A man who lived in his mommy's basement and has spent his entire career feeding at the public trough claims it is time to "completely drain the swamp."
Justin himself is the swamp.
“Justin says one thing in private, then turns around and says the exact opposite to the potential voters he’s trying to mislead. This is a politician at his absolute worst,” Dent said in a statement released by his campaign.
“In several statements, Justin has attacked me and my service to the people of our community, even adopting catchphrases from President Trump in a pathetic attempt to pander to supporters of the President," said Dent. He's referring to several of Simmons' Facebook snarks. "Outside the public’s view, Justin says and does very different things,” Dent continued.
Dent proceeds to prove it, too. He provided copies of those text messages,which now appear here.
In one exchange in mid-August 2016 – when then candidate Trump’s poll numbers sagged - Justin even questioned Dent about the potential for replacing Trump on the ballot, hoping Trump would be removed at that time. "Do you think there is any chance the party can replace Trump on top of ticket?" he asked Dent on August 16.
“While there is nothing new about political opportunism, it is still shocking when someone tries to blatantly deceive the people he supposedly wants to represent,” observed Dent.
Just a few months ago, Simmons had his eye on another major office - Lieutenant Governor. That until the lack of support ended that possibility. That fizzled when he realized he had no support, except for maybe his wife, and I'm not even sure about her.
It all depends which way the wind is blowing.
Simmons explained to PoliticsPa that he only asked Dent about removing Trump from the ballot after news broke that Trump had been bragging about grabbing women "by the pu--y." But as PoliticsPa also notes, Simmons spoke with Dent about removing Trump in August, two months before Trump's "pu--y" remarks were disclosed.
So Simmons got caught in a lie.
Like I said, he's the swamp.
70 comments:
Wow, Dent must really be scared, Simmons hasn't even announced yet and he is attacking, Most popular Rep in the state you say, I hear he has 23% approval by republicans, lower than Trump. If Dent was really confident, he would just be ignoring Simmons.
Charlie's vicious.
I love it....
A wounded animal is always the most vicious
If you don't like them Bernie, that means they're good for Pennsylvania and bad for the Democrats.
Wow! Charlie hands out dough and expects the recipients to obey, then calls them hypocrites when they don't? Maybe Dent doesn't understand integrity.
I always gave money to Charlie. Not any more. I will do whatever I can to unseat him.
Charlie knows he's vulnerable, and rightfully so. This useless establishment politician, who gave Simmons money in the past, now calls him a phony. I suggest Charlie Dent is a phony and a democrat in disguise. Hopefully the republicans can unseat this traitor to the party and he can buy a house close to his friend, Barack Obama.
Kinda hypocritical of Bernie to bash Justin now when he supported him in the past! Time to grow up and move beyond the basement Bernie and Charlie! Give credit where credit is due. Sure Justin lived at home with his family. Justin has been a property owner for 7 yrs now. What a cheap shot to go after his wife! Shame on you Bernie! Dent is running scared and is retaliating the only way he knows how.... TO PLAY DIRTY!
Dent is a lifelong career politician who is just a little too comfortable with all the many trappings of being a United States Congressman. Time for the RINO Dent to get off the gravy train he has been riding for so long.
none of the above
Justin and his zombie followers are are all power hungry, sniveling little jerks who need to be bitch slapped by Dent. They are not Republicans. They are authoritarians.
Authoritarian = new label for those that Democrats don't like. Used to be called Nazis, before that Facists, before that who knows.....
Used to be you supported the incumbent no matter what, you also supported the nominee of the party no matter what, Thanks to dent and his cohorts, they have given us all permission to discard that policy. We can now all be good republicans and discard those who we don't like.
9:04 OK. Justin the Jerk is also a Nazi, a Fascist (get the spelling right so you don't reveal what an ignorant person you are) and any other ring wing lunatic label that fits. Bottom line is he's not a Republican, and neither are you if you support him. Satisfied? Oh, and I'm not a democrat.
10:21 Just for clarity, if you support Trump are you a Republican?
I realize Bernie doesn't appreciate when I post a link, but I wonder how many here know what Dent's voting record looks like before they speak.
Check out his key voting record here >> https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/charles_dent/400648
One of the more interesting stats is "From Jan 2005 to Jul 2017, Dent missed 28 of 9,318 roll call votes, which is 0.3%. This is better than the median of 2.2% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving." Most of them while he was attending memorial services somewhere.
In my eyes Dent is one of the ever decreasing number of moderate Republicans who's not going to go along just to get along with the more radical elements in either party. And that's a good thing!
