...And, Running (Again)...

Two names pop up in the county judicial races on the democrat side of the ticket...names we all may recognize for no other reason than the fact they run for everything lately.

None other than Anne Thornberg Weiss (our county Clerk of Courts) and two-time loser of the 6th Congressional seat (to Jim Gerlach), Lois "the Carpetbagger" Murphy.

Murphy's last assignment/job was on the Governor's Action Team, a sort of lobbying group that helps companies expand and grow in PA (after, I'm sure, a hefty donation to the democratic party).

As for Thornberg Weiss, she should have never run for row office if she'd known she was going to run for judge. Your humble blogger wonders if she only ran to raise her name recognition (which, in turn, would help raise money or the party)? No, that wouldn't be ethical.

Anyway, the only other notable on the democrat side is former Ken Davis supporter and Republican Party apostate Cheryl Lynn Austin. Austin defected from the party in the great debacle called the "Registration Shift"...the largest shift in registration in Montgomery County history, all while under the dutiful watch of failed party chairman Ken Davis.

What really boggles the mind, is that the website of former MCRC director Adam Gattuso and his assistant, Matt McLaughlin's consulting group, GOP for PA, still had Austin listed as a Republican as of January 7th of this year (see cached page-click here).

So, there you have it...three notable democrats running for judge in Montgomery County this year. From what I see, we need to run 7 notable Republicans to beat them, if only on name recognition alone.

With the number of candidates in the race at the present time, the outcome of our endorsement may have the greatest impact on Montgomery County than any time in past history. It's up to the committee people of the MCRC to speak up to their leaders and urge them to choose the best and brightest when they meet to make their recommendations to party chairman, Bob Kerns. The will of the committe is of the utmost importance now, more than ever..

Lets hope they choose well. Let's hope they choose wisely. Let's hope they choose based on what we, the committee decide. If not, then the next choice will be ours...to choose new leadership within our committees.



Read Full Text/Comments

A Huge Surprise From Philly Proper

From the Philadelphia Daily News:

A lonely GOP stronghold

Philadelphia Republicans can take one slim measure of solace in the election results that carried Obama to a 460,000-vote city margin over John McCain: For the first time since 1988 a Republican presidential candidate carried a Philadelphia ward.

It's the 26th ward, a big chunk of South Philadelphia sitting west of Broad Street and south of Passyunk, to the Schuylkill.

McCain carried the 26th with 52.7 percent of the vote, a 556-vote lead over Obama with provisional and absentee ballots still to be counted.

"If you look at voting patterns in all the national elections, it's probably the most conservative ward in the city," says Democratic ward leader Ron Donatucci, the city's register of wills. "We've got a high concentration of senior citizens and three Catholic churches, a lot of pro-life voters . . . I was a little surprised. I thought it [the margin for McCain] would be even bigger."

George H. W. Bush, the father of the current President, carried the 26th and 17 other Philadelphia wards when he beat Michael Dukakis in 1988. Bush 41 lost the city by 230,000 votes but won Pennsylvania by 105,000.

Read Full Text/Comments

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Joe Biden teaches the crowd the new "salute"
to the "messiah-in-chief".

Read Full Text/Comments

Re: The County Republican Candidate's Rally

Rumors abounded at the Westover Country Club this evening. I'll get to them later.

First and foremost, the rally was fun. There was an Irish band that played (go figure) Irish music and a Johnny Cash song. The hors douv...er, appetizers were the typical fare, nothing to get excited over, but filled the void. The open bar meant that your humble blogger was kept in mucho Coca Cola all night long (I never drink alcohol when I have the bike out).

The highlights of the evening? MCRC Chairman, Bob Kerns was fantastic. He spoke about the campaign, spoke of the need for us to pull together and make this a banner year for Montgomery County. Then, the candidates got up and spoke, and to my surprise, I wasn't bored to tears. They all spoke of the elections, the hard work that they were doing to get elected, and the need for volunteers and money.

