Posts Tagged ‘Corbett’

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PA GOP News Brief 8.31.10

1. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Rep. Sestak Bashed Over $350,000 Energy Earmark Request

2. New Corbett TV Ad: ‘Predictable’

3. Hotline On Call: NRCC Names 6 New Young Guns

4. Politico: Tidal Wave? 10-Point Poll Edge For GOP

5. Scranton Times-Tribune: Joblessness Up Again, 10.4 In Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton Metro Area

1. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Rep. Sestak Bashed Over $350,000 Energy Earmark Request

Republicans criticized U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak yesterday for requesting an earmark they say would have sent $350,000 to a company, in violation of House rules.

The House in March banned giving earmarks to for-profit companies. Sestak, a Delaware County Democrat running for U.S. Senate, sponsored a $350,000 request for the nonproft Thomas Paine Foundation for research into a new kind of wind turbine.

The foundation’s 2004 IRS filing says nothing about energy research, but its president, Drew Devitt, last year started New Way Energy, a for-profit company to develop turbines and energy-related equipment…

“It’s hardly the group you would expect to be in line for a $350,000 energy earmark,” said state Republican Party Chairman Rob Gleason.

2. New Corbett TV Ad: ‘Predictable’

When I announced my pledge that as Governor I would oppose all new tax increases, the response from the politicians was quite predictable.

Ed Rendell said I should have my head examined.

Dan Onorato called any promise to not raise taxes a gimmick.

3. Hotline On Call: NRCC Names 6 New Young Guns

This fifth round of “Young Guns,” provided to Hotline On Call, is primarily composed of candidates who emerged from recent primaries and represents some of the GOP’s top pickup opportunities this fall.

The candidates are state Rep. Sandy Adams (R) in FL-24, surgeon Dan Benishek (R) in MI-01, ret. Army Col. Chris Gibson (R) in NY-20, auto dealer Mike Kelly (R) in PA-03, funeral homes owner Steve Southerland in FL-02 (R) and ex-state Sen. Daniel Webster (R) in FL-08.

4. Politico: Tidal Wave? 10-Point Poll Edge For GOP

Democrats thought things couldn’t get much worse on the electoral front — and then they went home to campaign.

A new Gallup poll released Monday shows Republicans with a record 10-point edge over Democrats on the “generic ballot” test — the question of whether voters prefer a Democratic or Republican congressional candidate. It’s the largest GOP polling edge at this stage in the 68 years of the generic ballot poll.

5. Scranton Times-Tribune: Joblessness Up Again, 10.4 In Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton Metro Area

Joblessness in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton metro area continued its disappointing march upward in July, increasing two-tenths of a percentage point to a seasonally adjusted 10.4 percent – nearly an 18-year high and the highest unemployment rate among the state’s 14 metro areas.

The state Department of Labor and Industry reported today that declines in employment outpaced declines in the labor force – those able and willing to work. The imbalance pushed the jobless rate to its highest level since September 1992.

PA GOP News Brief 8.30.10

1. PA GOP: Liberal Joe Sestak Earmark Issues Continue

2. PA GOP: Did Pennsylvania’s Other Elected Officials Know About Kanjo’s Plans To Bomb The 11th Congressional District

3. The Patriot-News: Candidates for governor heat up race

4. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Beck’s D.C. rally draws 500,000 to honor heroes

5. Lancaster New Era: Sarah Palin’s speech is a hit in Hershey

6. The Hill: GOP chances of winning House are rising as midterm election nears

7. Lancaster New Era: Don’t hike license fees to fix roads

8. Pittsburgh Tribune Review: Help me (less), says Danny O – Must Read

1.    PA GOP: Liberal Joe Sestak Earmark Issues Continue

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement criticizing Joe Sestak for funneling taxpayer dollars through a nonprofit organization to a for-profit company.  Sestak’s latest scandal appeared in an article in The Morning Call on Saturday.

“Joe Sestak talks a lot about how he is different from the typical Washington, D.C. politician, but his actions speak much louder than words ever could,” Gleason said. “It appears that the further we dig into Joe’s record, the more it becomes clear just how entrenched he is in the Washington, D.C. way of doing business.

“In this case, Sestak either knowingly diverted money to a for-profit company or he does not do the proper research necessary before earmarking funds. Either way, Joe Sestak’s actions raise some serious questions about his ability to serve as a Congressman and certainly don’t warrant a promotion to the U.S. Senate.”

2. PA GOP: Did Pennsylvania’s Other Elected Officials Know About Kanjo’s Plans To Bomb The 11th Congressional District

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement regarding Congressman Paul Kanjorski’s announcement that Luzerne County may be the new home of a military-style training camp that would result in the detonation of 500 bombs each year in the 11^th Congressional District.  Gleason also questioned whether or not U.S. Senators Casey and Specter, Governor Ed Rendell, members of the state legislature or the Pennsylvania State Police were aware of the project.

“Congressman Paul Kanjorski will do absolutely anything to get re-elected, even if it means blowing up part of his district,” Gleason said. “With so many explosives involved and the possibility of public backlash against the project, one can’t help but wonder if Congressman Kanjorski discussed his plans to bring this facility to Luzerne County with U.S. Senators Casey or Specter, Governor Ed Rendell, local members of the state legislature or the Pennsylvania State Police.  One can only imagine how many complaints the Pennsylvania State Police will receive as bombs are detonated more than once a day, nine or ten times a week.

