International Press: Ben and I sat down for an interview last week with Jonn Elledge from the New Statesman based in London, England. "One is the Ohio politics blog, run jointly by Obama hugging liberal Kyle Kutuchief and arch conservative Ben Keeler. Despite disagreeing on just about everything, the two of them have, so far, managed to work together without accusing each other of being mentally ill. And both reckon their debates have made their own arguments stronger."

The Boccieri campaigns has been out in force executing its final push to contact voters. Yesterday, the campaign and its volunteers knocked on over 8,500 doors in Stark County, which is a key battle ground for the campaign for two reasons. First, it has 60% of the districts population. Second, Boccieri and Schuring currently share Stark County as State Senators since the lines of both districts cut up the district.
Volunteers knocked on 720 doors in Wayne County and 600 in Medina County, each of which have about 16% of the districts population. Ashland has the remaining 8% of voters.

Palm Pilots for GOTV? – Walk lists at Boccieri Headquarters are loaded onto Palm Pilots and the paper copy serves as back-up.

Most of us who have volunteered for campaigns have used walk lists to go door to door. Those of us who have organized GOTV know that the logistics of the walk list process can be labor intensive. Behold the future of GOTV: Palm Pilots. The Boccieri Campaign Field Staff is able to load the voter files on to a Palm Pilot and send voters out in the district. On the screen is the voter information and the person walking door to door uses the stylus to tap the screen. All the volunteer needs to do is click a box on the screen and the contact with the voter is recorded. When they get back to headquarters, the data is downloaded and new lists are generated for the next day. No time needs to be spent translating the sloppy scribbles of people like me on a paper walk list. It is pretty cool and a sign of the level of targeting being done in Ohio by Democrats. This is just one of the many reasons Boccieri and Obama are going to win.

On September 19th, John Boccieri was expected to attend a Candidates' forum hosted by the Wayne – Holmes County Realtors Association. His opponent in the race in Ohio's 16th Congressional District, State Senator Kirk Schuring attended the forum along with fourteen other local candidates. Boccieri instead sent a Summit County assistant prosecutor on his behalf; for the record no part of Summit County is in the 16th. Boccieri abruptly (the morning of) backed out of appearing at the forum after committing to do so. Why?

Boccieri instead that day spoke for lobbyists at the luncheon of the Northeast Ohio Governmental Affairs Group (NEO GOV). This gathering took place at the Akron-Canton Airport. I have been told that he committed to speak at this lunch as far back as September 3. Why did John Boccieri choose to dine with a group of lobbyists instead of talking to voters he seeks to represent? This does not surprise me, as Boccieri only registered to vote in the 16th in July of this year, far after the primary was concluded. Not attending the event is one thing. Every candidate can not be expected to attend every event, though they probably should if at all possible. Skipping the forum and the chance to speak directly to voters and instead talk at a lobbyist luncheon is a whole different set of circumstances, however. This sequence of events really shows his priorities when it comes to the 16th District.

Talked to two people not associated with either campaign (obviously I did not talk to John Boccieri's campaign) or involved in the race for the 16th but people who would know. Both agreed that the public polling we have seen is not indicative of the race. This contest is in the margin of error and will end up being a win for either side with a winning percentage no bigger than 52%….and really depends on what happens on the national level over the last two weeks. It is one of those races, and neither side wants to hear this even though they know it is true, where external events and the national numbers will drive the outcome of the race. Sure, you can do some stuff around the edges – give good interviews, knock on doors, have some good mailers, etc. But in the end, that last little wind of the final day or two that isn't noticeable until after the election looms very large in this race and others just like it.

The battle for the 16th will come down to the part Medina County where right about 17% of the district is contained. Schuring will do well (better than most Republicans) in Stark County, which is just under half the district. Boccieri will over perform Democrats in Wayne and Ashland. That leaves Medina as the swing.

This is close race. If the Democrats win this one, it is probably going to be in their possession for a long, long time. Think they won't redraw the lines here to shift it back towards Boccieri's home base if they can after 2010? If that happens, the seat is gone. Gone……….

Kyle attended the debate on Thursday and then wrote about it. Three things I would add:

*No, the I-90 bridge isn't in the district. I understand the district isn't on an "island," but the first job of the representative of the district is to take care of the people there. Boccieri also said the debate was in Ashland County; it took place in Medina County. I'll cut Boccieri some slack on these two points; he is new to these parts and may have not known better.