The highlight of my evening? Politics notwithstanding, I'd have to say that the highlight of my evening was finally meeting (face to face) fellow blogger and Times Herald columnist, Lisa Mossie (Bluftoonie, and PAWaterCooler.com). (To read Lisa's 9/18/08 column, click here)

Rumor time

Jim Matthews. He wasn't there, but the rumor mill was doing a rather brisk business on his behalf.

Rumor #1: J-Turd has been asked, and has accepted the role of treasurer in his brothers non-committed run against Arlen Specter for U.S. senator in 2010.

Rumor #2: James Rex "ai-ai-ai" has been asked by certain powers that be in PA politics to start his own version of the "Chairman's Club", to try and siphon money away from MCRC fundraising efforts, but will hold off until after the election in November to do so. (Keep your eyes especially on this one folks, and please, don't give in. Our county chairman is doing a fantastic job and needs your support in order to bring Montgomery County back to it's former glory as a Republican county.)

Neither rumor has been corroborated, but they're out there.

Also noticably absent was the contingent from Abington. It seems that a certain Muni-Chair decided that his meeting was more important than MCRC business, instead of changing location to the Country Club, chose not to attend.

Quorum was not met and the bylaws were not voted on. Pity, because the old bylaws are seriously outdated and the new ones are quite good.

There's always January.

B.


Read Full Text/Comments

Matthews has "Jumped the Shark"

With the news of Jimbo openly supporting a democrat against Senator Specter in 2010, the time has come to say "enough is enough.

Matthews sides with democrats 100% of the time in his role as chairman of the County Commissioners. 100% of the time.

He now has handed down a directive to solicitor, and personal court jester to the chairman, Barry Miller that his staff not talk to any of the commissioners without first getting permission from Miller.

Castor, in an email letter to Miller on 8/29, requested permission to speak to Carolyn Carluccio-who was involved with the situation that caused this directive to be implemented in the first place. Castor has not yet received any response from Miller.

On Thursday, when confronted on the issue, his Turdliness repeatedly shouted "the solicitor and all the senior staff work for ME! They work for ME! They work for ME! It went on and on, ad nauseum.

Later, on 9/11, I attended the ceremony on the plateau at the courthouse, honoring the fallen heroes of Montgomery County who have died as a result of the 9/11 attacks and subsequent war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ceremony was very moving, (except for when J-Rex spoke, as his equipment failed and he resorted to shouting his remarks...which were laced with misquotes by Abraham Lincoln, extolling the virtues of Government by and for the people–which, by the way, he hasn't prescribed to that theory/practice since he was sworn in on 1/7/08–does he even hear himself when he speaks?)

After the ceremony, I stood talking with Sheriff John P. Durante and Republican Commissioner, Bruce Castor, both of whom I consider great Republican leaders. During my conversation with both of them concerning the ceremony (and an intellectual conversation on the health benefits of good wine) at least three citizens/residents of Montgomery County approached Commissioner Castor to tell him what a great job he is doing, and what a real TURD Jim Matthews has turned out to be. After introducing the residents to yours truly, Castor graciously thanked them for their support and kind words.

One of these residents was there to see his cousin's banner dedicated at the ceremony and was a little irate that King James was a speaker.

It's still baffling to me that, only in Montgomery County, can "third" actually become "first". But, then again, we used to be a Republican majority in the commissioners office, too.

Fortunately, El Rejo Diego la Tercera is poison to the Republican Party and will not run as one next time around. Unfortunately, the state does not allow for recall votes, which I'm certain is the only thing J-Rex can find consolation in for the next three years.

Enjoy your Saturday!

B.



Read Full Text/Comments

Whudathunkit?

Up until this morning, I was voting for McCain...now, I'm not so sure. Check out this video news story:

John Durante for President?



Read Full Text/Comments

Another Instance Where Obama Doesn't Practice What he Preaches

From "The Loft":

The Loft - http://www.gopusa.com/theloft

Obama: Equal Pay for Women... Just Not on My Dime

Posted By Bobby Eberle On July 1, 2008 at 6:00 am

Sen. Barack Obama talks a good game. There's talk about hope and change, and hope and change, and even more hope and change. What exactly is he hoping to change? No one really knows, but one thing is clear: the more we get to know him, the more we realize that his actions are quite different than his "hope and change" rhetoric.

