Robert Owens for Ohio Attorney General?
Published June 10th, 2008 @ 10:19 pm. Tags: ohio attorney general, robert owensAs James Nash on The Columbus Dispatch’s blog mentioned, he and I were the only two people watching Robert Owens press conference today at the statehouse to announce his intension to come in atleast 3rd place in the Ohio Attorney General election to replace disgraced former AG Marc Dann. The low turnout might have something to do with a lack of interest, but it didn’t help things that the Owens campaign’s press release listed the wrong room for the press conference and never sent out a correction. I only found the press conference by accident.
Who is Robert Owens? Well, when I first heard that name, I thought of Robert Owen, the socialist philosopher. But this guy is no socialist- Owens is supported by the Ohio Libertarian Party, is the Chairman of the Ohio Constitution Party, and is an organizer for the John Birch Society.
What is the John Birch Society? Started by started by 1958 by Robert Welch, it is an organization defined by conspiracy theories, radicalism, and general nuttiness. Among other things, Welch and his organization believed President Eisenhower, President Harry Truman, and President Roosevelt, President Kennedy, and many others were communists or, at the very least, were willingly supporting a Soviet conspiracy.
The society had been founded in 1958 by an earnest and capable entrepreneur named Robert Welch, a candy man, who brought together little clusters of American conservatives, most of them businessmen. He demanded two undistracted days in exchange for his willingness to give his seminar on the Communist menace to the United States, which he believed was more thoroughgoing and far-reaching than anyone else in America could have conceived. His influence was near-hypnotic, and his ideas wild. He said Dwight D. Eisenhower was a “dedicated, conscious agent of the Communist conspiracy,” and that the government of the United States was “under operational control of the Communist party.” It was, he said in the summer of 1961, “50-70 percent” Communist-controlled. [...]
The society became a national cause célèbre-so much so, that a few of those anxious to universalize a draft-Goldwater movement aiming at a nomination for President in 1964 thought it best to do a little conspiratorial organizing of their own against it.[...]
[Russell] Kirk, unimpeded by his little professorial stutter, greeted the subject (of the John Birch Society) with fervor. It was his opinion, he said emphatically, that Robert Welch was a man disconnected from reality. How could anyone reason, as Welch had done in The Politician, that President Eisenhower had been a secret agent of the Communists? This mischievous unreality was a great weight on the back of responsible conservative political thinking. The John Birch Society should be renounced by Goldwater and by everyone else—Kirk turned his eyes on me—with any influence on the conservative movement.[...]
“How would you define the Birch fallacy?” Jay Hall asked.
“The fallacy,” I said, “is the assumption that you can infer subjective intention from objective consequence: we lost China to the Communists, therefore the President of the United States and the Secretary of State wished China to go to the Communists.”
“I like that,” Goldwater said.
What would Russell Kirk do? He was straightforward. “Me? I’ll just say, if anybody gets around to asking me, that the guy is loony and should be put away.”
Since then, the JBS has become quite irrelevant. They have a website, are anti-NAFTA, are scared to death that America will someday join with Mexico and Canada as one unified country, and generally give me the creeps.
Robert Owens didn’t bring up his affiliations, and didn’t have a platform of what he would do as attorney general, outside of generic comments about transparency, enforcing Ohio’s sunshine laws, and opposing special interests.
If you are interested in watching, here is Robert’s first web video:
I have nothing against independent candidates, but this one has an ego that could barely be contained within the walls of the Ohio statehouse. Such a candidate needs to go into it knowing he will lose, and be there to keep the serious candidates in check and cause a big fuss about corruption in both major parties. Ohio’s business climate has suffered enough under corrupt Marc Dann’s reign, and conservatives shouldn’t be quick throw their vote away by voting for Owens and handing the Attorney General’s office over to Rich Cordray.
As of now, I am not too impressed by any of the proposed nominations for AG. If Robert is a proud Birch member, he has my vote. The JBS is at the very least dedicated to limited government wich is more than I can say about most Ohio Republicans and John McCain.
It is understandable that you would perceive the JBS as you have, because the smear is so pervasive in our culture, but I implore you to examine the facts of the assertions you have made to quickly dismiss Independent candidate Robert Owens.
The JBS is indeed anti-NAFTA and working hard to stop the movement toward regional government that has become fashionable in our world today. Following suit with the EU, South America just created a South American Union and Australia is calling for an Asian Union.
