In Previous Debates Mandel’s Said He’d Take Unqualified Political Cronies With Him To Washington, Admitted He Would Have Voted To Let Auto Industry Die

Through two debates, Ohioans know what to expect from Josh Mandel tonight: 60-second sound bites, poll tested to perfection; hallow slogans lacking in substance; untold numbers of  previously debunked lies.

It’s not hard to figure out. Josh Mandel’s objective in these debates is to distract Ohioans from his record of blowing off work, hiring unqualified political cronies and friends in the Treasurer’s office, opposing the auto rescue with 850,000 Ohio jobs in the balance and opposing Sherrod’s bipartisan China currency jobs bill that would level the playing field for American workers.

Josh Mandel will pretend that these issues do not matter. He will steal a page from the Karl Rove playbook, falsely accusing Sherrod of lying about his record in an effort to distract from the fact that he was named the “Pants on Fire crown” wearer by Politifact Ohio. He’s been called the “cartoon candidate,” and for good reason, because the down-in-the-gutter campaign he’s chosen to run has become a parody of itself.

Tonight Josh Mandel will continue his campaign of lies and deceptions, but do not forget – Josh Mandel is a politician who can’t be trusted.

The real Josh Mandel broke his promise to serve out his full four-year term as treasurer. He has ignored his official state duties to travel across the country and abroad to places like the Bahamas to campaign and raise money, blown off billion-dollar investment meetings and broken his 2010 campaign pledge to hire “qualified financial professionals” by instead hiring unqualified political cronies and friends in the Treasurer’s office.

And during a debate last week, Josh Mandel shockingly promised to bring his office cronies with him to Washington, if elected.

The real Josh Mandel opposed the auto rescue, calling Sherrod “un-American” for supporting it, and he opposes Sherrod’s bipartisan bill that would level the playing field for Ohio workers by cracking down on Chinese currency manipulation.

The real Josh Mandel is not on the side of Ohio’s middle class, and cannot be trusted to fight for Ohio jobs. 

The choice after tonight’s debate will remain clear:

• Sherrod Brown led the charge to pass the auto rescue package, helping to protect 850,000 Ohio jobs; Josh Mandel called Sherrod “un-American” for voting for it.
• Sherrod Brown led passage in the Senate of the largest bipartisan jobs bill of 2011, a bill that would level the playing field for American workers and manufacturers by punishing China for cheating trade laws; Josh Mandel opposes Sherrod’s bill.
• Sherrod Brown wakes up each and every day focused on how to create jobs and grow the middle class from the middle out; Josh Mandel wakes up each day focused on how to further his political career.

Secretly-funded special interest groups have spent more than $25 million on false, negative attack ads that lie about Sherrod, but despite the unprecedented amount of outside money smearing his record of fighting for auto jobs, manufacturing jobs, Social Security and Medicare, Sherrod will win this race because Ohioans know he’s fighting for them, while Josh Mandel’s fighting only for himself.