On Tuesday, I told you that I could find no campaign disclosure on the state website for Justin Simmons, a conservative Republican running against State Rep. Karen Beyer in the 131st legislative District. In contrast, Beyer has e-filed her disclosures, which are available for public inspection. Since Simmons has proclaimed that "It's time to make our politicians accountable," I thought I'd start with him. Where's his report? Simmons is Internet-savvy and actually has three different web pages to tell you how great he is. He even has a web page set up called Office Expense Report to account for every dollar spent. "I will show you where your money goes.
I will work to earn your trust," he says.
He could start by posting his expense report there since it's not on the state website and likely won't be there until after the election. But he didn't.
Instead of doing that, I've been called a liar by one of those goofy young Republicans who sleep in three piece suits. I was anonymously told, on Tuesday, that "Simmons' report should be online no later than tomorrow, just in time for you to dream up more scurrilous charges against him."
Well, it's now Thursday. I'm making the same scurrilous charge. The election is in three business days. There is no report.
And no accountability.
I hope your blow up Beyer doll gives you the Happy Ending you deserve for carrying her laundry. I realize you would prefer the Stoffa doll.
ReplyDeleteYou should be listed as an in-kind campaign contribution. Elmer Gates is a fundamental conservative who is unimpressed with Beyer's lack of conviction for anything. Of course he will support Justin.
Of course the fact that Gates rubbed Ron Angles face in his own bullshit is also fueling your irrational hatred for Justin.
You are a shill.
CALL UP HARRISBURG AND ASK THEM. how many times do we have to tell you that this is how the process works. A candidate submits the reports to Harrisburg and THEY put it online.
ReplyDeleteGo blow your bad breath their way.
http://www.campaignfinance.state.pa.us/QuestionAnswer.aspx
ReplyDelete"Where does the information in the database come from?
The information in the Campaign Finance Reporting database comes from campaign finance reports filed with the Department of State, Bureau of Commissions, Elections & Legislation. Reports can be filed on paper, diskette or CD, and over the Internet. Information from reports filed on diskette/CD and over Internet is loaded directly to the database and is available for web searching within hours of receipt. Information from reports filed by paper must be data entered, and is usually available for web searching within 72 hours of receipt."
Have we found out where Benol and Rorher got all the money they are spending this week? They never reported sufficient funds for their recent campaign activities. It is a 24 hour report after the final filing and there is nothing filed from either of them yet.
ReplyDeleteSome candidates think the laws don't apply to them, while they are busy slamming their opponents who are following the finanace laws.
We have to call them on it. It is a matter of basic integrity.
At least you cleared up that he's done nothing wrong except run against your friend.
ReplyDelete"Have we found out where Benol and Rorher got all the money they are spending this week? "
ReplyDeleteNope. These jokers beat their chest and claim to be so pure, but are worse than the ones they complain about. I'll note Benol tomorrow.
Yawn. Another made up story.
ReplyDeleteWhy not talk about Beyer's record?
It looks like desperation time for Beyer.
OMG, he could have mailed his report!!!!!!!! Good thing you are on this political corruption, the world is safer now.
ReplyDeleteAs of 12:58 PM, no campaign finance report for Juastin Simmons on DOS web page. Also no disclosure on the web page he set up for that purpose.
ReplyDeleteI support Bernie's position here. I'm an unbiased person living in the 132nd District. Why wouldn't Mr. Simmons go out of his way to keep his donations private for as long as possible? That's fair criticism. Shouldn't the voters know before the election? Does he have something to hide?
ReplyDeleteAnon 1:28,
ReplyDeleteSimmons hasn't gone out of his way to conceal anything. The reports were due last Friday. By all accounts, Simmons submitted his report. The State then transcribes and uploads those reports into its online database. If O'Hare were genuinely concerned about the contents of the report, he could call Harrisburg and ask why the Department of State hasn't uploaded it yet. Or, he could go to Simmons' home county building and obtain a paper copy of the report, and then post it to this website.
