Tom Brinkman
Encyclopedia
Thomas E. Brinkman, Jr. (born December 6, 1957 in Cincinnati
, Ohio
) is a Republican
(GOP) former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from Cincinnati. He is known for his opposition to higher tax
es and public spending, and has been nicknamed "Dr. No." Before his election to the Ohio General Assembly
, he was active in Cincinnati politics; and he has been popular among rank-and-file conservative
s for his strong pro-life
and anti-taxation stances.
Brinkman was a candidate for the Republican nomination for Congress
to replace Rob Portman
in the Second District of Ohio in the special primary held June 14, 2005, but finished third with one-fifth the vote, losing to Jean Schmidt
who ultimately won the seat. Brinkman considered again challenging Schmidt in the Republican primary in May 2006, but instead successfully sought re-election to a fourth term in the Ohio House. In December 2007, Brinkman announced plans to run against Schmidt in the March 2008 Republican primary. Schmidt won that primary, garnering 41,987 (57.51 percent) votes to Brinkman's 28,897 (39.58 percent). A third candidate, Nathan W. Bailey, received 2,126 votes (2.91 percent).
(in history
and political science
) from George Washington University
in 1979. In 1976, he worked for the Ronald Reagan
campaign to win the Republican nomination for President, and for the Gerald Ford
campaign following Ford's nomination at the Republican National Convention in Kansas City
. While a student at GWU, he worked in the office of Senator Bob Dole
of Kansas
from 1977 to 1979. In 1980 he supported Congressman John B. Anderson's presidential bid, but switched his support to Reagan following the Republican National Convention
. From his graduation to 1999, he was Midwest Sales Manager for the Metroweb printing company in Erlanger
, Kentucky
. From 2001, he has worked in the sales department of the Curry Printing Company of Evendale
, Ohio
.
He and his wife, Cathy, have six children: Will, Stephen, Daniel, Kelley, Kevin, and Michael.
, Charles Winburn, and Pat DeWine
. He also worked for John Kruse's unsuccessful bid.
In 1999, he founded the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST), which actively opposes tax levies in southwestern Ohio. Brinkman actively worked against many tax levies and bond
issues. In his Congressional campaign he declared:
Brinkman opposed numerous tax increases. In 1999, he campaigned against Hamilton County
's proposed levy to build a new communications system for the fire and police departments. He said the county already had the money: "Commissioners are the ones politicizing the basic issues of public safety
. They're putting it on the ballot instead of taking care of it like they should." Even a tornado
in 1999 that showed weaknesses in the current system could not change his mind.
When the Hamilton County Commissioners proposed spending $300 million on the Albert Sabin
Convention Center in 1999, Brinkman protested. "All of these projects keep on growing, and they're creating a huge tax burden on us. But when the economy goes sour, they will leave a tremendous burden." (When Brinkman went to the state legislature, he voted against legislation to pay for the expansion.)
In 2006 Brinkman was one of the leaders of group called Equal Rights Not Special Rights (ERNSR). This group started a petition drive to overrule a recent Cincinnati City Council vote that included sexual orientation and gender identity as proteced clasess under the city's Human Rights Ordiance. ERNSR ended up withdrawing the petitions when Citizens to Restore Fairness presented a challenge to the petitions. Equality Cincinnati continued to investigate the petition fraud and the evidence was sent to the Hamilton County Grand Jury. The jury did not find a reason to have any charges brought against Brinkman, even though he admitted to changing over 1000 address on the petitions to make them valid. Two women were charged by the Grand Jury and on Wednesday, July 18, 2007, at their plea hearing Hamilton County Common Please Judge Robert Ruehlman reprimanded Brinkman from the bench. Ruehlman called him the "real criminal" in this case. Ruehlman stated, "It's terrible. It takes away a right to the democracy. It takes away the right for people to decide the issues when you cheat like that." He even suggested that Brinkman should be charged with complicity to election fraud, acted with out ethics and that the Ohio State House of Representatives should remove him from office.
, the Hyde Park and Mount Lookout sections of Cincinnati, and the city of Norwood
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2000/05/28/loc_wilkinson_rogue.html. A Brinkman supporter was upset by the party's endorsement process: "All we wanted was a free, open process of endorsement, and we didn't get that," said Christopher Finney http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1999/12/10/loc_deters_to_step_in_as.html. In the primary
, Steve Adams, the endorsed candidate, received 9,344 votes and Brinkman 11,127. In the November general election, he faced Democrat Les Mann
, a security guard at General Electric
's aircraft engine plant in Evendale
who previously had run for Congress against Rob Portman
, and Natural Law
candidate Jim Donaldson. The vote was 35,245 for Brinkman (66.7%), 2,029 for Donaldson (3.8%), and 15,531 for Mann (29.4%).
