"The Democratic Party has concluded that Democratic voters are incurably stupid."
Athena [a new friend], I'll work with you anyway you want. Hell, you can have a kidney if you need one! http://dncreform.com is the key. Examine it and weep.
My own congressman, Jason Altmire, represents a district where Hillary won two-to-one (plus). She won my county (Beaver, home of Joe Namath and Mike Ditka) by 28,000 to 12,000. All my relatives voted for her. Jason Altmire got $10,000 from Barack Obama (see dncreform). Guess who Jason Altmire is backing?
Patrick Murphy, congressman and beloved of MovwOn.org, which HATES HRC, has a district that also went for Hillary by two-to-one. He got $18,000 from BHO. He was one of the first SDs in the country to back Obama.
They believe Democrats in PA (and everywhere else) are incurably stupid. They assume they will get away with it, and they probably will. PA Dems (some) believe JFK is still running things. It ticks me off. It sometimes almost breaks my heart.
Hillary's colleagues in the Senate deserted her in droves. If they had backed her, she would have won.
WV went for Hillary by a huge margin, but good ole Sen. Jay Rockefeller backed Obama. Sen. Bob Casey of PA the same thing. Ditto John Kerry and Ted Kennedy.
As I said, who exactly is going to reform the Party? It's much, much worse than people think. There's contempt for the voters. How could HRC ever have gotten the nomination when states went massively for her and all the SDs (Massachusetts, esp.) went for Obama.
There, you got me wound up. Congrats for you on supporting McCain. He's an American hero and an honorable man -- and Obama isn't.
Showing posts with label Jason Altmire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jason Altmire. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
New Blogger Worth Visiting
Recently, I've been asking visitors to join two organizations: (1) The Nobama Network, a huge coaltion of people committed to keeping Barack Obama out of the White House; (2) Clintons4McCain, a group of Hillary Supporters, Republicans, and Indepdents working for the election of John McCain. On this site, I'll begin my regular columns again on Sunday, July 6.
On my Pennsylvania blog Thurssday afternoon, I put up the following material about a fine new blogger, Stacey:Western PA Activist Blasts Altmire
I write a lot of blog columns -- many hundreds of them to this point. Another thing I do is try to emcourage other bloggers -- young and old -- to take up the "hobby." One of them is Stacey, born in WV and now a western PA activist, who has a new, highly readable blog. You can find it at: http://smartgirlpolitics.blogspot.com. Her first column takes Congress to task for preventing American firms from drilling for oil. She "lays the wood to" her own congressman (and mine), Jason Altmire.
Like me, Stacey strongly favors Melissa Hart, who's committed to bringing down gasoline prices. Please take a look at Stacey's work -- an excerpt follows."Congress has the ability to help its people, but chooses not to do anything . . . in order to win an election. In the last few weeks, Congress could have passed a bill to remove the ban on drilling off of our coasts. They could have begun eliminating obstacles to building new nuclear plants. They could have promoted the expansion of the clean coal process. They could have allowed us to begin drilling for more natural gas. They could have lifted the ban on ANWR. They could have passed a bill to incentivize the expansion of renewable energy sources. They could have lowered the price of the gas in your tank. If Congress would take ANY of these steps, the price of gas would go down.
"What did they do? Nothing, nada, zilch, zip, zero.Instead they tell you that these steps would only lower the price a few cents. At this point, lowering it a few cents would be better than allowing it to go up. They tell you to blame big oil and those evil speculators. They tell you it will take years to get any oil from new homeland sources. I don't know, but years sounds better than never to me. It is time for the American people to tell Congress a thing or two."
[Note: Please visit Stacey's site and leave her a comment. I'll begin my regular columns again starting July 6, Sunday. I hope everyone has a happy and blessed 4th of July.]
On my Pennsylvania blog Thurssday afternoon, I put up the following material about a fine new blogger, Stacey:Western PA Activist Blasts Altmire
I write a lot of blog columns -- many hundreds of them to this point. Another thing I do is try to emcourage other bloggers -- young and old -- to take up the "hobby." One of them is Stacey, born in WV and now a western PA activist, who has a new, highly readable blog. You can find it at: http://smartgirlpolitics.blogspot.com. Her first column takes Congress to task for preventing American firms from drilling for oil. She "lays the wood to" her own congressman (and mine), Jason Altmire.
Like me, Stacey strongly favors Melissa Hart, who's committed to bringing down gasoline prices. Please take a look at Stacey's work -- an excerpt follows."Congress has the ability to help its people, but chooses not to do anything . . . in order to win an election. In the last few weeks, Congress could have passed a bill to remove the ban on drilling off of our coasts. They could have begun eliminating obstacles to building new nuclear plants. They could have promoted the expansion of the clean coal process. They could have allowed us to begin drilling for more natural gas. They could have lifted the ban on ANWR. They could have passed a bill to incentivize the expansion of renewable energy sources. They could have lowered the price of the gas in your tank. If Congress would take ANY of these steps, the price of gas would go down.
"What did they do? Nothing, nada, zilch, zip, zero.Instead they tell you that these steps would only lower the price a few cents. At this point, lowering it a few cents would be better than allowing it to go up. They tell you to blame big oil and those evil speculators. They tell you it will take years to get any oil from new homeland sources. I don't know, but years sounds better than never to me. It is time for the American people to tell Congress a thing or two."
[Note: Please visit Stacey's site and leave her a comment. I'll begin my regular columns again starting July 6, Sunday. I hope everyone has a happy and blessed 4th of July.]
Friday, June 13, 2008
PA's Devious, Despicable, Desperate Democrats
"The best way for a Democrat to get elected in Pennsylvania is to pretend he's pro-life and pro-gun -- and never explain why he's in a Party that's neither."
It also helps for the elected Democrats to ignore -- as best they can -- that the state massivley favored Hillary Clinton in the primaries. Right now, Democratic politicians in this state are twisting themselves into cortortions to back Obama, a candidate whose views are totally at variance with most Pennsylvanians. It's quite a spectacle.
BREAKING NEWS? AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE IS WHAT MIGHT (KEY WORD) BE VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BARACK OBAMA'S BIRTH RECORDS.
Some of Pennsylvania's most prominent Hillary haters -- including Bob Casey, Jr., Rep. Patrick Murphy, and Rep. Jason Altmire -- are backing Obama. So too is Cong. Tim Holden, who alternately claims to be undecided or undeclared. Actually, he's just unaware. I write about such people today (Friday) on my Pennsylvania blog, and I urge you to visit. Pennsylvania went massively in the Primary for Hillary Clinton.
So why are some PA elected officials drooling over Obama? Answer: Because they obviously believe the voters in the Keystone State are a bunch of nitwits.
Why on earth should Pennsylvania politics matter to you? Because most observers believe that if John McCain wins the state, he will be President-elect. And because many Republican challengers of Democrat incumbents (including Murphy, Altmire, and Holden) conceivably could win their races.
Those challengers are outstanding human being who deserve your support. Please visit their web sites: Tom Manion, Melissa Hart, and Toni Gilhooley. If you make even a small contribution (say, $10 or $15), you will have struck a real blow for political integrity.
It's true that "freedom isn't free," but if we lose it, we have lost everything.
Cindy Reidhead of http://thepinkflamingo.blogharbor.com has been searching Hawaii records to determine that Barack Obama was in fact born in the U.S. (Hawaii). Here's the bulletin Cindy sent out Friday afternoon. (She's located in Hobbs, NM and was a protege of Republican political genius Lee Atwater.)
"It is entirely possible I have found something rather interesting. I chucked out money to locate Barack Obama's birth certificate in Hawaii. From what I found, there is no such record. It is entirely possible that I am completely wrong, and probably am - but here is what I found. Knowing the secrecy of Hawaiian records, I probably am wrong,. But - it's a for what it is worth. it is possible . . . "
Here is the URL"
It also helps for the elected Democrats to ignore -- as best they can -- that the state massivley favored Hillary Clinton in the primaries. Right now, Democratic politicians in this state are twisting themselves into cortortions to back Obama, a candidate whose views are totally at variance with most Pennsylvanians. It's quite a spectacle.
BREAKING NEWS? AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE IS WHAT MIGHT (KEY WORD) BE VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BARACK OBAMA'S BIRTH RECORDS.
Some of Pennsylvania's most prominent Hillary haters -- including Bob Casey, Jr., Rep. Patrick Murphy, and Rep. Jason Altmire -- are backing Obama. So too is Cong. Tim Holden, who alternately claims to be undecided or undeclared. Actually, he's just unaware. I write about such people today (Friday) on my Pennsylvania blog, and I urge you to visit. Pennsylvania went massively in the Primary for Hillary Clinton.
So why are some PA elected officials drooling over Obama? Answer: Because they obviously believe the voters in the Keystone State are a bunch of nitwits.
Why on earth should Pennsylvania politics matter to you? Because most observers believe that if John McCain wins the state, he will be President-elect. And because many Republican challengers of Democrat incumbents (including Murphy, Altmire, and Holden) conceivably could win their races.
Those challengers are outstanding human being who deserve your support. Please visit their web sites: Tom Manion, Melissa Hart, and Toni Gilhooley. If you make even a small contribution (say, $10 or $15), you will have struck a real blow for political integrity.
It's true that "freedom isn't free," but if we lose it, we have lost everything.
Cindy Reidhead of http://thepinkflamingo.blogharbor.com has been searching Hawaii records to determine that Barack Obama was in fact born in the U.S. (Hawaii). Here's the bulletin Cindy sent out Friday afternoon. (She's located in Hobbs, NM and was a protege of Republican political genius Lee Atwater.)
"It is entirely possible I have found something rather interesting. I chucked out money to locate Barack Obama's birth certificate in Hawaii. From what I found, there is no such record. It is entirely possible that I am completely wrong, and probably am - but here is what I found. Knowing the secrecy of Hawaiian records, I probably am wrong,. But - it's a for what it is worth. it is possible . . . "
Here is the URL"
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Huckabee Supporters: Back Hart, Gilhooley
I'll add some comments tonight about the Hillary-Barack circus. Both of them become more demagogic and embarrassing with every passing day.
I sent the following to Larry Perrault. He's an important political thinker/activist/blogger/social conservative in Houston, Texas. He was a significant and effective supporter of Gov. Mike Huckabee and now endorses John McCain. I'm trying to get him and other Huckabee advocates interested/involved in some of our fascinating races in Pennsylvania (McCain, Melissa Hart, Toni Gilhooley, Marina Kats, Mike Livingston, and others).
Larry, Kathy Morrison is absolutely one of the best people going with Internet politics -- an extremely helpful woman that I'm trying to put in touch with several of my "adopted" congressional candidates. People like Kathy and Sharon Caliendo do not recommend spending a gazillion dollars on TV. Instead, they advocate some low-cost ways of "building the circles" -- making small circles of support into large ones that start "smelling like victory."
