Posted on 08/28/2008 7:02:10 AM PDT by W04Man
FROM DIANA IREY
McCain in Western PA!
Please join us this coming Saturday for: Road to the Convention Rally - August 30, 2008
Join Senator John McCain and Cindy McCain for a Road to the Convention Rally Doors open 3:00 p.m. Program begins at 5:00 p.m. Special Guest: John Rich of "Big and Rich"
Consol Energy Park
1 Washington Federal Way
Washington, PA 15301
Call Today to Reserve Your Ticket
Washington Republican Committee Headquarters
(724) 223 - 1001
I saw this yesterday. I hope Bill Russell (Jack Murtha’s current opponent) manages to get some face time at this event. Since Diana Irey is involved, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance.
When I see his running mate, then I’ll consider going to rallys, contributing etc... If it’s Mitt Romney (who I can’t be sure of what his positions really are because he’s flipped and flopped so much), I’ll still vote for McCain, but I won’t be excited about it.
McCain was also on Quinn and Rose this morning. I’m warming up to him, but not at the excitement stage yet.
BTW,
I got a recorded phone message from Lynn Swann earlier this week announcing this rally.
This has been announced in the local area for a least the past week or more that he was coming to Consol Energy Park in Washington PA.
Sadly, Murtha’s not going anywhere, he’s a lying corrupt a$$hole, but he’s he’s that districts lying corrupt a$$hole, those old farts are going to keep re-electing him no matter what.
Yeah, why put any energy into supporting a conservative taking on Murtha when you can just dismiss his efforts?? That’s so much easier!
The man - Bill Russell - has already raised over $1.3 million. And he’s put together a damning commercial of Murtha’s disgusting comments. It would be nice if the naysayers around here could just keep quiet. You don’t have to support Bill Russell... just shut up! That’s pretty easy, right?
Well, rah de dah... sorry I bothered you all.
Look, I am all for unseating the bastard, but I know its not going to happen. Unseating Murtha in his district is about as likely as WV not re-electing Bird. That’s a political reality.
It doesn’t matter what Murtha has done, his district is full of the mill towns devestated when steel left, and folks who haven’t moved on since then. They don’t care what he does or doesn’t do as long as he keeps bringing back the pork.
When you are in those towns in his district and you talk to the folks you get the same message, yea, he’s a corrupt jackass, but he’s our corrupt jackass. Everyone knows he’s a liar, they know he’s a criminal, and they just don’t care.. he gets them federal funds for this, or that.. etc etc etc. Don’t have to like it, but that’s the reality of that district.
Ads simply attacking Murtha for lying or being a criminal or even bad mouthing the military doesn’t sway the electorate there. At least not enough to cause him to lose. That’s the sadness of that district... don’t blame me for being consigned to the fact that Murtha will leave congress when he decides to, or when, if ever he is frog marched by a federal prosecution. Blame the folks in the district for being so jaded that they don’t care their rep is a criminal and a louse.
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Don’t worry about the party poopers . . . thanks for posting this.
I picked up my tickets on Tuesday, and hopefully I can make it there.
No, you're not. You expend your energy to helping him remain in office by mocking his opponent(s).
And nobody's asking you to help. All you have to do is keep quiet. But apparently that's too much to ask. Just like you asking me to believe you're really rooting against Murtha is too much to ask.
I have never mocked the person running in this thread, and I challenge you to quote my “mocking”.
Pointing out the political realities of a congressional district I have lived near for 20 years and visit on a regular basis makes you think I’m rooting for Murtha, then you are either intellectually challenged or just looking for a pointless fight.
The reality is, I’ve seen this guy challenged for 20+ years. He’s been attacked by opponents for the same transgressions throughout those 20+ years and the district keeps re-electing him. That’s the reality. He’s not going to be unseated by pointing out once again the guys a criminal and a louse, the electorate in that district already know that and I deal with these people regularly. They know damn well the guys a corrupt piece of crap, but he’s their corrupt piece of crap and as long as he keeps bringing home the pork they’re going to keep sending him back.
That’s the political realities of that district, you can attack me all you want for pointing out the facts on the ground, but that doesn’t change them. I commend anyone willing to take him on, but the campaign model of attacking him for his decades of transgressions has been a proven model of failure in that district. This guy’s been this districts representative since 1974, this district does not have any demographic shift happening or going to happen.
The same folks have been voting for him for 34 years, and with no demographic change coming anytime soon for this district, voting patterns will not change there. This isn’t a district in change, its a district in stagnation where its been for decades. You aren’t bringing anything to the table that everyone there knows when you attack murtha as a louse and a criminal. They all know he is, not one person there doesn’t know and believe the mans a criminal and a jacka$$, and even with that, he cakewalks every cycle.
