"Leading the pack is Doug Mastriano, a first-term state senator who rose to prominence by attacking COVID-19 safety protocols and unflaggingly standing behind Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election. He attended the Jan. 6 rally outside the Capitol, although claims he left the crowd before the riots began. Since then, he’s stuck to the Trump line, accused members of his own party of participating in a cover-up and demanded that Tioga, York and Philadelphia counties turn over their election equipment and voting records to him."
Mastriano will appeal to the tea party contingent and get his party's nomination while much better candidates like former US Att'y Bill McSwain and Dave White will be derided and dismissed as RINOs.
Never mind that these more moderate candidates might appeal to Democrats like myself.
While Republicans are in a circular firing squad, AG Josh Shapiro can keep his powder dry for the general election. He will be able to paint Mastiano as an extremist because that's exactly what he is.
In the US Senate race, it's unclear to me whether Trump's endorsement of Mehmet Oz means he will beat Dave McCormick, a West Point and former hedge funds manager who amazingly defends China's record on human rights. These both appear to be weak candidates in a general election. Demorats are poised, however, to ensure that a Republican wins.
That's because the Democratic front runner is John Fetterman, who is way ahead of Conor Lamb in both polling and money. Fetterman may look like a steelworker, but is as woke as you get. His views are alien to most Pennsylvanians, and Republicans will have a field day with him in the general.
Republicans will pick the worst possible candidate for Governor and Democrats will return the favor in the US Senate race.
This is why independents should be allowed to vote in primaries.
49 comments:
I would respectfully disagree with Independents voting in a primary. Although ,I feel most I’s are generally smarter than the general average other political groups,I think they don’t comment or commit until some dust settles. They chose to stand to the side. It’s like going to a ball game and putting on the winning teams uniform shirts in the 3rd quarter . Also, the R’s have confused this primary , confusing their own constituents. “Steel worker”candidate is Woke alright and he does appear in favor by many on both left and right . But, if we have 3 people that always agree on everything,we don’t need two of them on payroll. Good day.
Disagree about Fetterman. He has been taking meetings in red areas of the state and the big man has appeal there because he listens to working class people. He is unpretentious and hard to paint as an elitist. His incident with the black jogger will, if anything, appeal to Trump crossover Dems.
Why is Fetterman the most liberal?? Kenyatta is the farthest left by far. Is it because he wants to legalize recreational pot? So do most Pennsylvanians, just ask those pointing to the states all around us that have done so. I think you've been watching too many Lamb commercials.
Doug Mastriano is a solid choice to be Pennsylvania’s next Governor. He’s the best option among Republicans and for those who will be looking for MUCH better leadership than we have received during the Wolf/Shapiro term.
It’s obvious, Mastriano is the opponent Shapiro and Democrats do not want to face in November. They have been spending advertising dollars specifically against Mastriano, ignoring the others. That tells me all I need to know about Doug Mastriano’s potential to deliver a dramatically different administration than the failed, even embarrassing, decisions of the current group in Harrisburg.
Not so fast. "Independents" voting in primaries is what led to the emergence of Donald Trump from the New Hampshire primary in 2016. Many forget that he lost the closed Iowa Republican caucus.
Katey Barnette!
Wait I thought after Republicans questioned Alexander Vindman's the rule was you are not allowed to question veterans. How dare you Bernie. You should be cancelled
Our future Norco GOP leader has already shot down the Oz vote. No Muslim from Pennsylvania will occupy a seat in Congress or the Senate!
As a self identified liberal supporting Kenyatta, I can tell you a lot of people on the left do not support Fetterman. He'll say whatever he needs to depending on the audience he's in front of. But no true progress who understands his recorded on the environment would support him. The incident with the jogger is a problem as well. He Illegally detaining someone at gun point but got off because he was Mayor. Anyone else would have been charged. And he's never really taken accountability for it. Just because he wants to legalize pot doesn't make him a progressive. That's a mainstream issue that most Republicans support at this point.
Dead on, Bernie. Sadly.
@7:22 AM Mastriano would deliver a "dramatically different" administration, in the same way dictator Dumpster Fire did. Most people and most Pennsylvanians don't want that. "Solid choice"? Feces is a solid, you know.
Don't overlook Kathy Barnette. A lot of appeal there.
"Disagree about Fetterman. He has been taking meetings in red areas of the state and the big man has appeal there because he listens to working class people. He is unpretentious and hard to paint as an elitist. His incident with the black jogger will, if anything, appeal to Trump crossover Dems."
