That's what Charles McElwee, founding editor of Real Clear Pennsylvania, has argued in a recent roundtable. ""Places like Southwestern PA, Westmoreland County, was Democratic now it is Republican. Luzerne County is just about 2,000 away from being a Republican-majority county in Northeastern PA. It's the parties that have changed, not so much the voters."
Based on comments I hear from fellow seniors and bus passengers, I think things are trending that way. These are people who I would expect to vote Democratic, but they are disenchanted by the party that actually tries to help them.
(Blogger's Note: I am under the knife today, so if you don't see your comment immediately, it/s because I'm a bit more groggy than usual.)
Look what the democrats did to our country If a person votes for a democrat expect the same inflation, no border, poor foreign affairs, high gas prices, more taxes, more spending on foolish stuff.
ReplyDeleteWow, 12:21- you certainly have all the Republican talking down pat.
DeleteI believe that the single biggest issue when electing a president is the Supreme Court. We currently have 5 complete wackos on there (Thanks to Trump, Bush and Mitch McConnell), yet keep spewing your smoke and mirrors campaign.
“Republican talking points”?
DeleteHate to break it to you, but that’s what’s really happening.
I realize that as supporter of democrat policies, reality (and math) are difficult for you, but it’s time for you to open your eyes.
I am seeing the same thing, Bernie. It is possible Trump takes PA. If he does it's the
ReplyDeleteDemocrat's fault. People I talk to feel that Biden and democrats are out of touch with average people, in his quest for special interest groups. High Interest rates, high prices on basic things like food, gas and housing, the border and crime. While too many democrats are playing these gut level issues down and people are worried and tired of being made fun
of for being worried. So, on a large stage the dems are in trouble. Locally the republicans are a mess. You have McClure who praises himself at every speech acting more like a republican than a democrat. Tax breaks for millionaire developers building unaffordable housing. Squeezing the salaries of employees while giving out money to business.
The local dems have ultra-liberal nut jobs like Sultana, Keegan and Warren taking Zirinskies place. The party has no place for levelheaded moderates. The more looney you are the more they hold you up. McClure is lucky the big unions have sold their souls to him, so he has all the money he needs to hold on. Rather than help their constituents the whacky dems are into divisive issues like abortion. If McClure has a big weak spot, it is these nut jobs, he selected for council.
Still with all this baggage, he will probably win next year as the republicans can't even field a decent candidate
@4:37 a.m., at least you got more sleep than you usually do. I’m glad.
DeleteThanks for sharing. Maybe there's been a re-alignment, but the net effect has been limited. The PA likely voter split is ~50/50. November will hinge on enthusiasm and who comes out to vote.
ReplyDeleteBeyond that though, elections are about people. The point was made that Shapiro is popular now because the GOP ran Mastriano against him. Probably true. The same thing seems likely to occur with Wild v MacKenzie.
Ryan Mackenzie touts his conservative record in running in 7th Congressional District
https://armchairlehighvalley.substack.com/p/ryan-mackenzie-touts-his-conservative
MacKenzie is a Trump bootlicking, anti-choice, NRA-backed pro-machine gun candidate, no matter how much of his record he scrapes off his website. PA-7 isn't looking for someone like that.
Bernie some would hope you went in for a frontal lobotomy. Hoping all is well and the hole in your head heals fast.
ReplyDeleteAll political parties claim they will help the citizens. Evidence on the ground determines which has been successful. Despite their best effort to conceal their shortcomings, party officials, loyal sycophants, and a deceptive, controlled news media (including our failing Morning Call) can only carry the water for so long. In time, too many become wise to the reality they are forced to live in.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment, a growing number of voters are finally willing to acknowledge this Democrat-led administration in power has been a failure. It’s damaging policies affecting many parts of our daily lives. The peace and security of our future in jeopardy as a misguided effort to change America has gone much too far in the wrong direction. We are truly in danger of losing our country and becoming something similar in characteristic to Socialist/Communist/ Fascist regime control. An existence in which citizens no longer have the ability to determine how they live.
I can’t imagine why any intelligent, productive citizen living here would want to endorse what’s going on by voting the same people into power.
I'm in full agreement. My parents (steelworker & school bus driver) were both ardent union Democrats all their lives. If they were alive, they wouldn't even recognize today's Democrat party and I can promise you they would vote for Trump.
ReplyDeletetRUMP/biden- if this is the best we can do, we have already lost. Congress is useless. They spend more time pissing in each other's mess kits than they do working for the people and our nation.
