In the Columbus Dispatch editorial board’s face-to-face meeting between Sherrod Brown and Josh Mandel, perhaps the most notable moment was Mandel’s attack on both Brown and his support of the auto rescue—a vote that helped protect more than 800,000 Ohio jobs.

“Mandel often relied on buzzwords and phrases such as liberal, immoral and out of touch in bashing Brown and his policies, but his ‘un-American’ charge stood out in what was a lengthy, detailed assault on the $80 billion in federal money loaned to General Motors and Chrysler in 2008 and 2009.”

But when he was asked about his own positions on the auto rescue, and if he would have voted to support it, Mandel refused to answer the question (again). It took twelve minutes of “general remarks on regulations, energy production, and the U.S. tax code” before Mandel was warned that “he either did not have or was not offering an alternative.” Mandel said, “You can write, ‘Josh’s plan would’ve been, and Josh’s plan continues to be, to reform regulations and create a better economic environment for auto manufacturing and manufacturing in general.'”

We’re still waiting for Mandel to propose an alternative to the auto rescue he was so clearly against.

Later, Mandel argued that the auto rescue wasn’t tied to Ohio jobs, despite direct evidence to the contrary: “1 in 8 Ohio jobs is tied to the industry.”

“Mandel also said the cost of the loans was ‘outrageous,’ that Honda and Ford plants still would be open in Ohio, and that Brown’s arguing the bailout saved 850,000 Ohio jobs is a ‘ridiculous argument.’ He issued an impassioned critique of the bailout, saying evidence showing it ‘didn’t work’ was the Mansfield-Ontario stamping plant’s shutting down in 2009. He said Brown’s vote closed the plant.

‘That’s the first time I’ve ever heard anyone say that,’ Brown said.”

Read the full article here.