10:46. Whom in the senate would you categorize as a "moderate" Democrat besides Joe Manchin ?
I'm not aware of a darn thing that Simmons has actually accomplished during his time in office. The state's still in the retail liquor business, teachers still have the right to strike, we have the highest gas tax in the country, we still have 501 school districts....and Pennsylvania is more broke than ever.
Bottom line....Simmons seems to have been ineffective. And now he wants a promotion? Incredible.
" What a cheap shot to go after his wife!"
I did not and would never go after your wife. I suggested that even she would have second thoughts about your goofy pretensions. Lieutenant Governor just a few months ago, and now Congress. Plus I would never treat an ally the way you did. It's a real reflection of a complete lack of moral character on your part. You just threw Dent under the bus, something Dent would not do to him.
I thought you were a better person. Guess not.
I was willing to accept your broken term limit pledge but you have demonstrated that your word is shit. You couldn't even get your facts right and lied about when you decided you wanted to replace Trump. If you want to be a liar you should have a better memory.
"10:21 Just for clarity, if you support Trump are you a Republican?"
No, if you support Trump you are an authoritarian.
"I realize Bernie doesn't appreciate when I post a link, but I wonder how many here know what Dent's voting record looks like before they speak."
That's actually a pretty good link. Actually, I prefer the links to a cut and paste of a news account. But when you use links, Blogger often recognizes them as spam and just relegates your comment to the spam folder. In fact, the first thing I did after seeing your comment was check..I discovered about 15 comments from other posters to stories over the past few weeks. I published them but need to check the spam folder more often.
"Authoritarian = new label for those that Democrats don't like. Used to be called Nazis, before that Facists, before that who knows....."
Actually, it's a very accurate description of Trump and his supporters. He has no real ideology, preys on people's hate and fears, attacks a free and independent press and clearly is a believer in strong central control at the expense of a loss of freedom.
"A wounded animal is always the most vicious "
A smart animal does not wound himself. That is what you did, Justin. You have managed to completely sabotage yourself. Justin Simmons, RIP.
I guess I'm an authoritarian for selecting the lesser of two evils and voting against Hillary. I think that's an improvement from "deplorable," however. I'll look it up. If all you're left to do is sophomoric name calling (like Trump does too, actually), your not discussing pertinent issues and you're continuing to get your ass handed to you, as has been the case for the last six years. I love that six months out, you still can't fathom that a large number of Trump voters are not Trump supporters. They're pragmatic and simply couldn't vote for Hillary after trying their darnedest to head off Trump's nomination. Disgruntled Democrats in rust belt states carried Trump. They used to vote for Democrats. I'm sure they'll be running back, having been swayed by being called racists, nazis, homophobes, deplorables, authoritarians, etc. Everyone knows the best way to win converts is to constantly slur them. Good luck with that.
Anonymous September 1, 2017 at 12:57 PM wrote:
"...large number of Trump voters are not Trump supporters. They're pragmatic and simply couldn't vote for Hillary..."
There is much truth in that statement.
I've spoken to Justin Simmons and I found him to now be an entrenched, polished politician. He was quite arrogant. Guess he forgets where his salary and benefits come from. He has become part of the status quo, which we can no longer afford, at any level. Zach Mako is primed to be the next Justin Simmons. I hope Zach doesn't let that happen. I have found with my representatives at all levels, that if you speak to them directly and candidly, honestly, and speak of what you know, then they will be candid in return. There have been exceptions and nuances to this of course. You may not hear what you want or like. You will at least learn what goes on. The more I know, the more pissed and passionate I become. Throwing insults, labels, name calling, and displaying anger toward others will not accomplish much of any importance.
12:57, I have many friends who voted for the lesser of two evils. But an authoritarian will defend Trump no matter how far he goes. Only you know if that is true.
@11:25 Not sure who you are addressing, but it's not Justin! Get real, Bernie! I thought you were a decent guy, too, but since Trump came around you gone whacko! Did you attend the anti-Dent rally today?
Careful Justin you've already been caught in a lie.
Trump has brought out a new finger-stuck-in-socket Bernie. While he and his fellow travelers fling shit from their cages, they continue to insult the voters who've abandoned them for the last several years. Trump has no better campaigners than Bernie and his tantrum throwing ilk. Please don't stop.
Brown shirts are on sale. Buy a few and you can prance around singing "Heil Tump!"
What is weird about all of this is the more I talk to the left and right, I find more underlying agreement than disagreement. Both sides feel Washington is out of touch. Both sides claim that the cost of health insurance is out of control not to mention big pharmaceutical companies ripping people off. A strong sense of populism seems to be resonating.
