Today local Army Generals and Veterans held a press conference to denounce Josh Mandel for admitting his opposition to the auto rescue and calling Sherrod Brown’s vote “un-American.”

From Ohio Democratic Party Headquarters, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern, “Veterans for Sherrod” Co-Chair Retired Army Brigadier General Sam Kindred, Retired Army Major General Dennis Laich and local Veterans decried Josh Mandel for calling Sherrod “un-American” while admitting his opposition to critical investments that saved the auto industry with nearly 850,000 Ohio jobs on the line.

After dodging the issue for more than a year, Josh Mandel unleashed a “lengthy, detailed assault” on the auto rescue in a Columbus Dispatch interview, in which he also called Sen. Brown “un-American” for supporting it.

Josh Mandel’s opposition to the auto rescue is wrong for Ohio’s middle class and wrong for Veterans and military families,” said General Laich. “And his charge that Sherrod is somehow un-American for standing up to protect hundreds of thousands of jobs in Ohio is over the top, it is disrespectful, and it is simply wrong. Josh Mandel is just another politician who can’t be trusted.”

“Sherrod Brown is a proven and effective leader for veterans’ causes,” said General Kindred. “I was extremely disturbed when I read that he had been called “un-American” by his opponent, Josh Mandel. Ohioans deserve more than that sort of name-calling, and Senator Sherrod Brown deserves more respect than such an empty, baseless charge. Moreover, Josh Mandel has belittled the brave men and women of our armed forces who stand up to real ‘un-American’ threats on a daily basis.”

There is no one fighting harder than Senator Sherrod Brown to move Ohio’s economy forward. When General Motors and Chrysler faced devastation, Sherrod championed the critical loans that brought the American auto industry back from the brink of a complete collapse. Thanks to his efforts, nearly 850,000 jobs tied to Ohio’s auto industry were protected, and instead of padlocked plants, auto-sales are up, factories are humming, and thousands of Ohioans are back on the job.

Sherrod is a leading voice for Veterans’ issues. He is committed to creating jobs, expanding education benefits, and increasing access to health care services for all of our military Veterans. Sherrod has worked tirelessly on legislation to encourage businesses to hire Veterans and increase job training opportunities. He fought to pass the post 9/11 GI Bill, which expanded access to higher education to millions of Veterans across the country. And he supported one of the largest increases for Veterans’ health care and medical research funding in history.