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Oct
9
Ohioans, please let Republican candidate for Ohio Treasurer (and my outgoing state rep) Josh Mandel know that you do care and reject when ambitious political candidates like him refer to and use religion and religion-tainted buzz to get an edge in an election through fearmongering. This Vindy.com (Youngstown Vindicator’s online portal) article quotes Josh as follows, in regard to a campaign ad which leaves viewers with the impression that Kevin Boyce, the current Ohio Treasurer, is a Muslim (as if that should be a problem to begin with), when Kevin is not:
“I don’t think Ohioans care” about the mosque remark. “The message is about cronyism and corruption,” Mandel said.
If the message was about cronyism and corruption, then there was no reason to mention religion or religious institutions in the television ad. If Ohioans don’t care, then why would this candidate who is now running for office for a third time use up the precious, expensive air time with its repeated utterance and imagery?
Furthermore, Josh never mentions being Jewish on his campaign website (or his prior affiliations in connection with his faith, such as previously being on the board of the Cleveland Jewish News). This shows agreement with the belief that there’s no reason to mention religion or religious institutions in a campaign when talking about your opponent, since he doesn’t even do it when talking about himself.
If you’re an Ohioan who does in fact care about that “mosque remark” in Mandel’s ad, write letters to the editor, write the candidate, post on Facebook, Twitter, email your friends, but, most importantly, vote. Don’t let a candidate speculate about whether you care. I know many Ohioans care deeply about the intentional, repeated inferences made to religion that can cause voters to be fearful for the most illogical reasons.
Don’t take that from me, though. Read what the Columbus Dispatch, the Toledo Blade and the Akron Beacon Journal have had to say about whether they care.
Is current Ohio Treasurer Kevin Boyce, a Democrat, a perfect candidate? Don’t kid yourself – or insult the focus of this blog post by suggesting that that’s what I’m suggesting. Instead, think about how you would feel if the person in charge of the treasurer’s office says he knows what you don’t care about, but doesn’t have a clue about how to articulate what we do care about (cronyism and corruption) in a mature, non-discriminatory, evidence-based way, (let alone implement ways to deal with our concerns). And then that person chooses to ignore what constituents aka taxpayers, editorial boards and columnists with decades of political experience behind them are saying about this inadequacy.
As a resident in Josh’s district, sadly, this claim that Ohioans just don’t care about the use of that “mosque remark” is identical to how he treated the House vote to battle acts of anti-discrimination against gays and lesbians: the record shows that multiple constituents made him very aware, and he voted against the legislation anyway, claiming (unbelievably) that such legislation would harm small businesses. Those constituents often cite the fact that being Jewish offers a unique perspective into what it is to be discriminated against, in general, but also based on one’s religion. I agree 100%.
Ohioans, I think you care, and I hope you’ll let that be known.
NB: I’ve written extremely little about this race and I’m still not very comfortable. But I have heard from Ohio House District 17 constituents who echo the disappointment others have expressed in regard to Josh’s campaign. They are disappointed because they – we – expect for and keep hoping for better, and it’s just not coming. I’ve written about this before and I’ve written about Josh many times before. You can find those posts here. It is deeply dissatisfying to feel this way about anyone, but I know that in the NE Ohio community here, it is particularly angering and upsetting. There’s a sense that he just does not have to campaign this way so why does he. I certainly am the last person on the planet who could answer that.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:19 pm October 9th, 2010 in Campaigning, Ethics, intolerance, Jewish, leadership, Media, Ohio, Politics, treasurer
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2 Responses to “Tell GOP Treasurer Candidate Josh Mandel That You Care About That “Mosque Remark””
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I wasn’t really sure who I’d vote for until now. Neither candidate really did anything for me and I don’t really have a dog in this race. Now I know. Boyce. Thanks.
Wendy, thanks for reading – but just to be COMPLETELY above the fray as much as I can – not sure how much that is!! – do read the Plain Dealer’s endorsement in this race, published today – they endorse the Libertarian 28 year old guy:
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/10/the_plain_dealer_endorses_matt.html