After seeing how much unnecessary environmental damage Ohio’s Democrat Chairman Chris Redfern causes, I found this…

From the official Democratic Party platform (2008):

We must end the tyranny of oil in our time. This immediate danger is eclipsed only by the longer-term threat from climate change, which will lead to devastating weather patterns, terrible storms, drought, conflict, and famine. That means people competing for food and water in the next fifty years in the very places that have known horrific violence in the last fifty: Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. That could also mean destructive storms on our shores, and the disappearance of our coastline.

We understand that climate change is not just an economic issue or an environmental concern– this is a national security crisis.

Establish Energy Security
Not since the 1970s has America’s national security been so threatened by its energy insecurity, and, as we have learned the hard way over the past eight years, achieving energy security in the 21st century requires far more than simply expending our economic and political resources to keep oil flowing steadily out of unstable and even hostile countries and regions. Rather, energy security requires stemming the flow of money to oil rich regimes that are hostile to America and its allies…

Chris Redfern, why do you support America’s enemies?

If you saw this sign at the Ohio State House in Columbus which says “Passenger Drop Off”… would you do anything else other than drop or pick someone up, and take maybe up to 5 minutes to do so?

Of course you wouldn’t! Because you are a law abiding citizen.

But apparently, Ohio Democrat Party Chairman Chris Redfern, a powerful man who married into a life of privilege, thinks he is above the law.

Just about everything else was canceled today at the State House due to snow. However, Ohio Attorney General Rich Cordray had a 3pm. And Redfern was there with his lobbyist wife Kim to talk to reporters.

The event lasted approximately an hour. And as I exited a rather boring press conference full of populist platitudes about Wall Street, a few State House employees tipped me off that Chris Redfern’s giant black Chevy SUV (pictured above) was in the loading zone…

with the engine running…

for more than a hour!

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That is a very large, gas-powered car, idling and emitting pollution into the air. As you can see from this picture (below), taken almost 20 minutes prior to the one above, there is clearly exhaust fumes being spewed out. Mother Earth is weeping:

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And Mayor Mike Coleman might be interested to see this, as it is clear that PLENTY of parking meters were available across the street. If Redfern was a responsible citizen, his driver could have parked there legally, turned off the engine, and pay for a parking meter as a token gesture that he is willing to sacrifice money that can be “reinvested” by the city.

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Finally, after more than 67 minutes, Kim and Chris get in the car, probably to dash off to Lindey’s to have dinner and a conversation that has nothing… absolutely nothing… to do with whatever company Kim just shook down in exchange for access to her husband.

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As a typical elitist liberal, Chris Redfern is all about having the state subsidize green projects. In fact, his SUV is E-85, which has the capacity to use a highly-inefficient, subsidized corn-based fuel… even though he was probably burning good old-fashioned gasoline. Redfern is happy to tell you how to live your life, as long as those rules don’t apply to him.

Why wasn’t Redfern issued a citation? Why does Redfern think it is OK to harm the environment in such a careless fashion? And considering his choice of cars and his many trips on lobbyist-funded private jets, how big is Chris’ “carbon footprint?” These are questions worth asking.

Yeah, me neither.

But here is the audio from Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine and MTR Lobbyist Chris Redfern from today anyway.

Both Chris and reporter Mark Naymik are fairly insulting to TEA party activists. And anyone paying attention to the debates over Gov. Bob Taft’s tax increase and how then-Chairman Bob Bennett insulted Republicans for standing in opposition, will be shocked to hear DeWine’s defense of phasing out the income tax. I think it is an admission that conservatism wins elections.

During the debate, Redfern also lies about Ken Blackwell’s proposed Tax Expenditure Limitation Amendment from 2005, which was later implemented only in statute, saying that it would have eliminated the state income tax. The TEL was only a cap on increases in state spending and didn’t even touch creative spending like bond issues and Federal stimulus Obamabucks. But its not like Chris has ever let the facts get in the way of a lame insult.

To give you an idea of how liberal the audience is, here are their first 5 questions:

1) How do we go about creating more “green jobs” and sustainability blah blah blah?

2) I’m an annoying social worker who is proud to be a social worker. Will you (Kevin DeWine) apologize for calling Ted Strickland’s running mate a “social worker?”

