Coughlin and Casino Gambling...

Kevin Coughlin alleges the Summit County Republican Party's leadership is in the hands of pro-casino interests because an independent contractor for the party and many of its candidates, Terry Casey, represents proponents of indian reservation casino gambling.

To paraphrase Shakespeare, "We thinks the Senator doth protest too much." According to the facts, Coughlin has been a central player in the movement to bring casino gambling to Ohio.

From http://www.ohiogaminglaw.com/news/2005/04.html

Proponents of Expanding Gambling in Ohio Meet in Columbus
April 20, 2005

Gambling proponents from across the state recently met for the first ever state gambling summit in Columbus. Kegler Brown attorneys attended the meeting. The meeting was a three hour, closed door session, which included proponents from all aspects of the gambling industry. There were approximately sixty participants in the meeting, including representatives of municipalities, horse tracks, Indian tribes, and vending machines. In addition there were members of the Ohio General Assembly in attendance. Representative Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) organized the meeting, and was joined by fellow legislators Senator Kevin Coughlin ( R-Cuyahoga Falls); Senate Minority Leader, Senator CJ Prentiss (D-Cleveland); and House Minority Leader, Representative Chris Redfern ( D-Catawba Island).

The attendees at the summit vowed to stick together as proponents of expanding gambling in Ohio. The next step is to conduct opinion polls of Ohio voters regarding casino gambling in Ohio. Participants in the gaming summit agreed to contribute towards the poll, which it is estimated will cost $80,000 to $100,000. Senator Coughlin commented that it is tiring to watch money funnel out of Ohio to bordering states which have casino gambling. Ohioans are gambling, yet Ohio’s not getting any of the profit, Coughlin commented. Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell, who was in attendance, is advocating for a home rule approach, where the citizens in each community could decide if casino gambling is right for them. Representative Seitz commented that he would like to see a plan put before Ohio voters which gives the greatest chance for economic development, and which keeps the money from flowing out of Ohio to neighboring states.

(Emphasis added.)

Once a hypocrite, always a hypocrite. Does Kevin shoot crap for relaxation? He sure spouts enough....

Lies... Damn Lies... And... Well... Kevin Coughlin...

Although it's harvest time here in Summit County, it appears that our good Senator Kevin Coughlin has his seasons confused and he has his manure spreader on high.

What's the latest tall-tale you might ask. Well grab your waders. This one comes right from his own personal Pravda, http://www.newsummitrepublicans.com/. Let's just take a couple piles of Kevin's manure, road apple by road apple.

Road Apple #1 - The Republican Party will give the Democrats the Summit County Sheriff's office (an office the GOP currently holds) AND the County Executive AND the County Prosecutor - Apparently, unlike Bill Clinton, the folks at the Coughlin camp are inhaling - HEAVILY. This is plain WRONG.

Road Apple #2 - The Democrats will allow the GOP to win the Cuyahoga Falls Municipal Clerk of Courts race. - Who really thinks that the Democrats will give up a patronage base they have had for DECADES. We think the Coughlin folks have been drinking a little too much of their mediocrity cool aide. This is another LOSER.

Road Apple #3 - The Democrats will allow the GOP to win the Green mayor's race in 2007. - Now this is a great way to discount Dick Norton's strong showing in the September primary. If you believe this, we have some swamp land in the Portage Lakes to sell you folks. Andy Padrutt, the Democrat in this race, has been campaigning for this office since he was in preschool. Moreso, Kevin's own folks have been working with the Democrat Padrutt. This is one hot mess from the Coughlin folks that's too out there to believe. WRONG, Kevin. The word is WRONG.

Road Apple #4 - Republicans will also get the two new common pleas judgeships that will appear on the ballot in 2008. - When you manure the fields you have to be careful. Too much compost and you'll burn your plants roots. There's so much dung in the Coughlin camp that nothing is going to grow there for decades. Kevin, you're WRONG four for four.

Road Apple #5 - Arshinkoff avoids fielding candidates in expensive races in order to finance his opulent lifestyle and bloated headquarters overhead. - This is why the Summit County Republican Party has a strong and funded candidate in every race it can win in 2007. It just keeps getting deeper and deeper. And, you're still WRONG, Kevin.

What the Summit County Republican Party Already Does - "Our party should educate the public on Democratic corruption, incompetence, and loony leftism, where appropriate. And it should strive to field qualified candidates in every race." - Kevin, We couldn't have said it better. You've stated everything we do year in and year out. By the way, right now, you're in the lead for the head of the "loony left."

The Recipe of the Month... Kevin Coughlin's Mediocrity Punch...

You may wonder how a month into his "campaign for a change" Kevin Coughlin's "movement" has less momentum than Walter Mondale's 1984 presidential bid...

Well, now we know how. Just use this recipe, smuggled from the Coughlin camp's super-secret headquarters (it's almost as secret as his slate of officers to lead his brave new party)...

The Coughlin Mediocrity Punch. Not quite as effective as Jim Jones' cool aide, but it's almost as lethal. With a few simple ingredients, you too can have your own dead on arrival campaign.