ReplyDeleteDid you take the drugs before you wrote this? How does the Democratic party try to help them? The Dems spent money we don't have that rose inflation, high energy costs happened on their watch, Biden wants to get rid of the Trump tax cuts, supports an open border that spends tax payer money to feed/house illegals that broke federal laws, defunding police doesn't help them, multiple wars, and lastly if they are Jewish their grandchildren can't feel safe on a college campus. Remember republicans are not the answer to your problems but Democrats are certainly the cause of your problems.
ReplyDeletePlease no more democrats all they do is tax and spend on all levels of government look at our schools all they is tax every year and the results are very poor.
ReplyDeleteWhat rock do you exist under? Trump has allowed his followers to pay his legal fees and lunches, with no pushback, he has reduced taxes for the wealthy which I assume you are not, he also has never, not once, produced his plans for senior medical aid or budgetary breaks for middle class. Time for you to WTFU
Delete12:21am: "No border"? Remember way back to February 2024 when Trump killed the no-brainer bipartisan border security bill? Oopsie daisy!
ReplyDeleteTrump throws cold water on border bill — again
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/05/border-bill-trump-00139584
Wow, Politico. What an unbiased source.
DeleteWe all know the so-called “bi-partisan border security bill” was a sham.
It would have allowed illegal immigration to continue at record levels and then left it up to the president as to whether to do anything about it.
I’ll pass on that and wait for Trump and the republicans to actually fix it.
Not a sham. What source(s) are you using to develop your views? Get out of your bubble. The Bill was created with Republican senators. It's coming up for a vote again this week.
Deletehttps://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-democrats-revive-bipartisan-border-security-bill-gop-vows-block-rcna153045
Biden reversed every Trump executive order on the Border. Now it’s an election year and the illegal immigration’s killing him. He could fix much of the problem today by executive but refuses to do so.
DeleteI am now a senior citizen, well into my eighties, and I thank God and the Democrats for medicade, medicare and Social Security. I will never vote again for a Republican. The R'S want to cut all these elderly programs that I depend on today. I can still afford my own home and I hope to die here, all because of Social Security and the benefits it provides to seniors. Yes, I served my Country in the Military for four years as did my brothers and i served my community for decades. Now it is time to enjoy all the good things I as a senior earned. My biggest reason for voting for a candidate is TELL ME ONE THING YOU DID AS A VOLUNTEER IN THE COMMUNITY THAT MAKES MY COMMUNITY A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE AND DON"T MENTION SOMETHING YOU GOT PAID TO DO".
ReplyDeleteAn octogenarian idiot, which I hope is a rare phenomonon.
DeleteThe PA electorate has shifted like the national electorate has. The GOP is now the party of voters without a college education, and Dems are the party of those with a college degree. Call it the "diploma divide" and make of it what you will. Some will say it's because the GOP is now the party of the working class, but if so, why does Trump love to bash unions?
ReplyDeleteI would say democrats are the party of the elites and the dependent now. They used to be the party of the working class, now more like the non working class, and the snobby elite. People are catching on. Thats not to say GOP much better, just by a hair lol. Open the primaries and things would be better, less radicals.
DeleteCollege is a huge waste of time and money. No one has ever asked to see my transcripts. MBA, voting for Trump.
DeleteHelp has turned into dependence, in the hope of keep keeping the votes. The money is long gone and now the debt is going to come to an end, when the promised benefits disappear, what will they promise? Both parties need to focus on the wellbeing of the USA. Sadly it seems they are all obsessed with everything but that.
ReplyDeleteThe republicans and Trump are now looking like the lesser of two evils.
12.21 What border bill?, a bill that would have just smoothed out and speeded up the influx of migrants.
ReplyDeleteTrump and the GOP had 2 years (2017-2019) with full control of WH, Senate and HoR to solve the border crisis they continually wet their pants about. They did nothing. Much like "The Debt" was their rallying call, until they proved they're just a willing to spend as the Dems.
ReplyDeleteTrump is a criminal plain and simple and a dumb one at that, I won't vote for him. Brainless and easily influenced morons are enamored with the guy for some reason.
Trump is the criminal??? Can you say “10% for the Big Guy”?
Delete6:48am forgot to mention Mackenzie is a climate change denier.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I dislike the democrats right now I will never vote republican. Trump has already stated he wants payback for everything. Even if EVERYTHING against him was false(which I highly doubt) he shouldn't actively campaign to get revenge on tax payers dime. I get democrats are prosecuting him with our money but does it really fix the issue to spend more because his feelings were hurt? Does revenge really HELP anyone but his ego?
