Back in August, Governor Ed Rendell was telling Tony Iannelli's Business Matters that Lehigh County Exec Don Cunningham would make a "fine" governor. He all but endorsed him. And why not? As a mayor, cabinet official and county exec, Cunningham has made things look easy. And his most likely Democratic opponent, Allegheny County Exec Dan Onorato, is having trouble managing his own county.Onorato's controversial ten per cent drink tax is ruining local business. He squabbles with his council over finances, advocates privatization with something as basic as a county park, and unbelievably fired his air quality program manager for being too "slow" in granting permits to some of the largest air polluters in the country. His reassessment scheme has been judicially labeled “arbitrary, unjust, and unreasonably discriminatory". It has driven many residents to relocate to Ohio.
This guy is a Dem?
Yeah, he's a Joe "Bossman Long" Democrat, the kind of guy who buys elections with $1.9 million warchests in simple county exec races.
Amazingly, Bossman Long is actually going to host a "meet and greet" with Ornery Onorato late March in Hellertown. Long has ordered his entire committee - what's left of them - to pay homage to this right wing air polluter. Those who refuse to attend will be dragged out of their beds late at night and shot.
This is Long's way of showing Cunningham who's really boss. Cunningham takes a fairly nonpartisan approach to most issues and is equally comfortable with Dems and Rs. He even sends news releases to bloggers in defiance of a Long order to ignore all bloggers. That drives the Bossman nutz.
So Joe's going to show Don who's boss.
This April, we'll all have a chance to show Joe who's boss.
39 comments:
"...pay homage to this right wing air polluter"
Bernie -
I enjoy reading your blog, but as a conservative (typically referred to as "right wing") I take great offense to the label you place on this guy.
I admit that I've never heard of Mr. Ornato before, but nothing in your post makes me believe that this guy is "right-wing".
Certainly not his new drink tax (we conservatives hate higher/new taxes), certainly not his political party (sadly, not a lot of conservatives seem to be left in the Democratic party), and certainly not his apparent disregard for the environment (believe it or not, most of us "right wing" conservatives have a great concern for the environment and a great awe of nature in general).
To top it off, he's the County Executive of Allegheny County. While it may not be Philadelphia, Allegheny County still doesn't exactly strike me as a "right-wing" haven, if you know what I mean.
You can criticize the guy all you want, but "right wing" certainly doesn't seem to fit here.
bernie, you forgot anti-union
"This guy is a Dem?"
"Onorato's controversial ten per cent drink tax is ruining local business."
He certainly smells like a certified Dem on this issue.
I know you're upset, but don't paint with too broad a brush Bernie. It betrays a statement made by a guy with sore knees and his head a bit too far up "Dahn's" ass.
This guy is as conservative as the limousine liberals (maybe only Lexuses in LC) who are paying Pawlowski to kick "undesirables" out of downtown A-town.
Call Onorato what he really is: an opportunist asshole. He offers the worst of both political philosophies. "Dahn" will offer the best of whatever his donors want. He ain't exactly Mr. Smith either.
Democratic politics in Allegheny County is often time as anti-liberal or anti-conservative as it gets. This is a very entrenched political machine that doesn't do well with new perspectives. Bernie is absolutely correct to note that Onoroto is bad news on many fronts, the least of which is the idea of effective governance (which Cunningham does get).
well, onorato seems to have a track record of balancing his budgets on the backs of his workers and eliminating jobs. seems more R than D. wonder how long reconciles that with his union background.
Anon 4:04,
By yiur definition of "right wing," I stabd corrected. Let's just say he's not my kind of guy.
Sorry about the typos. Four hours of sleep.
believe it or not, most of us "right wing" conservatives have a great concern for the environment
Do you seriously believe this?
I don't know who this Joe Long is but he's a certified douche in my book simply for courting yet another Pittsburgh gubernatorial candidate in the LV.
I support the Phillies, Eagles, Ironpigs, LV Outlawz, Flyers, 76'ers and Don Cunningham.
For you Rs out there, this is a fight among us local Dems.
Smile.
WILL BOSSMAN LONG BE REQUIRING "PRESS CREDENTIALS" TO ATTEND THIS MEET AND GREET?
"Do you seriously believe this?"
Exactly, Bernie. Everyone knows conservatives want filthy water and air, and enjoy littered streets (which, by the way seem far more common in urban, liberal bastions).
Your simplistic hyperbole is as funny as NASCAR aficionados who argue passionately on the superiority of Ford over Chevy are vice versa.
I appreciate the lofty sophistication of your rhetoric. I'll play along: I'll bet my dad could've beaten up your dad, Bernie!
I need to start a blog just so I can annoy Long.
Hayshaker, Start one to annoy me! Imagine the flame wars!
