"Slow redistricting could delay Ohio's presidential primary"

Slow Redistricting Could Delay Ohio Primary
Ohio's 2012 presidential primary might have to be moved to later in the year if state lawmakers are slow to draw new Congressional Districts this year, the Columbus Dispatch reports. "Under state law passed last year, candidacy petitions must be filed 90 days before an election, meaning the filing deadline for the 2012 primary is Dec. 7, 2011... new Congressional Districts must be drawn by then - and preferably much earlier - so that Candidates know the boundaries of the new districts, and coun...

Homeless Man Offered Radio Jobs
NewsCore - A Homeless man with a polished broadcasting voice was showcasing his unexpected talent on a Radio Station in Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday morning -- with a possible job offer as a result. Ted Williams, 71 -- who begs with a sign saying he has a God-given gift of a great voice -- became an Internet hit after a reporter from the Columbus Dispatch filmed him demonstrating his skill. In the video, Brooklyn-born Williams delivers a pitch-perfect radio croon, explaining that he had trained to ...

Redrawn California may be seismic
California, which has more House members than any other state, yet typically sees almost no turnover of seats, is facing the prospect of a huge change in its congressional delegation. With little fanfare, voters in November yanked control of the map-making process from the highly partisan Legislature in Sacramento and handed it to an entirely new — and unpredictable — Citizens Redistricting Commission. Continue Reading Text Size - + reset Politico 44 The uncertainty of the final p...

Is Huckabee the best bet vs Obama in 2012?
Out of all the soon to be 2012 GOP Candidates, does Mike Huckabee have the best chance to beat President Obama? The Brody File has been saying for some time now that Huckabee is extremely electable because of (among other things) his appeal to Independents and his Reagan-like charm and wit. Now the polling is starting to show that. Tom Jensen, the Director of Public Policy Polling has written the following: Why Huckabee's better than Gingrich and Palin. You could answer this question in one simp...

Sen. Jim DeMint goes easy on 2012 White House contenders
Conservatives often lament the current field of 2012 prospects. Each potential Candidate, they claim, is saddled with significant baggage that makes him or her unacceptable to at least one major wing of the Republican Party. But there’s one conservative who, oddly enough, has been withholding judgment on the 2012 crop. That’s South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint. What makes his optimism particularly striking is his famed dissatisfaction with candidates who either strike him as insufficiently con...

Stewart Takes On The RNC Chairman Debate (VIDEO)
Before "The Daily Show" went on break, Jon Stewart did one of his most entertaining interviews ever with none other than Michael Steele -- in puppet form -- on his seeking re-election. Tuesday night, Stewart continued to rip on the current Republican National Committee Chairman, but also turned his attention to the other RNC Chair Candidates and their behavior in the debate held Monday. The person who took the most heat was Missouri's Ann Wagner, whose look Stewart said needed to be "grizzlied...

Pawlenty claims his book tour has nothing to do with 2012 (The Ticket)
Tim Pawlenty is still trying to act like he's not running for president. The former Minnesota Governor is set to embark later this month on a book tour that, not coincidentally, will take him almost exclusively through key 2012 presidential primary states. Yet Pawlenty, not unlike other Republican presidential contenders, is insisting that he's merely to sell his new book, "Courage to Stand," and is not focusing on 2012. "I know everybody's trying to say that the book tour is about politics, b...

The Dedicated Budgeteer
Even in a Republican year like 2010, unseating an Incumbent Democratic U.S. representative by a 52%-to-40% margin is extraordinary. So how, I asked Republican Rep.-elect Jim Renacci, did he manage to unseat Democratic Rep. John Boccieri that resoundingly in Ohio’s 16th District tin November? “I guess because I got 12% more of the vote than he did!” said Renacci with a laugh. There were, of course, many factors involved in that victory by small businessman Renacci, a former may...

Racism in Review, A Look Back and a Look Ahead
I’ve been away from the blog for a bit while I finished some other writing projects, but wanted to share with readers a couple of good year-end summaries for 2010. The first is from the good folks at Colorlines who produced this short video (3:44) about the year in race: The video includes a clip of George W. Bush (on Oprah) saying that Kanye West calling him Racist is “disgusting” - not something we talked about here on this blog much, so in case you missed it, you can s...

Rhode Island inauguration journal
From politics to broadcasting for yet another former official. Outgoing state Rep. John J. Loughlin II, who lost the 1st Congressional District election to Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, was spotted at the State House Tuesday afternoon with a Channel 12 microphone and video camera in hand. Loughlin said it is his first day as a “stringer,” or freelance correspondent, for the TV station. State Rep. J. Russell Jackson, of Newport, presided over the first day’s session of t...

The winds don't necessarily spell change in Harrisburg
Election Day in 2010 was very historic for numerous reasons espoused and waxed upon all over the Internet. In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, we almost have a Republican super-majority in our House of Representatives and State Senate. Many newly elected and re-elected Republicans are touting change and want to focus on things like privatizing the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and maybe even get rid of a few unnecessary seats to save money (except their own, of course). People need to remember, tho...

The US Congress will vote on abolishing Obamacare. Where's our vote on the NHS?
Tea Party Patriots campaigning against ObamaCare (Photo: EPA) If you needed proof that American politics is more vibrant than its sickly British cousin, this is it. Congress is about to vote on abolishing Obamacare, and Republicans are predicting that it will pass in the House of Representatives. Admittedly, the bill is not predicted to gain support in the Senate, but can you imagine either house in the British Parliament having anything to do with a similar bill on repealing the NHS? Indeed, ...

