Posts Tagged ‘Sestak’

PA GOP News Brief 9.3.10

1. Philadelphia Daily News: Sestak Clarifies Controversial “Earmark” Timeline

2. Pittsburgh Tribune-Reivew: Onorato: Make gas drillers pay, not taxpayers

3. Delaware County Times: Meehan offers his plan for creating jobs

4. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: National unemployment rate up to 9.6 percent

5. The Hill: GOP seizes on expiring tax cuts as unemployment ticks up

1. Philadelphia Daily News: Sestak Clarifies Controversial “Earmark” Timeline

U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak reached out to PhillyClout this afternoon to clarify his explanation from earlier this week about a $350,000 federal spending “earmark” that has been seized on by his Republican opponent in the race for the U.S. Senate, former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey.  Sestak told us Monday that he had no idea the constituent who requested the earmark in February in the name of the non-profit Thomas Paine Foundation of Media was also linked to a for-profit corporation, New Way Energy LLC in Aston.

Turns out that’s not exactly correct.  Sestak just released a letter that he sent to the U.S. Department of Energy on April 12 that clearly connects the non-profit organization to the for-profit company. Sestak also released the initial application for the funding, to pay for construction of a prototype for a vertical axis wind turbine, which has a less definitive connection between the non-profit and for-profit.

2. Pittsburgh Tribune-Reivew: Onorato: Make gas drillers pay, not taxpayers

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett wants taxpayers, not gas drillers, to pay for environmental protection along the Marcellus shale formation, Democratic nominee Dan Onorato charged Wednesday.

…

“Corbett believes (the Marcellus shale) must be developed responsibly and with strong environmental stewardship,” said Kevin Harley, Corbett’s campaign spokesman. “The difference is Onorato and Gov. (Ed) Rendell believe the answer is more taxes and spending.”

Corbett contends the economy will grow as businesses, including gas drilling, expand, Harley said.

3. Delaware County Times: Meehan offers his plan for creating jobs

Pat Meehan, the Republican candidate for the 7th Congressional District, discussed his plans to create jobs and improve the economy during a speech before the Upper Darby-Lansdowne Rotary Club Wednesday.

“The opportunity to put people back to work is through small business,” said Meehan.

Meehan said his job-creation plan includes a tax incentive to any small business that hires a first and second employee. He said there is a need to provide incentives to angel investors, such as a capital-gains tax break, so they will commit money to a business in its early startup stages.

4. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: National unemployment rate up to 9.6 percent

The nation’s unemployment rate ticked up slightly in August to 9.6 percent, an increase of just one-tenth of a percentage point over the July rate, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday morning.

There were 14.9 million jobless workers in the country last month, up slightly from July as employers reported cutting another 54,000 non-farm jobs. Much of the job loss was directly attributable to the ending of the work on the U.S. Census. The federal government’s payroll fell in July by 114,000. That loss was only partially made up for by the private sector, which added 67,000 jobs.

Long-term unemployment fell during the month. The number of unemployed people who were out of work more than six months dropped to 6.2 million, a decline of nearly 300,000 people. They now make up 42 percent of the unemployed population.

5. The Hill: GOP seizes on expiring tax cuts as unemployment ticks up

Top Republicans urged Congress to extend all of the expiring Bush tax cuts as the August jobs report showed mixed results.

Numbers from the Labor Department released Friday indicated that unemployment ticked up to 9.6 percent but that private sector added 67,000 new jobs, even though the economy lost 54,000 overall.

House GOP Leader John Boehner (Ohio) and GOP Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) both released statements criticizing Democrats economic policies for failing to create enough jobs. But they also said that allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire at the end of the year will hinder the economic recovery.

“The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, Congress’s official tax scorekeeper, estimates that the tax hike endorsed by President Obama and his economic team will raise taxes on 50 percent of the small business income in America,” Boehner said. “We will not solve our fiscal challenges until we cut spending and have real economic growth – and we won’t have real economic growth if we keep raising taxes on small businesses.”

