Ohio Democrats

Donate

Uncategorized

WHAT OHIOANS ARE READING: Bernie Moreno’s Support For National Abortion Ban Puts Issue 1 “At Risk”

Ohio Physician Dr. Nicole King: “Moreno Still Refuses To Accept The Will Of Ohioans”

Columbus, OH –  In a new opinion piece for the Cincinnati Enquirer, Ohio physician Dr. Nicole King makes it clear that Bernie Moreno’s support for a national abortion ban means that “the fight to protect Issue 1 is not over,” and “the reproductive rights we fought to protect by passing Issue 1 are still at risk.”

At the same time, Moreno, who calls himself “100% pro-life” and who “doesn’t believe in any exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother,” is campaigning behind closed doors with Senator John Thune, who also supports a national abortion ban, and State Rep. Melanie Miller, who – like Moreno – wants to overrule the overwhelming majority of Ohioans who voted to enshrine access to abortion in the state constitution.

Read more:

The Cincinnati Enquirer: Vote for Moreno puts access to reproductive care in danger
Dr. Nicole King
June 30, 2024

  • June marked the second anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, a decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and threatened the reproductive freedoms of women across Ohio. But thanks to the relentless work of [healthcare] workers and organizers across Ohio, we passed Issue 1 last fall by an overwhelming majority.  A ballot measure that enshrined reproductive rights, birth control and infertility treatment protections into our state’s constitution.
  • Unfortunately, with Bernie Moreno running for U.S. Senate, and promising to pass a national abortion ban if he’s elected, the reproductive rights we fought to protect by passing Issue 1 are still at risk. When the Supreme Court handed down the Dobbs decision, women in Ohio were rightfully scared, facing the risk of losing the fundamental freedoms we had worked so hard to attain.
  • Moreno had a different response. He celebrated the Dobbs decision as “a monumental victory.”
  • Women and men across Ohio got to work to get Issue 1 on the ballot and make sure it passed, but Bernie Moreno opposed the effort relentlessly. Moreno donated $100,000 to Protect Women Ohio, the group spearheading the effort to defeat Issue 1. 
  • Thankfully, on Election Day last fall, Bernie Moreno found himself on the opposite side of nearly 2.2 million Ohioans who passed Issue 1. Moreno voted against Issue 1, and in doing so he voted to ban abortion without exceptions for rape or incest and voted against protecting access to contraception, infertility treatment, and miscarriage care.
  • Moreno still refuses to accept the will of Ohioans.
  • He is selfish and ignorant enough to support a national abortion ban that would overturn access to abortion – access that Ohioans overwhelmingly support. He has also opposed guaranteeing a woman’s right to access contraception, including birth control pills and opposed federal protections for IVF.
  • His bravado and false sense of purpose and justice is a weapon he is using to eliminate the rights enshrined within our own state constitution. Rights overwhelmingly supported by the constituents of Ohio.
  • Moreno has said he is “100 percent pro-life with no exceptions,” showing what his priorities would be if he ever makes it to Washington.
  • Issue 1 is about so much more than access to reproductive freedom; it is about the health and safety of women. Before Issue 1, Ohioans experienced the dangerous and frightening reality of the lack of abortion protections, even when faced with dire medical emergencies.
  • During this time, politicians were allowed to make [healthcare] decisions for women, inserting themselves into private, personal [healthcare] discussions that should be kept solely between a woman, her chosen loved ones and her physician. Moreno’s support for restrictive bans would subject Ohio women and women across the country to a reality devoid of access to safe reproductive care.
  • Ohio women cannot trust Moreno because he cares more about his politics than our safety.
  • When it comes to protecting reproductive freedom, the stakes are just as high in 2024 as they were in 2023. We must make our voices clear once again that [healthcare] decisions are between a woman and her doctor. Politicians like Moreno have no business inserting themselves into sacred private relationships between a woman and her physician.
  • The fight to protect Issue 1 is not over. We must continue the fight by making sure Bernie Moreno is never elected to the U.S. Senate.

Salon: Senate Republicans set to seize on Supreme Court’s abortion opening
Cecile Richards
June 29, 2024

  • Every mainstream Republican candidate running for a seat in the United States Senate would be a vote for a national abortion ban.
  • And they won’t stop there. In the last month alone, Republican senators have blocked Democratic legislation to protect access to birth control and IVF.
  • Moreno doesn’t believe in any exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother.
  • Sherrod Brown – has a long track record of fighting to protect access to abortion.