The problem is both sides have been conditions to blame each other., To me, Trump "represented" a "finger" to the establishment, just as Bernie S. did for the left.
My only reservation is that I don't see Trump as the figure people wanted him to be. Bernie is right he is more authoritarian than reformer. The last thing North America needs is the great man on the white horse syndrome that plagued South America for years.
Of course the extremes of both sides will stay polarized but I do believe people for th emost part want to work together for the betterment of all.
By mentioning Simmons wife, you really hit below the belt Bernie. Shame on you! Maybe, you should become an adult and stop the deceitful tactics.
Wow, I saw that rally on TV, I didn't know Charlie dent is that unpopular, it looks like they are out to get him.
Justin wasn't caught in a lie. I think that he responded as, honestly as he could. I would like to challenge anyone to have perfect recall of a comment, conservation, e-mail, text or letter that they have ever written. It wasn't a sworn affidavit! However, I do know that Dent is quick to do character assassination, against someone that isn't 100% committed to running for Congress,yet. It just proves that Charlie is vicious and weak.
9:29, Yes Justin, you were caught in a lie. You tried to claim that you only sought to have Trump removed after his disgusting p---y remarks, when in fact it was two months before!
The party of Reagan does not exist anymore (nor could it I suppose). How times have changed from the idea, espoused by even some of today’s anti-Dent folks not that long ago, that the GOP should be a big enough tent to be able to be electable and to govern effectively. Now it’s almost like a cult of personality with some of the die-hard Trump supporters. “Support the ‘Trump Agenda’ or get out of the way”??
I know he was a big supporter of Trump last year, but Newt Gingrich (not the same Gingrich at today’s rally) was quoted in a 2009 Hill article: “Ronald Reagan campaigned for many people he didn’t agree with,” Gingrich said. “You say, ‘How do we get a majority? How do we kick Nancy Pelosi out of the Speaker’s office? How do we make Barack Obama a one-term president? You had better be prepared to run a coalition that is pretty big, because this is a country of 305 million people”.
Now? Let me preface that given the choice, I will admit to coming around to voting for him in November (but not in the primary). However, Trump, and those demanding some perceived personal loyalty to him, and/or to some notion of ideological purity (e.g., Freedom caucus in Congress, or Tea folks in Harrisburg), are destroying the Republican party in the name of saving it; not that the Dems are offering anything better. For the first time in 35 years, I’ve gone “non-affiliated.” I am sure those at today’s rally couldn’t be happier that center-right folks are choosing to leave the Republican party so they can be all the purer in their eyes. But as the Big Tent becomes a pup tent have fun winning elections eventually. Actually, Reagan used to say, “I didn’t leave the Democratic party, the Democratic party left me.” That’s how I feel about today’s Republicans.
Justin, as I've already explained once, I would never attack your wife or even your dog. I just joked that I doubt even she would support you against Dent. That is there for everyone to see, so once again, you are being dishonest.
Well said, Ovem.
It is a cult of personality.
No Bernie the comment wasn't written by Justin. Stop assuming! I just sick and tired of the hypocrisy that Dent has been displaying. Originally, Dent voted against Obamacare. And when he a chance to actually, vote for a repeal. Dent became an obstructionist. Instead,of working on a solution, we all see Charlie going from one news show to another bashing Trump. The constituents feel betrayed and are getting overwhelmed with the cost of healthcare. So, who is being a deceitful liar. It's obvious that it's Dent.
Careful,Justin, You don't want to be caught in yet another lie. You've already established that you're a backstabber.
I think Bernie has early onset of dementia! It's the only explanation for his foul behavior!
"The constituents feel betrayed and are getting overwhelmed with the cost of healthcare. So, who is being a deceitful liar. It's obvious that it's Dent."
So just to be clear, when Trump was running he stated his healthcare plan would be better. It would be cheaper, cover everyone and no one would lose coverage. The plan the Republican Senate offered now know as Trumpcare, because Trump demanded its passage did none of those things. So who is really the liar? When exactly will the plan(s) Trump himself stated he would provide be introduced? Or is it possible the President was lying?
1:23, Justin, I'd rather be suffering from dementia and thinking you are a nice guy than learning that you have all along been a cheap opportunist who is lying almost as much as Authoritarian Donald Trump.
