Columbus Dispatch: Mandel Campaign Endures ‘Rocky Start’
On April 9, 2012, The Columbus Dispatch reported:
Mandel, 34, has endured wince-inducing publicity in his bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, dinged by various media outlets for everything from handing plum state treasurer’s-office jobs to campaign aides to skipping 14 consecutive meetings of a state board he chairs as treasurer.
Romney: Ryan Plan Is Simply 'Marvelous'
Paul Ryan's budget plan would cause the gradual demise of the Medicare system and cost 1 million students their Pell grants while preserving tax breaks for oil companies. And Mitt Romney thinks it's 'Marvelous'?
Indy Star: Senator Richard Lugar Under Attack From All Sides
On April 1, 2012, the Indianapolis Star reported:
Ferguson said Lugar's campaign has not done a good job of handling the issue so far. It got worse recently when the liberal PAC American Bridge supplied research to reporters showing that Lugar had violated Senate rules by charging taxpayers for Indianapolis hotel rooms while in Indiana during Senate recesses.
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:
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.
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.
Tampa Bay Times: Mack, Campaigning In South Florida, Misses Big Vote
On March 29, 2012, the Tampa Bay Times reported:
Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fort Myers, missed today's vote on the Ryan budget plan, campaign manifesto for the GOP. Mack was doing some campaigning of his own, with events in South Florida for his U.S. Senate bid.
Journal Sentinel: Romney Gets Flak Over Wisconsin Anecdote From Long Ago
On March 28, 2012, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported:
Talking by conference call with thousands of Wisconsin voters Wednesday, Mitt Romney told them he had a humorous connection to their state. But it didn’t take long for “funny anecdote” to become “campaign fodder.” Romney’s story involved the time more than 50 years ago that his father, George, an American Motors executive, shut down a factory in Michigan and moved the work to Wisconsin.
Dick Lugar's Even Worse Week
Earlier this month, American Bridge put together a compilation video highlighting Dick Lugar's awful week. It turns out last week was even worse!
POLITICO: George Allen's Amended NCAA Bracketology
On March 23, 2012, POLITICO reported:
The sharp eyes over at the Democratic oppo firm American Bridge notice that in an attempt to alter his picks to potentially pander to teams with a homestate following -- a move below almost no pol -- Allen littered his bracket with errors.