###

12 Weeks, 12 Things Ohioans Are Saying Since Reporting Revealed Moreno Lied About Selling Chinese-Made Cars

Read What Ohioans Are Saying About Moreno’s Record Of Looking Out For Himself And “[Selling] Out American Workers”

Columbus, OH – It’s been 12 weeks since reporting revealed that Bernie Moreno sold the Chinese-made Buick Envision and lied about it, and Ohio workers are making it clear that they “cannot trust Moreno” after he contributed to “Ohio jobs being shipped overseas.” Moreno faces ongoing blowback from Ohioans for “[selling] out American workers” and remains “dogged” by his record of  “shredding evidence,”  “stiffing workers,” and telling “lie after lie” to Ohioans.

12 Things Ohioans Are Saying About Moreno’s Record Of “Stiffing Workers” And Contributing To “Ohio Jobs Being Shipped Overseas”:

Dave Green, Former President of Local 1112 in Lordstown: “Putting profits over people is not what people in the Mahoning Valley deserve. We deserve somebody who’s going to fight for working people and has continued to fight for working people like Senator Sherrod Brown.”

Mary Ola Stemple, Former Lordstown GM Employee: “Bernie Moreno is not standing up for people like me, he is too busy putting himself and his profits first. Moreno’s business decisions hurt Mahoning Valley workers and families, and he has proved he will not fight for us.”

Jose Arroyo, Vice President Of The Mahoning-Trumbull AFL-CIO Labor Council: “Bernie Moreno has shown Ohio workers over and over that he does not care about anyone besides himself. He lied to us about selling cars made in China at the expense of Ohio workers and lied to us about not paying his employees the overtime wages they earned. It is clear that Bernie Moreno is not on our side and that we can’t trust him.”

Jim Devlin, UAW Local 1112’s Vice President and a former Lordstown GM worker: “I know that Ohioans need a Senator who will fight to keep our jobs here – not one who made his fortune selling cars manufactured in China, because decisions like that led to Lordstown closing and Ohio jobs being shipped overseas.”

Tony Totty, UAW Local 14 President: “Bernie Moreno was sued for stealing wages from workers. How can you be pro-worker when you’re stiffing them in their paycheck?”

Jeff Adams, UAW Local 1219 President: “As a car dealer, Moreno refused to pay his employees overtime wages they earned, and he went as far as to shred evidence to try to get away with it, and then he got caught when he repeatedly lied about it. Even after fact-checks found his excuses to be false, he kept lying.”

Shari Obrenski, President of Cleveland Teachers Union Local 279: “Time and again, Bernie Moreno betrayed workers to help himself and then lied about it. He destroyed evidence to try to get out of paying his employees overtime, sold Chinese-made cars at the expense of Ohio’s auto workers, and lied about all of it. Ohio workers won’t fall for Moreno’s lies because it’s clear he is only out for himself.”

Lynn Radcliffe, SEIU Local 1199 retiree: “[Moreno’s] nonstop lies and his phony persona are insulting and they can’t hide the truth: Moreno is a liar who only looks out for himself.”

Linda Taylor, Mahoning Valley Resident: “The truth is Bernie “Pants-On-Fire” Moreno has lied over and over in a calculated attempt to reinvent himself to fool us into giving him our vote. Moreno doesn’t respect Ohioans enough to tell us the truth. He’d rather pander to us by lying to our faces.”

Wade Kapszukiewicz, Toledo Mayor: “I think it’s true that you never have a second chance to make a first impression, and the first impression that voters in Ohio have of Bernie Moreno is that he is someone who just does not tell the truth.”

Carla Thompson, Lima City Councilwoman: “He’s lying to turn himself into someone he is not to appeal to Ohioans. There’s no need to do that. Ohioans are smart enough. If you bring your real self, we can decide those things on our own.”

Pat Joseph Johnson, Lima Resident And Former Educator: “Ohioans can’t trust Bernie Moreno to represent us, because he’ll keep doing what he’s always done: building lie upon lie while putting Ohioans last.”

###

NEW MONTH, SAME BAGGAGE: 5 Things Ohioans Need To Know About Bernie Moreno’s Record Of Looking Out For Himself, Not Ohioans

Columbus, OH – It’s the start of a new month, but Bernie Moreno is still being dragged down by heavy baggage and his record that’s “prov[ing] to be a liability.” From the “dubious claims” “dogg[ing]” him on the campaign trail to his record of “stiffing workers” and “shredding evidence,” Ohioans continue to see that Moreno is “someone who just does not tell the truth” and “can’t be trusted” to look out for Ohioans.

5 Things Ohioans Need To Know About Bernie Moreno:

1. Moreno’s record has been clouded by lawsuits that “could prove to be a liability,” including over a dozen lawsuits where Moreno refused to pay his workers the overtime they earned, then deliberately destroyed evidence he was legally required to keep to get out of it. Moreno was found liable for wage theft by a jury – forcing Moreno to pay over $400,000 in damages to his employees and settle over a dozen similar wage theft cases. After he got caught, Moreno repeatedly lied about the case and multiple fact-checks found his excuses “false.”

