ohio

Bringing back memories of life on the campaign trail, Barack Obama emerged from his stints in Chicago, Hawaii, and Washington, to meet with factory workers in Ohio. Obama toured a wind turbine factory, and also held a townhall meeting with the workers to discuss the economy and job creation.

By heading to the Ohio factory, Obama was looking for more than a photo op. He wants Congress too pass a two-year economic stimulus plan to address the crisis. He told the workers: “We’re looking to create good jobs that pay well and won’t be shipped overseas.” As for how, yesterday the House of Representatives unveiled its $825 billion economic recovery plan, which would include $550 billion in spending and $275 for business and family tax cuts.

Considering the high unemployment rate, and news today that Circuit City's closure will cost 30,000 more jobs, let's hope Obama has some good ideas.

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• The ex-president of Taiwan was detained by his country's police on charges of corruption and money laundering today. The defiant Chen Shui-bian raised his handcuffed hands above his head while shouting “Long live Taiwanese independence."— New York Times
• In his White House meeting with Barack Obama, President Bush indicated that he would support another economic stimulus package, which includes aid to the auto industry, if the Democrats stopped opposing the Colombian free-trade agreement. — International Herald Tribune
• Somalian pirates captured a Philippines chemical tanker, carrying 23 crew members, marking the 83rd hijack in Somalian waters this year. — Associated Press



• After the Mars Lander ran out of batteries last week thanks to a dust storm, NASA announced that the mission has ended. — CNN
• The surrogate grandmother in Ohio that gave birth to her triplet grandchildren last month, told Good Morning America that she is feeling fine, and was happy to serve as his daughter's surrogate at the age of 56. — Associated Press

The Supreme Court dealt a blow to a Republican Ohio strategy this past Friday. The Court threw out Ohio Republicans' request for Ohio's secretary of state to provide county elections boards with the names of newly registered voters whose voter registration forms do not match DMV records exactly.

The Supreme Court overturned a lower court decision to require the state to set up a chaotic system that would make it easier for officials to challenge prospective voters with mismatched info. Thus, the Supreme Court decreased the likelihood that as many as 660,000 newly registered voters would be disenfranchised on election day. And guess who one of those voter could have been — Joe the Plumber! His name is misspelled in Ohio state records!

The case reveals that whether we like it or not, voting procedures can be favored or despised by either political party. It would seem that far before elections, Americans could agree on fair, nonpartisan, rules for voting, and then be content with competing for each vote based on the issues and the candidates. Yet, in American politics, every advantage, even trying to challenge or change the rules, is pursued.

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Imagine one family with 10 children sharing two tubs of water between them on bath night. Imagine a neighborhood where residents either pay for private wells to be dug, haul water from cisterns, or collect rain water to be able to drink, cook, and bathe.

In your mental image, what year is this happening? What country is this taking place?

Did you say Columbus, OH, up until 2003? No!? Oh, yes, it's true — and the 67 plaintiffs denied public water service from 1956 up until five years ago have just been awarded $15,000 to $300,000 after civil rights attorneys sued and won a discrimination case in which residents of a mostly black neighborhood were denied public water service. The award totals $11 million.

The residents of the Coal Run neighborhood went without public water for decades. One resident says, "As a child, I thought it was normal because everyone done it in my neighborhood. But I realized as an adult it was wrong." The money will compensate the plaintiffs for pain and suffering as well as monetary losses. To see the defense's argument, read more

Three women, none named Hillary Clinton, are on Politico's short list of potential Barack Obama running mates. They include: Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.

They all bring red state credentials, have avoided focusing on gender during their campaigns, and are not considered polarizing figures by Republicans in their home states.

For some background info on each potential running mate, read more

The news out of the Clinton campaign regarding the candidate's finances hasn't been good lately. Even though she has raised an astonishing $200 million so far, Hillary is $19.4 million in debt.

But she has found a diamond, or at least $422, in the rough of bad money news — an 11-year-old Kentucky boy sold his bike and video games and donated the proceeds to her campaign.

Hillary's young fan Dalton Hatfield shared his motivation to give with the New York Times:

I saw that her funds were running low. I just saw so much that I did not need such as like my video games, and I thought, "What can I do with them?"

Dalton agrees with Clinton's position on the war, the economy, and health care.

Despite her lack of cash, Hillary may have a new incentive to fight on. To see why, read more