PA GOP News Brief 9.1.10

1. PA GOP: Sestak Tries, Fails To Use Common Sense

2.    Delaware County Times: Guest Column: Sestak tax would see rates rocket

3.    The Mercury: GOP candidate: Reduce spending, extend tax cuts, repeal Obamacare

4.    Rasmussen Reports: Election 2010: Pennsylvania Senate

5.    The Washington Times: Editorial: Democrats party while nation suffers

1. PA GOP: Sestak Tries, Fails To Use Common Sense

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement regarding U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Joe Sestak’s continued refusal to take responsibility for his latest earmark scandal.

“How many times must the people of Pennsylvania be subjected to another scandal involving Joe Sestak, and how many times must we be forced to watch him refuse to take responsibility for his actions?,” Gleason said. “No matter how often he tries to avoid the countless questions regarding his actions, it was Joe Sestak who requested an unethical $350,000 earmark so that a group dedicated to promoting the ideals of a Founding Father could supposedly build a wind turbine.

“Joe Sestak’s office said he did ‘due diligence’ when his office decided to pursue this unethical earmark. Knowing what we know about the Thomas Paine Foundation, does it sound like an organization that is active in the field of turbine construction? Did Joe Sestak miss the fact that the Thomas Paine Foundation hadn’t filed with the IRS in the past six years, or did he just not care?

“Once again, the voters of Pennsylvania are left to draw their own conclusions regarding this shady situation. It’s time for Joe Sestak to learn that leaders stand up and take responsibility for their actions.”

2.Delaware County Times: Guest Column: Sestak tax would see rates rocket

Common sense says that if you impose a massive tax on a product, that product will be more expensive. And if that product is essential to a particular sector of our economy, then we will witness job losses in that sector. In fact, if I told you that taxing a particular industry would create jobs in that industry, you would probably laugh out loud.

But that is exactly the argument my Senate opponent, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak (D-7) of Edgmont, tried to make recently in a commentary on these pages.

Last spring, Congressman Sestak co-sponsored and voted for a cap-and-trade bill that would impose a massive tax on energy … This is a non-controversial concept. And a host of independent studies and bipartisan elected officials across Pennsylvania understand it — but not Congressman Sestak.

2. The Mercury: GOP candidate: Reduce spending, extend tax cuts, repeal Obamacare

Congressional candidate Dee Adcock says the best way to strengthen the nation’s economy is to pull the plug on the remaining money in the “stimulus” package approved last year.

“The government does not spend money well,” said Adcock, the Republican candidate for the 13th Congressional District seat held by Democrat Rep. Allyson Schwartz.

For the sake of cost certainty, Adcock also said Congress should act to extend the current tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year, even for Americans making more than $250,000 annually.

4. Rasmussen Reports: Election 2010: Pennsylvania Senate

Republican Pat Toomey continues to hold a modest lead over his Democratic Challenger, Joe Sestak, in the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the state finds Toomey earning 45% of the vote, while Sestak earns 39% support. Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate, and 11% are not sure.

5. The Washington Times: Editorial: Democrats party while nation suffers

It’s striking how little empathy Democrats seem to have for the economic troubles facing ordinary Americans. While unemployment and underemployment rates remain sky-high, economic growth falters. During the last quarter of 2009, gross domestic product grew 1.4 percent, but that figure fell to 0.9 percent in the first quarter of this year and just 0.4 percent in the second. “Now the fun stuff starts!” Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. said in a bubbly interview with Time magazine last week regarding the administration’s stimulus plan. “This is a chance to do something big, man!”

The team at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. has more interest in redecorating the Oval Office than in feeling your pain. In fact, it is downright excited to take advantage of the economic downturn to push the stuff that otherwise could never be done.

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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 8.24.10

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 8.12.10

1. PA GOP: Joe Sestak vs. Bill Clinton: Who’s Telling The Truth On ‘Job-gate’?

2. Hot Air: Clinton backing away from Sestak story?

3. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: The race for governor: Onorato’s ploy

4. The Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove: The Blame Bush Strategy Won’t Work

5. The Delaware County Times: America must get to work creating jobs

1. PA GOP: Joe Sestak vs. Bill Clinton: Who’s Telling The Truth On ‘Job-gate’?

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Spokesman Mike Barley was shocked to hear former President Bill Clinton deny his role in attempting to bribe Joe Sestak out of the U.S. Senate race and demanded that all parties involved come together and tell Pennsylvanians the truth about the botched backroom deal.

