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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Friday, September 25, 2015

Campaign Donations are Down

Reports are coming in that candidates are having a tough time getting donations this election cycle. Anyone wonder why?

40 comments:

Lou Shupe said...

Earlier, I recorded the video of one reason that might kick in in the near future, as this was at last night's Allentown City Council's meeting on Bill 58. It passed to the next council meeting on October 7th 7-0. At around the 45:00 mark, the room got very crowded. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/lehigh-valley-caffeinated

Bernie O'Hare said...

Thanks. Will check it out.

Anonymous said...

Lack of confidence in elected leaders on all levels of government is one reason. By the way has Northampton County stopped putting campaign expense reports on line? If so why?

Bernie O'Hare said...

Northampton County stopped doing so toward the end of John Stoffa's second term. The staff complained they lacked the resources.

Anonymous said...

Why are contributions off line?

Anonymous said...

They never had to be online, the offices do it to be nice

Anonymous said...

Dissatisfaction with the candidates is the most likely reason.

Anonymous said...

who's trying to raise money locally?

Anonymous said...

I just bought 2 rather small building lots inside the NIZ in Allentown so who's running for office that I can donate to and make sure my projects get built on time?

Maggie Mae Mason said...

Lack of trust is one thing but I also believe that lack of action or progress is certainly true also. Case in point is the caretaker internship of Donchez in Bethlehem. Nothing of any real significance has happened in the past 21 months.

Anonymous said...

Nobody wants to see their donation go to a legal defense fund.

Let the lying politician slobs eat cake.

Anonymous said...

7:35. We all know that you can't even afford new underware let alone buying property, but the sarcasm was right on target.

Anonymous said...

People are waking up and becoming aware... The "powers that be" are seeing the propaganda machine and "business as usual" engine sputtering and running on fumes... The damage has been done as everyone is running for cover and attempting to NOW "do the right thing" for the City... But last night's school protest, politicians being indicted all over PA, the awkward silence of our leaders, tarnished reputations, and legacies literally going up in smoke are just signs of things that will "change" Allentown, PA in the future... These are are why people are cluthcing their purses just a bit tighter these days...

- Alfonso Todd

Anonymous said...

Is schossberg & schweyer taking any donations? Will anyone be challenging these two who are neck deep in the political corruption that is the city of Allentown?

Bernie O'Hare said...

Three comments from The Blog Mentor, posing under different pseudonyms, have been deleted bc they are anonymous personal attacks at other readers.

Anonymous said...

Fear of Mike-rophones, perhaps? This too shall pass and we'll soon return to government by the highest campaign bidder. I'm donating to the family fund for whomever Pat Browne eventually kills the next time he rides his scooter while hammered. ARD for a first time offenders - my ass.

Anonymous said...

Bernie,
who and what entity with in the city's administration called for the removel of this meeting from the calender agenda similar to the water war final sale¿!($ I am sure the sneek that snuk the Z creation undercover of Mann's skirt RePete was and is privey¿!($ Than it could be the other boy toy with his yamika south of epicentral teaching gagetry skills published¿!($


redd
patent pending

M. Dierdre Fleck said...

Sounds like everybody misses my excellent services.

Anonymous said...

Dishonest pigs aren't stuffing their pockets with the campaign contributions these days?

Too bad, so sad.

Now all we need is some Pied Piper jerk full of empty platitudes to intentionally incite all the dopey kids in Allentown to riot!

Oh, wait, we are good to go with that.

So cool, this City Without Limits.

Peter J.Cochran said...

I remember Congressmen RITTER walked off with $300,000 -what a douse bag ----he screwed the Republican party here locally for years. I would have hung him from a bridge if it was up to me -so don]t vote me in for anything .

Anonymous said...

Perhaps Allentown's Democrat Mayor Ed Pawlowski is the best one to ask but why are politicians allowed to use campaign contributions for personal legal defense funds?

Anonymous said...

@11:34 Bernie,

I've never really taken a look at the Blogger platform, but I wonder if there is a way to configure it to display the IP address from which a comment originates. That way, shrill little poodles like the Blog Mentor would be a lot easier to spot when yipping at the heels of their betters.

(BTW is it only you who are prohibited from referring to the yipping poodle (a.k.a. Blog Mentor) by his name, or does the prohibition apply to your site as a whole?)

Jeffrey Anthony

Bernie O'Hare said...

Jeffrey, Since the Blog Mentor has repeatedly violated the agreement, I am no longer bound by it. But I prefer not naming him and giving him attention. I do have a statcounter but rarely use it bc it is too easy to disguise yourself.

Anonymous said...

@7:33 Bernie

Too bad. On the other hand, the Blog Mentor (though I may change things up a bit if you don't object and henceforth refer to him as "FiFi") is not very bright at all -- as his lifelong inability to hold a job can attest. It's likely he couldn't figure out how to disguise himself if he had 20 square yards of camo and was in the woods.

Jeffrey Anthony

Ed Zucal Democratic Candidate for Lehigh County Sheriff said...

Bernie, as you mentioned in your article "St George and the Sheriff" my opponent has received donations from J.B. Reilly down to Abe Atiyah. You also saw that a lot of the unions also donated. I would like to say that I was approached by some of those unions prior to me attending the Syrian Flag raising. After I went to that they didn't call back. Interesting enough those same people donated to my opponent . It wasn't because they don't believe in me they were directed to not give me money. Compare contributors of some of the other politicians and you will solve the puzzle very easily. On a final note I will have the money I need to do what i need to do even though it isn't thousands of dollars. As you know money is probably the least important thing when it comes getting the votes. Thanks for listening.

