Big day of news for the Coin-gate scandal. It's going national....finally.
Toledo Blade, of course, takes the lead:
What began as questions about Ohio's $50 million venture with a Toledo-area rare-coin dealer has mushroomed in just 10 weeks into a scandal that's echoing through the halls of Congress.The Blade also explores the relationship of both Tom and Bernadette Noe to the 2004 election:
It's forcing Republicans nationwide to take a close look at what went wrong in the GOP-controlled Buckeye State.
"What's happening in Ohio is a specific case that we are looking into and monitoring closely," said Aaron McLear, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee. "We are taking steps to solve the problems. I don't think it is indicative of anything more."
Democrats are begging to differ.
Partisans in Washington argue that a Republican "culture of corruption" extends far beyond Tom Noe and Columbus, reaching all the way to the White House and Capitol Hill.
Some Democrats point to Lucas County for examples of concerns in last year's election. Mrs. Noe was chairman of the county Republican Party and chairman of the county Board of Elections.The LA Times does a long piece on the whole Noe affair and all the GOP ties. Not much new here for those following the scandal. However, it gives a good overview and this is a major paper covering "Coin-gate." And then there is this quote which means Ohioans seem to get it:
In April, she resigned from the county elections board amid concern about how the 2004 election was run. The board was completely recast because of concerns about the failure to secure ballots during last year's election, failure to secure poll books after the official canvass, and problems with some absentee ballot forms.
There were also questions about long lines and a lack of voting machines at polls that typically have a large Democratic voter turnout.
"I can't speak for other counties, but I know inside this county when [Mrs. Noe] was in charge, it was chaotic or it was ineptness," Miss Kaptur said. "Something was very sly. I have become very suspicious of what happened."
"I can now go into any bowling alley or barber shop and mention Tom Noe's name and have everyone understand what corruption in our state means," said Ohio Sen. Marc Dann, a Democrat from suburban Youngstown who has been outspoken against the GOP. "People understand when money is stolen, and they understand the connections to the Republican Party. The GOP might try to give back the money, but they're still tainted."