Start with one embittered, term-limited officeholder without a career other than feeding at the public trough who has been simmering for several years in a marinade of bile, blended with equal parts of jealousy and resentment.

Add one bitter former Republican activist.

Let simmer for several months. Remove bitter former Republican activist. Save for later use.

Add one pointed letter that is a blend of rumor, misinformation, half-truths and lies. Mix with a slick website funded by a mystery committee and a handful of interviews sprinkled with the same blend or rumor, misinformation, half-truths and lies.

Add no candidates for the "new" party's leadership. Add only a few disgruntled registered Republicans who do more work for Democrats than Republican candidates and you're almost there.

Refuse to answer any questions concerning your personal motivations, conflicts of interest, lack of qualifications, lack of support or lack of supporters, labelling all such inquiries as "the politics of personal destruction." Add liberal doses of invective directed at your "opponents" via anonymous postings to websites, blogs, etc. Let simmer.

Cool for four weeks. Serve cold. It's a bitter drink. No wonder it is so unpopular.

A RINO Can't Change His Stripes...

Once a liberal, always a liberal...

RAB Reports today that Senator Kevin Coughlin has officially endorsed Mitt Romney. Apparently, Coughlin is looking for someone who changes positions on issues as frequently as himself.

Read more about it.... http://www.rightangleblog.com/2007/09/12/ohio-state-senator-kevin-coughlin-endorses-governor-mitt-romney/

Summit County Republicans Make Strong Showing in September Elections... Coughlin Team's Candidates Falter

The Summit County Republican Party's Primary Election ticket made a strong showing in today's September 11 primary, defeating opposition mounted by Kevin Coughlin's supporters.

In the City of Green, members of Coughlin's team backed Democrat Andy Padrutt and tax-dodging convict Chris Slates against the Summit County Republican Party's candidate, retired bank executive Republican Dick Norton.

Some of Coughlin's team members even sent out a misleading flier to Green Republicans endorsing Democrat Padrutt (http://keepsummitcountyrepublicansstrong.blogspot.com/2007/09/couhglins-team-backs-democrat-padrutt.html). The Coughlin team (including David Reilly and sitting Mayor Dan Croghan) also engaged in other "dirty tricks" to put Slates on the ballot (http://keepsummitcountyrepublicansstrong.blogspot.com/2007/08/who-are-democrats-dancing-bears.html).

The Coughlin team's smoke and mirrors did not work. Dick Norton, with nearly $25,000 in support from the Summit County GOP on top of his own fundraising, lead the Green primary ticket, beating Padrutt by more than 13% and Slates by 45.2%. Norton and Padrutt will advance to the November ballot. Slates, Susan Ridgeway and Dave Lauby will not advance to the November ballot.

Coughlin endorser, Daniel Dismuke, lost a 3-way primary battle for Stow Law Director to Summit County Republican Party's candidate Brian A. Reali. Reali lead the ticket with 63.6% of the vote. Democrat Christina Gray garnered 29.5% of the vote. The Coughlin team brought out 90 votes (or 6.9% of the vote) for Dismuke.

Elsewhere in the County, in the race for Clerk of the Falls Municipal Court, Republican State Representative John Widowfield beat his primary opponent 83.8% to 16.1%. Widowfield will face Democrat Lisa Zeno Carano and seven other women who filed as independent candidates in this November's election. Local Democrats chose not to oppose Akron Municipal Court Judge John Holcomb or Cuyahoga Falls Municipal Court Judge Kim Hoover in this November's election.

Clearly, the Coughlin folks know more about losing elections than they let on. Elsewhere in the County, Republican candidates competed well against Democrats in non-partisan jurisdictions. There were many disappointments for local Democrats in today's election results. It looks to be a promising fall election season for Summit County Republicans.

Overheard from the Coughlin camp - Coughlin claims that he still does not have a candidate for Chairman. Either he's lying or there's no one of stature who's dumb enough to let himself be associated with Kevin. Better not look behind that curtain, folks, you may just see Toto - not even a broken-down old snake oil salesman, just a little terrier.

GREEN RESIDENTS SPEAK OUT AGAINST COUGHLIN TEAM'S ANTICS IN BACKING DEMOCRAT PADRUTT

Received via email at Summit County Republican Headquarters:

"Two of these flyers (attached) came to my house Saturday; one to my wife and one to me. As you see they are from Andy Padrutt (Green Mayor candidate) and open with “Dear Republican…featuring 3 RINOs, Dave Reilly, Tom Robinson and Joel Reed. Please keep in mind that Joel Reed is actually running for a Green Council at- large position on Tuesday’ s primary. What a joke! I hope the party is not giving him a freakin’ dime.

As far as Dave Reilly goes, what the heck is up with this loser? Kevin Coughlin and Pete Kostoff deserve that two-faced idiot who the party gave money hand over fist in his municipal races for Green Council. What a hypocrite. Be sure to note Reilly’s self-proclaimed “Republican Activist” tag. That’s about as accurate as his “political strategist” tag he used to use on Green Council then could not win a softball re-election as a sitting council president? He’ll make a great “strategist” for Couglin’s train wreck. Tom Robinson…Summit County Sheriff’s Office property appraiser? …Drew Alexander needs to punt on 4th down with that Padrutt campaign manager.