Brinkman ran for reelection in 2002 to what redistricting
had made the 34th District, which included the Mount Washington, Hyde Park, and Mount Lookout sections of Cincinnati, part of Columbia Township
, all of Anderson Township
, and the municipalities of Fairfax
, Newtown
and Terrace Park
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/02/10/loc_whats_few_mill_among.html. He faced no opposition in the May 7 primary and was opposed in the November 5 general election by Democrat David Schaff, a twenty-four-year-old assistant to Hamilton County commissioner Todd Portune
. Schaff said his opponent was "someone who's spent more time saying what he's against than working for what he's for." Schaff was endorsed by The Cincinnati Post
, which wrote
That year Brinkman called on Republican voters to cast their ballots for Democrat Tim Hagan
over Republican Governor Bob Taft
in his reelection bid because of Taft's selection of Jennette Bradley
as his running mate; many conservatives felt she was too liberal for the party. The Cincinnati Enquirer
s Peter Bronson labeled Brinkman "Kamikaze
Tom" for this action, but nevertheless, Brinkman was easily reelected over Schaff by a vote of 23,748 to 13,896.
law students in 2003 persuaded the General Assembly to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment
, which a post-Civil War
-era legislature had rejected, only one member voted against ratification: Brinkman. Brinkman told The Enquirer his vote was because of how the amendment has been misused:
Following the repeal of Article XII of the Cincinnati city charter, which forbade the city from passing an ordinance protecting homosexual
s from discrimination
, the Cincinnati city council approved a hate crime
ordinance that included sexual orientation
. Brinkman said the ordinance "send[s] the message that you openly approve of homosexuality," citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/02/12/loc_cityhall12.html. Brinkman had previously served as treasurer of the committee which opposed repeal of Article XII http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/02/21/loc_articlexii21.html.
Brinkman prided himself on his perfect attendance and for coming home to Cincinnati every night from Columbus
, but when Columbus Monthly in late 2003 did a survey of legislators, lobbyists, and others working in the State House asking them to rate the members of the Ohio General Assembly
, Brinkman was rated the single worst legislator in the 132-member General Assembly. The magazine said Brinkman was "an uncompromisingly principled man. But he's a terrible, terrible legislator." Those surveyed ranked him as least knowledgeable, least hardworking, least likeable, least compassionate, and least savvy. Brinkman, for his part, points to his principled stance on the issues as the reason lobbyists don't like him.
In 2007, Representative Brinkman was named the chairman of the House Commerce and Labor Committee.
. Brinkman told the Enquirer, "I ran for office when the party wanted to dictate who my state representative was going to be. I couldn't stand for that, so I ran, and I'm proud I did. It's been a frustrating three years as I've watched Governor Taft drive the state off a cliff. But I've been fighting back." Delev said he agreed with Brinkman on most of the issues, but that Brinkman's actions in Columbus had made the district "the laughingstock of the state." The Cincinnati Enquirer said both candidates were "rock-ribbed conservatives who agree on most fiscal and social issues," but endorsed Delev. "The issue here is Brinkman's lack of effectiveness," said the newspaper, echoing the Columbus Monthly article:
Brinkman won the March 2 primary: 7,113 (63.00%) to 4,178 (37.00%).
In the general election on November 2 he faced Democrat Glen Miller of Anderson Township, a former history teacher who worked in job training. "I think the biggest issue of this race is Tom Brinkman—how he votes and how he's against everything," Miller said. The Enquirer, again citing his stubbornness, endorsed Miller http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/10/30/editorial_ohlegis.html. Despite the criticism, Brinkman once again won the Republican district by a comfortable margin: 35,229 (60.04%) for Brinkman to 23,451 (39.96%) for Miller.
Brinkman strongly supported concealed carry
legislation. "We have a constitution
al right to bear arms. Larry Flynt
has a right to put out smut and some people may not like that, but it's a right whether we like it or not," he said http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2001/05/07/loc_concealed_weapons.html http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2001/07/23/loc_fop_softens.html http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/03/22/loc_ohio_house_passes.html. Brinkman sponsored legislation to allow ex-cons the right to cut hair. He called "stupid" the policy of the state regulators to deny prisoners who had taken prison-administered barber classes a license upon their release. "I'm for personal responsibility, but people do make mistakes and we should give them a second chance," Brinkman said http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/04/04/loc_felons04.html.
Brinkman also worked to limit state spending just as he had opposed local projects. In 2003, he opposed Taft's "Third Frontier" project and the bond issue on the November ballot as Issue One which would have permitted the state to borrow money to subsidize business's research and development. "Who would have thought a Republican governor would run on this?" Brinkman said (Issue One was soundly defeated by voters). When Taft proposed in 2004 the question once more be submitted to the voters, Brinkman renewed his criticism. "Corporate welfare
is corporate welfare. Just because you buy off the manufacturers with more money for them, and you buy off the farmers, doesn't change what it is." http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/06/23/loc_taft23.html He said he would join Democrats in voting against its placement on the November 2005 ballot.
Brinkman in 2004 criticized state spending for Cincinnati's bid to win the 2012 Olympic Games
and against legislation in 2004 to give hospitals more money for breast cancer
examinations http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/06/07/loc_loc1cancer.html. Later that year, he spearheaded a campaign to repeal the City of Cincinnati property tax
. While it did make it to the November ballot, it was rejected by the voters http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/08/24/loc_loc1ctax.html http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/09/02/loc_councilrollback02.html. He was also a supporter of Ohio Secretary of State
Ken Blackwell
's proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution to limit state spending http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/08/19/loc_taxamendment19.html. In 2005, he was one of only eight Republicans in the Ohio House to vote against the state budget, which raised taxes and increased spending. Previously, he had opposed Governor Taft's proposed personal income tax
cut because it would mean higher local property taxes. He also called for funding for public libraries to be maintained.
