Ohio Democrats

Donate

Uncategorized

BAD NEWS BERNIE: The Fat Cat Ruined The Tour & Moreno Draws Scrutiny For Supporting Ohio’s Dangerous Abortion Ban

Columbus, OH – It’s been another bad week for Fat Cat Car Dealer Bernie Moreno after Ohioans across the state called him out for “harm[ing] workers” and “steal[ing] wages.” Plus, new reporting exposed Bernie Moreno’s long-standing support for banning abortion, including by supporting Ohio’s dangerous abortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest.

NEED-TO-KNOW THIS WEEK:

  • After a week of being held accountable by Ohioans and union workers for his record of “stiffing workers” to enrich himself, Fat Cat Car Dealer Bernie Moreno canceled the final stop of his bus tour in Toledo last week.
  • In light of the number of uninsured Ohioans “dropp[ing] significantly,” Ohioans should know that Bernie Moreno would overturn the ACA and jeopardize healthcare for millions of Ohioans.

😾 THE FAT CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG: During Bernie Moreno’s bus tour last week, Ohioans across the state called out Fat Cat Bernie Moreno for “harm[ing] workers” and “steal[ing] wages.” Union workers slammed Moreno for being someone who “won’t represent [them] or the middle-class working people.” A sample of what Ohioans were reading this week:

  • Associated Press: “Democrats have been following Moreno’s tour around the state to stage protests aimed at portraying him as an anti-worker ‘fat cat,’ citing lawsuits over wages and overtime filed over the years against his businesses.”
  • Cleveland.com: “Minutes before giving a quick campaign speech, Moreno came out to greet protesters, who stood between the [giant inflatable cigar-smoking cat] and the bus, only to have a local United Church of Christ pastor talk over him, describing lawsuits Moreno’s former employees had filed against him as a crowd encircled him.”
  • Medina Gazette: “While Moreno was inside speaking, several Medina County Democratic Party members and Ohio Democratic Party supporters gathered outside in the parking lot with an inflatable ‘fat cat,’ many with signs in hand reading, ‘Bernie Moreno screwed over workers,’ ‘Bernie Moreno stiffed his employees’ and ‘Bernie Moreno shredded evidence.’”
  • UAW Local 1219 President Jeff Adams: “If [Moreno] was really for the people, people wouldn’t have to sue him to get their overtime pay. I want to hear him talk about how he didn’t pay his employees overtime. How he sold the Chinese car when he said he didn’t sell it. If he didn’t pay his employees, how is he going to care about the American people[?]”

😼 THIS RUINED THE TOUR: At the last minute, Moreno canceled the final stop in his statewide bus tour in Toledo last week, which led Ohioans to call out Moreno for being someone who “can’t talk to people he disagrees with.”

  • The Toledo Blade: “Democrats have been following the tour to stage protests and inflating a blow-up “fat cat” to symbolize a greedy boss… Mr. Moreno was supposed to hold an event at Tony Packo’s Cafe on Front Street in Toledo. A group of about 30 protesters showed up across the street, fat cat and all, but Mr. Moreno did not show up.”

❌ A BAN IS A BAN, BERNIE: Ohioans were reminded this week that Bernie Moreno has long supported banning abortion and backed Ohio’s dangerous abortion ban that banned abortion in Ohio without exceptions for rape or incest. Ohioans are also sounding off on Moreno’s support for a national abortion ban that would overturn the will of Ohioans who voted overwhelmingly to protect abortion rights last year.

  • Ohio Capital Journal: “Speaking to a group of Dayton Republicans on March 10, Moreno noted that Dolan in 2019 ‘voted against the heartbeat bill. Right. So this is a guy who’s not on our side.’”
  • Dr. Johnathon Ross, MD: “Even after Ohioans voted to protect abortion rights twice last year, Bernie Moreno still supports a national abortion ban that would overrule the will of Ohio voters.”

🏥 REMINDER: BERNIE WOULD ELIMINATE OHIOANS’ HEALTH CARE: New reporting from Axios Cleveland found that the number of uninsured Ohioans “has dropped significantly” – down to 9.5% in 2022 – thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Bernie Moreno has supported overturning the ACA, and recently criticized the bill that is lowering prescription drug costs.

