The
Becker Report
Volume
IV, Issue I
May 17, 2010
Published
by:
John Becker
Republican State Central Committeeman and Candidate for 2012 Ohio Legislature
Ohio's 14th Senate District
Clermont, Brown, Adams, Scioto, and Lawrence Counties
513-753-6440
www.BeckerGOP.com
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Distribution:
Tim Rudd, Clermont County GOP Chairman
Paul Hall, Brown County GOP Chairman
Harty Wallingford, Adams County GOP Chairman
Dr. Terry Johnson, Scioto County GOP Chairman
Ray “Moose” Dutey, Lawrence County GOP Chairman
Did this newsletter get sent to you by someone other than me? If so, please let
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are available at: www.BeckerGOP.com/TheBeckerReport.htm.
Disclaimer
This
newsletter is not sanctioned by the GOP, ORP, or any organization, or
affiliation. I am fully and solely responsible for its content. Although I
strive for accuracy, this is not "The Gospel according to John."
Additionally, I don't necessarily try to be "fair and balanced."
After all, I didn't get into politics to be a news reporter. My agenda is to
influence public policy consistent with Southern Ohio conservative values. For
more information on my motivations or how to get involved, see: What
is a Central Committee?
Prayers
Needed
Former Clermont County Chairman and Retired State Representative, Rose Vesper,
has not been well and needs our prayers.
Did
the Ohio GOP “waste” money in the primary?
Much of our critics'
anger is directed at the allegation that the Party raised and spent money to
help the State Central Committee (SCC) members. It is a long standing practice
that the House and Senate caucuses use their funds to help their respective
members in primary elections. Would it be controversial if the Ohio GOP did the
same for SCC members? Is that not the same as a county chairman funding his
individual precinct members so that they can get re-elected? What message could
that send to the voters? "This is the 'boys club.' Just send your money
and stay out." I hope not. That kind of message works against what I’ve
been doing in the Republican Party for the past 17 years and part of the
mission of this newsletter (that I’ve been doing for six years): To educate and
encourage broad based voter involvement.
The Ohio GOP allows SCC members, other incumbents, and endorsed candidates to
use Party services. It is my understanding that the candidates typically donate
funds back to the Party to help defray those costs. That is why those services tend
to be revenue neutral to the Ohio GOP.
I’m still trying to sort out the facts, but it appears that all expenses
related to mailings that were “paid for by the Ohio GOP” were largely covered
by the candidates. They were revenue neutral.
In precinct and SCC races, there are no reporting requirements or need for
“paid for” disclaimers. Therefore, all mailings without a “paid for” disclaimer
are assumed to be a candidate’s personal expense. SCC and precinct candidates are,
and have always been, free to solicit unreportable funds to offset those “personal”
expenses. We don’t know and have no way of knowing how much money was spent, or
the sources of funds, in those races. Only the candidates know. If Chairman
DeWine personally funded, or helped to arrange funding for any SCC member, those
monies were not Ohio GOP dollars.
Regardless of the facts and the message that may, or may not, have been sent,
we need to write a policy to mitigate future controversies and misunderstandings.
And above all, we need to unite and get our candidates elected in November.
Ohio
GOP Endorsement Policy (for Primary Elections)
After I suggested
that the Ohio GOP create written endorsement guidelines for primaries, Chairman
DeWine asked me to participate in a subcommittee to consider what policies
should be recommended to the full committee (SCC). Therefore, I am asking my
readers to help me to determine those policies. Kay Ayres will be chairing the
committee. There is much to consider. Some of the questions that I have are as
follows:
Process
When and how should candidates apply for endorsement? (Before or after the
filing deadline?)
Should the SCC vote on endorsements? Or should they be automatic upon meeting
certain conditions? What about Party Services?
Party Services
Who is entitled to Party services?
Are candidates, who have access to Party services, considered endorsed?
Do Party services include, directly or indirectly, arranging for the funding of
candidates? If so, how will that be determined?
Incumbents
Are all incumbents considered endorsed?
Do all incumbents get access to Party services?
Open Statewide Seats
Should the Ohio GOP endorse when the office is not held by an incumbent? If so,
how will that endorsement be determined?
What if one or more of the County Parties endorse a candidate different from
the Ohio GOP? Will the Ohio GOP submit opposing slate cards in those counties?
Open Legislative and State Central Committee (SCC) Seats
How should the Ohio GOP determine endorsements and/or the use of Party services
for SCC, State House, State Senate, and/or Congressional candidates in open
primaries?
If the County Party endorses, should the Ohio GOP accept that as their own?
What if the County Party doesn’t endorse?
What about when the district crosses multiple counties?
What if the Ohio GOP Chairman, House Caucus, Senate Caucus, and/or
Congressional Caucus have a “preferred” candidate?
What if that candidate is different from one or more of the County Parties in
that district? Will the Ohio GOP submit opposing slate cards in those counties?
What about Party services for “preferred” or endorsed candidates?