Anonymous said...

@8:18

I don't often vote for Democrats, Mr. Zucal, but if you didn't take any union money... You've got *my* vote!

Best wishes for a successful campaign...

Jeffrey Anthony

Ed Zucal Democratic Candidate for Lehigh County Sheriff said...

Thank you Mr. Anthony. Your vote won't be wasted I assure you. Thanks again.

Anonymous said...

Ed,
You might have got more union support had you attended our training and interviews. We discussed that and if you weren't aware, ask your county chair why you weren't notified. We don't endorse unless individuals attend or have legitimate reasons why they couldn't make it. Money normally follows endorsements. You are an honorable man and would make a fine Sheriff as would Joe. The community would be well served with either of you and that is indeed rare.
Gregg Potter

Anonymous said...

Mr zucal I know you will make a great sheriff and people love you and at least your name it not on the federal list like other people Mr zucal keep up the good work.by the way where can we make a big donation my people from Dominican Republic and our business people will like to give you donations thank you

Anonymous said...

I'm looking at 9:10 and finding it amusing that forced-membership union commissars have "training" for candidates for elected office. In what? Racketeering? Advanced intimidation? Vandalism? Paycheck pilfering?

Seriously, how could a forced-membership union possibly have anything of value to say to a candidate participating in the democratic process in good faith? Let's not forget that "Chicago Eddy" Pawlowski kicked-off his campaign in a forced-membership labor union hall. See how well that went?

Jeffrey Anthony

Bernie O'Hare said...

Jeffrey, I would not associate any of those things with Gregg Potter, whom I consider a man of great personal integrity. The training of which Potter speaks probably is a campaigning 101 course. Many first time candidates are unaware of things like street lists and don't know how to reach voters. As for forced union membership, my understanding is that everyone must pay dues, but people are free to join a union. If I am incorrect, please let me know.

Without question, unions have their flaws. But they are very necessary. At one time, I strongly believed they were totally unnecessary in the public sector, and Potter and I went at it more than once over that issue. My thinking has changed as a result of several instances of good workers being railroaded out of their jobs by their public employer. Had there been no union, they would be defenseless.

Anonymous said...

I appreciate your input, Bernie, and, out of respect for you, will tone it down a bit in the future.

To your first point, yes, all have forced "dues" seized from their paycheck. In non-Right-to-Work states, resisters are summarily fired. To say that American workers don't have to "join" is a fig leaf. It's as if we said in time of draft, "You have to wear the uniform and you have to fight, but you don't actually have to join the army per se." Many Constitutionalists have little patience for forced-membership union collaborators, though all support the right to *voluntarily* join and financially support a union -- or any other legal, non-seditious organization. In short, we believe in The Dignity of Choice.

But Potter *is* a shill for forced-membership labor unions, and they do have a long, sordid history of racketeering, violence, extortion, and all manner of crimes against working American families and their employers. With that sort of shameful heritage, I'd doubt the good Mr. Potter is particularly thin-skinned.

Bernie O'Hare said...

No need to tone it down. Just wanted you to know that in my own interactions with Potter, and they have sometimes been difficult, I have always found him to be a man of honor.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Bernie. I am not hard to find and will talk with anybody.
Gregg Potter

Anonymous said...

1:40 I am not hard to find and gave my name. Where is yours? Contact me at potterfb@msn.com I will gladly speak w you. You have no idea what I do so I would be glad to enlighten you. You may be surprised.
Gregg Potter

Anonymous said...

My name is Jeffrey Anthony. That should have been obvious to you, given that I was responding to Bernie's comments on my original, *signed*, comments. Give it a re-read... See? Bernie saw my name.

I have a pretty good idea what you do. You work to strip Americans of their livelihood if they don't pony-up the so-called "fair share" -- or perhaps in your current role you aid and abet the forced-membership labor bosses who do. That about sum it up?

But go ahead, give enlightenment a shot here in a public forum, комисса́р...

(Just so you don't miss it again)
Jeffrey Anthony

Ed Zucal Democratic Candidate for Lehigh County Sheriff said...

Gregg I was not referring to you specifically or your unions. As you may not know I am endorsed by Teamsters Local 773 and the Teamsters National Black Caucus. I did not receive any money for. Them. Sometimes it's about the endorsement not always about the money. As far as union leadership goes I was a two term president of our police union. Yes we had our talk. There is a lot more than what our conversation covered. I have no ill feelings towards you at all. It is what it is. I consider you a friend. I appreciate your kind words about me as well.

To anonymous 12:33 my campaign address is on my financial reports. Please feel free to donate. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Don't underestimate the power of being forced-membership union-free, Mr. Zucal.

Having witnessed the massive corruption of the forced-membership union backed "Chicago Eddy" Pawlowski, decent citizens of Allentown and the Lehigh Valley are looking for candidates who are above associating with crooks. Chicago Eddy kicking-off his Senate campaign in the union hall of the International Union of Operating Engineers -- one of our country's most corrupt forced-membership unions -- was a disgusting spectacle no one but hard-core forced-membership unionistas wants to see repeated.

Take the high road...

Anonymous said...

@5:40 Signed Jeffrey Anthony

Anonymous said...

Union Thug :

Where is your blowup rat doll you like to play with so much?