Anon 1:46,
ReplyDeleteBut doesn't that undercut one of Simmon's campaign themes? Simmons is running as the anti-Beyer saying he won't ask for mileage, won't take a car allowance, etc. He pledges that if elected he will "account for every one of your hard-earned tax dollars that I spend".
So why is it that Bernie needs to go to the home county building and get a paper copy of Simmon's report, scan it and post it here?
Since this has been a lingering issue, why doesn't Simmons just end it by scanning a copy and posting it at his web site rather than lamely saying it is in Harrisburg and everyone needs to wait until they post it?
A smart candidate would have been proactive and posted the reports on his own as soon as the issue was raised.
This doesn't undercut his accountability whatsoever.
ReplyDelete1. Campaign donations are not "tax dollars."
2. Simmons filed his reports with the proper authorities, no doubt under the assumption that they would be available online within 72 hours. Since the reports were due last Friday, there is simply no way anyone can allege that paper filing was an attempt to keep the reports from appearing online until after the election.
3. Simmons has been very clear about receiving and enjoying Elmer Gates' support. The only people who consider Gates to be controversial and toxic are O'Hare and his benefactor Ron Angle. The Gates/Angle connection is at the root of these three days of false attacks, including the outrageous claim Simmons "failed" to file a Cycle 1 report, a report that no candidate in the General Assembly is requested to file.
4. If O'Hare really thinks there's anything damning in the reports, don't you think he would have obtained them by now?
Anon 2:33:
ReplyDeleteYou are correct that campaign donations are not tax dollars. However, that misses the point. Part of Simmon's campaign message contained in his statement is that he will be transparent and accountable. Based on his lack of response to this I would say he flubbed his first chance to demonstrate that with a real life example. It isn't about whether he has received money from Gates or the fact that he filed "with the proper authorities". It is how he demonstrates that he means what he says. Scanning and posting the completed financial reports is a 15 minute process. Why not do that instead of obstinately refusing and blaming Harrisburg for the delay?
Accountability, as it is being raised here, is a statement of moral obligation. We are morally called to account before other people for our actions. It isn't about legalities. It isn't about who makes the contributions. It is about doing the right thing because somebody calls you to do so. Sometimes this requires proactive thinking. Sometimes it is about responding when somebody points out a short-coming, perhaps admitting that is was an error to not consider that what being accountable in a given situation.
ReplyDeleteI lay that out there b/c I think it is very clear that being held to the highest standard of accountability should compell a candidate to err on the side of transparency and go the extra mile to do so. Did he do what was required legally... it certainly appears that way, but from a moral perspective, being accountable is going beyond what is legally required. It is putting yourself out there with absolute commitment to providing voters with information they need to make an informed decision. In effect, accountability is about putting the mind of the voter first and honestly giving the voter everything that is needed to do so.
Was the candidate intentionally deceiving voters by not e-filing? No. Did the candidate have an opportunity to fulfill a moral obligation to be held accountable when this was raised as a point? Absolutely. To me, the candidate who is told he/she made an error in fulfilling a responsibility to be fully accountable and then quickly takes action to correct it gets much deserved credit for such an admission. That isn't a sign of weakness. That is accountability and it is why I am inclined to think that this candidate is not fulfilling his moral calling to be held accountable.
Geoff
(as a non-resident of this district and a D, I have no horse in this race)
Geoff,
ReplyDeleteSo every time a discredited lunatic from outside the district/party feigns outrage and manufactures lies because he hates Elmer Gates, Simmons has the moral obligation to respond? What authority does Bernie "Disbarred for Fraud and Forgery" O'Hare have to claim anyone has made an "error" in accountability? Jesus Christ, dude, get over yourself.
"What authority does Bernie "Disbarred for Fraud and Forgery" O'Hare have to claim anyone has made an "error" in accountability?"
