Danny Bauder

Brief Memo RE: Massachusetts

2010-01-19T23:15:00.002-05:00

So, there you have it. The Senate Democrats' filibuster proof super majority is gone, gone before it was ever used.

I hope Harry Reid doesn't sleep tonight. He's not going to be re-elected, that was almost sure yesterday and is definitely sure today. He had the opportunity to deliver an excellent bill to the president's desk by the end of the year and he let it get delayed and watered down to please republicans who aren't even going to vote for it. Leadership? Kiss my ass.

And Harry Reid's not the only loser tonight. Read this gem from Boston.com:

But as she stayed off the airwaves and shied away from meet-and-greet politicking, Brown gained notice by running TV ads comparing himself to President John F. Kennedy and defining himself as the champion of independent-minded voters.

Hmmm, I wonder why she lost? Was it because the White House didn't help her out enough? Or was it because she went on vacation and acted like she didn't have a general election, too?

Team Coakley, you should be ashamed of yourself. Thanks for slandering the legacy of the man you were half-assedly trying to succeed.

Moron Alert: Rudy Has Some 'Splainin to do

2010-01-08T13:05:00.002-05:00

Rudy "9/11" Guiliani some how forgets the big thing that made him famous and gave him a platform to run for president:

Jeebus. I can't believe this asshole.

Why I'm with Arlen

2010-01-04T17:04:00.006-05:00

In the primary for US Senate, I've come to a decision on who I'll be supporting. This decision to endorse does not come lightly, and it does not come without a great deal of thought and deliberation on my part.

Initially, I supported Joe Torsella's infant candidacy for Senate. I didn't think that Arlen Specter deserved re-election, and while I didn't know much about Torsella, he was not the incumbent, so he had my initial support.

Well, what a difference a month makes. Specter switched parties, and Torsella dropped out of the race. Suddenly the challenger in the race was Pat Toomey, a silver-tongued conservative to the right of Robert Bork, and I had no idea who I would support.

Then, like a hero in an old-time Western, the cavalry came in. Congressman Joe Sestak. A veteran. A top DCCC recruit in '06. A great fundraiser.

Everything was coming up roses. Until I got to know Sestak a little better. And what I learned is what pushed me into this endorsement.

I was able to see Sestak stumping six or seven times in about a month. I watched him interact with voters and some press, and I noticed that Sestak was very good at talking about himself, his office's constituent services, and his extensive navy career. He also talked about President Obama as if he was an ardent supporter from the very begining (he wasn't) which made me feel like I was being pandered to.

I understand that in politics there's always going to be some pandering, I'm not naiive, but I'm also not an idiot. I know when I'm being sold on something and that's what bother's me the most about this race.

Love him or hate him, Arlen Specter has delivered for Pennsylvania. Without fail. I'm not going to agree with him on every vote, but he is leading the charge in the Senate for meaningful health care reform with a public option, and that's an issue I care very deeply about. It's an issue he cares deeply about, too.

I recently read Specter's latest book, Never Give In, written before his party conversion. In this book, Senator Specter discusses the challenges of fighting both cancer and his Senate colleagues during his tenure as chairman of the Senate judiciary committee. The thoughtful, principled and disciplined senator didn't allow the debilitating chemotherapy or disease-related fatigue keep him from his daily squash games, let alone his full senate schedule. As impressive as that is, I was even more impressed with the amount of research and thought Specter puts into not only his own legislation but also into his votes.

Based on what I learned about the Republican Arlen Specter, circa 2007 when he wrote Never Give In, I would have been inclined to vote for him this fall. But after his party change and his strong support of the President's agenda, I'm proudly endorsing him.

I don't know what we'll get with Joe Sestak. I do know what we'll get from Arlen Specter, and that's why he has my support.

It's not the best picture of either of us, but you get the point...

SNL is back!

2009-11-16T14:49:00.002-05:00

I don't know if you got to see much SNL this year. It's been very good, just as funny as it was last year during the campaign.

More Bonusgate stuff

2009-11-16T13:27:00.002-05:00

From PCN we get schadenfreude on demand:

http://pcntv.com/streaming/streaming.html?pages/bonusgateperpwalk_str.html

And here's a nice photo for your records:

We'll return to our regular programming again soon....

Altmire Feeling the Heat

2009-11-13T10:52:00.002-05:00

A group of concerned constituents visited Rep. Jason Altmire's Aliquippa office yesterday to tell the congressman how disappointed they are in his weak-kneed vote on health care reform.

From the P-G:

Dozens of activists gathered at Rep. Jason Altmire's Aliquippa office yesterday to assail the Democrat for his vote against the House version of a bill to revamp the nation's health care system.

Reading from a copy of a letter she had sent to the second-term congressman, Charlene Gill said, "Your 'no' vote is the reason I will vote for whoever runs against you."

I wonder if a similar group will visit Rep. Holden soon?

More on Perzel

2009-11-13T10:06:00.005-05:00

I read a great column this morning by John Baer in the Daily News concerning John Perzel's fall from grace.

I normally dislike Baer's columns, but this one is good and it's worth quoting from:

And while visiting an elementary school in Pittsburgh he was asked by a fourth-grade girl if he came in a limo. He said that he came in a car. A TV reporter - who was covering the event and saw him headed toward a black Lincoln Towne Car with limo plates and a driver - asked, "Why did you lie to that little girl?"

One of the comments left on the column's online edition said, "Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." I agree.

John Perzel Has Been Indicted

2009-11-12T13:30:00.001-05:00

PennLive.com -

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has charged 10 people in a second round of criminal charges in the "Bonusgate" investigation.

The Patriot-News/2007John PerzelThose charged Thursday include: former House Speaker John Perzel, R-Philadelphia, former Republican Rep. Brett Feese and eight current or former aides to Perzel and Feese.

The aides charged include Perzel's former chief of staff Brian Preski; current chief of staff Paul Towhey; Perzel's brother-in-law and former House employee Samual "Buzz" Stokes; Perzel legislative aide John Zimmerman; his campaign aide Don McClintock; as well as Feese aides Jill Seaman and Elmer Bowman and former GOP information technology deputy director Eric Ruth.

Moron Alert!

2009-11-11T18:02:00.004-05:00

Marine Reservist and all-around nice guy, Jason Bruce was asked for directions by a Greek priest visiting the US of A whom he mistook for an Arab terrorist. A combination of poor English by the Greek priest and racism over-vigilance by Mr. Bruce caused the Greek priest, named Alexois Marakis, a few bumps on the noggin from Mr. Bruce's tire iron.

From the source article:

“During the chase, the suspect called 911 and claimed an Arabic male attempted to rob him and he was going to take him into custody,” a Tampa Police Department news release states. “When officers arrived, the suspect claimed the man was a terrorist.”

With a big H/T ThinkProgress

Bold Progressives are going after Stupak

2009-11-11T17:56:00.005-05:00

I was enjoying my dinner when this little dandy popped up on the side of page:

Looks like those folks at Bold Progressives are targeting Rep. Stupak. I wonder why?

Also, and perhaps even more importantly, Joe Pitts has a great Democrat running against him.

You should make a donation to Lois Herr

More Veteran's Day stuff

2009-11-11T13:44:00.002-05:00

I think I've seen this before, but it's still very powerful

It's a video montage of parents returning from war surprising their children at school.

Again, thank you to all of our veterans.

Happy Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T10:36:00.003-05:00

Happy Veteran's Day!

Those of you who have the day off, please consider making a donation to one of the fine organizations linked to below.

Here's one of my favorite family photos, of my brother Michael (Iraq Vet) and my Grandpa, Harry (WWII Vet)

The USO

Operation Bedding

Help Hospitalized Veterans

O'Reilly can't kill ALL the Muslims....

2009-11-11T10:27:00.004-05:00

Bill O'Reilly, in his own works (H/T TPM)

I know what he means, and I'm not trying to take him out of context, but it's like he doesn't think before he opens his mouth. Saying things like this create a presupposition that "killing all the Muslims" isn't a bad idea, just unattainable. That's what fans the flames of racism.

On Health care and "Voting my District" UPDATED

2009-11-09T17:22:00.006-05:00

Saturday night the Pelosi-led congress did something truly remarkable. It passed the first meaningful health care reform bill since Medicare, and some say, finished the agenda of the New Deal.

This bill, while not perfect, contains a public insurance option which will help insure people like myself who work as independent contractors and normally can't afford decent insurance.

As passed, this bill contains an amendment from Reps. Stupack and Pitts (PA-16) that would prohibit the public insurance option (exchange) from providing reproductive health care for women. Among other objections, the constitutionality of this amendment is questionable.

This amendment seeks to supercede the Hyde amendment, which prohibits federal (HHS) monies from being spent on abortion or abortion related services. This amendment would prohibit private insurance companies who take part in the government exchange program (public option) from providing abortion and abortion related services to women.

That said, 64 Democrats voted for this amendement, many of whom would still vote against the final bill.

Two of those Democrats are from Pennsylvania: Jason Altmire, 4th CD and Tim Holden, 17th CD. These two voted for the Stupak-Pitts amendment but against the health care reform bill, which included the amendment they had just supported.

Altmire, now in his third term, has a record of wishy-washy votes, rarely standing with leadership, yet the DCCC continues to dump money and resources into his re-election. The money is paying off, in 2008 he faced the woman he unseated -- Melissa Brown -- in the '06 midterm, and did very well, riding a 12% margin to victory.

Holden hasn't had a serious challenge since 2002 when he won a tough election following redistricting. In fact, Holden won re-election in 2008 with a commanding 27% margin. Not only that, but Holden outperformed President Obama by 24 points!

These two will likely defend there vote using the time honored excuse of "voted my district." I call bullshit on that, since the public option has a 61% national approval rate and at least 10% of both of their constituents would benefit from the public option.

UPDATE:

And then there's this news: State Sen Dave Argall is considering running against Holde n. Maybe if Holden had stood up for health care reform he'd be able to get some support from we the lunatic fringe.

Sending Scranton to the White House

2008-08-23T09:45:00.002-04:00

I couldn't be happier.

God Bless NEPA, and God Bless the USA.

Oh, Grandpa...

2008-07-07T23:01:00.004-04:00

Anyone who has spent any amount of time with a grandparent has had one of those embarrassing moments when your beloved old granddad refers to a person of color by a less than friendly name, not to demean or incite a race war, but because they're old, and unfortunately, that's "what they called 'em in my day" is usually the best apology he can muster. You, of course, are mortified and feel slimy, not only because you just witness racism in action, but because it came from the mouth of your dementia-addled loved one.

Have you ever imagined what it's like to hear a presidential candidate say something like that? Well imagine no more:

"I hate the gooks," McCain said yesterday in response to a question from reporters aboard his campaign bus. "I will hate them as long as I live."