Two of the candidates I'm backing (Hart and Gilhooley) are running against incumbent Democrats who masquerade at "moderate-conservative" Democrats. Thus, my candidates need to do the difficult task of "re-branding" their opponents as backers of people like Obama, Pelosi, and Murtha (which in fact they are).
The only things that truly work well in politics are simple things, and "outing" liberals who swear they're conservatives is not a simple task.
Remember (actually, nobody's old enough to) when Harry Truman ran against "the do-nothing Congress." Well, he didn't run for or against very much else, but as Gov. Dewey found in 1948, the "do nothing Congress" was a powerful image/slogan.
I'm delighted that Melissa Hart is running "against" Obama (and her opponent's flirtation with the Illinois Senator) and Nancy Pelosi, whom Jason Altmire backed for Speaker of the House. Coincidentally (or not), Toni Gilhooley's opponent, Tim Holden, also voted for Ms. Pelosi, from San Francisco (a town that Pennsylvanians place somewhere between Sodom and Gomorrah). Altmire has not been able to make up his mind between Obama and Clinton.
If I were Toni, I would be telling everybody in Harrisburg and parts east that Tim Holden can't make up his mind between Obama and Clinton, both of whom are "totally unacceptable to the people of central Pennsylvania."Both Altmire and Holden apparently have relatively high "favorables," but that will change if Melissa and Toni can portray them for what their votes truly indicate they are: Nancy Pelosi's "groupies."
Melissa and Toni need to keep the Democrats constantly on the defensive by blasting them for "the company that they keep." Obama criticized Pennsylvanians for clinging to Christianity, guns, racism, and xenophobia. Does Congressman Altmire agree or disagree? I hope she asks him that face-to-face. I expect Mrs. Gilhooley will do the same with Holden.
John McCain should win Melissa's district by something in the range of 56-57% to 44% to 43%. (Bush won the district by 54-45). Thus, McCain will be an extremely important "shadow figure" in Melissa's campaign.
In 2006, the DNC, Altmire, and 527s tried to tar Melissa by linking her to Bush and Santorum, and they had some success. I assure you Altmire and friends are NOT going to associate her with McCain. I'm currently going around talking about the "McCain-Hart ticket."
The old saying was, "As Maine goes, so goes the nation." I believe that as McCain goes in western Pennsylvania (and he should go very well), so goes the marvellous Ms. Hart.
John McCain should win Toni Gilhooley's district by perhaps 59% to 60% against 41% or 40%. Bush won in 2004 by 58% to 42% There are early signs that Obama could lay a huge egg in Pennsylvania. Again, as John McCain goes, so goes Toni Gilhooley. The key is to get across to voters that a vote for Tim Holden is a vote for Barack Obama (the probable nominee). Toni needs to drive home the point that it makes no sense to vote for John McCain and then to vote for Tim Holden.
Larry (Perrault), you are one of the more articulate pro-life spokesmen in the country. Melissa Hart and Toni Gilhooley are staunchly pro-life and have the moral fortitude to advance that cause in DC.
Altmire claims to be pro-life, but he voted for federal financing of embryonic stem cell research. Holden also claims to be pro-life but he is supporting a Democrat leadership that's relentlessly "pro-death" -- and that won't even allow a vote on any proposal that might in any way advance the cause of life. Altmire and Holden can't continue to have it both ways.
Larry, I hope you and all other Huckabee backers will consider "adopting" these superb candidates. They need support, financial and otherwise, and the key to their gaining such support is that they eminently deserve it. God bless.
I sent the following to Larry Perrault. He's an important political thinker/activist/blogger/social conservative in Houston, Texas. He was a significant and effective supporter of Gov. Mike Huckabee and now endorses John McCain. I'm trying to get him and other Huckabee advocates interested/involved in some of our fascinating races in Pennsylvania (McCain, Melissa Hart, Toni Gilhooley, Marina Kats, Mike Livingston, and others).
Larry, Kathy Morrison is absolutely one of the best people going with Internet politics -- an extremely helpful woman that I'm trying to put in touch with several of my "adopted" congressional candidates. People like Kathy and Sharon Caliendo do not recommend spending a gazillion dollars on TV. Instead, they advocate some low-cost ways of "building the circles" -- making small circles of support into large ones that start "smelling like victory."
Two of the candidates I'm backing (Hart and Gilhooley) are running against incumbent Democrats who masquerade at "moderate-conservative" Democrats. Thus, my candidates need to do the difficult task of "re-branding" their opponents as backers of people like Obama, Pelosi, and Murtha (which in fact they are).
The only things that truly work well in politics are simple things, and "outing" liberals who swear they're conservatives is not a simple task.
Remember (actually, nobody's old enough to) when Harry Truman ran against "the do-nothing Congress." Well, he didn't run for or against very much else, but as Gov. Dewey found in 1948, the "do nothing Congress" was a powerful image/slogan.
I'm delighted that Melissa Hart is running "against" Obama (and her opponent's flirtation with the Illinois Senator) and Nancy Pelosi, whom Jason Altmire backed for Speaker of the House. Coincidentally (or not), Toni Gilhooley's opponent, Tim Holden, also voted for Ms. Pelosi, from San Francisco (a town that Pennsylvanians place somewhere between Sodom and Gomorrah). Altmire has not been able to make up his mind between Obama and Clinton.
If I were Toni, I would be telling everybody in Harrisburg and parts east that Tim Holden can't make up his mind between Obama and Clinton, both of whom are "totally unacceptable to the people of central Pennsylvania."Both Altmire and Holden apparently have relatively high "favorables," but that will change if Melissa and Toni can portray them for what their votes truly indicate they are: Nancy Pelosi's "groupies."
Melissa and Toni need to keep the Democrats constantly on the defensive by blasting them for "the company that they keep." Obama criticized Pennsylvanians for clinging to Christianity, guns, racism, and xenophobia. Does Congressman Altmire agree or disagree? I hope she asks him that face-to-face. I expect Mrs. Gilhooley will do the same with Holden.
John McCain should win Melissa's district by something in the range of 56-57% to 44% to 43%. (Bush won the district by 54-45). Thus, McCain will be an extremely important "shadow figure" in Melissa's campaign.
In 2006, the DNC, Altmire, and 527s tried to tar Melissa by linking her to Bush and Santorum, and they had some success. I assure you Altmire and friends are NOT going to associate her with McCain. I'm currently going around talking about the "McCain-Hart ticket."
The old saying was, "As Maine goes, so goes the nation." I believe that as McCain goes in western Pennsylvania (and he should go very well), so goes the marvellous Ms. Hart.
John McCain should win Toni Gilhooley's district by perhaps 59% to 60% against 41% or 40%. Bush won in 2004 by 58% to 42% There are early signs that Obama could lay a huge egg in Pennsylvania. Again, as John McCain goes, so goes Toni Gilhooley. The key is to get across to voters that a vote for Tim Holden is a vote for Barack Obama (the probable nominee). Toni needs to drive home the point that it makes no sense to vote for John McCain and then to vote for Tim Holden.
Larry (Perrault), you are one of the more articulate pro-life spokesmen in the country. Melissa Hart and Toni Gilhooley are staunchly pro-life and have the moral fortitude to advance that cause in DC.
Altmire claims to be pro-life, but he voted for federal financing of embryonic stem cell research. Holden also claims to be pro-life but he is supporting a Democrat leadership that's relentlessly "pro-death" -- and that won't even allow a vote on any proposal that might in any way advance the cause of life. Altmire and Holden can't continue to have it both ways.
Larry, I hope you and all other Huckabee backers will consider "adopting" these superb candidates. They need support, financial and otherwise, and the key to their gaining such support is that they eminently deserve it. God bless.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Terrific GOP Candidates in Pennsylvania
As of Thursday night, I've begun writing a column on Pennsylvania blog about what should be one of the most ferocious congressional races imaginable: Republican Marina Kats versus Democrat Allyson Schwartz. I hope you'll visit -- and then go to Marina's preliminary site where you can volunteer your support. Marina is beautiful -- and, oh yes, she is extremely tough. Wear your helmet and shin guards, Allyson.
The critical point: It is absolutely essential for the nation's future that John McCain win the election on November 4, 2008. However, if the U.S. House and Senate that await him are filled with liberal Democrats, there is no way McCain can be a successful President. It's essential that activists know who the outstanding Republican candidates are -- and support them. I very much want Republicans -- conservative or libertarian -- around the world to "adopt" exemplary congressional candidates, especially the ones I've been writing about.
NOTE: THIS IS A "BONUS" COLUMN REPRINTED FROM MY PENNSYLVANIA BLOG (http://pennsylvaniaforjohnmccain.blogspot.com/, WHICH I HOPE YOU'LL VISIT FREQUENTLY. SUPPOSEDLY, THIS IS A "BAD YEAR FOR REPUBLICANS," BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL GOP CANDIDATES IN THE CRUCIAL STATE OF PA WHO HAVE A CHANCE EITHER TO WIN OR MAKE REAL INROADS IN DEMOCRATIC STRONGHOLDS.
Mike Livingston, Republican candidate for Congress in PA's 2d congressional district (Philadelphia). There's no truth to the rumor that Mike recently won the national "Brad-Pitt-Lookalike-Contest."
Mike Livingston, the law professor who's running for Congress from PA's 2d congressional district (against Dem. Chaka Fattah) and I have been corresponding regularly. I sent him the following today about his own race, Melissa Hart's race in the 4th district (against Dem. Jason Altmire), and Marina Kats's contest in the 13th (against Dem. Allyson Schwartz):
Dear Mike Livingston:I think I can bring attention to candidates I support. My "bull-in-a-china shop" approach online works better than I could have imagined.
Melissa Hart, who is running in the 4th District in western PA is a good friend of mine, and I keep trying to get people nationally to "adopt" her -- with some success. One of Melissa's big advantages this time (as compared to the mid-term election of 2006) is that John McCain should win the 4th by a large margin, particularly if Rev. Wright keeps spreading his cheerful message of ignorance and animosity. Altmire has yet to denounce Obama's "bitter" comments denigrating Pennsylvanians -- presumably because he agrees with them.
Mike, when your own campaign is done, maybe you can write a book about it. Running against Chaka Fattah may be in some ways a thankless task. However, there are tens of thousands of people in the 2d CD who will vote for Mike Livingston if you can get your message out.At the very least, your presence in the race is going to force Fattah to reconsider some of his militantly leftist positions. He's also going to have to explain why his seven terms in Congress have left at least 150,000 people in the district mired in poverty. If Fattah has a clue about economic development, he has fooled me -- and the people he supposedly represents.
If you haven't heard yet from Eric Dondero of BlogTalkRadio/Libertarian, you will soon. When libertarian Republicans learn who you are and what you believe in, many of them will support you -- by "support" I mean send money! There are thousands of libertarian Republicans out there who will contribute to your campaign -- if they can just find out that you exist.
