Obama talks jobs, corporate greed in visit to Cleveland area, promotes his appointment of Cordray to consumer watch dog bureau that Fudge supports

President Barack Obama


Richard Cordray











U.S. Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH)

By Kathy Wray Coleman, Editor

(www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com) and (www.clevelandurbannews.com)

SHAKER HTS., Ohio-President Barack Obama made a stop to the Cleveland metropolitan area yesterday to stomp for his appointment of former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and to campaign for reelection.

Speaking to a capacity crowd of about 1500 people in the Shaker Hts. High School gymnasium, America's first Black president talked jobs, the economy, corporate greed and malfeasance, and his support of "teachers, police and fire fighters."

He called Cordray, who lost reelection to attorney general last year in a Republican sweep of statewide offices that included the governor's office, Ohio's favorite son . And he said that he stepped to the plate to appoint him because the U.S. Senate was dragging its feet in confirming Cordray in protection of Wall Street and other corporate venues that are hurting America.

"I am appointing Richard Cordray as America's consumer watch dog to look out for the American consumer and to protect families treated unfairly by mortgage brokers, pay day lenders and debt consumers," said Obama. "They [Congress] do not agree with the consumer law because they want to weaken it and water it down. We shouldn't be weakening accountability, we should be strengthening it, and when Congress puts our economy at risk, I have an obligation to act on behalf of the American people."

The president recognized a host of Democratic elected officials from Cleveland to Toledo that were there, including U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-11), 10th Congressional District Congressmen Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland, Rep. Betty Sutton (D-13), a Barberton Democrat, and 9th District Congresswoman Marcy Kaptor of Toledo. Others include Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Yvonne Conwell (D-7), Cleveland City Councilmen Jeff Johnson and Kevin Conwell, Beachwood Mayor Earl Gordon, and Shaker Hts. Mayor Earl Liken.

Fudge, a Warrensville Hts. Democrat whose 11th Congressional District includes parts of Cleveland and its eastern suburbs in Cuyahoga County, and a majority Black pocket of Akron and staggering sections of its suburbs of Summit County, said that Cordray is the best choice.

"America's consumers are in good hands with Rich Cordray heading the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau," the congresswoman told Cleveland Urban News.Com and The Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog.Com.

She said that Cordray's record as Ohio attorney General speaks for itself.

"Cordray recovered over $2 billion wrongly looted by Wall Street banks and returned it to Ohio homeowners, taxpayers, pension funds and municipalities," said Fudge. "I support the president's decision to proceed with Mr. Cordray's appointment.”

In his speech Obama also called for the Republicans and Democrats in Congress to work together for the betterment of the nation's economy, a struggling economy that has had its peaks and pitfalls under the Obama administration.

Forty-three states and the District of Columbia reported unemployment rate decreases in the last quarter of last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the national jobless rate dropped to 8.8 percent, down from 9.8 percent at the same time in 2010.

"I am taking every opportunity to work with Republicans in Congress to bridge the partisan divide,"said Obama.

The president had support at the occasion, including a crowd of more than 400 cheering students from the school and Democratic office holders of Ohio that came to hear him, many of whom applauded his appointment of Cordray.

“The president's appearance on Wed. in greater Cleveland was an outstanding opportunity to highlight a very important institution in our government and that is to protect the rights of consumers," said state Rep. John Barnes Jr. (D-12), a Cleveland Democrat.

Asked his prediction on whether Obama will win Ohio next year in his presidential run against former Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney or whomever snatches the Republican nomination for president, the state lawmaker chose Obama.

"President Obama will win Ohio next year to get four more years," Barnes said.

No Republican has lost Ohio and gone on to win the presidency, and the last Democrat to do so was the late president John F. Kennedy, who lost Ohio in 1960 and went on to beat then Republican Nominee Richard Nixon that night by a tenth of a percentage point, winning with 49.7 percent of the vote to Nixon's 49.6 percent.

Reach Kathy Wray Coleman by email at kathy@kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, and by telephone at 216-932-3114.