3) Kevin DeWine, why does your party oppose the murder of unborn babies, and what are you doing, if anything, to change that?

4) What should the legislature do about the Supreme Court deciding in favor of the freedom of speech in the Citizens United case?

5) What do you do to make sure the extremes (ie, TEA party activists) don’t run parties, and make sure you represent all of Ohio?

And this is why on every election morning, I turn towards Cleveland and pray that it sinks into Lake Erie.

From The Politico:

Sarah Palin’s political action committee has been selective and strategic in its donations to candidates over the past six months, but if money is any indication of where her heart lies, her political loyalties can be traced to Ohio.

While SarahPAC has devoted just 5 percent of its total expenditures over that period to fellow GOP colleagues, four of the 17 candidates Palin contributed to hail from Ohio — the state where she held by far the most presidential campaign events in 2008, according to The Washington Post’s candidate tracker.

The former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee gave $5,000 to former GOP Rep. John Kasich, who’s running for Ohio governor; $3,500 to former Rep. Rob Portman, who’s running for the state’s open Senate seat; $1,000 to Rep. Jean Schmidt; and $1,000 to state auditor Mary Taylor, whom Kasich recently tapped to be his running mate.

A GOP source familiar with Palin’s thinking said most of these candidates solicited Palin’s support. “She feels there is a real chance to turn the tide in Ohio,” said the source.

“It makes sense to me that she may be looking to a future where Ohio matters to her, and if she’s building support, I think it’s great,” said Alex Triantafilou, the GOP chairman in Cincinnati’s Hamilton County.

“We’ve got an incumbent governor in Ted Strickland who is very vulnerable, so perhaps she sees where her dollars can make a difference,” he added.

Palin’s largest monetary donation went to Kasich, the former House Budget Committee chairman and Fox News talk show host, who has edged ahead of Strickland in recent polls.

The article also mentions that she will be speaking March 5th at an Ohio Right to Life event. Tickets can be purchased here. She is tough to book and won’t even be speaking at CPAC, so this is a huge deal for the pro-life movement in Ohio. Conservative friends at the Strategy Group helped make the event possible.

Sarah’s book was fun from a gossipy perspective.  I wanted to read more about accomplishments and policy debates in Alaska, but instead found myself slogging through a bunch of stories about how the media and the McCain campaign mistreated her. Almost any book by a politician is ghostwritten, but  this one came no where close to, for example, what L. Brent Bozell Jr. did for Barry Goldwater. And I couldn’t imagine Ronald Reagan writing a book to bitch about the press or pesky Ford operatives.

Regardless, Sarah is right on the issues, knows how to give a good speech, and is the only conservative rockstar who might run for President. She is more qualified for the job than President Barry, and is our worst potential candidate… except for all the others.

It is fantastic news that she is focusing so much on the state. Ohio’s misogynist Democrat Party Chairman has no idea how truly popular she is.

Here is the Ohio Democrat Party’s latest fundraising email:

Chris and I have been friends for a long time, but our relationship turned rocky last year and he called me out by name during a press conference.

But, being the gracious gentleman that I am, in my mailbox I have an envelop addressed to Chris Redfern. Enclosed is the amount he requested.

From The Politico:

The erosion among independents, however, isn’t simply a regional problem. Democrats are anxious about the prospects of five-term Sen. Chris Dodd in Connecticut, who trails one of his GOP opponents by 28 percentage points among independents in a prospective head-to-head matchup, and Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and Iowa Gov. Chet Culver, two Democratic incumbents with shrinking approval ratings among independent voters. A Des Moines Register poll released this weekend showed the first-term Culver trailing the GOP front-runner among independents by nearly 30 percentage points.

“It’s a challenge,” said Chris Redfern, the chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, referring to the current election environment. But, he added, “we don’t need all of them back. We just need a majority.”

From the geezer Joe Hallett:

Invitations to two fundraisers for Gov. Ted Strickland’s re-election campaign that advertised special access to state officials appear to perpetuate a pay-to-play political system that the governor promised in 2006 that he would end.

