Welcome to R&R. This is a left of center blog dedicated to our Responsibilities and Rights as Americans. R&R is also dedicated to the defense of the right of every American to have a bit of Rest and Recreation.
I really hoped that my previous post was simply an isolated incident. Turns out, not so much. This one is from Keystone Progress via DKos commenter degringolade. Caution. This may make you ill.
Here's an open question. Which comment is more ignorant? Would it be the nauseating "terrorist" thing. Or would it be the crowd suggesting the Obama supporters "get a job" after W., McCain, et al tossed the world's economy into the toilet. Maybe it is my favorite: the guy who is all riled up about ACORN, but who cannot even tell us what what that organization does nor realizes that Obama's only association with that group was to (successfully) represent them in a court case.
I am pretty devastated that this is happening in my home state.
I am renewing my last challenge. Let's fix stupid by electing Obama and a Democratic majority and showing these people that we can turn this country around and even benefit their lives. Catch more flies with honey?
One more quick thing. Please visit my online friend, Sarah. I'm sure she would appreciate it.
Chris
Update: I have been posting these horrific videos. Before we all come down with an irreversible case of political depression, I am posting this video. If the last video made you puke, this one will make you weep.
As a preface and caveat, I will support Hillary Clinton if she gets the nomination. My only two issues with her are 1) she voted for this war and 2) It really seems undemocratic to have a whole generation of young people who have only known a Bush or Clinton in the White House. On the other hand, the country was going in the right direction under the first Clinton Administration.
Well it’s all over here in the Keystone State and (from R&R’s perspective) the good guys lost, not that we were looking for an outright win. Senator Clinton did indeed win Pennsylvania by about 10 points. More about that later, but here’s the current delegate counts from CNN.
Instead, let’s start with the Pa.-05 Congressional District race. If you recall, we had nine Republicans and three Democrats running for the seat being vacated by John Peterson. Pa.-05 is one of the Reddest districts in the state and historically, the token resistance has been an unknown Democrat or a Libertarian. The current GOP backlash opened the door to the loyal opposition here. In reality, come this fall, the Republicans will probably take the district, but it is refreshing to know that the opposition will be mounting a challenge.
The Centre Daily Times is reporting that the Democrats nominated Clearfield County Commissioner Mark McCracken, who only spent $8,800 on his campaign. I was not particularly enamored with McCracken, but other than the foreign policy weakness his positions on the issues are generally in line with what I can support.
On the other side, the GOP nominated Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, who picked up Peterson’s endorsement a less than two weeks ago. Despite my policy differences with Peterson, he has been just fine for the district. Thompson spent about $20,000 on his campaign, which was a real value for him. By contrast, Matt Shaner spent $1.2 million (seemingly largely on television ads showing his wholesome family making pancakes while disparaging illegal immigrants); Derek Walker spent $800,000 to snag a third place victory (while also dealing with criminal charges filed less than a week before the election); and Jeff Stroehmann (another candidate who ran far to the right) dropped $300,000.
After checking Thompson’s website, he offers a reasonable compromise on immigration. He says send ‘em home, but make legal immigration easier. He is also a pro-lifer, but that is to be expected from the GOP. Most importantly, though, he is a health care professional and should be on board for reforms that will allow all Americans to afford health care.
If there is any lesson to take from this, it is that money cannot always buy a seat in congress. The winners spent less than $30,000 while the GOP numbers two to four spent a combined $2.3 million.
As for the presidential race, I did manage to make it to a bar and spent way too much money in the process. (Where’s Shaner when you can really use him?) The music was great, but the returns were another story. The first set of returns that we saw from CNN showed Clinton leading 67% to 33% (with 0% reporting, of course). As more precincts came in, the tallies started to more accurately reflect the final outcome. At around 9:20 p.m., Obama had cut the lead to 52-48. By 9:45 p.m., the numbers were 54-46 in favor of Clinton.
The Obama camp did not expect to win in Pa., but knew they could not lose a landslide. Ten points is a significant margin, but the net gain for Clinton was only about nine pledged delegates. He may very well make that up in North Carolina and Indiana in two weeks. More importantly, Obama was trailing Clinton in Pennsylvania by as much as 19 points in March and managed to cut that deficit in half. A loss is a loss, but Clinton probably needed to win Pennsylvania by a bit larger margin. A lot of the early speculation was that even a six to eight point win by Clinton would make the superdelegates wonder about her “electability” in large, industrial states.
Here’s my rant against the very idea of superdelegates, just so we are clear on R&R’s stand on that peculiar particular institution.
As for the polls, I can report that my alma mater, Mansfield University, called Pennsylvania for Clinton by nine points, which is about as accurate as anyone lately. (I’m waiting for a link to the survey.)