This is not an exhaustive list of possibilities, but rather a starting point
for discussions. The easy answer is to make no changes or simply state that
there will be no endorsements or Party services for any primary candidate
including incumbents and SCC members. Would that be the best policy? Perhaps,
but consider that Rob Portman had the backing of the Ohio GOP and many other
groups and caucuses. That was part of the reason Tom Ganley dropped out of the US
Senate race and decided to run for congress. Had he run against Portman, they
both would have expended finite resources that are needed for the general
election. In theory, a primary battle could have cost us a Senate seat. That
may also be part of the reason why we don’t have a Governor Blackwell. Endorsements
are arguably a good thing when they help us to win general elections. There are
also good arguments for not endorsing. I don’t know what the right answers are,
but there is much to consider. I’m looking forward to hearing your responses.
New
People at the Ohio GOP
Amanda
Datemasch is the new assistant to Chairman DeWine. She replaced Halle Pelger,
who joined the Husted campaign.
Michael Bir is the new Victory Director.
Help
the Ohio GOP by making calls from home.
Register
to help us reach every voter in Ohio.
http://www.turnaroundted.com/map
Anti-Tea
Party – Please beware of this problem.
Activists have been
infiltrating the movement. http://www.crashtheteaparty.org/
Real
Tea Party and related web sites
http://www.ohioteapartypac.com/
http://www.cincinnatiteaparty.org/
http://www.ohiolibertycouncil.com/
Video
Central
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (2+ minutes)
The War Against our Constitution (10+ minutes)
Remember November (1+ minutes)
America Explained Part 1 of 3
Political Spectrum (7
minutes)
America Explained Part 2 of 3
Capitalism Fascism Communism Socialism
(6+ minutes)
America Explained Part 3 of 3 Every
American Must Watch This
(5+ minutes)
This 1948 cartoon should also be required in schools. (10
minutes)
The
2010 Statewide Races
State Ballot Issue
#1 Continuation of the Third Frontier
Program -Passed
State Ballot Issue #2 Relocation of the Columbus-Based
Casino- Passed
US Senate Congratulations to Rob Portman.
Governor (Apportionment Board Office) Congratulations to John
Kasich and Mary
Taylor.
Auditor of State (Apportionment Board Office) Congratulations to Dave
Yost.
State Treasurer Congratulations to Josh
Mandel.
Secretary of State (Apportionment Board Office) Congratulations to
Jon
Husted.
Attorney General Congratulations to Mike
DeWine.
Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Congratulations to Justice Maureen O'Conner.
Ohio Supreme Court Congratulations to Judith
Lanzinger and Paul Pfeifer.
What is the Apportionment Board?
The Board consists of the Governor, Secretary of State, State
Auditor, and a Republican and Democrat selected from the Legislature.
Control is important because the Board redraws the State House and State Senate
districts based on the 2010 national census. The Party redrawing the district
lines will have a huge advantage in determining control of the legislature in
2012 and beyond. The 2010 legislature will redraw the US House districts.
Congress Congratulations to Jean Schmidt 2nd and Bill Johnson 6th
Congressional.
Clermont County Commissioner Congratulations to Archie
Wilson.
Clermont County Common Pleas Court Congratulations to Ric Ferenc and Tom Herman.
Clermont County Domestic Relations Court Congratulations to Kathleen Rodenberg.
12th District Court of Appeals Congratulations to Robin Piper and Rachel Hutzel.
7th State Senate District Congratulations to Shannon Jones.
State Central Committee
Congratulations to
Kay Reynolds. (14th)
Congratulations to Mary Ann Christie. (7th)
Congratulations to Joanne Kemmerer.
(9th)
Congratulations to Tim
Evans and Mary Swain. (4th)
Congratulations to Joe
Haines and Brenda Lewis. (10th)
Congratulations to Pat
Flanagan. (6th)
Congratulations to Phil
Bowman. (17th)
Congratulations to Gary
Burkholder. (31st)
Becker
for Ohio Legislature
The 2012 Primary Election is 22 months away. I’ve raised almost $10,000 and expanded
my donor base to more than 130 people. Donation size has ranged from $20 to $125.
All contributions have been from individuals only. I’m Pro-Life, Pro-Gun, Pro-Limited
Government and Lower Taxes. Please see the following brief videos regarding my
candidacy:
|
Introduction (38 seconds) |
Second Amendment (36 seconds) |
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Taxes (49 seconds) |
Energy (55 seconds) |
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Pro-Life (42 seconds) |
Gambling (40 seconds) |
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State Government Spending (45 seconds) |
Creation Science and Evolution (42 seconds) |
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State Government (37 seconds) |
Donate (50 seconds) |
Past
Events
May 15, 2010
About 65 people attended the SOGOP summit in Chillicothe. The most notable
candidates included Mike DeWine, Jon
Husted, and Maureen O'Conner. My SCC colleagues included Marilyn
Ashcraft, Kay Ayres, Phil Bowman, Kay Reynolds, and Amy Sabbath. It was also
great to see the ubiquitous Joe Forkin.