I truly believe what I said earlier about how to get voters' support: to ask for it. The process is just that simple (although it requires great time and effort.
Many of the Republican candidates for Congress have a lot in common -- although you're not as good looking as Marina Kats (nobody is)! Marina has a great chance to make Allyson Schwartz, a terrible legislator, sweat. Allyson claims she's a powerful defender of the "middle-class." Somehow she thinks raising their taxes, discouraging energy development, and basically rooting for al Qaeda in Iraq constitute defending the country.
On libertarian (freedom loving) Republicans. One notable member of that group was a popular columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Tom Hritz. He liked to smoke and one day a busybody at the P-G asked him if he was going to participate in "The Great American Smokeout." Irritated, Hritz said he was going to promote a new holiday called "National Mind-Your-Own-Business-Day."
Another Hritz-ism: Somebody asked him what he thought about the performance of Robt. Casey, Sr., father of Senator Bob. Hritz said, "Listen, after two terms of Bob Casey as Governor, Pennsylvania is lucky it's still a state."
Tom and his wife (also very funny) have passed away, but they're obviously still here in spirit. They'd have loved the chance to vote for people like Mike Livingston, Melissa Hart, and Marina Kats.
The critical point: It is absolutely essential for the nation's future that John McCain win the election on November 4, 2008. However, if the U.S. House and Senate that await him are filled with liberal Democrats, there is no way McCain can be a successful President. It's essential that activists know who the outstanding Republican candidates are -- and support them. I very much want Republicans -- conservative or libertarian -- around the world to "adopt" exemplary congressional candidates, especially the ones I've been writing about.
NOTE: THIS IS A "BONUS" COLUMN REPRINTED FROM MY PENNSYLVANIA BLOG (http://pennsylvaniaforjohnmccain.blogspot.com/, WHICH I HOPE YOU'LL VISIT FREQUENTLY. SUPPOSEDLY, THIS IS A "BAD YEAR FOR REPUBLICANS," BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL GOP CANDIDATES IN THE CRUCIAL STATE OF PA WHO HAVE A CHANCE EITHER TO WIN OR MAKE REAL INROADS IN DEMOCRATIC STRONGHOLDS.
Mike Livingston, Republican candidate for Congress in PA's 2d congressional district (Philadelphia). There's no truth to the rumor that Mike recently won the national "Brad-Pitt-Lookalike-Contest." Mike Livingston, the law professor who's running for Congress from PA's 2d congressional district (against Dem. Chaka Fattah) and I have been corresponding regularly. I sent him the following today about his own race, Melissa Hart's race in the 4th district (against Dem. Jason Altmire), and Marina Kats's contest in the 13th (against Dem. Allyson Schwartz):
Dear Mike Livingston:I think I can bring attention to candidates I support. My "bull-in-a-china shop" approach online works better than I could have imagined.
Melissa Hart, who is running in the 4th District in western PA is a good friend of mine, and I keep trying to get people nationally to "adopt" her -- with some success. One of Melissa's big advantages this time (as compared to the mid-term election of 2006) is that John McCain should win the 4th by a large margin, particularly if Rev. Wright keeps spreading his cheerful message of ignorance and animosity. Altmire has yet to denounce Obama's "bitter" comments denigrating Pennsylvanians -- presumably because he agrees with them.
Mike, when your own campaign is done, maybe you can write a book about it. Running against Chaka Fattah may be in some ways a thankless task. However, there are tens of thousands of people in the 2d CD who will vote for Mike Livingston if you can get your message out.At the very least, your presence in the race is going to force Fattah to reconsider some of his militantly leftist positions. He's also going to have to explain why his seven terms in Congress have left at least 150,000 people in the district mired in poverty. If Fattah has a clue about economic development, he has fooled me -- and the people he supposedly represents.
If you haven't heard yet from Eric Dondero of BlogTalkRadio/Libertarian, you will soon. When libertarian Republicans learn who you are and what you believe in, many of them will support you -- by "support" I mean send money! There are thousands of libertarian Republicans out there who will contribute to your campaign -- if they can just find out that you exist.
I truly believe what I said earlier about how to get voters' support: to ask for it. The process is just that simple (although it requires great time and effort.
Many of the Republican candidates for Congress have a lot in common -- although you're not as good looking as Marina Kats (nobody is)! Marina has a great chance to make Allyson Schwartz, a terrible legislator, sweat. Allyson claims she's a powerful defender of the "middle-class." Somehow she thinks raising their taxes, discouraging energy development, and basically rooting for al Qaeda in Iraq constitute defending the country.
On libertarian (freedom loving) Republicans. One notable member of that group was a popular columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Tom Hritz. He liked to smoke and one day a busybody at the P-G asked him if he was going to participate in "The Great American Smokeout." Irritated, Hritz said he was going to promote a new holiday called "National Mind-Your-Own-Business-Day."
Another Hritz-ism: Somebody asked him what he thought about the performance of Robt. Casey, Sr., father of Senator Bob. Hritz said, "Listen, after two terms of Bob Casey as Governor, Pennsylvania is lucky it's still a state."
Tom and his wife (also very funny) have passed away, but they're obviously still here in spirit. They'd have loved the chance to vote for people like Mike Livingston, Melissa Hart, and Marina Kats.
Friday, April 25, 2008
OBAMA RADIOACTIVE: LOOMING DEMOCRATIC DISASTER
This weekend's column will be up Friday night, and its title will be: "Obama: A Disaster for Democrats." In many states (PA, NM, NC) Republicans are running ads to support state ("down-ticket") Republican candidates that feature criticisms of Barack Obama. In perhaps 30 states, he is becoming radioactive. My friend, Melissa Hart, who's running for Congress in the 4th congressional district is launching almost daily attacks on her opponent, Jason Altmire, for his "fawning," uncritical behavior toward Obama.
NC GOP Right, McCain Wrong
I strongly support John McCain for the presidency of the U.S. I have done a great deal online – and off – to advance the cause of John McCain, and I will do a great deal more.
That said, I strongly disagree with McCain’s position that the North Carolina GOP should withdraw an Obama ad, one using Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s anti-American and anti-white comments to criticize two NC Democrats running for governor. Both candidates (Richard Moore and Bev Perdue) have endorsed Barack Obama.
John McCain has said “there’s no place for that kind of campaigning, and the American people don’t want it.” He also added that his knowledge of the ad was second-hand. In his words, “I didn’t see it, and I hope that I don’t see it.” Frankly, if he wants to condemn the ad, he should at least look at it.
John McCain is an honorable, decent man. In the case of the NC ad, he’s overstepping his authority. Yes, he will be the Republican standard bearer, but the North Carolina GOP is a separate entity, responsible for the performance of Republicans in their state.
Frankly, there’s nothing false or meretricious about the ad. Rev. Wright presented the sermon featured (the one where he says “God damn America”) as it appears in the ad. Obama has distanced himself in vague ways from what he calls Wright’s “controversial” remarks, but has not spoken in any detail about the issue.
In fact, Republican candidates around the country are holding Democrats to account on their support of Obama. In my own congressional district, GOP candidate Melissa Hart has repeatedly criticized her opponent, Jason Altmire, for not distancing himself from Obama’s so-called “bitter” comments. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is supporting such efforts.
As for McCain, he’s taking too much of a kid gloves approach to Obama, who misrepresents McCain’s position on a daily basis. Most disturbingly, McCain told MSNBC’s Chris Mathews that Obama’s “bitter” remarks were “elitist,” but that he wouldn’t characterize the Senator himself as an “elitist.”
I give up. Even Hillary Clinton, Obama’s fellow Democrat, has called him an “elitist.’ Frankly, an elitist is someone who makes elitist remarks and is guilty of elitist associations, and Obama regularly does both.
I sometimes fear that Senator McCain yearns for the good old days when the U.S. Senate was a “gentleman’s club.” In his chronic misrepresentations of McCain – for example, saying he’d like to fight the Iraq War for another 100 years – Obama is not exactly being a gentleman. In fact, he’s being a left-wing elitist, one detached from the realities of life in most of America.
In the campaign, Obama and his friends at MoveOn.org are going to throw the kitchen sink at McCain. Heck, they’re going to throw the stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher at McCain – not to mention the local landfills.
Senator McCain can not be under the illusion that he’s a latter-day Dwight Eisenhower running a contemporary version of Adlai Stevenson. Like the North Carolina Republicans, McCain must not overestimate the character of his opponent(s).
In the Gulf War, General Schwarzkopf said his approach would be to “hit the enemy in the face with a baseball bat.” Frankly, that’s a good description of what American leftists -- including Barack Obama – will try to do with McCain.
When you see a baseball bat coming your way, the best approach is NOT to turn the other cheek. Trust me, Senator Obama and his supporters are not to miss any opportunity to defame John McCain, and he’s better be ready for that.
Note: The material below describes in detail the controversy over the NC political ad.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/04/23/ap4926459.html
"We asked them not to run it," McCain told reporters traveling with him in Kentucky. "I'm sending them an e-mail as we speak asking them to take it down.
"I don't know why they do it. Obviously, I don't control them, but I'm making it very clear, as I have a couple of times in the past, that there's no place for that kind of campaigning, and the American people don't want it," McCain said.
McCain said the ad was described to him: "I didn't see it, and I hope that I don't see it."
Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan, who accompanied McCain, said he had left a voice mail message for state party chairwoman Linda Daves asking her to pull the ad.
McCain, in an e-mail to Daves, said he will draw sharp contrasts with Democrats. "But we need not engage in political tactics that only seek to divide the American people."
Asked about the ad during an appearance in New Albany, Ind., Obama said: "My understanding is that the Republican National Committee and John McCain have both said that the ad's inappropriate. I take them at their word, and I assume that if John McCain thinks that it's an inappropriate ad, that he can get them to pull it down since he's their nominee and standard-bearer."
"Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean piled on, saying McCain should call the party chairwoman personally."
"If John McCain means what he says, he should call the North Carolina Republican Party chairwoman and tell her not to run this ad," Dean said. "Sending an e-mail and turning a blind eye as the state party ignores him is not leadership."
North Carolina GOP spokesman Brent Woodcox said the ad will begin running statewide on Monday, a week before the state's crucial May 6 primary. The ad actually targets gubernatorial candidates Richard Moore and Bev Perdue, Democrats who have endorsed Obama.
That said, I strongly disagree with McCain’s position that the North Carolina GOP should withdraw an Obama ad, one using Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s anti-American and anti-white comments to criticize two NC Democrats running for governor. Both candidates (Richard Moore and Bev Perdue) have endorsed Barack Obama.
