President-elect Barack Obama yesterday told Republicans, "I need your help." Lehigh Valley Congressman Charlie Dent has quickly pledged to do just that, stating it's time for "mindless partisanship" to end.“Americans should take pride that we will soon inaugurate this nation’s first African-American president. The election of Sen. Obama reminds us how far this nation has come in our constant effort to live up to the high ideals expressed in our Declaration of Independence – that we believe ‘all men are created equal.’ ”
“Going forward, I am sure there will be areas where I will find common ground with the Obama Administration, and there will be areas where we will disagree as well. But the American people have had enough of the mindless partisanship they have come to associate with a broken Washington. I have always reached across the aisle on important issues and placed representing the needs and values of our District above partisan politics. I look forward to a respectful dialogue where we can pursue common-sense policies for the American people.”
23 comments:
I truly hope he is sincere because that is why I split my vote and sent him back to Washington. He needs to prove we were right in doing this. We have big problems that require big ideas. Find solutions and get it done!
Now it makes sense why the Dent campaign literature handed to me yesterday at the voting poll did not contain the word "Republican." Instead, it had "Reformer" and "Independent" .... beginning with a capital letter so as to suggest that was his political party. It's not that he wanted to distance himself from the GOP, it's that he wants to be non-partisan.
On a serious note, has anyone compared Dent's percentages with prior election years? I'm curious about the Obama effect. I'm also curious how an awful Demo candidate did with the benefit of the Obama effect.
A lot of people pulled the straight D lever but all for naught! Electorate not as dumb as some would think!
Charlie's about to get a heapin' helpin' of vicious payback. I hear him cluckin' but the other side of the aisle farts in his general direction. Rahm Emanuel is famous for his enemies list and he'll be running things from here. Get ready for personal background investigations, abuse of government agencies to compile enemy research, and payback, payback, payback. Elections have consequences and nobody is required to be a gracious winner. Get out of the way Charlie. You simply don't matter anymore.
"I truly hope he is sincere because that is why I split my vote and sent him back to Washington."
Dave, Aside from his first year in Congress, when he was feeling his way around, Dent has gone out of his way to build consenus and work in a bipartisan way. he is more conservatiove than you or I or many Democrats, and we will not always agree with him. But I've noticed that he really goes out of his way to do the reeasonable thing. In the law, the standard for negilkgence is the "reasonale man test, i.e. what would a reasonable man do under the circumstances. Dent is the closest embodiment I've ever seen of that mythical reasonable man.
bob jr asked about the "Obama effect".
From what I can tell from the Morning Call's goofy election return site (anyone know where there's a list of "race numbers"?), looks like the LV went about 58.5%/41.5% Dent/Bennett and about 56.5/42.2 Obama/McCain.
From Wacky peedia, in 2004, Dent beat Driscoll ("I don't need to live in no Lehigh Valley") 58.6/39.4. He beat Dertinger 53.6/43.5 in 2006.
I'm not sure I can discern any coat tails, but she did do slightly better than a non-resident.
Thanks, anon 7:31. Wow. Bennett did really poorly.
Anon 7:31 and Bob,Jr.
Thank you.
The only places where there was an "Obama effect" were in the cities. Dent actually lost in Allentown, Bethlehem & Easton. In those urban settings, the Obama grounds game was in full gear.
I spoke today to one of his many Obama volunteers, who toile me people from NY swarmed Easton on election day. There was even a woman who flew in from Switzerland to aid in GOTV efforts on election day. A lot of the people who voted in the urban core were there primarily to support Obama. A friend tells me about a student who returned to the area to vote, and who voted for Bennett. he asked my friend, "Is Sam Bennett a nice guy?"
In the 'burbs and old boroughs, Dent crushed. For example, he won convincingly in Nazareth.
After the elections two years ago, I discuss Dent's margin of victory against Dertinger, a weak candidate with no money.
Of the three candidates who faced Dent, Dertinger came closest. Dent's first year in office, he was too tight with party leaders. Now that was most likely because he was a freshman Congressman feeling his way around, but his record appeared more partisan then than it does now.
Dent has clearly established himself. He is a moderate. He is an independent thinker. As an added bonus, he really is well-informed on details of foreign policy.
Bernie,
That's quite a carbon footprint for the Obama crowd.
Dent had the same edge Kanjorski in the 11th had. A questionable opponent.
Bennett just happens to be A dem, Barletta was a republican.
I heard some guy named O'Hare may run in two years.
Spike,
The only thing I'll ever run for is my life.
Bennett in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014,etc.....
I hear she and Morganelli are gearing up for their next campaigns.
I remember reading an article in the Morning Call a few years ago that quoted Rep. Dent pretty extensively about how he has worked as both a "minority" and "majority" party member (between General Assembly and Congress), and how important he thought it was to operate in as non-partisan manner as possible for the good of the citizens.
I think that mentality is why he is a consistant vote-getter in the Lehigh Valley. Representative Dent deserved to be sent back to Congress.
Has Morganelli announced his next campaign yet?
If Democrats ever field a decent opponent, Dent will be history.
Conservatives don't think much of him, but have no other choice. A sufficient number of Democrats see Dent as having enough lefty in him to live with, but will drop him in a heartbeat if they can find anyone who is not a nutjob or carpetbagger.
Having been re-elected twice, Dent is now virtually unbeatable, no matter who runs against him.
Cunningham..could he be Charlies next opponent?
Cunningham would be a worthy adversary, but is gearing up for Governor.
a good democrat would give charlie a run for his money. the key is a GOOD dem.
There always seems to be confusion between "partisan" and "principled".
There is nothing wrong with being partisan about tax hikes. That is a principle - don't raise taxes. How do you compromise between higher taxes or lower/the same taxes? You cannot.
Now if Obama puts on different colored socks tomorrow and Republicans rant about it for hours, that is partisanship based on idiocy.
I fear the "reasonable" Republicans who keep supporting higher taxes, more debt, more spending and bigger government.
Because they are not a member of a Party but of a political class. The Big Spending class that is busily shoveling a deep hole of debt for us and future generations. It eerily looks like a grave for this country.
I wonder if he'd be expressing the same feelings had John McCain won...
He's sincere insofar as he'll be a moderate, decent representative like he says, but don't kid yourself Bernie. His voting record the first year wasn't him just "feeling his way around," it was him thinking that he was golden and could vote out of step with the district.
If he keeps in mind that he is representing a fairly blue district for a republican, he'll be all right. If he assumes, like you do, that he's golden, you'll see the same type of record you saw in his first year.
I wonder if Morganelli is interested in running for Congress.
/snark
Morganelli? Congress? He's more right wing than Charlie! Let them switch parties and then get it on!
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