Thursday, October 21, 2010

Who Is 'Our Future Ohio PAC' And Where Did They Get $2.5 M For Strickland In One Week?

A new group has formed and created a PAC out of thin air, "Our Future Ohio" and its PAC. According to the Columbus Dispatch the group was formed just last week and is already buying up $2.5 million in ads, $1.3 million just for central Ohio, against Republican John Kasich. The group declines to say who is funding them and their deceptive ads.

Ad war escalates in governor race

Our Future Ohio was incorporated last week and created a political-action committee to counter the "overwhelming" number of conservative Republican groups running ads, spokesman Alan Melamed said.

Our Future Ohio and its PAC have a combined $1.3 million for more than 750 spots reserved in central Ohio through the election, records show. The group plans to run ads statewide at a combined cost of more than $2.5 million, Melamed said.

He declined to identify who is funding the group and said final decisions still are being made about what campaigns will be targeted besides the governor's race.

One ad features two people speaking at a kitchen table - a format also used by the RGA - complaining that Kasich and Wall Street are more responsible for Ohio's job losses during the recession than Strickland.

Alan Melamed of Cleveland, spokesman for the elusive "Our Future Ohio", is a lawyer and president of a political communications group which seems to be at the heart of Democrat machine politics here in Ohio. Melamed's VPs and others employed by him have worked as lobbyists and for such groups as the leftist Common Cause as well as many different 'green' groups cashing in on tax payer's dollars for profit. They all have close political and financial ties to Gov Strickland and Lee Fisher.

So, where did 'Our Future Ohio' get $2.5 million dollars for ads? How much more money have they received to cover their salaries, offices and overhead? That this effort is but one example of the desperation of the Strickland campaign is apparent, but who is funding this desperation and why won't the group tell us?

UPDATE: It appears that Melamed has a troubled history with the truth.

"Convicted οf Lying?"

Aѕ іf tο underscore thе futility οf using government tο regulate truth іn politics, Thе Associated Press quoted Fisher’s campaign manager, Alan Melamed, аftеr thе commission’s ԁесіѕіοn wаѕ announced аѕ saying: "Bob Taft hаѕ found hіѕ рƖасе іn history. … Hе′s thе first candidate fοr governor tο bе convicted οf lying." Thаt itself wаѕ a fаƖѕе statement. Thе commission specifically rejected Fisher’s complaints against Taft personally, аnԁ іt hаѕ nο power tο "convict," a word thаt implies criminal violations.