“Why is it so difficult for Democrats like Joe Sestak to just come forward and tell the truth about the White House’s attempt to bribe Congressman Sestak out of the U.S. Senate race?,” Barley said. “First, Joe Sestak says that the White House offered him a job to get out of the Senate race. Then he says that Bill Clinton offered him an ‘unpaid advisory position’. Now, Bill Clinton is denying that anything happened at all. So who’s telling the truth about Job-gate, Joe Sestak or former President Bill Clinton?”

Click here to watch the video of Clinton’s denial.

2. Hot Air: Clinton backing away from Sestak story?

According to the Republicans on the House Oversight Committee, Bill Clinton has now denied that he acted as a go-between with Joe Sestak and the White House on a job offer to get out of the primary for the US Senate seat in Pennsylvania. Sestak had claimed to have received an offer of an administration job in exchange for his withdrawal, which prompted demands for a probe into potential violations of the law.

The issue died down when Sestak claimed, but which Clinton never addressed publicly, that the offer was a trial balloon that came from the former President and got somehow misinterpreted.  White House counsel Robert Bauer included it in the Obama administration’s report to the committee on the controversy:

“The White House Chief of Staff enlisted the support of former President Clinton who agreed to raise with Congressman Sestak options of service on a Presidential or other Senior Executive Branch Advisory Board. Congressman Sestak declined the suggested alternatives, remaining committed to his Senate candidacy.”

3. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: The race for governor: Onorato’s ploy

Dan Onorato must think Pennsylvania voters were born last night. Why else would his failing gubernatorial campaign deny culpability in a political stunt as old as the hills?

Mr. Onorato, the Allegheny County chief executive, is the Democrats’ nominee for governor in the Nov. 2 election. He faces Republican nominee Tom Corbett, the state’s attorney general. Onorato is trailing badly in the polls.

But surprise, surprise, there’s now a third-party candidate on the fall ballot. John Krupa of Clinton County, a member of the Constitution Party who’s aligned with the tea party movement. His candidacy could siphon votes from Mr. Corbett.

And a review of Mr. Krupa’s nominating petitions, filed last week, shows that it’s members of labor unions that have endorsed Onorato — and even one of Onorato’s campaign workers — behind the petitions.

Smell a political rat? Or should we say an OnoRATo?

4. The Wall Street Journal: Karl Rove: The Blame Bush Strategy Won’t Work

To save themselves in the midterm elections, Democrats are counting on selling two themes: The state of the economy is all George W. Bush’s fault, and Republican policies will take us backwards. President Obama relished going to Texas this week to blame his predecessor for the current bad economy.

Nice try, but it won’t work. Don’t take my word. This is what Mr. Obama’s pollster, Joel Benenson, has found. The Benenson Strategy Group wasn’t exactly quite this blunt in its report for the “Third Way,” a centrist Democratic organization. But its data was.

In its poll released in July, Benenson asked, “Generally speaking, who is more responsible for the recent economic recession—President Barack Obama or President George W. Bush?” The answer was Mr. Bush 53%, Mr. Obama 26%, and “Don’t know” 21%.

But answers to important issues like who’s responsible for the recession are rarely binary. Buried in the “Third Way” data was a different answer that went unmentioned in its covering memo. The question of who’s responsible for the recession was asked a second way, with more possible culprits.

5. The Delaware County Times: America must get to work creating jobs

We are in the midst of what can best be described as a “jobless recovery.”

If you’re one of the more than 25,000 people in Delaware County out there pounding the pavement looking for work, this does not come as news to you.

Sure, there have been some upticks. This week we learned that the arrival of table games in Pennsylvania has created a bit of a job boom on its own, adding 4,460 jobs in less than a month of operation.

But that was quickly tempered by the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

…

The Delaware County number is up from the 7.8 percent for the same month the year before.

PA GOP News Brief – 8.6.10

1. PA GOP: Joe Sestak Breaks Out The Flip-Flops

2. The Philadelphia Inquirer: Onorato sidesteps question on DRPA chairman’s future

3. The Philadelphia Inquirer: Congressional candidate Lentz spurns petition issue

4. Bucks County Courier Times: Ex-interns aid third-party bid

5. The Washington Times: Democrats: Voters are dumb

1. PA GOP: Joe Sestak Breaks Out The Flip-Flops

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Spokesman Mike Barley released the following statement regarding U.S. Senate Democrat candidate Joe Sestak’s continued refusal to call on Congressman Charlie Rangel to resign despite being charged with 13 ethics violations by the House Ethics Committee.