A third fundraising invitation by the Ohio Democratic Party to join Strickland and a high-ranking party official “to discuss Ohio’s current issues” raises questions about whether input on public policy can be bought for a political contribution.

The Strickland campaign and the party say the wording on the invitations slipped through their vetting processes and is regrettable, and it was corrected in all three cases.

“I have not seen this and I think that it does not look good,” a clearly disturbed Strickland said when shown an invitation to a Sept. 4 Cincinnati-area campaign fundraiser for him.

What was the invitation? It was a ticket for special access:

The Sept. 4 fundraiser was sponsored by Rob Smyjunas and Dave Noonan of Vandercar Holdings, owner of Corridor 75 Premier Logistics Park. The event, which Smyjunas said drew about 30 local contributors, was held at the 429-acre industrial park that Vandercar is developing at an I-75 interchange in Monroe.

The invitation promoted “a private lunch reception with Gov. Ted Strickland and special guests, county and state economic development officials.” Smyjunas said Noonan “wrote that and sent it out without ever talking with anybody. He sent it out by e-mail.”

Smyjunas and Pickrell said that when the campaign saw the invitation, it immediately issued a new one after removing the reference to economic-development officials.

Economic-development officials…. as in those who direct state grants and stimulus dollars to various projects. They knew exactly what they were selling, and are only embarrassed that they worded their pay-to-play scheme so poorly.

And Chris Redfern, fresh off of an embarrassing week of stories concerning his party in Athens County paying voters $5 dollars to vote in targeted district, once again shows how touchy he is about Democrats looking corrupt as we enter the 2010 campaign season:

The Ohio Democratic Party fundraising invitation in question was for a brunch Saturday at the Bexley Monk restaurant. Party Chairman Chris Redfern said the original invitation sent to lobbyists and others promoted a meeting with him and Strickland “for an insider’s discussion on what the Ohio Democratic Party is doing to prepare for the 2010 elections.”

But a follow-up reminder e-mail sent Oct. 27 from party Finance Director Joe Rettof told invitees that the event “will be a great opportunity for you to discuss Ohio’s current issues with the governor” and the party’s executive director, Doug Kelly.

“I did not give final clearance on this,” Redfern said. “It was a mistake.”

Redfern acknowledged that the follow-up e-mail implied a chance to discuss public policy with Strickland in exchange for a campaign contribution.

“That’s why I’m troubled by this, because we got to this position, in some measure, by pointing out the weakness of the Republican Party and the former leaders of this state,” Redfern said. “So with that criticism comes a great deal of responsibility going forward to conduct ourselves in an appropriate, ethical and clearly legal way.”

The Ohio University Post’s Caitlin McGlade reports that, the Chairman who is already under indictment is no fan of Chris Redfern’s:

Athens’ top Democrat rejected the state chairman’s call for her resignation yesterday, asserting that he should resign instead.

Chris Redfern, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, released a statement yesterday asking County Chairwoman Susan Gwinn to leave, after a series of local controversies stirred up statewide interest. Redfern has spoken out against Gwinn for years; for running against incumbent Dave Warren for the county prosecutor seat, for her felony indictment and, most recently, for her involvement with an Ohio University College Democrats ploy to pay students who bring friends to vote.

“I was saddened to hear the latest chapter in what has been a long series of questionable actions on the part of Susan Gwinn during her time as Athens County Democratic Party Chairwoman,” he said in the statement. “For the good of the Party, I ask that she resign from her position effective immediately.”

Gwinn said she’s not moving.

“Frankly, I think he should resign,” she said.

For those of you unfamiliar with her other criminal activity:

The vote-buying conundrum would become her second case within the past few months.

The first left her indicted by a grand jury for laundering more than $27,000 in campaign contributions through personal bank accounts during her race for county prosecutor.

The special prosecutor on the case, Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost, who is also running as a Republican for Attorney General, offered Gwinn a deal that would reduce her three felonies and three misdemeanors down to one misdemeanor and a $100 fine. All she had to do was resign. She declined.

And to make matters worse, the Athens County Democrat Party establishment, especially Councilwoman Nancy Bain, are standing up for Gwinn:

Councilwoman Nancy Bain, D-3rd Ward, said she thinks Redfern’s request is inappropriate and political.