*Schuring also didn't just stick to party line talk when discussing the economy. He talked about policies such as increasing collaboration between local and state governments and creating economic empowerment zones to improve the training of workers. He has been talking about the zones and local alliances a lot throughout this campaign. I remember hearing about these exact things when I interviewed him in early August when he unveiled his economic plan for the 16th.

*I also found it interesting that Schuring discussed his support of fair trade. Schuring pointed out that countries we trade with should not be allowed to have low environmental and workplace standards. That is not something you always hear a Republican say.

Today, the Beacon endorsed Schuring. I don't usually take note of these because I believe that people make up their own minds and don't depend on 5 people sitting in some boardroom to tell them what to do. But because I know Kyle would have already had a post up touting it had it gone to Boccieri, I'll post it just to stick it to him. They said, in part, about Boccieri: That said, Boccieri has squandered an opportunity to show leadership. His record in office is thin, his campaign little more than a collection of pre-packaged talking points.

That is kind of what I have always thought.

The eyes of the nation are on Ohio's 16th Congressional District. Thursday night, the candidates squared off at the University of Akron's Medina County University Center. The debate was moderated by WKSU's M.L. Schultze and hosted by the Ray C. Bliss Institute for Applied Politics. The format was simple and both candidates were very respectful. The only real contention in the debate came during an exchange over the I-90 bridge. When asked about bringing funding back to the district, Boccieri said that he would fight to bring funding back and referenced several needs including infrastructure improvements like fixing the I-90 bridge. Schuring responded by telling the crowd that the I-90 bridge was not in the 16th District and not high on his priority list because he was focused on the district. Many of the people who live in Medina commute to Cleveland for work and I'm sure drive over that bridge every day they go to work. The district isn't on an island. It is that kind of failure to understand how interconnected our communities are that is what has hampered a lot of the regional development in Northeast Ohio.

Much of the rest of the debate was uneventful. Both candidates stuck mostly to the party line of the presidential candidates. Boccieri focused on the economy, creating jobs, and health care. Schring explained why he is a different kind of Republican who can work across the aisle. Both men were complimentary of Ralph Regula.

Why Boccieri Is Going To Win

From JohnForCongress.blogspot.com: "Boccieri holds a strong cash-on-hand advantage over his opponent, Kirk Schuring. While Boccieri enters the final quarter with over $464,000 in immediately-available financial resources, Schuring has only $127,000 on hand."

The campaign finance reports come on the heels of the NRCC cutting $320,000 that had been allocated for a media buy for the Schuring Campaign. Meanwhile, the DCCC continues to commit more resources to Boccieri because he continues to earn it with a smart campaign. Hey DCCC staffer reading this post and considering whether to put those last final dollars into this race… the answer is yes. Double down.

OH-16th In The News:
*89.7 reports on the debate
*ABJ's Stephanie Warsmith reports on the debate
*CNN ranks OH-16 in its top ten
*Medina Sun Endorses Boccieri

Hugh Hewitt and Bill Kristol tell Republicans not to despair. Hewitt lays out why McCain can win and Kristol spells out what McCain has to do. I met Hewitt in 2006 and he was a good guy. Here is hoping he is right. And Kristol is right that the Obama Campaign and the MSM want people like me to think the election is over to kill our spirits. Steve Hayes of the Weekly Standard says look back to 1976 for some answers as to how to close the gap. I'd like to see a commercial run like Ford did about Carter (on page 2).

Hot Air links to a Washington Post story: Sources within the campaign say that they will become much more aggressive in exposing Barack Obama’s ties to radicals and his lack of experience and judgment in the final four weeks of the campaign. This strategy entails significant risk, but they need to regain the edge they had before the conventions. Risky? Yes. Necessary? Yes.

Bailout passes. Like I have said, I have no idea as to whether it was needed or not. I do know that the story had to be moved off the front pages politically for McCain. McCain and Palin will be in Greater Cleveland Wednesday. Location not announced yet. Probably going for me. Also on the bailout, I noticed Betty Sutton (so also did two other GOP House members) switched her vote from no to yes in less than a week. Buckeye RINO has what could be called an "informative" video of Sutton.

Ohio.com takes a look at the contest (often talked about here) between Rich Nero and Mike Moran for the 42nd House District. Gonna be a tight race in a district that is split about dead evenly between Republicans and Democrats.

