Posted on 03/24/2010 11:09:55 AM PDT by smoothsailing
by David Croyle
Harrisburg is talking about last night’s cable show in Kittanning where the Republican candidate for the 12th Congressional District accused the state Republican Party chairman of collusion.
Bill Russell ran two years ago against John Murtha in his last election in 2008, raising $3.6 million and earning an impressive 42 percent of the vote. Following his loss, Russell announced he would run against him again.
Since Murtha’s unexpected death on February 8, a special election will now be held simultaneously with the Primary on May 18. However, while Russell is already on the Republican ticket for the May primary, Republican insiders rejected him as their candidate to run against Murtha staffer Democrat Mark Critz of Johnstown in the special election. Although Russell already has a district-wide organization in place and excellent name recognition from his last campaign, the GOP conferees voted by a 2-1 margin for Tim Burns from Eighty Four, Pennsylvania in Washington County to run in the special election.
Russell, appearing on Family-Life TV’s Talk of the Town, criticized state Republican Chairman Rob Gleason.
“Unfortunately we’ve got a state Republican chairman who has a direct conflict of interest and really had no interest in, one, either defeating Jack Murtha when he was in Congress or, two, in taking that seat,” Russell said, referring to Gleason’s ownership of an insurance agency. “His direct personal interest is in keeping that the status quo. The direct financial interest is the fact that his insurance company writes the insurance policies for many of the companies Mr. Murtha used to bring in, and he has a vested interest in keeping the status quo for that. It is really unfortunate because, one, he has a vested financial interest in going against the Republican party, two, in a recent news interview, he attacked me for doing too well in the 2008 election because that caused Jack to bring out the Democratic forces including Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton for six robo calls,and Barack Obama. With the turnout of the Democratic electorate to save Mr. Murtha’s seat, he says that actually led him to lose a state legislature seat. So he was angry with me for doing too well against Mr. Murtha.”
D. Patrick Mahoney in The Washington Times yesterday also criticized Gleason and conferees, alleging Burns’ financial fortune that tops nine figures will enable him to self-fund his campaign and also contribute to other campaigns as well.
“It’s an unfortunate reality of what’s going on. As unhappy as people may be about what is going on in Washington, we can’t change things in Washington if we don’t first change the way we do things here in Pennsylvania. With the populist support I have had, I was 30 points ahead in the polls in the Republican running, I’m the largest non-incumbent fund raiser in the nation, but yet they chose somebody else with a 7% name recognition.”
Because the special election will be held at the same time as the state’s Primary election, it will be possible for Burns to actually win and occupy the seat from May until November while Russell wins the Republican nod in the Primary. If Russell wins the Primary and also the General election in November, he could still become the 12th Congressional District’s choice.
Russell, a retired 82nd Airborne officer and Iraq War veteran, seemed undaunted by the politics surrounding the special election.
“My focus right now is running in the Primary and winning the November election,” Russell said.
Calif is not my home state , just stuck here for work.
i am sick of the lies and garbage being posted about
Burns who is a Tea party and a decent conservative .
i am pushing back against the lies being spread by a combination of Dem party trolls and Russel nutters who have joined forces to help get Murtha’s former aide get elected .
Russel and his minnons should be outed for the lies and
phony charges about another NY 23 happening there.
Burns was selected by the PA state laws regarding
special elections .Burns did not created them.
I think we need to get Burns elected to send Pelosi and Obama a huge slap in the face.
Thus the election is a big deal and Russel is acting like a
spoiled child and a devious ego maniac .
So what is your beef about ?
With you logic people can only comment on there own state issues and stay silent on any other topic ?
Are you in charge here and setting the rules ???????
The Russel minnows and Dem party trolls are spreading these false charges of shades of NY 23.
These two groups are trying to split the GOP vote so Murtha’s former aide is elected.
Burns is no GOP insider but a tea party person and
a conservative .
Russel and this dem party trolls are spreading false claims.
Russel is running around screaming its another NY23 and wants people to do a write in campaign for him for the election.
While in fact, its what you laid out, the state law for special elections.