Exactly, Bernie. Everyone knows conservatives want filthy water and air, and enjoy littered streets (which, by the way seem far more common in urban, liberal bastions).
Your simplistic hyperbole is as funny as NASCAR aficionados who argue passionately on the superiority of Ford over Chevy are vice versa.
I appreciate the lofty sophistication of your rhetoric. I'll play along: I'll bet my dad could've beaten up your dad, Bernie!
C'mon. There is NO QUESTION that Republicans favor minimal regulation when it comes to the environment. Why are you attempting to deny it with sarcasm? A cursory look at the President's record on the environment would show this...
Anon 9:59, Chill, dude. This is a fight among us Dems. I mean no offense to conservatives.
Anon 9:59, Chill, dude. This is a fight among us Dems. I mean no offense to conservatives.
Yes, that's my job as a blind partisan. :)
Hayshaker,
Read up on your opposition and understand its contempt for the current president. You don't achieve the popularity ratings he has unless both sides despise you. Bush has outspent the best liberals of the last century and wishes to give illegals everything liberals imagine in their wildest wet dreams.
Many gun-toting right wingers enjoy their shooting in the beautiful countryside (vs. the liberal, littered Meccas of A-town and Easton) and greatly respect the requirement of stewardship of our plant's natural beauty.
You simplistically assume that a philosophy that differs from yours on how to keep the environment clean and/or make it cleaner (e.g. stronger, developed economies - like ours - are able to afford cleaner environments than undeveloped economies - like China) is a philosophy that supports pollution.
Now tell me Hayster, do you prefer Fords or Chevys?
Anonymous - You are sidestepping the basic point. Do Republicans as a party favor decreased regulation with regard to the environment or not? Simply telling me sportsmen are naturalists is a silly argument. Look at the record. Look at the platform.
LOL...JUST NOTICED TODAY'S ONE-LINER
This is an attempt to publicly slap Don, but it will/has only angered the Dems who realize it's Joe Long's smallness as a human being, not political courage that has led him to host this event.
Dan Onorato is a Democrat that has:
• Laid - off hundreds of union workers to balance his budget
• Does not support a woman's right to choose
• Does not support the Governor’s handgun proposal
• Come up with a solution to the public transit woes that Pittsburgh has been facing by adding a fee on all poured drinks in Allegheny County and has earned the nickname "the Onorato Tax"
• And has a history of bad relationship with his mostly Democratic Commissioners
This is not a Democrat that I or most D’s I know could vote for. Because of his ability to raise a large amount of money, he has been declared to front runner in the race to be Governor, but to run for that office you need more than money – you need a compelling story. He has none.
Long's motivation to be the leader of all things Democratic, not only in Northampton County, but in the whole Lehigh Valley, has led him to make this fatal decision.
It only makes me think he is constantly trying to overcome a physical "short" coming. The regular D voters don't even know who the **** Joe Long I, but they do know who Don Cunningham is: a leader that has a proven record of success.
Joe Long needs to be banished. He is an embarrassment to the whole party.
Hayshaker,
I'm not sidestepping anything - and I've yet to get your response on Ford vs. Chevy.
I simply reject the premise that positions on environmental regulation on business represent the totality of the environmental argument. I understand your world is black and white; based strictly on traditionally defined rhetorical lines that make it easy to argue with hyperbolic imperatives. It doesn't make you a bad person. You're predictable, however, and have much company. The shock of those whose premise is questioned often indicates a need for a more circumspect approach.
I don't agree with many liberal positions, but I don't think all liberals want job-killing, draconian regulation and confiscatory taxing approaches to business. I don't agree with many conservative environmental positions (e.g. tort limitations on industrial polluters), but I don't believe all want a dirty environment.
I'll stop now. Bernie said he meant no offense to his conservative readers. The subject is Joe Long and the family feud in the central committee. Will Rogers was right. He didn't belong to an organized political party, he was a Democrat.
Anonymous 1:32 - To reject deregulation is to reject the lion's share of the issue. To consider only a person's personal philosophy and not consider the party as a whole's political and economic philosophy is a classic case of an ostrich head and sand.
You're back to Ford vs. Chevy. It's comfortable.
And I think my dad could beat up yours as well.
Obviously, you've lost the argument.
It's actually like arguing Hummer vs Honda.
"No, my Hummer does NOT cause more damage to the environment than your Honda! I have fishing rods in the back! I go camping in the poconos! You are a liberal elitist who goes to the theater and drinks espresso!"
Of course, I could have predicted the outcome when you actually attempted to construct your straw man early on.
