Perhaps just as important, the Enquirer endorses seven streetcar supporters for the nine seats, though regrettably, a couple of our most loyal supporters didn't get the endorsement.

 

http://goo.gl/8vPZj

 

 

Most Loyal? I feel like Qualls, Quinlivan, Young, Seelbach & Simpson are certainly the most vocal streetcar supporters and have the strongest campaigns.

Darryl Parks on 700wlw just called everyone who doesn't support issue 48 'dumbasses' and he just called everyone who supports the streetcar 'dumbasses' (10 o'clock hour)

 

Dusty Rhodes on with him now

Tom Luken is now on-the-air... ugh

 

There's a rumor floating around that Sam Adams will be in Cincy tomorrow to talk streetcar. No not the beer, the Mayor of Portland!

Remember, most of these 'people' are not cincinnati residents. Their extremeness is actually a direct response to the fact the that they don't actually get a vote on this issue. Think of the child's tantrum. The more likely it is that the child doesn't get his way, the more desperately he screams, cries, and roles around violently on the floor. Streetcar supporters are the adults here and we have to be better, stronger, smarter, more consistent, and more humane than the children throwing a tantrum about an issue they don't even really care about in their heart of hearts.

Geesh.  Dusty Rhodes was on Brian Thomas this morning, so he's really making the rounds.  He was whining about the use of the term "mill", the most rudimentary idea and piece of terminiology in the business of property tax.  He was complaining that the term "confuses people", then defined it incorrectly. 

 

What's really confusing is how anyone would think his past as a music promoter qualified him for the position of county auditor.  The guys in the music business are some of of the sleaziest people alive.

While many of us might agree that both Dusty ("Rusty") Rhodes & Thomas ("Has Been") Luken are anachronisms and buffoons, not so with either the likes of Chris Smitherman or Steve Louis.  These two masters of mayhem and destruction should just take the hint, and go away--but they won't.  So I must refer back to something in Matthew Hall's #14677 post that I also believe is important--and that is that all progressive Cincinnatians keep these sinister characters (and several other COASTers) in view.  Never, ever think that they are just going to fade away or run with their tails tucked between their legs once Issue 48 tanks.  As Matthew Hall already mentioned, they're probably right now plotting moves to derail the streetcar, even as construction of it begins.  (and, YES, I am assuming that Issue 48 WILL BE VOTED DOWN!)

There's a rumor floating around that Sam Adams will be in Cincy tomorrow to talk streetcar. No not the beer, the Mayor of Portland!

 

Close. Earl Blumenauer, Portland's congressman, will be here all day Tuesday.

Geesh.  Dusty Rhodes was on Brian Thomas this morning, so he's really making the rounds.  He was whining about the use of the term "mill", the most rudimentary idea and piece of terminiology in the business of property tax.  He was complaining that the term "confuses people", then defined it incorrectly. 

Read more: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18957.14670.html#ixzz1cPDPcvnG

 

Is Dusty Rhodes ethically/legally allowed to take public sides on an issue like that (as a public employee)?

^ Elected, but not appointed, officials can do that. For some reason, the Dems keep nominating him and we keep electing him.

Here is the link to Newsmakers with Stephan Louis and David Dawson:

<iframe frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://eplayer.clipsyndicate.com/cs_api/iframe?pl_id=19846&page_count=4&wpid=9610&windows=1&tags=CCTVI_NEWS_LOCAL&va_id=2979231&show_title=0&auto_next=1&auto_start=0" width="425" height="330"></iframe>

 

Magically, the streetcar project has increased in cost to $400 million according to Louis.

 

Also, this is pretty much the only local show that takes these clowns to task.  The other week Dan Hurley was tough on Heather Smith Mills for not knowing what Issue 47 was and for her affiliation with COAST. 

 

 

 

 

Dan Hurley does the best job of any person in the Cincinnati mainstream media of actually educating people on the issues.

700WLW's Doc Thompson just said of Issue 48 "now Issue 48 is one of those flip-flop issues, where no means yes and yes means no.  So if you want to stop the streetcar, vote No on 48!".  Seriously, how hard is it to understand this stuff and not get tripped up?  Charter amendements must conform to form of ballot rules, meaning any charter amendment must be a yes vote, even when that amendment seeks to block something.  It's been that way for at least 100 years, if not since Ohio's inception.

