A new blog, Lehigh Valley Independent, is on the horizon. Don't be fooled by its misleading title. Its three contributors - Hillary Kwiatek, Jonathan Geeting and Ryan O'Donnell - are partisan Democrats.
Hillary Kwiatek, having lost a nasty race against Glenn Eckhart for Lehigh County Commissioner in November, refuses to concede and just yesterday, was still smearing him. Jonathan Geeting has affectionately referred to LV Congressman Charlie Dent as a "human shitstain." O'Donnell has just stated he could never bring himself to vote for a Republican.
Not much in the way of independence there.
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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Tuesday, January 12, 2010
31 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.
is RYAN ODONNELL the same erson that was involved withPawlowski campaign. if so, could be he is behind this move.
ReplyDeleteI believe so. he is the person known here as Rylock. I welcome them to the blogospher, but they could have picked a more hinest name for their blog.
ReplyDeleteAs if the Democrats have had anything to do with honesty anytime, anyplace, anywhere lately.
ReplyDeleteHappy Transparency!
How is the C-Span coverage going?
:)
IRONPIGPEN
perhaps we are looking at "independant" the wrong way. they don't work for policitians. they aren't elected officials. nobody seems to "own" them. less politics and more in a material fashion perhaps. that said, they are liberal.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the warm welcome!
ReplyDeleteI would just like to point out that Lehigh Valley Independent is a very accurate portrayal of the way our blog is represented.
Simply having opinions does not prevent us from being Independent. Being Independent usually means having ideas that are not well-represented in the existing political culture. That is certainly true in the case of the Lehigh Valley's political representation where progressive policy is far from dominant.
It is merely your misunderstanding to have the conception of Independent as being somewhere in the middle of the two political parties.
Independence means that, while we have preferences, we are not beholden to a party and will support good government and progressive policy.
We will be forthcoming about our biases and where we stand on policy questions, rather than uncritically amplifying things like press releases of preferred politicians. By expanding the debate, the three of us will be able to present a truly independent voice lacking in the Lehigh Valley blogosphere.
Well, congratulations, Mr. Pig, I see you've had the honor of making the first mudsling at the new blog. Nothing of substance to add, mind you, just an insult. I suppose this poor woman and her blog are now Bernie's victim(s) of the month.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they will delete anything that doesn't go along with their agenda too?
ReplyDelete"It is merely your misunderstanding to have the conception of Independent as being somewhere in the middle of the two political parties. blah blah blah."
ReplyDeleteNow look, let's drop the sophistry. An Independent is a person who belongs to neither party, not someone in the middle.
When I fist saw this blog title, I thought I'd see something written by a real independent, someone like Jake Towne or Ralph Nader or Billy Givens. Instead I see a blog being run by three very partisan Democrats. All three of you have injected themselves into partisan races.
Your blog title is dishonest.
And speaking of independence, Hillary Kwiatek is just coming off a comm'r race in which practically her entire campaign was bought and paid for by the Exec.
I believe I know what is going on here. Your very first post contains a picture of the 15th CD. You want to take out the "human shitstain," and have set up your own blog for that purpose. You are hoping to attract real independents when they google about the upcoming congressional race. You will fail bc you will preach and be "holier than thou," which is what tens to happen with most parisan rants, be they from the left or right.
Your blog title is not just dishonest, but I believe it was intentionally set up that way to lure unsuspecting readers.
I am an avid Charlie Dent supporter, and am much more independent than any of you three. I've voted for Dems, Republicans and Independents. And I'd never let anyone buy me, as Hillary Kwiatek did.
I am personally disappointed in you, Ryan. Jonathan and Hillary are lost causes, but you're better than this. Call yourself LV Liberal or LV Progressive. Be proud of what your are. Don't deceive people.
LOL....look at Bernie crying because he won't be the only game in town anymore....
ReplyDeleteIs your boss Dent crying too?
A blog that will accept all oppinions and not just your slant sounds pretty damn good.
Let's see if they have Bernie's stomach for truly unfettered posting. Everyone knows that's what makes this space more interesting.
ReplyDelete"And I'd never let anyone buy me..."
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of holier than thou rants. Bernie, competition is a good thing. Let them prove their value or lack of value before immediately putting them into a category. That's what most of us did with you. Remember, you were labled an anti-reibman partisan for along time. You had to prove that you were something bigger than that before most of us were willing to listen.
Disagree with them after they have a chance to prove themselves first.
Reading Ryan's post makes me ponder starting a blog called Allentown Independent.
ReplyDeleteScott Armstrong
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/independent
ReplyDeleteThere are 22 definitions of the word independent, judging based off of the domain name alone should not necessarily lead one to believe it implies independent of partisan politics or ideologies as bias will always prevail in journalism. If it does not, it is just a compilation of facts.
Is that a picture of Frank Flisser on the blog? It looks like him.
ReplyDelete"Speaking of holier than thou rants. Bernie, competition is a good thing."
ReplyDeleteIf I were competing against this blog, I would neither write about it, nor would I liknk to it on my sidebar. I'd like to see 1,000 LV political blogs bc when one of them succeeds, so do the rest of us. We complement each other, even when we have different views.
My point here is that this blog is starting off on the wrong foot. It's a political plog, and anybody seeing one claiming to be an Independent blog has a right to assume that the writers are unaffiliated politically. Instead, these are three partisan Dems, one of whom just finished an unsuccessful race for county comm'r. In my view, the title is intentionally deceptive.