On April 28, 2005, he introduced a bill, House Bill 228, that would ban all abortion
s. Brinkman acknowledged that the bill was unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade
, but wanted to use it as a test case to overturn the Roe decision. "We’re just positioning the state for the future," he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He re-introduced the ban on July 2007, despite the additional burden of Gov. Strickland's veto threat. http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jul/07071301.html Six months before, he successfully passed legislation for Ohio to conduct a study of how the death penalty has been administered in the state. "I'd like to abolish it or have a moratorium, but you've got to start somewhere." http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041111/NEWS01/411110369/1056
Brinkman ran for Congress in 2005 to replace Portman, announcing his candidacy outside the post office
in Anderson Township
on April 14 http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050415/NEWS01/504150399/1056/news01. Brinkman told the press "When I first went to Columbus, I promised my constituents that I would fight for lower taxes, limited government, and to end abortion. I will do the same in Washington." An early poll found Pat DeWine
, a member of the Hamilton County Commission and the son of U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine
, with a significant lead: 42 percent for DeWine, 6 percent for Brinkman.
Brinkman had a strong pro-life
stance that was criticized by rival candidate Pat DeWine because he also opposed the death penalty - despite such opposition being seemingly more pro-life
, as it is in accordance with the Consistent Life Ethic
. One mailing from DeWine had a large, ominous photograph of a man in a ski mask pointing a gun directly at the viewer. The caption was "Tom Brinkman opposes the death penalty, even for child murderers, cop killers and terrorists
who kill Americans." The mailing also stated "Tom Brinkman says he's a conservative but when it comes to the safety of our families, he doesn't stand with us" and that murderers "will get off easy if he casts the deciding vote." DeWine did not note that Brinkman's opposition to the death penalty was rooted in his pro-life beliefs. Automated calls were made by DeWine's campaign featuring Joe Deters
, Hamilton County prosecutor. Deters in the recording stated:
One of Brinkman's mailings said "Tom Brinkman believes all life is precious and must be protected. He has a 100% pro-life voting record." Brinkman's position was that he was "100% pro-life from conception to natural death." http://www.smartvoter.org/2004/11/02/oh/state/vote/brinkman_t/questions.html While DeWine also stated his pro-life position, Brinkman noted on his web site "Because of [my] unwavering support of the Right to Life, from conception to natural death, Ohio Right to Life, Cincinnati Right to Life and Family First
have again exclusively endorsed my election this year." http://www.gobrinkman.com/promiseskept.htm In an Associated Press
article, Brinkman was quoted as putting it more simply, saying he was "pro-life all the way" http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=125&sid=268826.
Brinkman also complained about DeWine taking advantage of his father's name in raising money, but publicly distancing himself from his father's positions, such as Senator DeWine's role in the "Gang of 14
" judicial filibuster
compromise in May 2005 with six other mostly center-leaning Republicans and seven mostly center-leaning Democrats. "He seems to have no problems riding his father's coattails when it comes to raising money and getting name recognition; he's willing to take all the good from it and none of the bad." http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050527/NEWS01/505270373/1077
In one mailing to voters Brinkman did not mince words:
In another mailing, he declared "He meant what he promised. He promised what he meant. Brinkman is faithful 100% ... 100% Against Higher Taxes ... 100% Committed to Limited Government ... 100% Pro-life ... 100% Pro-Second Amendment
... 100% Attendance Record," the latter referring to his never missing a roll call vote in the Ohio House.
Brinkman was endorsed by the Ohio Taxpayers Association, the Gun Owners of America
Political Victory Fund, and was the National Right to Work Committee's 2005 state legislator of the year. The Anderson Township Republican Club ranked him "highly qualified". The Cincinnati Enquirer
endorsed Jean Schmidt
, praising her record in the Ohio House, writing of her substantial record. Schmidt, said the Enquirer, the measures "successfully sponsored were remarkable in number and quality for a neophyte lawmaker". The paper contrasted her to Brinkman, who
Brinkman ran well in the June 14 primary but finished third behind former state representative Schmidt with 9,211 (20.3%) of the vote.
Brinkman had considered a challenge to Schmidt in the May 2006 primary but chose instead to run for re-election to the Ohio House.
In 2008, Brinkman declared his candidacy for Ohio's 2nd Congressional District, challenging incumbent Schmidt. He lost in a landslide defeat to Congresswoman Schmidt.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
) is a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
(GOP) former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
from Cincinnati. He is known for his opposition to higher tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es and public spending, and has been nicknamed "Dr. No." Before his election to the Ohio General Assembly
Ohio General Assembly
The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate...
, he was active in Cincinnati politics; and he has been popular among rank-and-file conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
s for his strong pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
and anti-taxation stances.