This gem of 21st century thinking spewed forth from the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain during a campaign stop in February in South Carolina in 2000 when a then-young McCain was apparently trying to out-bigot Karl Rove and company.

"I will call right now, my interrogator that tortured me, a gook," McCain said. "(I can't believe that) anybody doesn't believe these interrogators and prison guards were cruel and sadistic people who deserve the worst appellations possible."
McCain said he does not consider the comment an epithet.
"Gook," he said, "is the kindest appellation I can give."

I wonder if this is why James Dobson has such a problem with John McCain?

Big H/T to The San Francisco Chronicle for this one

President Bush to Survey Damage Caused by President Bush

2008-07-07T10:22:00.001-04:00

I love The Onion.

Running for President Five Days a Week

2008-06-26T10:57:00.003-04:00

Since I finished school, I've been spending alot of my time in interviews. All sorts of interviews from campaigns to restaurants to taking the civil service test. You see, I'm looking for a job in the hardest time of the year: after the school year. Everyone who just graduated from college is now looking for a job, and everyone who is on summer break is out looking, too. So while I'm searching for the job of my dreams, I need to find a part-time job to help pay the bills in the interim. The former is a goal, the latter is a means to an end. And to reach that end I am often asked, "Will you work weekends?"

Working weekends is mandatory if you're a fireman or a cop. I'm sure that doctors, nurses, x-ray technicians and EMTs all have to work weekends, too. If you work at a restaurant or in a mall, you'll be working weekends as well. It seems like all career paths involve some weekend work, even at home, to get ahead in the office. Both of my parents work in offices and both of them have worked a few weekends, home or at work.

This brings me to my point: if you're trying to get ahead, or at least make it look like you're really trying, you'll work weekends to curry the good favor of the bosses, or whomever it is you need to impress. Like donors, or party leaders, or even voters.

From the Politico: Since effectively capturing the Republican nomination when Mitt Romney dropped out of the race on Feb. 7, John McCain has held just one public campaign event on a weekend.

Larry Sabato: "This statistic will generate further questions about how well McCain has used the gift of three and a half months this spring when he was clearly the GOP choice, while Obama and [Hillary Rodham] Clinton were still slugging it out,”

So taking into consideration that if you want to get ahead in your job, you'll likely volunteer to work weekends, why shouldn't a man who wants to be the leader of the free world work weekends, too?

Women For John McCain

2008-06-19T13:58:00.001-04:00

I found this online today, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Announcing "Women for John McCain dot com!!!"

Here's where you can learn about John's maverick stands on women's issues like:

Equal Pay: Rather than voting for legislation supporting equal pay for women, who on average in America earn 75 cents on the dollar earned by equally qualified, educated, and experienced men in comparable jobs, John McCain explained that rather than equal pay for equal work, women need “the education and training”, particularly because “so many of them are heads of their households.”

Teen pregnancy: That’s why John McCain voted against an amendment in the Senate’s 2006 fiscal year budget that would have provided 100 million dollars to our schools to reduce teen pregnancy through sex education, use of contraceptives, lower the incidence of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, make birth control more affordable, and improve access to women’s health care. Because if our teenagers and young adult daughters remain innocent, if we take a stand as Americans to protect them from sex education and birth control until they’re married, we can stop teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases before they start.

Chelsea Clinton: “Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father.”
~ John McCain at a GOP fundraiser in Washington

Roe v Wade: “I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.”
~ John McCain

Fun With Numbers

2008-06-17T09:34:00.003-04:00

The Times-Leader reports this morning that Barletta now leads Kanjorski in a head to head match up 47-42 will 11% classified as "Other." The poll was conducted in March, and was a survey of 400 likely voters.

The problem with the Barletta camp's spin on the poll results is this: they claim to now hold a 5 point lead over Kanjorski, while the poll itself has a margin of error of -- wait for it -- 4.9 points !

From the TL:

[Barletta Campaign Manager] Galko said the numbers “give real hope to the citizens of Northeastern Pennsylvania” and said the results indicate constituents are “tired of Mr. Kanjorski’s antics and want real change.”

Hmmm.. "real hope" .... who's that popular fella peddling "real hope" these days? Oh right, the Democratic nominee for president. If the best they can do is try to link Obama's message to Barletta's xenophobic campaign, they're going to get crushed.

Let's see if this poll helps Louie raise any money.

This Does Not A "Macaca" Make

2008-06-13T10:32:00.003-04:00

A video of Congressman Kanjorksi admitting the Democrats "pushed the envelope" in 2006 to win the midterm elections has been circulating around people's email this past few weeks. In the video, which is posted below, Kanjorski is addressing a group in Ashley during a town hall meeting. While talking about the Democrats' desire to end the Iraq war as a rally cry for the midterm elections, Kanjorski said this:

“But you know the temptation to want to win back Congress — we sort of stretched the facts, and people ate it up."

This "maverick" moment by the congressman has gotten some press and certainly drew the attention of Lou Barletta's campaign.

Somehow, someone got the idea that they should ask Kanjorski about his statement. And when they ask them, they should bring a camcorder with them. And when they tape it, they should make sure it looks like a hidden camera so the footage will look like something on "Nightline."

Now the Barletta camp has denied they had anything to do with the video, which is fine, and frankly may actually be the case. For all we know, it could have been John Yudichak asking the questions. But the video doesn't really have the gotcha! the now-famous George Allen "macaca" video had.

At that time in Virginia, there were allegations of George Allen having less than stellar credentials on matters of race relations. Rumors of a desktop "tree and noose" set, as well as an alleged former membership in the KKK as a young man were beginning to make an impact on the race. Then one afternoon Allen referred to his opponent's researcher (the guy who tapes the opponent's public remarks) as "macaca." While Allen later claimed that he made the word up, the damage was done. The phrase is according to Wikipedia: is a pejorative epithet used by francophone colonialists in Central Africa's Belgian Congo for the native population. It may be derived from the name of the genus comprising macaque monkeys. This incident is also recapped here.

So the bottom line is, following a member of Congress around with a camera might make them upset, and get them to say something "off the script", but dear voters of the 11th CD, don't read into this, there isn't much there.

My Interview with Daren Berringer

2008-06-12T21:21:00.007-04:00

Recently I had the opportunity to talk to Daren Berringer, who works with pioneering Democratic strategist Joe Trippi at Trippi & Associates. Daren is a native of Indiana, Pa, which is somewhere between State College and Ohio on I-80, or so I'm told.

In the photo above, you see Daren with then-candidate Howard Dean. Daren is mentioned a few times in Trippi's book, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, which is, if you're a campaign junkie, a must read.

1. How did you get into politics?

In 1995, a friend of mine in Indiana County was preparing to run for
District Attorney. I decided to offer myself up as a volunteer and told him
that I would be more than happy to come by and stuff envelopes, make phone
calls or put up yard signs if he needed it. As it turned out, the more and
more I got involved, the more I got hooked. I ended up managing the
campaign and doing everything from putting together our field plan to
writing scripts for our radio and television ads. It was a great experience
because I had to learn how to do everything on my own. Sink or swim.

2. What was your first "big break" ?

I would have to say that my big break actually came at the misfortune of Bob
Casey losing his primary campaign to now Governor Rendell in the spring of
2002. Nothing to do with now Senator Casey, but that campaign left me with
some bad feelings about politics and I really didn't know what I was going
to do next.

About a month later I received a call from Bruce Andrews who was going to be
managing Congressman Tim Holden's campaign in a now redistricted seat
against then Rep. George Gekas. Bruce wanted me to come aboard as his
deputy to handle the Field and Political departments. By everyone's gauge it
was going to be a huge hill to climb. In fact, of the six districts around
the country where a Democrat member of Congress was now lumped in with an
incumbent Republican, this one had the largest disparity of performance for
Democratic vote - - 60% R to 40% D.

You will remember that this was just after 9/11 and back then, President
Bush's approval ratings were soaring in the 80% range. The Republicans
brought everyone in to help Rep. Gekas. We saw President Bush, V.P. Cheney
and then Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert. As for Holden, not one of
the top Democrats in the nation stopped by. They all thought we were dead.

Even though we were outspent by millions of dollars, our team out hustled
the opposition. And as a part of that team, Joe Trippi was our media
consultant. He and I quickly built a bond and well, in the end, we ended up
winning by about 5,000 votes. We were the only Democrat in an incumbent vs.
incumbent district to do so. As a result, Trippi brought me on board the
now historic Dean for America campaign and later I joined his media and
political consulting firm.

3. Have you ever thought about doing something else?

I have. I actually worked in government a couple of times and was bored out
of my mind. I ended up quitting both times to jump on a campaign. And now
every time I think about doing something else, I always realize that if I
did so that I would probably end up quitting to jump into a fight somewhere.
So until I can't do this anymore, I think I am stuck.

4. What are you working on right now?

Well, earlier this year our firm, Joe Trippi & Associates ended its stint
with John Edwards' presidential campaign. I had to good fortune of not only
serving as his national field director, but then later went back to working
with the firm and was able to produce my first presidential commercial in
New Hampshire.

Our firm is now working with several U.S. Senate and Congressional races. I
personally stay involved with Pennsylvania politics by volunteering my
services to the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. Mary Isenhour, their
executive director asked me to help them out as they ramped up their web
presence. So I became involved with their online communications and
organizing as well as producing viral videos for their use from
time-to-time.

5. Why are you a Democrat?

This is easy. Its because of my mom. I grew up in your typical
lower-middle class single parent family in Indiana, PA. She worked all
kinds of jobs, sometimes two at a time to make ends meet. I will never
forget when I was in grade school, my mom was a shop steward at the Fisher
Scientific plant and they were on strike. In the mornings, instead of
riding the bus, every couple days during the strike my mom would take us to
a donut shop before school. We'd get a couple dozen and some coffee and
then we would drive it over to the workers who were in the cold on the
picket line. My mom wanted us to see the faces of the people she was
fighting for. Well, one day, one of the strikers decided to step in front
of one of the trucks trying to cross the picket line. He died because he
was protecting his job.

At the time I didn't think much about how much we didn't have because my mom
always made sure we had what we needed. In my early 20's I was able to
understand more about all of this and what she had to do to make sure we
were taken care of. It was then I realized that I wanted to be affiliated
with a political party that stood up for people like my mom and the guy who
was willing to risk his life just so he could provide for his family.

6. How do you think the Democrats do on a federal level in 2008?

Democrats are going to surprise a lot of people this year. As long as they
don't get cocky and think that "this is our year" so we are just going to
win, then you will see some upsets no one is looking at right now. If we
keep working hard like we're 10 points down, Democrats can make significant
gains this year.