2. Moreno is facing scrutiny for the “dubious claims” and “string of inconsistencies that have dogged his campaign” as lie after lie is exposed. Moreno has shown Ohioans he can’t be trusted after he was caught lying about selling the Chinese-made Buick Envision which contributed to “Ohio jobs being shipped overseas,” lying about his phony “rags-to-riches” story as the “signature pitch” of his campaign, lying about shutting down Cleveland State’s Confucius Institute, lying about “escap[ing]” socialism, lying about bringing 5G to Cleveland, and lying about his business origin story.

3. Moreno would vote for a national abortion ban without exceptions that would overturn the will of Ohioans. Moreno has said he is “100% pro-life without exceptions,” called the overturning of Roe v. Wade a “monumental victory,” and opposes protecting a woman’s right to access contraception, including birth control pills.

4. Moreno is not the outsider he claims to be. Moreno exploited his “inside” political connections, hefty campaign contributions, and public board appointments for years to steer government contracts and taxpayer dollars toward his businesses – leading Moreno to ultimately cash out for “at least $5 million.”

5. Moreno is out for himself, not Ohioans. When asked how he would work across the aisle to deliver for Ohioans, Moreno said he “reject[ed]” the question. In response, Moreno was slammed for having “no real interest” in advocating for Ohioans and being “intent on adding to [the] problem” in Washington. Moreno also opposed the bipartisan border security bill – which was backed by border patrol agents – and said he “would have opposed” the bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act.

###

BAD NEWS BERNIE: Moreno Slammed For Supporting National Abortion Ban & “Stiffing [His] Workers”

Columbus, OH – In this first week of the dog days of summer, Moreno continues to be “dogged” by his record “stiffing workers” that “could prove to be a liability.” From supporting a national abortion ban to the “lie after lie” he has told throughout his campaign, Ohioans are learning they cannot trust Moreno to tell them the truth or fight for them.

NEED-TO-KNOW THIS WEEK:

  • The two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade this week was a stark reminder that Bernie Moreno supports a national abortion ban that would overturn the will of Ohioans and opposes protecting access to contraception, including birth control pills.

❌ “100% PRO-LIFE WITH NO EXCEPTIONS”: That’s what Bernie Moreno said when asked where he stands on abortion. Moreno’s support for a national abortion ban “put[s] him out of step with most Ohioans” who just last year voted overwhelmingly to protect abortion rights. Read more from Ohio voters sounding off on Moreno for backing a national abortion ban that would overturn the will of Ohioans.

  • Columbus Resident Anna Birr: “I am concerned that we voted against a statewide abortion ban only to now have Bernie Moreno running for Senator from Ohio.”
  • Stow Resident Angie Charles: “After all the work to get reproductive rights written into our state constitution, we can’t send a fanatic like Bernie to Washington to take it away.”
  • Dr. Kale Turner: “We must defeat out-of-touch candidates like Moreno…who would mute our voices by voting for a national abortion ban.”
  • Dr. Arthur Lavin: “Ohioans overwhelmingly voted to protect reproductive rights last fall, but now Bernie Moreno thinks that he and other politicians should be the ones making Ohio women’s healthcare decisions.”
  • Dr. Catherine Romanos:  “Bernie Moreno says he opposes all exceptions and will vote for a national abortion ban that would put my patients and all Ohio women in jeopardy.”

🚫 BERNIE’S BAN BLASTED: One day before the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs ruling, Ohio mom and Red Wine and Blue founder Katie Paris made it clear that Moreno’s support for a national abortion ban has placed “reproductive rights… on the ballot in Ohio in 2024.” Listen to Katie Paris on WCMH’s The Spectrum here:

  • “Bernie Moreno… believes there should be a national abortion ban…”
  • “So I think people do understand that, once again, reproductive rights [are] on the ballot in Ohio in 2024.”
  • “Just last week, the U.S. Senate had a vote on protecting the right to contraception, and Senator Sherrod Brown voted, of course, in support of the right to birth control. But his opponent, Bernie Moreno… his campaign, said that he would have opposed the right to birth control.”

💰 WHAT’S IN BERNIE’S BAGGAGE? As a recent profile from Mother Jones highlights that Bernie Moreno’s record “stiffing workers” “could prove to be a liability,” Ohioans are slamming Moreno for his “pattern of lying on the campaign trail” and record of putting himself first that has “made it clear he is wrong for Ohioans.”

