Seriously, do you want to mess with this guy?If Northampton County Dems want a real strongman, Michael Laws sure fits the bill. He looks a lot like an offensive lineman. Even his surname is intimidating. But as I learned yesterday, he's an open guy who wants to make some changes.
I called him this morning and, believe it or not, he actually called me back. That was a surprise, and what he told me shocked me even more.
He believes the party should avoid endorsements in contested races. He describes his disappointment when Northampton County Democrats decided to endorse Ann McHale to run against incumbent John Stoffa. "That was not fair at all. When I left there, I was in shock," he said.
Michael told me he has three goals. First, he'd like to identify and set up an executive committee from the different areas of the county, becoming more inclusive. Second, he'd like to energize the local party's fundraising capabilities, making it more useful to underfunded Democrats seeking office. He noted that the party has people who can help with graphics, we designs and do what is needed to help. Third, and most importantly, he will take steps to ensure that "everyone can participate in a big tent. Not just a certain few."
He plans to implement these goals with the following:
"* Enthusiasm for creating a learning organization with monthly Executive Board meetings and a strong committee structure, multiple team building events and a robust fundraising committee.
"* Creating a Candidate Recruitment and Training Program including: Mentorship opportunities with real office holders.
"* Creating real 'Value' for Candidates by creating and developing services that could be shared, like your idea of sign distribution and sign retrieval, brochure design and quantity discount pricing for these services so everyone wins.
"* Creating a Mentorship and Ambassador program to build and retain critical relationships and create backfill opportunities as positions become available."
Michael can be downright inspirational. From his Facebook page, I've seen messages like this, which read like Hallmark cards:
"We need to delegate, empower, and harness the skill power of the entire Democratic committee in Northampton county. We need to build a collective Vision that will align all the missions with a collective vision of positive long term results. We need to meet people where they are, and work together encouraging them along the way, to attain a new and improved destination."
Or this:
"People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway."
Obviously, he's a world apart from current Bossman Joe Long.
The only drawback to Michael, in my view, is his involvement in Allentown's Life Church, which has too many connections to Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski.
Michael's opponent is Joe Long's anointed successor, Walt Garvin. That alone should be enough to disqualify him, but here in the People's Republic of Northampton County, he's the likely winner. Walter and I have a lengthy history that ranges from some pleasant exchanges to a few shouting matches.Having said that, Walter is unlike Long in that he holds no grudges. Whenever I see him after one of our testy exchanges, he's cordial. Another point in his favor is that he does his homework. When he ran for County Council last year , he attended more meetings than any other candidate. When the local tea party conducted a candidates' forum, he was there.
24 comments:
Michael sounds intelligent, reasonable, and politically astute with a vision for the Party to actually match endorsements with victories for once. He doesn't have a chance.
If he supported Stoffa, he is not even close to being the Chairman of the Party. Stoffa was a Republican plant and his disastrous tenure will one day be just a bad memory. Never again.
Walt Garvin is a good and smart man. He knows who the real stand up folks are. He also knows who the bullshitters are who talk out of both sides of their mouths.
A few of these "pols" have not fooled anyone. They have been trying to play both ends against the middle while selling out the Party. They will get no support.
Bernie, dude, are you kidding me? Mike Fleck has a business, Fleck Consulting. Ha ha, I love it. What does he do in his "consulting" business. Does he consult on how to make money doing and knowing nothing.
Please shine a light on this enterprise.
I love it!
If Walter goes to Tea Party events that's good for the Democratic Party... How?
Michael seems like a fresh new start but let's face it...he's up against the "anointed one" and no one goes against the Joe Long machine.
"If Walter goes to Tea Party events that's good for the Democratic Party... How?"
Know thine enemy.
"The only drawback to Michael, in my view, is his involvement in Allentown's Life Church, which has too many connections to Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski."
So membership in a church is now a disqualifying factor? Sadly, you are why liberals are viewed as hating Christians. It's an overstatement, but your distrust of religion sets up a condition by which you disqualify people who are members of one church or another.
"Michael seems like a fresh new start but let's face it...he's up against the "anointed one" and no one goes against the Joe Long machine."
That machine has become pretty much a laughing stock.
"So membership in a church is now a disqualifying factor? Sadly, you are why liberals are viewed as hating Christians"
It is not a distrust of church or religion. It is a distrust of Life Church, which is too political and has too many connection to Mayor Pawlowski.
I saw a debate in Easton between these 2 candidates. Walter blamed the voters for being lazy in November and Michael had a real "business like" approach to building the party with real solutions. Bernie He was very inspiring.... I like both guys personally but Michael had a real plan . I think we need more of that in Northampton County.
