Do you remember the good old days, before there were terrorists and the only bad guys out there had thick Russian accents like Boris Badenough? Back then, those dirty Commies planted commissars in military units to watch out for defectors and make sure everybody sang the same tune, even the commanding officers. Poor Sean Connery, who commanded a Soviet submarine when he used to be a Russian, had to kill one of those bastards in Hunt for Red October.Well, it dawned on me, while looking over Congressional candidate John Callahan's quarterly campaign finance report, that several Commissars are watching him, and will dime him in a heartbeat if he strays. He must be politically correct, and run his campaign exactly as he's told.
The head Commissar, of course, is campaign manager Justin Schall. I've told you about him before. He's a DCCC journeyman who's worked campaigns in Iowa, San Jose, and New York, losing most of them. According to Callahan's latest report, Schall lives in Tampa.
Then there's Commissar Leora Rothenberg. She's come all the way from Richmond to keep an eye on Callahan. He dersn't be such a hooftie, now. In 2007, while working a Democratic campaign near Atlantic City, she was sending a bus to Temple regularly, offering students $100 per day.
There's even a Commissar who just arrived from Missouri. The DCCC probably sent her to keep an eye on the other Commissars.
Commissars are expensive. It is generally recognized that Congressman Charlie Dent's campaign staff, managed by Evil Shawn Millan, is the best in the Lehigh Valley. It's local, too. No journeyman. But believe it or not, Callahan's Commissars get twice the dough paid to Millan's crew. Schall was handed $10,000 the moment he showed up in October! Kinda' like a signing bonus. In the last quarter, the Commissars raked in $51.075.41, almost twice as much as Dent's team ($28,425.58). That's a lot of wodka! If this is how Callahan spends your contributions as a candidate, what will he do with tax money once he's elected?
By the way, do you have any idea where these Commissars are working? A Tampa basement? Bethlehem City Hall? DCCC? The Sands? They've bought campaign software and paid for web design and office supplies, but haven't bought a computer or rented an office? That makes no sense.
In contrast, Dent's campaign overhead (phone, cable and computer) are listed as in-kind contributions. Rental payments have been listed in previous reports.
Below are the payments made to Dent's team and Callahan's Commissars.
Callahan's Commissar expenses - $51075.41.
City of Bethlehem,
Tax Bureau 10 East Church Street
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18018
10/07/2009; Local withholding tax 6.60
Paychex, Inc
7450 Tilghman Street, Suite 107
Allentown, Pennsylvania 18106
10/09/2009; Payroll Taxes - 686.18
10/09/2009; Employee Compensation - 1464.62
10/15/2009; Payroll Taxes - 797.27
10/15/2009; Employee Compensation - 1622.66
10/30/2009; Employee Compensation - 4164.28
10/30/2009; Payroll Taxes - 2459.19
11/12/2009; Quarter end delivery - 10.00
11/13/2009; Employee Compensation - 4275.36
11/16/2009; Payroll Taxes - 2169.05
11/30/2009; Employee Compensation - 4207.78
11/30/2009; Payroll Taxes -2091.33
12/04/2009; Payroll Taxes - 1683.40
12/04/2009; Employee Compensation - 3371.16
12/10/2009; Payroll charges - 42.50
12/16/2009; Payroll Taxes - 3513.05
12/16/2009; Employee Compensation - 6525.84
Commissar Leora Rothenberg
xxxx XXXXXX Road [street address redacted]
Richmond, Virginia 23229
10/13/2009; Mileage - 624.25
10/05/2009; Reimbursement - 832.66
10/13/2009; Reimbursement - 585.09
10/15/2009; Employee Compensation - 1622.68
10/30/2009; Employee Compensation - 1622.66
11/16/2009; Employee Compensation - 1622.66
11/30/2009; Employee Compensation - 1622.66
12/16/2009; Employee Compensation - 1622.66
Commissar Justin Schall
XXXX XXXX [street address redacted]
Tampa, Florida 33629
10/13/2009; Reimbursement - 398.24
