John Callahan's Got Legs and He Knows How to Use Them

Allentown's Cedar Creek Park has certainly been in the news of late, thanks in large part to all that controversy and poor communication over many of the changes planned by the Pawlowski administration. But everyone relaxed a bit on Sunday. It was "Pride in the Park" day, an annual celebration of the Lehigh Valley's gay community. A pilgrimage of politicians visits every year to speak and get teased.

This year, it seems that the LV gay community was rating the legs of different politicians who rose to speak. Walter Felton, who is running for magistrate in Allentown, got a 9. But Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan blew everyone away with an even 10. In fact, when Pride board member Rob Hopkins introduced Callahan, he said, "I know all three mayors, and John Callahan definitely has the best legs."

He's got legs and he knows how to use them.

In addition to showing them off to an appreciative audience, Callahan is using those legs to run away from the most important issue facing this country right now - health care reform.

Jake Towne, an independent congressional candidate, actually sent a detailed health care proposals to post on this blog and submitted an op-ed that was published in The Morning Call. Google reports 173,000 sources of information for incumbent Congressman Charlie Dent's positions on health care. Just last week, Congressman Dent stood outside Lehigh Valley Hospital's emergency room, advocating that physicians who provide life-saving emergency treatment, should be treated like good Samaritans. You might disagree with both Dent and Towne, but at least you know where they stand. But how about Congressional wannabe John Callahan?

He's got legs and he knows how to use them.

Does he support House Health Care bill HR 3200, which Speaker Nancy Pelosi is shoving down our throats? This is what The Morning Call's Scott Kraus reports: "Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, a Democrat who is expected to be Dent's opponent in 2010, would not say whether he supports the current legislation." Then why the hell is he running in the first place?

Congressman Charlie Dent’s campaign manager, Shawn Millan, is calling on Callahan to state clearly and definitively where he stands on this important issue as a service to the voters he wants to represent. “Callahan claimed that he wanted to challenge Charlie on the issues. Maybe he hasn’t read the papers lately, but health care is certainly THE issue on the minds of tens of thousands of people in the 15th District."

Actually, Shawn, Callahan does read the papers and must know that the Pelosi Pill is too bitter to most Americans. He also knows his goofy sales tax increase, targeted at low and middle income people, is making voters angry.

“John Callahan shouldn’t be allowed to get away with a ‘no comment’ on an issue this important to America,” Millan added.

“We’ll make it very easy for Mayor Callahan,” said Millan. “Yes or no, does he favor the Pelosi takeover of health care by the government outlined in HR 3200? And, yes or no, does he favor the so-called ‘public option’ which, in the words of Rep. Barney Frank, will lead to a single-payer system?

"John Callahan doesn’t get to hide behind his handlers at the DCCC on this issue. Let him tell the voters where he stands and let them decide from his position whether or not they think he belongs in Congress,” concludes Millan.

The problem is that, whenever Callahan opens his mouth, he hurts himself. In addition to promoting a regressive sales tax increase, he's claimed that the "quick infusion" of a federal stimulus package would eliminate any state budget crisis. I'll bet he wished he had that one back. So instead of speaking on the issues, he's running from them.

He's got legs, and he knows how to use them.

Update: A gaggle of union-led public insurance proponents rallied outside Congressman Dent's Bethlehem office yesterday, claiming there's no time to wait. Looks like they're protesting at the wrong office.