AM Alert: Picks and perspectives
Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to announce his picks for a handful of key administration posts today. Brown, who has no public events scheduled, had told reporters he would name his top aide -- a post he is calling executive secretary -- yesterday, but the announcement was delayed. His office has not confirmed which appointments will be announced today. Now that the 1st Senate District Special Election has come and gone, all eyes are on the upcoming contests to fill vacancies in the 17th and 2...

Write-in winner
Sen. Lisa Murkowski was certified the winner of Alaska's U.S. Senate race last Thursday. She became the first U.S. Senate Candidate since the late Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., to win a write-in campaign. Sen. Murkowski lost the August Republican primary to Joe Miller, a first-time Candidate favored by the tea party and endorsed by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Many Incumbents might have quit at that point, but not Sen. Murkowski. She began a write-in campaign on Sept. 17 which lasted 46 days...

Homeless Ohio man's radio voice makes him web star
Job prospects are rolling in for a Homeless Ohio man with a golden radio voice who has quickly become an online sensation. The Columbus Dispatch reports video of Ted Williams posted this week on the newspaper's website has commanded millions of views. In the clip, Williams stands near a Columbus highway ramp demonstrating his smooth, deep speaking voice. He holds a sign that asks motorists for help and says, "I'm an ex-radio announcer who has fallen on hard times." Williams, a Brooklyn, N.Y., na...

Homeless Ohio man's radio voice makes him web star
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Job prospects are rolling in for a Homeless Ohio man with a golden radio voice who has quickly become an online sensation. The Columbus Dispatch reports video of Ted Williams posted this week on the newspaper’s website has commanded millions of views. In the clip, Williams stands near a Columbus highway ramp demonstrating his smooth, deep speaking voice. He holds a sign that asks motorists for help and says, "I’m an ex-radio announcer who has fallen on hard ti...

Homeless Ohio mans radio voice makes him web star
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Job prospects are rolling in for a Homeless Ohio man with a golden radio voice who has quickly become an online sensation. The Columbus Dispatch reports video of Ted Williams posted this week on the newspaper’s website has commanded millions of views. In the clip, Williams stands near a Columbus highway ramp demonstrating his smooth, deep speaking voice. He holds a sign that asks motorists for help and says, “I’m an ex-radio announcer who has fallen ...

A 2nd Chance For Bklyn Native With Golden Voice
NEW YORK (1010 WINS) - A Brooklyn native may soon be going from highway panhandler to radio superstar. Ted Williams is Homeless but not hopeless. The man with a golden radio voice now has a brighter future after being featured in a video that has turned him into an Internet sensation. Williams was panhandling on Interstate 71 in Ohio with a hand-written sign advertising his “God given gift” of a great voice when a reporter from the Columbus Dispatch interviewed and videotaped h...

Local Congressman Boehner becomes speaker of the House today
WASHINGTON – Local congressman John Boehner, who today will become just the third Ohio lawmaker to be speaker of the U.S. House, will tell House members that Americans in November “voted to end business as usual and today we begin carrying out those instructions.’’ In a Speech delivered to the House moments after being sworn in, the West Chester Township Republican will press the new Republican majority to aggressively reduce federal spending at a time when the government...

Local Congressman Boehner becomes speaker of the House today
WASHINGTON – Local congressman John Boehner, who today will become just the third Ohio lawmaker to be speaker of the U.S. House, will tell House members that Americans in November “voted to end business as usual and today we begin carrying out those instructions.’’ In a Speech delivered to the House moments after being sworn in, the West Chester Township Republican will press the new Republican majority to aggressively reduce federal spending at a time when the government...

For Steele, RNC Chair Race Gets Personal
Incumbent RNC chairman Michael Steele and Wisconsin state chair Reince Priebus used to be close allies, but as they sat beside one another on stage at the RNC chair Candidates meeting on Monday, it was clear that that time was over. On the other hand, Saul Anuzis’ enduring closeness with Michael Steele may have a major impact on the outcome of the RNC race. “No, I don’t talk [with him], haven’t talked to him since he’s been running,” Steele told FrumForum about Priebus

What the Constitutional oath means
In the most comprehensive of the many Lawsuits against the Federal Government over the healthcare-reform bill, the two New Jersey men who filed it make a direct legal counterattack against Members of Congress who, they say, have violated their oaths of office by passing it. I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, w...

Is Bachmanns slot on Intelligence Committee part of GOP plan to stifle her?
Rumors of Bill Richardson replacing Hillary Clinton as U.S. Secretary of State exploded across the Internet Monday and appear to have been started by a report from Examiner.com and have been falsely attributed to Washington Examiner — which is unrelated to Examiner.com — by Fox News, among other outlets. Fred Karger is not your typical Republican Presidential Candidate. He has never held elected office, spending his life behind the scenes as a consultant for other Candidates. When qu...

CHAVEZ SUGGESTS SEAN PENN, BILL CLINTON AS U.S. AMBASSADORS TO CARACAS...
Yahoo! Buzz Oliver Stone (left), Sean Penn and Bill Clinton are shown. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, drawing more attention to his standoff with the White House over President Obama’s pick to be an ambassador to Caracas, is suggesting alternate Candidates, including Sean Penn and Bill Clinton. "I hope they name Oliver Stone. I'll suggest a candidate ... Sean Penn, or [Noam] Chomsky. We have a lot of friends there. Bill Clinton!" Chavez said in a televised Speech on Tuesday,...

Chavez Choices For Next US Ambassador
From the Macedonian International News Agency: Chavez Wants Penn, Stone or Bill Clinton for Next US Ambassador Wednesday, 05 January 2011 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sought to end a diplomatic stand-off with the United States on Tuesday by suggesting it name Bill Clinton, actor Sean Penn or director Oliver Stone as its Envoy to Caracas. In the latest flare-up between the ideological foes, Washington withdrew the visa of Venezuela’s ambassador last week in retaliation for Chavez&#...