NAFTA is the vehicle by which the same regional governance is being formed for North America without Congressional approval by expanding and deepening trade regulations. For an explanation of exaclty how, check out “Building a North American Union: Fact or Fiction” on Google Video. It is explained step by step and you can then independently verify the assertions.
Republicans McGregor, Setzer, Stebelton, Peterson, Hughes, Flowers, and Fessler have all co-sponsored Ohio House Concurrent Resolution 31: To urge the President and Congress of the United States to oppose any effort to implement a tri-national political, governmental entity among the Unites States, Canada, and Mexico, and to oppose the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America and initiatives pursued in conjunction with the Partnership that threaten the sovereignty of the United States.
Also, Pat Tiberi is a co-sponsor for similar legislation in Congress: House Concurrent Resolution 40: Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should not engage in the construction of a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Superhighway System or enter into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada.
Finally, I’m sure you know that Independents have such a short amount of time to comply with requirements for ballot access in the event of a vacancy. Robert Owens’s petition signatures have not yet been validated by the SOS. It is tough to develop a platform before you know if you’ve made it past the first, most important hurdle.
I truly hope that this information will help you to research and discern whether you have been fair to Robert Owens. At the very least, I hope you will agree that the facts presented are worthy of your attention.
Thanks very much for your consideration.
Talk of a NTU is the first sign of insanity. But I’d be fully supportive of new freeways if they reduced transaction and transportation costs to transactions. Go call up George Noory and ramble on his radio show about the NTU, Bilderberg Group, 9/11 Truth, the unconstitutionality of income taxes, et cetera… Because that’s the perfect platform for such nonsense.
And as much as I’d love to have a conservative candidate to vote for every time, and as many disagreements as I have with the Republican Party, I will continue to support the current 2-party system, as it has a healthy moderating effect.
I have no reason to doubt that Owens is a nice guy and a good lawyer. But I’m a conservative who doesn’t want conservatism defined in Ohio by organizers of kook organizations.
And he is apparently smart enough to scrub mention of JBS from his campaign website after it was originally listed on his biography.
Hey Matt,
Nice punchy post. I think what some organization did 40 years ago is pretty irrelevant.
It’s a funny thing what you have not included here is why Owens is running - because the Rs and Ds have fouled up the system pretty badly.
First we had Montgomery who was a willing accomplice and major recipient of Tom Noe’s favors in Coingate. Like all the Republicans in state office at that time, it was a nationwide disgrace, and theft from you and me.
Then we have Dann in here screwing half his staff, having his Youngstown buddies run their companies from the Rhodes Tower, and misusing campaign funds in every way imaginable.
You’d have to be a moron to give either party a nickel in campaign contributions as its sure to line some pocket. There’s not a dime’s worth of difference between the two. The office shouldn’t be used for anyone’s platform - not even your kook definition of conservatism that includes insufferable elitism found down in Columbus.
Having an independent, impartial attorney who looks out for the people of Ohio makes a lot of sense.
We have a lot of “insane” Republicans in office according to your definition.
I like his video! He seems very genuine and down to earth. The Birch Society appears to be about protecting national sovereignty and the constitution. I know the mainstream media is hostile to that kind of patriotism today — which is probably why this blog is focusing on the society rather than the election itself. I hope he gets on the ballot because it is obvious conservatives consider him a threat.
I can’t wait to see what you write about that wind-bag Yost!
Wow, the mainstream media didn’t show up for an independent candidate’s announcement? I’m shocked!
“If you always do what you’ve always done, than you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” Personally– I’ve had MORE than enough of the Republicans and the Democrats. I’m ready for something different.
Robert Owens is the perfect man to be Ohio’s AG. He knows Ohioans are sick of party politics and the corruption the follows and is ready to restore integrity to our state government.
His JBS involvement only solidifies my support for him. The JBS does great work educating Americans about the importance of restoring our Constitutional government. Only the JBS is speaking out about the NAU, NAFTA, etc.
Anyone that knows Robert would agree that having a big ego is the LAST thing they would say to describe him. He is one of the most kind, genuine, and truly concerned men that I’ve met and I would be truly reassured to know he was looking over our state.
I strongly encourage my fellow citizens to think outside the left/right conservative/liberal paradigm for once and realize the immense value than an independent candidate holds.
Wow - conservatives really want Cordray to be Attorney General. It’s so sad.