10/26/2009; Employee Compensation - 10000.00
10/30/2009; Employee Compensation - 2541.62
11/10/2009; Reimbursement - 451.65
11/13/2009; Employee Compensation - 1780.72
11/23/2009; Reimbursement - 677.61
11/30/2009; Employee Compensation - 1780.72
12/04/2009; Employee Compensation - 3371.16
12/11/2009; Reimbursement - 918.77
12/16/2009; Employee Compensation - 3294.38
Commissar Lisa Rossi
XXXX XXXXXXX XXX [street address redacted]
Center Valley, Pennsylvania 18034
11/06/2009; Reimbursement - 101.11
11/13/2009; Employee Compensation - 871.98
11/30/2009; Employee Compensation - 804.40
12/16/2009; Employee Compensation - 804.40
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida
P.O. Box 1798
Jacksonville, Florida 32231
11/25/2009; Employee Health Care - 234.00
12/11/2009; Employee Health Care - 234.00
Commissar Katy Corogenes
XXXX XXXXXX XX [street address redacted]
Kansas City, Missouri 64113
12/16/2009; Employee Compensation - 804.40
Team Dent employees = $28,425.58
Ad Computer
3939 West Drive
Center Valley, Pennsylvania 18034
10/04/2009; Payroll Processing Fee 25.50
10/04/2009; Payroll Tax Expense 974.05
10/04/2009; Payroll Tax Expense 66.03
10/18/2009; Payroll Processing Fee 25.50
10/18/2009; Payroll Taxes 976.05
11/01/2009; Payroll Processing Fee 25.50
11/01/2009; Payroll Tax Expesne 976.05
11/15/2009; Payroll Processing Fee 25.50
11/15/2009; Payroll Tax Expense 976.05
11/27/2009; Payroll Tax Expense 976.05
11/27/2009; Payroll Processing Fee 25.50
12/13/2009; Payroll Processing Fee 25.50
12/13/2009; Payroll Tax Expense 976.05
12/27/2009; Payroll Tax Expense 1468.52
12/27/2009; Payroll Processing Fee 25.50
Mr. Shawn Millan 20924.26
XXXX XXXXXX XX [street address redacted]
Orefield, Pennsylvania 180699513
10/04/2009; Payroll - 1643.77
10/04/2009; Health Insurance Reimbursement - 308.55
10/18/2009; Payroll 1643.77
11/01/2009; Payroll 1643.77
11/15/2009; Payroll 1643.77
11/21/2009; Health Insurance Reimbursement 308.55
11/27/2009; Payroll 1643.77
12/13/2009; Payroll 1643.77
12/13/2009; Health Insurance 334.00
12/20/2009; Reimbursement 75.00
12/27/2009; Payroll 1643.77
Megan Everett
XXXX CCCCCCC XX [street address redacted](4791.77)
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 180207851
10/04/2009; Payroll - 531.32
10/18/2009; Payroll - 529.32
11/01/2009; Payroll - 529.32
11/15/2009; Payroll - 529.32
11/27/2009; Payroll - 529.32
12/13/2009; Payroll - 529.32
12/27/2009; Payroll 529.32
Adam Ballek
xxxx GGGG JJ [street address redacted]
Hellertown, Pennsylvania 18055
12/27/2009; Payroll 1084.53
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ReplyDeleteGood Morning Bill.
ReplyDeleteI had a dream about you last night. You were acting rationally.
That's how I knew it was a dream.
-Ms Stoneknocker
"What's most amazing about all this is that Jones himself was originally an appointed Commissioner. As an applicant, he was treated with much more respect than he is showing to others.:
ReplyDeleteBernie,
Please keep on this!
Bernie,
ReplyDeleteCan see how that Allentown couple are trying to destroy your
blog. This is very sad.
We asked earlier why would Cunningham hold his speech outside in the snow in 15 degree weather!
Good in depth report on Callahan..Can't wait to see your indepth report on who and where Dent's campaign money comes from...I didn't miss it already, did I??
ReplyDelete50% of dent's money came from PACs, far more than Callahans.
ReplyDeletevilla admits that the troll parade was created for him. new story on the troll parade. bob villa talks to his house.
ReplyDeleteBernie,
ReplyDeleteYour post is an excellent demonstration of what local Republicans run into when they campaign for public office here in the valley. There is a pattern of massive outside talent and money being applied by the Democrats to our local races to affect the outcomes. When I was with the local Republican committee I tried to raise the alarm on this to higher ups in the state, to little avail.