I met and spoke with him the first time he ran for the Senate. He does not listen to working class despite what his ad says. He listens to elitists like Wolf and is himself an elitist disguised as an ordinary guy. He was never that. In the Lt Guv mansion, he demonstrated a complete inability to work with others and was actually tossed out of the Senate Chamber. In a state with all kinds of problems affecting the working poor, recreational marijuana is low on the list. That's more of an issue for elitists like him.
I voted for Conor Lamb. It was one of the few votes I could cast.
@7:39 Russian ties is what pushed Trump forward toward the destruction of the USA and its democracy.
None of these millionaire Republican candidates are relatable to the average PA working class citizen, but somehow they’ve convinced you through their fake commercials, with their prop rifles, that they’re just like you, earning an honest living through hard work. It’s all bullshit people. Do y’all ever know how a hedge fund manager makes money? By stealing from the average investor like yourself. And you want THAT in power?
Republicans have never had the ability to think for themselves, they’re TOLD what to think and who to blindly vote for and if you disagree with ONE iota of the propaganda, your labeled a RINO and dismissed as a centrist. It’s a disgusting cycle that includes bouts of strong man fallacy arguments and empty promises.
They’re not looking out for you, they will always be looking out for the wealthy, and using YOU as a step ladder to more wealth.
Excuse me for my skepticism of your critique of ANY candidate for office.
It seems like just yesterday that you were fawning over Tom Wolf, and telling us what a great guy he was. He drove a Jeep after all, and John Morganelli was endorsing him!
Now you (rightfully) call him an "elitist".
After living under his rule for eight years and having him unilaterally close down businesses, schools and steal from us in terms of time and money, I could add many more words that would better describe him. I also would have told you much of this back when he was first running, based on the policies he advocated for.
So I don't think you are the best person to judge candidates, or what should be considered "extreme".
"It seems like just yesterday that you were fawning over Tom Wolf, and telling us what a great guy he was. He drove a Jeep after all, and John Morganelli was endorsing him!"
That was not yesterday, but eight years ago. Wolf was unassuming, promised to be transparent and said he'd work with everyone. His staff declined to even acknowledge emails, he put us in one of the longest intervals in state history without a budget and turned out to be very much an elitist. So I refused to vote for him when he ran for re-election. I also refused to vote for Wagner, another terrible GOP candidate. .
But yes, I was fooled ... just like you were by Trump.
As in the block title extremes are the problem. They have become the problem across the board.
I really don’t know how the Democrat candidates are going to explain away the worst consumer price increases in 40 years, the dramatic increases in federal spending, and the influx of uneducated, unskilled millions of new residents streaming across our southern borders, most of which will require taxpayer assistance. Add in retirement accounts dropping in value, well . . .
The exaggerated fear of losing the abortion option will big a hurdle for Republican candidates to overcome. Even though understanding abortions would still be available (but under state control rather than federal) will be difficult to convince many.
I think no one would care about Fetterman if he didn't dress the way he did. He comes across as "something different". I read in an article about him he was described as a "trust fund baby who gets to play dress up."
Kathy Barnett has spent a fraction of McCormick's and Oz's dough, and she's in a dead heat.
The RINOs you mentioned are, indeed, RINOs. This is not a new concept or slight. It goes back well beyond dastardly Arlen Specter. The reason RINOs exist speaks precisely to the out of balance craziness of Democrats. I don't hear complaints about DINOs. That's because that party is narrowly pure and woke. Please show me a single anti-abortion D. I can show you plenty of pro-abortion Rs. The party with the big tent is Rs. Ds have narrowed to their crazy core. Rs are unwieldy and wild, like Ds used to be before shrinking their tent. The pendulum swings, though. And Ds will begin to fan out or perish, after they are historically embarrassed in November. Running on record gas prices and 8% inflation with a half-retarded standard bearer who occasionally shits his pants in public doesn't line up very nicely for Ds.
You think Lamb is a fan of the working man?? I got a bridge to sell you. He's Mr. Corporate.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but to my knowledge he's a babykiller like Lamb. Therefore, I'll have to vote Republican. Just not sure which one yet.
Not me. You potheads are all idiots. We're going to end up like "Brave New World. " Give you all your daily dose of "soma," and you'll do whatever the government tells you to do.
Haha...you're a riot.
Wow...isn't this the pit calling the kettle black. You think most Democrats care about the average Joe? They're just focused on satisfying their bloodlust for one-party rule.
O'Hare is no astute judge of character, especially in politicians. He is just and angry and bitter old man.
Political signs deep on public property seems to be in poor taste. While driving on Gracedale Ave near the north parking lot, I noticed 2 mastriano signs literally at the foot of the overhang entrance to the Gracedale nursing home. No other signs were present. Not sure if this is fair ground or not., but it seems that "in your face" signs deep on public land should be off limits.