Ohio University switches to semesters, effective in 2012. I was always a fan of the quarter system – probably the only thing I liked about that communist loving school. There is nothing left to like now. Wonder what the results from precincts where OU students and faculty will be voting will like November 4? Obama 94 Other 3 McCain 3? Too high a result for McCain? I remember how miserable the papers and hate speech there were in 2002 – for a midterm election. God help the few Republicans down there now. I feel for you.

Canton Repository endorses Kirk Schuring over John Boccieri in the race to take Ralph Regula's seat in OH-16.

Lastly, not politically related, but a good story from the Plain Dealer on the 12 year old captain of the football team at Holy Name High School.

Well I guess this has nothing to do with politics either. Had to mention it though. Sorry…..but I held out this long.

Why Is Kirk Schuring Badmouthing Youngstown?
Kirk Schuring's campaign released a video to officially complain. Someone has been following Kirk Schuring around with a video camera when he makes public appearances. The tactic of following a candidate in public places with a camera was made famous in 2006 when George Allen made his infamous Macacca comment. Schuring has shown that he is prone to gaffs with his previous comments about people getting shot in Canton. Watch this short video clip to see the Schuring Campaign's low budget effort to complain.

It is understandable that the Schuring campaign isn't happy about the camera man, but why do they have to badmouth Youngstown in the process? It isn't like Canton is some role model for the rest of Ohio. I'd say that Canton and Youngstown have a lot in common and share the economic struggles that most of NE Ohio is facing. What exactly are "Youngstown-style dirty campaign tactics?" Why doesn't Kirk just say dirty if that is how he feels? Is the regional modifier really necessary? No. This video released by the Schuring campaign has to be the kind of satisfaction that kid with the camera was looking for because it shows that he was able to get to the Schuring campaign, which was clearly the point.

Update: Boccieri's Communication's Director Bryan Collinsworth contacted me to issue the following statement:

"First of all, with a massive meltdown on Wall Street last week that could affect millions of Americans who are already worried about their financial futures, did the Schuring campaign really have nothing more serious to focus on than making this video?

Second, this guy is not our staffer. He's not affiliated with the campaign. The Schuring campaign knows this, since it’s been reported in the Canton Repository several times, including the article they cite in the video. By claiming he's a 'Boccieri staffer,' the Schuring campaign is being knowingly dishonest."

Good point by Collinsworth.

Update (Ben): From me. In the comments. Funny video….actually it is funny Kyle decided to put in a pro-Boccieri post if you ask me.

Believe it or not, there is other political news this weekend outside of Joe Biden.

Ashland Times Gazette: Health care, free trade, education, jobs and the economy topped the discussion as he attended a gathering of about 10 people at Lyn-Way Restaurant during a stop in Ashland. (John) Boccieri, a Youngstown Democrat, is a candidate for the Ohio 16th Congressional District.

Sunday Polls. National: WaPo/ABC Obama +4, Gallup Tie, Rasmussen Obama +3. States, Mason-Dixon: Colorado Obama +3, Nevada McCain +7, New Mexico McCain +4. Quinnipiac, Colorado McCain +1. Good news for Obama leading in Colorado after recent polls there had shown McCain taking the lead there. Bad news for Obama in Nevada. Assuming McCain wins Ohio (and that is no given) whoever wins 2 of 3 of Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico wins the White House. These latest Mason-Dixons seem to be a little different than what we have seen recently from the three Western swing states, but they are considered the gold standard in state polling.

Washington Post: In Denver, police and protesters prepare.

Sean Parnell, Lt. Governor of Alaska, proposes a land swap in which Alaska trades 2,000 acres of state land to the federal government in exchange for 2,000 acres of the ANWR area – just a small part of it's 19 million acres. This seems like a fair trade.

How conciliatory: Full votes restored to Florida and Michigan delegations. Easy to do now.

AP: 25 things you didn't know about Barack Obama. Includes such facts as "he doesn't like to shop."

OH-14: This is old, but it slipped through the cracks. When the biggest news about Bill O'Neill is that someone wrote a diary about the campaign you know you're in trouble. Ohio Daily Blog tells us that Donna Smith, a communications specialist for the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee wrote a front page diary entry on some left-wing blog site. This race is over.

Lastly, nice win overnight for the US Basketball team. I stayed up to watch it.

Kyle finishes his questions with Senator Boccieri.

