From Keystone Politics - Corbett Campaign Shamelessly Politicizes the Pope

Who paid for this trip? I wonder how the Pope would feel about Governor Corbett denying 700,000 working Pennsylvanians federally funded Medicaid?

Corbett Campaign Shamelessly Politicizes the Pope - Keystone Politics

Pope Francis is a pretty popular guy. Governor Corbett—not so much.  So it’s no surprise that Corbett has been touting his visit to the Vatican for what was expected to be a private audience with the Pope to invite him to Philadelphia for the Eighth World Meeting of the Families next year...

Read more here: http://www.keystonepolitics.com/2014/03/corbett-campaign-shamelessly-politicizes-pope/

Disturbing letter from Judge Bill Ward

Anyone that reads this blog shouldn't be surprised that I would not be a fan of Governor Corbett's former Chief of Staff. This is the guy that was pushing the extreme political agenda of Governor Corbett for the first 3 years of his Governorship.

 

I had a hard time even reading this first paragraph of this letter. While I get his point about the judgeship being an important position, it is almost too disturbing to read. Not to mention, he is going to handling divorce and custody hearings for the first few years if he wins a seat on the bench.

 

So will Democratic voters see through the union bug and tricky way making it sound like he is actually a Democrat and vote for him in the 2013 Democratic Primary?

 

Campaign Robocalls

Enjoy the Republican rhetoric!

Raja sure acts like a politician

Just saying 'I'm not a politician' is not enough to convince me you aren't going to act like the stereotypical politician.

Example 1: Misleading negative ads

I have been very frustrated by the attack ads that Raja have been running against Rich Fitzgerald. One of the most frustrating claims that I have heard Raja repeat over and over is that Rich Fitzgerald is a 'career politician.' I would like to know what Raja believes the definition of the word career is. Fitzgerald graduated from college in 1981 so I will give him about a 30 year professional career. He has been on Allegheny County Council since 1999. 11 years out of 30 is hardly a political career when most of the first 19 years were spent not working in politics. On another note, a county council member makes $9,000 a year. I don't know anyone that would call a job that only pays $9,000 a year a career. Let me re-word that, I don't know any American that would call a job that pays $9,000 a year a career. Maybe that is good money to workers in India that work for Raja's company.

Example 2: More misleading negative ads

I also can't stand the ad with lies that no one, including the media, will take the time to fact check.



The largest tax increase in Allegheny County? Might want to check the revenue from the RAD tax in the 1990's. Haven't we heard this unchecked lie before? Oh that's right, our current Governor hammered Onorato with this same lie last year.

The Corbett campaign even would give credit to the Tribune Review as the source for this so called 'fact.' If you take the time to actually check the article you will see that the 'largest tax increase in Allegheny County history' quote is nothing more than a comment made by an uninformed lobbyist that had an agenda. Glad to see the Tribune Review fact checked that one.

Example 3: Forcing us to read between the lines while denying an accusation.

So the Fitzgerald campaign has gone hard after Raja's company for outsourcing, not paying the minimum wage to his workers, and for suing his employees. I have yet to see a response that either actually denies these accusations or gives enough of an explanation to make me doubt the Fitzgerald camp's attacks.

Some of Raja's responses:

My opponent is trying to distract you from my awesome plans!

My opponent should be ashamed of attacking me about my cutthroat business decisions!

94% of my payroll is in the United States! (No, I'm not going to tell you how much of that 94% is mine, and how cheap it is to employ people in my hometown in India)

I have created thousands of family substaining jobs! I think you are stupid enough to ignore that I don't have to pay as much in India to substain a family.

I could have taken my company anywhere, but I choose Allegheny County! However, I'm also going to tell you how horrible it is here because of 80 years of Democrats being in charge. Wait, why did I pick Allegheny County again?

At the end of the day, Raja sure looks, acts, and talks like a politician. One that is having a hard time not tripping over his own feet.

Republican Statewide Judge Mailers

Here are some of the mailers that Republicans received for Vic Stabile and Anne Covey.

Vic Stabile is running for Superior Court: http://www.stabileforjudge.com/

Anne Covey is running for Commonwealth Court: http://www.coveyforjudge.com/

Election Results

Congrats to Toomey, Corbett, Altmire, Orie, and Turzai. Now can we stop partisan bickering for at least a few months? Thanks.

Random RNC Mailers

Just thought I would share.

Why Did Jane Orie get indicted? Hmmm...