 🗞️ WHAT OHIOANS ARE READING THIS WEEK:

  • Lima News: “Throughout Moreno’s bus tour, protesters and United Auto Worker leaders have been following him on his stops with a Fat Cat inflatable, a symbol commonly used by workers to draw attention to greedy bosses…”
  • Spectrum News: “When he unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2022, Moreno told one interview he was ‘100 percent pro-life’ with no exceptions.’”
  • Dr. Johnathon Ross, MD:“Moreno wants politicians to make personal healthcare decisions that should be between a woman and her doctor. And he won’t stop at abortion. Moreno has opposed birth control protections and has called IVF a ‘nonissue.’”
  • WCPT: “[Moreno] has shown to lie on the record and misrepresent his background and not support workers.”

🐤 TWEET OF THE WEEK:

🎶 CODA: “Moreno supports [a national] abortion ban”

###

In Ballot Board Meeting, Loser Frank LaRose Says the Quiet Part Out Loud

Columbus, Ohio- Today, following the Ohio Ballot Board’s meeting to set the issue number and language for November’s Citizens Not Politicians amendment, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters released the following statement.

“Loser Frank LaRose has once again thumbed his nose at Ohio voters and deliberately undermined the democratic process by proposing language that misrepresents the Citizens Not Politicians amendment. Just like when LaRose failed to end majority rule last August and then lost again trying to rip away the right to an abortion last November, it’s clear that he and his extreme Republican colleagues don’t care what Ohio voters want. Loser LaRose is desperate to hang onto his gerrymandered maps and we can’t wait to watch him go 0-4 in shady election tactics this November.”

Bernie Moreno Supported Ohio’s Dangerous Abortion Ban Without Exceptions

Dr. Lauren Beene, Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights: “A Ban Is A Ban”

Dr. Johnathon Ross, MD: “Even After Ohioans Voted To Protect Abortion Rights Twice Last Year, Bernie Moreno Still Supports A National Abortion Ban That Would Overrule The Will Of Ohio Voters.”

Columbus, OH – New reporting details Bernie Moreno’s long-standing support for banning abortion, including Ohio’s dangerous abortion ban that banned abortion in Ohio without exceptions for rape or incest.

Ohioans are also sounding off on Moreno’s support for a national abortion ban that would overturn the will of Ohioans who voted overwhelmingly to protect abortion rights last year and allow politicians to insert themselves into a “personal healthcare decision.”

Read More:

Ohio Capital Journal: Bernie Moreno won’t talk about abortion bans. He supported one in Ohio, physician-activist says
Marty Schladen
August 15, 2024

  • When he was running in Republican primaries, Moreno made several versions of the statement he made on Jan. 13, 2022 on Cincinnati’s 55WKRC radio when asked for his position on abortion.
  • “Absolute pro-life, no exceptions,” Moreno said at the 7:43 mark on this recording.
  • Then earlier this year in the midst of another GOP Senate primary, Moreno was seeking to distinguish himself from Ohio Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls, who was also seeking the nomination. Speaking to a group of Dayton Republicans on March 10, Moreno noted that Dolan in 2019 “voted against the heartbeat bill. Right. So this is a guy who’s not on our side.”
  • The “heartbeat bill” is Senate Bill 23, which banned the great majority of abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy — a point at which many women don’t know they’re pregnant. It included no exceptions for rape or incest.
  • Ohio voters last November demonstrated strong disagreement with the “heartbeat” law by overwhelmingly approving a constitutional amendment overturning it.
  • In an op-ed last week, Moreno’s opponent, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, said Ohioans’ position on abortion was clear: “A woman’s health care decisions should be between her and her doctor – not politicians.”
  • [Moreno] was asked by a member of a group of Batavia Republicans, “What are you going to do when you run to stand out against the other candidates (to show) you are truly the 100% pro-life candidate?”
  • Moreno was definite.
  • “I think you need to insist that candidates say the following words: ‘I am unapologetically pro-life,’” he said in a video clip of the event provided to the Capital Journal.
  • Lauren Beene is a pediatrician who co-founded Ohio Physicians for Reproductive rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision and the sudden enforcement of SB 23. She said Moreno can’t have it both ways.
  • “A ban is a ban,” Beene said in an email Wednesday.