John McCain has said “there’s no place for that kind of campaigning, and the American people don’t want it.” He also added that his knowledge of the ad was second-hand. In his words, “I didn’t see it, and I hope that I don’t see it.” Frankly, if he wants to condemn the ad, he should at least look at it.
John McCain is an honorable, decent man. In the case of the NC ad, he’s overstepping his authority. Yes, he will be the Republican standard bearer, but the North Carolina GOP is a separate entity, responsible for the performance of Republicans in their state.
Frankly, there’s nothing false or meretricious about the ad. Rev. Wright presented the sermon featured (the one where he says “God damn America”) as it appears in the ad. Obama has distanced himself in vague ways from what he calls Wright’s “controversial” remarks, but has not spoken in any detail about the issue.
In fact, Republican candidates around the country are holding Democrats to account on their support of Obama. In my own congressional district, GOP candidate Melissa Hart has repeatedly criticized her opponent, Jason Altmire, for not distancing himself from Obama’s so-called “bitter” comments. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is supporting such efforts.
As for McCain, he’s taking too much of a kid gloves approach to Obama, who misrepresents McCain’s position on a daily basis. Most disturbingly, McCain told MSNBC’s Chris Mathews that Obama’s “bitter” remarks were “elitist,” but that he wouldn’t characterize the Senator himself as an “elitist.”
I give up. Even Hillary Clinton, Obama’s fellow Democrat, has called him an “elitist.’ Frankly, an elitist is someone who makes elitist remarks and is guilty of elitist associations, and Obama regularly does both.
I sometimes fear that Senator McCain yearns for the good old days when the U.S. Senate was a “gentleman’s club.” In his chronic misrepresentations of McCain – for example, saying he’d like to fight the Iraq War for another 100 years – Obama is not exactly being a gentleman. In fact, he’s being a left-wing elitist, one detached from the realities of life in most of America.
In the campaign, Obama and his friends at MoveOn.org are going to throw the kitchen sink at McCain. Heck, they’re going to throw the stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher at McCain – not to mention the local landfills.
Senator McCain can not be under the illusion that he’s a latter-day Dwight Eisenhower running a contemporary version of Adlai Stevenson. Like the North Carolina Republicans, McCain must not overestimate the character of his opponent(s).
In the Gulf War, General Schwarzkopf said his approach would be to “hit the enemy in the face with a baseball bat.” Frankly, that’s a good description of what American leftists -- including Barack Obama – will try to do with McCain.
When you see a baseball bat coming your way, the best approach is NOT to turn the other cheek. Trust me, Senator Obama and his supporters are not to miss any opportunity to defame John McCain, and he’s better be ready for that.
Note: The material below describes in detail the controversy over the NC political ad.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/04/23/ap4926459.html
"We asked them not to run it," McCain told reporters traveling with him in Kentucky. "I'm sending them an e-mail as we speak asking them to take it down.
"I don't know why they do it. Obviously, I don't control them, but I'm making it very clear, as I have a couple of times in the past, that there's no place for that kind of campaigning, and the American people don't want it," McCain said.
McCain said the ad was described to him: "I didn't see it, and I hope that I don't see it."
Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan, who accompanied McCain, said he had left a voice mail message for state party chairwoman Linda Daves asking her to pull the ad.
McCain, in an e-mail to Daves, said he will draw sharp contrasts with Democrats. "But we need not engage in political tactics that only seek to divide the American people."
Asked about the ad during an appearance in New Albany, Ind., Obama said: "My understanding is that the Republican National Committee and John McCain have both said that the ad's inappropriate. I take them at their word, and I assume that if John McCain thinks that it's an inappropriate ad, that he can get them to pull it down since he's their nominee and standard-bearer."
"Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean piled on, saying McCain should call the party chairwoman personally."
"If John McCain means what he says, he should call the North Carolina Republican Party chairwoman and tell her not to run this ad," Dean said. "Sending an e-mail and turning a blind eye as the state party ignores him is not leadership."
North Carolina GOP spokesman Brent Woodcox said the ad will begin running statewide on Monday, a week before the state's crucial May 6 primary. The ad actually targets gubernatorial candidates Richard Moore and Bev Perdue, Democrats who have endorsed Obama.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Melissa Hart, John Boehner: Leaders
Melisssa Hart with John Boehner (R, Ohio, Minority Leader) in Pittsburgh area on Friday. Former Congresswoman Hart is fighting to regain her congressional seat against Jason Altmire. It's been called "the country's most important congressional race." I've written several columns about Altmire, a full-time mudslinger and an individual who systematically misled voters in the 4th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, especially on the subject of Iraq. If you'd like to learn more about how you can support Melissa Hart, please visit her site at: http://peoplewithhart.com/.
I'll be writing next week about how Altmire's campaign is being financed by radical elements in American politics. If you'd like a sneak peek, go to open secrets.org and type in the name "Altmire."
HOUSE LEADER JOHN BOEHNER JOINS HART
TO AGAIN CALL ON ALTMIRE TO END HIS SILENCE
Cranberry Township, PA – Today, former Congresswoman Melissa Hart was joined by Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) for a press conference to call on Jason Altmire to end his silence and condemn the remarks made by Barack Obama one week ago.
“I find it disturbing that Jason Altmire has continued to stay silent regarding these insulting remarks. As a life long resident of Western Pennsylvania, I know the people here are proud of their values, families and faith. We certainly don’t cling to religion and sportsmen traditions out of bitterness,” said Melissa Hart.
“With each passing day, it has becomes more clear that Jason Altmire pays more attention to his national political profile than his constituents’ concerns. Governor Rendell and other top Democrats have rightly criticized Obama’s remarks,” said Hart.
Congressman Boehner added, “It’s time for Barack Obama to apologize to voters here in Pennsylvania and across the Midwest. And it’s time for his supporters in Congress to defend their constituents and denounce Obama’s patronizing rhetoric.”
Boehner continued, “Midwest voters aren’t ‘bitter;’ they’re for freedom. Freedom from higher taxes. Freedom to practice their faith. Freedom to exercise their Constitutional rights,” Boehner concluded. “That Obama and Altmire don’t understand that shows how out of touch they are.”
Altmire has been seen at many Barack Obama campaign events across Western Pennsylvania, including the event where Senator Bob Casey endorsed Barack Obama.
The only statement Altmire has made since the “bitter” remarks about Obama was in last Sunday’s Washington Post, saying "the more people get to know him, the more they like him."
Note: Anyone who'd like to learn more about Melissa Hart should visit her web site at: http://peoplewithhart.com.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Melissa Hart: Beating Jason Altmire
"American in 2008 is a mean place." (Michelle Obama, who apparently would like to become First Lady of this "mean place")
As you'll notice, my views about a Melissa Hart victory over Jason Altmire are not all that different from what McCain has to do to win over Obama in Pennsylvania. It's important to understand that Jason Altmire, who's one of Nancy Pelosi's and John Murtha's "pets" in Washington, will try to portray himself -- falsely -- as a centrist.
Also, as the campaign goes on, he and his surrogates and financial backers will try the same approach they relied on in 2006: to use their slime buckets in an attempt to heap mud on Melissa. Since Altmire will say anything and do anything to win, it's important that voters know exactly why so many observers describe him as a political guttersnipe
I'm working to get bloggers and other onliners to "link" (technically, emotionally, and politically) to Melissa's site -- and to keep going there. I also ask them to make small contributions (I mention $20 to $50) on the theory that if they make one, they'll make more. The 4th congressional district (north and west of Pittsburgh) is not a household term in, say, Texas or Oregon, but if it gets portrayed accurately as the most important congressional race in the country (and one that's critical to McCain's future), then it should get people's attention.
It's important to keep reminding people that Altmire called Murtha his "campaign manager" because, outside the 12th congressional district Murtha is as unpopular as it gets. I also link Altmire's name with that of Pelosi, on the basis that Altmire voted for her as Speaker and regularly votes with her on critical issues. On insignificant issues, Pelosi occasionally allows him to vote in accord with the wishes of voters in the 4th.
Also, on the Obama comments: he portrayed Pennsylvanians as a bunch of Bible-thumping, gun-toting rubes who take out their economic frustrations on immigrants and people who are "different" from Obama's supporters. Altmire apparently agrees on that point.
Finally, there's the issue of Altmire's radical donors, as revealed on www.opensecrets.org (go there and type in Altmire's name). He apparently believes he can accept huge amounts of money from radical left-wingers -- and somehow continue to portray himself as a centrist. In fact, Altmire is getting his "donations" from the same people who cheered Obama's sneering comments about Pennsylvanians and other average Americans. The contributors are people who believe in economic protectionism and in waging the War on Terror with rhetoric and platitudes rather than effective actions.
The America-haters of Moveon.org play as big a role in financing Altmire's campaign as they do in Obama's. (I'm going to write extensively in coming days about Altmire's money-men.) It's eminently fair to use Altmire's radical donors against him, because they're the ones who call the tune he dances to.
What's more, he needs to explain why he's taking money from union dues paid under duress by union bosses from members who support Melissa Hart. Because of his actions, Altmire should always be on the defensive -- right through November 4.
Overall, it's critical for people in the 4th who vote for John McCain to support Melissa Hart. She will back McCain's practical, yet often visionary, policies. Altmire would not.
In the 4th, the numbers look good. McCain will win the district by tens of thousands of votes (perhaps as many as 40,000 -- Bush having won in 2004 by 30,000). Thus, McCain should be putting wind in Melssa's sails.
Despite the vast amounts of money the far-Left is pouring into Altmire's campaign, Melissa Hart is looking more and more like a winner. Please visit her informative web site.
Bloggers who would like to reprint any of my material, including this column, are cordially invited to do so.
NOTE: ON MY OHIO AND NEW JERSEY SITES, WHICH I HOPE YOU'LL VISIT, I HAVE A SHORT PIECE TODAY ON BARACK OBAMA AS "AMERICA'S PET ROCK." Those sites are at: http://pennsylvaniaforjohnmccain.blogspot.com and http://newjerseyforjohnmccain.blogspot.com. In general, those sites focus on the particular states, although on occasion I cross-post. I have yet another site (yikes): http://pennsylvaniaforjohnmccain.blogspot.com. Its emphasis is on the relationship between the McCain Campaign and efforts by Republicans to take or hold congressional seats. I'm looking to hand off the Ohio and New Jersey sites to willing bloggers from those states.Your comments are always welcome.
As you'll notice, my views about a Melissa Hart victory over Jason Altmire are not all that different from what McCain has to do to win over Obama in Pennsylvania. It's important to understand that Jason Altmire, who's one of Nancy Pelosi's and John Murtha's "pets" in Washington, will try to portray himself -- falsely -- as a centrist.
