Do these guys ever win?
Wednesday, Aug 9, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* By now, you’ve certainly heard about this…
Ohio abortion rights backers have a clearer path to victory in November now that voters refused to make it harder to amend the state constitution.
Those pushing for a reproductive rights amendment will only need to convince a simple majority of the electorate rather than the 60% sought by the Republican-led legislature and Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
About 57% voted against the proposal (Issue 1) to raise the threshold for future constitutional amendments after some ad campaigns emphasized the potential impact on the abortion question to come in the fall election. The initiative was closely watched as the latest evidence of the extent to which abortion is an issue that animates voters and gets them to the polls.
* Ohio Capital Journal…
The yes campaign committee, Protect Our Constitution, raised a little more than $4.85 million according to its filing. Nearly all of it came from a single individual who lives out of state.
Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein donated a total of $4 million to the committee. The right-wing megadonor owns the Uline shipping and office supply company, and his grandfather and great-grandfather ran Schlitz brewing.
* The Uihlein crew also appears to have done its usual schtick, adding to the boss’ direct spending by pushing fake news…
Some of the messaging from the outside groups has been deceptive. A fake newspaper distributed throughout the state has spread misleading claims about the opposition while conspiracy theorists hosted a get-out-the-vote event. […]
But a closer look revealed the mailer was far from unbiased journalism. The articles emphasized prominent elected Republicans who supported Issue 1, while stereotyping the opposition as communists, Black Lives Matter supporters and LGBTQ+ allies. […]
An internet search for The Buckeye Reporter reveals it is one of more than a thousand pseudo-local news outlets created by an Illinois-based network known as Metric Media or Pipeline Media, which churns out content promoting Republican candidates and ballot issues across the country.
A Chicago return address on the mailer matches the business address of Pipeline Media, according to state filing documents.
* You remember these folks, and so does Pearson…
* Earlier this week, Marcus Gilmer at Crain’s noted that Uihlein is backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid. The closing paragraph was about DeSantis, but could’ve also been about the Ohio effort…
Ahead of last year’s midterm elections, Richard Uihlein donated millions to candidates up and down the Illinois ballot, including GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey. And given what happened to Bailey — not to mention Walker and Cruz in 2016 — there’s reason to think that this could just be more money sunk into a candidate destined to fall short.
- NotRich - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 9:26 am:
How do I get some of that easy money?? Uihlein is probably the secret money behind the Bears move to Arlington. Lol
- JoanP - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 9:28 am:
So much winning . . .
- Roadrager - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 9:32 am:
Changing my screen name to “Fortunate Francois” and letting Dick Uihlein know that, unlike the current operation he funds, mine has never lost once at the ballot box. And for just $50 million up front, I can show him how.
- skutt - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 9:33 am:
I see Uihlein is up to his old ’setting my money on fire’ tricks.
- Bruce( no not him) - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 9:37 am:
===Do these guys ever win?===
Is the better question, do these guys ever learn?
Repeating the same mistakes over and over, and over, and over…
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 9:37 am:
As small and medium dollar Republican donors keep getting caught up in grifts (be they Trump, WinRed, or the dozens of others), Republicans become more and more reliant on a few billionaires and their whims.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 9:43 am:
“Repeating the same mistakes over and over, and over, and over…”
No doubt it frustrates and confuses the Uihleins that they can’t just fire the electorate at this point and replace them with voters more amenable to the lunatic right.
The peasants aren’t listening in sufficient numbers when they’re told who to vote for by politics knowing big brains like Dick Uihlein and Dan Proft, so it follows that democracy itself is the problem.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 9:44 am:
and yet the losing side/Ohio Secretary of State is on the Fox screaming about outside money coming in for the No side. so I guess Illinois is a part of Ohio?
- West Sider - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 9:47 am:
I don’t want them to learn. The things Uihlien, Proft et al believe, and the tactics they employ are an anathema to functional democracy. I certainly wish the would learn they were wrong all along- but that’s not going to happen, so their burn rate is my idea of winning.
- Langhorne - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 9:49 am:
Not ready for the AP class in winning elections. /s
- SouthSideGT - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 9:49 am:
“Radio talker. Golf course walker.”
Abortion ban stalker.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 9:52 am:
“A national religious organization, Catholics for Catholics, gathered a lineup of anti-abortion influencers and conspiracy theorists from across the U.S. to urge a “yes” vote during a Sunday “rosary rally” in a Cincinnati suburb.” my fav part of the PBS linked story. Catholics for Catholics?
- SouthSideGT - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 9:54 am:
@NotRich
“How do I get some of that easy money?”