Bernie staunchly supports a radical pro-abortion politician who has a perfect rating from Planned Parenthood, an organization that traffics in body parts and targets abortions in minority communities. Bernie claims to have mixed race family members, which is a worse affectation to cover his herd-thinning mentality of minorities, than the old "I have a black friend" line. You'd have been fine if your so-called grandson had been headed off before he was born. He should know how you really feel about minority kids. Now delete this because you know in your heart it's absolutely true and it hurts to see your own vicious, subtle bigotry to the point of ethnic cleansing. And Charlie Dent would have preferred to see your grandson never born - or even his body parts used for grisly experimentation.
I think what we can conclude from this discussion is that Charlie Dent is only liked by liberals like Bernie because he/Dent shares all their political beliefs.Yet somehow Republicans who disapprove of those beliefs are labeled and smeared because they are pro-life, pro small government, pro-immigration enforcement, pro-gender/penis/vagina oriented restrooms, and pro-human rather than pro identity.
Dude Bernie take a chill-pill, a shot of whiskey and relax. The voters will decide at the polls.
Bernie O'Hare is a piece of shit, end of story ... the voters decided at the polls last fall and Bernie hasn't stopped freaking out since.
Actually, the voters elected Hillary Clinton.You seem to keep overlooking that minor detail. But this is not about Dent or even Trump or my ideology or whether I am a piece of shit, the argument that anonymous cowards make when they start losing on the merits. This is about character.
Justin Simmons is a phony. He is a political opportunist who first ran and the argument he would only be there for two terms. He broke that promise, and I gave him a pass. Now he is going from sucking off of one government teat to another on the argument that he wants to drain the swamp. He IS the swamp.
This is a guy who, just a few months ago, was running for Lt Governor. He has no real interest in serving but is just looking for a job where he can continue to feed at the public trough. I have a message from him myself, saying he is "seriously considering" running for LT Governor.
Because he won't get party support for LT Governor, he is suddenly a Congressman. On Facebook,he has even said he stays out of the national issues.
He is also a liar. He apparently forgot about his text messages slamming Trump. He now screams that they were private messages, but thought nothing of using private messages sent to him by Jackson.
When Dent demonstrated Justin's hypocrisy, he lied. He said he made those remarks in October, in reaction to Trump's "p-ssy" remarks. He in fact made them two months earlier. So after being exposed as a hypocritical opportunist, he lies.
This is a guy who has NEVER been able to run a clean campaign. From Beyer to Horton to Deeley to Coyle to Beyer's son to Jackson. Every one of these races was ugly. I had thought that these must all be bad people, but the common denominator in all cases was Justin Simmons. I had to close comments on Simmons' stories at least ten times bc he just gets downright ugly.
People can slam me, a "liberal," for supporting Dent. What they are overlooking is that I supported Simmons, too. What matters to me more than anything is transparency and accountability.
But I also believe in loyalty. Justin owed Dent some loyalty, as Dent has always been there for him. He even supported Justin and endorsed him in a primary. Simmons has stabbed him in the back,solely to advance himself. So Simmons haslost my support, and I suspect his political career is over.
It will be one hell of a campaign, Dent with his Tuesday people sending in millions, Simmons will get the grass roots supporters, Bernie, stock up on tums and blood pressure medicine, you survived 2016, but 2018 may be worse.
I'll have quite a few good laughs watching that campaign explode and seeing Simmons end his political career the way he started it, on low notes. You are being played by a political opportunist and someone who seems to have difficulty being honest.
The one thing that you are probably not aware of Bernie. Is that people have been wanting to have Dent voted out of office, for a long time. They feel betrayed by Charlie. So, it's Dent that has played the constituents. And it's Dent that is the opportunist.
I am very well aware that there has always been an undercurrent of Rs who have felt Dent is not Republican enough. I am equally well aware that there has always been a large segment of Democrats who felt he is too conservative. A few years ago, when I got elected to the NorCo Dem Committee with one vote (my own), Mike Fleck (remember him?) made an impassioned plea for Democrats to excommunicate me bc I support Dent. The vote ended in a tie, and I refused to resign,so then chair Walt Garvin stopped sending me notices.
Dent is a centrist who leans right. He has always been a centrist who leans right. There is no reason to feel betrayed and that is utter horseshit bc this is what Charlie has always been.
I agree with him about 20-30% of the time, but will say that he does his homework and knows the issues far better than I do. He is a grown up who does not indulge in the cult of personality that has sucked up Lee Snover. Justin has demonstrated he is a rank opportunist with a penchant for dishonesty and you will support him bc he indulges your cult of personality? Please. Wake up.
yes bernie, the guy who doesn't take the "get rich quick" pension, the free car, and the nice per diem is a phony. And Dent, the guy who raises tons of cash from all the usual places is Mr sincere. try to see beyond your own blinders every now and then, and by the way, why the need to name call everyone with a different opinion. I mean holy socks, do you want an interesting dialogue or just shout downs here?
