Bob Wolper ran Paul McHale's successful congressional campaigns in 1992 and 1994. His wife, Karen Ritter, was a popular state representative from Allentown. They're both in the consulting biz now, and even helped Sam Bennett in her unsuccessful mayoral campaigns.
But they're not helping her congressional bid. In a comment on The Morning Call Forum, Wolper tells us "... we were asked to work on Sam Bennett's Congressional campaign and we declined. We will not be working for her campaign, we will not be contributing to her campaign and we do not support her campaign for Congress."
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Wednesday, August 15, 2007
16 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
Nice!
ReplyDeleteHoly crap!
ReplyDeleteIs that a smack down or what?
I wouldn't be surprised if the Murphy Campaign filings show a gift or two from them. He is, after all, their Congressman.
ReplyDeleteI checked Murphy's reports and they have contributed to his campaign last year but interestingly they are not listed as having been paid anything by Murphy's campaign.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they aren't doing campaigns any more.
Too bad. If they are still doing campaigns then maybe they could find somebody better than Bennett to run -- and win.
They were asked and "declined" to work for Bennett. Very careful wording, huh?
ReplyDeleteInteresting. What do you think that means? Did Bennett ask them to do her campaign or did the Dems or the unions?
Why do you suppose they "declined"? How can somebody walk away from a race like this where they have the possibility to take out a guy like Dent?
From what I have heard Wolper is a real tough operator and would be able to chew up Dent and Millan with the right candidate.
Maybe he thought Bennett wasn't a good candidate?
I'd love to know what the back story is on this.
They must really think that Bennett is a bad candidate if they "declined".
Anon 5:49, I only pasted an excerpt of Wolper's comments. But if you go to the MC Forum, and I have a link to it on my post, he explains all. He and his wife no longer do political campaigns. It interferes with their other work. But Wolper also makes very clear that neither he nor his wife support her congressional campaign. And this is a pattern I've seen among many Dems. They may start out liking Bennett, but their enthusiasm wanes as time marches on.
ReplyDeleteBernie, I just read the wolper post at the MC site and it didn't appear to me that he said anything bad about Bennett personally. Just said they would not work for her, give her money (and with her record who would now?) and that they don't support her for Congress. Seemed entirely forthright and honest.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't sound like a "tough operator" to me. Where did that come from?
I didn't call Wolper a tough operator. That was Anon 5:49. He knows how to run a good vcongressional campaign. That's how I took it.
ReplyDeleteWolper has traditionally been associated w/ Bennett. But this time, he's doing a little more than saying he's not working her campaign. He goes one step farther, and says that neither he nor Karen Ritter supports Bennett's congressional campaign. That's a big break from the past, and appears to be the way of most Bennett supporters.
Karen got elected on her dads name and overreached. Bob had a gold standard candidate with Paul'not Ann' McHale.
ReplyDeleteOh please! Let's talk about the real facts.
ReplyDeleteRitter got elected four times, served eight years and left elected politics after running for Lt Gov in 1994.
After that she helped elect Jenn Mann and has been very successful outside the LV. And she was much better known and more popular than her dad, who left politics when he ran for state senate and lost the same year Don Ritter won the first time for Congress
Paul McHale a "gold standard"? Puleeze! He had never had a tough election until he first ran for Congress.
Wolper got him elected even though Don Ritter outspent McHale by lots of money and was a fourteen year incumbant. McHale never would have won without Wolper and he was asked to come back very late in the 1994 campaign and made sure McHale won his first re-election, which he was losing at the time.
McHale's last election was against a very weak and underfunded Republican and he won without Wolper's help. After that he trashed Clinton, left Congress and now works for the Bush Pentagon.
Better know your history before meking a statement. I know the truth because I worked as a volunteer on all three of McHale's elections. The Dems haven't won the 15th CD since McHale left.
You need a good candidate and a well run campaign to win for congress, especially in the 15th cd.
ReplyDeleteThe democrats have not had either since mchale ran. nothing but a bunch of bad candidates and expensive but poorly run and disorganized campaigns.
Bernie,
ReplyDeleteHas there been any Bennett sightings lately?
