Thank you for joining us Rep. Brown! I certainly hope that come November we have a Democrat sitting in DeWine's seat.

I am very interested in hearing any ideas you have for election reform. After the 2004 debacle in Ohio and the 2000 nightmare in Florida, I would like to see some sort of integrity restored to our elections. If people cannot have confidence that their vote will be accurately recorded, they will not participate in elections. Do you have any thoughts on solving this problem?

Thanks for joining the fray. 

I note the emphasis on economy and taxes. Good points but I'll plug for a couple of missing ones: The poor execution of national-security efforts, both here and abroad, and what I think is the biggest issue of all--energy and the climate.

These points are detailed in my post on the subject , so I'll summarize by saying innovations in incentives could shift us away from fossil fuels beginning immediately and the payoff would be more jobs, lower costs for energy, more export business, and reduced risk of future terrorism. The economy depends on the climate, and the main issue, greenhouse effects from CO2, offers rewards instead of costs since investment in non-oil (coal, gas) energy means dropping energy costs instead of rising costs.

Unlike fossil fuels or nuclear energy, wind and sun become free when the equipment is bought. Heat and cooling from groundwater is equivalently free. Since fuel is needed for agriculture, it underlies every economic activity.

All jobs and social services depend on the energy equation. Nearly all foreign policy concerns "state interests" which means commerce and reliable supply of essential resources, so energy underlies that, too.

And since energy that releases CO2 now means possible extreme weather which undercuts economic activity in the manner of Katrina, or possible disruption in agricultural output, it is at the root of all other issues.

"Power For the People, By the People." 

Welcome Congressman Brown

I am sorry to see you endorse the fake concept of "fairtrade" which is just a code word for being anti-trade.  While that view is very popular here at the CAFE is an act of self-deception.  It will not slow China and India's growth and it won't stop jobs from leaving Ohio.

It should be well past time for Democrats who really came to power as a result to the Depression whic was exacerbated by "beggar thy neighborh trade policies" develope real policies that will help unkilled and semi-skilled workers both get more skills and more jobs in the real world.

Welcome to the Table for One, I wish you the best in your campaign.

Please respond to Noah Feldman's article Who Can Check the President?

It contents that congress should be asserting their powers. If Democrats remain a minority, what could you still do to check the imperial presidency? Is there another Senator you might see as a model, or do you have a new tack?

Thanks in advance for discussing this here...

Sheryl Coe
"TimeTogether"

Mr. Brown,

Welcome to the political free fire zone, I hope you have better political body armour than what our government sees fit to provide our troops.

While I think that a "progressive" agenda will move America forward, I have to ask, to what?

I don't think somehow, that you cats up on the hill are getting the message from out here outside the beltway. We don't trust you guys anymore. How can the House, and the Senate pass crap like this and expect any other reaction than disbelief?

 

Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime.

It's no joke. Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity.

...

To grease the rails for this idea, Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, and the section's other sponsors slipped it into an unrelated, must-pass bill to fund the Department of Justice. The plan: to make it politically infeasible for politicians to oppose the measure.

The tactic worked. The bill cleared the House of Representatives by voice vote, and the Senate unanimously approved it Dec. 16.

I think that a larger number of Americans vote with their feet on election day than vote with their ballots because of garbage like this.

Then you guys come to the grass roots and astro turf the hell out of us? Blow it out your ass, comes to mind, sir.

Free trade means exporting jobs to India so that we may support a culture that aborts half a million fetuses for the temerity of being female? Somewhere along the line you Congress critters will have to learn the difference between value and worth.

I'm quite partial to Mid western types, especially Ohions, Wisconsinites, and Illinoians. They seem to be very good looking.
I hope to make a few recommendations this week. Being an independent thinker in DC has been a challenge with a slew of mindguards chasing my tail. 

I don't know Ohio. But this campaign message struck me as being pretty thin stuff.

The best line was: "A budget is a moral document." This is a strong line.

It might also be nice to bring up themes like competence (vs. incompetence and cronyism) and integrity (vs. corruption). Your reference to "helping seniors get the drugs they need" fails to make the point clear enough: the Bush administration designed an utterly failed monster of a bureaucratic-nightmare Medicare drug plan, because the Bush administration is incompetent at governing; and they are incompetent at governing because they don't believe in government. They don't think government can be good, and as a result, they have delivered us a lousy government.