I’m not sure one’s soul is negotiable. Proft was educated by Jesuits and he should have known better.
- Pundent - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 9:55 am:
=Repeating the same mistakes over and over, and over, and over…=
They’re playing a long game and counting on complacency. That’s why it’s critical that the electorate push back on each and every one of these efforts. Dobbs is all the reminder that we need that nothing is ever “settled.”
- fs - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 10:00 am:
== They’re playing a long game==
In Proft’s case the game’s in about its second decade, maybe close to third. Long game, indeed.
- Keyrock - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 10:01 am:
Do these guys ever win?
Not as long as Reinsdorf, Williams, and Hahn remain.
— Oh, sorry, I thought this post was about the Sox.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 10:19 am:
LOL. After Keyrock, all I can say is folks can and must fight back from the anti-democracy efforts of the MAGA GOP. Get out an vote.
- Donnie Elgin - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 10:27 am:
Do these guys ever win?
Uline (Uihlein) is the winner every day, his company provides amazing service at great prices. Uline is the go-to source for shipping supplies for thousands of companies, plus it is a good place to work. I have three friends that endure the drive to WI based on great pay, benefits, and work culture. Good business practices trump politics.
- DuPage Saint - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 10:30 am:
Hope all goes here guys go broke and the sooner the better
- Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 10:31 am:
Let Uihlein continue to minimize the GOP base. Smart, brains.
https://youtu.be/VrJ7xLp71e0
- Just Me 2 - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 10:35 am:
I’ve lost so many hours of sleep over the years thinking about this. I honestly have no idea why billionaires throw their money away at these losing campaigns. Are they so wealthy that they just think enjoy watching the drama unfold? Is it a perverse form of entertainment for rich people?
If they were more strategic with their money they may actually get results.
- Excitable Boy - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 10:41 am:
I’m pretty sure Proft and Timpone are getting exactly what they want out of these efforts.
- skeptic - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 10:58 am:
“If they were more strategic with their money they may actually get results.” I know, right? Maybe build a few schools, build some libraries, create green spaces, create jobs, help the homeless and then see what happens
- Formerly Unemployed - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 10:58 am:
If we can’t get the rich to pay taxes, at least we can get them to pump money into the economy this way.
- Frida's boss - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 11:01 am:
I need to open a printing press and media shop. I’ll even use supplies from his company to secure the contract.
This guy just burns money and doesn’t seem to care about
wins or losses.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 11:05 am:
they keep doing it because they are stuck in the middle ages. the belief that human development is a shining fully formed baby face the whole way along. that a new soul(their concept, mine would be potential soul) is more important than a living breathing one. Long ago I was told to stay away from RC hospitals if pregnant. that they would save the baby before the mother. I believe that has changed decades later but don’t know for sure. I’m tired of theocracy. they would certainly not tolerate Islamic rule. I am sick of their theocracy. but so are many. and so they recycle their funds into lies and ill treatment of women.
- Leap Day William - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 11:18 am:
For group of people that are so vehemently opposed to socialism, the Uihlein-Proft-Timpone trio sure do like being publicly owned at seemingly every opportunity.
- Jerry - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 11:28 am:
If the U-Lines are truly small guv’mint conservatives then they wouldn’t be supporting this amendment.
- JoanP - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 12:13 pm:
= because they are stuck in the middle ages =
The fact is that, in the middle ages, there was a different view of abortion than that espoused by folks like Uhlein and the so-called pro-life movement.
“In the medieval context, [abortion] meant the termination of a pregnancy only after what is known as “quickening.” This referred to when the mother could feel the fetus move, somewhere between 18 and 25 weeks.” https://lawandhistoryreview.org/article/abortion-was-a-crime-three-medievalists-respond-to-english-cases-dating-all-the-way-back-to-the-13th-century-corroborate-the-treatises-statements-that-abortio/
- Socially DIstant watcher - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 12:18 pm:
==This guy just burns money==
You can’t take it with you
- Amalia - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 1:19 pm:
@joan p, thank you.
- Annon3 - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 2:24 pm:
Ahh the Uihlein’s and ilk are playing long ball! You may make fun of Proft but they have been wildly successful at moving the dial ever so slightly. It is not about the grift it is about the cause.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 2:26 pm:
===wildly successful at moving the dial ever so slightly===
Where?
- Aaron B - Wednesday, Aug 9, 23 @ 3:02 pm:
I can only assume that Uihlein is hoping to have similar success to what Ken Griffin got by throwing money at the campaign to oppose the fair tax amendment.