Justin,I have provided an interesting dialogue. I have pointed out that, just a few months ago, you were running for LT Governor. You've also had your eye on Browne's seat. Now it is Dent's seat. You've shown you have no loyalty so there's no reason to believe that you will be loyal to Trump. You've also been dishonest. You are the swamp. You have devoted your career to feeding at the public trough while pretending otherwise. You claimed you would only serve two terms until you realized that meant you would have to step down. Now the person who said people should not stay in government is after another public sector job, pretending to be pro Trump. Ehat you are in pro-Simmons.
"Actually, the voters elected Hillary Clinton.You seem to keep overlooking that minor detail. "
You embarrass yourself even as a disbarred attorney if you really believe that Mr O'Hare. You know damn well that's not how our election system works. Quit acting like an asshole
By being honest? I realize that you all like to delude yourselves. The simple reality is that evil Hillary won the popular vote. By a lot.i know the electoral college trumps popular vote, but trump is by no means popular. Carry on. I think jack boots are on sale at Whitehall army navy.
"The simple reality is that evil Hillary won the popular vote."
Which is nice but absolutely meaningless. What law school did you attend Mr. O'hare ?
Discard the illegal votes in California, Illinois and New York, and she didn't even win the popular vote. In La. county there were 144% registered voters than residents.
Blah blah blah blah. The topic here is Simmons, not where I went to law school or the myth of voter fraud.
You just can't get over Hillary lost Bernie.
You have to switch the subject, Justin, bc you are unable to answer the charge that you are both a political opportunist and a liar. All you can do is say, "Hillary lost" or "you're disbarred." So what? You are an opportunist who is untruthful. If you stab Charlie Dent in the back, you'll stab the voter in the back, too.
Dent has never liked Trump, that's the only reason you like him Bernie.
For example, shortly after Trump took office, Dent attacked Trump’s proposed travel ban, saying “You can’t do that to people.” The reality is that as President, President Trump has the authority to do exactly what he did, Just as Carter threw out the Iranian students in 1980 during the hostage crisis.
Dent’s career has been nothing more than a laundry list of abject surrender to the liberal Democrats. If he wants to be a Democrat, then let him change his party affiliation just as Hyman changed his to Republican so he could run for mayor without having to run in the primary against the other Democrats.
Simply, you can't trust a Rat and a turncoat. Dent is a Rat to the Republicans, just as Hyman is a Rat and a turncoat to both the Democrats and Republicans.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to run for a higher public servant position. I wouldn't call that being an opportunist.
Also, as a lawyer you know the mantra among all of your peers. It's not a matter of being right or wrong, but who wins the fight. And, Dent is well indoctrinated with that belief. As evident with his character assassination tactics, before Justin has even fully committed to running for Congress.
Justin @ 8:37, A person too scared to say who he is lacks the moral integrity to call another person a rat or a turncoat. But that's what I've come to expect of Justin.
Justin @ 8:31, I supported Dent long before Trump showed his orange face.
Justin @ 8:34,I guess you can just ignore those so-called judges who ruled that Trump's
initial Exec Order was excessive and beyond his authority. Dent was upset bc Syrian families that he represents in his district saw their loved ones sent away,even though they had valid green cards. But it is nice to know you oppose legal immigration, the courts and are willing to tell Syrian families to stick it.
Justin, When you don't say who you are, you are in no position to talk about character assassination. MMMk?
September 2, 2017 at 8:37 PM Anonymous said...
"Dent’s career has been nothing more than a laundry list of abject surrender to the liberal Democrats"
There's nothing wrong expressing an opinion. It's entirely another to outright lie. On September 1, 2017 at 10:46 AM I posted a link to Dent's voting record which bears no semblance to what your saying, Your obvious disregard for the truth on Dent's voting record says more about your integrity then his.
Obviously party purity is all that matters to you. Dent was elected to serve his entire constituency. Not to be a puppet to the party. If every congressional member voted 100% with their party we might as well eliminate congress and let Trump run the whole shebang. Is that what you want? What if the next president and congress went to the liberals? Would that be OK too?
LVCI, I'd argue it's not even party purity, although there are those who have always called Charlie a RINO. I really do think it boils down to Trump. Absolute fealty is owed to this authoritarian. Because Dent refuses to give it, he has been targeted by Trump's sycophants.
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