Also, as the campaign goes on, he and his surrogates and financial backers will try the same approach they relied on in 2006: to use their slime buckets in an attempt to heap mud on Melissa. Since Altmire will say anything and do anything to win, it's important that voters know exactly why so many observers describe him as a political guttersnipe
I'm working to get bloggers and other onliners to "link" (technically, emotionally, and politically) to Melissa's site -- and to keep going there. I also ask them to make small contributions (I mention $20 to $50) on the theory that if they make one, they'll make more. The 4th congressional district (north and west of Pittsburgh) is not a household term in, say, Texas or Oregon, but if it gets portrayed accurately as the most important congressional race in the country (and one that's critical to McCain's future), then it should get people's attention.
It's important to keep reminding people that Altmire called Murtha his "campaign manager" because, outside the 12th congressional district Murtha is as unpopular as it gets. I also link Altmire's name with that of Pelosi, on the basis that Altmire voted for her as Speaker and regularly votes with her on critical issues. On insignificant issues, Pelosi occasionally allows him to vote in accord with the wishes of voters in the 4th.
Also, on the Obama comments: he portrayed Pennsylvanians as a bunch of Bible-thumping, gun-toting rubes who take out their economic frustrations on immigrants and people who are "different" from Obama's supporters. Altmire apparently agrees on that point.
Finally, there's the issue of Altmire's radical donors, as revealed on www.opensecrets.org (go there and type in Altmire's name). He apparently believes he can accept huge amounts of money from radical left-wingers -- and somehow continue to portray himself as a centrist. In fact, Altmire is getting his "donations" from the same people who cheered Obama's sneering comments about Pennsylvanians and other average Americans. The contributors are people who believe in economic protectionism and in waging the War on Terror with rhetoric and platitudes rather than effective actions.
The America-haters of Moveon.org play as big a role in financing Altmire's campaign as they do in Obama's. (I'm going to write extensively in coming days about Altmire's money-men.) It's eminently fair to use Altmire's radical donors against him, because they're the ones who call the tune he dances to.
What's more, he needs to explain why he's taking money from union dues paid under duress by union bosses from members who support Melissa Hart. Because of his actions, Altmire should always be on the defensive -- right through November 4.
Overall, it's critical for people in the 4th who vote for John McCain to support Melissa Hart. She will back McCain's practical, yet often visionary, policies. Altmire would not.
In the 4th, the numbers look good. McCain will win the district by tens of thousands of votes (perhaps as many as 40,000 -- Bush having won in 2004 by 30,000). Thus, McCain should be putting wind in Melssa's sails.
Despite the vast amounts of money the far-Left is pouring into Altmire's campaign, Melissa Hart is looking more and more like a winner. Please visit her informative web site.
Bloggers who would like to reprint any of my material, including this column, are cordially invited to do so.
NOTE: ON MY OHIO AND NEW JERSEY SITES, WHICH I HOPE YOU'LL VISIT, I HAVE A SHORT PIECE TODAY ON BARACK OBAMA AS "AMERICA'S PET ROCK." Those sites are at: http://pennsylvaniaforjohnmccain.blogspot.com and http://newjerseyforjohnmccain.blogspot.com. In general, those sites focus on the particular states, although on occasion I cross-post. I have yet another site (yikes): http://pennsylvaniaforjohnmccain.blogspot.com. Its emphasis is on the relationship between the McCain Campaign and efforts by Republicans to take or hold congressional seats. I'm looking to hand off the Ohio and New Jersey sites to willing bloggers from those states.Your comments are always welcome.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Melissa Hart Blasts Altmire, Obama
"America in 2008 is a mean place." (Michelle Obama, who wants to be First Lady)
The most important and fiercely contested congressional race in the nation is taking place in the 4th District of Pennsylvania. It pits conservative Melissa Hart against liberal Jason Altmire, one of Nancy Pelosi's favorites. The following is a press release issued today by Ms. Hart.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2008 CONTACT: Alicia Collins
724-779-4750 office
724-612-9490 cell
HART QUESTIONS JASON ALTMIRE’S SILENCE ON OBAMA’S ‘BITTER’ PENNSYLVANIA REMARKS
Cranberry Township, PA – Former Congresswoman Melissa Hart questions why Jason Altmire refuses to condemn Democrat Presidential candidate Barack Obama’s comments disparaging Pennsylvanians.
For weeks, Congressman Jason Altmire has basked in the attention from media and other politicians as an a “uncommitted” delegate, fawning over Barack Obama and regularly appearing at Obama's side while stopping just enough short of using the word “endorse” to allow him to continue to play both sides.
“Altmire's fellow liberal Obama displayed his true feelings about the communities of the Fourth Congressional District this week with a sneering reference to small towns in Pennsylvania,” said former Congresswoman Melissa Hart.
While speaking to a group of San Francisco donors Barack Obama said, "You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them... And it’s not surprising they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
“Our country faces many challenges in the years ahead,” said Melissa Hart, “but among them are not the facts that many people in this part of the country attend church or temple services, cherish their hunting and sportsmen traditions, and are concerned about illegal immigration and the impact of free trade on the local economy. If Altmire were really the centrist Democrat he claims to be, he would have called on Obama to apologize immediately.”
“With each passing day, it becomes more clear that Jason Altmire pays more attention to his national political profile than his constituents concerns. Governor Rendell and other top Democrats have rightly criticized Obama’s remarks; I wonder why Jason Altmire remains silent on these demeaning comments.”
Yesterday, in the Washington Post the only thing Altmire had to say about Obama is "I have been really happy with the way that this has played out for western Pennsylvania," and "the more people get to know him, the more they like him."
“The reality is that the radical groups bankrolling Altmire share Obama's contempt for the people of this region and their values. Every day, it is becoming more apparent that these special interest groups are who Altmire really represents, not the people of New Castle, Beaver Falls, Cheswick or the other communities of western Pennsylvania,” said Hart.
Note from Steve: Jason Altmire is claiming to be a "conservative Democrat." In fact, Altmire described John Murtha as his "campaign manager" and voted for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. Altmire voted for the "Iraq timetable" after claiming in his campaign that he would not. He also claims to be "pro-life" but voted to provide federal funding (your tax dollars) to destroy viable embryos for stem cell research. He is also backing proposals (elimination of the President's tax cuts) that would increase taxes by 50% on those in the lowest-tax bracket. Candidate Hart speaks in her release about the radical groups supporting Altmire. You can analyze Altmire's contributors by going to http://www.opensecrets.org/ and typing in the name "Altmire." Hart's campaign is financed by thousands of individual donors, including the author of this blog. If you'd like to find out more about Melissa Hart (and hopefully, contribute to her grassroots campaign) please go to her web site at: http://peoplewithhart.com/. Thanks.If you'd like to reprint the material above, please do so.
The most important and fiercely contested congressional race in the nation is taking place in the 4th District of Pennsylvania. It pits conservative Melissa Hart against liberal Jason Altmire, one of Nancy Pelosi's favorites. The following is a press release issued today by Ms. Hart.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2008 CONTACT: Alicia Collins
724-779-4750 office
724-612-9490 cell
HART QUESTIONS JASON ALTMIRE’S SILENCE ON OBAMA’S ‘BITTER’ PENNSYLVANIA REMARKS
Cranberry Township, PA – Former Congresswoman Melissa Hart questions why Jason Altmire refuses to condemn Democrat Presidential candidate Barack Obama’s comments disparaging Pennsylvanians.
For weeks, Congressman Jason Altmire has basked in the attention from media and other politicians as an a “uncommitted” delegate, fawning over Barack Obama and regularly appearing at Obama's side while stopping just enough short of using the word “endorse” to allow him to continue to play both sides.
“Altmire's fellow liberal Obama displayed his true feelings about the communities of the Fourth Congressional District this week with a sneering reference to small towns in Pennsylvania,” said former Congresswoman Melissa Hart.
While speaking to a group of San Francisco donors Barack Obama said, "You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them... And it’s not surprising they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
“Our country faces many challenges in the years ahead,” said Melissa Hart, “but among them are not the facts that many people in this part of the country attend church or temple services, cherish their hunting and sportsmen traditions, and are concerned about illegal immigration and the impact of free trade on the local economy. If Altmire were really the centrist Democrat he claims to be, he would have called on Obama to apologize immediately.”
“With each passing day, it becomes more clear that Jason Altmire pays more attention to his national political profile than his constituents concerns. Governor Rendell and other top Democrats have rightly criticized Obama’s remarks; I wonder why Jason Altmire remains silent on these demeaning comments.”
Yesterday, in the Washington Post the only thing Altmire had to say about Obama is "I have been really happy with the way that this has played out for western Pennsylvania," and "the more people get to know him, the more they like him."
“The reality is that the radical groups bankrolling Altmire share Obama's contempt for the people of this region and their values. Every day, it is becoming more apparent that these special interest groups are who Altmire really represents, not the people of New Castle, Beaver Falls, Cheswick or the other communities of western Pennsylvania,” said Hart.
Note from Steve: Jason Altmire is claiming to be a "conservative Democrat." In fact, Altmire described John Murtha as his "campaign manager" and voted for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. Altmire voted for the "Iraq timetable" after claiming in his campaign that he would not. He also claims to be "pro-life" but voted to provide federal funding (your tax dollars) to destroy viable embryos for stem cell research. He is also backing proposals (elimination of the President's tax cuts) that would increase taxes by 50% on those in the lowest-tax bracket. Candidate Hart speaks in her release about the radical groups supporting Altmire. You can analyze Altmire's contributors by going to http://www.opensecrets.org/ and typing in the name "Altmire." Hart's campaign is financed by thousands of individual donors, including the author of this blog. If you'd like to find out more about Melissa Hart (and hopefully, contribute to her grassroots campaign) please go to her web site at: http://peoplewithhart.com/. Thanks.If you'd like to reprint the material above, please do so.
McCain Supporters: Reject Altmire
In the 4th congressional district of Pennsylvania (north and west of Pittsburgh), perhaps the most important race in the country (aside from the presidential battle) is shaping up. It pits former congresswoman Melissa Hart against Rep. Jason Altmire.
Altmire seeks to portray himself as a "conservative" Democrat. However, he voted for the Iraq War timetable (after telling voters he would not do so). He also voted for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research (after telling voters he was pro-life). And he opposes the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit (after telling seniors they had his undying love).
Recently, one of Altmire's minions challenged me on my statement that Altmire supports the largest tax increase in American history. The situation is this: the congressman backs Nancy Pelosi's and Charlie Rangel's effort to let the Bush tax cuts die in 2010. If that happens, it will re-impose the marriage penalty, reduce deductions for children, and bring back the "death tax," which means you'll still be paying taxes after your demise.
Of great significance, an end to the Bush tax cuts will raise the minimum tax category from 10% to 15%. In other words, it will hit hardest those least able to pay, essentially raising their tax bill by 50%.
Obviously, there are many reasons to oppose Jason Altmire. However, perhaps the most important consideration is the need John McCain will have for a supportive Congress.