ReplyDeleteTrump always talks about helping the working class but NEVER has an actual plan. He NEVER gives specifics of how he will help us. Every speech is a vague mention of a problem he will fix with nothing to back it up. Then he will rant for the next 15+ minutes about how [I'm a great man, possibly the greatest, I don't know, that's what they say] while waving his hands around and pinching his fingers together. Then continue with they are all out to get him. People are dumb enough to believe he can actually fix anything for us.
He is broke, uses banks and the tax system to overinflate his value. His businesses went bankrupt several times. He screwed all the employees. How the hell does anyone expect him to actually be able to run the country again? He is unhinged.
The "tax break" he gave everyone so they would get more in their paycheck negatively affected their tax return the next year. It was a deferred tax and not an actual tax break. Everyone was upset their tax return amount was so much lower than before. Everyone forgets he didn't actually fix anything by giving us more money through the tax break. Only the really wealthy really saw any benefit.
I wish we had a viable 3rd party because I actually align better with the other candidates.
We are screwed. I will be voting for Biden just because he is the lesser of 2 evils.
11:53 - Your comment is full of half-truths and inaccuracies. I’ll focus one one:
Delete“ The "tax break" he gave everyone so they would get more in their paycheck negatively affected their tax return the next year. It was a deferred tax and not an actual tax break. Everyone was upset their tax return amount was so much lower than before.”
This is easily proven wrong. People (especially those who you refer to as “the working class”) are paying less tax under the Trump tax cuts. If they’re getting less of a refund, it’s because they’ve had less and less withheld and have already gotten their refund during the year (why give the government an interest-free loan?). But their tax bill is far lower than prior to the Trump tax cuts.
8:36AM uses Politico as a reference. hahahahahaha. the National Inquirer is more trusted. Politico is still looking for a pee pee tape.
ReplyDelete11:53 We are screwed. I will be voting for Biden just because he is the lesser of 2 evils.
ReplyDeleteSo we had no new wars for four years. Now we have a war in Europe and Middle East. China is ready to take over Taiwan. How many embassies have been evacuated? I stopped counting at four and Newseeek agrees. Again, Lesser of two evils?
https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-slammed-evacuating-four-embassies-during-presidency-1796144
Did anyone else see Trump show what biden did to tic taks with his shrinkflation?
ReplyDelete11:53 - I don’t know where the talking points you repeat here came from, but . . . . you’ve been duped. Not too surprising, though. Mainstream news media has been pushing out government propaganda. Use a wider range of sources.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, five cities in five different states are deciding national elections.
ReplyDeleteThe Democrat voters in those cities are not largely college educated.
They are predominantly welfare recipients and products of the worst public school systems in our country.
Philadelphia anyone?
Atlanta?
4:10pm you are just making things up. It's silly. You are like a carcicature of a brainwashed Trump voter sucking up fake news from slanted, subtly racist sources.
Deletehttps://politico.com/interactives/2022/midterm-election-house-districts-by-education/
Look who votes for the GOP. Folks without a college degree are more likely to need food stamps.
PA isn’t turning red. The left has gone off the rails leaving normal democrats like me lost. Bill Mahar is right, the far left wing runs the show now, and they’re bat shit crazy.
ReplyDelete9:29A; "The R'S want to cut all these elderly programs that I depend on today."
ReplyDeleteDo they? Or do they want to cut programs for the free-loaders who never contributed anything into it? Or do they want to get rid of entitlement programs for "migrants" who never paid into them? Or maybe because those benefits keep getting given away, they need to protect what's left to keep it going as long as they can. I have 20 years till I can collect. And I'm certainly not expecting there to be anything there for me when I get there.
If we do nothing, and continue to distribute funding to those who abuse "the system", the system will go away on its own and no one will receive any benefits.
So is it really the R's or is it the others who give it all away for votes?
"but they are disenchanted by the party that actually tries to help them.".... HA... WHAT A JOKE!!! I thin you mean the party that helps IT'S SELF!!! Democrats haven't REALLY helped the populace since before FDR!!!! I was finished with the democrats after having the opportunity to ask Don Cunningham very pointed questions and getting the right answers, only to have the little lying shit do a 180 after he was elected Lehigh County executive... the SAME WAY 99% of ALL DEMS DO!!! Screw the D's. Also, if you crossfile, you won't get my vote... I'd rather vote for an independent.