7. Who are the "rising stars" you see in the Democratic party?

I have had the pleasure to work with some real amazing young people from
across the country over the course of the past two years. I am not going to
mention any names because if I forget someone, I don't want them getting
mad. So instead of giving you the name, I will give you the type of person
who is going to be the rising star.

The rising stars of tomorrow are not the young people who are now hanging
out in all the hot spot political bars. They are not the people who went
the traditional route of getting involved in politics by going straight into
the halls of government with the hope that if they just stick around long
enough and are in the right place at the right time, then someone will
promote them. I think we have seen in recent years at many different levels
of government that this approach has landed a lot of staff in trouble with
the law or have had their ethics seriously challenged.

I think that with the rise of the campaign policies of John Edwards and
Barack Obama not accepting lobbyist contributions, you are witnessing a new
wave of politics and that will result in a new wave of political leaders.
The process will require it. You will begin to see young people who went
out and got involved in other areas of improving their community who will be
the ones who are highly sought after. They will bring a fresh and new
approach to how our government is about to change. My advice is that if you
never went out into the world and gained experience outside of government,
you better watch your back because this next generation of leaders will
probably take your job.

Daren blogs at Joe Trippi's website more regularly than I do here, so check him out.

The Trust Train Keeps on Rollin'

2008-06-10T12:12:00.003-04:00

Luzerne County Prothonotary Jill Moran filed her '07 financial disclosure form on Monday, only 39 days past the deadline. That's a marked improvement from last year, when she filed a full two months late.

Her truancy isn't the (only) cause for alarm: Her '06 form lists her as having a

"100 percent interest in W-Cat, which is developing 86 townhouses in Wright Township."
Big deal, right? Wrong.

"But her 2007 form reports she is a 100 percent “shareholder” with a 20 percent interest in W-Cat."

So what does all this mean? I'll let the Standard-Speaker tell you:

W-Cat is a key element in questions surrounding the relationship between county judges Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael T. Conahan and Moran’s law partner, Robert J. Powell, who once owned half of W-Cat.
Courthouse sources told the Standard-Speakerlast week that the FBI and IRS had questioned them about possible financial ties between the judges, who were instrumental in a decision to close the county-owned juvenile detention center in 2003, and Powell, co-owner of a firm that subsequently made millions leasing a private juvenile detention center to the county.
In their own 2007 financial disclosure forms, Ciavarella and Conahan each reported a financial interest in W-Cat, which was incorporated in 2001. Neither had included the firm in previous forms.

So it's possible that a deal was made to ensure that Powell got the contract for the juvenille detention center and that renumeration in the form of shares in W-Cat were given to the judges.

That's great! That's the American Way!

This is why people don't trust politicians.

Sox vs Rays

2008-06-07T09:39:00.003-04:00

Thursday night the crowd at Fenway was treated to a bench-clearing brawl.

Hazleton's best achievement, Joe Maddon, can be seen several times in the video.

Are these flare ups comparable to the ones we've seen in the NBA over the last few years? Is this "just a part of baseball?" or do we have some violence problems throughout professional sports?

Should I refrain from sports blogging?

The Enthusiasm Gap

2008-06-06T11:18:00.003-04:00

The gap in enthusiasm between McCain supporters and Democrats is getting wider every day. Just think about Tuesday night: Obama had around 20k to see him clinch the nomination in St. Paul, Hillary had several thousand of her closest friends join her in NYC, (and will likely have around 10k show up tomorrow in D.C. to give her a classy send-off) while John McCain, the "Maverick," had a few hundred people present for his bland, flaccid speech to kick of the general election.

This video from TPM illustrates my point exactly:

John McCain's smile is creepy. It reminds me of Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) from the Office, when he makes a funny:

Destiny, thy name is Barack

2008-06-06T11:10:00.003-04:00

I couldn't be more proud of my country.

Despite losing Luzerne County by nearly 50 points, Barack Obama is the democratic nominee for president.

We, my fellow democrats, have a nominee. Those of you who supported Senator Clinton should be proud of the race you ran, but understand that we're only halfway.

We still have to keep up the good fight, less John McCain is elected and we get an unwelcome third Bush term.

Yes, we can.

Rules and Bylaws

2008-05-31T07:37:00.002-04:00

The DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee is meeting today in D.C. On the agenda is the sticky issue of whether or not to seat full delegations from Florida and Michigan, who circumvented the DNC's rules and held early primaries.

Or maybe not. According to McClatchy, the Obama campaign will begin the general election on Tuesday night, after the Montana and South Dakota primaries, the last two states to vote. Interestingly, Obama will be clinching the Democratic nomination and speaking at the same arena John McCain will accept his party's nomination in September.

Sorry this post is so short, but I have a full day of stuff to do, including meeting author and progressive icon David Sirota at a book signing in Willow Grove.

They Call Him Flipper ....

2008-05-29T11:50:00.004-04:00

We are now close to the fourth month of Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta's quihotic quest for to unseat Paul Kanjorski, and we've finally got Diamond Lou to offer us a few nuanced positions.

Republican congressional candidate Lou Barletta altered the stance he took on Social Security during his 2002 campaign for Congress on Tuesday, saying he’s against any privatization of the nation’s largest retirement plan.

I can't tell if Barletta is trying to run against Kanjorski from the right or the left. Can you?

Barletta, the Hazleton mayor who wants to replace Kanjorski in Washington, tied ending the war in Iraq “as soon as possible” to Social Security’s future. He favors using the war spending and passing a new law to ensure the program’s existence.
Kanjorski had this brilliant observation:

"My opponent doesn’t like to be identified with Republicans. I wonder why?” Kanjorski said after an appearance at Allied Services dePaul School, referring to Barletta’s claim of political independence.

I know it's a little early for predictions, but I think Kanjo wins with at least a 30% margin after raising $2M to the $1.3M raised by Lou.

Quotes from the Hazleton Standard Speaker.

Weekend Bloggin'

2008-05-25T14:46:00.003-04:00

The Mrs. and I are in Maine for a wedding, this is a first time in the land of lobster for both of us. We're both enjoying just how picturesque the Maine coast is.

The Libertarian Party is having their convention this weekend in Denver, and there's much ado about their platform:

“We believe that the butchered version adopted in 2006 was a classic case of 'throwing out the baby with the bath water,' and urge the Platform Committee to undo the damage that was done in Portland," Nolan opined, in an op/ed being circulated at the convention. "We do not see this proposal as being either 'radical' or 'reformist.'"

More detailed coverage can be found here.

We listened to this on the way up, a perfect song for a road trip:

Talking Heads - Take Me To The River

It's all over?

2008-05-22T22:36:00.002-04:00

I got an email the other day from Barack Obama:

Danny --

The polls are closed in Kentucky and votes are being counted in Oregon, and it's clear that tonight we have reached a major milestone on this journey.

We have won an absolute majority of all the delegates chosen by the people in this Democratic primary process.

While I'm an Obama supporter, I'm still not sure how all the math works. The Clinton camp claims that 2,025 is no longer the number needed to secure the nomination. Their number is something like 2,209, which includes the delegates from the unsanctioned Michigan and Florida primaries. While Clinton's argument to "count every vote" sounds great on paper, the whole truth of the situation makes it look like she's grasping at straws. Harold Ickes, a senior Clinton strategist, was a member of the DNC team that decided to penalize MI and FL for holding early contests. In addition to this, all of the presidential campaigns agreed to the rules before a single vote was cast.

This line of reasoning, as well as the oft-repeated meme of the "broken caucus system" by the Clinton camp seems more of sour grapes than a real concern for the democratic process.

Chris Bowers at OpenLeft has written pretty extensively on the math of this race, and actually called the race for Obama well before the PA primary based on polling and projections of future contests.

I think it's safe to say not only that Obama is our nominee, but that he's the strongest nominee we've had in years.

And I'm back!

2008-05-06T18:56:00.002-04:00

Hello out there in the tubes!

I'm back after a campaign-related sabbatical, and I'm pleased to announce that I should be blogging with regular updates for the foreseeable future.

Here's a few things to expect from me this month:

- A detailed rundown of the 11th Congressional race including fundraising predictions and maybe an interview or two.

- My reflections on my last few campaigns, and where I see strengths and weaknesses in the Democratic party statewide.

- Interviews with campaign strategists and operatives

I hope you'll join me in a discuss these and other issues in the weeks and months to come.

Auld Lang Syne

2008-01-01T17:13:00.000-05:00

New Year, New Beginnings, Saying Goodbye to old friends.

Happy 2008!

This should prove to be a banner year for political junkies like myself. With the Iowa Caucus only a few days away, we'll be into campaign season (we aren't already?)

Speaking of campaign season, I know I've been on hiatus for a few weeks, and unfortunately, that's going to continue for a while. I'm getting pretty close to committing to a campaign, and I'll have to lay off the poli blogging for now.

I'll try to comment here and there on things not so political, like the NFL playoffs, the Red Sox, and movies, but I can't really comment on anything political for the time being.

One of the jobs I've been offered involves blogging for a candidate, so I'd be able to blog here, too, but only about that race.

Either way, thanks so much for visiting and commenting, especially my "blogfather' Gort, and regulars Bill Fitz, Slobby, and Dr. Rick.

Watch this space!

2007-12-03T10:54:00.000-05:00

Dear faithful readers,

While my usual semester end hiatus is coming, have faith because I have some great stuff in the works including an interview with at least TWO candidates for congress in the 10th district. I'll post open threads soon for each interview for questions. I'm sure that you will be able to come up with some great questions.

After the interviews, I'm gonna have some great stuff on the 11th CD race, and then it will be time for Christmas.

Sunday Funnies

2007-12-03T00:41:00.000-05:00

Too Funny.

Sunday Funnies

2007-11-18T17:41:00.000-05:00

Mike Huckabee is appealing to all of those college students in Iowa with this hilarious, yet likely ineffective ad:

Makes me wonder if Ron Silver will do an ad for Ron Paul: "Two Rons Make it Right."

UNLV Debate

2007-11-16T01:52:00.000-05:00

My younger brother served a combat tour in Iraq in the Army, and our best friend served several tours as a Marine. This question from last night's Democratic debate in Nevada is very apropos.

Can we get any sort of firm commitment to our overused combat forces from our supposed "anti-war" democrats?

Election Day Rant

2007-11-06T10:17:00.001-05:00

In case you wanted to know who I'm voting for, (Mom) here you go:

Retention: NO for Corey Stevens. He's a nice guy and from my neck of the woods, but he's come out hard supporting Barletta's ridiculous IIRA.