“Kanjorski’s announcement last week was a desperate move by a desperate candidate who sees his long career as a Washington, D.C. bureaucrat coming to an end.”

3.The Patriot-News: Candidates for governor heat up race

Some observers say Labor Day weekend serves as the unofficial kickoff to the fall political campaigns, but the state’s gubernatorial candidates aren’t waiting that long.

Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Dan Onorato began ratcheting up their political attacks on each other last week.

Onorato, who is behind in most polls, has been aggressively hammering Corbett. While Corbett had been less visible earlier in the summer, he has made more campaign stops in recent days, including an appearance in Palmyra.

4. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Beck’s D.C. rally draws 500,000 to honor heroes

Glenn Beck fans, drawn by the conservative TV and radio talk show host’s promise of an American revival, streamed to the National Mall on Saturday from the four points of the compass.

Beck’s organizers had told the National Park Service that they expected as many as 300,000 people at the rally. Attendance might have exceeded that mark, with a crowd estimate of as many as 500,000 from rally organizers.

…

“Look past the monuments,” Beck implored the crowd. “Where are the heroes of today?”

Beck and Palin pointed to the military, fighting the nation’s longest war.

5. Lancaster New Era: Sarah Palin’s speech is a hit in Hershey

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin urged conservatives to continue fighting for a “culture of life, a pro-family agenda that will strengthen our country” and a drastically limited government in Washington.

She called the growing national debt a burden on families and “the greatest national security threat we face.”

“We need to demand that Washington start putting our kids first and stop racking up the debt and mortgaging our futures,” Palin told a sold-out crowd of some 1,100 people Friday night at Pennsylvania Family Institute’s annual fundraiser at the Hershey Lodge.

6. The Hill: GOP chances of winning House are rising as midterm election nears

The playing field of competitive House races has expanded substantially over the past two months, increasing the chances that Republicans will control the lower chamber next year.

The news is good for Republicans, as many open seats are trending to the GOP while dozens of Democratic incumbents are scrambling to keep their jobs.

Democratic leaders are on the defensive, making the case they can still retain the majority in November while playing defense in districts they weren’t expecting to be concerned about earlier in the cycle.

7. Lancaster New Era: Don’t hike license fees to fix roads

As his term comes to an end in uncertain economic times, Gov. Ed Rendell is casting about for any and all tax revenue he can find.

He wants to tax companies extracting gas from Marcellus Shale. He wants to tax oil companies that sell gasoline. And he wants to increase fees for every Pennsylvanian who drives.

Whether taxes on gas and oil should be raised is one thing. Whether fees should be raised for drivers is quite another.

Unequivocally, fees should not be increased for drivers. They are suffering enough.

8. Pittsburgh Tribune Review: Help me (less), says Danny O

The Trib has obtained an exclusive copy of a letter from Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, the Democrats’ nominee for governor, to fellow Democrat Gov. Ed Rendell, who is entering the final four months of his second term. Onorato faces Republican Attorney General Tom Corbett in the November general election.

Dear Ed:

I can’t thank you enough for all your help. Having your people assist my fundraising, along with the right word from you here or there, helped me raise millions of dollars.

It was a stroke of genius in July 2009, while declaring your neutrality in the Democrat primary, that you stated I would “probably be our next governor.”

Wow! Did the money roll in after that. Having a couple of your people on staff has been an enormous help, too. I owe my primary victory to you and I haven’t forgotten my promise to continue sending legal work to the Ballard Spahr law firm in Philadelphia, keep Donna Cooper on as director of policy, do whatever Comcast needs and wear a Philadelphia Eagles shirt during Monday night games (as long as the Steelers aren’t playing). I’ll even do the Eagles post-game analysis on Comcast.

I’ll keep Aramark on to run the Capitol cafeteria. It’s been months since they’ve found any rodent droppings.

But I really need your help again — in a big way. Please don’t be offended. But I really need you to back off a bit, stop talking about raising taxes and curtail the endless news conferences.

Look, I know it is against your nature but you’ve seen the poll numbers showing the Rendell “fatigue” among voters. You’ve heard the talk about legislators who can’t wait for you to leave town.

On two occasions recently you stated that lawmakers should pass state gas taxes and fees now because a major candidate for governor, Corbett, has signed an anti-tax pledge.

It sounded, Ed, like you were saying Corbett is going to win. You didn’t say Corbett would win but, hey, some people got that impression.

The tax talk in the first place creates problems for me. You know I won’t sign that idiotic anti-tax pledge from Americans for Tax Reform. You and I both believe it’s foolish to lock yourself in.

Corbett keeps harping on my refusal to sign that thing and I won’t.

He’s Mr. Flip-Flop for saying his anti-tax pledge doesn’t include transportation fees and tolls.

User fees are a tax and, before it’s said and done, a gas tax hike will be on the table as well. I came out against any tax hike after Corbett’s statement and I said I’d be hard-pressed to consider any fee increase. Those nagging reporters kept trying to get me to say I would never raise taxes or fees during my term and that would be like signing the stupid pledge.