It truly saddens me to read of these RINO scumbags' antics who call themselves “community leaders....’”"

COUHGLIN'S TEAM BACKS DEMOCRAT PADRUTT IN GREEN MAYOR'S RACE

Kevin Coughlin's team has already provided a foreshadowing of its unique brand of two-faced leadership in its endorsement of Democrat Andy Padrutt for Mayor of Green over Republican Dick Norton.


After helping Padrutt circulate petitions for a convict (http://keepsummitcountyrepublicansstrong.blogspot.com/2007/08/who-are-democrats-dancing-bears.html), Coughlin backer and Arshinkoff detractor David Reilly (http://www.newsummitrepublicans.com/news/article.aspx?id=29) joined a group of registered Republicans in endorsing Padrutt in a misleading mailer (attached below) sent to registered Republicans in the City of Green.


Some of you may remember Padrutt - the former Executive Director of the Democratic Party and a DUI convict. The Beacon Journal wrote this about him:

Akron Beacon Journal

December 11,
2004

DUI COSTS POLITICIAN HIS LICENSE
ANDREW PADRUTT , 24, GETS THREE DAYS IN JAIL,
FINES FOR APRIL INCIDENT

A former Summit County Democratic Party head will spend three days in
Glenwood Jail, lose his driver's license for six months and pay $400 in fines
for driving under the influence last spring.Andrew Padrutt received his sentence Friday in Akron Municipal Court.Padrutt, 24, was convicted Nov. 10 after a one-day trial. In addition to the jury finding him guilty of DUI, visiting Judge Joyce George found Padrutt guilty of impeding the flow of traffic and not wearing a seat belt.

The week after his conviction, Padrutt said he would resign as Democratic Party executive director. Party officials said he stepped down to focus on finishing college and that his leaving had nothing to do with his court case.

He had been executive director since March 2002. He was the first person to hold the position.Padrutt's other political work includes being a Green city councilman.The drunken-driving incident occurred in the early morning hours
April 9.

At trial, prosecutors argued Padrutt was drunk after swigging beers with other young Democrats at an East Exchange Street pub. The drinking caused him to fall asleep at a traffic light at Exchange Street and Hawkins Avenue, prosecutors said.Padrutt's defense was that he wasn't intoxicated but exhausted from his many political duties.

Coughlin's brand of leadership emerges - Surround yourself with weak Democrat-leaning Republicans and tell everyone that you're the most conservative person on the face of the earth. We suppose that Kevin's theory is that if you ignore the truth, believe your own propaganda and repeat it enough times the public may believe it.

Summit County's Republican faithful know better.

The Plain Dealer Expresses its View of Coughlin...

Courtesy of the Plain Dealer:

‘How I spent my summer vacation’

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

The end of summer marks the beginning of a very busy political season for Ohio politicians. Some will debate health care and energy policy at the Statehouse, while others will jump into the 2008 campaigns.

Fortunately, summer gave many of them time to rest up and get focused. Here’s how a few of them might explain their summer to Gov. Ted Strickland:

Dear Ted:

If you don’t know me by now, you should. I’m the real boss of Summit County’s Republican Party. And though my party is about as popular as toys from China right now, I still have statewide ambition. I could have your job in 2010.

I’ve spent a decade in Columbus as state representative and senator from Cuyahoga Falls. My attractive family is featured in all of my commercials.

This summer, I began organizing a coup against Summit County GOP Chairman Alex Arshinkoff, who raises and spends big money but has little to show for it. And he makes decisions all the time without my input. You may have heard me blast him on Cleveland’s local NPR station, WCPN. (Too bad the only listeners were liberals from Cleveland Heights and Oberlin.)

I have lined up support from dozens of leaders whom I can’t name right now. But trust me: I have a lot of closeted support. If I can just get the support of our babe-liscious state auditor, Mary Taylor – who’s from my county – I could lock up this whole thing right now.

Let’s keep up the bipartisanship!

Sincerely,

Kevin ‘Mad Dog’ Coughlin

State Senator

More Turns Than a Mardi Gras Parade...

He'll say whatever he needs to for the situation. It doesn't matter if he contradicts himself. A few examples:

"But all too often, that promised support never materialized ..."
- Coughlin, Letter, August 14, 2007

"I've never argued that (Arshinkoff) can't raise money,"
- Coughlin, Akron Beacon Journal, August 29, 2007

"This year's Summit County Republican fundraising drive has once again failed to raise enough money to cover the local party's promises."
- Coughlin, "New Summit Republicans" website, September 3, 2007

Makes John Kerry look like a paragon of clarity, doesn't it? Why let consistency and honesty get in the way of a good smear campaign?

Notwithstanding Senator Coughlin's bluster, the Summit County Republican Party's 2007-2008 fundraising is on target. Perhaps if Senator Coughlin participated in the Finance Committee rather than just knocking it (and asking for contributions from the party to the Senate Caucus), he would understand the party's budget better and he would get to observe and participate in the Finance Committee's work in reviewing and approving the budget.