Follow THAT up with your plan for fixing the Medicare prescription drug benefit, and it'll sound like something real.

Rep. Brown has listed some great issues and where he stands on them which arguably many of us here would agree with, but the overall message problem sticks out like a sore thumb.  Where's the narrative?  Where's the heartfelt message of things are bad and need to be reformed?  I agree with the Schrum reference above, because the message sounds a bit like a Kerry-ad: a laundry list of issues and problems stemming from Republican governance, but no real gripping message to rally the base and change the minds of the "swing" voters of Ohio. 

As a fairly staunch liberal ("progressive"), I come away from this message feeling like I just read a washed, dried, and pressed campaign ad.  But I don't feel an urgency to get up and change the government, which is what Rep. Brown needs to do.  If we want these voters, these "rust belt" independents (and former Republicans) to oust an incumbent and vote for a Democrat, then the white-washed statements that list cold facts like an Oncologist describing the symptoms and causes of the cancer that afflicts us.  The Democratic party should be advocates of the people--think Clinton: "I feel your pain"--not some grand parental figure claiming that they'll make it right.  An advocate fights with and for the people.  The change in Republican "framing" has been to throw out the old "responsible parent" mantra that they had, and to take on the banner of fighting for "our" values.   The Democratic party has lost their place as the peoples party and needs to understand how to reclaim that. 

Its not just about facts, its about advocacy! We are losing jobs, we are losing pace with capturing the "American Dream".  We are losing our esteem and status as the Champions of Freedom and we are losing our men and women in a battle in Iraq with no effective leadership or strategy of winning. 

Ohio isn't a "bell weather" state; it's a bellwether state.

Notrol,

We've got a great crop of Democratic candidates this year at the state and local level.

Besides working on my race, I'm doing all that I can to elect Ted Strickland the next governor of Ohio and Jennifer Brunner the next Secretary of State.

We need a change in Columbus and Washington.

Are the Democrats going to do anything more than "demand answers?" Not to be sarcastic, but that hasn't worked well so far. We need something more concrete.

I got a call last week from the Democratic party asking me to give them money. I'm withholding any donation though till I hear something more effective than "we will demand answers."

Right now, I have to say I am more impressed with McCain, Specter, Snowe, Collins, Hagel and other "moderate" Republicans than I am with most Democrats (Feingold, Kennedy, and Byrd excepted). This is not to say I am satisfied with those Republicans (far from it), but they seem to be doing more than folks like Kerry, Biden, and Clinton.

Hear hear! It's disheartening to see these kinds of errors from people who should know better, or should at least have staff who know better. (There was that recent "should of" posting too.)

If you're looking for the issue that will put you in front of the pack, irregardless of party, jobs creation is it. Other than the war, more people are more concerned about thier financial future than anything else. One reason the democrats do not seem to be benefiting much from the Presidents unpopularity is because of a perception that overall, the economy is doing well. Certain sectors are indeed doing well, and the unemployment rate is not as high as it has been, but- the issue isnt numbers or averages, the issue is the sense of insecurity that so many ordinary people feel, a sense of insecurity grounded in the fact that jobs and companies are able to move around so easily, especially across borders. Not just national borders, although the outsourcing of jobs overseas is contributing to the insecurity, but across state and municiple boundaries as well. A job moved a mere 200 miles away might as well be on the moon if you cant move to follow it. Our economy is undergoing a long-term phase of rapid turbulence and change, which interferes with the ability of middle class families to plan ahead financially. Should you put your savings in a pension, buy a new home, or a college fund for your children (or pay off your debt? or improve your health insurance? or... but you get the picture). With rapid change the norm, there is no way for an ordinary family to know. And all the Democrats seem to be able to propose are old solutions- tariffs, public works projects, and the like.

Here's a new idea for you- propose policy to support locally-based employers. These are employers who own a majority of their assets within a given region (a district if you remain a Representatitive, a State if you become a Senator). The idea is that they cannot shut down their local operations without going entirely out of business. A robust local employer pool injects capital into their community, and provides a buffer against competition from global and national-level competitors. It's a hedge against globalization.