Corbett claims user fees, like driver’s license fees and tolls on high-occupancy-vehicle lanes, are things people choose to pay.

I can’t say too much because the Port Authority of Allegheny County might run out of money next year and I can’t allow that to happen on my turf.

Corbett is hitting me on a litany of tax increases in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.

Can you believe it?

So you clearly see my dilemma and whatever you can do to go out a little more quietly would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely, your humble servant, Dan (or “Rendell lite,” as some call me).

PA GOP News Brief – 8.27.10

1. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Political poll shows Toomey, Corbett ahead

2. Erie Times-News: Toomey campaigns in Erie, Crawford counties

3. Centre Daily Times: GOP candidates stump at Grange Fair

4. The Hill: New ad slams Sestak’s votes on the economy

5. Scranton Times-Tribune: Kanjorski’s projects don’t always pan out

1. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Political poll shows Toomey, Corbett ahead

A new poll shows Republican Pat Toomey ahead of Democrat Joe Sestak in their U.S. Senate race.

The Franklin & Marshall College poll shows Mr. Toomey with the support of 40 percent of likely voters to Mr. Sestak’s 31 percent. About a quarter remain undecided with about 9 weeks left until the Nov. 2 general election.

Mr. Toomey and Mr. Sestak are vying for the seat currently held by Arlen Specter, who was knocked off by Mr. Sestak in the primary.

2. Erie Times-News: Toomey campaigns in Erie, Crawford counties

U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey brought his RV tour of Pennsylvania communities to a mostly friendly audience in Erie but encountered a few speed bumps.

Toomey, the GOP candidate in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the nation, spoke Thursday morning to about 50 people at the Manufacturer & Business Association.

Toomey, a former Lehigh County congressman, told the group that he wants to create job growth and restore what he called balance and fiscal sanity to Washington, D.C.

Toomey, who is running against Democrat Joe Sestak, made Erie and the Crawford County Fair two stops on the final day of his 23-county, four-day “more jobs, less government” recreational-vehicle tour.

3. Centre Daily Times: GOP candidates stump at Grange Fair

Fairgoers saw a lot of Republican red Thursday while the Centre County Democratic Committee’s booth, two tents away, stood empty.

Pennsylvania lieutenant governor candidate Jim Cawley joked about the absence of his opponent, Rep. Scott Conklin, who is also seeking reelection to the state’s 77th House District.

“Maybe he can’t figure out which sign he has to put up: the lieutenant governor sign or the state representative sign,” Cawley said as he waited for U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey’s bus to arrive.

The Centre County Republican Committee tent buzzed with activity as Toomey dropped in for about 30 minutes and got a quick tour of the grounds with Joyce Haas, the Republican who’s running against Conklin for the 77th district seat.

4. The Hill: New ad slams Sestak’s votes on the economy

The Club for Growth on Friday announced a new ad that criticizes Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Penn.) for supporting mortgage and energy reform, and the stimulus bill, saying the votes were too liberal and too expensive for Pennsylvania voters.

“We can’t afford Joe Sestak’s liberal schemes,” the ad states.

The ad is the group’s first against Sestak as he and Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) vie for the seat currently held by Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Penn.).

5. Scranton Times-Tribune: Kanjorski’s projects don’t always pan out

As unemployment remains high and polls show voters nervous about the economy, U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, facing re-election, is doing everything he can to focus on bringing jobs to the area.

Last week, Mr. Kanjorski casually dropped word that a hybrid automobile manufacturer is considering Northeast Pennsylvania for a national headquarters and factory that could eventually employ 4,000 people.

“They came to us,” Mr. Kanjorski said.

On Thursday, Mr. Kanjorski took officials of the U.S. Department of State and the General Services Administration on a tour of Earth Conservancy land because they are looking for a place to build a center to train about 10,000 people a year in diplomatic security. If built here, it could mean 1,000 jobs, Mr. Kanjorski said.

The common thread to the two developments is this: Mr. Kanjorski is getting attention as he runs for election, but neither is guaranteed.

PA GOP News Brief – 8.26.10

1. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Toomey defends financial positions during campaign stop

2. Indiana Gazette: Gubernatorial hopeful Corbett tours IRMC

3. The Morning Call: Dent takes aim at Callahan

4. The Patriot News: Republican candidates in Pennsylvania senate, governor’s races lead among likely voters, poll shows

5. The Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove: Honey, I Shrunk My Approval Ratings

1. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Toomey defends financial positions during campaign stop

Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey yesterday accused Democrats of “demagoguery” for criticizing his positions on Social Security and deregulating the financial instruments some blame for deepening the recession.

Toomey, a former Lehigh County congressman, said he still supports a law that exempted derivatives from some of the laws governing securities. He noted the law — the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 — passed the House by a vote of 377 to 4, passed the Senate unanimously and was signed by Democratic President Bill Clinton.

“That bill did absolutely nothing to cause the financial crisis, and no credible person has tried to make that argument,” Toomey said between campaign stops in Butler and McCandless. Asked whether he’d vote for it again, he said: “Yes. I think all 377 (House members) would vote for it again.”

2. Indiana Gazette: Gubernatorial hopeful Corbett tours IRMC

Gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett said while he hasn’t read all 2,000 pages of the health care reform bill, he’s heard from community hospitals such as Indiana Regional Medical Center that the impact is “going to be hard.”

