Josh Finally Comes Clean, Sort Of

Josh Mandel is a weaselly young Republican who somehow got himself elected in 2010 as Treasurer of Ohio. He's 30-something, but looks like he's about 13, and he's all about the money -- whether the bucks flow from Karl Rove, the Koch brothers, or his wife's family, Li'l Josh has kissed all the Right asses, and has been handsomely rewarded for his osculations.

Almost immediately after becoming our Treasurer, he announced he would be a 2012 candidate for U.S. Senate, opposing incumbent Sherrod Brown, a liberal lion, a great guy, and Buster's old homey from Mansfield. Six months ago, when Mandel's candidacy became official, he was required to file financial disclosure forms with the state. He did not, and made various excuses for half a year. (Technically, this was illegal.) Last Thursday, he finally released some remarkably half-baked "disclosures". How this shit took him six months is anyone's guess. (I'm guessin' there's fleas on this dog.)

Li'l Josh has a buck or two, but his wife is loaded. Her family is connected with something called Rattner Industries, and industrious they have been! According to the filed disclosures, Mrs. Mandel is worth $7.4 millon, give or take. At least that's what they're willing to tell us poor dumbfuck citizens.

Here's the fun part. Mandel's disclosure says their income and assets are derived from 372 sources. WTF? 372?! Isn't that, like, kind of a lot? OK, if you're in mutual funds, a given fund may be invested in numerous places. I'm in some mutual funds, but even so, 372 sources of income sounds pretty goddam strong. I don't have 372 sources of income. Do you?

And even more fun, Li'l Josh discloses all of his (his wife's) income/assets in "ranges", and rather broad, B.S. ranges at that, like "$250,000 to $500,000". Really? Serious? You're not sure? And you're so not-fucking-sure, you need a margin of error of a quarter million dollars? On a single investment? Wish I had $250 K of "I-don't-really-know" wiggle room.

Josh Mandel is bogus bullshit, people. He's a 1 per-center, a bought-and-paid-for puppet who's done nothing, and the poster child for everything that's wrong with today's batch of Republicans. They think they have enough money to buy the world, and that's exactly what they intend to do.