WCPO noon news just said "opponents to Cincinnati's streetcar are having a rally at the Kingsgate Marriott tonight at 6PM, they want you to vote NO on 48 to stop the streetcar."

 

 

AHHHHH-

 

It's so easy-

 

DO YOU WANT TO BAN THE STREETCAR is essentially what they are asking.  It blows my mind when conservatives attack liberals for "making the language tricky" when THEY are the ones proposing the ban.

^ followed almost immediately by a really tough hit piece on the Riverfront Transit Center. Interviews with Charlie Luken and the reporter saying things like "your tax money paid for nothing"

 

And then the streetcar was tied in and how it was supposed to be inside the transit center but now it won't because of the shortened route. AHHHHHHHH these people are idiots!

XUMelanie and I would love to be at the rally tonight, but we have board meeting and kid stuff.  Whoever attends I'd love to hear how things go.

I wish I could attend, but I have a class tonight.

 

WCPO is apparently on a big crusade about "taxpayer waste" lately, as they're now going after community colleges. Their right-wing agenda couldn't be more obvious.

Maybe they should cover all the  wasted $$ the city spends on frivolous lawsuits from Finney & friends.

Per Cincinnati.com, the mayor is speaking live about the Streetcar:

 

Live: Mallory talks about streetcar

 

 

Blocked by my employer...

Cincinnati Mayor & an Oregon Congressman yak about streetcar with Enquirer editors.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/01/congressman-issue-48-could-be-tragic-for-city/

Kind of amazing hearing a congressman who is not a raving lunatic but when a panel member seems to suggest the Ohio city should build a train line to a NKY airport, the lunacy of the local reps makes perfect sense.

Horstman suggests the congressman is just promoting business in his district.

I love the guy in the comments who calls streetcars "1860 invention." Lol... the first automobile was invented in 1796... so we should abandon those too... and barges too (1840s), and freight trains (1550)

Final stretch guys...

 

This is my opinion of COAST's gameplan from here on out.  Its quite simple and obviously Mark Miller has a lot of time on his hands since he is one of the few that can actually circumnavigate the web. 

 

1) They will flood the Enquirer articles with comments.  Dozens of fake names, fake profiles, and others have been created since the Enquirers endorsements.  For example, 'MiddleClassGuy' is Mark Miller himself.  Any article you see that name pop up, you will see 5-6 others that magically also pop up (Like every other article MCG posts in).  These same names mysteriously pop up in every article MCG posts in.  (Bugsmom is an example)

 

2) Expect non stop bombardment on 700wlw.  This tactic worked tremendously to even get the issue on the ballot.  They were something like 6k away at the final week and a non stop bashing/interviews on 700 helped push them over the edge. 

 

Darryl Parks called everyone who didn't support issue 48 "dumbasses" recently.  Doc Thompson has allowed every 48 supporter on. They've created signs to put over the streetcar signs. I would expect them to get even dirtier.

 

I don't know what Cunningham will do but he's in a bind since he came out strong against the issue in 2009.  How would it look if he didn't come out against an even more restrictive issue?

 

3) Twitter.  Nothing New here.  The COAST twitter feed has been exploding now to about 20-30 tweets a day about streetcars from toronto.  What he does is RT someone from Toronto complaining on a streetcar and add some childish remark.  It really is incredible how much time this guy has on his hands

 

4) Letters to the Enquirer.  We've seen it since sunday.

 

"It only bans the streetcar" , "You fooled me once city commissioner with the language", etc.

 

These are all direct COAST talking points and I would be willing to bet money that these characters, when researched,  do not exist and were also created by a certain COAST member(s). 

 

They are desperate at this point.  They certainly aren't confident.  The more I hear and see them yell "Rail is communism" or "streetcar will destroy cincy" or any of the 'trolly folly crime train choo choo boondoggle' phrases, the more confident I feel. 

 

Now is the time to finish strong

^ Excellent post.

'trolly folly crime train choo choo boondoggle'

 

I LOL'd.

'trolly folly crime train choo choo boondoggle'

 

I LOL'd.

 

That's a personal favorite of mine. It shows up in the comments frequently. Another variation is the "Mark Mallory Trolley Folly Communist Marxist Crime Train CHOO CHOO!! Boondoggle to Nowhere"

'trolly folly crime train choo choo boondoggle'

 

I LOL'd.