Russel wants to split the vote so the Dem wins so he can thus run again for the 2010 seat.
I want Burns to win so we stick it to Pelosi , Obama amd Reid and the Obama state media !
I understand that Russell is not from here. I remember him riding in on his motorcycle to kick off his election in 2008 after he retired from the Army. My understanding is that he’s a military brat. That means he didn’t really have a home growing up because he probably jumped around a lot. Then he joined the Army. Johnstown is probably the first home he has had. I have no problem with that.
I heard hims speak at the Cannonsburg VFW after the July 4th parade last year. If you would have heard him speak about our founding fathers, you would have been inspired. I really believe that we can’t go wrong with either him or Burns running in November. Don’t engage in this tearing down of either men. It’s not good for our cause. It’s not like NY-23 where you had a clear conservative. Both are good conservatives.
I agree with you.
I think the media and dem party operatives are trying to spread dissent and phony charges.
I agree Russell should make a run in a few months.
Like I said earlier, the Obama trolls use this site to spread false charges and dissent all the time and suckering other posters .
I think there was strange column written in the Wash Times by a SUPPOSED Russel supporter but when you did a fact check on his claims . the claims were all bogus.
These special elections are a sloppy situation.
Come to think of it, you've also refused to support Burns over Critz in the special election.
Campaigns don't run on spite, little guy. Grow up.
Crichton, there's really no need to get snarky.
Up until now, I've found your comments to be just fine. You certainly have every right to express your viewpoint, and I will be the first to defend you in that regard.
As I've said upthread and I'll post here to you, Bill Russell will not endorse Burns in the special election nor should he, and there's a sound reason for it, as follows...
.........................................
Initially it was an understandable strategy on the part of Burns and Gleason partisans to insist Russell endorse Burns, but on just a cursory examination their argument falls apart.
If the Primary Election were held a week before the Special Election and Russell defeated Burns in the Primary, he would have a sound political motivation to endorse Burns in the Special. It would unite the Russell and Burns camp in the effort to defeat Critz. In turn, the Burns camp could announce it's intention to come out for Russell in the November Election.
But when both the Special Election and the Primary Election occur on the same day, such a scenario becomes impossible. For Bill Russell, such an action would be tatamount to political suicide. It's the equivalent of offering your concession speech before the polls open.
To give an example; what if Russell spoke these words publicly tomorrow;"I endorse Tim Burns in the Special Election and will vote for him and encourage my supporters to do the same".
Now what would happen? Burns partisans would start repeating it, the media would report it, and Gleason would congratulate Russell for uniting the GOP. And then, inevitably the headlines would scream; "Russell Endorses Burns","Russell Says Vote For Burns", "Has Russell Thrown In The Towel?". The media and pro-Burns partisans would have a field day. The two elections would be blurred in to one. Russell supporters would become disallusioned by the drumbeat of the headlines. Burns would have co-opted the Primary and would be free to move left and run against Critz as a "moderate" Republican (the new but better Arlen Specter!).
Bottom line, Russell has been magnanimous and quite gracious in wishing Burns luck in the Special Election and I would expect nothing more and nothing less from any man of Col. Russell's integrity and character, the Burns partisans should be more than satisfied with that.
..................................
Now Crichton, that's where I come down on this issue of endorsing Burns.
On the subject of how I will vote, quite frankly I'm at a loss to understand why you think I have any obligation to tell you. I have told you I never vote for Democrats, it is also a fact I have voted in every election, local, state, and national since I turned 21 in 1967. I don't intend to stop now. Will I vote for Burns in the special election? What do you think, there are only two choices, and I don't do write-ins.
As for the primary, I will certainly vote for Russell, and I will continue to work hard for him. I'll probably put my Russell for Congress yardsign out this weekend.
As for Burns, I have attempted to be restrained in my criticism of him, even though I find him to be flawed in a number of ways. I attempt to follow Ronald Reagan's 13th Commandment in that regard. I'm not perfect at it, but it's a reasonable maxim to be guided by.
If, however, others are throwing baseless accusations at Col. Russell and endeavoring to impugn his character or motives, I have little patience for such behavior.