Supreme Court: My buddy Seamus McCaffrey and Debra Todd

Commonwealth Court: Ron Folino, Milton Younge

County Commissioner: While I support the Dem ticket, I'm going to vote for Maryanne Petrilla and Republican Bill Jones. Steve Urban is just too much talk and not enough action. Time for a new minority commissioner.

Judge of Common Pleas: Read what Gort said.

District Attorney: Same.

Recorder of Deeds: Red O'Brien. I don't know Red, or much about him, but under Mary Dysleski, two clerks were able to steal alot of money from the taxpayers. The buck has to stop somewhere.

Clerk of Courts: Fellow Monarch Bob Reilly ('75)

Coroner: John Corcoran

Sherriff: Mike Savokinas

Treasurer: Mike "I quit when JoePa quits" Morreale

Chris Hackett, Nice Guy / Voice of the People

2007-11-06T09:25:00.000-05:00

I wandered down to public square last night to watch the Hazleton-based group, Voice of the People protest former Mexican President Vincente Fox's speech at the Kirby last night. I had the opportunity to chat briefly with Chris Hackett and it turns out he's a nice guy.

"Hey, are you running for congress?"

"Why, yes, I am. Chris Hackett, nice to meet you."

"Danny Bauder, same."

"Danny Bauder, hmmmmm. Oh you're the blogger. You haven't been terribly nice to my campaign."

"Well I haven't been nice to Meuser, either."

We talked for about five minutes about the race, and he invited me to interview him like Gort did (which is where I stole this great Hackett picture.) He gave me one of his cards, which I plan on scanning later today. They're quite nice. I think I may take him up on the offer of an interview, but I'd like to do it only if I can get time with Meuser, too.

Overall, Hackett was congenial and seemed to be excited about working the crowd. The crowd, however, became pretty nasty toward the college students observing the protest, especially after some rabble rousers I didn't recognize started intermingling with the crowd and trying to start arguments. The police intervened and kept things from escalating, but it was obvious the group from Voice of the People weren't interested in discussing differences of opinions. We were told we needed to get "a fucking education" because we obviously didn't understand the issue. I remained on the edge of the crowd, watching the circus, not because I don't believe strongly about the issue, but because there's no arguing with these people. For instance, a young lady in a pink sweater got on the megaphone and told us our mothers should have castrated us. What that has anything to do with immigration, I'm still not quite sure. She also said "and you kids all got to Wilkes College (sic) and I'll see you on campus." While not everyone in our group had a King's sweatshirt on, most of us did. I don't know how she missed that one.

From their website:

It is my belief that illegal immigrant is a strong saying but I choose to label all of those who entered this country illegally for exactly what they truly are, ILLEGAL TRESPASSER"S!

The website also listed speakers for last night's protest including:

Steve Urbin

Luzurne County Commissioner

Linda Stiets

Maybe an English as a first language lesson is appropriate.

We need four more years of Tom Leighton

2007-10-30T11:27:00.001-04:00

While I don't believe ever written an endorsement piece, my support of Democratic candidates should come as no surprise to my readers.

I've known Tom Leighton since 2002 when he came to visit the Young Democrats trying to get our support in his bid to remove then-mayor McGroarty. Supporting Leighton was an easy decision then, because unlike the incumbent, he actually wanted to have dialog with the student population.

Since Tom became mayor his administration has had to repair relations with both state and federal agencies, restore the city's abysmal bond rating, attract new businesses, develop infrastructure and deal with two horrific storms (the floods and evacuation in 2006 and last Valentine's Day snow storm.)

While his administration has taken alot of flack for the clean up cost of the snow storm, and the potholes don't seem to be going away, the city is light-years ahead of where it was four years ago.

King's and Wilkes partnered with Barnes & Noble to open a downtown bookstore. R/C Theaters opened a fourteen screen theater on Northampton St. Pennsylvania Labor and Industry moved into a brand new building on top of McGroarty's famous "hole in the ground." New streetlights. The renovations at the Sterling. The riverfront project has begun. Good things are happening here in Wilkes-Barre, and a lot of it has to do with Tom Leighton's vision.

Last week, King's College hosted a forum with the League of Women Voters open to city council candidates. Other than the twenty five or so students required to attend, the crowd was empty. A few professors, members of the League of Women Voters, and perhaps a handful of city residents. This was disappointing, but it also spoke of what kind of base the challenger candidates had. The auditorium wasn't filled with angry residents seeking to replace Leighton and his all-democratic council, it was filled with students who had to be there, and aren't registered to vote in Wilkes-Barre.

The general theme by the challengers was anger. Anger for closing the Heights fire house. Anger for Solid Cactus moving to Shavertown. Anger that mines closed. Anger that the Vietnam War took so many of the Valley's young. Anger that Agnes happened. You name it, they hate it.

Linda Stets, who is running for council and mayor, played to the crowd of students, suggesting that we not have to pay for parking (but not elaborating on how or where) and suggesting that commuter students come together and demand the school shuttle them from the college owned parking facilities to the campus. As a former president (2002) of the King's Commuter Life Association, I thank Linda for her brave and visionary ideas. The school started a shuttle service this year, and the shuttle can be seen driving around the downtown, where a number of students now live. The shuttle, which is incidentally covered in King's colors and has a big "Leo" on the sides and back, also serves the Washington street parking lots, where a lot of students park. If you're going to a college to talk to college students about why you should run the city and not the guy who graduated from there, you should know something about the school. Next she'll suggest we close Franklin street between Union and Jackson to make it safer for the students.

Stets and her crew, perennial candidate Walter Griffith, and newcomers Vince Guarneri and Peter Gagliardi, didn't smile, didn't express enthusiasm or passion about this seemingly doomed city they wish to represent. If anything, they made a very strong case for their opponents, who weren't even there.

This city is moving up and the current administration is making the right moves to keep the good things happening. Is Tom Leighton perfect? Of course not. But he is far and away the best choice for mayor and to keep the growth and development we've enjoyed in the last four years.

About that Hiatus...

2007-10-25T10:11:00.000-04:00

Sorry, dear reader about that hiatus. I've been pretty busy with school and while I've been meaning to blog something for a while, I just haven't had the chance. Now that my Red Sox are in the series, it might be another week before I can give you anything of substance. But here are the topics I'd like to tackle once I'm back:

- Why is there so much anger in the presentations of the (W-B) Republican city council candidates?

- Why is comedian Stephen Colbert polling above Bill Richardson in South Carolina?

- Why isn't Al Gore running for president?

- Why is Chris Carney almost a shoe-in already?

That and much, much more, so please, stayed tuned.

Run, Rick, Run!

2007-10-01T10:40:00.000-04:00

This is a liberal blogger's dream:
The American Spectator reported last week that Santorum is seriously mulling a run for governor in 2010, when the race will be wide open.

I can't believe it. If Rick Santorum (R-Virginia) thinks he can run for Governor from a two-bedroom apartment in western PA, I say go for it. I don't see how Pennsylvania voters will elect someone they chose to not re-elect by a near 20-point margin.

Other republicans that have been mentioned include Attorney General Tom Corbett, former Congressman Pat Toomey, and my favorite mayor, Lou Barletta.

I'm sure this is welcome news to people like Dan Onorato, Don Cunningham and Jack Wagner.

I really hope he runs, because it means another four (eight?) years of a democratic governor and better chance to keep PA blue.

It has begun....

2007-09-18T10:13:00.000-04:00

The first strike in what should be an epic 2008 contest has been made. Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-Nanticoke) has re-written an earmark initially designed to help out the City of Nanticoke. The money will now go the equally needy City of Wilkes-Barre. The switcheroo has drawn the ire of state representative John Yudichak (D-Nanticoke) who is likely to challenge Kanjosrki next spring.

From the Citizens Voice:

What local officials didn't know until this week was in February Kanjorski had the bill amended to pull the $5.6 million for Nanticoke, cut it to $3 million, and reassign it to parking and street improvements at the Wilkes-Barre Sterling Hotel down River, Market or Franklin streets as far as the Irem Temple.

Sez Skrep: "This is what gives politicians a bad rep. I think if a project is viable for the community and the big picture, you put personal feelings aside and do the right thing."

Gort has more on the situation here. He's also got a great in-depth interview with Chris Hackett, who wants to retire Chris Carney here.

Six Years Ago

2007-09-11T10:40:00.001-04:00

Six years ago this morning, we were attacked by a well organized militia on our own soil. Six years ago this morning, we were caught off guard by a group of fanatics. Six years ago this morning we lost of three thousand of our fellow Americans, six years ago we were scared, six years ago we were all hugging, six years ago we banded together in solidarity with those who were mourning.

Don't ever forget that we were attacked.

Don't ever forget that innocent Americans were murdered.

Don't ever forget the crater left in lower Manhattan.

Don't ever forget the shattered countryside in Pennsylvania.

Don't ever forget the hole in the Pentagon.

Don't ever forget the first responders who did there jobs without regard for themselves.

Don't ever forget it was Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda who were responsible.

Don't ever forget the goodwill shown to us by the rest of the world as we mourned together.

Don't ever forget that 15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, and none were from Iraq.

What have we lost since 9-11?

We lost freedom to the USA Patriot Act.

We lost more than three thousand soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen in Iraq.

We lost our objective and vigilant press, replaced with lapdogs and mouthpieces.

Charles Costanzo, Violent Man

2007-09-09T11:28:00.000-04:00

King Bob Cordaro's "childhood friend" Chuckie Costanzo has run afoul of the law before this FBI investigation, in fact, he's a had a few run-ins. He's been arrested twice since the county awarded his company a county (read taxpayer) contract, the company which is now being investigated for missappropriation of county funds.

Thanks to the Scranton Times:

His most serious legal entanglements came in 1997, when he assaulted two women and a deputy sheriff, and in 1999, when he fled from police in his car after an apparent domestic dispute......The most recent arrest was in December, when Dunmore police charged him with slapping a female. The case was later dismissed.

Once more, this time with feeling:

King Bob and the Close Friend

2007-09-06T11:43:00.000-04:00

Bob Cordaro's had a rough month. First he's knocked off the ballot, then he's back on. Then a close friend of his is spotted at a fundraiser for his opponents. Now that same ol' buddy is likely the target in FBI investigation, and the feds have advised the county to stop doing business with Cordaro's childhood friend.

Courtesy of the Scranton Times:

The company's president is Mr. Costanzo, a Dunmore resident with whom Mr. Cordaro acknowledged a longstanding personal friendship, and who has contributed at least $1,050 to Mr. Cordaro's and Mr. Munchak's election campaigns... Executive Claims was hired to administer claims in mid-2004, shortly after Mr. Cordaro and Mr. Munchak became majority commissioners.

This coming from the guys who ran against nepotism and patronage four years ago.

