Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
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Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Does Fetterman Have a Shot?
Most politicians look to see which way a crowd is going before deciding to follow. There's very little leadership, especially in the LV delegation to the state house. The higher the office, the more reluctant candidates are to actually say anything. That's a dilemma for mainstream candidates like Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush, who are perceived as more as the continuation of dynasties than as independent thinkers who are willing to lead. Pundits claim that this is why Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are so popular. Could Pennslvanians be looking for someone like that in the U.S. Senate race, too?
Enter John Fetterman, the Mayor of Braddock, a borough tinier than Nazareth, and one that he won by a single vote in 2005. Could he be the guy that takes out Joe Sestak and Katie McGinty in the race for the Democratic nod?
He certainly fits the role of the anti-politician. Standing 6'8" tall, he looks more like a bouncer or Hell's Angel than a graduate of Harvard, which he incidentally is.
He announced his candidacy from his rooftop today.
He's interested in helping people get education, housing and jobs. Instead of fine dining or special tax breaks for gazillionaires, he is interested in seeing that people are fed and that people will come if they are treated right.
Does he have a chance?
19 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.
Well, lets see, my last time in the booth I wrote in the names of people I knew to be closeted criminals in the township with the hopes of drawing some attention to them, it didn't, but it felt good.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could go back to believing it makes a difference. I think lots of people feel this way, so Trump and Bernie do have an appeal in that they both are known quantities.
Trump is huge, and great, and loves women, Mexicans, and thinks the rest of the world has really, really smart leaders. He is a mook, a known quantity. Extremely likely to win in this truck-nuts country.
Bernie is bright, well versed on issues, and a democratic socialist, a known quantity, and I believe him to be a good and deceit man. He will never be the president in this country where communism is outlawed forcing socialist to the far left. Hell, Liberal mean Rino and the tea party is on there way to becoming the centrist.
Fetterman, I know little about the man other than his Jesse Ventura look (not a bad thing). If he says what he means and is willing to double down on it I think he has a chance, but I think it's an uphill battle for anyone to energized those who have become so disillusioned as I have.
Fegley for mayor!
ReplyDeleteI hope so. Then he can beat that chicken-hawk twerp Toomey.
ReplyDeleteHe seems remarkably similar to a garden variety politician. No.
ReplyDeleteYes he does. Sestak and McGinty are both from the eastern part of the state. If Fetterman wins the west and the other 2 split the east, he can win. The fact that he got a graduate degree from Harvard isn't a big deal. It really isn't that hard to get into some of their graduate programs. Why doesn't he publicize that his undergrad was from Albright College? Doesn't fit the narrative?
ReplyDeleteYes he can. He has as much of a chance as Reibman getting re-elected. slim to none.He will take away votes from a qualified candidate like Sestak. McGinty being a woman will get the womens vote and there goes the election. He will assure a McGinty victory. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteBernie,He's probably a real person,no fluff, and has gut feelings about how things work. Not bad ,if one sticks to principles. I can envision him getting off the ground because the OF the 'silent majority' wave presently.This says-- no career politicians and I'm for that.I like New Hampshire's model best of their state house representatives.. Anon8'17 - has, in my humble opinion the breakout for the primary. This candidate presently will lacks curb appeal to many but, could be a hand full. Harvard,no-non sense , unpolished ,steel town background, you get what you see here. Enjoy life -don't fight,good day all.
ReplyDeleteBring back Fed Ed! This guy and Ed could enter the octagon with the winner earning $1 million in illegal campaign financing. Th Penguin will elude Big Bad John for the first 20 seconds, waddling around the ring dodging blows. But then the Braddock Basher will snatch Fed Ed and put him in a bear hug until his googly eyes pop out, much to the delight of Miked Fleck at ringside. Such is Pennsylvania state politics...
ReplyDeleteThis is slightly (well, OK, entirely) off topic, but I'm hoping to get it around widely and quickly. I just had a chat with the City Solicitor about Chicago Eddy banning from the Facebook "Allentown: City Without Limits" page anyone who dares to ask a question about the current pay-to-play fiasco.
ReplyDeleteIf you've been banned simply for speaking out, maybe give her a call to turn up the heat a bit.
Jeffrey Anthony
8:17, Sestak and McGinty are o check this guy out. qualified ... to lose. They're all qualified. I'm sick of the politics as usual and am going t
ReplyDeleteDemocrats running for the Senate in 2016 will have to defend Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and John Kerry running the United States into the ground for the past eight years.
ReplyDeleteI hope they like swimming into Tsunamis. Why do you think the voters are as mad as hell and aren't going to take it any more ?
Obamacare
ReplyDeleteObamaphones
Stagnant Wages
Unemployment high and going higher. (everyone knows the official unemployment rate is a fraud)
Allowing Illegal Aliens to run wild in the United States? The border with Mexico is a joke
Putin constantly telling Obama to stuff it
Cash for Clunkers. A decent car costs $30,000.
College costs are out of control. You wind up $50,000 in debt and can't find a full-time job.
Doing nothing about Terrorists. ISIS running rampant in the Middle East
Giving Iran the Bomb
Yeah, defend all that Democratic canidate for Senate.
Just because the guy doesn't care about his personal appearance doesn't change who he is. He's another Ivy League grad douchebag who's simply parroting the company line. This dope doesn't have an original thought when you get past the poorly done body art. He's more normal and boring than he thinks he is.
ReplyDeleteWow...How does one go about unpacking all that straw man stuff. To not understand how little Obama is historically relevant to all those issues is embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteThe "ISIS running rampant in the Middle East" Straw man would have us going back to Sykes-Picot just to have a basic understanding. A few hours of research at least.
I would have no idea how a single man like Fetterman or anyone else could remedy how completely uninformed and misinformed some us are.
So many of us seem to confuse feelings with knowledge, and personalities with principalities.
Do not leave long gaps at the ends of comments or I will delete.
ReplyDeleteSorry Bernie,
ReplyDeleteThat was unintentional, I will endeavor to neither waste space or be a waste of space. Believe me, I know how a little space can matter quite a bit.
Sorry to be picayune, but it throws people off.
ReplyDeleteI love that you used lichens in a sentence!
ReplyDeleteDamon autocorrect! Picayune!!
ReplyDelete