 

That's a personal favorite of mine. It shows up in the comments frequently. Another variation is the "Mark Mallory Trolley Folly Communist Marxist Crime Train CHOO CHOO!! Boondoggle to Nowhere"

 

My favorite anti-streetcar phrase was "Anarchist socialist marxist trolley folly to nowhere sacreligious crime train boondoggle"

 

'Best' worst argument I've heard for voting yes is "God does not like rail and He will punish us all if we don't obey His Will"

Uptown Consortium says NO on 48: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111102/EDIT02/111020354/Reject-Issue-48-its-progress-blocking-consequences?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

'trolly folly crime train choo choo boondoggle'

 

I LOL'd.

 

That's a personal favorite of mine. It shows up in the comments frequently. Another variation is the "Mark Mallory Trolley Folly Communist Marxist Crime Train CHOO CHOO!! Boondoggle to Nowhere"

 

My favorite anti-streetcar phrase was "Anarchist socialist marxist trolley folly to nowhere sacreligious crime train boondoggle"

 

'Best' worst argument I've heard for voting yes is "God does not like rail and He will punish us all if we don't obey His Will"

 

You guys do realize some people on there are joking, right? If religion comes into the picture, I think it's a safe bet someone is playing around.

Some of them are for real, if deeply disturbed. Through a series of strange circumstances, I've met some. They sit in their moldy basement apartments filled with plastic furniture in clermont county and imagine a hostile world that they must defend themselves against at all costs. They aren't technically insane, but it wouldn't take too much to push them over. In the past, they would have had an extended family or institution to provide them some social structure. It's only because cincinnati politics are so divisive and tribal that they get any attention at all. Anywhere else I've lived, such people just don't seem to be able to get any attention. Only in cincinnati do they seem to be able to break through into public debate in any way.

In the south, some eccentric local preachers do enter "the conversation", but the local media simlpy pays no attention to most of these quacks.  Cincinnati has the worst local media of any of the 6-7 cities I've lived in.  We have Dan Hurley, Kevin Osborne, and that's it.  Nobody else has any institutional memory or appears to be acquainted with the tactics of COAST or Smitherman, despite the fact they've been around for a decade.  Then last week Carl Weiser of The Enquirer gets spun around by Tom Luken doing what Tom Luken has done for the past 45 years.  Yesterday's video of The Enqurier editors (+ the ubiquitous Barry Horstman) meeting with Mallory and the congressman from Oregon was painful to watch.  The only to people in that room acquainted with the facts and with the tactics of the oposition were Mallory and the congressman.  The Enquirer staff had the Alabama "small town eyes" James Agee wrote about 75 years ago.  After a thorough explanation as to why fare box revenue is irrelevant to the big picture, Horstman comes back a thrid time on that point, desperate for his hit piece quotes.

 

The latest in COAST's race to see how shameless they can be:

 

COAST leader Chris Finney today filed a suit in federal court in Cincinnati seeking to overturn Ohio’s law against deliberate lies in issue campaigns.

 

Last week, Cincinnatians for Progress filed charges with the Ohio Elections Commission  citing COAST’s use of known false statements in its campaign to pass Issue 48, a  wide-ranging rail ban in Cincinnati until 2021.

 

Instead of appearing at the commission to defend its behavior, COAST chose to dodge the charges by also asking the federal court to issue an injunction against a hearing.

 

Finney claims Ohio Revised Statute 3517.22  violates constitutional free-speech protection. The statute makes it a crime — punishable by prison and fines – to “Post, publish, circulate, distribute, or otherwise disseminate, a false statement, either knowing the same to be false or acting with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not, that is designed to promote the adoption or defeat of any ballot proposition or issue.”

 

With this cynical action, COAST is turning its longstanding reliance on lies and misinformation into a constitutional crusade aimed at degrading the electoral process. Cincinnatians for Progress stands behind Ohio’s exemplary standards for fair, honest elections. We believe Cincinnati voters do too, and will not be swayed by this desperate ploy to waste attention, time and taxpayers’ money on COAST’s deceptive agenda.