“I think running a person out of town for something that may or may not have happened — I think that is premature,” Bain said. “Maybe he should watch his premature moves.”[...]

But despite the controversy, the Democratic Party has largely stood behind Gwinn.

“I hope the party quits shooting itself in the foot,” Bain said.

It is likely that Redfern was not a fan of Gwinn long before she used College Democrats in an ACORNesque scheme to buy votes. But Chris’ willingness to quickly call for her resignation and reject the OU College Democrats argument that they weren’t breaking the law shows how extremely touchy Ohio Democrats are to accusations of corruption, as this is only tip of the iceberg.

To add to the voter fraud committed by Athens Democrat party bosses and pinhead college morons, a press release from the OU College Republicans raises an interesting question about the legitimacy of Democrat State Rep. Debbie Phillips:

The Ohio University College Republicans applaud the statement of Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern regarding the current vote bounty controversy. Chairman Redfern stated: “The Ohio Democratic Party had no role in this stupid idea, and I urge Athens County Chairwoman Susan Gwinn to suspend the program immediately and not issue any payments that may have been planned. I call for a complete investigation and prosecution for any wrongdoing in this case.” The Ohio University College Republicans endorse Redfern’s call for embattled Athens County Chairwoman Susan Gwinn and the Ohio University College Democrats to suspend the program and conduct a full investigation into the matter.

Furthermore, in light of the recent revelations, the College Republicans are concerned about prior instances of this votes-for-cash bounty program. During the 2008 election in the 92nd Ohio House District, Republican candidate and Athens County Auditor Jill Thompson lost to the current representative Democrat Debbie Phillips by less than 600 votes. The College Republicans hope that a full investigation will reveal whether or not the College Democrats implemented a similar program during the 2008 election.

Christine Fahl, the candidate for Athens City Council 4th Ward who was to be the potential benefactor of the fraudulent votes, played a major role in Debbie Phillips’s 2008 campaign.

Issue 3 and this gambling debate is something of a mess, and Brent Larkin calls Gov. Ted out on allowing that to happen:

Ohio’s seven horse racing tracks will pay $65 million each to build slot machine parlors on their properties. The racetrack deal, engineered by Gov. Ted Strickland and his minions in the legislature, represented public policy at its worst.

Jeffrey Hooke, a Maryland-based casino expert and investment banker, said a fair price for each casino license would be in the $300 million to $500 million range. Hooke described the governor’s deal with the racetracks as “the greatest taxpayer ripoff in Ohio history.”

Strickland has made a mess of Ohio’s gambling climate. Any governor with a modicum of vision could have seen this coming and pushed a ballot issue that required a bidding process for casinos and racetrack slot machines.

But Gov. Strickland opposes an open bidding process, because that would make life difficult for MTR lobbyists Chris and Kim Redfern and the Ohio Democrat Party, all of whom will milk this gambling issue for every possible personal and political benefit.

Therefore, I am filing public records requests, as I am yet to read anywhere in the press of who met with Gov. Strickland’s administration on this deal. Just how was MTR selected as the company which would be used to fill holes in the budget? Was this just something Ted and Chris arranged at Club 185 in German Village over coffee and club sandwiches?

In addition, I will publish reports on just why Kim Redfern works as a lobbyist for these clients: Colonial Life Insurance, Thomas Fok & Associates, Information Control Corporation, Continental Real Estate, 3SG Corporation, Poggemeyer Design Group, Deloitte Consulting, TriVIN, City of Parma, PRIME Engineering, DCK North America, Berger & Montague, Informatica, Lawyers Development Corporation, PT Coures, and IQity.

And while the smart people over at LetOhioVote.org fight to questions of VLTs over to voters, the Ohio Grocers Association fights the unconstitutional application of the CAT tax to food, and judges properly stop the misuse of tobacco settlement money, I will expose the corruption of Ohio Democrat Party Chris Redfern and his wife Kim.

Let the fun begin!

There was a new PAC registered this week, called the North Coast Leadership PAC. It uses the exact same address that Chris Redfern used as a State Representative, 2841 North Bluff Ridge Dr. in Port Clinton, and the address lists Kimberly Redfern as a resident. The Treasurer is Thomas Ferrell.