I just saw a Dave McCormick commercial where he said he’s going to finish “Trump’s wall”.
Can a conservative on here explain to me how he think he’s going to do that?
The answer is that you know he can’t, but y’all fall for this propaganda each and every time.
But what do you expect from a group that voted for Trump, AKA Cheeto Jesus, after he said he loved his “less educated” supporters.
Couldn't agree with you more!
Bernie, I don’t get your statement claiming someone was “fooled by Trump.” I know I wasn’t fooled. His America First platform was very appealing to me, and his policies followed through on that completely. Looking back, living in America then presented a more positive impression in the minds of more American citizens than now. Just how were American families deceived by Trump?
Bernie if you hate Tom Wolf and you’re a centrist Democrats then TomWolf must be good.
Look at all the good he has done for the state.
Wolf’s vetoes of tax cuts passed by the Pennsylvania legislature, despite the state having one of the highest corporate income tax rates and the second-highest gas tax rate in the nation. Very Good in my opinion!
— Wolf’s lockdown of the state economy during COVID-19, one of the most extreme lockdowns in the country. Very Good in my opinion!
Cato Institute’s 2020 Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors gives Tom Wolf a ‘C’. The low grade is due to Wolf’s big spending initiatives, such as his push for a natural gas severance tax, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and a broader state corporate tax base. (This represents a significant improvement for Gov. Wolf’s grade from his first term, when he ranked dead last in the 2016 index).
Gov. Wolf’s poor handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21 is among the worst in the country.
— In 2020, Pennsylvania ranked in the top 15 states for coronavirus deaths per million (at 594.4 deaths/million). Although nursing homes experienced 70% of state coronavirus deaths in the first few months of the pandemic, Wolf dragged his feet to implement a plan or protecting nursing homes.
— Trailing only Michigan, Pennsylvania had the second highest number of establishments (30%) that faced government-mandated closure. The national rate of closures was 19%.
— Pennsylvania ranks top 7 in the nation for state unemployment increases (at 9%) between January and July 2020. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia reports that the initial unemployment claims were unprecedented because of the state’s early and expansive shutdown.
— Pennsylvania also ranks top 7 in the nation for employment losses between February 2020 and October 2020. Employment in the accommodation and food service industry, an industry that bore the brunt of Wolf’s COVID-19 lockdown orders, decreased 25.22%.[1]
— Gov. Wolf justified his lockdown measures by saying “We don’t want to become Florida.” Florida, a state with lax pandemic restrictions, has experienced about 20% less deaths per capita than Pennsylvania.
— Gov. Wolf received an ‘F’ for his handling of the pandemic in The Committee to Unleash Prosperity and Freedomworks’ ranking, A Report Card On Reopening States’ Economies. Only New Jersey governor Phil Murphy scored worse, with an ‘F-‘.
Pennsylvania continues to suffer from the economic impacts of Wolf’s draconian business lockdowns. So?
— As of May 2021, CNN ranks Pennsylvania 39 out of 50 (50=worst) in their Back-to-Normal index. The index compares the state’s current economic activity to its pre-pandemic level last March. Pennsylvania’s economy is currently operating at 86% of where it was last year. 👍
— Pennsylvania is near the bottom of State Policy Network’s state job recovery rankings, which means that Pennsylvania is projected to take several years to recover the jobs lost in 2020. As of March 2021.. Very Good in my opinion!
This is very good for our state and if you don’t like it move to Florida.
I always use "Brave New World" as an example of the perfect society, I wish the Democratic party was that good. The Republican party? 1984.
I hope that open primaries would dilute the base fanatics on both sides of the isle. Dingleberry Doug, the guy that identified US military shell casings as those that belonged to Sgt. York. . .
Kelly Ward is a sharp cookie, We republicans certainly shit our pants with Doug.
Fetterman is what we used to call a Trust-a-farian. Dressed like a dirty hippy, yet went shopping with daddy's platinum credit card.
Almost every commercial I see from Republicans is, "I am pro-life, pro-2nd amendment and pro-election integrity". I guess two outta three ain't bad.
I agree wholeheartedly, most democrats are the scum of the earth, but somehow, ALL republicans managed to be worst.