Locally, I did glance at the returns and Mansfield Borough went for Obama, but I don’t have the exact numbers. Thanks to Heidi we do have a very detailed breakdown of the voting trends in Blossburg Borough and the rest of Tioga County. Overall, the county overall voted for Clinton by a margin a little over three to two.
To conclude, check out this video because “Everybody knows that the good guys lost.”
Yes, it is Concrete Blonde’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s song. Enjoy.
First a major tip o' the hat to Heidi for an excellent analysis of the Pa.-5 debate. Her post motivated me to finally announce my endorsement to the candidate for Pa.-5...
The biggest issue seems to be the proposed tolling of Interstate 80. I-80 really is iconic in Pennsylvania, dividing "upstate" from "downstate." I have a hard time with any tolling of public highways since we are already paying for them with our tax dollars. Period. It seems like all of our candidates have picked up on this and are opposing all calls for yet another tax.
After checking out the candidates, here is what I have found that sticks out for me.
McCracken does not have a very nuanced grasp of foreign policy. Sure, he wants to end the Iraq War, but regarding our allies in NATO he wants to: remind these allies that the United States rebuilt their countries after World War II and ask for the help of all of our allies to design a plan to stabilize the Middle East
That's pretty arrogant. He goes on to pass some more of the buck along to Saudi Arabia.
I'm not a fan.
Next up is Bill Cahir. This guy intrigues me. He sought and received an age waiver from the Marines in order to serve two tours in Iraq. He has 13 years experience as a journalist. When you go to his website and click on the "issues" link, there are only four issues listed. Normally, I am not an issues voters, but this caught my attention. Cahir's issues are:
Iraq Our Economic Future Health Care Conservation and Energy
Nothing like a little focus. His stances on Health Care seem more like bandaids than actual fixes to a broken system. On the other hand, his energy proposals are worth checking out. He did send me three separate glossy mail ads explaining how he would do a better job for the District. Better jobs, Don't toll I-80, get out of Iraq, yadda, yadda, yadda... I threw them out. Good bye environment.
Having personally met Rick, I found him to be a really good person and someone who would work hard for the district. The issues portion of his website lists a whole slew of items, but makes a very pointed statement about each. I can get behind all of his points. Each of them ends with the slogan "We can do better." That was the same message I got from him.
More importantly, Vilello has the support of Governor Ed. In spite of his endorsement of Hillary and a lotofothergaffes), I still pay attention to him. It's just Ed being Ed. In fact, that education budget thing in 2003 got a lot of people thinking about property tax reform here. Honestly, the only thing I have against Hillary right now is that I have a serious problem with another connected family running the show. How will we explain this spot in American History where an entire generation has only known a Clinton or Bush in the White House?
That said, the connection with the Hillary campaign is a non-issue to me (hey, check out how much I wrote about the non-issue; maybe I can get a job with ABC).
Personally, I liked Vilello's campaign style of visiting communities often (he has been here in the hinterlands of the districts at least three times) and passing on the wasteful direct mailings. I can agree with him and I trust him to make good decisions for the people of the Fifth District. My humble endorsement is Vote for Rick.
As a caveat, I think Cahir has a better shot at securing the nomination and could run as well as anyone against any given GOP candidate. It is nice to know that some legitimate Dems are running in the region for a change.
Chris
Sorry, but the GOP candidates are not on my radar at the moment. However, you may be interested to know that two of the candidates (Shaner and Walker) have serious criminal charges in their pasts. *Slings the mud*
(Sorry about the British expression. It makes me giggle.)
Never mind the Presidential race because it’s shaping up to be a fun election up here in the rural and sprawling Fifth Congressional District of Pennsylvania. Our representative, John Peterson, joined themass exodus of Republicans who are retiring from Congress this year.
Peterson is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Those are the people who decide whether or not a particular spending measure is included in budget bills. According to Citizens Against Government Waste, Peterson secured 37 earmarks that meet the definition of “pork” in the most recent round of government spending accounting for $26.6 million in tax dollars. That figure actually places him somewhere in the middle of the Porkers list. Here in Tioga County, the Wellsboro Hospital got $195,000 for new equipment and two flood control dams (which primarily protect communities downstream on the Chemung and Susquehanna rivers) also got their annual funding to continue operating. In contrast, the top Porker was Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi 1), who retired Dec. 31, with $176.3 million in appropriations.
In fairness the total pork for the most recent budget -- money that typically does benefit the recipient community -- amounted to $17.2 billion. The Iraq War has cost $144 billion in the same time period.
(h/t to POAC for the link to CAGW’s 2008 Pig Book)
With Peterson’s announcement, candidates have been coming out of the woodwork to run for the seat. We have 12 people (all men) running for the seat. If you happen to be in Wellsboro Monday, April 7 the candidates or one of their aides will be at the high school beginning at 6 p.m. for a forum. Tioga County Development Corp. is sponsoring the forum. (That’s me in the purple shirt and silver tie.)