“It’s amazing what a difference four years in Washington, D.C. can make,” Barley said. “Four years ago, Joe Sestak was sharply critical of his opponent for not calling for the resignation of a fellow Congressman who had engaged in unethical behavior, claiming that it was a decision based on ‘political ambition.’  Yet why does Joe Sestak continue to protect one of his Democratic leaders now, even after the House Ethics Committee charged him with 13 counts of unethical behavior?”

“Joe Sestak’s may not have Charlie Rangel’s ‘dirty money’ in his campaign coffers anymore, but why is he still refusing to call for this Democratic Party leader to resign?”

2. The Philadelphia Inquirer: Onorato sidesteps question on DRPA chairman’s future

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato sidestepped a question today about whether he would replace his longtime good friend John Estey as chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority should he be elected governor this November.

Onorato, speaking at a news conference in West Philadelphia, said that he endorsed a series of reforms proposed for the authority by Gov. Rendell and Gov. Christie.

Estey, appointed by Rendell as a chairman of the authority, is one of the leading figures in Onorato’s campaign for governor. The two men have known each other since law school at the University of Pittsburgh.

Asked if he would replace Estey, he said “It’s not about individuals right now . . . I am not elected now. I am not going to talk about personnel.”

Read More: Fox 29: Gubanatorial Candidates Weigh In On DRPA

Republican Tom Corbett was not in our area today.  A campaign spokesperson was quick to respond saying Corbett generally supports the reform measures now being talked about, and that, “Estey will be replaced by a competent manager who will not politicize the DRPA.”

3. The Philadelphia Inquirer: Congressional candidate Lentz spurns petition issue

Democratic congressional candidate Bryan Lentz answered questions Thursday night from 30 people who gathered in a sweltering American Legion Hall in Clifton Heights, Delaware County, to talk about the country’s economic woes.

But the state representative from Swarthmore refused to say whether his campaign helped gather signatures to put a third-party candidate, Jim Schneller, on the ballot in the Seventh District.

“I think my answer is a fair one: that Schneller took [the petitions] to Harrisburg and filed them and I think it’s fair for him to answer questions about the petitions,” Lentz said. “That whole process was Jim Schneller’s ballot and Jim Schneller should answer the questions.”

4. Bucks County Courier Times: Ex-interns aid third-party bid

Two former interns for Congressman Patrick Murphy, now working for the state Democratic Party, have turned in nominating petitions to get a third-party candidate on the ballot.

The interns – Brian Caplan of Northampton and Jessica Milinichik of Bristol Township – submitted 148 signatures on the notarized papers for Tom Lingenfelter, a Doylestown historian.

The addition of Lingenfelter to the 8th District ballot is significant as his presence in a rematch between Murphy, a Democrat, and former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, a Republican, could tilt the outcome. Back in 2006, Murphy upset Fitzpatrick by a mere 1,518 votes.

In 2008, Lingenfelter accrued 5,543 votes, 1.6 percent of the total, in Murphy’s victory over Tom Manion.

The conventional wisdom is Lingenfelter will pull votes from Fitzpatrick. Tim Persico, Murphy’s finance director, said the interns recently left the Murphy campaign.

5. The Washington Times: Democrats: Voters are dumb

Missouri’s overwhelming rejection of Obamacare made it clear Americans will resist the federal government’s power grab, but Democrats aren’t getting the message. Despite being a middle-of-the-road swing state, an overwhelming 71 percent of Missourians voted against federal mandates over their personal health care choices. Ignoring the clarity of this protest, top Democrats maintain that the problem lies with American voters, who aren’t smart enough to know what’s good for them.

On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, chimed, “It’s very obvious that people have a lack of understanding of our health care reform bill.” Facing a revolt in her own home state, Sen. Claire McCaskill, Missouri Democrat, agreed it’s largely just a misunderstanding. “I know that there is a lot of work that we need to do on not just the provisions of the law,” she said, “but most importantly [to] make sure that everyone knows what is in the law.”

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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.