One thing I have liked about your posts, is that you have not hesitated to commend Col. Russell for his honorable life of service in uniform, and you have stated your commitment to support him should he win the primary.
I believe you to be a fair and reasonable person, so I see no reason not to continue our discussion, as long as we're dealing with the two men, Burns and Russell, in terms of their position on issues, their specific proposals or the depth of their knowledge and adherence to conservative principles.
But this matter of the endorsement is finished, as far as I'm concerned. It will not happen, regardless of how long others continue to beat that dead horse.
usually its the anesthesia is what kills a patient over 75.
never get full blown anestheria if your over 75 unless its life or death request a local . many patients are never the same again mentally.
I couldn't help but notice your comment. It reminded me of the speech Col. Russell gave in Johnstown in September last year. It may be very much the same as the one you heard. Inspiring is the perfect description. We as a people owe so much to those men who started it all.
Skip to comments.(LtCol William)Russell Speaks at Tea Party Express Event(in John Murtha's district)
Russell Brigade ^ | 9-9-09 | William Russell
Posted on 09/11/2009 10:16:32 AM PDT by smoothsailing
Russell Speaks at Tea Party Express Event
Calls on Citizens to “Guard This Nation”
September 9, 2009
(JOHNSTOWN, PA) – Republican 12th Congressional district candidate William Russell called on citizens to “Guard this nation” in a speech to a large crowd gathered at Johnstown’s Central Park Wednesday evening, as part of the National Tea Party Express. Crossing the nation and calling on all Americans to oppose the out-of-control spending, higher taxes, bailouts and growth in the size of government, the Tea Party Express is expected to draw hundreds of thousands to the final stop in Washington DC on Saturday. The following is a text of Bill Russell’s speech at the event:
.....................................................................
When the signers of the Declaration of Independence put their names on the Birth Certificate of our nation, it was with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, and a pledge of their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Let’s recall their words:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness.”
When we remember 1776, we are like the reader of a book who knows that a story will end with the hero living happily ever after because he has succeeded in defeating his nemesis.
But the men who signed the Declaration had no idea how their stories would end. When Benjamin Franklin said, “We must all hang together, otherwise we will most assuredly hang separately,” he was deadly serious. The hangman’s noose was very real and the British fleet was already in New York Harbor.
The men who gathered in that oppressively hot summer in Philadelphia to create and sign the document we celebrate every July 4th knew that they were pitting themselves against the mightiest empire in the world. They knew they didn’t have the money or the arms or the equipment. They knew that no one thought they had any chance of actually winning their insane fight for independence.
They also knew that what they were doing was right. And because they knew it was right, they were willing to pledge everything they had to fight a battle that everyone said they couldn’t win. As it turned out, EVERYONE was wrong, and the men who honored the pledge they made that July day in 1776 gave us the nation we call America.
The British had lists of their names even before the Declaration was published, and began a manhunt designed to prove that anyone who committed treason against the King would die. They were determined to hunt down and punish every signer, and his family.
From New York, FRANCIS LEWIS watched as his home and estates were plundered and destroyed. His wife was captured and so abused by her British captors that she later died. WILLIAM FLOYD escaped to New Jersey with his family where they lived as refugees for seven years. PHILLIP LIVINGSTONE had all of his property confiscated, dying in 1778. And LOUIS MORRIS was barred from his family and his home for seven years after watching as everything he owned was taken or destroyed.
From New Jersey, JOHN HART tried to return home to see his dying wife. The intense manhunt forced him to hide in caves as Hessian mercenaries captured his children and wrecked his home while his wife lay on her death bed. He died in 1779 without ever seeing his family again. Judge RICHARD STOCKTON was captured, beaten, and starved. He died from his injuries before the war ended.
From Pennsylvania, ROBERT MORRIS raised arms and provisions for Washington using his own resources. GEORGE CLYMER lost his property. Dr BENJAMIN RUSH lent his surgical skills to the soldiers of Washington’s Army, braving death daily.