I have heard that she is MIA as far as her congressional campaign goes.
Maybe some of the things we have all been discussing here and on other blogs is starting to break through? We can only hope, huh?
She has had nothing but high profile bad news and she is evidently been abandoned by people who were supporters and consultants in her past attempts to get elected to something.
How long do you think it will be until she reluctantly announces the end of her congressional campaign and uses the money she has raised to pay off her past debts?
Anon, I've never met her. Last week, I did have a sit down with one of your campaign supporters, who suggested I meet her.
ReplyDeleteRegardless whether that happens, her campaign has been a series of disasters and I expect that she'll step aside when the money stops flowing in.
Annon 5: 28
ReplyDeleteRelax. I wrote the comment about Karen's name recognition and Bob's running McHales Campaign and I was not intending any disrespect to Bob or Karen. I know LV political history because I've been in it for the last 30 years. If Karen or Bob are out there I wish you all the best.
Annon 5:28, being the daughter or son of a popular rep and running for that seat is a HUGE advantage. In Glenn Reibman's first race for Northampton County Council many people thought he was the State Senator(his Aunt)and even in other races. I don't begrudge Karen that but that and having a great LV name and one shared by the new congressman didnot hurt.
Bob did a great job with McHale, but Paul was no slouch. As I know you are aware, he leaves the State House goes to Iraq in Desert Storm and returns and runs as the warrior Democrat against a more and more detached Congressman. Fellow Republican Marines attacking also helped as it just highlighted his military record. I was not happy with McHale and his actions regarding Pres. Clinton, it was a 15 minutes of fame deal. With the demise of Mike Solomon, Dems are hurting for decent consultants and I wish Bob Wolper was here in the LV, we sure could use him he is great with labor. Instead of all these 20 somethings with a blackberry pretending they are James Carville. My point was that if a Dem was going to win in the LV, McHale was the right Dem at the right time.
Again, relax no offense intended, I didn't mean to turn this into a pop quiz on LV politics, a subject I love and know. All the best, unless you are one of those 20 something Dem's , in that case I don't give a damn.
anon 1:09,
ReplyDeleteDidn't Mike Solomon run Don Ritter's campaign when McHale beat him? I thought Solomon was a republican consultant. Didn't he then do stuff for Reibman after the congressional campaign loss and then work for Norco and then go to jail? Do I have that right?
You said since his "demise". Did he die?
Also, since you seem to know more about what is going on than I do, where is Wolper these days and is he still available to do a campaign for a good democratic candidate in this congressional district?
I saw where he wrote in to the Morning Call blog and said he and his wife were too busy but aren't they still close to Jenn Mann, Bob Freeman and others in the Dem camp?
Can anybody contact them and get them involved in finding a better candidate than Bennett who they said they won't help?
I'm leaving for work early today so I won't be able to check back until tonight but I hope other readers of this blog or you will have more insight on this. I do think we need to find somebody other then Sam Bennett if we want to beat Dent and we probably do need somebody besides the Blackberry toting, twenty something wannabe consultants you described (Great image, I must say. I had a good laugh on that one.)in charge.
annon 5:28
ReplyDeleteI don't want to give the impression I know everything about the local political scene, I am sure there are plenty of juicy factoids I've missed. On Solomon, I believe you pretty much sumed it up. He is alive, I was using 'poetic license' with the demise comment. It is a shame because many a successful local Dem have Mike to at least partially thank for that. Unfortunately, as the old saying goes," Those the God's kill, first they make mad".
Reibman should never have hired him after he won the Executive seat. There's probably a lesson there about hiring consultants. Mike went a bit power crazy and you know the result.
I don't know where Bob is other then his MC post, I guess he's in Bucks or Montgo Co..
I agree with you on the Congress bit. It's tough to get serious folks to give it a go. Either they have to give up an existing spot or fear a loss on their record. The $$$ needed is a big deal. Just my opinion.
Glad you liked the Blackberry comment, didn't mean to sound like a smartass, alot of those young guys are OK, some just can be really annoying with their self important air and pointless point of view.
Peace