It will be fascinating to watch who donates to this PAC, and what the money is used for, as this PAC is quite suspicious.

And while the amounts of money Ohio Democrat Party Chairman Chris Redfern and  Kim has made off of MTR will never truly be known, you can be assured they made far more than the $14,000 salary of the average MTR racino employee.

Yesterday, I noted that Rep. Betty Sutton’s behavior-modification “Cash for Clunkers” program that the Ohio Democrat Party and MTR Lobbyist Chris Redfern was promoting has a website which gives the Federal Government control of your computer.

And today, Hunter Baker at the Acton Institute blog raises an interesting question about C-f-C , which a reporter should ask Sutton about:

I just read today that the cars traded in for the Cash for Clunkers program are rendered unusable by running liquid glass through the engines.

Has anyone considered the impact of this on the poor? What has happened is that a huge number of low cost cars are being removed from the market. These are cars low income earners would ordinarily drive or teenagers would buy them who need to get to school or work.

What happens when we radically reduce the supply of a particular good? If there are no good substitutes, then the price goes up. In effect, this is a tax on the lower end of the market.

The fact that the Ohio Democrat who authored the C-f-C legislation might not fully realize how much destroying cheap cars hurts the poor is a classic example of the “progressive” mental disorder.

UPDATE: This issue recieved more funding, thanks in part Senator George “errrr errrr errrr” Voinovich.

Tom Brinkman won a temporary restraining order against the Ohio House and the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee from enforcing a law which make it a crime for former legislators advocate before the Ohio House.

From The Enquirer:

A federal judge Tuesday declared that Ohio’s law limiting lobbying activities violates the First Amendment rights of a former state legislator from Cincinnati.

The decision clears the way for former Ohio Rep. Tom Brinkman to become an unpaid lobbyist for a local anti-tax group and raises questions about whether the state law can withstand a broader constitutional challenge.

Ohio’s law, known as a “revolving door” statute, bars former state legislators from lobbying activities for at least one year after they leave office. The purpose of the law is to prevent vote buying and other unethical behavior by limiting the ability of legislators to profit from relationships with private groups and lobbyists.

But U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott ruled that the law appears to be too broad and infringes on Brinkman’s First Amendment right to speak out and lobby on behalf of causes or organizations.

This is good news, and is perhaps a bi-partisan effort that MTR lobbyist Chris Redfern could get behind.

Kyle Sisk apparently doesn’t believe in Ohio Democrat Party Chairman’s apparent disinterest in the lobbying which makes his family wealthier, and he notes:

For whatever reason, my point is that prior to Chris & Kim being lobbyists they probably had the vocal, financial, general support of 80% of the lobbying community.

Ask around today and I think you will find that at least 80% of the lobbying community would be fine with the Redferns vanishing from the face of the earth.  Get a few drinks in some of said lobbyists and you’ll feel like you are hanging out in Hell’s Kitchen or on The Deadliest Catch.

Simply put:  Competition is a funny thing.

The second Kim put a shingle up as a lobbyist that basically meant that anytime she GAINED a client then someone else was LOSING a client.  Everyone was cool with Chris when he wasn’t competition, but the dynamics have changed.

They are taking food out of other people’s mouths (picture a lobbyist with his/her spouse & kids eat Ramen noodles because Chris & Kim Redfern stole their largest client).

The Redferns would be shocked to learn how many Democrats have their knives out, because with the MTR  issue, the Redfern’s are treading on other people’s territory. And unlike private business, politics and lobbying is a zero-sum game where you only win at someone else’s expense.

Therefore, I will predict today that Mr. and Mrs. greed will lead to their early political demise.

Robert Paduchik, a Portman spokesman, said that “before this year is over, Chris Redfern is going to be reduced to lighting his hair on fire to distract Ohioans from the disastrous record of the Strickland-Fisher economy that has doubled Ohio’s unemployment rate…”

Update @5:09 pm- From an anonymous email…

I read your blog post and felt compelled to do some digging through a few SEC reports.  Here is a nice tidbit from MTR Gaming Group, Inc.’s most recent SEC filing (8-K, July 15, 2009)

“The Registrant expects EBITDA [this means earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amoritzation] from continuing operations of approximately $18.5 to $20 million (after severance costs of $160,000 and strategic costs associated with lobbying and gaming efforts in Ohio of $350,000), compared to EBITDA from continuing operations of $18.0 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2008.”