Why Did Steve Zappala indict Jane Orie? Hmmmm.....overwhelming evidence is the correct answer. The actual question is misleading since a jury of Orie's peers indicted Sen. Orie (h/t RossRenegade on Twitter):

* Rioja (Intern) testified that beginning in fall of 2009, she personally observed Orie's paid staff members performing political campaign work for Orie's sister, now Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin.

*Rioja became aware that various election and campaign materials for Orie Melvin were being created on Orie's district office equipment, including the photocopier, scanner, computer(s) and telephone(s) which were provided and paid for by the Pennsylvania Senate.

*Rioja testified that a majority of the political work that she observed had been conducted in the Orie office during the legislative workday by senate staffers Joshua Dott (hereinafter "Dott") and Kurt Acker, Esquire (hereinafter "Acker"). Rioja also stated that she had heard Acker state to fellow staffers on at least one occasion that if the Attorney General's Office knew what was occurring in Orie's office, that "they all would be in handcuffs".

*Young indicated via IM that Frantz had been directed to conduct certain campaign work for Orie Melvin's campaign during the legislative workday while at Orie's office.

*That day, after Rioja had submitted her resignation from her internship, Rioja called both the Pennsylvania Bureau of Elections and later the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General to report the political activities that were being carried out at Orie's legislative office. Rioja was told by the person with whom she spoke at the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General that her complaint should be directed instead to the Office of the District Attorney of Allegheny County. Rioja's own telephone records for that day have been admitted into evidence, and they corroborate Rioja's description of the sequence of the phone calls that she made that day that ultimately led to her filing a written complaint with the Investigations Unit of the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office. (Where were you at Mr. Corbett???)

*Pavlot recalled that on October 29, 2009, Pavlot directed Frantz to make phone calls to convents because Orie wanted to deliver letters to nuns promoting Orie Melvin's campaign for Supreme Court Justice.

*According to Pavlot, as per the directive by Orie, Campbell, Frantz, Young and another Orie staffer, Dan Soltesz, all helped to prepare those campaign materials for delivery to the convents; Pavlot admitted that this work was done at the legislative office using senate-owned equipment and supplies, as well as legislative workers who were on state time.

*This Grand Jury takes note of the fact that during the pendency of this investigation, no fewer than fifteen either current or past members of Orie's Senatorial staff have testified under oath before this body that they either participated in, and/or observed non-legislative work occurring during legislative working hours. Staffers reported that directives to do this political and campaign work came from at least three sources: Orie herself, Orie's Chief of Staff, and, in regard to the 2009 political campaign of Joan Orie Melvin, from Orie's sister, Janine Orie. (I'd like to point out that I know someone that did a high school shadow study with Ms. Orie when she was still a State Representative in 1999. He observed campaign work on state time and even had a staffer tell him that it was 'part of the job?')

Did Jane Orie "screw" with the Zappala family? She didn't pass any legislation that has hurt the Pennsylvania Casino Association. She just makes up stories about casino gangsters based on popular movies so that she can frame her crazy arguments.

By the way Jane, your opponent is Dan Demarco, not Steve Zappala! Demarco is a Ross Township Commissioner that is so 'unconnected' that he didn't even decide to run against you until April. Demarco had to get on the ballot as a write-in candidate. If this conspiracy theory exists about the Zappalas and the insider deals, wouldn't the Zappalas have lined up a candidate to go against you this year in February when a candidate can circulate a petition to get on the ballot?

Ms. Orie, I used to have respect for you. I also used to vote for you. These mailers and your campaign is a joke.

Also, why haven't we heard more Joan Melvin Orie's indictment?

Will these mailers convince you that Jane Orie didn't abuse taxpayer's money?

#1: Jane Orie is not running against Steve Zappala or his family, she is running against Dan Demarco, a Ross Township Commissioner and Harrisburg outsider. Hardly a 'Good Old Boy'

#2 Are we supposed to ignore the nepotism by the Orie family when Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin (Soon to be indicted!) gave Janine Orie a government job working directly for the Supreme Court Justice.

#3 Why everyone ignoring how poorly Tom Corbett handled the intern's complaint?

#4 Did Jane Orie blatantly break the law and use taxpayer money and resources to campaign for her sister because she knew she would be safe from an Attorney General investigation? Does anyone remember this quote from the Trib:
"As a former prosecutor, I understand it's extremely complicated and (the investigation) expands as he goes along," said Sen. Jane Orie, R-McCandless, a former assistant district attorney in Allegheny County. "I'm confident in (Corbett) and I think he has handled this well."

#5 This is a sad display of a power hungry politician and family.