Dayton Daily News: Treasurer Mandel Under Scrutiny For Hiring Practices
On March 31, 2012, the Dayton Daily News reported:
Republican Josh Mandel hired young, relatively inexperienced staffers from his 2010 campaign and gave them high-ranking jobs in the state treasurer’s office, a Dayton Daily News examination found.
ThinkProgress: Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning Calls Drinking Age Unconstitutional
On March 30, 2012, ThinkProgress reported:
In an exclusive interview with ThinkProgress’s Scott Keyes, however, Nebraska Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Jon Bruning (R), one of the conservative elected officials behind the anti-health care lawsuit, says that even this nonsensical attack on health reform does not go far enough. If it were up to him, a seminal 25 year-old opinion laying out the federal government’s power to work in partnership with states should be overruled as well:
Daily Beast: Mitt Romney Secretly Supported Anti-Gay-Marriage Group
On March 30, the Daily Beast reported:
Given recent revelations about NOM, liberal operatives see an opportunity to discomfit Romney and, once the general election is underway, paint him as a right-wing extremist. “As a leading contender for president of the United States, for him to be funding a group whose strategy memos lay out such a hateful way to divide African-Americans and the LGBT community, it’s shocking,” says Chris Harris, communications director of American Bridge 21st Century, the super PAC founded by Media Matters’ David Brock. “When he initially donated in 2008, he may not have known that this is their strategy, but as a political leader and as an opinion leader, he has a responsibility to speak out and condemn their intention of dividing Americans.”
POLITICO: Lugar Repays Feds $14K For Hotel Bills
On March 30, 2012, POLITICO reported:
Sen. Dick Lugar is paying back more than $14,000 to the federal Treasury — three times his earlier estimate — after a closer review of his 35-year career found he owed additional money for hotel stays in the Indianapolis area. The Indiana Republican said Friday that an investigation by the Senate’s disbursing office initiated at his request found he improperly billed taxpayers for his hotel stays for all but seven years during his time in office, amounting to $14,684.85. He cut a personal check paying that amount on Friday.
An Open Letter To Reince Priebus (RNC Chairman)
Dear Mr. Priebus, Congratulations. You must be awfully proud of your team at the RNC. Your new ad, featuring Solicitor General Donald Verrilli is, as your spokesman described it, “novel” and “ahead of the curve.” Though we're not sure if he meant the use of Supreme Court audio recordings, or the blatant manipulation of the audio. Foolishly, we here at American Bridge 21st Century have been relying on the actual video and audio of your candidates, in full and in context.
Indy Star: D.C. Watchdog Group Files Ethics Complaint Against Lugar
On March 29, 2012, the Indianapolis Star reported:
A Washington-based watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, is asking the Senate Select Committee on Ethics to investigate Sen. Richard Lugar’s use of some taxpayer dollars to pay for hotel rooms. Lugar recently said he will repay $4,500, from expenses that date back to 1991, for some Indianapolis hotel stays that had been mistakenly paid for out of his Senate office funds. Senate rules bar reimbursement for hotel stays in a legislators home area during Senate adjournment.
Daily Kos: How Much Racial Division And Hostility Did Mitt Romney Buy With His $10,000?
On March 30, 2012, the Daily Kos reported:
When Mitt Romney cut his $10,000 check for Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown's National Organization for Marriage did he know that money would be used to "to drive a wedge between gays and blacks—two key Democratic constituencies?" Did he know his money would be used to purposely and cravenly fan hostility between his fellow Americans? It's a question American Bridge 21st Century is asking, and thus far almost 5,000 people have signed their Change.org petition asking Romney to denounce his ties to National Organization for Marriage.
USA Today: Donors To Romney Super PAC Have Ties To For-Profit Colleges
On March 29, 2012, USA Today reported:
For-profit colleges and individuals with ties to them have donated $430,000 to a super PAC spending millions of dollars to help elect Republican Mitt Romney to the presidency — as the industry faces intense federal scrutiny over recruitment practices, educational quality and the amount of debt its students incur.
NPR: Latina Gov. A Rising Star, Just Not To Some Hispanics
On March 29, 2012, NPR reported:
But that popularity doesn't always translate among Hispanics, a group that in New Mexico makes up nearly half of the population. One issue that makes many of the state's Latino voters seethe is their governor's stance on driver's licenses and illegal immigrants. In her 2010 campaign, Martinez promised to repeal a law that makes New Mexico one of only three states in the country where illegal immigrants can get a driver's license.
1600PennAve: For The Record: Josh Mandel, Akron Press Club, And The Campaign Fishbowl
On March 29, 2012, the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue blog wrote:
Following the Mandel event, media reports surfaced that the Mandel campaign attempted to prevent opposition trackers from recording Mandel’s speech to the Press Club. Since I was present at the event and since questions continue to be raised, I wanted to post, for the record, my thoughts about what transpired.