PA-5 is one of the more conservative districts in Pennsylvania (Our Fearless Leader got 61 percent of the vote here in 2004) and is the largest district geographically in the East. Occasionally, a Democrat or Libertarian runs for the Pa-5 seat, but they are lucky to get 20 percent of the vote. Regardless, we have three Democrats and nine Republicans running for their party’s respective nominations. You can’t tell one from another without a scorecard.
So, as a public service, here is your (un)Official Pa.-5 Scorecard:
In Pennsylvania the first party listed on ballots in the general election is the same as the Governor’s party. No slight intended to the loyal opposition; just following custom.
Here is a full list of all of the Pennsylvania races this year if you need it. It looks like Pa.-5 is the hottest race in the state.
I have personally met Vilello, who is the mayor of Lock Haven, when our local Democrats gathered at the Gaslight in Wellsboro for Super Tuesday. He seems like a nice enough guy, but when I interviewed him for a story (best link I could find), he seemed to go into a standard stump speech. I generally agreed with what he had to say. ActBlue and Governor Ed have endorsed him (which got the attention of DailyKos). Here are DailyKos’ updates about Pa.-5.
Cahir (sounds like “care”) has also visited Wellsboro. Cahir is a former journalist (that’s a plus for me) and an Iraq War take II veteran. He got an age waiver to join the Marines and finished up his basic training at age 35. Former Senator Harris Wofford and VoteVets.org have endorsed him. Unfortunately, I was at work during his visit to Wellsboro, but I am leaning toward voting for him.
Shaner has not been shy about spending money and has dropped $1.22 million so far. His commercials have been all over the television lately. This guy is the definition of an archconservative. He wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent (probably because he has the money to drop on a huge campaign). He has a problem with gay and lesbian couples sharing their lives together, opposes women’s right to choose what they do with their bodies, and does not want those illegal immigrants here. He also wants to eliminate earmarks, so the hospital can kiss that money for equipment goodbye. (Oh, and he was probably drunk when he left the scene of a crash last year.) This blogger and Kos contributor is probably not going to be voting for this guy.
Someone from Stroehmann’s campaign placed a campaign sign in the front yard of my company’s store without asking permission.
I have also heard that some of the other candidates have stopped through the area, but I have yet to meet any of them.
I plan to go to the candidates’ forum on Monday. Until then, I will be withholding my humble endorsement, but right now I am torn between Vilello and Cahir.
Election Day is April 22, which is also Earth Day. Plant a tree and use the bullsh** political fertilizer to help it grow.
If you have not already done so, today is the deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania's primary election on April 22 (Earth Day!). Here's a link for voter registration information:
Pennsylvania is a closed primary, so you need to register with one of the major parties in order to vote next month. McCain has the GOP nomination sewn up. Obama and Clinton are still running for the Democratic nomination.
Some years back, the legendary White House correspondent Helen Thomas spoke in our little town. She called the Bush administration one of the most secretive ever. Considering Ms. Thomas covered the NixonAdministration, that's a pretty strong indictment.
The latest is not quite on the level of the 16 words. It pales in comparison to the destroyed torture tapes. It is really not even in the same ballpark as the NIE on Iran. But it is one more example of the Bush Administration attempting to hide bad news. Seems kinda pointless really, considering Bush's current approval rating.
Due to "budgetary constraints," the Department of Commerce's Economic and Statistics Administration will be discontinuing this site on March 1. Up until now, this site allowed easy public access to a plethora of economic data as soon as it is released. The "we ain't got the money this week" argument fails when you consider that 1) the proposed budget for this year is a whooping $3.1 trillion and 2) millions of people operate websites absolutely free. Ye gods, just include a few Google ads, and the site will pay for itself.
The public is well aware that the economy is currently in the toilet. We just want to know how far it is to the bottom of the sewer.
In fairness, the Office of Budget Management Watch, an independent group, has announced that they will start providing the same information on their website.
The Bushies must think the less you know, the better. Here is a good list of some of the more egregious lies coming from the administration lately. The problem with secrecy is that the public and media have no chance to vet the veracity of government claims (like the 16 words) before the government pursues potentially disastrous policies (like invading a sovereign country, just as an example). A little probing by a critical press corps is essential to solid collective decision making.
Here are the original 16 words, by the way: "the British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa,"... Too bad it turned out to be untrue. (More about this in a future post.)
Government needs to stop operating on the assumption that information should be classified unless it is okay to release it. Instead, the assumption should be a government record is open to public inspection unless there is a reason to seal it. My beloved Pennsylvania just got that message this week. As of next year, we will not longer have one of the weakest open records laws in the country. Thanks, Governor Rendell. With all that sunshine, Punxsutawney Phil should keep seeing his shadow for a long time.
We have the right to know what our government, the one we elected, is up to. We as a public need to trust that the information provided to reporters is complete and accurate. Then we can stop pursing policies based on misinformation.
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