Brinkman was a candidate for the Republican nomination for Congress
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
to replace Rob Portman
Rob Portman
Robert Jones "Rob" Portman is the junior United States Senator from Ohio. He is a member of the Republican Party. He succeeded retiring Senator George Voinovich....
in the Second District of Ohio in the special primary held June 14, 2005, but finished third with one-fifth the vote, losing to Jean Schmidt
Jean Schmidt
Jeannette Marie Hoffman Schmidt, is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Republican Party. The district stretches from eastern Cincinnati to Portsmouth....
who ultimately won the seat. Brinkman considered again challenging Schmidt in the Republican primary in May 2006, but instead successfully sought re-election to a fourth term in the Ohio House. In December 2007, Brinkman announced plans to run against Schmidt in the March 2008 Republican primary. Schmidt won that primary, garnering 41,987 (57.51 percent) votes to Brinkman's 28,897 (39.58 percent). A third candidate, Nathan W. Bailey, received 2,126 votes (2.91 percent).
Background
A resident of the Mount Lookout section of Cincinnati, Brinkman graduated from St. Xavier High School and received a B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
) from George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
in 1979. In 1976, he worked for the Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
campaign to win the Republican nomination for President, and for the Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
campaign following Ford's nomination at the Republican National Convention in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. While a student at GWU, he worked in the office of Senator Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
from 1977 to 1979. In 1980 he supported Congressman John B. Anderson's presidential bid, but switched his support to Reagan following the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
. From his graduation to 1999, he was Midwest Sales Manager for the Metroweb printing company in Erlanger
Erlanger, Kentucky
Erlanger is a city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,676 at the 2000 census.- Geography :Erlanger is located at ....
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. From 2001, he has worked in the sales department of the Curry Printing Company of Evendale
Evendale, Ohio
Evendale is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,090 at the 2000 census.Evendale was the home of John Van Zandt, a participant in the Underground Railroad....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
He and his wife, Cathy, have six children: Will, Stephen, Daniel, Kelley, Kevin, and Michael.
Local politics
Brinkman worked for several Republicans' successful campaigns for Cincinnati City Council: Phil Heimlich, Steve ChabotSteve Chabot
Steven Joseph "Steve" Chabot is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously represented the district from 1995 to 2009.-Early life, education and career:...
, Charles Winburn, and Pat DeWine
Pat DeWine
Richard Patrick "Pat" DeWine is an American lawyer and politician from Ohio. He is the son of former U.S Senator Mike DeWine and like his father is a Republican....
. He also worked for John Kruse's unsuccessful bid.
In 1999, he founded the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST), which actively opposes tax levies in southwestern Ohio. Brinkman actively worked against many tax levies and bond
Bond (finance)
In finance, a bond is a debt security, in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and, depending on the terms of the bond, is obliged to pay interest to use and/or to repay the principal at a later date, termed maturity...
issues. In his Congressional campaign he declared:
I have been relentless in my pursuit of lower taxes, reduced spending and elimination of waste in the State of Ohio. No one else in this race has my record of saying "NO" to taxes. Every candidate in this race will tell you that they are "conservative" but when the rubber hits the road, I am the only one with a proven voting record.
Brinkman opposed numerous tax increases. In 1999, he campaigned against Hamilton County
Hamilton County, Ohio
As of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
's proposed levy to build a new communications system for the fire and police departments. He said the county already had the money: "Commissioners are the ones politicizing the basic issues of public safety
Public Safety
Public safety involves the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of the general public from significant danger, injury/harm, or damage, such as crimes or disasters .-See also:* By nation...
. They're putting it on the ballot instead of taking care of it like they should." Even a tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
in 1999 that showed weaknesses in the current system could not change his mind.
When the Hamilton County Commissioners proposed spending $300 million on the Albert Sabin
Albert Sabin
Albert Bruce Sabin was an American medical researcher best known for having developed an oral polio vaccine.-Life:...
Convention Center in 1999, Brinkman protested. "All of these projects keep on growing, and they're creating a huge tax burden on us. But when the economy goes sour, they will leave a tremendous burden." (When Brinkman went to the state legislature, he voted against legislation to pay for the expansion.)
In 2006 Brinkman was one of the leaders of group called Equal Rights Not Special Rights (ERNSR). This group started a petition drive to overrule a recent Cincinnati City Council vote that included sexual orientation and gender identity as proteced clasess under the city's Human Rights Ordiance. ERNSR ended up withdrawing the petitions when Citizens to Restore Fairness presented a challenge to the petitions. Equality Cincinnati continued to investigate the petition fraud and the evidence was sent to the Hamilton County Grand Jury. The jury did not find a reason to have any charges brought against Brinkman, even though he admitted to changing over 1000 address on the petitions to make them valid. Two women were charged by the Grand Jury and on Wednesday, July 18, 2007, at their plea hearing Hamilton County Common Please Judge Robert Ruehlman reprimanded Brinkman from the bench. Ruehlman called him the "real criminal" in this case. Ruehlman stated, "It's terrible. It takes away a right to the democracy. It takes away the right for people to decide the issues when you cheat like that." He even suggested that Brinkman should be charged with complicity to election fraud, acted with out ethics and that the Ohio State House of Representatives should remove him from office.