Mr. Costanzo is already a well-known internet sensation after this one:

Lawyers, Guns and Money

2007-09-03T11:50:00.000-04:00

I was gambling in Havana,
I took a little risk,
Said lawyers, guns and money
They'll get me out of this...

$2.4 Million

That's how much money in legal fees the City of Hazleton is responsible for paying after losing the IIRA case in Scranton.

The mayor says they've taken in over $400,000 in donations, but already spent half of it on it's own legal bills.

And I'm still waiting for the mayor's data proving his claim that "illegals" are draining public resources.

Meanwhile, the city's streets are full of potholes, and winter is around the corner.

Police are stretched and the overtime budget is blown.

The KKK wants to march in Hazleton, showing their support of Mayor Barletta.

Tell me again how this has nothing to do with race, Mayor.

11th CD Update

2007-09-02T15:13:00.000-04:00

My fellow poliblogger Gort has a great post on the 10th CD horserace that's getting alot of buzz right here.

I'd like to take a look at what might be an equally exciting primary here in the 11th.

As far as anyone knows, Paul Kanjorski is running for reelection. The NRCC is already running negative ads on radio, and the scuttlebutt is that "Diamond" Lou Barletta will run again for Kanjo's seat.

That much is almost universally agreed on. What's more interesting is the crop of Democrats rumored to run against Kanjorski in the primary.

John Yudichak, state rep from Nanticoke, has been an oft-mentioned primary challenger ever since John's dad, Joe began asking questions about Cornerstone, a company built with earmarks and run by relatives of Kanjorski. The feud became more public when it was alleged that Kanjorski was funding Yudichack's former challenger, TGI Friday's bartender Dustin Grymko.

Chris Doherty, mayor of Scranton has been tossed around as a possible hand-picked replacement for Kanjo, but with rumors swirling about the solvency of the city's finances, Doherty may have to run earlier thean later. Both Barletta and Doherty have been mentioned as possible candidates for State Treasurer, but the dem field already has two announced candidates, Rob McCord and John Cordisco.

If a three way primary does happen, I think it helps Kanjorski hold his seat.

What do you think?

Give A Dog A Home

2007-08-26T14:01:00.001-04:00

Normally I blog only about political issues, but after reading this in the Citizen's Voice I felt I needed to share it with you.

Ten of 17 pit bulls removed Wednesday from a property with unsanitary conditions at 203 Madison St. now can be adopted at the SPCA of Luzerne County.
“If there was anything wrong with my dogs, they were too fat. I was feeding them too much. The dogs were well taken care of,” he said. “Pit bulls don’t always go for adoption. They get put to sleep. All my dogs went up for adoption. They’re friendly. My dogs don’t bite.”

I've got a friend who's almost always had pit bulls, and I've always enjoyed their company. Like any domesticated animal, they take on characteristics of their owner, as well as develop a personality based on the way they are treated.

If you can, please adopt one of these dogs.

We Shoulda Listened to this Guy

2007-08-13T13:42:00.000-04:00

Wow, if only we had listened to this guy:

H/T to Grand Theft Country

I've been in bed with some sort of bug and probably won't be posting much this week.

Bob is Back!

2007-08-10T10:59:00.000-04:00

The Lackawanna County Republicans have appointed incumbent commissioner Bob Cordaro to fill the vacancy left by ... Bob Cordaro.

From the Scranton Times:
Mr. Munchak addressed the committee for 10 minutes, urging the party members to keep the team intact. He left before the committee began its deliberations. “I had all the confidence in the world in our executive committee,” Mr. Munchak said later. “They knew the future of Lackawanna County depended on what they did.”

That must have been the time that AJ explained that their war chest was actually mostly Bob's and they'd be screwed without it.

It will be interesting to see if Jamison and Castellani challenge the next ethics statement.

UPDATE:

After listening to Corbett's interview with Big Bob today, he has not actually accepted the nomination. He plans on discussing it with his family since they "receive the brunt of this craziness."

So technically, Bob is not back, but he's close. Cross your fingers, true believers.

Mellow for Governor?

2007-08-08T11:15:00.000-04:00

State Senator Bob Mellow (D-Peckville) is flirting with a run for governor. Mellow's consultant said this to the Times-Leader:
“Sen. Mellow is definitely considering running for governor,” Mitchell said. “He has thought about it in past years, but I think he feels this time the field will be wide open with no real favorite.”

The field may be "wide open" however, the 25% approval rating for the state legislature can't possibly help his chances. Mellow is sitting on a $700k war chest, and always packs 'em in at his yearly party at Montage... this will be an even more interesting gubernatorial if Big Bob decides to run.

Smiling Faces

2007-08-05T12:18:00.000-04:00

This video is pretty sharp.

Jumping the Shark on YouTube

2007-08-02T00:29:00.000-04:00

"Brownback Girl" has made me question my faith in YouTube (kidding of course)"

Wild. I really hope Al Franken's ads don't look like this.

A King Without A Crown?

2007-07-31T12:00:00.000-04:00

Bombastic and often outspoken Lackawanna County Commissioner "King" Bob Cordaro has withdrawn from the ballot because of a boo boo on his financial disclosure form. Cordaro was facing a legal challenge from former republican challengers Lee Jamison and Robert Castellani on the financial disclosure. Oddly enough, both Jamison and Castellani were booted off the ballot after a court challenge from King Bob and Bonny Prince A.J.

This leaves the Lackawanna County Republican party with the task of nominating a replacement. The crazy thing is that no one is sure whether or not Cordaro can be nominated as his own replacement.

From the Scranton Times:
Theoretically, if the party nominated him as his own replacement, he would have another chance to fill out the financial interest statement correctly, a tactic likely to bring another challenge.

Rally, Murder and more

2007-07-30T17:35:00.000-04:00

And I thought it would be a slow news day....

Organizers are planning a rally in Nanticoke to support Mayor Barletta and the IIRA. I wonder if they heard about this. Nanticoke is a good choice, since it's home to Paul Kanjorski and his oft-mentioned primary challenger, State Rep John Yudichack. I wonder if Chris Doherty will show up.

Speaking of Lou Barletta, more great news from the Mountain City. Two men are dead after a shooting on the north side. Police have a suspect and have published a photo on the Standard-Speaker here.

Instead of spending city resources on preventing violent crime, Mayor Barletta is spending them on legal bills and windmill chasing.

Chasing Windmills is Expensive

2007-07-28T13:53:00.000-04:00

While Mayor Barletta can still appeal this weeks decision in the Third Circuit Court, he still lost this case and will be responsible for the plaintiff's fees. According to the Times-Leader, some of those fees could be in excess of (cue Dr. Evil) One Million Dollars! This bill, on top of the city's own legal fees in the case must be paid by the losing party.

Fellow Hazletonians, don't fret: Small Town Defenders has received over $360,000 in donations for legal expenses, which should cover the city's expenses in propagating Diamond Lou's quixotic venture.

Once the citizenry realizes what a sham this is, let's see how many standing ovations the Mayor receives.

Obama Enters the Fray

2007-07-27T11:26:00.000-04:00

H/T to PoliticsPA

Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has issued a statement concerning yesterday's decision on Hazleton's IIRA

"Today's ruling by Judge James Munley is a victory for all Americans. The anti-immigrant law passed by Mayor Barletta was unconstitutional and unworkable – and it underscores the need for comprehensive immigration reform so local communities do not continue to take matters into their own hands."

I think it's great Obama's camp is on top of the issue, and I'm kinda surprised that none of the Republican candidates, particularly Tom Tancredo have issued statements of support for the Mayor.

I'm not an Obama guy, but I give him big kudos for getting on top of this issue first.

UNCONSTITUTIONAL

2007-07-26T15:17:00.000-04:00

Let the spinning begin!

The Federal Court in Scranton has struck down Hazleton's controversial Illegal Immigration Relief Act.

This is the act that was re-written a half dozen times and deemed "completely defensible" by the city's solicitor, Chris Slusser.

Federal Judge James Munley: "Federal law prohibits Hazleton from enforcing any of the provisions of its ordinance."

Mayor Lou Barletta: "I'm not ready to lose."

If Mayor Lou isn't ready to lose today, when will he be? After another embarrassing defeat while running for congress in '08? After the Third Circuit upholds the Scranton decision? Or after President Bush's allies on the Supreme Court refuse to take the case?

Mr. Barletta, consider your parade rained on.

Judge Munley: "Whatever frustrations ... the city of Hazleton may feel about the current state of federal immigration enforcement, the nature of the political system in the United States prohibits the city from enacting ordinances that disrupt a carefully drawn federal statutory scheme,"

All quotes from the Scranton Times

Prepare for the Appeals!

2007-07-25T22:17:00.000-04:00

The Scranton Times is reporting that Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta is planning a press conference tomorrow at 4pm to discuss the court ruling on his controversial Illegal Immigration Relief Act, which would punish landlords and employers for either renting or employing illegal immigrants. The IIRA raises the question of whether or not local authorities can enact punishment for the violation of federal statutes.

This one could go either way, so be ready of immediate appeals. Lou Barletta has become a sort of folk hero among not only Hazletonians, but for bigots nationwide. During Barletta's eight years as mayor, crime has gone up, and the number of police on the street has gone down. In the last year, more funding has come in from State Rep. Todd Eachus (D-116) and more police are on the street.

One of my main objections with this ordinance isn't even part of the legal challenge: when the IIRA was passed, a separate ordinance making English the city's official language passed without objection by council. The idea behind this is to make English the only language the city uses to print things to keep costs low. Regardless of the mayor's intent, this ordinance says to the legal, spanish-speaking population, "We don't want you be here unless you can talk like us."

The mayor has never lobbied for more funding for ESL programs currently available in the public school system as well as at LCCC. If the mayor was so concerned about acclimating the legal immigrants, don't you think he's be concerned about the free programs to teach them english?

The answer is no. There's no glory, no headlines, no Lou Dobbs in it for him if he did. This is calculated political move designed by people like Luke Bernstein and Rick Santorum to force this wedge issue into NEPA politics and help get Lou elected to congress. Run, Mayor, Run, because maybe another embarrassing loss at the hands of Paul Kanjorski will retire you for politics entirely.

Madeira Sez No

2007-07-24T15:49:00.000-04:00

Chiropractor David Madeira won't challenge Chris Carney, and set the criteria for whom he'd support:

A real conservative who understands the challenges we face and is willing to do what needs to be done.
An effective communicator who is willing to take on the opposition on ideological grounds and explain conservative values in compelling ways.
A scandal-free candidate.
A candidate who can raise the money needed to win.

I think it begs the question as to what of the above criteria Madeira didn't meet. I imagine the fundraising one would be difficult for most challengers unless they can self-fund. Seems the Rs might want to close the primary off early so they can work as one unified front going into November.

