Mandel: The Manchurian Candidate

Josh Mandel looks like he's in junior high and acts like cocky frat boy. With massive support from the good-old-boy Republican money men, Josh was elected Ohio Treasurer for the sole purpose of immediately becoming a full-time candidate for U.S. Senate. He has avoided his Treasurer duties like the plague while instead working diligently to raise campaign funds and line up fat-cat influence peddlers. Prior to becoming Treasurer, Mandel was a state representative who spent the bulk of his term of office serving as a Marine in Iraq. Cynics have suggested he stage-managed this tour of duty so as to pad his resume.

Now he's running his first TV spot as the challenger to Sen. Sherrod Brown. The ad is all warm and fuzzy and pseudo-biographical. In it, he plays up his veteran status by pulling on his old army boots, and we learn that his grandfather was a "soldier and a blue-collar worker," and we're told that Josh has "always believed in a strong middle class." I'm sure Grandpa was a swell guy. As for you, Josh, we thank you for your service but being a veteran doesn't qualify you for a Senate seat. And your blue-collar background and belief in the middle class has translated into supporting the wage-cutting, union-busting SB 5, and being in favor of letting the American auto industry go out of business.

Ol' Blue-Collar Josh is married to Ilana Shafran, a relation of the Ratner family, who made a fortune in lumber as Forest City Enterprises and own the site of the new Cleveland Casino. Funny his ad didn't say anything about his old lady's side of the family. When, after violating the law for 6 months, Josh finally filed the required financial disclosures, we learned that Ilana has personal assets of approximately $7 million. Just her. By the way, Sherrod Brown has holdings of around $500,000.

In truth, Josh Mandel is uniquely unqualified to be a U.S. Senator. As a state rep, he was out of the country. As treasurer, he's been out of the office because he's been busy running for another one. He has money and ambition, but he's short on experience and vague on issues -- essentially an empty suit with a fat wallet. As a good little Republican boy, Mandel was hand-picked for this assignment and for the past couple years he's been schooled and polished and programmed for the role.



He's the modern Manchurian candidate.