As an example, take his recent speech about pay discrimination between men and women. Obama told the audience in Albuquerque, NM that he supports "a Senate bill to make it easier to sue an employer for pay discrimination." Yet, upon a review of Obama's payroll, we learn that women are paid less than men. Keep talking Sen. Obama.

As reported by CNSNews.com, "While Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has vowed to make pay equity for women a top priority if elected president, an analysis of his Senate staff shows that women are outnumbered and out-paid by men. That is in contrast to Republican presidential candidate John McCain's Senate office, where women, for the most part, out-rank and are paid more than men."

In his speech, Obama spoke about how his single mom worked to raise her family. He spoke of hardships of his grandmother, and also his wife. He set the stage beautifully by noting the successes of these women... then what did he do? He blasted Sen. John McCain, saying, "But when you look at our records and our plans on issues that matter to working women, the choice could not be clearer. ... It starts with equal pay."

It starts with equal pay? Did he seriously say that with a straight face? As CNSNews.com notes in their analysis, "On average, women working in Obama's Senate office were paid at least $6,000 below the average man working for the Illinois senator." CNSNews.com also points out that "of the five people in Obama's Senate office who were paid $100,000 or more on an annual basis, only one -- Obama's administrative manager -- was a woman."

In contrast, women outnumbered men on McCain's Senate payroll by 30 to 16. The women were paid an average of $3,000 more than the men.

Obama sounds less and less like an advocate of hope and change, and more and more like a typical politician. In his speech Obama said, "We can't afford an economy where folks keep working harder for less. We can't let the women in our workforce get paid even less for doing the same work." Oh really? It appears that Obama, as an employer, has no problems doing exactly what he is speaking against. I guess he means "other" employers. Certainly we shouldn't look at what his own hiring practices really are, right? This is just one other part of his record that he'd prefer be kept out of the spotlight.

Near the end of his speech, Obama said, "I want my daughters to grow up in an America where they have opportunities that are even greater than their mother had, or their grandmothers, or their great grandmothers -- an America where our daughters truly have the same opportunities as our sons."

Note to Obama's daughters.... Don't go to work for your dad.

And here is the rest of it. Read Full Text/Comments

Condoleeza Rice Meets Superglam 70's Rock Group KISS!

“Condi Rice enlists in Kiss Army”
“STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) —

The Kiss Army fan club has an enthusiastic new recruit: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In a departure from her normally staid diplomatic duties, Rice met the legendary glam rock quartet when they happened to share a hotel in the Swedish capital. Rice was in Stockholm on Thursday for an international conference on Iraq. Kiss had a sold-out gig to play on Friday. ‘I was thrilled,’ Rice said of her late-night encounter with frontman Gene Simmons and bandmates Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer in the executive lounge of the Sheraton Hotel where they signed autographs and handed out backstage passes and T-shirts to her staff. ‘It was really fun to meet Kiss and Gene Simmons,’ she told reporters, noting they seemed well informed about current events. The band had asked if she could stop by after she finished dinner with the Swedish foreign minister and Rice readily agreed, she said. (more after the jump)

“Simmons and his crew, who are on a European tour, weren't wearing their trademark stage makeup, but were recognizable as rock stars to even non-fans by their hair, according to State Department officials who were with Rice. Rice, a classically trained pianist, said she has eclectic musical tastes ranging from Beethoven to Bruce Springsteen. Hard stadium rockers like Kiss are included in the mix and Rice said her favorite tune of theirs is ‘Rock and Roll All Nite.’ But, she conceded she had never seen the group in concert. In fact, although she frequently attends classical music performances, Rice claims to have been to only four rock concerts in her life. The first was in the early 1960s when she went as a 10-year-old to see Paul Revere and the Raiders in her home state of Alabama. After her family moved to Colorado, Rice went at the age of 16 went on her first date with an Air Force cadet to see Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. She later saw Earth, Wind and Fire in Denver and her last rock and roll show was a U2 concert in Washington, she said.” Read Full Text/Comments

A Gaffe, an Absurdity, and a Policy

HT to Joe Meo of the Whitemarsh Republican Committee for this article:

Charles Krauthammer
Friday, May 23, 2008

WASHINGTON -- When the House of Representatives takes up arms against $4 gas by voting 324-84 to sue OPEC, you know that election-year discourse has gone surreal. Another unmistakable sign is when a presidential candidate makes a gaffe, then, realizing it is too egregious to take back without suffering humiliation, decides to make it a centerpiece of his foreign policy.

