115951947568580.xml&coll=2

Friday, September 29, 2006
Stephen Koff
Plain Dealer Bureau Chief

Washington- Ohio's closely watched U.S. Senate race took a couple of odd turns Thursday, first when Democrat Sherrod Brown had to explain to angry supporters why he voted for a Republican bill on torture.

His opponent, Republican incumbent Sen. Mike DeWine, also came under attack - from Democrats who said that for a lawmaker who acts tough on national security, he was awfully lax in examining intelligence.

Both plot lines had their roots in actions Wednesday. That's when Brown, a congressman from Avon, was one of 34 House Democrats to vote for a measure outlining treatment of enemy combatants.

Most Democrats as well as some law professors and Amnesty International said the bill didn't do enough to guard against torture and could conflict with the Geneva Conventions...


Sunday, Oct. 1

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/

Exclusive! The Meet the Press Debate Series features the Ohio Senate race: Incumbent Senator Mike DeWine (R) will debate Rep. Sherrod Brown (D) live and in studio.

• What would you ask our guests?

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/

Fill in the form to send us a question. We look forward to hearing from you.



The smart politics of the detainee vote
Did adroit Democratic candidates take away one of the GOP's best issues?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15049251/

WASHINGTON - When the House voted Wednesday to pass the Bush administration-supported bill on treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Naval Base, the biggest surprise— at first blush — was that Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown, a fierce opponent of the Iraq war and of President Bush, voted for the bill.

Brown, the Democrats’ Senate candidate in Ohio against Republican Sen. Mike DeWine, led all House Democrats in 2005 in the percentage of votes in which he opposed the president: 93.5 percent, according to Congressional Quarterly.

Brown is now appealing to voters beyond his own strongly Democratic district and needs to win over all Ohio voters since he’s in a tight race with DeWine.

Brown explained his vote this way in an interview with MSNBC.com Thursday: "Unlike Mike DeWine, I'm willing to stand up to my party when they're wrong."...


Democrats Who Back Terror Bill Get Cover

http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2006/09/28/ap/headlines/d8kecd600.txt

By LIZ SIDOTI
Friday, September 29, 2006 6:46 AM EDT

WASHINGTON - Breaking with their party, a handful of Democrats in competitive congressional races voted to approve President Bush's system to interrogate and prosecute terrorism suspects.

In doing so, they took away one arrow Republicans plan to use in their soft-on-security attack on Democrats.

"It's time for terrorists such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who planned the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to face justice," Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, said, projecting a tough-on-terrorism position and sounding very much like Republicans who are gunning for his House seat Nov. 7.

The Texan is among the Democrats in hard-fought races who sided with Bush and Republicans...




Sherrod Brown of Ohio Capitulates to Bush and Approves Torture!

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_frank_j__060928_sherrod_brown_of_ohi.htm

by Frank J. Ranelli

http://www.opednews.com

Sherrod Brown, current Congressional representative to Ohio's 13th District and Democratic nominee to unseat Republican Mike DeWine for Senator, did the unthinkable today. Brown, seen by many as a true progressive, a real liberal and a viable alternative to DeWine's sycophant sucking-up to the Bush Administration, forfeited his progressive values, moral standards and the rule of law, in order to score a few election points and votes.

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on bill H.R. 6166, better known as "The Military Commissions Act" that essential legalizes torture, offers unparalleled and historic power to the President, and even a new definition of "enemy combatant" so wide-ranging it could include an anti-war protester! The bill passed by a vote of 253-168 in the House under Roll Call 491. Some may better know this bill as the "Terror Detainee Bill", but most of us know it as the bill that authorizes the United States to torture people under the euphemistic phrase of "alternative methods".

The bill passed largely along party lines, but not wholly. Thirty-four Congressional House Democrats sold their souls and their conscience to the radical-right and rabid Republicans. Among those Thirty-four Congressional Democrats was Ohio's own Sherrod Brown! This is the same Sherrod Brown who voted AGAINST the Authorization of Use of Force in 2002, lobbied hard for more equipment and body armor for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, co-sponsored a bill to bring the troops home this October and even admonished the President for not pressing harder for the hunt to find Osama Bin Laden.

Congressman Brown is also the newest recipient of the endorsement of Democratic Senator Russ Feingold's Progressive Patriot Fund. I am certain that Senator Feingold will not find Mr. Brown's vote for a bill that condones torture neither progressive nor patriotic. In a single word, what Sherrod Brown did was, unconscionable...

[William Bloode]

1. And this sentiment will hurt him.

"Unlike Mike DeWine, I'm willing to stand up to my party when they're wrong." That was a horrible area to show you have different views.

I guess he just said he thinks torture, and loss of Habeus Corpus was the "right" thing to do.

[maseman]

2. Doesn't matter what he thinks now

Because of yesterday's bullshit bill he is screwed either way. Ohio will be stuck now with Mike DeWine for SIX MORE FUCKING YEARS.

I really think people don't get it on here. This is politics. If Sherrod Brown voted against it 5,000 TV ads from now until Nov. 7 will say one thing. "Brown voted against freedom, free Americans, capturing and trying terrorists. Do you want this weak Democrat as your Senator?" That would have easily made the ignorant sheep in this state (and we have a slew of them) not vote for Brown. He would have lost.

So he votes for the bill. I know Brown and it must have killed him. But he now knows the Repukes cannot barrage him for this. If his own party throws him under the bus then he loses and what do we have? Mike Dewine.