To the General Assembly
Brinkman defeated the candidate endorsed by the Republican party in the GOP primary in 2000 for the 37th District seat in the Ohio House, which was Anderson TownshipAnderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio
Anderson Township is one of the twelve townships of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. Located in the southeastern part of the county and less than 15 minutes from downtown, the township has been named one of the Cincinnati area's most desirable neighborhoods to live...
, the Hyde Park and Mount Lookout sections of Cincinnati, and the city of Norwood
Norwood, Ohio
Norwood is the second most populous city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The city is an enclave of the larger city of Cincinnati. The population was 21,675 at the 2000 census. Originally settled as an early suburb of Cincinnati in the wooded countryside north of the city, the area is...
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2000/05/28/loc_wilkinson_rogue.html. A Brinkman supporter was upset by the party's endorsement process: "All we wanted was a free, open process of endorsement, and we didn't get that," said Christopher Finney http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1999/12/10/loc_deters_to_step_in_as.html. In the primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, Steve Adams, the endorsed candidate, received 9,344 votes and Brinkman 11,127. In the November general election, he faced Democrat Les Mann
Les Mann
Leslie Mann , was a professional baseball player who played outfield in the Major Leagues from 1913-1928. He played for the Boston Braves, St...
, a security guard at General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
's aircraft engine plant in Evendale
Evendale, Ohio
Evendale is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,090 at the 2000 census.Evendale was the home of John Van Zandt, a participant in the Underground Railroad....
who previously had run for Congress against Rob Portman
Rob Portman
Robert Jones "Rob" Portman is the junior United States Senator from Ohio. He is a member of the Republican Party. He succeeded retiring Senator George Voinovich....
, and Natural Law
United States Natural Law Party
The Natural Law Party was a United States political party affiliated with the international Natural Law Party. It was founded in 1992 and mostly dissolved in 2004...
candidate Jim Donaldson. The vote was 35,245 for Brinkman (66.7%), 2,029 for Donaldson (3.8%), and 15,531 for Mann (29.4%).
Brinkman ran for reelection in 2002 to what redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
had made the 34th District, which included the Mount Washington, Hyde Park, and Mount Lookout sections of Cincinnati, part of Columbia Township
Columbia Township, Hamilton County, Ohio
Columbia Township is one of the twelve townships of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 6,557 people in the township, 4,619 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
, all of Anderson Township
Anderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio
Anderson Township is one of the twelve townships of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. Located in the southeastern part of the county and less than 15 minutes from downtown, the township has been named one of the Cincinnati area's most desirable neighborhoods to live...
, and the municipalities of Fairfax
Fairfax, Ohio
Fairfax is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,938 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fairfax is located at ....
, Newtown
Newtown, Ohio
Newtown is a village in southeastern Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, near Cincinnati. The population was 2,420 at the 2000 census.Newtown was first settled in 1792 under the name of Mercersburg. The name was changed before the village incorporated in 1901.-History:Multiple Native American...
and Terrace Park
Terrace Park, Ohio
Terrace Park is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburban village in Greater Cincinnati. The population was 2,273 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Terrace Park is located at ....
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/02/10/loc_whats_few_mill_among.html. He faced no opposition in the May 7 primary and was opposed in the November 5 general election by Democrat David Schaff, a twenty-four-year-old assistant to Hamilton County commissioner Todd Portune
Todd Portune
Todd Portune is an American politician of the Democratic Party, who currently serves as a commissioner for Hamilton County, Ohio. Before holding that position, Portune was a councilman for the city of Cincinnati....
. Schaff said his opponent was "someone who's spent more time saying what he's against than working for what he's for." Schaff was endorsed by The Cincinnati Post
The Cincinnati Post
The Cincinnati Post is a discontinued afternoon daily newspaper that was published in Cincinnati, Ohio. Distributed in Northern Kentucky as The Kentucky Post, it was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. Since the 1980s, its editorial stance was usually conservative. The Post published its final...
, which wrote
Tom Brinkman's opposition to almost everything undercuts his credibility, and does a disservice to both the district and the region. His reflexive opposition to much government spending, his willingness to tolerate a tattered social services safety net, his advocacy of an entirely unregulated concealed carry gun permit system, we submit, are out of step even with such a thoroughly Republican constituency.
That year Brinkman called on Republican voters to cast their ballots for Democrat Tim Hagan
Tim Hagan
Timothy Hagan , a Democrat, is an American politician in Ohio.-Early life:Hagan was born and grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, as one of fourteen siblings . Hagan's father, Bob, was a Trumbull County Commissioner and, later, a State Representative. After graduating from Ursuline High School...
over Republican Governor Bob Taft
Bob Taft
Robert Alphonso "Bob" Taft II is an Ohio Republican Party politician. He was elected to two terms of office as the 67th Governor of the U.S. state of Ohio between 1999-2007. After leaving office, Taft started working for the University of Dayton beginning August 15, 2007.-Personal background:Taft...
in his reelection bid because of Taft's selection of Jennette Bradley
Jennette Bradley
-Personal life:Jennette Bradley , her family would settle in a neighborhood on Columbus' east side, after her father retired from the United States Army. Bradley graduated from East High School in 1970...
as his running mate; many conservatives felt she was too liberal for the party. The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Cincinnati Enquirer, a daily morning newspaper, is the highest-circulation print publication in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The Cincinnati Enquirer, a daily morning newspaper, is the highest-circulation print publication in Greater Cincinnati (Ohio) and Northern Kentucky. The...
s Peter Bronson labeled Brinkman "Kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
Tom" for this action, but nevertheless, Brinkman was easily reelected over Schaff by a vote of 23,748 to 13,896.