It’s sadder that people are still comfortable electing the lesser of two evils because they do not have the honor to stand up against corruption. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We got nothing but disgrace and wasted taxpayer dollars from both parties in that office. I for one am happy to have an independent choice! It’s about time.
Robert Owens is an anarchist.
Ohioans for truth, good one. Thanks for the laugh! The two party monopoly is running scared. They can’t handle the threat to their loss of power and money so they resort to smear and name calling. It is so funny to watch. The public is certainly taking notice.
I am a dyed in the wool Republican who also believes our Party is way off track. The country club crowd has taken over and all they care about is their 401K. Bob Bennet is a perfect example of what is wrong with our Party. Not only does he not get it, he doesn’t even suspect. I would gladly support a third Party or an independent, but the problem is they come off so kooky. Some of the stuff Ron Paul or Ralph Nader for that matter come up with is either stupid, ridiculous, or crazy. Ross Perot was the closest thing to a credible independent we’ve ever had.
If the independents come up with a likeable, sensible alternative I’ll certainly listen, but so far all they have are conspiracy theorists, hate mongers, religious fanatics, and whack jobs.
What’s with all the NAFTA talk? Get a clue, this is a global economy. NAFTA is not the problem here. If the John Birch folks and the Robert Owens crowd really want to make a difference they would work to help us change the Republican Party back into a three legged stool Reagan Conservatives could be proud of. Instead of working in the shadows outside the mainstream, try to change the mainstream.
The writer of this article uses the same, long refuted, accusations against The JBS and quoted misinformaton from so-called conservatives like Buckley and Kirk. Robert Welch and The John Birch Society never called Eisenhower a communist or a secret agent of the communists. Read “The Politician” for yourself.
The late Bill Buckley had more contempt for Constitutiuinalists than he did socialists. His TV show was a forum for his leftists cocktail-party, county club effete friends. But he never invited a spokesman from The John Birch Society. If he had, he would have been exposed for the fraud and liar he was. He once counted Mr. Welch as a friend and Buckley’s mother was a proud member of The JBS. But when Welch pointed to New York City and Washington, DC. as the center of our problems and not Moscow, Buckley stabbed Mr. Welch in the back. If you really want to learn about Buckley and his betrayal, read “William Buckley: The Pied Piper of the Establishment.” It is an expose not only of Buckley but also what became known as the Neo-Conservative Movement.
As for Robert Owens, he is a fine man. The people of Ohio should be delighted that a person of his character is running for office.
Harold Shurtleff
Boston, MA
Ron, here is a perspective to consider: three legged stools are not sturdy! A strong defense, a strong economy and strong social values need a solid foundation to stand on. That’s what is missing from the Republican Party, which allowed us to become an empire using force — rather than Just war, a welfare state using globalism and so-called compassionate conservatism — rather than limited constitutional government and a morally bankrupt culture using the state to provide for our every need — rather than promoting the inherent connection between liberty and responsibility.
When there is no solid foundation, like a genuine confidence and allegiance to the rule of law, crafty tyrants forge their chains by deceiving the public about what actually constitutes a strong defense, a strong economy and strong social values. Look at you - you think that what the Republican party used to stand for is now “stupid, ridiculous, or crazy.”
With Republicans like you, who seem to be pridefully perpetuating partisan deception, can we ever rely on this party (or the other one for that matter) to put forth a candidate that would “genuinely” promote integrity, transparency and accountability in the office of the AG? I don’t think it’s possible without a foundation to stand on.
Small r, I was with you right through the first to paragraphs. Where did I say what the Republican Party used to stand for is crazy? I said Ron Paul and Ralph Nader come up with stupid, ridiculous, and crazy ideas. One is on the right and the other is on the left, so how does that have anything to do with Republican ideals. A little defensive are we?
The point of my post was to encourage Constitutionalists to join us in taking back our Party. Most of us agree with you. But stop following whack jobs like Ron Paul. It just makes you look crazy. The Ron Paul speech I sat through left me disgusted not only by his hate mongering, but also because he used the entire 30 minutes wiping his runny nose with his bare hand. Gross! And this is the guy you all pick to run for President?
We live in a society which is driven by the marketing of products. Regardless of what that says about our country it doesn’t change the fact. Show me a contitutionalist or a libertarian who’s not an extremist and who can deliver a speech with some level of rationality and I’ll gladly listen.