ReplyDeleteMore reason to makde the disclosure and have the whole thing go away. Besides, if the punk wants accountability in gov't, he needs to recognize that some strange people will ask for it... like some young punk whose whole basis for credibility is as a political hack. Seriously, he worked for a guy that bolted mid-term to go take a job as a special interest peddler in Philly(Wonderling). He interned for a guy who ran as a staunch pro-choice candidate and then flip-flopped when he decided it would help his long term plans (Toomey). Then worked for a few months for a guy who won a special election that was held over the objection of both counties (including real conservatives like Browning and Cusick), the secretary of state and the governor. If Simmons wants to talk about accountability he needs to do so after re-evaluating his ties to other people who have have evaded good gov't at every possible turn. His professional experience: interning for a flip-flopper, interning for a special interest peddler and working for a guy who got the job b/c of cronyism. Screw the debate with Bernie: the kid is a political hack and isn't worthy of the votes of the hard working people of his district.
How do ya like them apples!
Accountability is about following the law of the land. It is about taking responsibility for the votes that you cast.
ReplyDeleteIt is not jumping through made-up hoops by every supporter of your opponent. Today Bernie is asking Simmons to post campaign reports on-line, which is something that Simmons has no obligation to do.
Tomorrow another blogger might say the standard of accountability is that Simmons should post every contribution received and dollar spent the very moment the transaction occurs.
Still another blogger might might think that Karen Beyer should post her personal bank statement on line so she can conform to that blogger's standard of "transparency".
It is their right to try to make issues where none exist and distract voters from the real issues. It is also part of what makes politics ugly and turns off so many people.
The standard required by LAW is to file campaign reports via paper or electronically by a certain date. By all accounts, Simmons has done so and is in compliance with the law. If Beyer and her surrogates don't like the law, then they should have changed it (she is a lawmaker, remember).
I see one candidate (Simmons) who wants to talk about issues and the differences between him and his opponent. I see another candidate (Beyer) who is slinging mud and trying to talk about anything BUT her voting record.
I would suggest that this whole issue has been fabricated to distract Simmons and voters from the real issue in the race - which is Karen Beyer's voting record.
I think that the voters in Beyer's district are smart enough to realize this is a phony issue promoted by Beyer's surrogates. This whole episode, along with the Horton stalking issue, illustrates exactly how deperate Beyer is stay in power.
Hey 4:48, your apples are rotten!
ReplyDeleteThe "kid", is backed by a real conservative Elmer Gates who knows Beyer is a liberal Republican who loves to hang with the Dem's.
O'Hare is running flack for Angle who was humbled by Elmer Gates. Ron Angle loves to threaten people with lawsuits with his posse of lawyers but Gates was unimpressed and sued Angles ass. Angle ended up $80,000 poorer. So his vassal O'Hare must attack this "kid" or the rent money dries up.
By the way no "real" conservative would ever endorse the monstrous expensive local bureaucracy of a public health Department. That means you can have Browning and Cusick, who are only conservatives during an election.
The Dash
Does this blog have a disclaimer about who actually pays the bills?
ReplyDeleteThe Dash,
ReplyDeleteYour little conservative world must be all turned upside down knowing that your kid is a fraud. Is this how you felt when you found out that a certain senator was playing footsies in teh bathroom?
Newsflash: the label conservative is a label. Just like the label on a jar of pickles, it tells you what is good for you, but it mostly tells us what is bad for us. Your use of labels tells me more about what is bad about him.
The kid gets squashed. End of story.
"Goofy young Republicans who sleep in three piece suits" is offensive and inappropriate. We need more young people in the republican party. Instead of name-calling young people that are god forbid interested in public service and the future of the republican party, we as a party should be encouraging them to get involved. Otherwise, we will continuously be overcome by the democratic youth movement that has done a far-better job in building its next generation and using their energy at the grassroots level.
ReplyDelete-Christy-