Ben continues with Senator Schuring.

Once again, thanks to both candidates for sitting down with us. Both should be applauded for reaching out to the blogs to get their message out and embracing new media. This race has garnered a lot of attention both nationally and locally and is sure to do so all the way through November 4th.

Ben interviews Senator Schuring at Wooster Brush in Wooster.

Kyle interviews Senator Boccieri at his campaign office in Canton.

Both interviews were filmed last Thursday afternoon and this first set of clips each lasts just over four minutes. The second half will be posted soon.

48 hours after telling us peasants to fill up our tires and suck it up, Obama reverses course on off-shore drilling. There is nothing he won't change his position on – and then tell us that we are wrong, that his position never actually changed, we just didn't understand it the first time. No wonder he won't agree to any townhall debates with McCain before the real debates. He doesn't want to be exposed.

CNN: Obama says offshore drilling stance nothing new. Key excerpt: But on Saturday morning, Obama said this "wasn't really a new position."

Obama did reverse course, but his fellow Democratic senator, Ken Salazar from Colorado sure didn't. Salazar said $10 gallon gas won't make him change his mind………………….

Great scene yesterday on the House floor where Republicans kept talking about energy even after Speaker Pelosi shut off the lights and turned off the microphones and TV cameras. One Democrat did stay and watch for a little while – Dennis Kucinich. Regardless, it was the most attention garnered by the Republicans since the 2006 loss of control. For a great write up on this, check out what Da King wrote about it.

Late last week, we did interviews with both Kirk Schuring (me) and John Boccieri (Kyle). Expect to see them here early this week.

Stevens Sinks: A new Ivan Moore Research poll in Alaska shows Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) leading Sen. Ted Stevens, 56% to 35%. However, even though Stevens faces six opponents in the Aug. 26 Republican primary, he still holds a huge lead over chief rival Dave Cuddy (R), 59% to 19%. Meanwhile, a new Rasmussen Reports poll shows Begich leading Stevens, 50% to 37%. Alaska Republican primary voters need to wake up. Now.

OH-3: Jane Mitakides, Democratic challenger to Mike Turner, puts out a release saying that 70% of her funds raised have come from inside the district. Interesting, because around 45% of her total contributions have come from her own household. Over 43% of the total amount raised to date was contributed by the candidate to herself – $140,789.45. Seems a little dishonest and deceptive if you ask me. Turner has over 4x the cash on hand than does Mitakides. The quarterly filing of Mitakides here.

Jesse Jackson Jr. would be interested in Obama's junior senator of Illinois slot if it becomes available. I wonder if he is appointed if he would be fortunate enough to see his primary opponent and general election opponent self destruct and then get to face Alan Keyes in his first defense of the seat. Probably not.

Kyle beat me to the punch putting up the newest McCain ad two posts below. I love it. I like both of the new ones. Democrats do not. They are starting their typical crying about the GOP running smears and negative campaigns. These are smears? Kyle tried to use some sarcasm but he knows it hits right to the core of Obama. McCain is getting more aggressive and putting out better ads right now than is Obama.

Buckeye Punditeers said it this way: Obama may still go ahead and win this election. However, the seeds have been planted for a 100 day assault on him that his campaign may not be able to survive. August is the time to start the assault on Obama's record and past statements.

I would be nervous too if I was them………

At one table were a group of older adults. One couple began by telling the story of how they have fallen behind in this economy. Speaking for her husband, a woman told the story of how he lost his factory job in the Canton area of twenty-five plus years when a two week notice out of the blue was given to all employees. The couple lost their main source of income, but more importantly lost their health insurance. She is on 12 different medications and the wait to get on Medicare is over a year. They have both tried to go back to work, but the physical demands for the factory jobs available (like the amount of weight they need to lift) are too much for them to work. He was able to find work, but for much less pay and without benefits. They have tried to purchase private health insurance, but the premiums for her prior conditions make the rates unaffordable. As they spoke, you could hear the exhaustion and frustration in their voices as they described their situation to a group of strangers and a candidate.

Boccieri responded by stressing the need to get our spending priorities of a country back on track and to stop sending so much money to Iraq. He stated that if our country would just make it a priority that we could make sure that quality health care is available and affordable to all Americans. He also stressed the need for medical decisions to be made by doctors and not accountants at insurance companies. It was a powerful exchange and there were a lot of nodding heads under that tent. Other questions included student loan debt, caring for our veterans, and reforming education. The Q&A lasted for about an hour and had a nice flow.