ReplyDeleteBernie, as pf 5/20/24, the registration game was plus 1,496 Dems over republicans in Bucks County the closest that gap has been in decades.
ReplyDelete7:45 ~ Any funds sent to Trump by his followers were funds they gave freely. Those contributors did so WITHOUT the money being taken from them by being taxed. You probably will find relief in knowing YOUR tax dollars ($millions) ARE being used to conduct these ridiculous show trials being run by the Biden administration to eliminate its chief political rival before the election.
ReplyDeleteAlso, EVERYONE received a reduction in their taxes due to the Trump Tax Cut plan put into effect 8 years ago, rich and poor alike. If Joe Biden does eliminate the Trump Tax plan as Biden promised to do, EVERYONE will pay MORE taxes, including Senior Citizens who receive Social Security benefits, any EVERYONE else receiving some other type of pension payment monthly.
Do you realize EVERYONE will receive a huge ‘budgetary break’ simply by the next President (Trump or someone else not Democrat) making better decisions than those made by Biden having led to the high inflation killing all of our budgets today under Biden?
News again showed Biden giving away toms of money for student debt to buy votes. What about social security going broke. Yet he gives all this to you g who can work like we all did to pay it back. Who is going to take care of us all when the social security money runs out? Just more Democrats and insanity buying votes and giving things away
ReplyDeleteAny Democrats here want to defend Biden for checking his watch while brave American soldiers were coming home in caskets? Or how about his daughters diary and the showering? I have the snopes fact checks below. Defend away. Lesser of two evils I think not
ReplyDeletehttps://www.snopes.com/fact-check/biden-check-watch-13/
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ashley-biden-diary-claims/
8:05 Haha. Dumbest whataboutism in history. Checking his watch? Get real.
DeleteTrump is human garbage. Biden is decent man who has been a public servant since he was in his 30s.
Several times already I have come here to ask Democrat supporters to answer ONE basic answer. So far, no Democrat supporter has been willing to do so. For the who missed it, here is the answer so many want to read:
ReplyDelete“ I believe Joe Biden is the better choice (over Trump) for President, and here are reasons why. Because . . . .
Note: pleased don’t foolishly reply with something like “He’s better than Trump, Trump is worse, etc.” Unless you can list specifics you aren’t helping anyone to better understand your logic.
Biden will:
Delete1) address climate change, instead of denying it
2) limit access to machine guns
3) preserve women's right to choose
4) preserve our leadership position in the western world's alliances
5) continue growing economy (which has expanded every quarter of his presidency)
6) raise taxes on the rich
7) support unions and fair pay
8) be able to handle a crisis if one arises (which Trump utterly failed at)
9) preserve social security
10) not endlessly and needlessly lie about everything from his golf skill to the size of his audiences, to winning his second election, to his building values on federal tax forms, and on and on and on
Machine gun? Where I can I buy a machine gun lol.
DeleteTrump had us independent with oil, lower taxes, started border control improvement with lower immigration numbers. Got us out of war. Was respected by other countries. Low inflation. More jobs. Supported small business. Got us through a pandemic. Supported our right to firearms. World was more stable . America was respected
Delete6:17: Before you make up your mind and spout nonsense at everyone, read more.
DeleteWe are producing more oil than any country in history under Biden (https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61545).
Trump's tax cuts favored corporations and the rich, not the middle class.
Unemployment is under 4% near a 50yr low. Jobs everywhere!
There's a strong argument that Trump giving away all sorts of money caused the inflation under Biden.
Trump was a laughingstock among other countries. We elected a reality TV jerk who bragged on camera about assaulting women, whose claim to fame was business acumen but suffered multiple personal bankruptcies, who had zero political experience, and it showed, because he got very little done except nominating a few anti-abortion zealots to the Supreme Court.
"Got us through the pandemic." Bahaha! He almost died himself!
@8:05: “Biden…has been a public servant since he was in his 30s.” Exactly the problem.
ReplyDelete9:01 Let me get this straight. You are defending Biden for checking his watch multiple times while brave/dead American soldiers are being brought home from Afghanistan? Wow. Why not comment on the showering w/his daughter? Again, Per her diary in her words. Fact check below
ReplyDeletehttps://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ashley-biden-diary-claims/
Come on, man. Stop pretending...