Anyone can see the information that proves the point; as you have made clear it is part of the public record. What is not on the record is the massive influx of paid union people who are brought in on election days for get out the vote efforts. Republicans are forced to match this paid effort with individual volunteers, (many take an unpaid day off from work). There was a time when Lehigh County was a swing county; the Democrats, state and national, have spared no expense to put it in the solid D category. That is their right but I contend people should understand how it is being done. They should understand as well that the help comes with a price, the state and national Democratic Party expects its efforts to be properly appreciated by the candidate. In other words the party will receive the gain they expect on their investment.
Now ask yourself whose interests are being served by this intrusion, our local interests or the national and state interests the Democratic Party? With this in mind who will best serve our interests in Washington?
Scott Armstrong
This post using McCarthy-like red-baiting is vile. But what do can one expect
ReplyDeletescott, dent outraised bennett and dertinger by massive amounts and his last quarter 50% of his money came from PAC and a much higher % came from outside of the district. I don't think dent has been slow in aquiring the outside the district support you seem to think is lacking.
ReplyDeletethe only reason the state dems put so much more in the lv than the r's do is the simple fact that TJ rooney is chair of the D's and some yahoo in western pa is the chair of the R's. Incidently, the R's in the west always outmatch the D's. Trend? I think so.
Comrade 10:55, A few points,
ReplyDelete1) Comrade Callahan accepts quite a bit of $ from PACs, too. Has he pledged to turn down PAC money? No? Then what's your point?
2) Where are Callahan's commissars working? A Tampa basement?
3) Are there no comrades in the LV that the Politb - I mean - DCCC trusts to help a campaign? Are you afraid Cllahan might think for himself?
4) All that $ that Callahan is bragging about, how much is $ that he returned to contributors to his statewide PAC? I looked at that yesterday, and he's giving a lot of money back to donors.
the lv doesn't have many good democratic operatives. Cunningham used to have Levi Price but Levi bolted and look at what happened to Cunningham's 2009 campaign (significant drop off). We have some good activists but none of the activists have waged a congressional campaign successfully.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but unless the hired-guns are convicted felons, I don't have a problem with somebody coming from another part of the country. I also don't think the purpose of these reports is to nit-pick the details of spending as much as it is to offer the transparency so that we know to whom they are indebted on the contribution side and what kind of campaign debts might be held over them in the future.
Arlen Specter has exactly the same stink - just more of it. And Bernie likes Arlen. Situational ethics are easy to maintain. What's good for Arlen is good for Callahan. Where's the story here?
ReplyDelete" I also don't think the purpose of these reports is to nit-pick the details of spending as much as it is to offer the transparency so that we know to whom they are indebted on the contribution side and what kind of campaign debts might be held over them in the future."
ReplyDeleteComrade, the purpose of disclosure laws is to enable the public to follow the money, both money in and money out.
Why is Comrade Callahan paying his Commissars twice what the best campaign orgainization in the LV gets paid? Since when do Commissars get $10k signing bonuses? Is the campaign being run locally? We, the voters, have right to know whether the campaign is being run from here or DCCC HQs, don't you think?
Comrade 12:49,
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to be a little more specific in identiftung the stink. There are a few coming from Callahan. The use of Commissars? Failure to reveal where the campaign is being run? Using the state PAC to make it look like you're getting lots of $?
Please be specific.
Simply look at the national average rate for like positions. When anyone starts an enterprise they interview people and chose the best and brightest to fill the needed role, to do otherwise is just dumb. Further, how well has the last few races against Dent gone for the Dems? Why on earth would any logical individual follow a known losing gameplan? Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result is by definition insanity. But you of course know this and are trying to make something out of nothing.
ReplyDeleteComrade,
ReplyDeleteWhen Siobhan Bennett ran for Congress against Chrlie, she used Commissars supplied by the DCCC. Remember how that turned out? Those guys went out and had lobster for lunch while Bennett's campaign crashed and burned.
The only person who came close, Dertinger, used the local people you claim are so inferior. Maybe you oughta' think about that.
I know Charlie is the best thing since sex and the air conditioner because he tells me all the time via franked mail. Not being a fellow traveler, I prefer the mailings in their original German. He's really swell. Abortion, death penalty - even for the developmentally mentally disabled, grisly fetal farming and testing, war, war, war! Get progressive! Thin the herd! That's our boy Charlie!
ReplyDeleteRah! Rah! Charlie. This was the funniest blog ever. HAHA!!!
