I like Northampton County DA John Morganelli. I disagree with his stands on illegal immigration and capital punishment, but he's still the best district attorney I've ever seen.In addition to being a brilliant prosecutor, Morganelli is also a pretty good writer. His D-Day Massacre is a riveting, behind the scenes, account of a Lehigh Valley monster - Martin Appel.
And where John really shines is in the dark, Machiavellian, world of Northampton County politics. He glides with ease between Ron Angle and Lamont McClure, two bitter enemies. Two of his assistants have been elected judge, and his friendly and self-effacing personality deflects those hardballs.
But John does have an Achilles heel. And Brett Leiberman, whose Pennsyltucky Politics is among the mainstream's best, has just sliced it wide open.
In a report published by The Patriot News, and later picked up at Keystone Politics, Leiberman tells us that someone used an AOL email address belonging to Morganelli's son to anonymously snark a potential rival. You see, John would like to be state attorney general. But so would Chris Casey.
No, not that Casey. The other one.
Morganelli explains that at least ten people in his campaign have access to this email address. One of them was obviously spreading this disinformation.
Guess who runs Morganelli's campaigns? None other than Tom Severson, king of sleazeball politics. And Severson is John's Achilles heel. Severson is noted for these stupid anonymous smears. He just used that tactic in May to smear magisterial candidate Brian Monahan. That one blew up in Tom's face. Looks like this one did, too.
Morganelli had previously told me he'd never run into that kind of trouble with that kind of a consultant because he makes sure he controls the messages. Looks like he doesn't. That's the risk you take when you use the king of sleazeball politics. It's not long before you begin to look like a sleazeball, too. John called this anonymous email "cute and stupid." I agree with the "stupid" part.
And that's a shame because John is a decent and fair-minded man who would be a tireless state prosecutor. Unless he dumps the sleazeball tactician, his AG race will be over before it ever got off the ground.
2 comments:
I don't think severson knows how to use a computer.
it seems 2 me that u should look to blame another one of the DA's allies. maybe an elected official who once got caught with his IP showing. Or maybe it was that clown who ran the DA's disastrous AG campaign last time around.
Anon 10:23,
Someone running John's campaign is playing sleazeball politics. And you're right - we have a number of possibilities.
1) Severson - loves the anonymous smear. And he does know how to use a computer.
2) Lamont McClure - I have a correction to make here. Lamont McClure, although a member of council, was selected, not elected. He did get nailed here while trying to pass himself off as an anonymous concerned citizen. He can't stay away from a computer. And he's shown his affinity for dirty politics with his smears against Will Power.
3) Sandy McClure - She had a lot to do with John's last campaign.
John would be better off if he took no chances and dumped all three.
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