As Pennsylvania’s attorney general, Corbett joined a lawsuit with a number of other states challenging the constitutionality of the bill, which was signed into law by the president in March.

“It is such a challenging issue for the next governor,” he told administrators and staff at IRMC Tuesday afternoon. “We’re not counting on Washington; we’re doing everything we can.”

3. The Morning Call: Dent takes aim at Callahan

Gearing up for perhaps his toughest re-election fight, three-term Congressman Charlie Dent cast an opponent Wednesday as a tax-and-spend Democrat who had been “deceptive” about his own record and is ducking major issues like national security.

In slam after slam, Dent used his first major news conference of the campaign to summarize three months of press releases. He tried to tie Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan to President Barack Obama and to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose priorities Dent describes as leaving “economic chaos and uncertainty.”

Meanwhile, Republican Dent described himself as serving as a “check and balance against reckless spending and job-killing legislation.”

4. The Patriot News: Republican candidates in Pennsylvania senate, governor’s races lead among likely voters, poll shows

With voter anxiety over the shaky economy and faltering recovery, Republican candidates at the top of Pennsylvania’s ballot are riding high.

Democrats find themselves on the wrong side of an enthusiasm gap with 10 weeks to go before Election Day, according to the Franklin & Marshall College poll released today.

“Democrats are at a decided disadvantage when it comes to voter motivation,” said F&M pollster G. Terry Madonna.

The poll points to ominous signs for Democrats. Voters are pessimistic about the state’s direction, the economy, and the performance of President Barack Obama, Madonna said. And Democratic voters say they are less likely to vote than Republicans.

5. The Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove: Honey, I Shrunk My Approval Ratings

In what will rank as one of the all-time presidential PR disasters, we’re now well over half way through what the White House called “the summer of recovery.” And what a recovery it’s been.

Earlier this month, first-time claims for unemployment hit a nine-month high. The unemployment rate remains at 9.5% and 18.4% of workers are out of a job, can only get part-time work, or have given up looking for a job altogether. Sales of existing homes dropped 27% from June to July, hitting the lowest point since data were first collected in 1999. The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index fell to 50.4 in July, continuing a slide that started in February. And the stock market is down 11% from its peak in April.

All of this has helped shatter public confidence in the president. In early May, Mr. Obama’s approval on the economy in the YouGov/Polimetrix poll was 42%. By mid-August, it was 35%—a frightening number for Democrats less than 70 days from a midterm election.

PA GOP News Brief 8.24.10

1. PA GOP: Blago: My Scandal And ‘Job-gate’ Are The “Same”

2. Philadelphia Inquirer: Toomey Stresses Economy As He Begins Tour Of Pennsylvania

3. Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice: Toomey: Bailout Not Fair To Taxpayers

4. Chambersburg Public Opinion: Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Corbett Campaigns In Chambersburg

5. The Hill: House GOP Leader To Call On Obama To Fire Geithner, Summers

1. PA GOP: Blago: My Scandal And ‘Job-gate’ Are The “Same”

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason was not surprised to learn that impeached former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is equating his attempts to sell a U.S. Senate seat in Illinois with the White House’s attempts to bribe Joe Sestak out of the U.S. Senate race.

“You know it’s a bad time to be Joe Sestak when Rod Blagojevich is one of your biggest ‘Job-gate’ defenders,” Gleason said. “For months, Joe Sestak has refused to ‘spill the beans’ regarding the White House’s attempts to bribe him out of the U.S. Senate race, providing a series of confusing statements that have led to more questions than answers. It’s been seven months since ‘Job-gate’ first broke, and it looks like the only one who understands what happened is Rod Blagojevich.

2. Philadelphia Inquirer: Toomey Stresses Economy As He Begins Tour Of Pennsylvania

Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey rolled into town in an RV wallpapered with his campaign posters, on the first day of a four-day tour through 21 counties to argue that wrongheaded Democratic economic policies have failed to lift Main Street out of recession.

“I definitely want to see some changes, some new people in office,” Todd Miller, owner of M&S True Value Hardware on Broad Street, said when Toomey asked him how business was.

Earlier, in a speech to the Pennsylvania Press Club in Harrisburg, Toomey noted that the state had lost 71,700 jobs since the $787 billion federal stimulus was approved in early 2009. That bill was supposed to reduce the national unemployment rate to below 8 percent, he said.

“Where is the recovery?” Toomey asked.

3. Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice: Toomey: Bailout Not Fair To Taxpayers

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey accused Democratic candidate Joe Sestak of supporting Democratic policies designed to turn the country into “a European-style welfare state.”

Citing the Wall Street and the automobile industry bailouts, the $787 billion economic stimulus package and the $940 billion health-care reform bill, Toomey said they have led to “deficits and debt that are completely unaffordable” and a tepid economic recovery.

4. Chambersburg Public Opinion: Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Corbett Campaigns In Chambersburg

Local businessman William Gindlesperger on Monday pitched his Chambersburg company’s procurement technology to Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania attorney general.

Corbett and his “More Jobs, Less Taxes” bus stopped Monday at e-LYNXX in Chambersburg as part of the his statewide campaign tour of innovative businesses.

