DFA Chair Jim Dean (no relation to the sausage dude) credits Cartwrght's stand against fracking. “He is leading the charge against the fracking to protect clean air and clean water for working people in Pennsylvania communities. Matt represents Pennsylvania’s middle class.”
Cartwright, of course is delighted at the endorsement, and issued a statement with some fightin' words. "I am running for Congress because I believe corporate America has taken advantage of working families and the middle class, and it needs to stop,” he declares. "I have spent my professional career protecting people and small business owners from uncaring insurance companies and the predatory lending practices of big banks and financial institutions. In Congress, my top priorities will be bringing jobs to northeast Pennsylvania, and making corporations and wealthy Americans pay their fair share of taxes.”
Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District now includes a hodgepodge of Northampton County municipalities: Easton City; Bethlehem, Forks, Lower Mount Bethel, Palmer, Upper Mount Bethel and Washington Tps; Bangor, East Bangor, Freemansburg, Glendon, Nazareth, Pen Argyl, Portland, Roseto, Stockertown, Tatamy, West Easton, Wilson and Wind Gap Boroughs; and parts of Bethlehem City, Plainfield Township and Upper Nazareth Township.
Updated 6:40 PM: I've been attacked by my blog impersonator, an obvious Walt Garvin Dem who has already decided that Congressman Holden should be re-elected. Apparently, I've committed some kind of infraction by posting this DFA endorsement without noting all the endorsements Holden has received.
Here's the deal. When a Congressional candidate sends me a news release, I either post it or prepare a story, as I did here, about the topic discussed. I send the news release to the other side and ask for comment.
As it happens, I am closer to Holden ideologically than I am to Cartwright, but am trying to be fair to both and don't share the animosity some have expressed about one or the other. They both seem like decent and sincere guys. That means something to me.
I am amused that some coward, who is afraid to identify himself, would take me to task for trying to be fair. These are two men who aren't afraid to say who they are. They are willing to subject themselves to public scrutiny. Come to think of it, so am I. Others crawl out from under rocks.
21 comments:
According to the Morning Call in 2002 Holden voted with then President Bush 60% of the time. I'm sure the Easton Democrats share those values. I recall all the Pro-Bush demonstrations in center square then.
http://articles.mcall.com/2002-12-16/news/3427901_1_holden-pennsylvania-democrats-voting-record
I'm voting Cartwright
Holden and Obama share positions on gay marriage and the positive impact of natural gas drilling. Nobody wants a candidate with Easton's Democrat's values.
New Cartwright ad hitting the airwaves Tuesday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifyyEQPma-w&hd=1
We finally get a true representative of the people(and a moderate at that) as our representative in Washington and then we have a wingnut liberal running against him. Holden gets my vote for very obvious (non right wing non left wing) middle of the road reasons. He votes the issues.
Bernie, you should like this guy. He's on your side. He votes for gay rights.
"true representative of the people . . .":
a rarity in the English language-a phrase loaded with oxymorons.
My vote is for Holden. As a moderate Democrat I like his position on most issues, certainly not all. But I find himto be a man a good character and integrity. He doesn't always vote the Party line and that's great. The local party wants a robot, I want an independent congressman with a solid record. I met Cartwright and found him to be obnoxious and walk away with the feeling that he thinks he is better than me. And no you are not handsome. The worse commercial I have heard and seen. Imagine the arrogance on the commercial and multiply it 10 times in real life. Holden, finally a good Democrat that votes the way his constituents express their views to him.
^i find it funny how obvious it is that the previous comment was from a Holden staffer. Pathetic. Matt Cartwright is prob one of the most genuine politicians I've met.
It is obvious that insider Democrats want Holden. Bernie Will give him a great deal of coverage too, because his buddy Sal Panto is doing Holden ads.
Cartwright is the obvious choice but he will lose as the Democratic Party wants to be the Republican Jr. Party, with people like Holden and Panto.
No real Dem's for you!