Before the Democratic debate of July 23, Barack Obama had never expounded upon the wisdom of meeting, without precondition, with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Bashar al-Assad, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong Il or the Castro brothers. But in that debate, he was asked about doing exactly that. Unprepared, he said sure -- then got fancy, declaring the Bush administration's refusal to do so not just "ridiculous" but "a disgrace."

After that, there was no going back. So he doubled down. What started as a gaffe became policy. By now, it has become doctrine. Yet it remains today what it was on the day he blurted it out: an absurdity.

Should the president ever meet with enemies? Sometimes, but only after minimal American objectives -- i.e. preconditions -- have been met. The Shanghai communique was largely written long before Richard Nixon ever touched down in China. Yet Obama thinks Nixon to China confirms the wisdom of his willingness to undertake a worldwide freshman-year tyrants tour. (click on the link below to read the rest of the article)

Most of the time you don't negotiate with enemy leaders because there is nothing to negotiate. Does Obama imagine that North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba and Venezuela are insufficiently informed about American requirements for improved relations?

There are always contacts through back channels or intermediaries. Iran, for example, has engaged in five years of talks with our closest European allies and the International Atomic Energy Agency, to say nothing of the hundreds of official U.S. statements outlining exactly what we would give them in return for suspending uranium enrichment.

Obama pretends that while he is for such "engagement," the cowboy Republicans oppose it. Another absurdity. No one is debating the need for contacts. The debate is over the stupidity of elevating rogue states and their tyrants, easing their isolation and increasing their leverage by granting them unconditional meetings with the president of the world's superpower.

Obama cited Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman as presidents who met with enemies. Does he know no history? Neither Roosevelt nor Truman ever met with any of the leaders of the Axis powers. Obama must be referring to the pictures he's seen of Roosevelt and Stalin at Yalta, and Truman and Stalin at Potsdam. Does he not know that at that time Stalin was a wartime ally?

During the subsequent Cold War, Truman never met with Stalin. Nor Mao. Nor Kim Il Sung. Truman was no fool.

Obama cites John Kennedy meeting Nikita Khrushchev as another example of what he wants to emulate. Really? That Vienna summit of a young, inexperienced, untested American president was disastrous, emboldening Khrushchev to push Kennedy on Berlin -- and then near fatally in Cuba, leading almost directly to the Cuban missile crisis. Is that the precedent Obama aspires to follow?

A meeting with Ahmadinejad would not just strengthen and vindicate him at home, it would instantly and powerfully ease the mullahs' isolation, inviting other world leaders to follow. And with that would come a flood of commercial contracts, oil deals, diplomatic agreements -- undermining precisely the very sanctions and isolation that Obama says he would employ against Iran.

As every seasoned diplomat knows, the danger of a summit is that it creates enormous pressure for results. And results require mutual concessions. That is why conditions and concessions are worked out in advance, not on the scene.

What concessions does Obama imagine Ahmadinejad will make to him on Iran's nuclear program? And what new concessions will Obama offer? To abandon Lebanon? To recognize Hamas? Or perhaps to squeeze Israel?

Having lashed himself to the ridiculous, unprecedented promise of unconditional presidential negotiations -- and then having compounded the problem by elevating it to a principle -- Obama keeps trying to explain. On Sunday, he declared in Pendleton, Ore., that by Soviet standards Iran and others "don't pose a serious threat to us." (On the contrary. Islamic Iran is dangerously apocalyptic. Soviet Russia was not.) The next day in Billings, Mont.: "I've made it clear for years that the threat from Iran is grave."

That's the very next day, mind you. Such rhetorical flailing has done more than create an intellectual mess. It has given rise to a new political phenomenon: the metastatic gaffe. The one begets another, begets another, begets ...
Read Full Text/Comments