His stands in Columbus
When University of CincinnatiUniversity of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
law students in 2003 persuaded the General Assembly to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Dred Scott v...
, which a post-Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
-era legislature had rejected, only one member voted against ratification: Brinkman. Brinkman told The Enquirer his vote was because of how the amendment has been misused:
It's misapplied constantly by the country to get states to do things they don't want to do. Most importantly to me, 45 million babies have been murdered since judges forced Roe v. WadeRoe v. WadeRoe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...
down the throats of citizens.
Following the repeal of Article XII of the Cincinnati city charter, which forbade the city from passing an ordinance protecting homosexual
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
s from discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
, the Cincinnati city council approved a hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
ordinance that included sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
. Brinkman said the ordinance "send[s] the message that you openly approve of homosexuality," citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the official text of the teachings of the Catholic Church. A provisional, "reference text" was issued by Pope John Paul II on October 11, 1992 — "the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council" — with his apostolic...
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/02/12/loc_cityhall12.html. Brinkman had previously served as treasurer of the committee which opposed repeal of Article XII http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/02/21/loc_articlexii21.html.
Brinkman prided himself on his perfect attendance and for coming home to Cincinnati every night from Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, but when Columbus Monthly in late 2003 did a survey of legislators, lobbyists, and others working in the State House asking them to rate the members of the Ohio General Assembly
Ohio General Assembly
The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate...
, Brinkman was rated the single worst legislator in the 132-member General Assembly. The magazine said Brinkman was "an uncompromisingly principled man. But he's a terrible, terrible legislator." Those surveyed ranked him as least knowledgeable, least hardworking, least likeable, least compassionate, and least savvy. Brinkman, for his part, points to his principled stance on the issues as the reason lobbyists don't like him.
In 2007, Representative Brinkman was named the chairman of the House Commerce and Labor Committee.
2004 reelection
In 2004, he faced a challenger in the primary, attorney Greg Delev of Anderson TownshipAnderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio
Anderson Township is one of the twelve townships of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. Located in the southeastern part of the county and less than 15 minutes from downtown, the township has been named one of the Cincinnati area's most desirable neighborhoods to live...
. Brinkman told the Enquirer, "I ran for office when the party wanted to dictate who my state representative was going to be. I couldn't stand for that, so I ran, and I'm proud I did. It's been a frustrating three years as I've watched Governor Taft drive the state off a cliff. But I've been fighting back." Delev said he agreed with Brinkman on most of the issues, but that Brinkman's actions in Columbus had made the district "the laughingstock of the state." The Cincinnati Enquirer said both candidates were "rock-ribbed conservatives who agree on most fiscal and social issues," but endorsed Delev. "The issue here is Brinkman's lack of effectiveness," said the newspaper, echoing the Columbus Monthly article:
Few lawmakers are as honest, principled and consistent as Brinkman. But he exhibits those qualities to a fault, coming off as stubborn, ideologically rigid and unwilling to compromise. He's made many enemies in Columbus by refusing to see anyone else's side of things. This has limited his ability to work with others and get things done.
Brinkman won the March 2 primary: 7,113 (63.00%) to 4,178 (37.00%).
In the general election on November 2 he faced Democrat Glen Miller of Anderson Township, a former history teacher who worked in job training. "I think the biggest issue of this race is Tom Brinkman—how he votes and how he's against everything," Miller said. The Enquirer, again citing his stubbornness, endorsed Miller http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/10/30/editorial_ohlegis.html. Despite the criticism, Brinkman once again won the Republican district by a comfortable margin: 35,229 (60.04%) for Brinkman to 23,451 (39.96%) for Miller.
Brinkman strongly supported concealed carry
Concealed carry
Concealed carry, or CCW , refers to the practice of carrying a handgun or other weapon in public in a concealed manner, either on one's person or in proximity.-In Canada:...
legislation. "We have a constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
al right to bear arms. Larry Flynt
Larry Flynt
Larry Claxton Flynt, Jr. is an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications . In 2003, Arena magazine listed him as the number one on the "50 Powerful People in Porn" list....
has a right to put out smut and some people may not like that, but it's a right whether we like it or not," he said http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2001/05/07/loc_concealed_weapons.html http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2001/07/23/loc_fop_softens.html http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/03/22/loc_ohio_house_passes.html. Brinkman sponsored legislation to allow ex-cons the right to cut hair. He called "stupid" the policy of the state regulators to deny prisoners who had taken prison-administered barber classes a license upon their release. "I'm for personal responsibility, but people do make mistakes and we should give them a second chance," Brinkman said http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/04/04/loc_felons04.html.