 

David Dawson

Margaret McGurk

Rob Richardson

Mark Schmidt

Co-chairs, Cincinnatians for Progress

 

In other words: "We're incapable of winning our argument based on facts, so we need federal permission to lie in order to continue our anti-city vendetta."

^ As a guy who could be considered fairly libertarian compared to the crowd on this site, even I will call that out as being completely absurd.  Under their logic, slander and libel should also be legal forms of speech. 

^ As a guy who could be considered fairly libertarian compared to the crowd on this site, even I will call that out as being completely absurd.  Under their logic, slander and libel should also be legal forms of speech. 

 

Dots...connected.

So, Chris Finney has now gone to U.S. District Court in Cincinnati to sue the State of Ohio to have Ohio's law against making false statements to affect the outcome of an election declared unconstitutional.

 

We were set for a Probable Cause hearing tomorrow where we would have almost certainly prevailed.

 

This is kind of taking on a life of its own.

 

 

^It took on a life of its own a long time ago. The debate really isn't about the streetcar at all.

 

In my humble opionion, it's really about:

 

Frustration over the City of Cincinnati cutting jobs due to budget problems.

Adversarial relationships between various political figures.

Anti-government and anti-tax sentiments in general.

WLW and the Enquirer trying to drum up something to talk about on slow news days.[

 

I saw about 20 kids carrying Smitherman signs today.

I don't think I will be surprised by anything this kooky bunch has done or will do.  If someone really looked into their statements and actions over the years it would be comical (It is somewhat scary to think that some are college educated and include an attorney and former council member).  Unfortunately, we have local media that give them creedence in the name of ratings.  Here's to voting Issue 48 down next Tuesday.

In their disturbed, paranoid minds they are fighting for "their" people, "their" tribe. That justifies anything they do in their view. They have NO limits, no matter what happens on issue 48. Until they are totally undermined they will not stop. This it the truth we must accept in order to isolate them and build a progressive coalition.

I have some suspicion that the tweets were bait to get CFP to file their complaint to the election commission, setting the stage for today's lawsuit.  Because the role of twitter in campaigns hasn't been identified yet by the courts, Finney is looking for even more free publicity, which always leans in his favor in a town with a totally non-functioning media.

It's clear that COAST knows they're guilty and would have been scolded at tomorrow's probable cause hearing.  The only choice they had was to file this suit in response and push everything out past the election.

So, Chris Finney has now gone to U.S. District Court in Cincinnati to sue the State of Ohio to have Ohio's law against making false statements to affect the outcome of an election declared unconstitutional.

 

We were set for a Probable Cause hearing tomorrow where we would have almost certainly prevailed.

 

This is kind of taking on a life of its own.

 

 

The balls on that mother f.... Wow.

This morning on NPR, a panel discussed city council races.  They talked through the incumbents and the strongest non-incumbents.  They said PG is a likely win (streetcar opponent) and that Flynn & Seelbach were the only streetcar supporters that have a chance. They dismissed Riveiro as having no chance since he has no money and no tv and almost no mail, and didn't even bring up Simpson as a viable candidate.  They also said Smitherman and Allen have a long shot, but could maybe win.

 

Panel was gene beaupre and howard wilkinson.

This morning on NPR, a panel discussed city council races.  They talked through the incumbents and the strongest non-incumbents.  They said PG is a likely win (streetcar opponent) and that Flynn & Seelbach were the only streetcar supporters that have a chance. They dismissed Riveiro as having no chance since he has no money and no tv and almost no mail, and didn't even bring up Simpson as a viable candidate.  They also said Smitherman and Allen have a long shot, but could maybe win.

 

Panel was gene beaupre and howard wilkinson.

 

I wouldn't exactly call PG a "streetcar opponent"... he just refuses to take a stance on it at this point.  He is definitely anti-Issue 48.  I think if he gets on council (and Issue 48 fails), he will support the streetcar.

 

For the longest time, you could generally assume that anyone currently on council running for re-election would win... however, with 3 current council members being appointed rather than elected, and the Enquirer actually publishing an article about which current council members need to "move on", maybe we shouldn't make that assumption this year.

 

I really hope Cincinnatians are smart enough to not elect Smitherman again.

'Tweet' election complaint tossed

 

 

The Ohio Elections Commission threw out a complaint Thursday against a Cincinnati group accused of making false statements about the city's proposed streetcar project.

