GOP Senate hopeful in Ohio takes aim at Republican governor over mask mandate

[TomCADem]

Source: MSN/NBC News

CLEVELAND — Josh Mandel, a Republican candidate for the Senate in Ohio, is waging an unadulterated campaign to pull his party further to the right, in part by trashing the state's Republican governor. A day after governors in Mississippi and Texas lifted mask mandates and other guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Mandel on Wednesday called on Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to do the same.

"I think Mike DeWine is a squishy establishment politician who went along with the peer pressure and the groupthink of liberal media and other squishy governors around the country when he should have been a leader," Mandel, a former two-term state treasurer, said in an interview.

Mandel's remarks escalate his bid to position himself as the Republican most in sync with former President Donald Trump in the race to succeed GOP Sen. Rob Portman, who will not seek another term next year.

Mandel has amplified the lie that the election was stolen from Trump. He has relentlessly attacked an opponent, former Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken, for the nice things she said about a Republican House member who voted to impeach Trump. And since he appeared last week at the CPAC conference for conservative activists in Florida, Mandel has branded DeWine — whose career in Republican politics goes back to 1977, when Mandel was born — with words like "squishy" and "RINO," meaning Republican In Name Only.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gop-senate-hopeful-in-ohio-takes-aim-at-republican-governor-over-mask-mandate/ar-BB1ednzm?ocid=msnbcrd&li=BBnb7Kz

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Sadly, this is smart politics because in the Fox/OAN/Newsmax world, up is down and left is right, and the election was stolen in a vast conspiracy that Trump supporting Republicans participated in along with Trump judges, so the more fascist you sound, the better your chance to appealing to right wing media viewers. Plus, they will be driven to such a frothy rage that they will turn out and perhaps even commit acts of terrorism on your behalf.

This is the new Republican calculus. Ignore reality and play to an out of touch radical minority.

[CurtEastPoint]

1. 'squishy', Joshie? I'll bet people will line up to squish their fists in your stupid smug face

[tirebiter]

2. Pencil neck geek

[CurtEastPoint]

3. oh, get this. Now divorced (and records sealed) Joshie ....

Mandel opposes same-sex marriage, saying in 2012 that he will "protect the sanctity of marriage" and "this is a fight that I will never, ever back down."[75][76] He is against gays serving in the military,[77] and voted against workplace and housing discrimination protections for gays and transgender individuals in 2009.[69]

[Claire Oh Nette]

6. another closeted republican

why seal his divorce?
if he isn't in favor of gay marriage, he should say no if a gay man asks for his hand. otherwise, he, too, can stfu.

[Ohiogal]

4. He is a smarmy, disgusting, weasel.

[Aerator]

5. Mandel has a history of not being so truthful about his opponents in his campaigns

As for Ohio and Covid they can’t get their numbers straight on the deaths .They have been running around every which way playing with the numbers after recently adding 4000 deaths that went underreported from Nov and Dec which increased the total death count by more than 35% . They announced that they will no longer give daily death numbers and will only update them twice a week because of all the confusion they are having with the numbers . Seems like if any other state was off 35 % the crap would be hitting the fan and I don’t understand why they are giving DeWine a pass.

[JohnnyRingo]

7. He sure doesn't look like he's a tough as he sounds.

More apt to say "Dude, I got a Dell".

I know he was in the Marines, but nothing about him says Gyrene. I think democrat Tim Ryan can mop the political floor with him.

[2Gingersnaps]

8. Think "Wal Mart Josh Hawley"

School of Ohio's other national embarrassment, Gym Jordan.

[SKKY]

9. I don't trust any politician who uses the word "Squishy" twice in the same sentence.

Call me silly, it's just how I am.

[True Blue American]

10. Lost to Sherrod Brown, dropped out.

https://www.cleveland.com/open/2021/02/josh-mandel-releases-details-of-sealed-divorce.html