Corbett and his wife, Susan, toured the e-LYNXX offices at 1051 Sheffler Drive for about 45 minutes.

“We enjoyed the learning experience,” Corbett told Gindlesperger and a small audience. “You’re going to allow small business to compete with large business. We need every savings we can get. You just presented me an option (on how to save money).”

5. The Hill: House GOP Leader To Call On Obama To Fire Geithner, Summers

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) is blasting the Obama administration’s economic policies in a speech Tuesday and calling on the president to fire his top two economic lieutenants.

Boehner, in prepared remarks, wants President Obama to ask for and accept the resignations of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Larry Summers, head of the National Economic Council. Firing his economic team is one of five actions Boehner argues the president should take to right the economy.

Boehner criticized the administration’s economic team for lacking private sector experience, saying employers and small businesses are “rightly frustrated” by the administration. “The lack of real-world, hands-on experience shows in the policies of this administration,” Boehner plans to say.

PA GOP News Brief 8.23.10

1. Allentown Morning Call: So Far, Sestak Back On His Heels

2. Williamsport Sun-Gazette: Republican Candidate Visits Area Airport

3. Sunbury Daily Item: Corbett Praises Valley Firm

4. Williamsport Sun-Gazette: Republican Candidate Takes Tour Of Jersey Shore Steel

5. Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: GOP Ahead In Area Congress Tilts

1. Allentown Morning Call: So Far, Sestak Back On His Heels

More than midway through the political calendar, Sestak seems endlessly on the defensive. It’s partly of his own doing, but largely because Toomey, with a sharper message and flush finances, has been the aggressor.

So far, Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate battle has been fought on Toomey’s terms.

2. Williamsport Sun-Gazette: Republican Candidate Visits Area Airport

“Our campaign is in a great position,” he said, adding that the Democratic administration and Congress is “making it easier” to win.

“This is a dangerous agenda,” Toomey said of the Democrats’ continuous spending. “It is staggering in scope, breadth and the departure of everything that made this country great.”

Of his Democratic opponent, Joe Sestak, Toomey said that “the contrast between what we stand for couldn’t be more clear.”

“I would never support the job-killing agenda these guys are pushing on us,” he said. “Joe Sestak is for all of it. In fact, he doesn’t think it goes far enough.”

Toomey was speaking of the multi-billion dollar stimulus package recently pushed through by the Obama administration.

3. Sunbury Daily Item: Corbett Praises Valley Firm

State government must reduce taxes and become fiscally responsible to help keep businesses like L/B Water Service in Selinsgrove thriving, says Tom Corbett, state attorney general and Republican gubernatorial candidate.

Pennsylvania has the resources and the people to be No. 1 in the nation in job creation, Corbett said, but that starts with good government leaders.

During a tour Friday, Corbett praised the Selinsgrove company for its business practices, including buying many products manufactured in Pennsylvania.

4. Williamsport Sun-Gazette: Republican Candidate Takes Tour Of Jersey Shore Steel

Corbett called for fiscal discipline, limited government and free enterprise.

“A tax increase does not help the economy,” he said.

The Rendell Administration has brought the state increased debt, higher taxes and a budget that in eight years rose from $22 billion to $28 billion, Corbett noted.

He said as attorney general he’s done more to clean up corruption in state government than any one else who’s held the office.

If elected governor, he’ll seek to reduce the state’s corporate net income tax to 6.9 percent and phase out the death tax. The corporate net tax stands at 9.99 percent.

5. Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: GOP Ahead In Area Congress Tilts

In the 11th District, polling of 400 likely voters shows U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, with a 96-93 percent lead over Barletta in name recognition. The slim difference may be because Barletta has run for the seat two times previously.

But poll results show Barletta receiving 52 percent of the vote, compared to just 41 percent for Kanjorski, a 13-term congressman. Seven percent were undecided. Sixty-three percent said it’s time for someone else to represent the district, while 31 percent said Kanjorski deserves re-election.

PA GOP News Brief 8.19.10

1. Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Toomey op-ed: Tax On Energy Would Only Hike Costs, Hurt Taxpayers

2. NRSC: Web video: “Extreme” featuring the PA-SEN Race

3. pa2010.com: Toomey: Economy Would Have ‘Bounced Back’ Better Without Stimulus

4. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Polls Show Corbett With Big Lead in Governor’s Race

5. Delaware County Daily Times: GOP Targets Election in 7^th District as a Big One (with video)

6. Wall Street Journal: Rove: Deconstructing Harry

1. Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Toomey op-ed: Tax On Energy Would Only Hike Costs, Hurt Taxpayers

We can and must support common-sense policies that protect our environment; but that goal can be achieved without abandoning 70,000 or more Pennsylvania jobs and imposing higher gas and electricity prices on all Pennsylvanians.

A focus on renewable energy, conservation, low-carbon energy such as natural gas, nuclear energy and cleaner-coal technology are all part of the solution. But as unemployment hovers above 9 percent, protecting our hardworking families must be our first priority.

2. NRSC: Web video: “Extreme” featuring the PA-SEN Race

As Politico’s “Morning Score” notes today:

BUZZING ON TWITTER: A new NRSC ad has Republicans atwitter on Twitter. Titled ‘Extreme,’ the slickly produced web spot slams Democratic messaging about the GOP being a party of extremists by pointing to poll results in various Senate races and popular support for various Republican positions.

