There has been talk lately about Mr. Renacci’s recent endorsement by the Ohio Right to Life organization. Apparently the Ohio Right to life believes end of life care is reason enough to endorse, for Mr. Renacci has no record whatsoever of participating in Right to Life activities unlike Matt Miller and Paul Schiffer who both have extensive records. This was brought up in a recent Medina Republican Roundtable event last week when Matt Miller commented on the endorsement saying “This is nothing against you Mr. Renacci.” and then went on the express his disappointment in regards to the endorsement after Paul Schiffer had brought up the issue. He was told by members of the Ohio Right to Life organization that they only endorse based on the amount of monies that are raised by a candidate. Mr. Renacci seemed to confirm this when he went on record saying he had personal one on one meetings with each board member prior to the endorsement. Hmmm…. Can you say payoffs? Certainly sounds like it doesn’t it. Let me be frank there is no proof at this point that money exchanged hands but Mr. Renacci’s justification of his endorsement smells based on his own words.
Then just the other day a letter that Chairmen Bill Heck wrote to the Ohio Right to Life Organization was posted on the blog NO MUZZLE POLITICS:
Mr. Gonidakis,
Thursday, April 15th. at our Medina County Republican Round Table Congressional Candidate night Matt Miller, the Republican candidate for the Congressional 16th District, denounced the Ohio Right to Life endorsement of Jim Renacci for Congress. Matt said from his follow-up discussion of the Board’s decision Matt said, “he challenged the Board for making the Jim Renacci endorsement”… and that, “the Director told him the Ohio Right to Life organization endorsed Jim Renacci because he had more money.” Matt went on to tell the crowd of nearly 50 people, “that something to critically wrong with the Ohio RTL and the Board if this is where their values are since he had years of dedication supporting the organization activities and events.”
Jim Renacci then provided some insight to his endorsement process by the Ohio Right To Life. Jim highlighted his 27 years of being in the healthcare business and protecting not only the rights of the unborn but also, the seniors and others in his care facilities who were living in his facilities during their end of their lives situations. Additionally, Jim Renacci went on to say got that six months ago Jim Renacci wasn’t known to most voters throughout the 16th District. Jim set out to meet with each Ohio Right to Life Board member and tell his life-long story of concern and caring he has provided in his care facilities, his deep catholic beliefs, and his commitment for everyone at both at conception and at end of life. He completed the ORTL interview paperwork provided to all candidates and made his position and Right to Life values known to the Board.
The emotional level of Matt’s allegations against the Ohio Right to Life organization, the board, the person in charge and most disturbing, his confrontational statements regarding the value base of the Ohio Right to Life organization, made most at the forum very uncomfortable. Of the nearly 50 people who heard Matt speak this night, here are some people who would verify and also have shocking comments of Matt’s presentation in addition to myself:
[Phone Numbers Redacted]
I want to take this opportunity to apologize to you and the Ohio Right to Life organization and your Board. All Medina County citizens and the Medina County Republican Party, support and greatly appreciates the work that the Ohio Right to Life organization does throughout the state and country.
Sincerely,
Bill Heck
Chairman,
Medina County Republican Party
Here is a suggestion Chairman – go back to school and learn proper English. Here is the link so that you can see for yourself that this letter has not been altered in anyway by the writer of this post. http://nomuzzle.com/2010/04/21/miller-rebuked-for-slandering-right-to-life-in-oh-16/
Now read below for a response from a couple in Ashland County that has seen firsthand the work Matt Miller has done for the Pro-life Movement.
What has happened to the election process in our country? Parties and special interest groups alike have taken it upon themselves to prematurely endorse certain candidates before the primaries. These actions have shed a disparaging light on the “un-endorsed” candidate causing many to forego their research into ALL the candidates.
This very thing has happened to Matt Miller, Ohio 16th U.S. Congressional District Candidate. Sadly, Ohio Right to Life has chosen to circumvent the primary election process by choosing to endorse one candidate over Matt Miller. However unintentional it may be, this action has placed the paradigm into the mind of the voters that Matt Miller is “less pro-life” than another candidate. We dogmatically want to say how untrue that paradigm is.
Here are the facts: Matt Miller states “It is imperative that we strive to continue to work to protect each life from conception until their natural death… we must never lose sight of the fact that every human life is a gift from our Creator. We must not destroy one life in an effort to preserve another.” (see his entire statement at www.mattmillerforcongress.com).
Matt Miller doesn’t just talk a good pro-life talk; he has a long list of actions that back up his statement. Matt Miller has personally attended and participated in Ashland County’s Sanctity of Human Life Community Events for many years, has been the MC for several pro-life pregnancy help center fundraising banquets, participated in LifeWalk fundraising events, and helped plan, promote and implement Ashland County’s 40 Days for Life Campaign. The list goes on.