 

The ruling was a victory for the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending & Taxes, which was targeted by streetcar advocates because of statements the group made to potential voters via Twitter.

 

But the decision may not end the dispute over the streetcar campaign because the commission's ruling was based on a technicality, and streetcar advocates say they will file another complaint before the Nov. 8 election.

 

Their complaint is based on Twitter statements, or "tweets," sent by COAST and streetcar opponents related to Issue 48, a charter amendment that would bar city spending on any streetcar or rail projects until 2021. Election commission officials said they believed it was the first complaint involving tweets.

 

Cont

Lord. Don't botch this again, guys.

 

Edit: Who is the attorney for CfP?

 

I wouldn't exactly call PG a "streetcar opponent"... he just refuses to take a stance on it at this point.  He is definitely anti-Issue 48.  I think if he gets on council (and Issue 48 fails), he will support the streetcar.

 

 

I’m not too sure about that. He’s playing both sides on the streetcar for now, but I could easily see him vote against it if he is on council.  He raised a lot of money for this election, and I’ve been watching where it has been coming from (source).  I’ve been suspicious of his alliances ever since he started reporting huge donations in his campaign finance reports.  Sittenfeld’s dad runs a private wealth management firm , which should raise some eyebrows.  I wouldn’t be surprised if his views will ultimately align with the traditional old money crowd a lot more closely than the young professional crowd, who he is trying to appeal to.  Old money seems to be pretty anti-streetcar in a general sense.

I’m not too sure about that. He’s playing both sides on the streetcar for now, but I could easily see him vote against it if he is on council.  He raised a lot of money for this election, and I’ve been watching where it has been coming from (source).  I’ve been suspicious of his alliances ever since he started reporting huge donations in his campaign finance reports.  Sittenfeld’s dad runs a private wealth management firm , which should raise some eyebrows.  I wouldn’t be surprised if his views will ultimately align with the traditional old money crowd a lot more closely than the young professional crowd, who he is trying to appeal to.  Old money seems to be pretty anti-streetcar in a general sense.

 

You're right, there really is no way of knowing. Which is why I chose to vote for candidates that were explicitly pro-streetcar and anti-48.

Lord. Don't botch this again, guys.

 

Edit: Who is the attorney for CfP?

 

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if its Chris Finney as well.  The guy is seemingly everywhere suing everyone. Herpes thinks he flares up too much

I’m not too sure about that. He’s playing both sides on the streetcar for now, but I could easily see him vote against it if he is on council.  He raised a lot of money for this election, and I’ve been watching where it has been coming from.  I’ve been suspicious of his alliances ever since he started reporting huge donations in his campaign finance reports.  Sittenfeld’s dad runs a private wealth management firm , which should raise some eyebrows.  I wouldn’t be surprised if his views will ultimately align with the traditional old money crowd a lot more closely than the young professional crowd, who he is trying to appeal to.  Old money seems to be pretty anti-streetcar in a general sense.

 

You're right, there really is no way of knowing. Which is why I chose to vote for candidates that were explicitly pro-streetcar and anti-48.

 

^ agreed.  If you can't say, I support the current streetcar plan, then you are against it.  I won't let the wealthiest candidate get away with a "non-stance" in order to play both sides and get more votes.  It's not that hard, "I support the current streetcar plan" or "I won't stop the current streetcar plan" or "I would have voted to continue the streetcar plan" or "I will vote against any efforts to stop the streetcar plan".

 

Here's what I think he'll do- If 48 fails, he will say, the voters have spoken, I now support the streetcar.  If it passes, he will say, I've always thought that we should have our priorities ahead of streetcars, and am glad the voters agree with this position.

 

Flynn and Seelbach (in my opinion, the strongest non-incumbents other than PG) have been vocally pro-streetcar, so there is no need to waste a vote on Sittenfeld HOPING that he will come out as a streetcar supporter after the election.

What obstacles are there after this election?  Hasn't council already approved everything?  I thought this election was really the only thing holding the streetcar back.  What difference does it make if some council members get elected that are against the streetcar?  Would/could they just change the previous decisions made by council and stop streetcar funding?

Council has already taken all the votes required to move the streetcar forward. The only way they could block it now (assuming Issue 48 fails) would be if enough anti-streetcar candidates get elected to form a veto-proof supermajority.