In the meantime, Carney gets free ink for doing his job and the Republicans get free ink for people dropping out. I think they keep forgetting that incumbents are difficult to beat, even freshmen.

Back from the Lone Star State

2007-07-24T15:33:00.000-04:00

Above: Most of the PA delegation to YDA '07

I had a blast in Dallas, Texas at the Young Democrats of America's bi-annual convention. The Pennsylvania delegation was 25 strong, and we elected six of our members to leadership positions in five caucuses, including Alicia Froio, the new High School Caucus chair.

I've been involved in the Pennsylvania Young Dems for about six years now, but I had never attended a YDA meeting or convention before. There's something very encouraging about being in a room with 1500 fellow young democrats, unified in zeal and desire to make this a better nation.

Be Right Back ...

2007-07-17T17:28:00.000-04:00

I'll be in Dallas, Texas this week for the Young Democrats of America Convention. We're meeting to elect a new governing board, brainstorm on organizing methods, attend workshops, and sample the nation's best microbrews, as provided by each state's delegation.

Feel free to drop me a line, I'll have my trusty Macbook and not so trusty Motorola Q.

This Just In...

2007-07-15T11:48:00.000-04:00

The McCain Campaign is falling apart. Don't believe me? Check it out here, here, and here.

And here's a McCain classic to tide you over till his concession.

Firefighters to Giuliani: Thanks for Nothing

2007-07-13T18:56:00.000-04:00

While trying to be all things to all people, former New York mayor, Rudolph Giuliani hasn't made any friends among New York's firefighters. In fact, when the IAFF convened for their annual meeting this year, Giuliani was the only candidate not invited.

Here's what the IAFF had to say about former mayor Giuliani:

New Twist on Old Favorites

2007-07-13T10:43:00.000-04:00

I was reading Open Left this morning and noticed a post about the Transformers movie (which is awesome, by the way) and I had to bring the video over here.

It seems some of my old favorites had some overt political messages I missed as a kid.

This is why we don't fund NASA

2007-07-13T09:46:00.001-04:00

There's the Space Shuttle Endeavour, getting ready for take off and supported by the banner in the foreground. It's a great picture, especially for public relations, something the space program certainly needs some help with, considering the general malaise toward NASA by the American public.

There's a problem with the picture, however. Not so much the picture itself but the banner. The space shuttle is named after the eighteenth century HM Endeavour, piloted by British explorer James Cook.

The banner is missing the all-important British "U"

This is why it's hard to allocate funding for NASA. That and the lack of aliens.

Rare Footage of Senator Casey

2007-07-13T09:31:00.000-04:00

Senator Bob Casey Jr. was caught on tape this week ..... doing his job! We now have definitive proof that Casey is indeed in the Senate, and has been a member of that body for the last few months.

Anyway, our Bobby is introducing the first Hindu cleric to deliver a benediction at the opening of the senate, and some religious righters had a different idea... WWJD?

Wrong Mouse

2007-07-10T22:26:00.000-04:00

Oops.

Looks like a case of mistaken identity. I thought Scott Meuser was Dan Meuser.

They're both wealthy white Americans.

They're both republicans.

I can't pronounce either of their last names (Mouser? Meeser? Miser?)

Either way, one of them wants to run for congress, and one (or both of them gave money to Hillary Clinton)

But as you can see below, they both love Arlen Specter

Welcome to the Impasse

2007-07-09T10:06:00.000-04:00

As of this morning, over 25,000 non-essential Commonwealth employees have been furloughed. One of those employees is my father, who's worked faithfully for the Commonwealth for over twenty years.

I have four younger brothers, two of whom are in grade school. Those of you who have brothers or male children know how expensive raising five boys could be, between all of the pants we've ruined, to the barrel loads of food we eat. My family is going to weather the storm, by being frugal and relying on my mother's salary. But not everyone will be so lucky.

There are families all across this Commonwealth who just lost all of their income. There are families who lost their means of transportation to work. And then their are legislators, most I would guess want to be home with their families, but are going to be in session in Harrisburg until this thing gets through.

Keeping the liquor stores and casinos open was no surprise, they've both got large and loud lobbies. The state employees do to, they're AFSCME members. But the folks who depend on public transportation, or needed to collect their unemployment benefits, or take that state park vacation they've been dreaming about all year don't have a voice. They have people like you and I who can call our legislators and ask them what's going on and how much longer we have to wait.

The Sinking Ship that is John McCain

2007-07-07T11:34:00.000-04:00

John McCain really wants to be president. He tried real hard last time, but got muddy in South Carolina thanks to Karl Rove.

Now his "Straight Talk Express" is barely on the road and we find this out:

"Texas Rep. Ron Paul is boasting more cash-on-hand
than Arizona Sen. John McCain's
struggling presidential campaign."

The ship is sinking.

More On Meuser

2007-07-06T10:45:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of chatting with WILK's Sue Henry this morning about Scott Meuser. I brought up his giving history, most notably the $1,000 he gave to Hillary Clinton last year. Then I saw this on Gort's blog. Apparently, a Pride mobility chair had a defective battery that caused a fire and burned a man's house down, killing the chair's user. If that's not enough, there's this little gem from TPM:

"Had the case gone to trial, according to court records and statements in court, jurors may have heard evidence that Pride Mobility was aware of at least 18 other fires in its wheelchairs and scooters with identical battery packs since 2002. Ten of those fires destroyed dwellings and five were fatal."

How can this guy campaign to seniors and tell them he cares about them?

In addition to the $1,000 to Hillary, Meuser also gave $6,000 to Democratic House candidates (including Paul Kanjorski) and another $1,500 to Democratic Senate campaigns.

Meanwhile, Chris Carney gets continue making inroads, strengthening his incumbency.

Scott Meuser, Republican

2007-07-05T14:34:00.000-04:00

Meuser and his buddy, arch conservative Arlen Specter

Scott Meuser, Chairman and CEO of Pride Mobility wants to be your next congressman. He's a loyal, lifelong republican who wants to use the overwhelming republican voter registration edge to secure his ticket to D.C.

But there's a problem with this strategy:

2006 PRIDE MOBILITY PRODUCTS PAC CONTRIBUTIONS (SENATE)
Senate Candidate	Total Contribs
Clinton, Hillary (D-NY)	$1,000
Conrad, Kent (D-ND)	$1,000
Ford, Harold E Jr (D-TN)	$500
Total to Democratic Senate Candidates:	$2,500

I don't think any republican in the 10th CD (outside of the Lake Winola area) has given any money to Hillary Clinton, and I think alot of them would question the "republican-ness" of someone who did.

Pass this info on to your friends in the 10th ... we'll see if Meuser goes the way of Peters, Marino etc...

Letting Freedom Ring

2007-07-04T14:20:00.000-04:00

Once again, I'm returning from an extended absence to the bloggin' world. I wanted to put together a quick a post to opine briefly about a few things which I will be expanding on this week:

- Scooter Libby's sentence is commuted, no surprise there. This conviction is a big black eye for the Bush Administration, and I figured a pardon was in the works. This should, like the Jack Abramoff scandal, give Democrats alot of political capital

- Rose Tucker is a county commissioner again. That's nice.

- Steve Corbett's back in town, and (thankfully) replaced Sean Hannity on WILK. I've already started listening, and I think you should too.

- Chris Carney has a Republican challenger for the fall of '08. A challenger who has a history giving to Democrats.

Enjoy your Fourth!

Farewell, My Friend

2007-05-23T11:38:00.000-04:00

My good friend and fellow Democrat Tom Curry passed away yesterday after a lengthy battle with cancer. Tom and I started the Luzerne County Young Dems together in the spring of 2002, and immediately went to work. Tom recruited 50 college students to go door-to-door for Congressman Kanjorski, and he was credited publicly with helping re-elect the congressman.

I learned alot from Tom, not only about politics, but about life. I learned how to listen to someone and make them feel that they were the only person I cared about. I learned how to greet people when I couldn't recall their name, and I learned how to laugh, no matter how bad things seemed.

The picture was taken at the Young Democrats cocktail party in the fall of 2003. Tom and I were singing "New York, New York" which was one of his favorites.

When You Don't Have Facts, Just Guess

2007-03-19T09:27:00.000-04:00

Diamond Lou tells a whopper in federal court (From the Philly Inquirer):

"Barletta had also testified that, without relying on any data, he determined that illegal immigrants were draining resources in health care, education and police overtime. But Sam Monticello, Hazleton's director of administration, testified Friday that no mention was made of the alleged rising cost of illegal immigrants in the last city budget."

This act, the IIRA, was conceived in a Santorum for Senate campaign meeting as a way of rallying the base and putting Bob Casey in a tough bind in his home area. While the act has certainly rallied the base, it was poorly written and researched, as evidenced by the fact that it has been re-written or altered five times. In light of the revelation by Barletta, that he had no proof of his oft-touted thesis the illegal aliens were draining city resources, the question of how much the city's legal defense is costing taxpayers is all the more relevant.

And if you still don't believe that this was no more than a publicity stunt, this from the same article should give you something to think about:

"Code enforcement officers in Hazleton never received training in how to verify immigration papers, despite the city's intention to enforce laws targeting illegal immigrants ... The officers said they were unfamiliar with how the city's Illegal Immigration Relief Act would work and what their responsibilities would be."

Cheney and the Master Plan

2007-03-06T22:37:00.000-05:00

ThisIsLondon.co.uk is reporting that Vice President Cheney has a been diagnosed with a blood clot in his left leg. After heart attacks and heart surgeries in office, I don't think Cheney is planning on hanging up the boots anytime soon, however, as we get closer to the potential cantankerous 2008 presidential contest, Cheney stepping down, citing "health reasons" to allow another prominent republican to be appointent vice president and use the power of incumbency to run for President.

The scary thing about all of this is that it's a very real possibility, especially after Scooter Libby was found guilty on four of his five charges today. The administration needs new blood, a new face and a new spin on things, and that's all but impossible with stone-faced Cheney in front of cameras.

We all know any of the top-tier republican candidates, despite all of their efforts to distance themselves from this wholly unpopular administration, would love the power incumbency would offer them.

He's BAAA-ACK!!!

2007-03-05T21:26:00.000-05:00

I heard from a Hazleton city dem this weekend that they were expecting a visit from a city democrat petitioning for mayor. (Drumroll please)

Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome back airline pilot and former Hazleton Mayor Michael Marsicano!

Marsicano ran against then-popular democrat John Quigley, using surrogates to spread rumors and innuendo that Quigley was driving into northern New Jersey with a bus to entice Latinos to move to the area. One of my favorite claims by Marsicano's supporters was that Quigley took out full-page advertisements in the Spanish language newspapers in the NYC region advertising the Hazleton area to urban Latinos. When anyone would challenge these claims for proof, the claimant would promise to ask that friend-of-a-friend who told them about it.