Deletehttps://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/09/trump-americans-who-died-at-war-are-losers-and-suckers/615997/
An earlier poster pointed out something like Pennsylvania registration being roughly half Democrat and half Republican. This would mean the Independent/Other Party/No Party registrants won’t be a factor. Well, the total number of Independents is growing rapidly across this nation. Reportedly, Trump is leading among Independents, for those who believe polls are accurate.
ReplyDeleteVoter TURNOUT will be a big factor, and so will be our ability to catch invalid, illegal votes which will surely happen again in 2024. This is where we are in America today, unfortunately.
I'm also an R with an MBA. I've been called everything but a voter by Democrats since 2016. I don't like wars and taxes and sexual cosplayers grooming children in our schools. I have a constitutional right to my firearms and have never had so much as a parking ticket in my life. I'm voting for Trump for the third time and doing so enthusiastically.
ReplyDelete10:47 AM "...illegal votes which will surely happen again in 2024."
ReplyDeleteProof? Other than what the orange man claims that have repeatedly been proven as false by many many courts. Some judges appointed by Trump himself.
Trump is a liar. Washington post suggests 30,573 lies in 4 years. Just watching him speak you could pick out the lies very easily. I personally love when he tells his supporters at his rallies how bad they are and they cheer. I dont really understand how anyone can trust or support him. He begs for money to pay for his defense fees. How many times can you be in the wrong place at the wrong time and be innocent?
The only reason he didnt get convicted of his impeachment is because the republicans were so far up his back end that if he turned too sharply he would break their necks. Democrats had a solid case against him but they didnt want to even hear it. Republicans cant seem to come up with an actual crime for their impeachment of Biden.
I hate them both.
BTW 5:57PM "Your comment is full of half-truths and inaccuracies. I’ll focus one one:"
https://waysandmeans.house.gov/how-it-works-president-trumps-payroll-tax-deferral-executive-order/
https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/the-2017-trump-tax-law-was-skewed-to-the-rich-expensive-and-failed-to-deliver
Thank you for your response, 11:48! You are the first to actually offer specifics, instead of just denials and name-calling. My only criticism of your contribution would be in my believing there is no legitimate reason to think Trump would not also meet your desired outcomes. There is evidence in his past behavior and actual words to demonstrate he would, at least, come very close. Again, thank you.
ReplyDeleteRemember what Obama said on the hot mic. Never underestimate the ability of Joe to fuck things up. Well here we are, wars all over the globe, wide open border, inflation. Obama was right. Trump isn’t much better though. Sad state of affairs for our country.
ReplyDelete"As much as I dislike the democrats"
ReplyDeleteAnother BS democrat comment.
Let's not forget what Obama's Sec of Defense said about Biden. He's been wrong for 40yrs. Again, Lesser of two evils?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/01/robert-gates-thinks-joe-biden-hasnt-stopped-being-wrong-40-years/356785/
6:17am
ReplyDeleteRemember when Trump pushed hydroxychloroquine during the pandemic? Trump made some good moves, but he did not handle COVID well at all.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2024/01/07/trump-promoted-hydroxychloroquine-to-treat-covid-19-a-drug-now-linked-to-17000-deaths
They both suck for various reasons, but for me and my vote for President, it all comes down to choosing which ever candidate doesn't look like he's giving 2 guys a hand job when he dances on stage. Too many guys around here are very turned on by Trump and I simply don't align with their agenda.
ReplyDeletePennsylvania is red. However, more Democrats vote. Whether they know it or not is another matter.
ReplyDeletePennsy goes as Philly goes.
ReplyDeleteSad reflection on our state.
@4:54 - Philadelphia and the collar counties (Bucks, Chester, Delaware & Montgomery) have a total population of 4.2 Million, which represents 32% of the state, so yeah its safe to say how one party does in those 5 counties is going to have a significant impact on any election.
ReplyDeleteFor comparison sake if you take Northampton, Lehigh, Monroe, Carbon and even add in Berks County you only get 1.3 Million which is 10% of the entire state.
To take it out further - the 5 Pittsburgh counties equal 17% of the state and the Harrisburg-York-Lancaster area is 11% Scranton/Wilkes Barre is 4% and Erie is 2%. 22 of Pennsylvania's 76 counties contain 77% of the population.
There is nothing sinister or nefarious going on with our elections, its just simple math and retail kitchen table politics. If Dems can pull just 60% of the vote in the 5 Philly Counties in an election it puts the GOP in a huge hole that requires unlikely lopsided #'s in their favor in Pittsburgh, Lehigh Valley and Harrisburg areas to overcome those votes.