If our Dem party wants to throw him on his rear for one vote, then we get what we deserve. Six more years of Mike DeWine. That simple.

Between now and Nov. 7 it isn't about voting what is right. It is playing politics. The key is that the group that plays politics the best gets to make the decisions for the next 2 to 4 years. Do you want more Repukes making decisions for you? Fine. Then don't vote for Sherrod Brown and keep busting his ass for this.

[William Bloode]

3. I would agree.

But you don't play politics with OUR freedom. How many people will now suffer because he did not have the spine to do what was right?

There is absolutely no excuse for torture. A man who want make a stand for his priciples is not a man worth voting for.

Besides that he is now an official traitor to the country. He should be jailed with the repukes.

[cmd]

7. You don't play at all if you aren't on the field

The election is what matters now. We were going to lose that vote no matter how Sherrod or any other dems voted. We have to get in the game if we want to make a difference. Send five bucks to Sherrod and do something positive toward electing democrats.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. I will repeat what I said...

on another thread: If a Democratic politician isn't smart and skilled enough to educate his constituency on why it was right to vote against torture, he doesn't need to be in politics.

How hard would it have been for Brown to put out a commercial showing how UNAMERICAN it would have been to vote for torture? How it would hurt our country instead of help it? How it's just what Osama would have wanted?

Instead, Brown showed a complete lack of moral and political courage, and a complete lack of political imagination.

[maseman]

8. Political imagination

First of all DeWine's money war chest is much larger then Browns. He can't match the ad time on TV. If he had the exact same amount to spend that would certainly be one tactic to use.

The other problem is the message. I've worked in advertising my whole life. You put two ads up next to each other...One says that "Torture is unAmerican or unPatriotic" and the other says "He is week on terror" which is more powerful? Well to the people who would be voting for Brown would agree that torture is unAmerican as I do.

But most people in this state don't care if we are torturing Muslims. I listen to some of the right-wing shows and read the editorials in the paper to try to hear what thes epeople say. I heard yesterday "Well they'll torture our guys so stick it to them too." That is the mentality.

I agree this bill is probably the worst to ever pass our congress. I hate with every cell in my body what it is doing to our country. But we WILL NOT GAIN ACCESS TO EITHER BRANCH of Congress unless we vote for our Dems. We will simply pave the path to MORE of these votes int he next two years if we let Mike DeWine win.

This is exactly what KKKArl wanted to happen. He wanted enough liberals to get pissed at enough Dems to stay home out of spite. Then you know what? The fat piece of turd wins again. Simple as that. Fuck him. I am sending a $500 check to Brown today to help him win regardless.

[Algorem]

11. it does seem Octobersurprisian

[VegasWolf]

16. Maybe the Democratic Party doesn't deserve to win yet with representatives

who will allow torture bills to proceed. Whoring Democrats don't deserve to win. You send your $500 dollars, I'll save mine for a candidate that deserves it.

[cmd]

10. Sherrod could appease a few of us that way

but the majority of people in Ohio would not tune in to listen to him in the first place. The race is down to sound bites. We have to win. Send Sherrod some cash and help out where you can make a difference.

[cmd]

5. Well said

This is not a pretty game. If we don't work to get Sherrod elected, we can't whine about DeWine.

[Algorem]

6. maybe it is a smart move(as far as getting elected goes),i saw in the

local rag yesterday that 5 of the top 10 most-watched tv shows in this most Democratic area of the state were ABC shows.2 of those ABC ones were dancing shows.Maybe people are Just.Too.Fucking.Stupid.Maybe I'll try to get Tim Rustturd to ask them if the American People are Just.Too.Fucking.Stupid.

[semillama]

9. as an Ohio democrat, I was pretty disappointed in Brown

but I understand his motivation. I still would rather have a Democrat who made a lousy vote than a Republican who will do nothing BUT make lousy votes. What we need to do is get Brown elected, THEN afterwards point out this vote and say "Here's your mistake. Do something to correct it."

[maseman]

12. Exactly Semillama

That is exactly my sentiment. You said it more eloquently then I. Thank you.

[rrasile]

15. You said it

I E mailed the dumbass the second I saw his vote. He didn't need to vote that way, hell any asshole could beat DeWinehead. I told him that we were going to keep a close watch on him and if he turns I'll be one of the first to work for Paul Hackett to replace his ass.

[Doremus]

13. That was probably the toughest vote he ever cast.

I fully understand the rationale behind it and it goes without saying that one of the few members of Congress to vote against the war wasn't voting his conscience yesterday. He's doing what he has to to survive, for now.

When he's elected and Dems have retaken the majority in either or both houses, sanity will be restored.

THAT, and only THAT, is the goal right now.

Whatever it Takes
Oust the traitors
Save Our Democracy

[xchrom]

14. i don't think voting for torture suddenly makes the people think

that a democrat is some how different than the war of words being cast since reagan.

i.e democrats = weak on defense is now part of the american lexicon.

what democrats have to do is publicly provide their version -- their vision of what it means to be tough in a liberal/progressive frame work.

we keep playing in their frame work. -- but what ever.

my greatest concern isn't necessarily THIS vote -- but future votes -- do have t vote for criminal legislation because you whored yourself?

the media that has been the problem all along will still be the same problem even if the democratic party makes headway.

which i never aprove of playing to the republick party's definitions.