Hey Bernie,
ReplyDeleteI hear Ryan is friends with Mike Fleck and Jacob Oberholtzer also.
As if the Democrats have had anything to do with honesty anytime, anyplace, anywhere lately.
ReplyDeleteThe audacity of this statement after 8 years of the Bush administration. No shame.
Who would an independent voter prefer? A career politician who rubber stamped the Bush agenda and obstructs Obama's OR a popular local mayor of the finest city in the district?
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, the blog owner is not bought with money, he's bought with "calls from Afghanistan" and the attention on a federal official and his attack dog minion. An "independent" certainly doesn't post verbatim Republican press releases nor would he/she immediately support the incumbent while simultaneously attacking a city and mayor without regard for the positive contributions made.
An independent voter would prefer honesty above all else. And your comment demonstrates your basic flaw - you are disingenuous. You are a partisan Democrat, a lever puller who feigns independence in an attempt to obscure the message of a just one person who happens to like Dent.
ReplyDeleteYes, Congressman Dent was courtweeous enough to call from Pakistan, but that was not for my benefit. It was for the benefit of my readers, most of whom are his constituents. he was doing his job and being transparent. I tend to support transparent candidates.
As for news releases, I tend to post them when I get them, and then offer my own editotrial assessmnet. I've done it for Cunninghaam, Obama, John Stoffa, Rich Gricela, Joe Brennan, Sam Bennett, Craig Dally, Jake Towne and others. I plan to continue posting them. That bothers you, but mostly bc you don't like my independent opinions.
Ryan is a friend of mine as is Mike Fleck. Common knowledge.
ReplyDeleteAlso the last time I checked. I'm not running for anything nor do I have plans to run for anything in the near or long term future so whether Ryan and I are friends is irrelevant. I'm not even a party committee person.
ReplyDeleteJacob you pissed on an Ohare mancrush. Only he gets the golden showers.
ReplyDeleteYes and I've gone on Ryan's blog and pissed on his views at times. We still get a long pretty well.
ReplyDeleteThe only true "independents" will point the finger of blame where it belongs. At most politicians of BOTH political parties.
ReplyDeleteOnly those who advocate (not merely campaign) and GOVERN as responsible constitutionally limited government, fiscally responsible elected officials deserve support. Few do - of either party.
I welcome diverse voices, but I agree with Bernie calling them what they are, and exposing who is behind them. The Irony here is that while they condemn Bernie and others like me as irrelevant, they see the need to create their own blog. That is FUNNY!
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing wrong with Bernie pointing out that this blog has the Pawlowski shadow looming over it. You guys point out that Bernie is pro Dent, while he points out we all have agendas.
You are being disingenuos in your use of the word "Independent" and your spin in explaining it.
You're whoring for Pawlowski, don't deny it, embrace the dark side. You will be happier in the long run!
http://www.lehighvalleyindependent.com/2010/01/independent-blog.html
ReplyDeleteHopefully our posts thus far and in the near future will prove that we are not beholden to either party and simple wish to push for good government and progressive policy.
Thanks for reading!
In just one day, you've managed to prove me right.
ReplyDelete1) Partisan Democrat Hillary Kwiatek fawns all over Bethlehem, ignoring its debt and an administration that ignored the law. It's what I'd expect from someone whose comm'r race was bought and paid for by its former Democratic mayor.
2) Partisan Democrat Jonathan Geeting takesd afew swings at Angle for his probing questions at a meeting that Jonathan himself failed to attend.
3) Partisan Democrat Ryan O'Donnell gives real Independent Jake Towne an 'attaboy, hopint to siphon Repubican votes away from Dent.
You are partisan Democrats who falsely portray yourselves as Independents. You have no interest in promoting a discussion. Your sole motive for this blog is to elect John Callahan because you're terrified by what a truly independent blogger thinks.
"truly independent blogger"
ReplyDeleteO'Hare, you write this blog with a computer that was literally bought and paid for by Ron Angle. Unless that falls under one of the 22 definitions of "independent," who the hell do you think you are fooling?
There is that word again "progressive", progressive=big government, more regulations, less freedom.
ReplyDeleteBeware of the word PROGRESSIVE!
I fled New York to get away from big city liberals like Kwiatek and Pawlowski everything was great here in the Lehigh Valley but in the past five years liberals like these have infiltrated Valley politics with their flawed ideas and failed ideals. What they bring to the table is big city thuggery and cruel arrogance. If this trend continues I will have to move out of here because it reminds me of crap infested rodent cage that I escaped from; I don't ever want to go back echo chamber of hollow liberal talk and mind control.
ReplyDeleteBig city liberals don't ruin this beautiful civilization here in PA.
"O'Hare, you write this blog with a computer that was literally bought and paid for by Ron Angle."
ReplyDeleteActually, I don't. Most of my blogging is done on an ancient computer that I happen to like. I did get a laptop for my birthday, and it was from many people, most of whom have absolutely no interest in politics. Angle was one of them, something I mentioned myself.
Unlike the group I describe, I really am an independent. I will support a Democrat, a Republican or an Independent. Those folks, by their own admission, will not.
I certainly have my biases and freely admit them, but my views are my own. Nobody tells me what to write. Somne have tried to dictate my agenda, and I don't respond kindly.
Frankly, I don't care what they do, but just want my readers to know that this group is by no means an "independent" bunch.