The Times Leader had and an active Hazleton Bureau at the time, and did a wonderful community service exposing Marsicano's agenda and disregard for the citizens of Hazleton. I'll be taking some time to dig through their archives over the next few weeks to provide the public with the record of Mike Marsicano's previous term as mayor so we can all make an informed decision.

More on this soon

Calling Your Bluff

2007-02-06T11:20:00.000-05:00

For a long time, social conservatives have argued that gay marriage is unnatural because the institution of marriage was designed specifically for procreation. Since same-sex couples can't procreate without either adopting or bringing in an opposite-sex third party, these conservatives thought they had an iron-clad arguement. This was until now.

Activists in Washington State are pushing for signatures for a ballot initiative that would define marriage exclusively as between a man and a woman who have children or can prove that they are physically able to do so. This effectively calls the bluff of the conservatives, and if the initiative is passed, the legal battle that ensues will be very, very interesting.

Maximum Wage

2007-01-30T15:31:00.000-05:00

During Speaker Pelosi's 100-hour honeymoon, she was able to pass H.R. 2 which raises the mininum wage from the abysmally low $5.15 to the marginally low $7.25 for hourly employees. Senator Casey made a few remarks on the senate floor,

"Those who earn the minimum wage are not people who are connected to the wealthy and the powerful. They don’t have high-paid lobbyists here in Washington advocating for them.

No, these Americans are people who lead quietly triumphant lives of struggle and sacrifice, overcoming hardships and setbacks. They do hard work -- like waitresses carrying heavy trays, on their feet hour after hour even as they dream of a better life for their children. At the end of a long day, they return home exhausted, often after working two jobs. The dignity of their labor gives meaning to their lives but no one, no matter how hard they work, can keep pace with the avalanche of cost increases over the last ten years."

The federal minimum wage has not been equivilent to at leats 50% of the average earned wage of Americans since 1969.
(H/T to abigfatslob.com)

http://www.epinet.org/issueguides/minwage/figure2.pdf

I'm switching from PC to Mac and I'm still working the bugs out, so pardon my lack of italics and indenting. It's going to take me a little while to get used to it.

Barletta's Next Step

2007-01-09T16:51:00.000-05:00

I received this email from a friend today :

On Monday, January 15th at the Elks Club starting at 7:00 PM. The honorable Mayor Lou Barletta is inviting you to a get together celebration. There is no charge, just bring yourself and lots of friends to hear this important announcement!!!

Please try to attend. Hope to see you there!!

Initially, I thought the mayor was planning a get-together to announce his re-election plans. Then I though about it more, and I think he's going to make another run for higher office.

Barletta's fifteen minutes are going to run out soon and he needs to cash in all of his political capital asap. Announcing a run for either state senate or congress for '08 is the best way to do that.

I imagine that the mayor's internal polling shows a very high favorability right now in light of his IIRA, and he didn't do that poorly against Kanjorski in '02. If anyone other than Kanjo is running in '08, Barletta has a real good shot at being elected. But Kanjorski's power of incumbency and ability to fundraise will make it difficult for him to be defeated.

Luzerne Commissioner's Race

2006-12-27T12:16:00.000-05:00

Current Commissioner Todd Vonderheid has announced he won't seek re-election, and the county's Controller Maryanne Petrilla has already announced her plans to run for his seat. Commission Chair Greg Skrepenak has voiced his support for Petrilla, and the two plan to run as a ticket, which will make it difficult for any candidate to challenge their team, especially since the commissioners weren't able to get the much needed pay raises into their 2007 budget. While a pay raise for elected county officials is long overdue, the voters are still quite aware of the pay raise debacle from last year.

From what I've heard, there's a few Republicans beside Steve Urban thinking about running. Dave Shipula, business owner and Hanover Area School Director, has been mentioned, along with Bill Jones, school director from Wright Township, Randy Tomasacci school director from Shickshinny, and Bill James, electrician and '03 candidate.

Other Democrats I've heard mentioned are Attorney Ray Hassey, Clerk of Courts Bob Reilly, and former commissioners Frank Crossin and Frank "Trini" Trinisheski.

More to come on the county judge race soon.

P 2008 Ruminations

2006-12-23T16:20:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking more and more about the next presidential race, and I have some thoughts on who will be eating up all that cable news time.

Dems
Frontrunners
Hillary Clinton
Barack Obama
Al Gore
John Edwards

Background
Tom Vilsack
Joe Biden
Chris Dodd
Bill Richardson

Veepstakes
Barack Obama
Jim Webb
Ed Rendell
Chris Dodd
Wes Clark
Brian Schweitzer

Reps
Frontrunners
John McCain
Mitt Romney
Rudy Guiliani
Newt Gingrich

Background
Rick Santorum
Bill Frist
George Pataki
Dick Cheney (remember him?)

Veepstakes
Tom Kean, Sr.
Jeb Bush
Newt Gingrich
J.C. Watts

I know there's a few I'm leaving out, and there's probably a few names in there that you think don't belong, so I'm very interested to hear what you have to say about some of the prospective candidates.

Big Plans from Rendell

2006-12-13T13:18:00.000-05:00

Governor Rendell isn't wasting any time setting out his goals for term number two: health care coverage for all PA children, expanded property tax relief, and a sweeping government reform package that includes term limits for legislators, a new merit-based system for the state judiciary and a proposal to reduce the size of the state legislature.

These goals will keep the Gov quite busy between now and '08, and I think if he's able to accomplish these goals on the timetable he has planned, he makes for a very attractive running mate.

The Governor is noticeably quiet about the short list for the open Treasurer seat. Names tossed around include former treasurer Barbara Hafer, former state rep T.J. Rooney, and former congressman Joe Hoeffel. I heard an interesting argument for choosing Catherine Baker Knoll, and I'll link to it when I find it again.

On a personal note, my finals are almost over, and I'm planning on spending as much of the break in San Diego as possible.

Long overdue post election post

2006-11-27T17:25:00.000-05:00

This is very overdue, but here's whats been on my mind.

Nancy Pelosi screwed up royally by entering the fray and publicly backing Murtha over Hoyer. Had Murtha won the leadership spot this wouldn't be nearly as big an issue, but this makes the Democrats looked petty and inexperienced.

Todd Vonderheid will not seek a second term as commissioner. No big surprise there. Vonderheid and his wife had their first child halfway through his term, and regardless of what you think of the guy, he puts alot of time in, and that's not the kind of job you want to have when you've got such a young child.

Unfortunately, I can't think of one good candidate for commissoner to run with the big guy. I hear Auggie Piazza is thinking about running, I hope he doesn't. He doesn't have the best reputation in either of the school districts he's involved in, and he's a political buddy of both Vonderheid and Skrepenak, so it begs the question what new ideas does he bring to the table.

I still can't believe Jim Gerlach held on. I wonder what the success rate is for 2004 congressional candidates that returned for a rematch this cycle. I know Diane Farrell lost again to Chris Shays in Connecticut, but Farrell never had the lead in the polls like Lois Murphy did.

The Democrats are poised to take control of the PA State House for the first time since the very illustrious Tom Stish of Hazleton switched parties in 1994. My state rep, Todd Eachus was elected to caucus chair, and his neighbor to the south, Keith McCall is our new whip, which is a good thing for my area.

I'm not surprised about Mike Veon, although I'm sure alot of people in western Pennsylvania are. Mike's decision to stick with the pay raise, however noble he thought it, killed him, just like it did so many other "safe" legislators.

The Wilkes-Barre city council race has the potential to be an ugly one, especially if everyone runs for re-election. There's a decent chance for a Republican to get elected to council, if they ran in the North End particularly.

Final Predictions

2006-11-07T02:35:00.000-05:00

It's 2:28AM and I'm at coordinated campaign headquarters. I know it's been quite some time since my last post, but between school and this election, I've been occupied.

So here are my predictions for today's election.

PA-GOV
Rendell 58
Swann 41

PA-SEN
Casey 52
Santorum 48

PA-10
Carney 56
Sherwood 44

PA-8
Murphy 52
Fitzpatrick 48

PA-7
Sestak 53
Weldon 47

PA-6
Murphy 55
Gerlach 45

PA-12
Murtha 61
Irey 39

PA-4
Hart 58
Altmire 42

OH-GOV
Strickland 55
Blackwell 45

OH-SEN
Brown 53
DeWine 47

NJ-SEN
Menendez 54
Kean, Jr. 46

CT-GOV
Rell 58
DeStefano 42

CT-SEN
Lamont 52
Lieberman 41
Schlessinger 7

CT-2
Courtney 53
Simmons 47

CT-3
Murphy 55
Johnson 45

CT-5
Shays 52
Farrell 48

TN-SEN
Corker 52
Ford 48

FL-SEN
Nelson 59
Harris 41

VA-SEN
Webb 53
Allen 47

RI-SEN
Whitehouse 51
Chaffee 49

goodnight to all, and to all a goodnight

Olberman Gets Real

2006-08-31T19:59:00.000-04:00

Keith Olberman, the best reason to watch MSNBC, stopped being nice and started being real. In an editorial last night about the speech Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld gave to the American Legion convention last week, Olberman showed poise, patriotism and punch.

This is the no-holds-barred, clear and reasoned criticism of the Administration is what I've been waiting for. Olberman has taken the first step to finally changing the focus of the debate in the news from "cut-and-run" versus "stay the course" to a logical discussion of the huge difference between the war in Afganistan and the war in Iraq.

Here's a quote:

The confusion we- as citizens- now must address, is stark and forbidding.
But variations of it have faced our forefathers, when men like Nixon and McCarthy and Curtis LeMay have darkened our skies and obscured our flag. Note - with hope in your heart - that those earlier Americans always found their way to the light and we can too, The confusion is about whether this Secretary of Defense, and this Administration, are in fact now accomplishing what they claim the terrorists seek: The destruction of our freedoms, the very ones for which the same veterans Mr. Rumsfeld addressed yesterday in Salt Lake City,
so valiantly fought.

If you or anyone you know is a Nielsen family, reward this journalist in the tradition of Murrow, Bernstein and Woodward by watching his program and boosting his ratings.

In my own defense

2006-08-18T16:49:00.000-04:00

Today's cover story in the Times Leader features a poll of Wyoming Valley residents, to find out how many 18-29 year olds were planning on staying in the valley in the next ten years. I was walking through public square yesterday and I was stopped by TL reporter Rory Sweeney and asked to comment of the survey's findings that roughly 33% of all surveyed planned to leave the valley. I read today's paper to find myself horribly misquoted. "The only white-collar places to work around here are insurance agents, lawyers and pharmacists" is only one of the gems attributed to me. I couldn't believe that was extrapolated from the comment I gave the reporter. I feel like an idiot after reading what I "said." I need to learn to keep my mouth shut, apparently.

