Posted on 02/22/2010 9:58:44 AM PST by Salena Zito
Pennsylvania soon may scrape the bottom of the federal pork barrel.
The Feb. 8 death of U.S. Rep. Jack Murtha was "a major blow" to federal funding in the state, according to Jeff Brauer, a political science professor at Keystone College. The Johnstown Democrat, in Congress since 1974, held considerable clout as chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Subcommittee.
Brauer foresees another blow when Ed Rendell ends eight years as governor this year. The Philadelphia Democrat's influential national connections also have brought federal money into the state.
And if U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, another Philadelphia Democrat, survives a May primary challenge but loses in November to Republican Pat Toomey, Brauer says, "Pennsylvania will not only have a new freshman senator but one in what will most likely be the minority party of the Senate."
Pennsylvania last suffered a power vacuum in Washington in early 1980s, when Rep. Dan Flood, D-Wilkes-Barre, and U.S. Sen. Richard Schweiker, a Republican, retired.
(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...
ping
The import of the article is that PA must continue to elect Dems, the majority party, or lose their pork. Why not just make it simple by just saying vote Democrat?
Term limits are a female dog, aren't they.
Dems=pork. Yeah, that’s about right. But think of all the taxes that would be gone if the Dems go.
“Murtha’s dead. Specter is a loser. Oh, wo! Who’s going to embezzle for PA now?”
You could look at that way if you wish, I think the story I wrote is larger than that. Power and pork ebbs and flows, Shuster and Heinz were both glorious in bringing home pork and they were Republican.
translation: so go out and pull the lever from Snarlin’ Arlen because you know you are totally dependent on federal largesse for your meager existence. (this is the same argument that got Murtha re-elected after he called his consituents a bunch of redneck racists)
it is an end of an era not an endorsement, certainly if you knew anything about the paper I work for the last person that would get an endorsement would be Arlen Specter.
I take it in the current political context. Your story mentioned that the Dems are the majority party and that the possible loss of Specter’s seat coupled with Murtha’s would hurt the people of PA. The message I get is that PA should elect Dems if they want the pork to continue to flow.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: PA, like many other so-called “blue” states, is ALL “red” except for Philadelphia, the state capital Harrisburg, and to a much lesser degree Pittsburgh.
And anomolous screamingly leftist college campuses like Bucknell in central PA have been the subject of more than one jaw-dropping thread here on FR, but rest assured that less than one block off campus in any direction, the real residents are “gun clingers” Obama wrings his hands about.
It would be nice to be rid of Specter and not to have an ideological fellow traveler replace Murtha. They’d still have a Dim governor of course but let’s take it one step at a time.
I'd bet against it. Fast Eddie is in his last year as Gov., and right now, Republican AG, Mike Fisher, is looking very good to win in November. The Dems are split on who to nominate and they have no one with state-wide experience (name recognition) right now.
Mike Fisher ran in 2001 it is Attorney General Tom Corbett
Right. My bad.
Actually, what I question most is Brauer’s assertion that Toomey would be in the ‘minority party.’
Jus sayin...voters even outside of PA are pi$$ed.
It is a shame that being a PA resident means that Philly and Pittsburgh decide most of our elections....wake up people!
You are absolutely correct. PA is a red state. Phila. and Harrisburg are blue. For years the legislators from rural PA have had to reign in Phila. on several issues.
Under Frank Rizzo, Phila. had extra hoops that citizens had to jump through to purchase a handgun. Of course if you were connected properly there was no problem.
The state informed Rizzo that he had to knock it off. They pointed out that they made Penna. law; not him. The state also refused to fund public education any longer in Philly. Public schools were a disgrace (they remain so), so a private firm was contracted with.
Every city in America that is controlled by a Democratic political machine is a disaster. Law abiding citizens are not safe and corruption is the norm. You can always count on Democratic politicians in these cities to dream up new and more intrusive gun control laws that have absolutely no effect other than to harrass legitimate gun owners.
Local government and unions are tied together. In Philly the Teamsters provide goons for any strike that is called against a business or an agency. I will never forget the people who protested an appearance by Bill Clinton in Center City.
Channel 6 cameras recorded Teamster thugs stomp these people into meatballs in the middle of Market St. It was on the evening news every night for more than a week before trhe goons were arrested. I never heard about any resolution to that case. Usually the D.A. sweeps it under the rug and all is forgiven.
Phila. is a sewer. It will never change as long as Democrats control the criminal justice system and city government. When the goons stomped those demonstrators Ed Rendell was Mayor and Lynn Abraham was D.A. Before she achieved that position she had been a pretty good, tough judge. That changed.
I will say it again. Philadelphia is a good place to be from.
Ms. Zito:
I appreciate your participation in the discussion on this thread. I have read your articles on Townhall for some time now. I frequently disagree with you, but I understand and agree with your point here. I salute you for engaging here on FR.
:) thanks I work hard to show what is happening on both sides and let people make up their own minds, which means on basically a daily basis everyone hates me. I guess I know I have done my job well when I get emails calling me a flaming liberal or right wing nut job.
And now we’re stuck until November with Kanjorski as one of 2 in the state with the most seniority in Congress.
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