Brinkman also worked to limit state spending just as he had opposed local projects. In 2003, he opposed Taft's "Third Frontier" project and the bond issue on the November ballot as Issue One which would have permitted the state to borrow money to subsidize business's research and development. "Who would have thought a Republican governor would run on this?" Brinkman said (Issue One was soundly defeated by voters). When Taft proposed in 2004 the question once more be submitted to the voters, Brinkman renewed his criticism. "Corporate welfare
Corporate welfare
Corporate welfare is a pejorative term describing a government's bestowal of money grants, tax breaks, or other special favorable treatment on corporations or selected corporations. The term compares corporate subsidies and welfare payments to the poor, and implies that corporations are much less...
is corporate welfare. Just because you buy off the manufacturers with more money for them, and you buy off the farmers, doesn't change what it is." http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/06/23/loc_taft23.html He said he would join Democrats in voting against its placement on the November 2005 ballot.
Brinkman in 2004 criticized state spending for Cincinnati's bid to win the 2012 Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
and against legislation in 2004 to give hospitals more money for breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
examinations http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/06/07/loc_loc1cancer.html. Later that year, he spearheaded a campaign to repeal the City of Cincinnati property tax
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
. While it did make it to the November ballot, it was rejected by the voters http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/08/24/loc_loc1ctax.html http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/09/02/loc_councilrollback02.html. He was also a supporter of Ohio Secretary of State
Ohio Secretary of State
The Secretary of State is responsible for overseeing elections in the State of Ohio. The Secretary of State also is responsible for registering business entities and granting them the authority to do business within the state, registering secured transactions, and granting access to public...
Ken Blackwell
Ken Blackwell
John Kenneth Blackwell is an American politician and activist who served as the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio from 1979 to 1980 and Ohio Secretary of State from 1999 to 2007. A Republican, he was the first African-American to be the candidate for governor of a major party in Ohio. In 2006, Blackwell...
's proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution to limit state spending http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/08/19/loc_taxamendment19.html. In 2005, he was one of only eight Republicans in the Ohio House to vote against the state budget, which raised taxes and increased spending. Previously, he had opposed Governor Taft's proposed personal income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
cut because it would mean higher local property taxes. He also called for funding for public libraries to be maintained.
On April 28, 2005, he introduced a bill, House Bill 228, that would ban all abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
s. Brinkman acknowledged that the bill was unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...
, but wanted to use it as a test case to overturn the Roe decision. "We’re just positioning the state for the future," he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He re-introduced the ban on July 2007, despite the additional burden of Gov. Strickland's veto threat. http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jul/07071301.html Six months before, he successfully passed legislation for Ohio to conduct a study of how the death penalty has been administered in the state. "I'd like to abolish it or have a moratorium, but you've got to start somewhere." http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041111/NEWS01/411110369/1056
Congressional bid
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
in Anderson Township
Anderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio
Anderson Township is one of the twelve townships of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. Located in the southeastern part of the county and less than 15 minutes from downtown, the township has been named one of the Cincinnati area's most desirable neighborhoods to live...
on April 14 http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050415/NEWS01/504150399/1056/news01. Brinkman told the press "When I first went to Columbus, I promised my constituents that I would fight for lower taxes, limited government, and to end abortion. I will do the same in Washington." An early poll found Pat DeWine
Pat DeWine
Richard Patrick "Pat" DeWine is an American lawyer and politician from Ohio. He is the son of former U.S Senator Mike DeWine and like his father is a Republican....
, a member of the Hamilton County Commission and the son of U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine
Mike DeWine
Richard Michael "Mike" DeWine is the Attorney General for the state of Ohio. He has held numerous offices on the state and federal level, including Ohio State Senator, four terms as a U.S. Congressman, Ohio Lt. Governor, and was a two-term U.S. Senator, serving from 1995 to 2007.- Biography :Born...
, with a significant lead: 42 percent for DeWine, 6 percent for Brinkman.
Brinkman had a strong pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
stance that was criticized by rival candidate Pat DeWine because he also opposed the death penalty - despite such opposition being seemingly more pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
, as it is in accordance with the Consistent Life Ethic
Consistent Life Ethic
The consistent life ethic, or the consistent ethic of life, was a term coined in 1983 by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin to express an ethical, religious, and political ideology based on the premise that all human life was sacred and should be protected by law. The ideology opposes legal abortion,...
. One mailing from DeWine had a large, ominous photograph of a man in a ski mask pointing a gun directly at the viewer. The caption was "Tom Brinkman opposes the death penalty, even for child murderers, cop killers and terrorists
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
who kill Americans." The mailing also stated "Tom Brinkman says he's a conservative but when it comes to the safety of our families, he doesn't stand with us" and that murderers "will get off easy if he casts the deciding vote." DeWine did not note that Brinkman's opposition to the death penalty was rooted in his pro-life beliefs. Automated calls were made by DeWine's campaign featuring Joe Deters
Joe Deters
Joseph T. "Joe" Deters is an American politician of the Republican party who currently serves as Prosecuting Attorney for Hamilton County, Ohio. He is a 1975 graduate of St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati.-Career:...
