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In Pa., shifting electorate and 'a historic election'
Philly.com ^ | Updated: April 24, 2016 — 3:01 AM EDT | Maria Panaritis and Dylan Purcell

Posted on 04/24/2016 12:24:14 AM PDT by GonzoII

Jim Donnelly is a registered Republican who is disgusted. His lifelong party, he believes, has done little for anyone but the wealthy, the well-connected, and its own leaders.

"I'm a strong Republican and this is the worst I've ever seen it," said Donnelly, 73, a retired factory production manager who lives in Lansdale. "In Washington, D.C., and in Harrisburg, the Republicans are only looking out for themselves. I don't see any Republican I like except for Donald Trump - because he says it the way it is."

Donnelly has a lot of company in Pennsylvania.

For decades, the state has had a fairly consistent, predictably low-key GOP identity. But this year's presidential race is upending long-standing patterns, exposing a changing electorate demanding change.

Voter-registration data and polls suggest a wave of GOP disgruntlement among the blue-collar whites of the Philadelphia suburbs, places that not too long ago were populated by reliable so-called Country Club Republicans, the type who might normally gravitate toward Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Fewer college degrees and more economic woes instead have made such places fertile ground for the message, and the candidacy, of Trump.

Places like blue-collar Springfield, Delaware County, where slightly more than half of all residents lack a college degree and Republicans are 60 percent of registered voters. Or Warminster, Bucks County, where barely a third of residents have a high school diploma or some college, and nearly half, 45 percent, are registered Republican.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Bernie Sanders has similarly stoked leftist voter anger with his challenge to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. His middle-class-is-suffering message is playing well among the state's many millennials under 35.

(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Arkansas; US: Massachusetts; US: New York; US: Ohio; US: Pennsylvania; US: Texas; US: Vermont
KEYWORDS: 2016election; arkansas; barneyfrank; berniesanders; buckscounty; delawarecounty; election2016; hillary; hillaryclinton; hitlery; jimdonnelly; johnkasich; lansdale; massachusetts; newyork; ohio; pennsylvania; presidentdonaldtrump; springfield; tedcruz; texas; trump; vermont; warminster; wipewater
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"Republican turnout, on the other hand, could be extraordinary, reaching 40 percent or higher - well beyond the 20 percent range in which it has lagged for two decades, Harris said."

I believe turnout will be even higher in the general when it really sets in that they actually have a real alternative against the establishment.

1 posted on 04/24/2016 12:24:15 AM PDT by GonzoII
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To: GonzoII

Based on talking with blue collar/union guys out here I think CA is in for a surprise too...


2 posted on 04/24/2016 1:23:55 AM PDT by Axenolith (Government blows, and that which governs least, blows least...)
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To: Axenolith
Trump will rise above 50% after this Tuesday in CA IMHO.
3 posted on 04/24/2016 1:30:51 AM PDT by GonzoII ("If the new crime be, to believe in God, let us all be criminals" -Sheen)
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To: GonzoII

Final line in this piece: “”Republican voters,” he said “are energized.”


4 posted on 04/24/2016 3:31:46 AM PDT by jmaroneps37 (Conservatism is truth. Liberalism is lies.)
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To: jmaroneps37

I forget the percentage, but a sizeable number of people have switched from democrat to republican in Pa


5 posted on 04/24/2016 4:15:40 AM PDT by knarf (I say things that are true ... I have no proof ... but they're true.)
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To: GonzoII
Figures the Inky would find a 'life long Republican' that
spouts the left's talking points. The problem that I have
with the GOPe is their absolute unwillingness to thwart
Dear Leader Obozo.
6 posted on 04/24/2016 4:36:15 AM PDT by major_gaff (University of Parris Island, Class of '84)
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To: GonzoII
....GOP disgruntlement among the blue-collar whites of the Philadelphia suburbs....

Some wag just published a piece in the past couple months that said he would be happy when these type of people were gone...that they deserved to die. I think it was published in the National Review.

7 posted on 04/24/2016 4:51:46 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper (Just say no to HRC)
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To: SoFloFreeper

It was NR. Just goes to show how out of touch they are with America... absolutely disgusting.


8 posted on 04/24/2016 4:54:34 AM PDT by GonzoII ("If the new crime be, to believe in God, let us all be criminals" -Sheen)
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To: GonzoII

Back in March Trump ran up big margins in OH counties that border PA.

He’ll do very well in western PA and the Philly suburbs on Tuesday.


9 posted on 04/24/2016 5:18:43 AM PDT by goldstategop ((In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever))
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To: GonzoII; knarf; SoFloFreeper

Terry Madonna of Franklin and Marshall College says an estimated 94,000 registered voters have switched to the Republican party.

Go WIN Trump!
Impeach Hillary!
RePatriateTed!
Kibbutz 4 Bernie!

Read more from WFMZ.com at: http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-berks/Local/Voters-switching-parties-ahead-of-PA-primary/38687196


10 posted on 04/24/2016 5:19:56 AM PDT by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies

WOW! That’s more than than the 49,000 in MA. AND they ain’t doing for Cruz or Kasich.