  • Mahoning Valley Resident Linda Taylor: “Moreno doesn’t respect Ohioans enough to tell us the truth. He’d rather pander to us by lying to our faces… Moreno has made it clear he is wrong for Ohioans…”

 🗞️ WHAT OHIOANS ARE READING THIS WEEK:

  • Ohio Capital Journal: On Dobbs Anniversary, Ohio Democrats warn reproductive rights remains a major issue
  • Mother Jones: He’s a Car Dealer With a Surprising Business Record. He’s Also Running for Senate in Ohio.
  • Dr. Catherine Romanos, WKYC: “[Moreno] wants to insert himself into the deeply personal medical decisions that should only be between a patient and their doctor… Moreno said that he is pro life with no exceptions, for rape, for incest or for life of the mother, all cases that I have seen in Ohio in the last month. The truth is, Moreno’s support for a national abortion ban would strip away Ohioans’ freedom to make their own healthcare choices.”
  • Spectrum News: “Yet Dr. Lavin and other members of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights warned in a recent press call that the state’s protections would be at risk if Congress were to pass a national abortion ban. Lavin said that would become more likely if Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno were to get elected to the Senate.”
  • Dr. Arthur Lavin: “[Moreno is] ​​really working so hard to return us to the days in which doctors in Ohio were prevented from caring for people.”
  • Toledo Blade: “Last year, Mr. Moreno called the Dobbs decision a ‘monumental victory’ on X, formally known as Twitter… Before Issue 1 was on the ballot last November, Mr. Moreno’s auto dealer corporation, M Motors Group Inc., contributed $100,000 to the Protect Women Ohio Fund, an anti-abortion rights group.”
  • American Journal: “Bernie Moreno, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, said he would oppose a bill protecting access to birth control… Moreno’s stance could put him out of step with most Ohioans who say they support abortion rights.”

🐤 TWEET OF THE WEEK:

🎶 CODA: “Ohioans have made their voices loud and clear, but Moreno does not respect Ohioans enough to listen. This is why he is wrong for Ohio.”

###

Bernie Moreno’s Record “Could Prove To Be A Liability”

Mother Jones: “Bernie Moreno Built An Empire Selling Luxury Vehicles—And Stiffing Workers.”

Columbus, OH –  A recent profile from Mother Jones showcases Bernie Moreno’s record “stiffing workers” “could prove to be a liability.” From the many lawsuits clouding his campaign to his taxpayer-funded luxury car joyride, it is clear Moreno only looks out for himself.

Mother Jones: He’s a Car Dealer With a Surprising Business Record. He’s Also Running for Senate in Ohio.
Abby Vesoulis
June 20, 2024

  • But on a sunny day in November 2015, Bernie Moreno took a shiny new cherry-red Vulcan… for a spin outside Cleveland. At least three police cars escorted Moreno down usually busy suburban streets.
  • Moreno’s campaign did not respond to questions about the legality of the joyride. Public records from North Olmsted, the suburb Moreno spun through, provide no indication Moreno ever paid it or its police for the escort or road closures.
  • But Moreno’s record as a boss could prove to be a liability.
  • “For him to come out now and say that he’s this champion of working-class people—he’s a liar, and we call out liars,” says Tony Totty, president of UAW Local 14, which represents about 1,400 General Motors employees in northwest Ohio.
  • In November 2022, a judge ordered [former employee Omar Adem] and another employee be paid [by Moreno] $416,160 in damages after a jury found both the dealership and Moreno individually liable for shorting pay.
  • In court, Moreno initially defended the pay practices, saying he acted in good faith and “committed no violation of law.” But during the trial, he was forced to admit to shredding overtime-­payment records—documents the judge ruled he had been “required to preserve” and that he and his lawyers “knew or should have known [were] relevant.”
  • Before launching his 2024 run, Moreno settled more than a dozen other Massachusetts wage theft cases, all for undisclosed amounts.
  • “When you’re stiffing workers out of their well-earned overtime pay, you’re a fraud,” says Totty.
  • While his campaign asserts that, “as a proud minority businessman,” Moreno has “always been committed to giving opportunities to all of his workers, regardless of race, color, gender, or creed,” several of his Ohio employees have alleged workplace bias and mistreatment.
  • Cara Wilson, an Akron-area mother, sued Moreno for gender discrimination and wrongful termination… Moreno told her she was “a bad leader but a better mother,” Wilson alleged, and another time angrily told her to “put your kids in fucking daycare.”
  • In June 2017, Ronell Thompson sued Moreno’s companies alleging “racially discriminatory pay practices” at an Infiniti dealership…
  • Born into a politically powerful Bogotá family with what Cleveland.com called “lavish generational wealth,”
  • Public filings show he’s currently worth between $25 million and $100 million, including a stake in Dryver, a chauffeuring app.
  • As for the Vulcan, Moreno’s Aston Martin dealership put it up for sale in 2016 for $3.4 million—90 times what the average Ohio worker makes each year.

###