Please research the candidates for yourself without regard to endorsements. Vote on May 4, 2010.
We encourage you to vote for Matt Miller, the pro-life candidate that talks the talk and walks the walk.
Sincerely,
Gordon & Ducia Hamm
Ashland County, Ohio
In addition to Matt’s contributions to the Pro-life movement, Paul Schiffer has made many contributions himself. He has even gone to jail for his pro-life beliefs. Has Mr. Renacci every put his freedom on the line for the Pro-life movement? Has he ever attended a rally or hosted a pro-life event? When Mr. Renacci was asked these questions all he could say was that he believed in life from conception to natural deal. What??? So do many people and I believe you would be hard pressed to find many people out there that disbelieve in natural deal (Well except for the loons in Oregon but that is another post)
The pro-life movement is not about whether or not someone has a natural death … it is about abortion plain and simple. Mr. Renacci says he is Catholic and that proves he is pro-life. Mr. Renacci do you actually know anything about your faith? Yes, the Catholic Church opposes abortion but there is a large contingent of Catholics who believe in abortion so to use your religion as a justification for your beliefs is pathetic at best. Being Catholic does not make you pro-life. It is your experiences and your beliefs that make you pro-life.
So I am again going to ask the question: What Mr. Renacci have you done for the pro-life movement other than believe in it?
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I was at this candidate night and Mr. Heck has seriously mischaracterized the events that occurred.
ReplyDeleteFirst, Matt Miller was not the one to bring up the issue of the Ohio Right to Life endorsements. Paul Schiffer brought it up, expressing his disappointment with ORTL endorsements and defending his pro-life record but said he was in no way directing any criticism at Jim Renacci or criticizing his pro-life record. Schiffer rightly pointed out that he had spent many, many years working in the pro-life movement, to the point of being arrested and he could not comprehend how the process of endorsements at ORTL could pass by a candidate with his experience and dedication to the cause.
When it was Matt's turn to speak, he said, several times, that he was in no way questioning Jim Renacci's pro-life commitment or credentials. He shared, from his heart, that he was disappointed with ORTL. He too had spent many years working for pro-life causes and his beliefs are completely in line with ORTL. He too had filled out their lengthy questionnaire and sent them information detailing his pro-life record and beliefs.
He did share, without naming names, that ORTL told him that Renacci was endorsed because he has the most money. And he questioned a value system that puts so much emphasis on money. He was right to do that.
There were many people in the room who were NOT uncomfortable with what Matt and Paul said, rather they are uncomfortable with what groups like ORTL are doing. Until recently, I thought that ORTL endorsed the candidate who was the MOST pro-life and often voted based on their endorsement list. I figured if a candidate was not endorsed, that he or she must not be truly pro-life. How many other people think that? How many people now think that Matt Miller and Paul Schiffer (and many others they've thrown under the bus across the state) are not authentically pro-life because they were not endorsed?
I'm working on the congressional campaign for Todd Sharkey in the 13th district. Todd is unapologetically pro-life, yet millionaire Tom Ganley, who has not a word about the sanctity of life on his website and who hasn't bothered to show his face at a candidate forum to explain his views on the issue, won the ORTL endorsement. Again, it appears to be all about the candidate with the biggest bank account.
Heck said,
The emotional level of Matt’s allegations against the Ohio Right to Life organization, the board, the person in charge and most disturbing, his confrontational statements regarding the value base of the Ohio Right to Life organization, made most at the forum very uncomfortable
This completely misconstrues the tenor or Matt's comments. It was neither emotional nor confrontational. He calmly made a couple statements of fact and then went on to defend his own pro-life record in detail. End of story.
I can't imagine what others, like Heck, were so uncomfortable with. I suppose that sometimes the truth is uncomfortable, but sometimes it's necessary before positive and constructive change can be made. Maybe Heck's time would be better spent being uncomfortable with ORTL's policy of endorsing the candidates with the most money. Transparency is needed in ORTL's endorsement process and perhaps this will be the catalyst to make that happen. Slinging mud at Matt Miller doesn't help to make Jim Renacci look good if that was Mr. Heck's intention.
Personally, I'm glad to see a candidate who's not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, even if it makes people a little uncomfortable.
Paula Bolyard
Doylestown
I quit dealing with Ohio RTL many years back—so many I don't recall the exact issue, except they were being arrogant weasels.
ReplyDeleteThe problem here is that they choose to endorse, thereby imposing their judgments on others with more knowledge of individual circumstances. Were they instead to simply rate the candidates according to some transparent scheme it would be far more useful and less controversial. But arrogance does that for you.