Um, most of my coverage in this race so far has been to publish news releases, and those have mostly come from Cartwright. In fact, I don't believe I've rec'd a single news release from Holden, either as candidate or Congressman.
I met both of them when they opened campaign offices in Easton and immediately liked them both. They are both decent and honorable guys with a sense of humor.
Like I said, I am closer ideologically to Holden, but i really admire Cartwright's passion. He's a crusader, and I believe will work very hard for his beliefs if elected.
So I have not made up my mind.
I will say this. A DFA endorsement for Cartwright means about as much to me as Sal Panto's endorsement of Holden or Dent's endorsement of Romney. While I understand why a candidate will try to make hay with it, I will make up my own mind.
I find it humorous how Holden is touted as "independent" of the party, and a "moderate". The humor is not in any judgement of Mr. Holden, but how the Democrats are still the party with the "big umbrella"--as Reagan used to refer the concept. If he were in the GOP he'd be derailed as a RINO and purged from the party as all the other moderates have been. Now one must beat their chest at what a "severe conservative" one is to be part of the GOP.
I am trying to learn more of both candidates. Personally I may be more in line with Holden on social issues, but this election isn't about social issues. Quite frankly, the comparison of him being "kind of like Dent" is becoming a turnoff. I like Charlie in many ways, but I am so disgusted by the antics of the GOP leadership bowing to the Tea Party/evangelical elements of the party that I probably wouldn't have voted for him if only in the hopes of knocking the GOP out of the majority in the House--which will be difficult with all the reapportionment/redistricting that took place nationally. The GOP was shrewed to gerrymander the state so much to make it harder for the Democrats, despite their statewide numerical advantage.
I am giving both Democrats a fair look, including Mr. Cartwright. Many find it a fault, but the fact that he supports Affordable Health Care, while Holden voted against it is a plus for me. The Heritage Foundation, Speaker Gingrich, and Governor Romney all supported the concept until it became associated with that "Socialist" president.
"If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America".... is there still a voice for "middle America" in today's hyper-partisanship?
We need NIXON, now more than ever!
NEWS Flash.... NEWS Flash....
Senator Jane ORIE, Convicted of Criminal Charges... Third most Powerful Republican in the Senate.
Pretty amazing.
Holden picked up the Pa. AFL-CIO endorcement yesterday. Much more important that DFA.
I have asked his office for comment, and am waiting to hear from him or anyone in that office who might remember the LV is now part of his district.
My vote is with Cartwright even though he says he's fighting for jobs for "northeastern" PA. I don't consider the LV northeastern, do you?
Holden is a career politician who voted against his President's landmark legislation that will also help lots of people in his district. He has to go.
The Philly area no longer sees the Lehigh Valley as part of SEPA.(Otherwise maybe the LV could have SEPTA lines). And the ABC affiliate in Scranton considers Northampton County as part of their broadcast area. (Just don't ask why they never cover it in news).
Maybe 2012 is the year of the plutocrat? Matt & Mitt. Moneybags Trial Attorney Matt(earned his Florida mansion and yacht on all our skyrocketing insurance premiums,) is polar opposite to ... Ron Paul perhaps? Gotta love Matt's populist demagoguery. Lousy, stinkin' big bad evil CORPORATIONS, yes? He'll fight 'em for us. Do politicians understand that the majority of Americans depend on corporate America for their livelihood? Even the smallest businessman suffers when IBM or 3M or Exxon-Mobil sneezes. I for one would like to hear more from both candidates about America's #1 priority...JOBS. Not the past, not corporate taxes, but JOBS. How we gonna get more JOBS flowing here in Northeast Penna? Huh? Can Holden get this done? Can a Freshman congressman get it done? That is how I'll determine my vote. Matt and Mitt can have the biggest homes in America, but are they gonna chase JOBS outa here or bring them to our hills? All this railing about Halliburton. Well, can they bring us JOBS? We want Pennsylvanians to work so they can pay taxes to build a better life. JOBS #1
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