"I neither want nor will I accept campaign contributions from corporations."
That's what Republican Congressional wannabe Mat Benol proudly claims on his web page. That's good to know because they're already illegal.
He's hoping that his affiliation with the tea party movement propels him right into the Capitol.
I'm a member of the coffee party.
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, February 23, 2010
21 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.
Watch him do to Dent what Scott Ott almost did to your boy Don. Remember, Callahan is not Dent's problem. He's just another progressive. Benol actually has an opposing view.
ReplyDeleteI assume he meant to include Corporate PAC contributions.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand this Tea Party stuff. THey say they're fed up with the status quo and for the "little guy" but they're still REpublicans and the REpublicans are corporatists, always siding with Big Business (Big Pharma, Big INsurance, Big Banking, etc...) against the middle class. So what do they really stand for then? The colonists didn't dress up like Indians and throw the tea off those ships so that the East India Tea Company could charge more for tea and pay less corporate taxes for the Crown. So, what's the deal?
ReplyDelete"Watch him do to Dent what Scott Ott almost did to your boy Don."
ReplyDeleteHubris is not exactly an endearing quality in a candidate. Although Benol, like Callahan, is not taking stands on issues, it's for different reasons. In Callahan's case, he's afraid of losing votes. In Benol's case, he does not know what he is talking about, as his statement about corporate contributions indicates.
Does he think he impresses people with his link to his goofy Supreme Court petition, which looks like it was written by a survivalist?
The answer to our gridlock in DC is NOT more extremism, NOT more people who are unwilling to work together, who must have things their way or no way.
The answer is peoplein the center, people like Charlie Dent, who listen to both sides of an issue and make a reasoned decision that does not sound like something pulled out of a cereal box.
Bernie -
ReplyDelete1) If you think that the monies coming from the PPL People for Good Government (PAC), the Air Products PA Political Alliance (PAC) or others isn't coming from PPL, Air Products, and other corporations, I've got a bridge to sell you.
Besides, didn't a recent Supreme Court decision just open the door to corporate contributions?
2) I find it interesting that some still think that Republicans are always siding with Big Pharma, Big Insurance and Big Banking. One should look at who's gotten some sweet deals from the Obama administration.
The reality is that Democrats are far more likely to side with big government, big labor and big business. All three want our tax money, and that doesn't help the little guy.
3) I like Dent, but he was part of the spending problem that's gotten us to where we are. He is right to say no to many of Obama's big-spending proposals, but he should have been saying no to many of the Bush spending proposals as well.
Has Dent truly reformed, or is it just politically expedient to now be a fiscal conservative?
Someone gave me a piece of Benol literature. It is full of platitudes, but no information about himself, his background, qualifications nor are there answers to the problems he sees. But he is Republican so let the primaries begin
ReplyDeleteBernie's a good soldier and will deride Benol as he did Ott. But just as with Ott, he's a bit tone deaf to voter sentiment. Dent and Callahan are largely the same. Benol offers the only choice voters will get this year. The squealing from the incumbent camp and its surrogates indicates they know this. It's time to purge those who've made this mess.
ReplyDeleteSure, he's giving people a choice.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to Anon 9:04,
1) The recent S Ct decision does NOT open the door to corp. contributions and expressly affirms the ban on them.
1a) Ask the people who work at PPL $ Air Products where the money is coming from. Last time I checked, most of them were right here in the LV, too.
2) Don't you ever get tired of the Big (Insert Industry) of the week? I've seen Dent accused of being patsies for every one of them, depending on what issue is in vogue on a given week. Ironically, the money adds up to vetry small percentages of what is needed in a Congressional race, but it sounds good. The people most often make these claims - people like Hillary kwiatek - have no problem allowing other politicians to fund their entire race.
3) Where does it start? SCHIP? Body armor? It's very easy to tax about wasteful spending, but it's always harder to find places to cut.
" But just as with Ott, he's a bit tone deaf"
ReplyDeleteReally? Did Ott win? Is he the LC Exec now? Close does not count in an election. And that's another point. Why on earth would you elect and extremist as your standard bearer? He would only succeed in uniting Democrats.
Benol is giving the people a choice, and there's nothing wrong with that. Let the voters decide if they really want to send an ill-informed extremist against Team Callahan.
Give the guy a break.
ReplyDeleteHe probably meant to say that he won't accept those brown envelopes full of cash.
Anon 9:04,
ReplyDeleteAs a contributing member of the Air Products PAC, I can assure you that the funds come directly from the employees. Some choose to contribute via payroll deduction, others write a check directly to the PAC. Contributions are strictly voluntary. My boss does not know if I am a member of the PAC nor how much I contribute.
Gee, Alan, I've finally met Big Electric.
ReplyDeleteAir Products is Big Gas and therefore a perfect fit for Charlie - who's likely out toasting the dead Afghan civilians who got in the way of one of our bombs a couple of days ago. Oops! Charlie knows you have to break a few Muslims to make a Western democratic omelet! Thanks Charlie! War! War! War! We love you, man.
ReplyDeleteScott Ott didn't win, but he neutralized any horrific plan for Cunningham to move his disastrous show out of the LV. Scott did the rest of the state a huge favor by keeping an extremist tax and spend ethical oil slick off any future statewide ticket. Cunningham should go to Pittsburgh, hold up in seedy hotel room, end up with a fund raising dry hump, and then drive back to the LV to complain about being a rube like Morganelli. Don's just as pathetic now. And Scott helped make him that way. Again, thank you, Scott. Please run again. Another $20 would have beaten the deep pockets incumbent.
ReplyDeleteAnon 5:43, You claim Charlie is Big Gas now? Are you suggesting we should be losing in Aghanistan?
ReplyDeleteLosing? Please define "winning" in Afghanistan. This ought to be good. If losing is sending more American souls to die while we briefly apologize for killing civilians in a conflict where nobody has been able to define victory (sound familiar Nam-era readers?), then we are already losing and Charlie Dent supports it wholeheartedly. Again, please take your best shot at defining "winning" in Afghanistan. Will we know it when we see it?
ReplyDeleteWe are by no means winning and I did not suggest that. But I got the impression you were hoping we were losing.
ReplyDeleteWe ARE losing by staying in a battle where nobody can define victory. It's Charlie's war now. And, apparently, yours too.
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:45PM, I promise you the bosses at Air Products know if you are a contributor. They have to account for where their funds come from as well. Not to mention, if you do Payroll deduction, the information is in the payroll dept.
ReplyDeleteLooks like an effort is made to make sure they don't know.
ReplyDeleteBernie O'Hare said:
ReplyDelete"The recent S Ct decision does NOT open the door to corp. contributions and expressly affirms the ban on them."
Bernie -
Are you saying that the President and a slew of Congressional Democrats have lied to us about the ruling?
Will Obama be giving a public apology to the Supreme Court, who Obama called out during his State of the Union Address?