What's Going On In Ohio's 13th?

Fired Up America Looks at Ohio's version of Varuca Salt.....

http://www.firedupamerica.com/cafaro_is_a_walking_disaster

 

Submitted by Roy Temple on Fri, 02/03/2006 - 3:11pm.

There are a fair number or progressive bloggers who spend their time pointing out the shortcomings of the Democratic party.  I don't normally find myself among them.

I tend to think the Democrats are far better than they often give themselves credit for.  But there's something going on in Ohio that gives me pause about the judgment of some elements of the Democratic party.

Ohio is a fountain of hope for Democrats this cycle.  Governor Taft has disapproval ratings that resemble a thermometer reading at a Fourth of July Parade in Akron.  Senator Mike DeWine wakes up every morning in fear of his political life.  And since the Abramoff plea deal, Rep. Bob Ney has been spending the free time he has now that he is no longer chair of a committee circling his district on a perpetual "I Am Not A Crook Tour."

So there is a lot of cause for optimism about Ohio.  But that brings me to the 13th congressional district.  Rep. Sherrod Brown made the 13th an open seat when he decided to enter the race against Senator Mike DeWine.

Former State Rep. Betty Sutton has already entered the race, and former Rep. Tom Sawyer is also contemplating jumping into the race.  Capri Cafaro, announced recently that she plans to run for the seat, and the fact that Democrats in Ohio's 13th are giving her any consideration at all, is what has me scratching my head.

In 2004, Rep. Steven LaTourette was embroiled in scandal and was considered by nearly everyone in the country to be one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents in the country.

Ms. Cafaro was his opponent, and often bragged about her public relations experience.  By the time Ms. Cafaro finished employing her vast PR skills in the campaign against LaTourette, she had managed to help him receive nearly 63% of the vote in a district that delivered only 52% for President George W. Bush.

I thought it might be helpful to create a little chart of the things we are likely to hear about Ms. Cafaro from the Republicans in the general election if she is chosen as the Democratic nominee for the 13th.
 

Topics Likely To Be Raised By The Republicans If Ms. Cafaro Is the Democratic Nominee In the 13th Congressional District Of Ohio
She Has Difficulty With The Truth	During her 2004 campaign, Ms. Cafaro claimed that she had worked as a Senate staffer for nearly 8 years. In fact, she worked on the hill for two years as an unpaid intern for Senators Ted Kennedy and Alphonse D'Amato.
She Lacks Experience	During her 2004 campaign, Ms. Cafaro told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that she had never had a paying job other than those given to her by her family. Her "public service" experience consists mostly of her unpaid internships on the Hill, that is, unless you count the time she spent testifying in the Traficant bribery trial.
She's Had Numerous Ethical Lapses	During the 2004 race, in an ad, Rep. LaTourette accused Cafaro of money laundering in relation to contributions she made to a campaign in Maryland that her father reimbursed her for.  Cafaro filed a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission, which the Commission dismissed, saying LaTourette's ad did not contain any false statements. Cafaro also "accidentally" accepted $16,000 in excessive contributions from her sister, Renee Cafaro.  The campaign ultimately refunded the money and paid a $1,000 alternative dispute resolution fee. Cafaro's campaign also committed a "clerical error" that caused her to misreport her personal contributions to her campaign by $41,000.
She Has A Rather "Quirky" Legal History	Cafaro was granted immunity in exchange for her testimony in the Traficant bribery case.  Her father, J.J. Cafaro, was convicted of bribing Traficant. In addition, a former subordinate of Cafaro's testified before Congress that the company where Cafaro was an executive provided plane trips on the corporate jet and expensive gifts to a Senator from New Jersey.
She's Made Some Pretty Bizarre Statements	During her 2004 campaign, Cafaro told a reporter that her the events surrounding the Traficant trial made her "uniquely qualified " to serve in Congress.  Rep. Bob Ney and Rep. Tom DeLay might heartily agree, but somehow I doubt the voters of Ohio's 13th will.
She's In Touch With The Common Man, But Quickly Disinfects Afterwards	Cafaro's 2004 campaign centered on the economic plight of the average resident of the 14th district.  Yet she repeatedly showed up for events in designer suits. In October 2004, the Akron Beacon Journal reported that Cafaro had lived in "Chevy Chase mansions, Central Park condos and Trumbull County estates..... She's perfectly comfortable in smart, designer suits, matching pointy heels and immaculately applied makeup.  By her account, she has gone through gallons of hand sanitizer during the campaign - a medical necessity because of constant hand-shaking." Cafaro grew up in a Trumbull County mansion equipped with a private bowling alley, movie theatre, discotheque, and pool. and she is the beneficiary of trusts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Her family once hired a D.C. lobbyist to lobby Congress on tax issues impacting their family fortune and paid him more than $200,000.
She's Used Very Questionable Campaign Tactics	During her 2004 race, Cafaro fired her communications director after it was alleged that he had provided video surveillance of LaTourette to a local television station.  Cafaro criticized the video at the time and disclaimed all knowledge of the incident. However, media stories suggested that the Cafaro campaign had paid someone to follow and film LaTourette with his girlfriend.
She's Had Very Interesting Donors	Cafaro's 2004 primary bid was largely financed by people with the last name Cafaro, or people employed by folks with the last name Cafaro.  But she did receive at least one contribution in the primary from a resident of the 14th district.  Mr. William S. Martin, the proprietor of the Just Teazin' strip club in Painsville, Ohio kicked in $500 to Cafaro's 2004 primary effort.
She Lacks Commitment to the 13th Congressional District	The 13th district is the third Ohio congressional district that Cafaro has considered running in.  She first flirted with the idea of running in the 17th, ran in the 14th last cycle, and now has a "deep commitment" to serving the citizens of the 13th. In fact, in November of 2004, in discussing the 14th district, "I am very committed to serving this community," she told the Plain Dealer.  "I'm here to stay."
And She's Previously Performed Very Poorly Politically	During her 2004 campaign, the Plain Dealer expressed the view that Cafaro was "short on anything approaching political experience, but extremely long on dollars."  The Akron Beacon Journal said that she  "mouths tired platitudes, a succession of talking points kept in the public eye and ear by her own checkbook." Cafaro ran such a miserable campaign in 2004 that one of the nation's most vulnerable Republicans managed to get 63% of the vote in a district where President Bush only received 52% of the vote.