Why is Mr. Owens the perfect candidate for OHio AG? He has not even released his platform yet. He has just stated that he will work to restore the integrity, and keep special interests at bay, but no substance. How can people say this is a man of high character and the perfect choice unless you know him personally (judging from the positive responses, its most likely they do). If you do know him personally, please cite some specific examples of his ideals and characters so we can intelligently discuss them since he has not released any details of his campaign. This is just turning into a pro/con JBS and Ron Paul forum otherwise.
I also see on his website that he claims to be a former prosecutor. When and Where was that? I don’t remember ever remember seeing him elected as a prosecutor. So let me get this straight, the guy who wants to bring honesty and integrity is already lying about his resume and committing elections fraud. Sounds about right.
After seeing his press release I found that he used to be a Prosecutor in Sunbury. What the? Sunbury doesn’t have a Prosecutor. The local prosecutor is Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost. I wonder how he feels about Owens stealing his title. Sunbury may have a village attorney or something, but they certainly do not have a Prosecutor. What a fraud this guy is.
Ron, thanks for the dialog. First Nader and Perot are not Constitutionalists and certainly not Republicans so they are not applicable to this discussion.
Ron Paul’s ideals and voting record lie sqarely where Republican principles used to be: humble foreign policy, free market economics, sound money and personal responsibility. Of couse to today’s Republicans this sounds extreme because it is now outside the norm. And partisan politics naturally engenders an “us v. them” mentality rather than a commitment to principles (the foundation). So if you think Ron Paul is crazy, then you must also think that adherance to the Rule of Law and the Constitution are crazy — hence my statement. Ron Paul’s platform is exactly what Senator Taft ran on in the 1950’s, and he was called “Mr. Republican.”
Your opinions about why Ron Paul wouldn’t make a good president don’t seem to follow logic. Do we vote in this nation based on trivial things like how someone wipes their nose in a speech we saw once? God save America if that is the standard. Maybe that’s why the Republican party cannot be reformed.
You will have to explain what you perceive as “hate mongering” and what you consider to be “extremist” or “irrational” about Ron Paul’s speeches. I can call someone (or their ideas) “crazy,” “whackjob,” or other nasty names, but if I don’t point to the basis for my opinion, how on earth can anyone take what I say seriously? It isn’t helpful to an honest debate and only promotes conflict.
Small “r” I agree with a lot of what you point out above. Except I’m not so sure what “humble” foreign policy means. I’m for protecting this country and it’s interests at all costs no matter what, no matter where. Bush understands this and it’s one of the few things he truly gets.
Ron Paul’s comments from the Meet The Press interview on race are out of touch, hateful, and crazy. I just think he is a joke, though some of his ideas are good. Paul is just a horrible candidate and it hurts the message.
Bottom line is I agree with the Libertarians and Constitutionalists on more things than I disagree with. In fact, I agree with them more than I agree with the RINOs. I’d just like to see them work within the mainstream instead of attacking the mainstream.
Humble foreign policy is exactly what George Bush ran on in 2000. Ron Paul consistently said this. Stay out of foreign entanglements, no nation building…etc. That’s not what he is doing now and we are going bankrupt fighting an endless war and flirting with another one.
Your statements about protecting the country and its intereste at all costs no matter what, no matter where demonstrates my point about the definition of strong national defense being changed because we no longer stand on the foundation of “Just War” and the Golden Rule. Our government’s intervention in the affairs of others all around the world has stirred up the ire that naturally follows when we do not follow the Golden Rule in foreign affairs. Now we have involved ourselves “beyond the power of extrication” and attacks on us, due to this long-time intervention is just what warmongers need (and use) to convince us that we must perpetuate the intervention to “defend” ourselves. Many people today have no idea what kind of foreign policy our nation has embraced over the last 50 years (no matter which administration is in power) so it doesn’t take much to convince them that we must engage in pre-emptive war.
“Out of touch, crazy, joke, horrible candidate…” again with the name calling and lack of specifics. I can’t engage in a dialog that doesn’t contain the substance to support it.
Maybe the mainstream is so hostile to truth, history and common sense that Constitutionalists realize it is a lost cause to try to even play the game. Afterall, Ron Paul tried to bring his message to the mainstream and all he got was a smear and media blackout (especially when the voting started). It was uncanny. But it was also because people started to listen (judging by the record setting money bombs) and it was becoming more difficult to try to malign him in the debates (which is why he was excluded in the Fox forum right before the New Hampshire primary).