Recently, Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama made comments denigrating the religious beliefs and "hunting culture" of Pennsylvanians. Essentially, Obama called the people of Pennsylvania a bunch of gun-toting, Bible-thumping rubes and bigots. We are not.
So far, Jason Altmire has made no statement criticizing Obama's statements. Senator McCain and Melissa Hart strongly disagree with Obama's offensive comments. Are we to take Altmire's silence as a sign that he agrees with Illinois Senator? Jason, in some cases "silence is golden," but in this case it's a sign of political cowardice.
If you're voting for McCain, it makes no sense to vote for Altmire. Why elect McCain and at the same time tie his hands behind his back? Why make it impossible for him to carry out the mandate he will get from American voters?
In other words, anyone who wants to support John McCain should avoid sending Altmire back to Congress. One of the best ways to stand with McCain is to cast a ballot for Melissa Hart. Please go to her web site to see how you can help.
Altmire seeks to portray himself as a "conservative" Democrat. However, he voted for the Iraq War timetable (after telling voters he would not do so). He also voted for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research (after telling voters he was pro-life). And he opposes the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit (after telling seniors they had his undying love).
Recently, one of Altmire's minions challenged me on my statement that Altmire supports the largest tax increase in American history. The situation is this: the congressman backs Nancy Pelosi's and Charlie Rangel's effort to let the Bush tax cuts die in 2010. If that happens, it will re-impose the marriage penalty, reduce deductions for children, and bring back the "death tax," which means you'll still be paying taxes after your demise.
Of great significance, an end to the Bush tax cuts will raise the minimum tax category from 10% to 15%. In other words, it will hit hardest those least able to pay, essentially raising their tax bill by 50%.
Obviously, there are many reasons to oppose Jason Altmire. However, perhaps the most important consideration is the need John McCain will have for a supportive Congress.
Recently, Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama made comments denigrating the religious beliefs and "hunting culture" of Pennsylvanians. Essentially, Obama called the people of Pennsylvania a bunch of gun-toting, Bible-thumping rubes and bigots. We are not.
So far, Jason Altmire has made no statement criticizing Obama's statements. Senator McCain and Melissa Hart strongly disagree with Obama's offensive comments. Are we to take Altmire's silence as a sign that he agrees with Illinois Senator? Jason, in some cases "silence is golden," but in this case it's a sign of political cowardice.
If you're voting for McCain, it makes no sense to vote for Altmire. Why elect McCain and at the same time tie his hands behind his back? Why make it impossible for him to carry out the mandate he will get from American voters?
In other words, anyone who wants to support John McCain should avoid sending Altmire back to Congress. One of the best ways to stand with McCain is to cast a ballot for Melissa Hart. Please go to her web site to see how you can help.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
McCain, Altmire, and Melissa Hart
Today (Saturday), I'm cross-posting from my Pennsylvania site (http://pennsylvaniaforjohnmccain.blogspot.com). Melissa Hart's site is at: http://peoplewithhart.com/.
Starting this weekend, I'm be writing more about congressional candidate Melissa Hart and her opponent, a loathsome creature named Jason Altmire. He won the seat in 2006 mainly by spewing falsehoods about Melissa --she called them "a pack of lies" -- and by making false promises to the voters of the 4th congressional district (where I live).
For example, he told the voters he opposed a "timetable" for withdrawal from Iraq. However, when he got to Congress and Nancy Pelosi and John Murtha showed him the Democratic "trick," he fell all over himself to vote for the timetable. He claimed to be pro-life, but in Washington he voted for federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. He claimed -- and claims -- to be a conservative Democrat, but he voted for the largest tax increase in history. His motto seems to be: "Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no truths." He's a piece of work, and he must be defeated.
Please visit Melissa's web site (http://peoplewithhart.com) and offer your support. If you can make a donation, I assure you it will be much appreciated.The Hart-Altmire will be one of the nation's most important. The national Democrat Party is pouring money into the race in order to prop up a weak and feckless candidate, Altmire, a former lobbyist. (Please check out Altmire's campaign funding on http://opensecrets.org. As you'll note, he is selling out to every interest group that comes bearing a bag-full of cash.
How does Melissa Hart's campaign relate to that of John McCain? Frankly, everyone in the 4th Congressional District -- and the country as a whole -- that wants to support McCain needs to back candidates like Melissa. It will do little good if we send John McCain to the White House -- and confront him with a Congress full of Altmire types.
So, how can you support Melissa Hart? You can do so by linking your blog, if you have one, to Melissa's. Also, visit her site regularly. And if you can do so, please consider contributing to her campaign so you can counter the national Democrats' effort to buy the seat for Altmire.
Finally, if you know people who lives in the 4th congressional district -- mainly north and west of Pittsburgh -- please ask them to support Melissa. The best way to ensure John McCain has a successful presidency is to send people like Melissa to Congress. Thanks for your help!
Note: If you would like, please reprint this material on your own blog. The Hart-Altmire race will be the most intensely fought contest in the U.S.
Starting this weekend, I'm be writing more about congressional candidate Melissa Hart and her opponent, a loathsome creature named Jason Altmire. He won the seat in 2006 mainly by spewing falsehoods about Melissa --she called them "a pack of lies" -- and by making false promises to the voters of the 4th congressional district (where I live).
For example, he told the voters he opposed a "timetable" for withdrawal from Iraq. However, when he got to Congress and Nancy Pelosi and John Murtha showed him the Democratic "trick," he fell all over himself to vote for the timetable. He claimed to be pro-life, but in Washington he voted for federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. He claimed -- and claims -- to be a conservative Democrat, but he voted for the largest tax increase in history. His motto seems to be: "Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no truths." He's a piece of work, and he must be defeated.
Please visit Melissa's web site (http://peoplewithhart.com) and offer your support. If you can make a donation, I assure you it will be much appreciated.The Hart-Altmire will be one of the nation's most important. The national Democrat Party is pouring money into the race in order to prop up a weak and feckless candidate, Altmire, a former lobbyist. (Please check out Altmire's campaign funding on http://opensecrets.org. As you'll note, he is selling out to every interest group that comes bearing a bag-full of cash.
How does Melissa Hart's campaign relate to that of John McCain? Frankly, everyone in the 4th Congressional District -- and the country as a whole -- that wants to support McCain needs to back candidates like Melissa. It will do little good if we send John McCain to the White House -- and confront him with a Congress full of Altmire types.
So, how can you support Melissa Hart? You can do so by linking your blog, if you have one, to Melissa's. Also, visit her site regularly. And if you can do so, please consider contributing to her campaign so you can counter the national Democrats' effort to buy the seat for Altmire.
Finally, if you know people who lives in the 4th congressional district -- mainly north and west of Pittsburgh -- please ask them to support Melissa. The best way to ensure John McCain has a successful presidency is to send people like Melissa to Congress. Thanks for your help!
Note: If you would like, please reprint this material on your own blog. The Hart-Altmire race will be the most intensely fought contest in the U.S.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Melissa Hart: Woman of Integrity
Today, I sent the following message to many fellow bloggers. If you blog, I hope you'll take the message "to Hart" (pun intended) and establish a link to Melissa's web site, which you can find at: http://peoplewithhart.com.
Dear Friends: My main activity between now and November 4, 2008 will be to participate in online activities designed to ensure the election of John McCain, something I believe will happen.My other activities will emphasize generating contributions and national support for Melissa Hart, who is fighting to regain her congressional seat in Pennsylvania's 4th District. Her opponent, Jason Altmire, is one of the smarmiest characters in the House of Representatives. He's a Pelosi-Murtha-type liberal who specializes in negative campaigning and overall malice.Most of the people receiving this note are not residents of the 4th District. However, Melissa is a friend who is precisely the kind of person we need in Congress. She's a woman of great integrity who, frankly, might make a great vice-president or president someday. To the degree she can "nationalize" her campaign, involving people across the 50 states, she improve her chances for victory.I hope you'll put up a link -- on your blog if you have one -- to her web site, which is: http://peoplewithhart.com. I also hope you'll visit and offer whatever support you can. Please direct your blog visitors to "PeoplewithHart."How are Melissa's chances? They're very good. In a bad year for Republicans -- 2006 -- she lost by 52% to 48%. With John McCain at the head of the ticket, Melissa has an excellent chance of regaining her seat. Her opponent will outspend Melissa, but he won't outwork her.
Thanks very much for linking your site to hers.
Stephen R. Maloney
4th Congressional District, Pennsylvania
Dear Friends: My main activity between now and November 4, 2008 will be to participate in online activities designed to ensure the election of John McCain, something I believe will happen.My other activities will emphasize generating contributions and national support for Melissa Hart, who is fighting to regain her congressional seat in Pennsylvania's 4th District. Her opponent, Jason Altmire, is one of the smarmiest characters in the House of Representatives. He's a Pelosi-Murtha-type liberal who specializes in negative campaigning and overall malice.Most of the people receiving this note are not residents of the 4th District. However, Melissa is a friend who is precisely the kind of person we need in Congress. She's a woman of great integrity who, frankly, might make a great vice-president or president someday. To the degree she can "nationalize" her campaign, involving people across the 50 states, she improve her chances for victory.I hope you'll put up a link -- on your blog if you have one -- to her web site, which is: http://peoplewithhart.com. I also hope you'll visit and offer whatever support you can. Please direct your blog visitors to "PeoplewithHart."How are Melissa's chances? They're very good. In a bad year for Republicans -- 2006 -- she lost by 52% to 48%. With John McCain at the head of the ticket, Melissa has an excellent chance of regaining her seat. Her opponent will outspend Melissa, but he won't outwork her.
Thanks very much for linking your site to hers.
Stephen R. Maloney
4th Congressional District, Pennsylvania
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Key Presidential & Congressional Races
Starting tomorrow morning (Monday) at 8 a.m. there will be a new column every day between now and February 6, 2008, the day after "Super Tuesday." I've predicted that Senator Barack Obama will win the New Hampshire primary in a close race with Senator Hillary Clinton. I've also predicted that Senator John McCain will win the New Hampshire -- and that he will finish far ahead of the second place finisher, former Gov. Mitt Romney.
I believe the eventual presidential nominees will be Barack Obama and John McCain. However, I wouldn't bet the house on my own projections. Mike Huckabee will retain his strong support among evangelicals and home-schoolers, who propelled him to victory in Iowa. Mitt Romney has spent tens of millions of his own money and, as the saying goes, "you ain't seen nothing yet."
I also believe the best candidate the Democrats have is Hillary Rodham Clinton, which isn't saying much, because the top-tier Democrats all advocate policies that will be harmful to the nation. Mrs. Clinton may still win the nomination, but if she finishes second in New Hampshire and then goes on to lose in South Carolina, her campaign is in deep trouble. Obama would have all the momentum, and he would be almost unstoppable.
I think that's likely to happen, but at this point, there are few absolute certainties.