Four years of a “worse than Wolfe” candidate; namely, Shapiro, will cripple Pennsylvania to the point that the “Keystone State” will be unrecognizable. He’s as left wing as they come. Have you ever met him? I did, two years ago and you would think that an event that was not about him but was about “senior issues “ was his political debut (maybe it was). He gravitated to those he thought were important and ignored anyone he felt was not (can you tell who I was?) Josh Shapiro cares only about himself and is an attorney in “title” only. If any of you think that you were treated fairly during the mandates/lockdowns, then by all means, vote for Josh. I intend to work on getting our freedoms back. I also encourage all who are able to watch the movie “2000 mules “ (you too, Bernie). The “big lie” wasn’t one at all. Vote Red in the primary (if so registered) and in November.
The top 10 wealthiest members of Congress it’s 6 republicans and 4 democrats. Pelosi is number 10. Seems pretty even to me. The last thing we need is a socialist trust fund baby representing PA. We need to open these damn primaries up to all voters.
I’m just hoping that the 6’8” Shit kicker boots and Carhartt hoodie wearing Marxist, who profiled an innocent black teenager out for a jog by pointing a loaded shotgun at him, all in the interest of public safety, represents us in the US Senate.
2000 Mules is itself hysterical fiction. Drink on @1:22!. Kool Aid, that is.
12:23 But they do in many of the republican candidates.
@7:35 Trump America first statement was misconstrued. It Had two underlining connotation which noone seems to admit. America first place I (Trump) will grift and steal from. Ad again Trump Thought pattern per his idols guidance (Putin) America first to be destroyed and have its democracy ripped apart.
You Trump was definitely America First.
Drop Box skepticism is pretty much a forbidden topic for discussion, 12:23 AM. But, as you know, experiences around the country have not been good, particularly in several swing states. Changes have been made here and there for better security, however. I just don’t think having them is worth the trouble. Our own home mailboxes will work, or drive right to the nearest Post Office lobby and use the indoor slot.
Yes, Fetterman would be a real spectacle in Congress.
If you’re truly interested in helping yourself this November, vote Susan Wild out of office. She votes entirely in line with the leftist extremes of her party.
Susan Wild must go!
This article came from a bucks newspaper and it is about Biden and Trump but apply it to the other politicians we so often talk about in these blogs.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/guest-opinion-qualities-great-leader-212810788.html
Raymond J Gump
Fri, May 13, 2022, 5:28 PM
As someone who has held leadership positions throughout a large portion of my career (along with suffering under a series of poor leaders), taught a seminar on leadership, and has graduate level credits from Penn State in leadership courses along with numerous other training seminars, I read with interest the Tuesday (May 3) leadership guest opinion ("As a leader, Trump outclasses Joe Biden").
While I am in agreement that the listed qualities certainly are the macro view of good leadership, there is a significant disconnect between my perception and the perception of the writer as to how Donald Trump and Joe Biden slot into those traits. Regardless, please allow me to suggest a more nuanced micro view of some of the specific traits of good leadership gleaned from my personal experience and training. The reader can best determine whether Biden or Trump best exhibit each trait and to what degree — be honest.
A good leader:
Is honest, transparent and has integrity
Is humble yet confident, but not guided by their ego — lacks hubris
Treats everyone with dignity, respect and courtesy
Shows compassion and empathy
Seeks unity, compromise and consensus
Takes responsibility and shares credit
Follows the law and adheres to the traditions of their post
Puts the good of the organization above self interest in their strategic thinking
Makes decisions for the good of the entire organization without pandering to special interestsor subverting to the politically powerful
Supports subordinates who may make appropriate but unpopular decisions
Is diligent in attempting to provide the opportunity for everyone to succeed
Is more interested in resolving/preventing mistakes than assigning blame
Is bold, flexible and creative but not reckless
Surrounds themselves with competence not sycophants
Isn’t a serial liar
Doesn’t bully, coerce, threaten or intimidate
Doesn’t stoke peoples’ fear, bias or prejudice or identify scapegoats
Doesn’t seek to profit from their position
Doesn’t use the power of their position to pursue vendetta or grievance
The essence of true leadership is to have the courage to do the right thing (legally, morally and ethically) at the right time for the right reasons.
@8:49 am spoken like a true democrat
I just got a text from the cop hating socialist Tara Zrinski to vote for her. LOL I don’t think so.
@ 8:30 2000 mules was created and done by some failed individuals and a failed organization that has been around for over 10 years. They have been for that time regularly pushing a republican agenda and been cowing for money to keep them selves afloat. They appear to be nothing more then a political action committee focused on pushing whatever republican agenda gets them money.
https://www.facingsouth.org/2013/06/is-true-the-vote-telling-the-truth-when-it-claims-.html
They have just latched onto their biggest fish in Trump and many of the current republicans and their followers. Those that believe the story of 2000 mules should also believe their fearful failure leader and start drinking bleach regularly like he recommended to kill what ills there are.
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