Democrats are hammering Ohio state Treasurer and GOP Senate nominee Josh Mandel for holding a fundraiser, in a far-off location with some special company.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Tuesday that Mandel flew to the Bahamas last Friday, to give a speech and hold a fundraiser at the convention of the Community Financial Services Association — the trade group for the payday-lending industry, which has been targeted heavily in the debates over financial reform and the Dodd-Frank law passed by Congressional Democrats and President Obama in 2010.
Mandel is running against Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has supported Dodd-Frank and other major Democratic initiatives, in what could shape up to be a top-tier race in this big swing state.
Of course, it is not at all unusual for Senate candidates (and incumbents) travel to places far and wide, in order to raise money from VIP’s. On the other hand, Dems are pouncing at the fact that he traveled all the way to another country to do it — and, they say, neglected the job of Treasurer to which he was just elected in 2010.
From the DSCC’s press release:
Ohio’s absentee Treasurer Josh Mandel is good at one thing – NOT doing his job. Yesterday the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Mandel went to great lengths to skirt his responsibilities as Treasurer, flying to the Bahamas last week to do what he does best – tend to his political interests with a fancy fundraiser. Mandel has set a modern day record for completely blowing off his duties as Treasurer, failing to attend a single meeting of the Board of Deposit, an important state investment board that Mandel chairs.
“From the moment he was sworn in to office Josh Mandel has thumbed his nose at the people of Ohio and skirted his job responsibilities as Treasurer,” said Matt Canter. “It’s unbelievable that Josh Mandel has the audacity to fly to the Bahamas to raise campaign cash after setting a modern day record for completely ignoring his job, all while arrogantly asking Ohioans for a promotion to the Senate.”
Mandel campaign spokesman Travis Considine sought to turn the accusations, of being friendly to the payday loan industry, back on Brown, the Plain Dealer reports:
Considine characterized Mandel’s support from payday lenders as less onerous than Brown’s fund-raising from other financial industry segments. While Brown “voted for the Wall Street bailout,” Considine said, he “took $2.3 million in donations from the finance, insurance, and real estate sector,” and $74,500 from credit company interests.
Actually, Brown did not take all that money while voting to bail out Wall Street. Based on a composite compiled by Political Money Line, those figures appear to cover Brown’s entire career in the House — 14 years — as well as his five years so far in the Senate.
CFSA spokesman Steven Schlein told TPM that Mandel’s fundraiser was initiated and sponsored by the group’s political action committee — distinct from the organization proper — while Mandel also spoke at the association’s conference itself.
TPM asked Considine for a response to the DSCC’s attacks, and also for a copy of any prepared remarks from Mandel’s speech. Considine declined to comment further on the story.