3. pa2010.com: Toomey: Economy Would Have ‘Bounced Back’ Better Without Stimulus

Pat Toomey says that not only did the 2009 economic stimulus package not work, but it probably made things worse.

The GOP Senate nominee said Wednesday that the economy would “probably have bounced back much more strongly” without the stimulus, “because borrowing and spending doesn’t get you to prosperity.”

“We were promised that unemployment wouldn’t reach eight percent, it went over 10 percent,” Toomey said on Fox29.

4. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Polls Show Corbett With Big Lead in Governor’s Race

Susquehanna Polling & Research shows Mr. Corbett leading 43 to 33 percent over Mr. Onorato, with support that is “wide and deep” across the state. The GOP candidate is benefitting — and Mr. Onorato is hurting — from extraordinarily poor approval ratings for Democratic incumbent Ed Rendell, as well as worries statewide about the economy.

“Simply put, this animosity is not a Republican or Democrat thing. Rather, its very foundation is more driven by a lousy economic climate, a sentiment shared by most that our state is on the wrong track, and eight years of bad Rendell publicity piled high from continued late budgets, high taxes and record state spending,” said a release from Harrisburg-based Susquehanna.

5. Delaware County Daily Times: GOP Targets Election in 7^th District as a Big One (with video)

The National Republican Congressional Committee recently announced that it has plans to reserve television advertisement time in 41 districts, including the local 7th Congressional District.

“I’m very grateful for their support,” said Republican candidate Pat Meehan in an interview Wednesday following his stop at the Sterling Health Care and Rehab Center in Media. “I appreciate the competitive environment and I appreciate the additional support.”

6. Wall Street Journal: Rove: Deconstructing Harry

Democrats are in a terrible bind. Having pursued policies that have made our fiscal situation unsustainable, they are now reverting to old habits, trying to raise taxes to pay for their profligacy.

Mr. Reid is drawing attention to some of his party’s very worst impressions. Already facing the prospect of huge election losses in November, many Democratic candidates may find themselves victims of their majority leader’s extraordinarily bad judgment if he follows through on his decision to schedule a tax debate next month.

PA GOP News Brief 8.11.10

1. PA GOP: Dan Onorato Attempts To Exploit The Tea Party

2. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Onorato allies aid Tea Party candidacy

3. Wayne Independent: Corbett rallies GOP party

4. The Daily Local News: Gerlach questions Trivedi’s resume

5. The Scranton Times Tribune: Barletta hits Kanjorski for not endorsing Paterno medal bid

6. The Washington Times: Democratic decline

1. PA GOP: Dan Onorato Attempts To Exploit The Tea Party

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement regarding the allegations that Dan Onorato supporters and Democrat operatives circulated petitions for John Krupa, a candidate claiming to be the Tea Party nominee for Governor.

“It’s obvious that Dan Onorato is willing to resort to dishonest tactics in a desperate attempt to improve his chances to win elections this fall,” Gleason said. “The allegations made against the Onorato campaign and the Democratic Party, as they pertain to their involvement with John Krupa’s nominating papers, are extremely troubling.

“Dan Onorato and the Democratic Party need to answer some questions immediately with regard to his involvement with John Krupa’s campaign.  How involved was Dan Onorato in this attempt to hijack the Tea Party, a desperate attempt to help his faltering campaign? Who came up with the idea of deploying Onorato loyalists to gather petitions on behalf of John Krupa, and who was making the key decisions during that process?

2. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Onorato allies aid Tea Party candidacy

Members of unions that endorsed Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, as well as one of his campaign workers, helped get Tea Party candidate John Krupa onto Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial ballot for November’s election, state records show.

Krupa, 59, of Clinton County filed petitions Aug. 2 with more than 24,000 signatures to get his name on the ballot. Among those who gathered signatures are officers of building trades unions, whose statewide organization unanimously endorsed Onorato on June 9 — including several officers from a Pittsburgh union hall where Onorato announced his candidacy and celebrated his primary victory.

Another Krupa petition circulator, Heather Damron of Lehigh County, was paid $1,000 by Onorato’s campaign for his petition drive four months earlier.

3. Wayne Independent: Corbett rallies GOP party

Republican gubernatorial candidate and state Attorney General Tom Corbett spoke to a group of supporters Friday afternoon, emphasizing the importance of getting Republicans out to vote in the upcoming mid-term election.

“We have a difficult time ahead of us,” Corbett told his supporters, which included state Sen. Lisa Baker, 10th congressional district candidate Tom Marino, and many from the  Wayne County’s GOP establishment.

Corbett, who is hoping to replace Gov. Edward G. Rendell, told supporters that the upcoming November general election will “change the course of Pennsylvania. This election is about our grandchildren growing up in a Pennsylvania we grew up in,” he said.

4. The Daily Local News: Gerlach questions Trivedi’s resume

The campaign of U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach, a Republican from West Pikeland, has called into question the resume of his opponent in the race for the 6th District.

The Gerlach campaign has released a statement alleging Democrat Manan Trivedi of Reading falsified claims that he works for Reading Hospital as a physician.

