A very interesting read given all the recent angst and arguments over NAFTA.
So standing up to China seems like a logical way to help ordinary Americans do better. But there’s a problem with this approach: the very people who suffer most from free trade are often, paradoxically, among its biggest beneficiaries. read more »
We’ve noticed a lot of this attack dog mentality among supporters of both candidates recently at KP.
Democratic Party chief Howard Dean says Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and their supporters should beware of tearing each other down, demoralizing the base and damaging the party’s chances of winning the White House in November. ...Mr. Dean said the charges and countercharges between Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama have gotten too personal at times. He declined to say how they have crossed the line, but said he has made it clear privately when it has happened. read more »
An array of columnists have been debating these variables affects on one another as every one and their dog relishes in the PA Democratic primary.
Four different columnists chime in with their thoughts here.
Pennsylvania Democrats have added more than 65,000 voters to their rolls since last fall, a reflection of the high level of interest in the contested race for the party’s presidential nomination and the state’s April 22 primary.The number of Democrats increased 1.7 percent — from 3,883,378 in November to 3,948,775 as of March 4.
GOP enrollment grew by 0.1 percent, from 3,245,271 to 3,248,583, during the period.
The state House Democrats’ campaign panel late last year paid off the campaign debt of former Rep. Mike Veon, who now makes his living lobbying the governor and Legislature.The House Democratic Campaign Committee in November and December paid $40,683 to retire Veon’s campaign debt, according to Veon’s report filed recently with the state election bureau. Veon could not be reached Wednesday. read more »
As the incomparable Robert Byrd would say: “Shame!”
You knew this was coming: When State Rep. Tony Payton Jr. challenged the Democratic Party establishment two years ago — and had to go to court to win the 179th Legislative District over Emilio Vazquez, the party-backed candidate who had been forced to wage a write-in campaign — we knew the party would return for Payton’s head. On Saturday the party endorsed newcomer Guy D. Lewis to challenge Payton, identified in Lewis’ press release as “the incumbent,” in the May primary.
Pennsylvania’s Democratic State Committee is staying neutral in the nomination contest for state treasurer.John Cordisco, a Bucks County lawyer and former state legislator, and Montgomery County businessman Rob McCord competed for the committee’s endorsement at a Lancaster hotel Saturday.
McCord, a political newcomer with a fiery speaking style, got 191 votes and Cordisco got 123 votes, both short of the 212 votes that constituted the required two-thirds majority. read more »
I’m not too surprised about this; DeWeese is a survivor. I guess my only question to House Democrats is – after all that’s happened over the past year, didn’t you think that maybe new leadership was necessary?
State Rep. Bill DeWeese of Waynesburg will remain as head of the 102 House Democrats, despite some questions about his leadership ability, a bonus investigation hanging over the House and a lack of progress in moving Gov. Ed Rendell’s political agenda forward.House Democrats met for several hours at a suburban Harrisburg hotel yesterday to discuss how to proceed on substantive issues — health care, energy, open records, property tax relief — as well as to air concerns about Mr. DeWeese’s leadership style. read more »
After reading this, heads on both the left and the right of the political spectrum will be hard-pressed not to explode.
Billionaire newspaper publisher Richard Mellon Scaife, who spent millions investigating President Clinton, said the two had a long lunch over the summer and that he found the ex-president to be charismatic.Mr. Scaife, a central figure in the “vast right-wing conspiracy” that Hillary Rodham Clinton once said was attacking her husband, also says philandering “is something that Bill Clinton and I have in common.” read more »
A former assistant to ousted House Minority Whip Mike Veon confirmed Wednesday that she will appear before a state grand jury investigating House Democrats.Esther Reever, who served as an administrative assistant to Veon, told the Tribune-Review she received a subpoena to testify this week before the grand jury in Harrisburg. She told a reporter that she couldn’t talk about it.
Reever is one of three House Democratic staffers ordered to testify this week before the grand jury, which is investigating whether legislative staffers received bonuses from taxpayers for doing campaign work. read more »
While Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Robert A. Gleason, Jr. said that he was proud of the “huge Republican victories all across the Commonwealth,” Gov. Edward G. Rendell told reporters that the Republicans got a “schlumping” last Tuesday.Rendell, the state’s top Democrat, noted that his party gained control of 13 county courthouses while losing only four to the GOP, and only one of them in a major population center, Berks County. Rendell also emphasized Democratic victories for two Supreme Court seats and a Superior Court seat in the election, while losing two Superior Court seats.
Meanwhile, Gleason pronounced in a press release that the “Republican Party is back!” read more »
TODD 1,031,490 26.3%
MCCAFFERY 1,177,057 30.0%
LALLY-GREEN 957,247 24.4%
KRANCER 755,296 19.3%
Donohue (D), Allen(R ), Shogun(R ) appear also headed for election to Superior Court.
In Beaver County, Dems retain control of county commission with Tony Amadio replacing the retiring Dan Donatella. Joe Spanik (D) and Charley Camp(R ) were reelected.
Courtesy of AAJ
links to MontCo, BucksCo and DelCo county elections. The GOP held on to both MontCo read more »
A western PA perspective on the county commissioner races in the Philly ‘burbs.
The lanky figure in the dark suit moved briskly from wheelchair to wheelchair, smiling as he passed out brochures to the nursing home residents who’d just heard his pitch for the GOP ticket for county commissioner.Bruce Castor’s audience, several of them in their 90s, have lived long lives, but not long enough to remember a time when Republicans did not control the Montgomery County Courthouse. For 140 years, the GOP has held an unbroken majority on the three-member board.
Democrats claim that’s about to change. read more »
The state attorney general’s office on Thursday won a legal battle over access to 20 boxes of records seized in an Aug. 23 search of the House Democratic research offices.House Democrats had challenged a ruling by the judge supervising an investigative grand jury that is looking into millions of dollars in bonuses paid to legislative employees. The state Supreme Court on Thursday denied the caucus’ petition.
Court filings by the Democrats, as well as the attorney general’s office, are all sealed. The Supreme Court’s four-sentence order said the decision was unanimous, but Justice Thomas Saylor did not participate. read more »
What a difference a year makes in Bucks County.Republicans have lost about 2,200 voters and Democrats have gained nearly 3,000 voters, compared to last year around this time.
The county GOP still leads the Democrats by about 21,300 voters, although Democrats happily note the gap has been narrowing for five consecutive years.
County Democratic boss John Cordisco attributed that to a stronger grassroots presence and the national climate.
“You can’t do this without people,” he said. “They have to be motivated to give their time and resources to a cause that makes sense to them.” Source Link
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The devil you know
phillydem (2 hours ago)
Wrong reading
Anonymous (2 hours ago)
Look how cavalierly he
Anonymous (3 hours ago)
I think you miss the
Anonymous (5 hours ago)
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