The Toledo Blade: Moreno Supports Abortion Ban
Dr. Johnathon Ross, MD
August 15, 2024

  • Even after Ohioans voted to protect abortion rights twice last year, Bernie Moreno still supports a national abortion ban that would overrule the will of Ohio voters. And what’s worse is he keeps doubling down on his support of a national abortion ban — last month alone, he voiced his support for a federal ban three separate times in one week.
  • Moreno wants politicians to make personal healthcare decisions that should be between a woman and her doctor.
  • And he won’t stop at abortion. Moreno has opposed birth control protections and has called IVF a “nonissue.”
  • How can we trust [Moreno] to work for us when he doesn’t even respect the will of Ohio voters?
  • Ohioans need to turn out to vote and ensure Bernie Moreno doesn’t get the chance to pass a federal abortion ban and take away Ohioans’ rights.
  • Ohioans must vote this November to keep our reproductive rights by re-electing Sherrod Brown. Ohioans need Sherrod in the Senate to prevent a national abortion ban.

###

ICYMI: Ohio Democratic Supreme Court Slate Outraised Republicans in Latest Filing

Columbus, OH- In case you missed it, the Democratic Supreme Court slate outraised their Republican opponents by a significant margin and showed their momentum less than 100 days out from election day.

The strong numbers from our Democratic slate show that Ohioans are fired up and ready to flip the Supreme Court,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Even in the middle of summer vacation season, our candidates are connecting with voters across Ohio and this latest fundraising reflects our momentum heading into the final 85 days of the campaign.” 

This year, Ohio is the only state in the country with the opportunity to flip our state Supreme Court. Next term, the court is likely to hear cases on abortion rights, voting rights, and workers rights- making it critical that we elect Democratic justices this November. 

See below for more details about our candidates latest fundraising haul:

Justice Michael Donnelly, Justice Melody Stewart, & Judge Lisa Forbes – $482,883

Justice Deters, Judge Hawkins, Judge Shanahan- $186,818

WHAT OHIOANS ARE SAYING: “Bernie Moreno Has Harmed Workers”

Rev. Terry Williams: “… People Are Standing Up And Saying No, Workers Aren’t Voting For Bernie Moreno.”

Columbus, OH – During Bernie Moreno’s bus tour last week, Ohioans across the state called out Fat Cat Bernie Moreno for “harm[ing] workers” and “steal[ing] wages.” Union workers slammed Moreno for being someone who “won’t represent [them] or the middle-class working people” and “can’t talk to people he disagrees with” after Moreno canceled a bus tour stop at the last minute.

Here’s What Ohioans Are Saying About Moreno’s Record Of  “Stiffing Workers” And Destroying Evidence:

WATCH MORE FROM WCMH HERE

Rev. Terry Williams: “You’ve oppressed your workers, you’ve kept off their wages, and what’s this I hear about destroying information a judge asked you to take?”

WATCH MORE FROM WOUB HERE

Rev. Terry Williams: “We refuse to pretend that he’s been good for workers. We refuse to pretend that he hasn’t been in all kinds of legal trouble. And I just can’t vote for a man like that.”

WATCH MORE FROM WTRF HERE

Pipefitter Brett McElfresh: “We don’t need somebody else trying to steal wages from U.S. workers anymore. Alright, enough people have been put on their butts long enough… We need someone who can actually stand on their own two feet like Sherrod Brown does. He knows how to stand up for Americans and their workers.”

WATCH MORE FROM WLWT HERE

Teamster Tom Ruwan: “And when you speak to [Sherrod Brown], it’s like talking to a friend or talking to a neighbor. It’s not like talking to a used car salesman.”

Read What Ohioans Are Saying:

  • Rev. Terry Williams: “I’m frustrated because Bernie Moreno has harmed workers. He’s bad for Ohioans, he’s bad for this community, and people are standing up and saying no, workers aren’t voting for Bernie Moreno.”
  • Ohioan Gabriel Mann: “If Bernie Moreno can’t have a polite conversation with a local reverend, then he has no place in Congress.”
  • UAW Local 1219 President Jeff Adams: “If [Moreno] was really for the people, people wouldn’t have to sue him to get their overtime pay. I want to hear him talk about how he didn’t pay his employees overtime. How he sold the Chinese car when he said he didn’t sell it. If he didn’t pay his employees, how is he going to care about the American people[?]”
  • Medina Gazette: “From [retired Teamster Jack Palush’s] perspective, Moreno doesn’t seem qualified to be in the U.S. Senate. Palush thinks Moreno won’t represent him or the middle-class working people. Rather, he believes Moreno will represent a lot of special interest groups and corporate interests.”

###