The American people haven’t rejected the mesage. They just haven’t heard it because the majority are so tapped into the mainstream media sources. The internet isn’t controlled by powerful, connected corporate interests yet and that’s why his message was resoundingly embraced by those that use it to find the truth that they are not being told by Fox News, CNN and the New York Times.
You act as though the ideas of Liberty, the Rule of Law and Constitutional government, that birthed the most prosperous nation in the history of the world, is given anywhere near a fair platform in the mainstream. It is an “Emperor’s new clothes” environment where reporters that want to advance don’t dare rock the boat.
Anonymous,
You don’t fool anyone. We know you are Mr. Yost trying to spread disinformation.
I know Mr. Owens personally and if he wasn’t a prosecutor, I don’t know what he was doing over there in Sunbury prosecuting criminal matters a few years ago.
ohioans for truth,
He can’t release a platform until his signatures are validated by the SOS and he knows for sure he will be on the ballot. Catch up by reading the 2nd post at the top! Be patient, please don’t try to use this reality to make him look bad.
Small “r”
You had me with you for a while, but you blew it. You have to wake up and realize most of the Libertarian message is pretty good, but you lose everyone on your foreign policy stance. Your foreign policy position is similar to Obama and that dog won’t hunt. Anyone who would likley be with you believes taking the fight to them is the right move. The Ron Paul crowd apparently forgets that we were attacked on 9/11. We took the fight to them and we haven’t been attacked since. Not 1 American civilian has died since we took the fight to them. It’s that simple. It has nothing to do with nation building. It has everything to do with killing every last terrorist there is. Welcome to World War 3. This is how we are fighting it. We’re not going bankrupt because of the war. We’re going bankrupt because we can’t say no to pork. How many people have sacrificed anything? None. We could fight this war for 100 years and not go bankrupt. Our problem is domestic spending. The bridge to nowhere type of stuff.
We are not in a position to play isolationist politics. These MFers are attacking our people on our shores. We can’t bury our heads in the sand and pretend it will go away. They want to kill us! For all his faults, and there are many, George W. Bush did what was right, he took the fight to them. And not only that, but when the going got tough, he had the balls to stay there. I personally think he’s a moron on a lot of issues, but he was right on this.
You talk about the money bombs and the media keeping a brother down. Seriously, give me a break. We all know the money bombs were from constitutional lawyers who don’t have anything better to spend their money on. The media kept you down because you didn’t even come close to winning a single primary. You never even cracked double digits in your own polls. You raised far more money and got just as much media coverage as Huckabee, yet your couldn’t win a thing and he did. Why is that? Because he wasn’t crazy and Ron Paul was. Get a candidate who doesn’t look, sound, and talk like a fool and maybe your message will get out. Work with us, not against us. We can change this Party.
By the way everyone heard the message and they rejected the messenger. Come up with someone who’s half way decent and they’ll listen. You can play the “media didn’t give us a chance” game all you want. It’s just not true…and I hate the liberal media. Your message was pretty good, your messenger was awful.
Ron, that you are hostile just shows that no matter what I say, you are conditioned to object. This is party politics at its worst. Anyone with a different opinion is a democrat or a kook to you. That you would liken Ron Paul’s foreign policy to Obama’s and invoke 9/11 to justify intervention in Iraq really shows that you are party animal, operating with incorrect or at the very least incomplete information (actually it is recycled Fox News soundbites).
I seriously can’t debate someone who just wants to name call, refuses to give honest examples and ignores my points and examples. I can’t continue to engage with someone who clearly is not acting in good faith.
I think your agenda here is just to cause conflict and I’m not going to take the bait. I feel that I gave you a fair chance and did not impugn bad faith onto you simply because we disagreed. But I was not given the same consideration in return. Accordingly, the dialog can only be destructive.
You just demonstrated for everyone here why the Republican Party cannot be reformed. It is futile.
I think you have me all wrong. I’m with you on most issues. What
I don’t understand is your loyalty to Ron Paul. It’s almost like he’s your God. I’m not trying to name call or whatever. I’m just trying to understand why you are more interested in defending the man rather than the message. I’m not trying to confuse or conflict.
Not everyone is out to get you. You can relax. The black helicopters work for us.
small r republican,
I’m sorry I did not read your full post, otherwise I would have seen why Mr. Owens did not release his platform. I fell asleep through half of it.
I reluctantly attended his fundraiser this week and I have to say I believe this is the only lawyer I’ve ever fully trusted. His platform looks good because he knows the specific cases in Ohio for the last decade or so (that I can tell)… I’m impressed.