He’s a jerk, but he’s their jerk, and that’s just the way it is.
The only thing that is effective against such mentalities is to use humor and cause people to laugh at them. If this can be done on a national level (such as by someone like Rush Limbaugh), the effect on each of them personally will be devastating.
Each of your posts is minimizing and mocking Bill Russell’s effort at unseating Jack Murtha. You know it, and I know it. Look at all the energy you’ve expended on this. Most people who truly didn’t think Russell’s effort was worth it would have shrugged and moved on long ago.
Contact me to be added to ping list.
Don’t look for me to defend McCain. He has his problems. I was for the real conservative in the race, Fred Thompson. If I had my way, it would be Fred at the top of the ticket. Romney looks great and talks a great game (now) but he flipped (pro life), flopped (pro choice) and flipped again (pro life) on one of the most important issues there is. Can you defend that? He did not govern from the right in Mass. Look it up if you don’t believe me.
No my posts have not been mocking anyone, you decide to project that as to what my posts have done, but again I challenge you to quote 1 thing I have said mocking this candidate.
You obviously do not understand the definition of mock if you think I have done any such thing.
mock -v To treat with ridicule or contempt; deride.
I have done no such thing to Mr Russell or his efforts.
I as someone actually on the ground in the district in question and having lived in the general area for over 20 years am pointing out the absolute realities on the ground in that district.
I’d personally love to see nothing more than Mr Murtha not only voted out of office, but also frog marched in handcuffs for his various crimes. However, I know the latter is possible to happen someday, the prior is next to impossible, and certainly will not happen with a campaign of simply attacking him on his illegalities and jerk personality.
Folks who aren’t on the ground in places like this do not understand the “yea, hes a crook, but he’s our crook” mentality that permiates there, and in other districts like it in rustbelt old union states.
The folks know this guys a jerk, they know he’s a liar, they know he’s a crook, if you are going to unseat him you are not going to do it by running a campaign pointing out what everyone has known about the guy for years and voted for him anyway.
This districts demographics are not changing, there is no influx of new blood or new ideas, there is no shift folks have been voting for or against this man as their rep for 34 years, 17 elections or so now. If anyone is going to unseat this man, it won’t be by simply pointing out he’s a criminal and a jerk. Those voting for and against him already know that, and that’s not going to change the vote. The problem is with the electorate, not with any candidate running against them, and without new blood or a giant demographic shift in this district I don’t see this changing.
If the district ever start to truly recover economically so that its not so depending on pork, not bloodly likely anytime soon, but then things would change on the ground there.. but that’s not likely to happen. Pittsburgh just rounded out the top 5 poorest metropolitan areas, and Murtha’s district is effectively a rural district outside that area that saw its economies collapse when steel went away and has not really done much of anything since, nor is there anything in the horizon to change that.
I would love to be proven wrong, but after 20 years on the ground in that district and see just how little the folks give a rat about the fact this guys a crook, I don’t see any campaign centered around pointing out the guys a crook and a jerk managing to unseat him.
Irey or whatever her name is, did a good job against him last time, and hopefully she can help build on this and over time manage to create a grassroots coalition in that district big enough to unseat this guy, and this campaign may help to continue to grow this, but simple attacking him as a crook and a jerk won’t get him out.
Sorry, but have you ever been to Johnstown? Or this district at all? The people there aren’t going to give a rats patootie if folks in NYC or NC or VA are mocking their congressman. They can tear him apart better than anyone believe me, but he’s “their crook.” and that’s the way it is.
That won’t be changed by Rush or any national personality. Quinn & Rose are based in Pittsburgh and attack Murtha mercilessly, and have supported everyone whos run against him since they went on the air in the current form. The folks who care and vote against him, and the folks who know and still vote for him, stay the same pretty much, cycle after cycle. That’s just the way it is.
The only way he’ll be unseated IMHO is over long long term grassroot efforts. This is a case where hearts and minds have to be changed in the district. No national press or talking head or even scandal is going to sway them. It has to be a change made within the district itself by the people there... Outside money isn’t going to change it, outside ridicule is not going to change it.
Since no new blood or demographics or economic shift is happening or bound to happen in that area, you are left with the cynical electorate.. yep, he’s a crook, but he’s our crook.. as long as he keeps bringing home the pork, we’ll keep sending him back. Want to change that districts representation, you need to get economic activity going there that is going to draw in new thinking and new people, and that’s not going to happen anytime soon. So, you are left with the need to shift minds in the district itself, and that takes LONG LONG LONG term efforts at the grassroots.
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