This could answer some of your questions about who paid for what private plane.  MTR spend $350,000.00 solely on lobbying Ohio to adopt slot machines in the last few months?  Makes you wonder when they knew Strickland was considering it.

Compare this with what MTR Gaming has spent to lobby in Penn. in the last five years.

On July 10th, Kim Redfern, lobbyist for Mountaineer Gaming and wife of Ohio Democrat Party Chairman Chris Redfern, wrote as her Facebook status: “Great, I’m making national headlines now! I guess there is more than one “Redfern” grabbing the headlines. Ha!!” It included a link to AP’s Julie Carr Smyth’s report about politically connected lobbying interests, including Kim’s, which would directly profit from the passage of Ted Strickland’s flip-flop on VLT’s.

She may had had even more to laugh and smile about, as Mountaineer Gaming would be the provider of VLT’s to Ohio’s racetracks and their company’s stock price increased by 50% the same day that the Senate budget compromise was announced.

But after more media reports, and after Chris Redfern held a press conference where he was peppered with questions over his discussions with the Governor regarding Mountaineer Gaming (and blamed the story on me!), he isn’t smiling now.

A good question for a reporters to start answering is: Who pays for the Redferns’ extravagant travel? As I have mentioned before, Redfern married into wealth, so extensive travel is not surprising. However, a round-trip to D.C. on a chartered jet like this would cost roughly $10,000.

Here is a picture from Kim’s Facebook profile, which includes the caption: “Flying in style to the Obama Inauguration! Reese’s first plane trip at 1 1/2 months old!”

It is highly doubtful that the Ohio Democrat Party paid for the plane, as: 1) there is no record of this expense I can find, and 2) You can tell just by how they are sitting. My reasoning is: Most private jets have a layout with four “captain’s chairs” facing each other, with two on each side, and a sofa along the wall. It is proper etiquette for the host (or owner) to use captains’ chairs to face forward. Therefore, we can be quite certain this is someone else’s plane.  (The windows show that this is not a Gulfstream or a Lear, so it is probably a Cessna or Haker.)

Was the jet provided by Mountaineer Gaming? Or was it provided by some other special interest trying to buy access to the most powerful Ohio Democrat via his lobbyist wife?

And, as Democrats claim to be the party of the common man- the poor, the downtrodden, the losers in life’s lottery- how many average Democrats would be able to spend 1/4th of their annual salary on a short airplane ride?

And while we are on the subject, did some special interest fund the Redferns’ extravagant trip to Florence?

And with the recent boost in Mountaineer Gaming stock prices, perhaps they can afford a new home in Tuscany?

Something about this stinks, and if this story involved all Republicans, Chris Redfern would have already been forced to quit his current position in disgrace.

It was less than three months ago when Gov. Strickland came out strongly against gambling, only to change his mind. Chris is a former State Representative, and left office so recently that he is prohibited by law from lobbying. But can Chris honestly say that he- the CHAIRMAN OF THE DEMOCRATIC PATTY- had NO conversations with the DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR Ted Strickland about this giant scheme to fill the budget deficit with VLT’s from a company which employs Chris’ wife? If you believe that, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you.

In his column yesterday, Joe Hallett explained how Lee Fisher is the Democrat version of Jim Petro and Mitt Romney, as he is yet another candidate who had road to Damascus-like conversions on hot-button social issues exactly at a time most convenient to their political aspirations. Fisher’s flip-flops of choice are: the death penalty and homosexual marriage.

And at the end of his column, Hallett picks up on an issue which really only matters in the minds of Ohio’s pea-brained liberal bloggers:

But that’s how this Democratic Senate race is going to unfold, because both the Fisher and Brunner campaigns are so afraid of making mistakes that they won’t stop making them. Dirty tricks, dodges and cover-ups already are trumping straightforwardness.

Brunner took a hit when her Senate campaign got caught trying to use office equipment that might have been illegally transferred from a previous campaign. Then, she and her husband, Rick, made it worse with a cockamamie story about a secret agreement permitting the Senate campaign to use the equipment in exchange for a donation to charity.

