Local Government TV

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Thursday, September 04, 2008

I. Sam Bennett Claims She's Seen Tough Times

Yesterday, Lehigh Valley Congressional candidate Sam Bennett spoke for a half hour or so with The Express Times' Jessica Coomes, The Morning Call's Daryl Isherwood and a Penn Press reporter. She also included two bloggers - Pa. Progressive's John Morgan and yours truly.

Most of her discussion focuses on America's energy crisis.

To the extent I can, I will allow Bennett to speak for herself. Because of the length, I have divided the interview into four posts. Bennett starts by claiming she knows what it's like to be facing hard times.

"I feel I understand the struggles people have - the very real financial struggle. When I was a single mom before I married my husband Mart - when I had Emma and Rachel and they were little - after paying my health care, mortgage and tax, I only had about $400 a month to pay for everything else. You know? Clothing, heat, car insurance, car payments, gas. I know what it's like in winter to have my house set at 55 degrees and carry a kerosene heater from room to room to stay warm.

"I also know what it's like to work my way through college. I'm the only one of my siblings to go to college. I had to pay for everything. I was on academic scholarship but I had to have a couple of jobs to pay for everything, but I managed to do it.

"I feel an important quality for someone going to Congress is a genuine empathy for the struggles that people really have."
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10 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2008 at 12:44 AM

    What part don't you understand Bernie?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bernie O'HareSeptember 4, 2008 at 12:54 AM

    I understand her.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2008 at 2:28 AM

    "Sam Bennett Claims She's Seen Tough Times"

    Could she also be referring to the gentleman she saw mugged on her doorstep when she failed to call the police for assistance?

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2008 at 3:00 AM

    Huh? She "paid for everything" but was on an academic scholarship?

    Uh, Sam, that means you didn't pay for "everything".

    I admire anyone who worked their way through college, as I did to get through Lehigh University, but come on.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2008 at 7:24 AM

    Bernie Baby...
    a little reporter unfair wdn't you say? Cute stuff, you name all the media but the Penn Press which has an outstanding circulation and community readership base.

    "Sam Bennett spoke for a half hour or so with The Express Times' Jessica Coomes, The Morning Call's Daryl Isherwood and a Penn Press reporter." WHO ?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bernie O'HareSeptember 4, 2008 at 9:28 AM

    No slight was intended, believe me. I tried to get his name and kept replaying my recording. I tried looking for a web page. I did everything I could at that late hour to determine the person's identity. I could not do so. Rather than leave out the publication entirely, I mentioned it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2008 at 10:50 AM

    Mark?

    I thought her husband's name was Martin Estrada.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bernie O'HareSeptember 4, 2008 at 10:57 AM

    You are right. I suppose she referred to her husband as "Mart" and I must have understood her to say "Mark." My error. My apology. This is by no means perfect, but I thought it important to let the candidate do the talking.
    The same is true of the Dent interview. I have made some mistakes there, too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Blah SocietySeptember 4, 2008 at 12:15 PM

    Sam's "hard times" don't seem to even come close to the hardships that many people in the Lehigh Valley are currently facing. Carrying a heater is not a struggle. Perhaps she should try not having any heat at all...

    I'm also curious as to how she can include "pay for everything" and "scholarship" in the same sentence.

    I will not pity this woman.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Blah SocietySeptember 4, 2008 at 9:07 PM

    Bernie -

    You've been tagged!

    ReplyDelete

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