South Carolina delegates EDWARD RUTLEDGE, ARTHUR MIDDLETON, and THOMAS HEYWARD, Jr were captured and carried as prisoners to St Augustine, Florida. They returned at the end of the war to find their homes destroyed.
And THOMAS NELSON of Virginia personally fired the cannons that destroyed his own home during the siege at Yorktown when he learned that the American Army was sparing it out of respect for him. He died, in poverty, at the age of 50.
Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration, 9 died before the war ended, 5 were captured or imprisoned, several lost their wives and children. Two wives were brutalized. Twelve had their homes burned to the ground. Seventeen lost everything they owned.
Lives and fortunes they gave in full measure.
Their Honor, however, THEY KEPT. And by none so well as ABRAHAM CLARK of New Jersey. His 2 sons were officers in the Continental Army. They were captured and sent to the British prison ship in New York harbor called “Jersey” where thousands of Americans died. The Clark sons were singled out for special brutality because of their father. One was placed in solitary and starved. At the end of the war, the British, desperate to break at least one of the men who had signed the Declaration, offered ABRAHAM CLARK the life of his son if he would recant and swear allegiance to King and Parliament. Breaking his own heart, CLARK’s response was “NO.”
This is the gift you honor with your presence here today – The gift of Honor, given to us by men who paid the highest price imaginable.
They created this nation. But we must guard it – with uncompromising adherence to the truths they set forth in the Declaration long ago. They gave all so that we would have a nation that begins with the recognition that we are endowed with rights by our Creator. A nation where each of us has the right to create our own destiny. A nation where the government is supposed to be the servant and protector, not the master of its citizens. A nation where our rights to life, liberty, and property are protected realities, not just political rhetoric.
Today in America, we are losing control of our lives, seeing the fortunes of our children squandered, and our own and our nation’s sacred honor trashed by a President and Congress charged with protecting them. But WE THE PEOPLE have the right to demand that they adhere to the founding principles and protect our liberty. And if they fail to listen, the Founding Fathers gave us a Constitutional means by which to institute a new government by electing new Representatives, new Senators, and a new President who will do so.
Ladies and Gentlemen, America’s freedom, and her future, depend on us. Let us not fail those who have entrusted this nation to our care. WE MUST ACT. There are approximately 500,000, national, state, and local offices across this nation that need leaders who believe as we do. If you cannot find a candidate who meets these requirements, than step forward and become that candidate. In 1776, a group of men gave everything they had to create America – what will we give to preserve it?
Thank you so much for coming out here today. I have been truly honored to speak with you. May God bless you and may God continue to bless this great nation.
I think what happened is that during surgery, they knicked his large intestine. Infection set in and that was the end. My understanding is that this is not uncommon.
I scanned your article briefly and yes that appears to be a very similar speech to the one he gave in Cannonsburg. I will have to fully read it later. I gotta go now. Very inspiring and I really think we can’t go wrong with either candidate.
Most inspiring, Smooth and most here who take the time to read it will realize Bill Russell is not out to do what a very few have stated. Check 104, that boy just doesn’t get it.
I bet you could spell the facts out to him repeatly and he'd still be spouting the same gibberish.
Kinda like hitting a jackass with a two-by-four. The jackass doesn't learn anything but the board is worse for the wear. :)
Excellent analogy. :-)
Get on Route 219 North. Drive for about three hours. Liberals
are the endangered species here!
Been there, and I agree when it comes to just average folks, plenty of conservatives here in Washington, PA too. But what I was referring to was politicians. :)
But if Gleason is even half as maniacal as he's given credit for, he's laughing into his sleeve right now, thinking, "I knew Russell was too stubborn to say he's voting for Burns, now he'll shoot himself in the foot every time he's asked about it!"
As others have commented as well, it's a self-defeating stance. No, it's obviously not ideal to have the special and primary on the same day, but it's an obstacle that other candidates elsewhere have overcome. Instead he should go with something like, "Vote Russell in the primary and Burns in the special - one vote for each of us!" People who like both candidates might find that an easy way to resolve any indecision. Then Burns has to look like a schmuck asking for two votes for himself and none for Russell.
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