These kind of events are missing from our politics. People need the chance to sit down and ask questions. Candidates need to put themselves out there and prove that they can think on their feet. Boccieri gets it. He listened to the voters' concerns and answered their questions with thoughtful and complete answers. He was serious, gave a few laugh lines, and respectfully asked for their votes. It was a great event that made more confident in Boccieri's prospects for November.



Final thought: If there are any DCCC consultants reading this post, I'd like to know why Boccieri is still the #2 targeted race in the country and hasn't been bumped up to #1?

"In 1986 and 1987, records show that the IRS filed tax liens against the home of Ohio Republican J. Kirk Schuring, who is running to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Ralph Regula. The Ohio Department of Taxation also filed three judgment liens against Schuring and his wife, Darlene — in 1987, 1988 and 1993 — for a total of $5,181.97, according to the Stark County court records. Schuring and his wife settled the disputes over personal income and withholding tax shortly after they were filed, according to the court record." – Patrick O'Connor, The Politico

This isn't the kind of news Team Schuring wants out there in a year where the economy is a key issue. Three times over a six year period shows a pattern of not paying his taxes on time. The Schuring campaign needs to offer an explanation soon. More: information on liens from the IRS.

In other Republican news, John McCain will be visiting Berlin, Ohio today after canceling a trip to New Orleans due to the hurricane. There is some speculation that he could make his Vice-Presidential announcement today and pick Rob Portman or John Kasich. If that is the case, it will show the McCain campaign is in a complete panic over Obama's successful overseas trip and is willing to ad lib the timing to make their VP announcement.

What a bad week it has been for John McCain. While Obama is oversees looking Presidential, McCain is riding in golf carts with Bush 41 and holding press conferences in supermarket aisles. Obama's trip out of the country was an opportunity for the McCain campaign to score some points on the domestic front and so far it has been missed.

On the Schuring thing……Just like that AG story below, this is old news being recycled and something that was resolved quickly. It is about 20 years old and Schuring has been elected multiple times since then. I guess the people have been happy with the job Schuring has done for them. Nothing more than an effort to try and score some cheap political points.

To be sure, Youngstown John will try to use this in his out of district campaign.

OH-15: Kilroy ahead by $283,514
This is the most hotly contested race in Ohio. Both parties are pouring resources into this district. Stivers won the last quarter of fundraising, but it is remarkable that Kilroy has been able to maintain her cash advantage. Emily's List has a perfect summary on the state of this race: "In 2006, Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy nearly unseated the highest ranking Republican woman in Congress, Ohio Rep. Deborah Pryce. Pryce outspent Kilroy by almost $2 million in the 15th district, but won by a margin of only 1,062 votes. Kilroy immediately decided she would challenge Pryce in 2008, and the incumbent later decided not to seek re-election — leaving this critical seat in a presidential swing state open and up for grabs." Kilroy's cash advantage gives her a great chance to finally turn this district blue.

State Sen. Steve Stivers (R-Upper Arlington):
$428,922 this quarter, $879,753 cash on hand

Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Columbus):
$365,962 this quarter, $1,163,267 cash on hand

OH-16: Boccieri ahead by $182,076
I stood up at my desk and started clapping when I saw these numbers. Schuring is now going to have to spend the next fundraising quarter explaining why he is behind in fundraising in a district that has been in Republican control since 1951. Boccieri will be able to continue to raise the profile of his candidacy and build on his organizational advantage.

State Sen. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton):
$329,525 in this quarter, $348,939 cash on hand

State Sen. John Boccieri (D-New Middletown):
$391,237 in this quarter, $531,015 cash on hand

Several Democratic challengers in Ohio are also looking very promising. Toping the list is Vic Wulsin in OH-2 who has $378,084 and is nipping at the heals of incumbent Jean Schmidt who has $393,028 cash on hand. In OH-1, Democratic challenger Steve Driehaus has a very respectable total of $631,440 in the bank, but is farther behind incumbent Steve Chabot who has $1,311,547. These are two races in southern Ohio where Democrats are in a good position to take out Republican incumbents.