Hayshaker
Keep in mind that it was Teddy Roosevelt, a Republican, who made conservation a major cause of the Republican party. As a conservationist one understands that one is charged with the proper use of natural resources in order to sustain a way of life. This means, to put it simply, that one can cut down a tree and use it to build a home as long as one remembers to plant a new tree or two. It also means that you don't use oil to make polyester nor do you turn your food into fuel. If the United States is unable to sustain its standard of living and we cave in to treaties that cost us our jobs and the ruination of our economy where do you think the rest of the world will be? On top of that all this nonsense of regulating things is absurd. Do you honestly like the idea of driving a tin can down the road with your family in it while tractor trailers in excess of 75 feet long go whizzing by you. Do you support the efforts of organizations like ALF and ELF who are now considered terrorists. Do you really want to have the government, heavily laden with bureauracy, taking on another program and you get to pay for yet another failing effort. If you really want to regulate, better yet abolish something, I would suggest you start with the porn providers. Oh, I forgot, their portected under the 1st Amendment.
"Obviously, you've lost the argument. "
I guess because you've declared so. Very clever. Next you'll pull the "kabala seven" or old Arab rhetorical technique (i.e. if I say it three times you must believe it to be so). I've been owned by a pro.
You should be more critical of the guy who invented the Internet preaching his sky is falling baloney from his profligate energy using glass house. But that's o.k. because he's a registered Democrat who advocates the rest of us read under dim lights to offset his breathtakingly large carbon footprint.
Yo guys, this is turning into a Reibman-Angle love fest. Maybe the problem is the terms. Extreme's on the left and right have become wedded to the terms LIBERAL and CONSERVATIVE with very defined rules for membership to each term. The words have been so hijacked as attack slogans that they are almost meaningless in todays conversation.
Who would say there child should not have a well-rounded LIBERAL education to grow intellectually and compete in the world. Who would put money in a bank that has a slogan, 'we are the most LIBERAL with how we use your savings'.
Sadly, the term MODERATE has also been hijacked to mean weak or a wuss. Clear thinking folks of all political positions should eschew anyone who throws either term on someone as an all encompassing definition.
Except for O'Hare; I conservatively estimate, I liberaly call him a hores' ass about 10 times a week.
I like Don, but Long is an extremely influential Party official - if not quite a boss. The truth of the matter is Joe has been fairly successful at the ballot box. His protege Barron ousted a long time County Controller. And yes, Barron is his protege.
Don is an nice guy. He's a excellent pol and a good public servant. However, Long is going to be Northampton County Dem Chair for as long as he wants. Don needs to realize that and attempt to make what ever accomodation he can make. Bernie, your fanatasy of outsing Long from the Chairmanship has only encouraged him to seek another term. Stoffa's ill considered phone call seeking support for deposing Long encouraged him to soldier on to seek another term.
I'm sure that Steve Barron will be surprised to learn that he won his election, thanks to Joe. Barron's campaign was orchestrated by Don's political consultant, who has unfortunately returned to Colorado. And Barron worked his ass off. He ran a good and clean campaign and avoided both Long and the person (Severson) that Long was using. In fact, Severson worked for Barron's opponent. But not surprisingly, Long is now giving himself credit for Barron's won hard work.
Long is going to be Northampton County Dem Chair for as long as he wants.
Wow! Chairman for life! I'll call Angle right away. He'll be elated to learn that Rs will regain control of county council in the next Norco election.
Anon 6:21,
You are right on. The issue of making decisions behind closed doors transcends ideologies. Joe Long is a personification of machine politics, and embodies what is wrong with the Norco Dem party. Until he's gone, that party will continue to go in the wrong direction. It's one thing to snark me, but quite another to snub the LV's favorite son.
Old Long wants yo rule the world. I hope Stoffa runs again. Apparently Long an Company are courtin Ann 'nice guys finish last' McHale.
After marching to Long's drum and knifing Marta Gabriel in the back for a c abinet post, we need Stoffa to run.
"Wow! Chairman for life! I'll call Angle right away. He'll be elated to learn that Rs will regain control of county council in the next Norco election."
Would that it would, Bernie. But Rs are more screwy than Ds around here - and Ds know it. It's why the only real political controversy in Norco is about who will or won't be the Ds king maker.
It's our local, modern version of the old Cold War "Kremlinology". You're easily the best Norco Kremlinologist going, though.
True. The only thing more screwed up than Norco Dems is Norco Rs.
Dear Don,
Joe Long's done great for our party. He has given us Sam Bennett. She's so great the DCCC won't target one of the most vulnerable GOP Congressmen in America. He gave us Joe Driscoll. He tried to keep giving us Glenn Reibman, but we finally got sick. He gave us Tony Branco. Bossman probably wants to give us another another dose of Tony in 2009 in fact. Bossman has told numerous potential congressional candidates to buzz off. He even told potential state house candidates to buzz off. Bossman will probably try to force Onorato on us now.... just keep it up Don, you'll be fine!!!!
CUNNINGHAM '10!!!!!!!!
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