, Hamilton County prosecutor. Deters in the recording stated:
In my career when I prosecute the worst of the worst like people who kill children, I believe the only appropriate punishment is the death penalty. Tom Brinkman is against the death penalty even for those vicious killers who prey on our kids, and he's even against the death penalty for terrorists who kill Americans. Our next congressman must go to Washington and fight to remove these murderers from society. Tom Brinkman will work to stop the death penalty just as he's done in Columbus. Pat DeWine believes these people should go. And that's one more reason I support Pat DeWine for Congress.
One of Brinkman's mailings said "Tom Brinkman believes all life is precious and must be protected. He has a 100% pro-life voting record." Brinkman's position was that he was "100% pro-life from conception to natural death." http://www.smartvoter.org/2004/11/02/oh/state/vote/brinkman_t/questions.html While DeWine also stated his pro-life position, Brinkman noted on his web site "Because of [my] unwavering support of the Right to Life, from conception to natural death, Ohio Right to Life, Cincinnati Right to Life and Family First
Family First
Family First may refer to:*Family First Party, an Australian political party*Family First New Zealand, a New Zealand lobby group*Families First, a charity organization in the United States...
have again exclusively endorsed my election this year." http://www.gobrinkman.com/promiseskept.htm In an Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
article, Brinkman was quoted as putting it more simply, saying he was "pro-life all the way" http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=125&sid=268826.
Brinkman also complained about DeWine taking advantage of his father's name in raising money, but publicly distancing himself from his father's positions, such as Senator DeWine's role in the "Gang of 14
Gang of 14
The Gang of 14 was a term coined to describe the bipartisan group of Senators in the 109th United States Congress who successfully negotiated a compromise in the spring of 2005 to avoid the deployment of the so-called nuclear option over an organized use of the filibuster by Senate...
" judicial filibuster
Filibuster
A filibuster is a type of parliamentary procedure. Specifically, it is the right of an individual to extend debate, allowing a lone member to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a given proposal...
compromise in May 2005 with six other mostly center-leaning Republicans and seven mostly center-leaning Democrats. "He seems to have no problems riding his father's coattails when it comes to raising money and getting name recognition; he's willing to take all the good from it and none of the bad." http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050527/NEWS01/505270373/1077
In one mailing to voters Brinkman did not mince words:
I am sick and tired of watching politicians promise to cut taxes in October—then raise them in March.
I have had it with candidates who campaign against big government and later give in to the money hungry bureaucrats.
I will not tolerate ideologically bent liberals trying to shift our educational focus from English and math to 'safe sex' and homosexual acceptance. [His emphasis]
In another mailing, he declared "He meant what he promised. He promised what he meant. Brinkman is faithful 100% ... 100% Against Higher Taxes ... 100% Committed to Limited Government ... 100% Pro-life ... 100% Pro-Second Amendment
Second Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second...
... 100% Attendance Record," the latter referring to his never missing a roll call vote in the Ohio House.
Brinkman was endorsed by the Ohio Taxpayers Association, the Gun Owners of America
Gun Owners of America
Gun Owners of America is a gun rights organization in the United States with over 300,000 members. They make efforts to differentiate themselves from the larger National Rifle Association , and have publicly criticized the NRA on multiple occasions for what the GOA considers to be the selling out...
Political Victory Fund, and was the National Right to Work Committee's 2005 state legislator of the year. The Anderson Township Republican Club ranked him "highly qualified". The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Cincinnati Enquirer, a daily morning newspaper, is the highest-circulation print publication in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The Cincinnati Enquirer, a daily morning newspaper, is the highest-circulation print publication in Greater Cincinnati (Ohio) and Northern Kentucky. The...
endorsed Jean Schmidt
Jean Schmidt
Jeannette Marie Hoffman Schmidt, is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Republican Party. The district stretches from eastern Cincinnati to Portsmouth....
, praising her record in the Ohio House, writing of her substantial record. Schmidt, said the Enquirer, the measures "successfully sponsored were remarkable in number and quality for a neophyte lawmaker". The paper contrasted her to Brinkman, who
- has kept close touch with people and has been conscientious in constituent service. We admire the consistency of the principles he operates under. But he has earned a reputation as one of Ohio's least effective legislators, too often an uncompromising, anti-any-tax "no" vote. It's hard to see how he could effectively serve this district http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050612/EDIT03/506120304/1023/EDIT.
Brinkman ran well in the June 14 primary but finished third behind former state representative Schmidt with 9,211 (20.3%) of the vote.
Brinkman had considered a challenge to Schmidt in the May 2006 primary but chose instead to run for re-election to the Ohio House.
In 2008, Brinkman declared his candidacy for Ohio's 2nd Congressional District, challenging incumbent Schmidt. He lost in a landslide defeat to Congresswoman Schmidt.
See also
- United States House of Representatives, Ohio District 2
- Ohio Second Congressional District Election, 2005
- Election Results, U.S. Representative from Ohio, 2nd District
- Brinkman v. Miami UniversityBrinkman v. Miami UniversityBrinkman v. Miami University, et al. was a lawsuit filed by Ohio State Representative Tom Brinkman Jr. on November 22, 2005, against Miami University...