However, it wasn't all rosy for Democrat candidates in Ohio. The most disappointing report came out of Ohio's 14th Districts where incumbent Republican Steve LaTourette has $870,849 in the bank compared to a meager $46,541 for Democratic challenger Bill O'Neill. In O'Neill's defense, he did have open heart surgery last quarter and lost valuable time on the trail. Hopefully he can turn it around. Ben and I will continue to highlight the numbers from other Congressional races around the state in the coming week.

Numbers courtesy of PolitickerOH.com

News from the 16th: New poll by the Tarrance Group has Kirk Schuring up six points on John Boccieri in the 16th Congressional District. To me, this indicates that Boccieri's liberal do-nothing policies (such as refusing to drill for oil) are not selling in the district. This is a major setback to Boccieri and his DC and Youngstown supporters. Schuring release.

But that is not it. The word on the street is that Boccieri also did some internal polling 2-3 weeks ago and his numbers also show he is losing and is down double digits in Stark County alone! I would assume that is why those poll numbers were never released. That would be an ominous sign if there ever was one. If Boccieri can't win Stark, then he can quit running. Maybe this is why they tried that desperate stunt last week when his staffers stormed Schuring HQ in Canton! Maybe it is why Boccieri is out issuing debate challenges when debates are already scheduled. Maybe it is why Boccieri tried his gas station stunt to announce he was against more oil drilling. As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Ben, I've got to break into your post to help fill in the facts conveniently left out. The actual numbers were 40% for Schuring, 34% for Boccieri, and 26% undecided. Yes, Schuring is up by 6%, but the sample size was only 400 and the 6% spread was well with in the 4.9% margin of error. Tough times if this is what the Schuring campaign has to spin as good news. What was that you were saying about desperate times? The real headline should read: OH-16 Poll Shows Race Too Close To Call In R Leaning District

Freedom's Watch has been making robo-calls into the 16th Congressional District falsely attacking Democratic Candidate John Boccieri for voting for a gas tax in the State of Ohio in 2003. The truth is that Boccieri voted against it. It was Republican Kirk Schuring who voted for Governor Bob Taft's transportation bill in 2003 which added a gasoline tax costing Ohioans hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The Boccieri campaign estimates that vote will cost Ohioans over $250 million in gasoline taxes in 2008 alone. In another strange twist, the call supposedly refers to Boccieri as a "Columbus politician." That is a strange way to brand the opponent when Schuring is also a State Senator.

The Boccieri campaign isn't taking this stunt by Freedom's Watch lying down. Yesterday morning, Boccieri campaign staffers hand delivered a letter from Boccieri challenging Schuring to a one on one debate about energy policy in a neutral location. It will be interesting to see how Schuring explains his vote. I also haven't heard the ad yet, but if I can get my hands on it I'll post it. No word on how long the robo-calls from Freeedom's Watch will continue, but I'm sure this isn't the last we'll hear of from them. I hope Ari makes a personal appearance in the district. Maybe he'll bring the President and they can do an event with Senator Schuring about energy policy. Why not get Bob Taft too? I'm sure he's available.

Other Ohio Blogs weigh in:
- David Dewitt at PolitickerOH.com
- Ohio Daily Blog
- John4Congress.blogspot.com

Thanks, Kyle for letting me respond. I figured you would let me.

This was a nice stunt yesterday morning, storming the Schuring HQ. Very "congressional." Two of Boccieri's staffers barged into the Schuring offices in Canton and started taking pictures at will. After taking the pictures, the Boccieri staffers finally identified themselves as Boccieri campaign workers, one of which was the campaign manager. Reeks of desperation. Sounds like something Dennis Kucinich would do when he was left out of a presidential debate. Senator Schuring, in a press release said, "This was a tactic designed to intimidate and it's not going to work, nor is it acceptable here in the 16th Congressional District. Perhaps this is the way he has run his campaigns in Youngstown, but that style of campaigning won't sit well with voters here. John, you should apologize to the voters to the 16th District and fire these staffers today."

Boccieri keeps hitting Schuring on gas prices. What is Boccieri's plan? Oh, I know. The same as the rest of the House Caucus he wants to join – "cracking down on oil companies and Wall Street speculators." We all know that's nothing more than a DC liberal gimmick that isn't an actual solution. The prices I have been paying tell me that. Does he aspire to tag team with Betty Sutton at the hearings?

I did have one problem with the robo-calls. They shouldn't be calling Boccieri a "Columbus politician," they should have called him a "Youngstown politician." You know, since he lives right outside Youngstown and not in the 16th.

Schuring for Congress website.