Lehigh County Republicans and Northampton County Democrats had no ground game on Tuesday. Nobody expects much on election day from Republicans. They have never been known much for canvassing and driving people to the polls on election day, at least not around here. They'd rather point at Democrats and accuse them of "knock and drag," or try to pretend that calling someone a "thug" and "corrupt" is part of a positive campaign. But Northampton County Republicans were different this year.
The local party is a mess, with all kinds of in-fighting. But outside the party structure, Republican John Brown pieced together an excellent ground game in Bethlehem. It even included the use of Spanish-speaking poll workers in South Bethlehem. The sole Hispanic person on the ballot in Northampton County was a Republican.
Northampton County Republicans reached out in the Bethlehem. Lehigh County Republicans wrote Allentown off.
You saw the results.
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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Friday, November 08, 2013
24 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.
today on my blog i offer some opinions not colored by a hatred of ott/woodman, which is something different here in the blogosphere. after the previous city council race in 2011, with excellent republican candidates, that effort is a proven fool's errand. had some republicans came forward, their candidacy would have certainly been welcome by the party. for two days, hundreds of paid workers canvassed allentown for muller. that incredibly expensive effort apparently paid off for the democrats. i personally think that a major new dynamic is the bedroom communities surrounding allentown. as allentown experienced white flight, which is actually social-economic flight, these communities have become more democratic leaning.
ReplyDeleteI am aware what you wrote. It inspired my post, MM.
ReplyDeleteYou actually claim you are objective, which had me wondering whether you mixed up your pills again. This is from a guy who has smeared Don Cunningham at every opportunity, calling him a Ed Rendell in training pants. Who do you think you're kidding? If anyone has hated the Cunningham administration and everyone in it, from Glenn Solt to Tom Muller, it is you.
Also, I've got to tell you I don't give s shit about objectivity. Newspapers claim to be objective, and are so objective they run from election coverage at a time when people care most about them. You tried to close down the discussion, too. Some objectivity. More like head in the sand. The newspapers will write about puppy mills and you can write about choo-choos.
After falsely claiming objectivity, as though that means something, you then accuse other bloggers (me) of hatred for Woodman and Ott. That's a strong accusation. You are mixing up criticism over issues with hatred. None of my criticism of Ott or even Woodman has anything to do with them personally. In Ott's case, it was confined to his false claims on cutting spending, cutting taxes, his lousy qualification and his lousy performance on a radio show and in a debate, as well as his refusal to speak to The Morning Call or Patch.
I criticized them both bc Wayne Woodman and Lisa Scheller were both funding him.
I also completely disagree with Ott's tea party approach to issues, and his attempt to play out national issues on a local level.
Now there's a lot of criticism in there, but there is no hatred. There's nothing even remotely personal. Your attempt to infer hatred is a result of your own lack of objectivity, except you've deluded yourself.
In fact, you didn't even want people discussing the election. You tried to shut it down on your blog with a last campaign post that you had to follow up with several more.
I have seen you make some incredible claims over the years. As this race went on, you even implied I was lying. Is that hate? But your claim to objectivity is about the most ridiculous and nonsensical thing you've written. You have never been objective. And I disagree with the proposition that objectivity leads to the truth. if it did, the papers would be doing much better.
bernie, your primary defect is your self-righteousness. my criticisms of cunningham and solt where issue based. you are the one consistently accused of man-crushes, because of your blatant fan club support of certain candidates. in a philosophical sense, nobody is objective, but on any measurable scale, i'm much closer than you.
ReplyDeleteYou call yourself objective, imply I am a liar, accuse me of hate, and then have the temerity to suggest I am self-righteous. You need to look on a mirrior. Your latest post is a sanctimonious piece of shit by a sore loser.
ReplyDeletebernie, i'm not a sore loser. if ott had won, i likewise would not have been a happy winner; i just don't invest myself in the candidates as you do. i wrote of hatred of woodman and ott in the blogosphere, you personalized that as a reference only to yourself. perhaps you don't hate ott/woodman, but you tend to use strong language, that gives people such impressions.
ReplyDeleteI will say one thing for Bernie's site: He does allow posts of differing opinions (barring off topic personal insults) which is more than I can say for some others.
ReplyDeleteCredit where it is due. A gracious and truthful piece by BO. The D's got skunked and out flanked by a guy who knows how to win with less resources than the opponent. A good start for the new NH county executive and his R allies. A new day dawning...
ReplyDeleteBernie
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Any political party
can play the game. Why don't the Rs have canvassers like the Ds?
why every campaign do we read about the aggressive D effort?
Mr. Woodman should leave office and let another person try. Nothing against him. Don't know the guy but he didn't do the job.