Fisher’s campaign is under suspicion of using a “Joe the Plumber” plant in the Ohio Department of Taxation to dig up dirt on Brunner’s husband and leak it to the media. “Completely baseless,” Fisher said of the charge.

Joe adds no details about the story he is referring to, but what he is talking about is about separate stories from Mark Naymik of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. The first is about Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner’s lazy, pot head son forgetting to pay taxes on the house mommy and daddy bought for him. And the second story, which is more serious, about Jennifer Brunner husband not paying property taxes on an office building:

Rick Brunner, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s husband, has a history of making late property tax payments on a Columbus office building he bought with his wife.

Brunner paid small penalties and interest charges in six of the last 11 tax years on his 545 Town Street property, purchased by the Brunners in 1996.

The fines, which range from about $165 in 2002 to a high of $742 in 2007, total around $2,500. The $410,000 building has an annual tax bill of about $10,500 and Brunner is current on the building’s taxes, according Franklin County records.

Rick and Jennifer Brunner, who is a candidate for the U.S. Senate, transferred the property in 1999 to a holding company, Town and Walnut Holdings LLC. Jennifer Brunner listed the company as an asset on her 2007 Ohio Ethics Commission financial disclosure statement but she is no longer a member of the company.

In 2009, Rick Brunner was fined $282 for paying late a portion of his 2008 bill. Rick was in Washington attending the inaugural with his wife.

The 545 property houses The Brunner Law Firm and also used to be home to Jennifer Brunner’s campaign headquarters when she was a candidate for secretary of state.

This is a good, relevant story, right? Of course it is! But leftists over at Buckeye State Blog are certain that the bigger story here involves Lee Fisher’s campaign handing over the information to Naymik, as if they are just SHOCKED and outraged to learn that campaigns, on a regular basis, feed information to lazy reporters. And to add to this uninteresting conspiracy, the Fisher campaign won’t even admit to it! oh hum. yawn. This is about as interesting as the fact that Jennifer Brunner’s campaign is working with the Buckeye State Blog to make this situation into a meaningful distraction.

The conspiracy theory is that John Kohlstrand, Ohio Department of Taxation spokesman and hatchet man for Ohio Democrat Party Chairman Chris Redfern, must have illegally snooped around to find the information about Mr. Brunner. This is a fascinating story if true, but there is NO EVIDENCE thus far. And while it is clear that Sam “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher had his personal records illegally looked at by Strickland/Fisher administration officials, the Kohlsrand connection has simply not been established, no matter how much Team Brunner and her kook blogger friends want it to be true.

And if it is true, I would certainly hope this would give liberal Ohio bloggers pause, as they are outraged by the inherent intrusiveness of the same big government which they advocate for. And when there is a tax code which requires all Ohioans to justify every penny they earn, those records can always be used by corrupt bureaucrats trying to score points with the political elite.

And just when you thought this story as over, now apparently the Fisher campaign is apparently yet again to blame for bad news for Team Brunner. This time, it involves a blog post by James Nash of The Columbus Dispatch, accusing their spokesbabe of ethical violations:

Sandy Theis is a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s campaign for U.S. Senate. Theis also is a spokeswoman and operative for a group trying to derail a proposed November ballot initiative for casinos – a matter, it so happens, that Brunner’s office will decide Tuesday.

Some observers questioned today whether Theis’ dual roles pose a conflict of interest. After all, they said, wouldn’t Brunner be more apt to take the side of someone who’s working for her campaign?

This sounds like an interesting story worth checking into. But liberal bloggers dismiss James Nash, who is a liberal card-carrying member of the ACLU, as a “closeted Republican!” Good grief, these guys couldn’t buy a clue in a clue store with a pocket of clue-bucks.

In the end, Jennifer Brunner’s tax issues matter, her misuse of campaign funds matter, and Shady Sandy’s duel-roles matter. They are all legitimate stories worth reporting on, just like it would be legitimate to report if there was any illegal snooping of government records. Liberal bloggers support Brunner because she is farther to the right than Lee Fisher, and are working to turn every negative story into some sort of wild conspiracy.