May 13, 2010
About 200 people attended the Kasich/Taylor event in Union Twp (Clermont
County). Other speakers included Joe Uecker, Mike Wilson, and Tom Niehaus.
May 10, 2010
Kevin DeWine hosted a conference call for the SCC members, the 17 newly elected
members, and the county chairmen. The call was brief and there was no Q&A.
Chairman DeWine outlined many upcoming events and promised to schedule regional
meetings to get to know the new SCC members and the new county chairs.
May 7, 2010
About 70 people attended the “First Friday” luncheon sponsored by the Government
Strategies Group. Office
of Budget & Management Director J. Pari Sabety, was the featured speaker. I
was honored to share a table with Carl Enslen and Alex Triantafilou. It was also great to see Clermont
County Commissioner Ed Humphrey in the crowd.
May 5, 2010
Many newly elected precinct Tea Party people attended the Anderson Twp Republican
Club meeting. Hamilton County Chairman Alex
Triantafilou delivered
a forward looking message to unite the Party and work toward victory in
November.
April 21, 2010
At the Clermont County Central Committee meeting, Chairman Rudd talked about
the upcoming primary election, issues facing the Party, and announced the dates
for the county fair and the 2011 Lincoln Day Dinner. Several candidates briefly
addressed the crowd and Joe Uecker stated that, “we have the worst General
Assembly in Ohio’s history. With double digit unemployment, we haven’t done a
thing to help Ohioans under Democrat rule.” I believe that he was referring to
the Democrat controlled House rather than the Senate. He went on to say that
[the House of Representatives] is only working on trivia and nothing important.
April 20, 2010
Ohio GOP Executive Director Jason Mauk was the featured speaker at the
Beavercreek, Ohio Liberty Group meeting. He answered the crowd’s questions
about slate cards, endorsements, and “Tea Party Values.” He also publically
apologized to CJ Bieghler for a slate card that had previously
been distributed incorrectly stating that her opponent had been endorsed. The
meeting went very well. CJ is working hard to win the SCC office for the 10th
Senate District and I wish her the best. Also in attendance from the Ohio GOP
was John McClelland and Mike Bir.
April 19, 2010
CCV held another successful fundraising
banquet at XU’s Cintas Center. About 350 people attended to hear Kelly Shackelford. He is the president of the Liberty
Institute and
delivered an inspirational message. Seth Morgan was honored with the William
Wilberforce Award. Jon Husted was the only other statewide
candidate who attended. It was a pleasure to share a table with Linda Fraley, Jim Bushman, and Lonnie Crisp.
Event
Calendar
May 21, 2010
Karl Rove fundraiser
May 22, 2010
Ohio
Christian Alliance
Freedom Banquet in Columbus Featuring Dr. Jerry Corsi
June 3rd – June 6th
Milford Frontier Days – Parade at 6:30 pm
June 4, 2010
Government
Strategies Group will
host a “First Friday” luncheon featuring Steve
Driehaus
June 8, 2010
Scioto County Central Committee at 7:00 pm in New Boston
June 9, 2010
Clermont County Central Committee reorganization meeting in Batavia at 7 pm
June 12, 2010
SOGOP in Jackson at 9:30 am
June 16, 2010
Clermont County Central Committee meeting in Batavia at 7 pm
June 19, 2010
State Central Committee meeting in Columbus
June 19, 2010
Ohio Republican Party Headquarters Open House from 1 pm to 3 pm
June 19, 2010
ORP State Dinner at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Columbus featuring John
Boehner. The VIP
reception is at 6 pm and dinner at 7 pm.
June 24, 2010
Reception for Justice Maureen O'Conner for $250 at the Taft Center, 425
Walnut St. Cincinnati
June 27, 2010
DeWine
Family Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social
at 1pm for $5
June 30, 2010
Application deadline for the Jo
Ann Davidson Leadership Institute
July 10th – July 17th
Lawrence County Fair
July 13, 2010
Scioto County Central Committee at 7:00 pm in New Boston
July 18th – July 24th
Adams County Fair
July 25th – July 31st
Clermont County Fair
August 9th – August 14th
Scioto County Fair
August 10, 2010
Scioto County Central Committee at 7:00 pm in New Boston
September 7, 2010
CCV Community Cup Golf Classic at
Glenview Golf Course at 1 pm
September 10, 2010
State Central Committee meeting in Columbus
September 10, 2010
ORP Leadership Summit
September 27th – October 2nd
Brown County Fair
September 28, 2010
Early voting begins
October 4, 2010
Voter Registration deadline
October 21, 2010
Evening for Life featuring Abby Johnson
November 2, 2010
Election Day
March 4, 2011
Clermont County Lincoln Day Dinner at the Eastgate Holiday Inn
Paid
for by Friends of Becker, John Becker, CTP, MBA,
Treasurer, 925 Locust Lane, Cincinnati, OH 45245-1313