You should try to catch up, Bernie. County Rs never miss me with absentee ballot request forms. Never. Four of five council candidates visited my house. Brown called twice. Jenn Sletvold visited during primary season. The phone effort was relentless. Dent, Ridge, Giordano, each county candidate called.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's been this way for the last 20 years. How do you think Rs get elected at all in a blue - and getting bluer - county? How does Pat Toomey win a statewide election without overwhelming support from his local base? Council has been controlled by Rs for several years and will continue to be. Stoffa was widely supported by Rs as a antidote to Reibman. He's more Republican than Peg. He's been their guy for 8 years. Now, they replace him with their new guy. This doesn't happen in a blue county by accident.
Rs have been outworking Ds for a generation in this county - because they have to.
Posted this at Molovnisky's blog as well, think it's applicable to both discussions.
ReplyDeleteI don't hate Woodman or Ott - but I definitely do not trust them.
Molovinsky has commented several times that me didn't think they had any hidden agenda. I'd suggest he's incorrect - their agenda was Ott to a larger (state/federal) platform with Woodman as the puppetmaster, wielding power from behind the scenes. This has come crashing down - losing to a weak opponent like Muller is bad, even in an off year.
I'm conservative, but they're too radical for me and I'm glad they lost.
The Banker
Banker:
ReplyDeleteAgreed. The strange symbiotic relationship that Woodman and Ott have is due to the fact that each views the other as a means to their individual ends. Woodman gives Ott access to contacts and money that are beyond Ott's capacity. Ott gives Woodman an articulate front person who is ultimately under Woodman's control.
And they each have a hidden agenda. Woodman has commented a number of times and to a number of people that he has a point to prove. Lehigh County was going to be Woodman's test case and ultimately his calling card to become a player at the national level - either as the finance chair for a presidential candidate or as a replacement for Bob Asher as a national committee person. Ott's agenda was to first get a paying job and then move on from there to a state or national microphone where he could tell the world what Scrappleface thinks.
Bernie,
ReplyDeleteTwo things:
Sorry I missed you last night. Things got hectic.
And I just received a notice from Voter Reg. My absentee ballot didn't count. It wasn't filed in time. And here I was all proud that I filled it out and mailed it in time ... too bad.
Hope to see you soon. Maybe a lunch or breakfast? I will be around for a few days.
Peace, ~~~alex+
Bernie called Ott by everything but his name and said he was racist. When called on his outrageousness, you threw more poop from your cage. MM made you look very bitter and small. Scott Ott would never call you be anything but your name. They are gentlemen. You're a ethically challenged mess who seems to get more bitter when made to look at yourself. It's no wonder you blew all the good in your life at one point. Self-loathing does that and is very difficult to shake. Have fun being you. You're as tragic as that Gregory nut.
ReplyDeleteI never called Ott a racist. I reported factually on his dismal performance at a NAACP debate, and some of the minority audience members were offended by his remarks.
ReplyDelete9:39, I've been a grunt in a few campaigns on both sides.i agree Rs sometimes get it together, but not often.
ReplyDeleteOtt and Callahan will be remembered as two of the most terrible county candidates.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is just about any Democrat running for county executive would have won and taken at least three counci8l candidates with them. Callahan's numbers out of Bethlehem were terrible and it had nothing to do with turnout. More voters would have just made it worse. The guy got creamed in North Bethlehem. Brown won because Bethlehem Democrats preferred him over Callahan.
ReplyDeleteEven Callahan's brother came in dead last amo0ngst Democrats in the city race, even though he spent the most.
You marginalized the NAACP and said "those people" would not vote for racist Ott. You race-baited in frustration and desperation. That's what old liberal racists do. Our grandchildren of mixed and all races are left less from us because of your ilk. Nice work. The kids will pick up your mess. I'll bet there's a lot of that to do in your family.
ReplyDeleteI did not say "those people" and quoted audience members who were disgusted at what Ott had said. You are insane, obviously, and any more of your comments along this line will be deleted.
ReplyDeleteOne thing we can all agree on is that 70's porno film moustaches are in in Lehigh County.
ReplyDeleteLove the spin, The ground game for the Allentown and Lehigh Dems has been going on since 2001. Half of that time Fleck was in Easton. Mike is well aware of their success and has plugged into it as Eds campaign manager which explains his dismal Norco primary showing. Fleck and Garvin don't mesh.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand what you are saying and suggest you put the vodka bottle down until after noon.
ReplyDelete"I'm conservative, but they're too radical for me and I'm glad they lost.
ReplyDeleteThe Banker
10:07 AM"
More likely, you're a Hamiltonian/Rothschild corporatist subscriber to the ravings of Rove and the elitists, giving credibility to the otherwise incredible left.
-Clem
Clem, When you write this stuff, do you ever burst out laughing? Seriously! Sometimes, I think you're just a tad tongue in cheek.
ReplyDelete