If Team Brunner spent half as much effort paying their taxes on time and hiring ethical employees as they spend on spinning brainless bloggers, all of this mess could have been avoided.

Marc Kovac from the Capital Blog posted press conference with Chris Redfern, Ohio Democrat Chairman and unregistered lobbyist for Mountaineer Gaming on YouTube in 6 portions [1,2,3,4,5,6].

During the question and answer segment, Joe Hallett from The Columbus Dispatch fires the opening salvo with what would turn out to be almost 15 minutes of questions about his highly questionable involvement in his wife’s lobbying affairs.

After repeating a Clintonesque line of he “has no recollection” of speaking to the Governor specifcally about Mountaineer Gambling and chastised Joe Hallett for daring to ask what he speaks about his wife at the dinner table. He then dodged the issue by: 1) pointing out that school choice campaigns give a lot of money to Republicans, which…um….. apparently means Republicans are as dirty as Democrats are, 2) The same people who are attacking his wife and he are just upset because of their strong support of the Ohio sodomite lobby (I’m sure the homosexuals love being used as a political shield like that!), and 3) This is just some crazy story started and pushed by yours truly (Scroll to 3:50):

Notice that right after he comments about me, they called for “last question,” as they knew it would only go down-hill from that point.

Chris, seriously, lay off the bloggers. That is just embarrassing.

You are perhaps the most powerful Democrat in Ohio, and you would be the first one criticizing a Republican leader if his wealth increased by this incredible last-minute flip-flop of the Governor’s. Some people would have been happy to have your good fortune of having a wife with a wealthy ex-husband who died in a tragic car crash, but your personal greed knows no limits. You are willing to disregard the beliefs of Ohioans who, on four separate occasions have said NO to gambling, and place the burden of balancing the state budget on the backs of the working class, all to benefit your wife’s personal business interests. How shameful!

You called me out because you wish to intimidate me into silence, but it won’t work and there is much more to this story that WILL NOT remain hidden behind your partisan liberal allies in the Ohio MSM. And as you saw today, they are already turning on you.

Chris Redfern, you are a corrupt slimeball and embody everything in which you have made a career out of accusing Republicans of being. I’m gunning for you Chris. Watch out!

Here is the key portion:

Mountaineer Gaming, owner of Scioto Downs racetrack, was one of many parties eager to see slot machines legalized in Ohio. Its team of lobbyists included the wife of state Democratic Party chairman and former legislator Chris Redfern.

As party chair, Redfern controls party purse strings and campaign support and enjoys immense influence over Democratic officeholders. His wife’s job means he will benefit personally from Mountaineer’s success with the slots proposal. Democratic lawmakers know it would be unwise to say no to the chairman’s wife. Her involvement in the deal might not be illegal, but it’s not an ethical way to make policy.

If Chris Redfern’s involvement in this situation isn’t illegal, than Ohio’s revolving door law no longer applies to Democrats.

The Akron Beacon Journal RIPS Democrats for the scandalous nature of Governor Strickland’s gambling proposal:

As Gov. Ted Strickland and state lawmakers reached a budget deal late last week, the dismaying story began to emerge about how electronic slot machines, or video lottery terminals, became the indispensable source of revenue. Julie Carr Smyth of the Associated Press cited the swarm of lobbyists commanding the Statehouse, gambling interests of all kinds looking to get their way.

The winners? Those seven horse racetracks where the 17,500 electronic slots will be located. Just a coincidence that Mountaineer Gaming, the owner of Scioto Downs in Columbus, includes among its lobbyists Kimberly Redfern, the wife of Chris Redfern, the state Democratic Party chairman? Or that Alan Melamed, a close friend and adviser of Speaker Armond Budish, represents the Ohio Legacy Fund, a consortium of Ohio racetracks?

Julie Carr Smyth reported that Mountaineer began lobbying the governor early, joined by Intralot, now positioned to handle the slots. Hard to shake the unseemly impression: The Democratic governor and speaker avoid a dreaded tax increase. Meanwhile, influential allies reap a portion of the benefit.

And the governor called the maneuvers of Senate Republicans ”disgusting”? Is this what he meant when he declared that he owned the slots issue?