ReplyDeleteI can't stop laughing at Callahan, what an idiot!
Boy Bernie it is so neat that you give us the facts about the fraud Callahan. Thank God Charlie can depend on an honest and straight shooter like you to ensure that no stupid stuff that attacks Charlie gets on here. I agree it is all lies.
Go Charlie and thanks Bernie, you are the best!!!
I remember Charlie Dent coming to Trexler Middle School when I was in 6th grade and telling us all that he was against the death penalty.... is anon 7:20 telling us that he has flip flopped?
ReplyDeletethis callahan jihad is getting tiresome bernie. you never subject dent to the same scrutiny. i really enjoy your blog, and most of your insights. but give it a rest re callahan.
ReplyDeleteI believe people have a right to know (1) Callahan's campaign is being run by outsiders (2) who are paid outrageously high sums of money (3) and we don't even know if the campaign is being run from here or DC. This is all factually accurate and took some time to research.
ReplyDeleteNow, I have linked to two pro-Callahan blogs that complain about Dent nearly every day, including an installment today that blames him for the PPL rate hike, even though every legislator supported it, a fact that blog fails to mention. A week earlier, that blog contained a post claiming Dent contributed to a Congressman who was indicted a year later. I have researched that charge and it is false.
I may not always agree, but consider Dent the best leader we have here in the LV. Since my focus is political, why wouldn;t I write about him?
I feel very strongly that I must cover it.
And if truth be told, it has been several weeks since my last post about the Congressional race.
Now I'm aware that Callahan is abetter candidate than Bennett by a long shot, but his campaign is already flawed. His unwillingness to take stands and his abdication of his campaign to the DCCC, speaks volumes.
If I did not write about this race out of fear of alienating some of my readers, it would not be long before I had none. I have to write what I feel.
Nice to see Charlie itemized Health Insurance for his campaign staff.
ReplyDeleteNow lets get on with Healthcare reform!
Herr Ohare,
ReplyDeleteThank you for help fellow Reich mister Dent. You are doing the right thing for the Fatherland.
In the National Socialist Northampton County uberfuhrer Angle is already restoring order.
Thank you!!!
If that joke of a post took some time to research you should be ashamed. Points 1 & 3 are the same false assertion. Hiring skilled employees is what one should do. Who would ever vote for someone who did not hire the best person available for a job. Point 2 is not even close to being factual since the pay numbers are actually low for equally ranked tallent. Take a look at how much money Dent goes through per period compared to callahan.
ReplyDeleteJust because you follow him doesn't really make him a leader. In fact his money trail and voting record clearly show who is really leading. I'm glad you like the direction he is heading Bernie....
ReplyDelete"I remember Charlie Dent coming to Trexler Middle School when I was in 6th grade and telling us all that he was against the death penalty.... is anon 7:20 telling us that he has flip flopped?"
ReplyDeleteNo, he was just lying:
Dent for Death
http://www.votesmart.org/speech_detail.php?sc_id=397123&keyword=&phrase=&contain=
ReplyDeleteWhat is it with Lefties who love Nazis?
ReplyDeleteI guess Progressives just like to get their Adolf on.
Yawn. Nazi stuff. You can always tell a Prog thinks their being cutting-edge funny when they bust out the Nazi stuff.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if they go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao/they ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow.
Too bad Progressive Liberals cannot apparently ever seem to read or write German correctly here.
ReplyDelete"Ueberfuehrer"
Umlauts, people. Have to account for umlauts. How many times do we have to go over this?
Can't wait for the NEXT lecture from some fool Progressive Liberal about "respect", "acceptance", "understanding" or any of the other elitist BS...
Seems to me the one of the reasons why there is no good "local" talent to run Dem campaigns is because the candidates who run are too cheap. The DCCC folks don't know the District well enough to find good local talent to work with a candidate.They just opt to pay for hired gun operatives who all work campaigns from the same formula.
ReplyDeleteThe DC people don't understand that the 15th CD is not like every other CD in the country but nobody around here has the credibility to explain the differences to them, least of all the candidates themselves.
It is a vicious circle that will be repeated with Callahan the same way it was with Bennett.
There is a lot of good local talent here in the 15th. That being said, there is nothing wrong with hiring who you feel is the best, most experienced talent regardless of where they hail from.
ReplyDelete