Posted on 06/28/2016 1:40:26 AM PDT by nikos1121
MONESSEN (KDKA) – Monessen is a 3rd class city in southwestern Westmoreland County, and like a lot of former mill towns, Monessen has witnessed better days.
Mary Baumgardner said “this town was once a lively neighborhood, now it’s dead.”
When the Wheeling-Pittsburgh Mill was going strong, there were thousands of good paying jobs here. But, those Wheeling Pittsburgh jobs have vanished, and so has a lot of the population. The city’s tax base has eroded, empty store fronts sit along the Main Street, and blighted buildings and homes are numerous.
Presumptive GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump will deliver an economic message, in the shadow of that once thriving steel mill Tuesday afternoon. His speech is entitled “Declaring American Economic Independence.”
Monessen Mayor Louis Mavrakis told KDKA TV’s Ralph Iannotti Monday night “if ISIS was to come to Monessen, they’d keep on going, they would think it was bombed already, that’s how bad it is.”
Trump was invited to Monessen by the city’s Mayor, who describes himself as a lifelong Democrat, frustrated by empty promises he’s heard over the years from career establishment politicians. Mavrakis said he and his wife worked for the election of Obama in the last two presidential elections.
He said “my gripe is very simple….the very communities that built this country are the ones suffering the most.”
The Mayor has fired off two letters to President Obama, looking for federal assistance for his distressed city. He got no response.
Why does he like Donald Trump?
“He’s telling me what I want to hear, no one else is saying that, I have to believe the guy. I’m 78 years old, I’ve heard this same rhetoric over and over ‘we are going to do this for you.’ They get elected, and forget about you,” he said.
Mary Jo Smith is a former Monessen Mayor, and the current Monessen Democratic Party Chairwoman. She says Mayor Mavrakis is all wrong’ explaining ” you are elected as the Democratic Mayor of Monessen, elected by Democrats, why are you reaching out to a Republican?”
Earlier this month, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was in town for the “Trump Rally For National Training Day & Volunteer Registration.”
Gosh, this Mayor should be careful. Obama might send some refugees there.
Thanks for the thread nikos!
Good Morning!
Morning
Looks like a good choice !
Interesting about the D mayor!
Wonder if “they” has included this town in the polls!
Flyover America has been hurting since the 1960's. These communities are highly representative of the economic plight Trump is campaigning to overcome. The question is, can St. Clairsville and Monessen outvote Cleveland and Philadelphia?
My thought is that the current system operates with a presumption that the refugee candidate is suitable, and unless there is reliable evidence of some terrorism sympathy, the candidate is admitted. I submit that this burden should be reversed. It should be incumbent on the immigrant to show that they will assimilate to US culture, and will be a net positive.
Trump is supposedly to release a policy or a paper that deals with the subject.
Already knew Obama was settling muslimbs across red America. Hadn’t thought about him using immigration as a retribution weapon.
I need nicer clothes before I could sit in that dining car. Damn. 007 in “From Russia with Love”.
I need to hear from the Chief today...hope he gives them hell.
This is a brilliant decision by the Trump campaign. The Monongahela river towns, Monessen, Donora, Monongahela, Charleroi, and Brownsville, are but shadows of their former days when JFK visited the area.
After the JFK visit, good things happened like the widening of Rt. 906 to mitigate the rock slides that were damaging vehicles, and closing the road. Many photos of JFK posing with locals hang in the bars in the area.
Hope that I can catch the live streaming this afternoon.
To that Former Democrat Mayor..
who criticized the democrat who wrote to Trump,seeking a visit to SW Pennsylvania, for giving his support to a Republican..
When our Nation, Our Country is in the condition, we are currently in under this EVIL Adm...
YOU DON’T VOTE PARTY, YOU VOTE FOR THE BEST ONE IN THE RACE,AND THAT IS DONALD J. TRUMP.
BY THE WAY...
THAT FORMER MAYOR, MARY JO SMITH DEMOCRAT..
IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICA TODAY...
I THINK KDKA NEEDS TO HEAR FROM US TRUMP SUPPORTERS...
I live very close to this area, but unfortunately unable to travel there today. but will stay glued to the cable news to see if they broadcast his speech.
Westmoreland County and even Somerset County are very depressed areas. no jobs, no decent shopping facilities, roads are a mess, except in RECREATIONAL AREAS that promote sports, fun and entertainment.
This area is mountainous and very beautiful. It is where the Mountains Touch The Rivers. Rich farm lands, retired people, poor people, disabled people...but sadly the Youth doesn’t stick around..We are Proud People and the entire area is full of TRUMP SIGNS...
WAKE UP AMERICA.
Do you know the purpose of Kennedy’s visit there in 1962? I believe that was right in the midst of the Cuban missile crisis.
One thing I have noticed is that the media coverage of Trump has turned decidedly more negative in recent weeks and they are giving him less time. His great press conference in Scotland was ignored and the media narrative was that Trump was “busy with golfing” while a major world event (Brexit) was taking place.
I’m sure Trump will find a way to counteract this new media strategy of ignoring him.
The national polls are distracting. The election will be won in the battleground states of PA, OH, FL, MI and VA among others.
I live about 10 minutes from Monessen. I go right over the Charleroi/Monessen bridge that spans the Monongahela river. That photo with Kennedy speaking in downtown Monessen is now a ghost town. Drugs and shooting have found their way in. The place were Trump will speak I pass almost everyday on the way to my daughters house. It is part of the now gone Monessen Steel Mill. The ending of the first “Robocop” movie was filmed in the old mill before it was razed. Once in a while I see Tom Savini walking down the streets in Monessen. He has a movie makeup school there.
AND Good Morning Mr. Peabody.
I got to see Lou Dobb's last night after my son's softball game. There was a Romney guy on that was WHINING that Trump hasn't asked him to speak or help at the convention. He said Trump isn't working to bring people together. All these RUMORS that Trump doesn't have a hand on the convention and that Ryan and the Elites are in CHARGEis just BOLOGNA!
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY is what he said next. He said Trump is going to continue the hold RALLIES while the Convention is going on. He said NO ONE has every done that and that he's actually Competing with the Viewers of the Convention by having a Rally.
I thought about that most of the night and I think it's a REMARKABLE Idea!
While the Delegates are in the big Hall they'll be a feed of the Rally up on TV SCREENS. (Just my thought not real information) THE Delegates will be seeing the Rally rather if they want to or not. Some will be seeing his AMAZING Rallies for the First time! I think it will actually have a big impression on some reluctant delegates. TRUMP always has the positive thought that if he was given a Protester for a few minutes he'd change their mind on him. That's how confident Donald is on his persuasion talk.
People at home and people at the Convention will BOTH be seeing the Rally. ALL the TV stations will be covering the convention and at the same time will be also covering his Rallies too. THAT"S a Fantastic Idea! NEVER been done before! And we're told Donld is new and doesn't have a handle on the convention. LIES LIES and LIES!
Good morning. Do not let the polls get you down. We want Hillary to be leading and looking invincible right now. She is who we want.
Polls and actual results have little in common this year.
Pray America wakes
My e-mail from Erick Trump was shuttled into the Junk mail box...
Seems to be a problem with various Trump based fund raisers.
Britain wasn't POLLING truthfully right before the Big Vote. They too were stacking the results their way!
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