It should also be popular because of the chaos that can ensue when a large employer downsizes a plant in small town, or when Wal-Mart or other large retailer enters into the local economy. And yet it really isnt that radical either, since it involves promoting a type of small business, something Republicans usually try to take credit for. If appropriate, it would easily be possible to target certain industries, or types of geographical areas (like inner-ring suburbs for example). It would seem to be a perfect strategy for a moderate, pragmatic Democrat.

There are a wide range of policy options that could fit this strategy. Perhaps long-term, low interest loans for new or small businesses that fit the right criteria. Invite first time entreprenuers to submit proposals for businesses in regions in Ohio that demonstrate untapped economic potential. Support local zoning that promotes businesses that prinarily support local residents, like grocery and hardware stores, and other small retail. Once you start brainstorming in this direction, all sorts of possibilities present themselves.

Good luck with your campaign, and give 'em heck.

Thank you for running.  I'm a lifelong resident of Ashland County, in the 16th District under Ralph Regula.  We are a small county in the scheme of North East and North Central Ohio, being largely a rural area thats main benefit is the fact we lie pretty much smackdab between Cleveland and Columbus.  We used to have several large employers in this town, mainly focused around the latex business, but those have all been closed now and the production centers relocated to Mexico and China.  Our main private employers now are Hospira, WIL Research, and Ashland University. 

 

Now for a couple questions. What do you plan to do to promote job growth in smaller blue collar towns in Ohio?  What is your stance on allowing negotiation of unions and employers with multiple health insurance companies to receive the best rates for coverage, including companies that are located outside of the traditional insurance agencies for the state?  Whats your take on gun issues?  I'm a gun owner, its not my most important issue, but for many people around here it is.

 

Thanks for your time, and willingness to promote your views on a site where normal Ohioans can ask questions. 

Ben,

When did you quit the Libertarian Party?  Why? 

• Money should not talk louder than words... It is not "free speech".
• Corporations (things) have no constitutional rights.  To quote Randi Rhodes:  "If it can't have a colonoscopy, it has no rights!"
• Count every vote - what are Dems doing about Diebold?
• Trade deficits tell you anything???  Globalization is a a race to the bottom for US workers.
• Publicly funded elections - get the money out of politics.  Tired of politicians hustling for money instead of doing the publics work.
• Impeach, impeach!  Bush and crew are felons!  Why so many black people in jail and this crew keeps breaking the law with impunity?   Double standard!
• Dems need to follow Murtha, Dean, Feingold, and Boxer then put Hillary and Biden out to pasture.  Joe L. is going to get a primary challenger who is going to take him down - go grass roots.
• Want to know what's really wrong with this party, read this from the DLC and see what they really think of their base. http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=127&subid=173&content id=253656

Gov. Dean speaks for me.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oakland say's
Gov. Dean speaks for me.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you for real Oakland. Howard Dean? There’s a reason he didn’t get the nomination and Kerry did , he did not appeal to the largest percentage of the base.  
The link you sent was right on message you have got to reach for the center that’s where the numbers are.
I for one am tired,  of fighting every issue,  prior to the election.
 
The Sierra Club, Green Peace, The gay rights movement and the list could go on and on. Each group wanting their pet concern or (PORK) Why is it we can’t do incremental change like maybe this next year or election cycle we focus on Medicare,  Social Security and health Care  SAFETY NET ISSUES  whether we win or lose we defined the issue. We don’t  get drawn in to the issues they want to talk about, our weaknesses as a party   
 
HOLDING Mr. Brown and any Democrats accountable and withholding your vote because they didn’t address some hot button issue that you and maybe a handful care about.
 
Then look at the Republicans they just prod along with 30 second sound bites reminding people of the simple life without all this special interest attacking your moral values. They  stay focused on one or two points. Driving home the point,  look at all the ideas liberals have to change things. What are you doing, destroying everything, because you want to change everything?
 
We are not in power we need to gain the peoples trust.
 
Think about the fear the elderly have with this new prescription bill(FEAR) Why did the government have to change things? 
Incremental change, not to fast. Remember people are afraid of change   
 
But where is the Democratic leadership? Clinton, Gore, Carter and any number of qualified and bright stars. They could have been the government in exile. While America was held hostage to Right wing extremists. They could have commanded air time with alternatives prior to electioneering BS

I suggest looking at Sen. Bob Graham's economic plan from the last cycle. Have Philip drop me a line (at wampum) if you don't have a copy. It and JRE's Two Americas were the non-testosterone examplars.

 My two beads worth.