Last night, I attended a remarkable meeting that featured former congresswoman Melissa Hart, who is seeking to regain her seat in Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District. Her race against Jason Altmire is reflective of many congressional battles taking place around the country. I'll be writing more in the weeks ahead about the Hart-Altmire struggle.
If you'd like to learn more about Melissa Hart, you can check her archived appearance on Doug Gibbs's Blog Talk Radio on January 3, 2008.
I believe the eventual presidential nominees will be Barack Obama and John McCain. However, I wouldn't bet the house on my own projections. Mike Huckabee will retain his strong support among evangelicals and home-schoolers, who propelled him to victory in Iowa. Mitt Romney has spent tens of millions of his own money and, as the saying goes, "you ain't seen nothing yet."
I also believe the best candidate the Democrats have is Hillary Rodham Clinton, which isn't saying much, because the top-tier Democrats all advocate policies that will be harmful to the nation. Mrs. Clinton may still win the nomination, but if she finishes second in New Hampshire and then goes on to lose in South Carolina, her campaign is in deep trouble. Obama would have all the momentum, and he would be almost unstoppable.
I think that's likely to happen, but at this point, there are few absolute certainties.
Last night, I attended a remarkable meeting that featured former congresswoman Melissa Hart, who is seeking to regain her seat in Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District. Her race against Jason Altmire is reflective of many congressional battles taking place around the country. I'll be writing more in the weeks ahead about the Hart-Altmire struggle.
If you'd like to learn more about Melissa Hart, you can check her archived appearance on Doug Gibbs's Blog Talk Radio on January 3, 2008.
Monday, December 10, 2007
MURTHA & ALTMIRE: "NANCY'S BOYS"
In PA’s 4th congressional district (represented by Democrat Jason Altmire) and PA’s 12th congressional district (represented by Democrat John Murtha), most voters see them as “conservative Democrats.”
Of course, if most voters didn’t see them that way, they’d soon be ex-congressmen. So, they both do their best to keep the ideological fiction alive.
Admittedly, Jack Murtha opposed Steny Hoyer of Maryland for the post of Majority Leader. Then, Hoyer’s advocates leaked stories to the press about ABSCAM and Murtha’s other examples of ethical deficiency.
Murtha accused his critics of “Swift-boating” him. In fact, they were “Truth-boating him, and he lost badly. His colleagues know he’s a crook, even if some of his constituents find that hard to comprehend.
Steny Hoyer is a piece-of-work. He likes to vote no – except when it comes to raising taxes.
He voted no on banning partial-birth abortions, no on Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage (which saves me, my wife, and other senior thousands of dollars a year. He also voted no on banning same-sex marriages, no on banning human cloning, no on the Bush Tax Cuts, and no on restricting weapons makers’ liability.
Actually, Steny and Nancy Pelosi are a good team. She voted no on all the same things.
It makes you wonder why Murtha, the supposedly “conservative” Democrat, voted for Nancy Pelosi, the militant liberal, as Speaker of the House (she won unanimously). It makes you wonder why Jason Altmire, the other “conservative” Democrat also voted for her.
Of course, the Speaker of the House – with advice from the Majority Leader -- determines critical committee assignments. In other word, she doles out the real power in the House of Representatives. A Jack Murtha has one vote, powerful as he is in other ways, but the Speaker has the equivalent of many.
One wonders, given the conservative nature of their districts – I live in the 4th – how Murtha and Altmire can justify voting for her. She, along with Hoyer and many other Democrat leaders in the House, is totally out of step with Murtha’s and Altmire’s constituents. She’s influencing policies and legislation that goes against everything most people in western Pennsylvania believe.
Of course, Murtha’s explanation – which is no explanation – would be “That’s the way we DO BUSINESS here.
One other way he does business is to provide votes for his Party leftists when he can – as he did when he voted for federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Supposedly “pro-life” Altmire voted the same way.
Another strange vote was Murtha’s against the Prescription Drug Plan, one that’s probably saved seniors in his district roughly a hundred million dollars. Altmire also opposes prescription drugs for seniors for reasons which aren’t clear.
Murtha voted for the Iraq War timeline – in line with Pelosi and other anti-military types. Altmire also supported the timeline – after saying in his campaign that he would not.
Murtha and Altmire will vote “pro-life” (except when they can get away with not doing so) and pro-guns, but when they vote for leaders who are neither pro-life nor pro-Second Amendment.
Generally, when they can, they vote with leftist Democrats.
When they need political cover – for example, on abortion and guns – they are apparently allowed to vote “conservative.” Eventually, their skillful balancing act gives them so much power and access to campaign money that they don’t have to pay much attention to what their constituents think.
Hopefully, that’s going to change – and soon. If you don't like what's going on, let me direct to someone who's an agent of change: http://williamrussellforcongress.com.
Of course, if most voters didn’t see them that way, they’d soon be ex-congressmen. So, they both do their best to keep the ideological fiction alive.
Admittedly, Jack Murtha opposed Steny Hoyer of Maryland for the post of Majority Leader. Then, Hoyer’s advocates leaked stories to the press about ABSCAM and Murtha’s other examples of ethical deficiency.
Murtha accused his critics of “Swift-boating” him. In fact, they were “Truth-boating him, and he lost badly. His colleagues know he’s a crook, even if some of his constituents find that hard to comprehend.
Steny Hoyer is a piece-of-work. He likes to vote no – except when it comes to raising taxes.
He voted no on banning partial-birth abortions, no on Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage (which saves me, my wife, and other senior thousands of dollars a year. He also voted no on banning same-sex marriages, no on banning human cloning, no on the Bush Tax Cuts, and no on restricting weapons makers’ liability.
Actually, Steny and Nancy Pelosi are a good team. She voted no on all the same things.
It makes you wonder why Murtha, the supposedly “conservative” Democrat, voted for Nancy Pelosi, the militant liberal, as Speaker of the House (she won unanimously). It makes you wonder why Jason Altmire, the other “conservative” Democrat also voted for her.
Of course, the Speaker of the House – with advice from the Majority Leader -- determines critical committee assignments. In other word, she doles out the real power in the House of Representatives. A Jack Murtha has one vote, powerful as he is in other ways, but the Speaker has the equivalent of many.
One wonders, given the conservative nature of their districts – I live in the 4th – how Murtha and Altmire can justify voting for her. She, along with Hoyer and many other Democrat leaders in the House, is totally out of step with Murtha’s and Altmire’s constituents. She’s influencing policies and legislation that goes against everything most people in western Pennsylvania believe.
Of course, Murtha’s explanation – which is no explanation – would be “That’s the way we DO BUSINESS here.
One other way he does business is to provide votes for his Party leftists when he can – as he did when he voted for federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Supposedly “pro-life” Altmire voted the same way.
Another strange vote was Murtha’s against the Prescription Drug Plan, one that’s probably saved seniors in his district roughly a hundred million dollars. Altmire also opposes prescription drugs for seniors for reasons which aren’t clear.
Murtha voted for the Iraq War timeline – in line with Pelosi and other anti-military types. Altmire also supported the timeline – after saying in his campaign that he would not.
Murtha and Altmire will vote “pro-life” (except when they can get away with not doing so) and pro-guns, but when they vote for leaders who are neither pro-life nor pro-Second Amendment.
Generally, when they can, they vote with leftist Democrats.
When they need political cover – for example, on abortion and guns – they are apparently allowed to vote “conservative.” Eventually, their skillful balancing act gives them so much power and access to campaign money that they don’t have to pay much attention to what their constituents think.
Hopefully, that’s going to change – and soon. If you don't like what's going on, let me direct to someone who's an agent of change: http://williamrussellforcongress.com.
Friday, December 7, 2007
ABORTION & THE DECEITFUL DEMOCRAT
ABORTION & THE DECEITFUL DEMOCRAT
I wrote a column yesterday in which I confessed I was very suspicious about whether the concept of "pro-life" was really meaningful to Congressmen John Murtha and Jason Altmire I pointed out that Democrats who run for Congress in Pennsylvania – especially those outside Philadelphia – had better say they’re pro-life (and pro-guns) if they want to get elected.
After I wrote the piece I came upon comments by Democratic strategist Joe Trippi (the Internet guru of Howard Dean campaign fame). Here’s what Trippi says in The Revolution Will Not be Televised, p. 33:
“I remember working on a [Democratic] congressional campaign in the mid-1980s. We were meeting with the candidate to film a commercial about his views on abortion. . . [Then] the guy casually informed me that he wanted to film two spots.”
“I was confused. Two?”“That’s right. He wanted to make a pro-choice ad, then – as long as we had the crew and everything – just ‘turn the camera around’ and make a pro-life spot.
That way, he explained, he’d have one of each ready when his polling people told him which way to go.”
Trippi adds, “After it was all over, I think we all wanted to go home and take a shower.”
Who was this poll-driven (as opposed to conscience-driven) candidate? Trippi doesn’t identify him by name.Could it have been Dick Gephardt, the congressional power, who also ran for President – and employed Trippi? When Gephardt was a Missouri congressman, he was, like most Missouri congressman, he was a staunch pro-lifer. Later, of course, when he began to contemplate a national office, he switched to joining the Democratic "mainstream" and being pro-choice.
Or could it even have been Al Gore? When he was in Congress and the Senate from Tennessee – a bastion of pro-lifers – he was strongly for what’s called “the sanctity of life.” But when the vice-presidency and the Presidency loomed before him, his own "inconvenient truth" is that he switched his views.
A more interesting question: could it have been John Murtha? As far as I know, Trippi never worked for “The Prince of Pork.” Probably not. And certainly not Jason Altmire who, in the 1980s, was playing high school football.
However, like Trippi’s sleazy candidate, Murtha is very much driven by polls. When the American people were strongly for the war in Iraq, so was Murtha. When the War’s “poll numbers” dropped, Murtha bailed out, calling for “redeployment” of the troops to Okinawa of all places. The early evidence suggests that Altmire is same kind of poll-obsessed individual.
Trippi’s candidate was a slimeball. So, for that matter, is Trippi himself. Notice that he doesn’t say he stepped from the lucrative campaign slot. Instead, literally and figuratively, he took a shower. After reading Trippi’s book, my assessment of him is that he might consider spending the rest of his life in the shower.
People who look carefully at the votes of people like Murtha and Altmire – as I did in previous columns – have a hard time understanding exactly where they stand. The fact is that people obsessed with polls – Trippi’s client, Murtha, Altmire – don’t really "stand" much of anywhere.
Anyway, if anyone knows who Trippi’s pro-life/pro-choice candidate was, please let me know. Until then, I’ll just assume it could have been one of many Democrats.
I wrote a column yesterday in which I confessed I was very suspicious about whether the concept of "pro-life" was really meaningful to Congressmen John Murtha and Jason Altmire I pointed out that Democrats who run for Congress in Pennsylvania – especially those outside Philadelphia – had better say they’re pro-life (and pro-guns) if they want to get elected.