Gerlach spokesman Mark Campbell said in a recent interview Trivedi does not work at the hospital but has used his employment there as “the entire underpinning of his campaign.”

5. The Scranton Times Tribune: Barletta hits Kanjorski for not endorsing Paterno medal bid

Congressman would rather focus on jobs.

Penn State’s beloved 83-year-old football coach Joe Paterno landed smack in the middle of one of Pennsylvania’s most bitter Congressional races on Tuesday, adding a football twist to an already heated political contest.

Waging his third attempt to unseat U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta questioned why Mr. Kanjorski refused to sign a letter endorsing Mr. Paterno for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. A bipartisan group of 17 Pennsylvania congressman and one Virginia congressman nominated Mr. Paterno for America’s highest civilian honor, saying his record on and off the field merit presidential recognition.

“It’s extremely hard to comprehend why Kanjorski did not sign this nomination letter for JoePa,” Mr. Barletta’s spokesman, Shawn Kelly, said in a news release. “Even the most die-hard fans of other teams recognize Joe Paterno’s place in the history of college sports. By failing to sign this letter, Kanjorski shows once again how out of touch he is.”

6. The Washington Times: Democratic decline

Polls show the public knows Democratic policies have hurt the country. Having no defense, Democrats have ramped up efforts to blame George W. Bush for today’s troubles, going so far as to distribute “Blame Bush” pocket cards with talking points attacking the former president. American voters are too smart to fall for the blame game.

Voter focus this year should be on Congress. This is because the economy started to go haywire once Democrats took over Capitol Hill. The rule has held for 20 years. The economy sputtered under Democratic Congresses in the early 1990s until Republicans won majorities in 1994. A stock-market rally began that very day, and the boom lasted with only one interruption (following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks) all the way into early 2007.

In 2007, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid took control of the House and Senate respectively and accelerated a spending spree begun on a smaller scale under President Bush. Democrats pushed heavier regulations, more debt and a weaker dollar – and investor confidence evaporated. Panic started building in August 2007. Eventually, the whole economy tanked.

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PA GOP News Brief – 8.4.10

1. The Morning Call: Dent visits Gulf Coast

2. The Pubilus Foundation: Onorato Reveals Plan to Illegally Extort Jobs from Marcellus Drillers

3. Redstate: Corbett steady as Toomey and Sestak joust

4. The Hill: GOP could dominate state redistricting

5. The Washington Times: Our sputtering economic engine

1. The Morning Call: Dent visits Gulf Coast

After nearly two days spent in the Gulf Coast to survey the region’s post- oil spill conditions, U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent said Tuesday he’s returning even more convinced that a moratorium on offshore drilling needs to be lifted.

Dent, a high-ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, visited with Homeland Security and Coast Guard officials as well as local government and business leaders. The latter, Dent said, are worried about their economy in the aftermath of April’s BP oil rig explosion that has pumped up to 184.3 million gallons of oil into the Gulf, according to federal estimates.

“They do not want this environmental disaster to become an economic catastrophe,” the Lehigh Valley congressman said in a phone interview. “People down here are very anxious and panicked. You get a real, palpable sense down here.”

2. The Pubilus Foundation: Onorato Reveals Plan to Illegally Extort Jobs from Marcellus Drillers

In a stunning development in the debate over Marcellus Shale exploration, Allegheny County Executive and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato suggested “he’d pressure natural gas drilling companies to hire Pennsylvania residents by threatening to withhold state drilling permits,” Scott Detrow of State House Sound Bites reported.

Elaborating on this strategy, Onorato said, “I think all governors apply pressure on every industry. The whole idea of being governor is you try to bring jobs and improve the economy of your state. We have a golden opportunity here, with the Marcellus Shale find. But we get one chance to get it right.”

Onorato’s approach to the handling of drilling permits is, simply put, a plan to extort jobs from natural gas drilling companies and his explanation of the Governor’s role in the economy reveals that he would, apparently, approach all businesses in this way if he is given the chance to do so. This approach is also, importantly, not legal and Governor Ed Rendell pointed this out when he said, “It’s not what we do. And you might be able to do that, but you’d probably have to change some regulations or get some legislation.”

3. Redstate: Corbett steady as Toomey and Sestak joust

While the Pennsylvania Senate race has lived up to my expectations of volatility (Rasmussen has swing from Pat Toomey +8 to Joe Sestak +4 back to Toomey +6 most recently), the race for Governor has been pretty boring.

No matter how many times this race gets polled, Republican Tom Corbett defies the recent partisan trend of Pennsylvania and consistently leads Democrat Dan Onorato, most recently by 11.

4. The Hill: GOP could dominate state redistricting

Republicans could hold complete control over the redistricting process in several key states after the 2010 elections.

If the party’s gubernatorial candidates were to emerge with wins in Texas, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan — all states where Republicans either lead or are tied in recent polls — and the GOP holds or wins control of legislative chambers in those same states, Republicans could monopolize the post-2010 redraw.

“If Republicans do really well on Election Day, they could swing a lot more seats that they would have control over,” said analyst Kimball Brace, who heads Election Data Services, a bipartisan firm that specializes in the census and redistricting. “A shift of 10 to 15 [state legislative] chambers is enough to swing [the process] dramatically toward the Republicans.”

