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What color is the sky in Mean Jean Schmidt's world? Because we are clearly through the looking glass when the Wicked Witch of Ohio claims that most Americans are against this bill (LIES), that the CBO says healthcare costs will not be reduced (LIES, although in fairness, they trashed the Republican version), and reduced Medicare benefits (LIES).

Maybe if the Republicans have nothing but lies and scare tactics to offer up as their objection to health care reform, that should tell their tea-baggin' supporters something.

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Countdown's Worst Persons for Sept. 9, 2009 with winner Rep. Joe Wilson. Runners up mean Jean Schmidt and the Orange County Register.

(video and more via Think Progress)

Rep. Mean Jean Schmidt, Republican from Ohio, has been a treasure trove of wingnutiness over the past few years and her latest whopper came in a candid moment when she felt she could speak her mind freely:

Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) spoke at the Voice of America tea party this Labor Day weekend outside of Cincinnati, OH. Following a tense Q&A session — during which, the congresswoman was booed for acknowledging that the Constitution is a living document — Schmidt engaged in a heated conversation with a birther off-stage. At the conclusion of their exchange, Schmidt whispered to the birther, “I agree with you, but the courts don’t.”

As Schmidt spoke to the birther, one of her staffers spotted the ThinkProgress camera and used his body to push the cameraman out of view of the congresswoman. ThinkProgress continued to film Schmidt from a respectful distance, but was again stopped by another staffer who grabbed the cameraman by the arm and ordered him to “go away.” Read on...

Aww, come on Jean, you've never been shy about waving your freak flag in public. Why so shy now?

You barely see or read anything in the media about health care town halls that are constructive and where people actually ask pertinent questions. The media have also forgotten that the leader of the House Republicans isn't having a town hall either. What's up with that?
Why isn't John Boehner having a town hall?

I’ll take right here in southern Ohio. My own representative, and the House Minority Leader, John Boehner is not holding any townhalls. Add to that the district directly south of me, OH-02, which is represented by Jean Schmidt (R), and our Republican Senator George Voinovich.

The closest townhall the people of southwest Ohio have had is one held in Columbus last week by Senator Sherrod Brown, however Steve Driehaus (D-OH-01) is also planning an event.

I can fully get behind what the right is doing, but I can’t tolerate partisanship in such an endeavor. To me its amazing, yet not shocking that John Boehner isn’t holding one. Boehner is a pro at ignoring his constituency. A few years back during the Medicare debacle his office flat out refused to talk to seniors, even when there was a large gathering only a couple of miles from Boehner’s house.

Maybe they'll make him cry like he did at the Reagan Statue:

The Cincinnati Enquirer is preparing to rank President Obama’s first hundred days. In doing so they listed how local lawmakers have voted with the President.

• Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio: 100 percent
• Rep. Steve Driehaus, D-Ohio: 86 percent
• Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio: 71 percent
• Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio: 43 percent
• Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.: 41 percent
• Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky.: 24 percent
• Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio: 0 percent
• Rep. Geoff Davis, R-Ky.: 0 percent
• Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio: 0 percent

I think the most telling number there is that of the House minority leader, John Boehner. He is setting the lead for his caucus and they are following in lockstep with him. Even the Senate’s Minority Leader has been able to support the President 41% of the time.

I don't know how to tell you this, Jean, but craven Republicans desperate to hold on to their seats cut and run from their word, patriots never do. Don't look now, but I think your knickers are on fire.

Just one week after making this pledge(.pdf), Schmidt releases an ad attacking rival (and Blue America candidate) Victoria Wulsin as a physician. Way to stay on the issues, Jean. In the interest of disclosure about the charges in the ad, I received this from the Wulsin campaign:

(I)n 2006, the Ohio Elections Commission ruled that Jean Schmidt displayed a “reckless disregard for the truth” during her 2005 campaign for Congress.

In 2004, Dr. Wulsin was hired as a consultant by the Cincinnati-based Heimlich institute to review existing research on a controversial treatment for AIDS and other diseases. Dr. Wulsin determined that the experiments failed and her consultancy was promptly terminated.

In April, after a “thorough review,” the State Medical Board of Ohio determined these false charges had no merit. Steve Black, who originally raised this issue in the Democratic Primary Election, endorsed Dr. Wulsin and said he accepted the State Medical Board of Ohio’s decision that these charges had no merit. [Rulon, Cincinnati Enquirer “Politics Extra Blog”, 8/7/08]

Though the ad attacks Dr. Wulsin’s record as a physician, she is supported by the Ohio State Medical Association and the American Medical Association as well as 10 other medical and health groups. Over 350 individual physicians have supported Dr. Wulsin’s campaign.

The false charges in Schmidt’s new ad are identical to charges made by the Congresswoman in fundraising letters earlier this year. After analyzing one such letter, the Cincinnati Enquirer characterized Schmidt’s attacks as “stretching the truth.” [Rulon, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/15/08]

Well, turnabout is fair play, so Wulsin is putting out this ad in response:

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