After I wrote the piece I came upon comments by Democratic strategist Joe Trippi (the Internet guru of Howard Dean campaign fame). Here’s what Trippi says in The Revolution Will Not be Televised, p. 33:
“I remember working on a [Democratic] congressional campaign in the mid-1980s. We were meeting with the candidate to film a commercial about his views on abortion. . . [Then] the guy casually informed me that he wanted to film two spots.”
“I was confused. Two?”“That’s right. He wanted to make a pro-choice ad, then – as long as we had the crew and everything – just ‘turn the camera around’ and make a pro-life spot.
That way, he explained, he’d have one of each ready when his polling people told him which way to go.”
Trippi adds, “After it was all over, I think we all wanted to go home and take a shower.”
Who was this poll-driven (as opposed to conscience-driven) candidate? Trippi doesn’t identify him by name.Could it have been Dick Gephardt, the congressional power, who also ran for President – and employed Trippi? When Gephardt was a Missouri congressman, he was, like most Missouri congressman, he was a staunch pro-lifer. Later, of course, when he began to contemplate a national office, he switched to joining the Democratic "mainstream" and being pro-choice.
Or could it even have been Al Gore? When he was in Congress and the Senate from Tennessee – a bastion of pro-lifers – he was strongly for what’s called “the sanctity of life.” But when the vice-presidency and the Presidency loomed before him, his own "inconvenient truth" is that he switched his views.
A more interesting question: could it have been John Murtha? As far as I know, Trippi never worked for “The Prince of Pork.” Probably not. And certainly not Jason Altmire who, in the 1980s, was playing high school football.
However, like Trippi’s sleazy candidate, Murtha is very much driven by polls. When the American people were strongly for the war in Iraq, so was Murtha. When the War’s “poll numbers” dropped, Murtha bailed out, calling for “redeployment” of the troops to Okinawa of all places. The early evidence suggests that Altmire is same kind of poll-obsessed individual.
Trippi’s candidate was a slimeball. So, for that matter, is Trippi himself. Notice that he doesn’t say he stepped from the lucrative campaign slot. Instead, literally and figuratively, he took a shower. After reading Trippi’s book, my assessment of him is that he might consider spending the rest of his life in the shower.
People who look carefully at the votes of people like Murtha and Altmire – as I did in previous columns – have a hard time understanding exactly where they stand. The fact is that people obsessed with polls – Trippi’s client, Murtha, Altmire – don’t really "stand" much of anywhere.
Anyway, if anyone knows who Trippi’s pro-life/pro-choice candidate was, please let me know. Until then, I’ll just assume it could have been one of many Democrats.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
PA's Odd Couple: Murtha, Altmire
"What country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time that this people [Americans] preserve the spirit of resistance?” (Thomas Jefferson)
It’s time for a political revolution in the districts, the 4th and 12th, of Democratic congressmen Jason Altmire and John Murtha. It will be a peaceful revolution that culminates in many voting booths next November. It will be a revolution against two Democratic politicians who treat their constituents like a huge crowd of dunces.
If you’re a Democratic candidate statewide or in a congressional district outside Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, how do you get elected? You run on the proposition that you’re a “conservative Democrat.” You’ll announce that you’re favor of the rights of the unborn and gun owners.
You’ll also say regularly that you “support the troops,” although you’ll be very vague about how you can do so without supporting their mission. You’ll talk about the need for fiscal restraint, but that won’t apply to Bridge-to-Nowhere-type projects supposedly benefiting either your district or a political ally’s.
In most cases, you’ll proudly note that you’re a Roman Catholic (like Congressmen John Murtha and Jason Altmire, as well as yours truly). However, you will under no circumstances talk about how your religious faith has affected your personal or political life. (I will, but they won't.)
When you cast a vote in Congress that your constituents might not like, you’ll remain silent about your reasoning on the subject. You’ll maintain extremely close relations with Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Party’s far-left leadership, and you’ll vote with them on critical issues. The exception occurs in cases where your vote isn’t needed, when they’ll let you cast a vote that appears to be “conservative.”
You’ll look at your elected office as a lifetime position, and you’ll do everything necessary to retain it. If you’re in Congress, you will never, ever do anything to offend John Murtha, who has a long memory and likes to exact revenge.
If you’re very old, you’ll take younger Democrats under your wing. In fact, during his race against Melissa Hart, Jason Altmire declared that Murtha was his “campaign manager.” Murtha’s Political Action Committee funded a good chunk of money to Altmire, which helped to ensure his vote for Murtha as Democratic Majority Leader.
On an important issue in Pennsylvania – the sanctity of life – Murtha and Altmire must assume their constituents don’t pay much attention. They are both “pro-life,” mainly in the sense that they talk a lot about being . . . pro-life. I call such people "Pro-Life, Inc."
It’s true that Murtha voted against the hideous process known as “partial-birth abortion.” If Altmire had been in Congress, he probably would have done the same.
However, when Congress considered a bill providing for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, pro-life Jack Murtha voted for it. So did “pro-life” Jason Altmire. The destruction of viable embryos was okay, as long it didn't come under the heading of "abortion."
In the 1990s, Bill Clinton called up John Murtha and asked him to vote for full funding of “family-planning” overseas. Murtha did so. In Congress, “family planning” is a euphemism for abortion.
It bothers me greatly that the 30 or so Democrat congressional representatives who claim to be pro-life seem to have absolutely no influence on the vast majority of Democrats in their Party. Frankly, it also bothers me that other Democrats, like Nancy Pelosi and Ted Kennedy, who list their religion as Roman Catholic can't even bring themselves to vote against something as objectionable as partial-birth abortion. To many Democrats, being "Catholic" is about equivalent to being in the Rotary Club.
On military matters: In his campaign against hawkish Rep. Melissa Hart, Altmire was a hawk. He proclaimed he was against a “timetable” Iraq. He said he would rely on “our commanders on the ground.”
When he got to Congress as a Democrat, Altmire found hawkishness was not exactly in vogue. Murtha voted for an Iraq War timetable, and so did Altmire.
In Franklin D Roosevelt’s era, there was an a humorous political saying: “As Maine goes, so goes Vermont.” In Congress, "as Murtha goes, so goes Altmire."
The porcine Mr. Murtha and his increasingly rotund younger colleague deserve not offices in Congress, but rather places at the buffet table.
Isn’t it time send Melissa Hart, a superb human being, back to Congress in the 4th Congressional District? And isn’t it time to elect Lt. Col. William Russell to Congress in the 12th District. They both need your help.
Stephen R. Maloney
Ambridge, PA
4th Congressional District
("For Murtha and Altmire, no more 'Mr. Nice Steve'")
Note: Tomorrow (Saturday's column) will be: "Murtha, Altmire: Nancy's Boys"
It’s time for a political revolution in the districts, the 4th and 12th, of Democratic congressmen Jason Altmire and John Murtha. It will be a peaceful revolution that culminates in many voting booths next November. It will be a revolution against two Democratic politicians who treat their constituents like a huge crowd of dunces.
If you’re a Democratic candidate statewide or in a congressional district outside Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, how do you get elected? You run on the proposition that you’re a “conservative Democrat.” You’ll announce that you’re favor of the rights of the unborn and gun owners.
You’ll also say regularly that you “support the troops,” although you’ll be very vague about how you can do so without supporting their mission. You’ll talk about the need for fiscal restraint, but that won’t apply to Bridge-to-Nowhere-type projects supposedly benefiting either your district or a political ally’s.
In most cases, you’ll proudly note that you’re a Roman Catholic (like Congressmen John Murtha and Jason Altmire, as well as yours truly). However, you will under no circumstances talk about how your religious faith has affected your personal or political life. (I will, but they won't.)
When you cast a vote in Congress that your constituents might not like, you’ll remain silent about your reasoning on the subject. You’ll maintain extremely close relations with Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Party’s far-left leadership, and you’ll vote with them on critical issues. The exception occurs in cases where your vote isn’t needed, when they’ll let you cast a vote that appears to be “conservative.”
You’ll look at your elected office as a lifetime position, and you’ll do everything necessary to retain it. If you’re in Congress, you will never, ever do anything to offend John Murtha, who has a long memory and likes to exact revenge.
If you’re very old, you’ll take younger Democrats under your wing. In fact, during his race against Melissa Hart, Jason Altmire declared that Murtha was his “campaign manager.” Murtha’s Political Action Committee funded a good chunk of money to Altmire, which helped to ensure his vote for Murtha as Democratic Majority Leader.
On an important issue in Pennsylvania – the sanctity of life – Murtha and Altmire must assume their constituents don’t pay much attention. They are both “pro-life,” mainly in the sense that they talk a lot about being . . . pro-life. I call such people "Pro-Life, Inc."
It’s true that Murtha voted against the hideous process known as “partial-birth abortion.” If Altmire had been in Congress, he probably would have done the same.
However, when Congress considered a bill providing for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, pro-life Jack Murtha voted for it. So did “pro-life” Jason Altmire. The destruction of viable embryos was okay, as long it didn't come under the heading of "abortion."
In the 1990s, Bill Clinton called up John Murtha and asked him to vote for full funding of “family-planning” overseas. Murtha did so. In Congress, “family planning” is a euphemism for abortion.
It bothers me greatly that the 30 or so Democrat congressional representatives who claim to be pro-life seem to have absolutely no influence on the vast majority of Democrats in their Party. Frankly, it also bothers me that other Democrats, like Nancy Pelosi and Ted Kennedy, who list their religion as Roman Catholic can't even bring themselves to vote against something as objectionable as partial-birth abortion. To many Democrats, being "Catholic" is about equivalent to being in the Rotary Club.
On military matters: In his campaign against hawkish Rep. Melissa Hart, Altmire was a hawk. He proclaimed he was against a “timetable” Iraq. He said he would rely on “our commanders on the ground.”
When he got to Congress as a Democrat, Altmire found hawkishness was not exactly in vogue. Murtha voted for an Iraq War timetable, and so did Altmire.
In Franklin D Roosevelt’s era, there was an a humorous political saying: “As Maine goes, so goes Vermont.” In Congress, "as Murtha goes, so goes Altmire."
The porcine Mr. Murtha and his increasingly rotund younger colleague deserve not offices in Congress, but rather places at the buffet table.
Isn’t it time send Melissa Hart, a superb human being, back to Congress in the 4th Congressional District? And isn’t it time to elect Lt. Col. William Russell to Congress in the 12th District. They both need your help.
Stephen R. Maloney
Ambridge, PA
4th Congressional District
("For Murtha and Altmire, no more 'Mr. Nice Steve'")
Note: Tomorrow (Saturday's column) will be: "Murtha, Altmire: Nancy's Boys"
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