Illegal Ordinance?

2006-07-15T10:16:00.000-04:00

Mayor Barletta's proposed Illegal Immigration Relief Act passed City Council Thursday 4-1. The city was sued yesterday by the ACLU and Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund. At Thursday's meeting, City Solicitor Chris Slusser was asked if the ordinance was constitutional and defensible, and he replied that it was. Now, the volley of legal challenges begins, and we find out if Atty. Slusser is right.

What isn't being discussed is if this ordinance is the out-working of coordination between Mayor Barletta's office and Senator Rick Santorum's campaign. The Mayor's website promoting the IIRA was registered by Eric Miller, a member of Santorum's re-election staff. Luke Bernstein, who grew up in the Hazleton area, is Santorum's campaign manager, and was recruited by City Solicitor Slusser to put the site together. This revelation amid allegations that the IIRA was conceived primarily to push the immigration issue to the forefront of local and state news, to give Santorum an opportunity to use his bully pulpit on the issue.

I attended a fundraiser for a Democratic candidate for congress last week, and union leader I've known for a few years told me he believed that immigration would be the number one issue of the '06 midterm elections, and that we would lose elections as a result. If you check the RNC website you see that immigration reform has an issue page. A stroll over to the DNC's website, and nothing about it. Once again, we're allowing the Republican party to shape the debate, and we're left without a platform message, without any real leadership.

Lay, King, Jesus?!?

2006-07-13T09:54:00.000-04:00

While delivering his eulogy yesterday in Houston, Reverend Dr. Bill Lawson compared former Enron CEO and convicted felon Ken Lay to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jesus Christ.

Unbelievable ... the revisionist history begins.

"He was taken out of the world right at the right time," Rev. Larson said. "History has a way of vindicating people who have been wronged."

Quote from the "vindicated"

Luke 10:27 - He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "

Response

2006-07-03T15:28:00.000-04:00

I received this shortly after I sent the email posted below. Technology is a wonderful thing.

Nothing's wrong with this direction, and frankly I was concerned about
how the column would come across in that regard when I wrote it. I set
out with the idea of taking a jab at how things keep going wrong
recently for Leighton, despite what look like solid efforts to make
things right - and in fact, how the setbacks don't seem to stop the
positive trend. Build a theater (long promised by his long-winded
predecessor) and it loses power on opening night; plan an impressive
bicentennial celebration and it gets washed out; order an evacuation and
the levees hold (but golly, what if they hadn't?).
Crass? I hope not. Funny? I tried. The humor isn't in what the mayor
proposed, it's in the series of events that have surrounded the
implementation of those proposals.
Sometimes a joke is just a joke, and the problem with making them
in the column is I'm never sure I told it well.
Thanks for writing, and please consider reading more often. Thanks
especially for the positive words on our role in Hazleton. I started my
journalism career in the bureau covering Hazleton government right
around the time Marsicano started using his council seat as the launch
pad for his mayoral run.
Mark Guydish
Times Leader

Guydish's Column

2006-07-03T12:33:00.000-04:00

Mark Guydish's column in today's Times Leader really got under my skin ... so I figured I'd do something about it. I just emailed this to Mark, and I'll post the response when I get it.

Mr. Guydish,

I can't say I'm a regular reader, in fact I must confess I don't read your paper that often for a silly reason: your competition, with it's tabloid format, is more convenient for me to read during class in college and not get caught, so when I pick up a Wilkes-Barre newspaper, I usually reach for the Citizen's Voice.

I have read the TL over the years, beginning when you had a Hazleton Bureau and I could ride my bike down the street and pick up a paper right from the source. I've noticed that the Times-Leader's editorial board seems to have an anti-establishment slant, which first noticed during the Marsicano administration in my hometown, Hazleton, when your paper did an incredible public service, standing up to an inept mayor and his ridiculous proposals and initiatives.

The Times-Leader, continuing with this watchdog status, supported the county-wide home rule referrendum, citing past problems with cronyism, corruption and bad business practices from former county commissions. I disagreed with the TL then, and opposed the home rule, but hindsight being what it is, I think that may have been a good idea, especially given the difficulty the current commission has had getting much done. (Reassesment comes to mind.)

Which, after my penchant for hearing my own voice, brings me to my point. Your column in today's Times-Leader confuses me. While I certainly think our elected officials are always open for criticism and comedy, your column frankly struck me as crass and a bit disrespectful.

When alone, a nice, shiny new movie theatre in lifeless downtown does not a revitalization make, however when coupled with physical plant improvement (retiring the god-awful canopy, new streetlights, wi-fi), market expansion (Wilkes University moving downtown at the call center, joint college bookstore), new business growth (Innovation Center), restoration of landmarks (Sterling) and a monumental event celebrating city pride (bicentennial celebration), the city and it's leaders, have made a great move into the right direction.

So, Mr. Guydish, what's wrong with this direction? What's wrong with Wilkes-Barre, and if what the Mayor has proposed is so laughable what's your plan? Is your colmn just part of an institutional distrust of any establishment? And frankly, if the area is so bad, what's keeping you here?

I look forward to your response.

Thank you for your time.

Danny Bauder

Casey hits the airwaves

2006-06-28T14:32:00.000-04:00

Bob Casey's first TV spot, "Turned Around" is a great ad. While brief, Bob's positive message of government reform is in line with his record as Auditor General. I haven't been near a TV yet today, but I'm sure I'll catch the ad tonight on the news. Rick Santorum has his first TV spot on his website as well. He mixes illegal immigration with terrorism, two dog whistle issues for conservatives. Rick is a good campaigner and an astute politician, and if he has any intention of moving on to any other office, he's going to work his ass off to stay in office. So please, feel free to contribute and volunteer for Bob Casey.

Landslide?

2006-06-23T12:25:00.000-04:00

Recently I've heard the senate race referred to as a landslide in Casey's favor. While I agree with the sentiment, I do think its both premature and a bit foolish to call this one over just yet. Election day is, of course, still months away, and neither team has any real street presence yet. Fundraising is going to get heated very shortly, and as of the end of April reporting, Santorum has roughly twice the amount of cash on hand ($8.7 million) to what Casey has ($4.4 million.)

I don't think when the election is still five months away, you're running against an incumbent, and you have half the money they have, that this in anyway spells landslide.

This is likely to be one of the closest races in U.S. history, with barely a percent of the voters making the difference.

If getting Bob Casey elected and send Rick Santorum back to Mars is a priority for you, put your money where your mouth is, go to www.bobcasey.com and contribute and sign up to volunteer.

Sorrow and Disgrace

2006-06-21T19:17:00.000-04:00

Today, the remains of PFCs Thomas Tucker and Kristian Menchaca begin their journey home. What a terrible waste of youth, and what difficult times this must be for their families. Our military leadership has been shaken by the year-long Iraqi insurgency, and mistakes have been made, mistakes that have cost lives.

One of these mistakes was made by a group of seven Marines and one Navy corpsman who decided that an unarmed and disabled Iraqi citizens was worthy of murder. This disgraceful group shot the unarmed man repeatedly at close range in his face, and then put an AK-47 and shovel near his body to cover up the murder, making the deceased appear to be an insurgent.

When and how will we hold those in leadership, both military and civilian, accountable for setting the tone, and making this seem rational and acceptable to these young men.

The indictment of these young men comes soon after the Army indicted three soldiers on similar charges in an unrelated incident.

We need leadership, both at home and abroad. It's time for Americans to truly do what is best for this nation.

Bully Pulpit

2006-06-20T20:03:00.000-04:00

This week, Hazleton mayor and former congressional candidate Lou Barletta proposed that the city adopt English as it's official language. The measure passed council, and will appear again before council in July before it is adopted. The official language status would mean the city could only print official documents in english. This is was one of three measures proposed by Barletta, the other two dealing with penalties landlords and employers that welcome illegal immigrants. A few hundred miles northeast of Hazleton, the city of Cambridge, Mass has passed legislation welcoming immigrants, regardless of INS status.

Barletta's proposals concerning illegal immigrants and employers and landlords, while may be considered harsh by some, are also unethical and a terrible use of his bully pulpit. This, coupled with a proposal concerning the official city language is no more than political posturing by mayor with obvious higher aspirations.

The mayor is simply feeding on the fear and bigotry of the "native" residents of the city, many of whom are only a generation or two separated from "the boat" themselves. By seizing upon this ignorance, the mayor is not only getting national media attention, but he's rallying his base for next year's reelection.

UPDATE: Gort42 has more
Gort42: Hazelton, Mayor Lou Barletta and Illegal immigrants

Cannibals

2006-06-15T16:22:00.000-04:00

Discussion and disagreement are a necessary part of any family. We, as democrats, have the duty to our nationwide family to go through periods of growth and discussion, ironing out our differences, and resolving our problems to preserve our party unity, because, despite our differences and disagreements, we are all democrats for a reason, and we're together as a party for the common good of the United States.

This kind of discussion is closed-doors, members only. However, organizations such as MoveOn and Democracy For America have clouded the debate that our party should be having about our platform, specifically about foreign policy issues. Our party needs to shake itself from the influences of these groups, and the divisiveness they foster. Right now, those two groups are cannibalizing fellow Democrats and taking the debate out of the voter's hands. We as a party need to address the Bush administration's reckless foreign policy and counter it with a policy of our own. We can't have this discussion if these leftist groups are usurping the voice of the party members by sending out talking points that don't appreciate the nuance and enormity of the decisions that are being made in Washington. The attacks and positions offered by these groups insult the intelligence of the party member, and are very similar to the types of attacks and talking points the Republican party has used over the last ten years to hold on to the Congress and the White House.

We're allowing our party to be hijacked by people who do not represent the values of Americans, and do not have our best interest at heart.

THIS ONE'S FOR THE THUMB.

2006-02-05T22:07:00.000-05:00

First time a number-six seed has won the Super Bowl.

First Super Bowl win for Jerome Bettis.

Youngest QB to win a Super Bowl.

Five-time Champions.

Stillers, baby!

MVP

2006-02-05T21:33:00.000-05:00

This is a tough one, but I'm stuck between Randle-El and Big Ben for the MVP.

OH YEAH BABY!!

2006-02-05T21:29:00.000-05:00

DOUBLE REVERSAL = HINES WARD TOUCHDOWN

INTERCEPTION

2006-02-05T21:26:00.000-05:00

Ike Taylor with a gamebreaker following Casey Hampton's wrathful takedown of Matt Hasselback.

Big Ben just rushed for the first down.

GO STILLERS!!!