5. The Washington Times: Our sputtering economic engine

As the nation’s economic engine continues to sputter, Americans are wondering when the administration’s promised “recovery summer” is going to start. From a peak annual growth rate of 5 percent last autumn, the measure of gross domestic product slid to 3.7 percent in the first quarter of 2010 and was down to 2.4 percent by the end of June. With 561 days as president under his belt, Barack Obama no longer has the luxury of passing blame for the situation to his predecessor, George W. Bush.

That’s a troubling thought for congressional Democrats who, in just three months, face midterm elections at the hands of a public dissatisfied with the state of affairs. According to an Angus Reid survey released last week, 86 percent of Americans rated the economic conditions as “poor” or “very poor,” while a mere 11 percent found the conditions to be “good” or “very good.” The positive responses are down from 15 percent in April. As if that weren’t bad enough, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner told ABC’s “Good Morning America” yesterday that things are likely to grow worse in the short term. Mr. Geithner predicted that unemployment would rise, which is an obvious consequence of the lack of growth in the private sector.

PA GOP News Brief – 8.3.10

1. Reading Eagle: Corbett touts plan to create jobs during stop in Perry

2. The Philadelphia Inquirer: Maine’s Sen. Collins, a key moderate, helps raise cash for Toomey

3. The Times Leader: Pat Toomey says spending is out of control

4. National Review Online: Sestak’s Double-Talk on Fiscal Responsibility

5. The Washington Times: Obama’s immigration back door

1. Reading Eagle: Corbett touts plan to create jobs during stop in Perry

Pennsylvania not only needs to create new jobs, it must hold on to the ones it has, the Republican candidate for governor said after touring a Perry Township brick plant Monday.

Attorney General Tom Corbett told about 25 employees of Glen-Gery Corp. how he planned to do that if he is elected governor.

He said he would cut state spending, reduce the size of state government, cut the business taxes raised during Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration and reduce business regulations without sacrificing employee safety.

“Has anyone seen a tax increase that creates more jobs?” he asked. “I haven’t. But I have seen tax cuts that create more jobs.

“We’re going to reduce the business taxes that prevent us from growing or having new business come to Pennsylvania.”

2. The Philadelphia Inquirer: Maine’s Sen. Collins, a key moderate, helps raise cash for Toomey

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a prominent moderate Republican, raised campaign cash Monday for Pennsylvania GOP Senate nominee Pat Toomey, a conservative who as recently as last year was trying to defeat people such as Collins.

The endorsement could provide ammunition for Toomey against his Democratic opponent, Rep. Joe Sestak, as they battle to seize the middle ground and define each other as an extremist.

After a fund-raising lunch at the Union League, Collins and Toomey said they were united around the core Republican principles of lower taxes, limited government, and individual freedom.

Never mind that the Club for Growth, a free-market advocacy group that Toomey ran until he declared his Senate candidacy last year, had skewered Collins as “Comrade of the Month” for her vote for President Obama’s stimulus legislation.

“This is a pivotal race,” Collins said. “It is one of those key Senate races that is going to determine whether the Republicans are able to regain control of the Senate or at least increase our numbers so we can be an effective check on the excesses of this administration.“

3. The Times Leader: Pat Toomey says spending is out of control

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey on Monday laid out what he termed were the very clear differences between himself and his opponent – Democrat U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak.

Toomey, 48, and Sestak, 58, will square off in November for the seat currently held by former longtime Republican U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, now a Democrat, of Philadelphia.

“Spending in Washington is completely out of control,” Toomey said to supporters at the GOP headquarters on South Main Street. “It’s preventing job growth, and Joe Sestak is voting to make it worse.”

Toomey, who served three terms in Congress before going back to private industry, said Sestak voted for more than $3.5 trillion in new deficits.

“He supported the Wall Street bailouts, the auto bailout, the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the stimulus, and the government-run health care bill, and he thinks the government isn’t spending enough money,” Toomey said of Sestak.

4. National Review Online: Sestak’s Double-Talk on Fiscal Responsibility

In a rather bizarre interview yesterday, Joe Sestak said that Democrat Party leadership (with whom he votes 97% of the time), has failed to “change politics in Washington, DC.”

Sestak thinks Pennsylvanians “just want to know if you’re trustworthy, and are you going to try to handle the tough problems.”

Also, the obligatory supply-side dig: “I don’t think we can go back to the types of policies that benefit the well-to-do, in a belief that wealth will trickle down.”

Yes, clearly, Joe Sestak gets it. After all, what better way to “handle the tough problems” than to devote one’s time in office to increasing spending (i.e. citizens’ debt obligations)?

5. The Washington Times: Obama’s immigration back door

The Obama administration’s way to deal with the problem of illegal immigration is to declare it legal. This is the upshot of an 11-page memo from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) about “Administrative alternatives to comprehensive immigration reform.” As the title suggests, it is a compendium of backdoor measures the executive branch claims it can take without having to deal with pesky things like congressional authorization.

The Obama administration is seeking to “reduce the threat of removal” for “individuals present in the United States without authorization,” employing the latest euphemism for illegal aliens. The fact that the government considers removal of people who have crossed the border illegally a “threat” is noteworthy; USCIS apparently considers its statutory obligation to take action against illegal immigration more of a menace than the outlaw migrants themselves.