I find it hard to be 2 places at once and feel that running a Campaign for a Mayor of another town and being a City Council member is stretching it a little thin.Like Chinese food,pick one from column A and one from column B.An hour later you are hungry again. Haven't seen any results just lots of talk!
"It is a distrust of Life Church, which is too political and has too many connection to Mayor Pawlowski."
You are using his religious identity as a basis of discrimination. How very liberal of you.
I'm not a member of Life Church, don't know Laws, never voted for Pawlowski and am not a conservative Christian, but I find your basis of evaluation on religion to be disturbing. I thought that discrimination based on religious affiliation ended a while ago. Guess not.
I am by no means using his religious identity as a basis for discrimination. I am opposed to theocracy, whether it is Christian, Jewish, Muslim or any other religion. There can be no state religion. That is part of the Establishment Clause of our Constitution.
Life Church is attempting to become the LV's state religion and has sunk its hooks into many local leaders.
I actually believe Laws is the better candidate, but am very wary of any church that gets too involved in government.
"Life Church is attempting to become the LV's state religion"
You know this how? We know Sarah Palin rejects the establishment clause b/c she has said it publicly. Does Life Church have a statement saying they reject the establishment clause?
Anon 11:53,
I don't know this, but am wary of it, as any American should be wary of any church that begins to get a little too involved in politics. There are several in Allentown.
"I don't know this"
Then why make the claim? It is a very serious accusation to make.
"...American should be wary of any church that begins to get a little too involved in politics."
Involved how? Having members run for office isn't the church getting involved. Are they endorsing from the pulpit? Are they running voter education campaigns?
"There are several in Allentown."
Again, heavy statement. What other churches in Allentown are involved in politics and how they are involved?
The claim made on my blog is that I am wary of Laws' involvement in Life Church, which is too closely connected to Pawloski.
The claim I make here in the comment thread is that Life Church is attempting to become the LV state's religion, and it is. It has sunk its hooks into numerous politicians and political wannabes. One of its pastors, David Jones, is a member of LC's Board of Comm'rs.
It is no secret that Pawlowski uses the A-town churches to pursue his political agenda and what happened at Cedar Beach illustrates that. Life Church made some ridiculous statements along with another A-town church, and Lisa Pawlowski was very involved in that.
It is no secret Pawlowski tells people to call him Pastor, and his pious and Pharisee-like indignation at Jarrett Renmshaw's P2P story is just more evidence how he uses the evangelical church to pursue an agenda.
As Pam Varkony said not too long ago, A-town is becoming a theocracy.
So yes I am wary of Life Church and i have reason to be wary and to make the claims I made.
You said above, "Life Church is attempting to become the LV's state religion".
You then followed it by saying, "I don't know this".
You are spinning in a circle and offering no specifics, only vague generalities. You then cite a blogger who uses the term "theocracy" but does not provide evidence as to how it is becoming a theocracy (one interpretation is your interpretation: my interpretation is that it is the theocracy of Ed as God, not Life Church).
Here is the point: leave Life Church out of this. Your true target, Ed the Pious (I like that), should be noted as using his faith to further a political agenda. He would use that tactic regardless of his church affiliation and would probably use any organization he could sink HIS hooks into. Don't saddle Mr. Laws with the sins of Ed the Pious.
I will not saddle Mr. Laws with the sins of Ed the Pius (I like that, too) and actually hope he gets the nod.
However, I will remain wary of Life Church. They were very helpful when Mrs. Ed decided to make the Cedar Park expansion a political issue.
I am wary of any church getting too involved in politics.
Pawlowski's as religious as Howard Stern. And so is the wacky church he attends. They're way more about politics than saving souls.
Churches are more than places to save souls (though I'd argue that souls are saved in homes and on the street, not in church... you go to church to worship). Christianity seeks to create a world consistent with Christ's teachings. Followers of Christ are called to follow Christ's teachings. These teachings include advocating for social justice. Sometimes, that involves making a political statement, not in an electoral sense, but in a sense that the statement is firmly rooted in community values and calls people to act upon those values in a just way.
Is it political when a pastor calls on people to feed the hungry and nurse the sick, pointing out we have an obligation to do so as a nation? You bet it's political, but it's also what Christ asked of his followers.
The real irony is that the early church was revolutionary and undermined state power. Somewhere along the way, the church was used to reinforce state power. The church that uses the pulpit to abuse state power is the church to be wary of.
"Know thine enemy."
No wonder you and Angle are so close!!!! It is all making sense to me now.
There must be a separation of Church and State or are we going to relive the Crusades???
The crusades were about church trying to build power. it had nothing to do with actually doing God's work on earth. The crusades were what happens when politicians use the church as an instrument of power, not the church becoming the politically dominant body of the state.
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