11 posted on 04/24/2016 5:22:32 AM PDT by GonzoII ("If the new crime be, to believe in God, let us all be criminals" -Sheen)
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To: GonzoII

Right but nearly 50K switched from R to D.

Are R’s looking to help Bernie? Or would they be center style republicans that actually like Hellary.

With those large numbers, I get the feeling these folks flip their registration every 4 years with a strategy in mind. Or they just pick the 1 in 20 they like best.

Time will tell.


12 posted on 04/24/2016 7:06:09 AM PDT by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies
The key take away from your article is this:

"I mean, what's going on there are Democrats who are registering Republican, primarily to vote for Trump because they think it will help Hillary Clinton," added Madonna.

My fear is that it's 'Operation Chaos' in reverse and these new 'Repubs' will vote for Hitlery in the fall.
13 posted on 04/24/2016 7:16:07 AM PDT by major_gaff (University of Parris Island, Class of '84)
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To: SoFloFreeper

He was talking about the towns, not the people...

“The truth about these dysfunctional, downscale communities is that they deserve to die. Economically, they are negative assets. Morally, they are indefensible. Forget all your cheap theatrical Bruce Springsteen crap. Forget your sanctimony about struggling Rust Belt factory towns and your conspiracy theories about the wily Orientals stealing our jobs. Forget your goddamned gypsum, and, if he has a problem with that, forget Ed Burke, too. The white American underclass is in thrall to a vicious, selfish culture whose main products are misery and used heroin needles. Donald Trump’s speeches make them feel good. So does OxyContin. What they need isn’t analgesics, literal or political. They need real opportunity, which means that they need real change, which means that they need U-Haul.”

http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php?topic=198401.0


14 posted on 04/24/2016 7:22:08 AM PDT by huldah1776 ( Vote Pro-life! Allow God to bless America before He avenges the death of the innocent.)
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To: GonzoII

If trump builds the wall and creates fair trade instead of free trade, he will live up to 90% of his mandate.


15 posted on 04/24/2016 7:39:53 AM PDT by Awgie (truth is always stranger than fiction)
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To: GonzoII

Out of curiosity I just looked up the New York primary totals from 2008. Trump had a higher turnout in 2016 (NY) than McCain and Rommney combined did in 2008. Trump pulled 14K more votes than the two republican front runners in 2008.

And that primary was really early in the year, which would have meant higher turnout. Huh.

PA has that whole delegate/blind voting thing. Now we just had a rules change in NY late last summer - The Party Leaders get to select ALL of the delegates regardless of who wins. It used to be that the candidates got to select their own delegates, but The Party Leaders just took it upon themselves to do what they think is best. For The Party.

Viewed that way - Trump may have more of a chance to get loyal delegates in PA despite the rules than he may ultimately wind up with in NY despite his YUGE win here.


16 posted on 04/24/2016 7:57:57 AM PDT by Ladysforest (Racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia and vulgarity - with just a smattering of threats and violence)
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To: Awgie
I think he'll defund Planned Parenthood and take care of Obama Care to boot, it should be fairly easy.
17 posted on 04/24/2016 8:23:46 AM PDT by GonzoII ("If the new crime be, to believe in God, let us all be criminals" -Sheen)
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To: All; GonzoII

TODAY’S WSJ/NBC poll has Hillary BEATING Trump in Pennsylvania.

Hillary 55% vs. Trump 40%

Liberal/moderate Republicans just do NOT win elections, even IF they pretend to change their minds JUST BEFORE DECIDING TO RUN like Trump and Romney did!

Astute conservatives can see right through it, and some will stay home.


18 posted on 04/24/2016 2:27:24 PM PDT by Sun (Pray that God sends us good leaders. Please say a prayer now.)
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To: Sun
TODAY’S WSJ/NBC poll has Hillary BEATING Trump in Pennsylvania.

Such polls are meaningless 6 months out, and before the conventions have occurred.

Trump has every chance of beating Hillary in Pennsylvania, "push poll propaganda" parroting notwithstanding.

Polls like this are intended to manipulate public opinion, not measure it.

Ask yourself WHY the mainstream Media would be pushing such an idea?

Since we know they want Hillary, you'd think they'd bury information like this in hopes of having her get an easy opponent to beat.

Or is it instead the case that they simply have the best interests of the GOP at heart, and are trying to save GOP voters from making a mistake?

I've never been able to get a plausible answer as to why the Lamestream Media would publish such polls.

If you do a little research, you'll find that these "polls" are usually conducted by PR firms who are hired for the specific purpose of trying to push the messaging (propaganda) that is requested by their clients (the Media).

So, for that and several other logical reasons, such polls are known throughout the industry to be garbage, veritable "boob bait for bubbas"...

Vote Trump

19 posted on 04/24/2016 2:36:20 PM PDT by sargon (Continue insulting us with 24/7 anti-Trump diatribes and insults, your opus will be assumed.)
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To: knarf
I forget the percentage, but a sizeable number of people have switched from democrat to republican in Pa
I suspect so they can vote and skew the primaries.
20 posted on 04/24/2016 4:46:23 PM PDT by Aut Pax Aut Bellum (I love my dog, but a .45 is man's best friend...)
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