Barletta Fights For FEMA Help Desperately Needed In His District

This Morning Call blog reports Congressman Lou Barletta has joined 70 Democrats in asking Republican Leadership to give FEMA a larger relief pool of funds.

Around 70 House Democrats sent a letter to House Republican leadership urging them to accept a larger funding pool for FEMA disaster relief. Among those Democrat signatures one name sticks out: Pennsylvania Republican Lou Barletta.

Barletta, whose 11th district was ravaged by recent flooding, said he has joined the Democrats because his constituents need the extra help. He described grown men and women crying on their front porches, their homes destroyed, possessions lost, wondering if anyone will help.

How much to supplement FEMA's disaster relief fund in the wake of Hurricanes Irene and Lee has become a major sticking point in passing a resolution to keep the government funded through November. At issue is this: The House Republicans want to pass a "continuing resolution" with $3.65 billion for the fund with offsets. The Senate has already passed a stand alone measure providing $6.9 billion for FEMA. Majority Leader Harry Reid has said if the House passes its funding bill and sends it to the Senate he will attempt to amend it with the larger FEMA pot. House Democrats are also planning to vote against the bill.

Barletta said he has not yet decided whether he too will vote against the House Republican version.
In the letter, the members write that "FEMA cannot begin full recovery efforts in areas recently devastated because of the lack of adequate resources." The fund is expected to run out of money before the end of the month. "We have an obligation to fulfill to our fellow citizens," they write. "FEMA and other federal agencies need the entirety of the Senate's bill to help suffering Americans today. Please prevent disaster aid from getting caught up in budget brinksmanship by bringing the bill passed by the Senate up for a vote.

In related news, Reid secured a handful of Senate Republican votes to pass the $6.9 billion FEMA funding bill. Among those Republicans was Pennsylvania GOP Pat Toomey. Reid will need those votes again if he wants to amend the House bill and there's no guarantee Toomey and the other will vote for it a second time around.

Where To Be Election Night

Terry Casey, Chairman of the Luzerne County Republicans sent out an email announcing the GOP parties on election night.

Please join us for a victory celebration at Luzerne County Republican Headquarters, 41 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, on Election Night.

There will be food and beverages.

Other GOP parties:

· PAT TOOMEY, Holiday Inn, 7736 Adrienne Drive, Allentown

· TOM CORBETT/JIM CAWLEY, Pittsburgh

· LOU BARLETTA, Mea’s Restaurant, 8 W. Broad St., Hazleton

· TOM MARINO, 33 East Restaurant, 33 East St., Williamsport

· STEVE URBAN, Luzerne County GOP HQ, Wilkes-Barre

· FRANK SCAVO, Arcaro & Genell, Main Street, Old Forge

· KAREN BOBACK, Lakeside Skillet, Harveys Lake

· RICK ARNOLD, Cavanaugh’s, Mountain Top

· BILL GOLDSWORTHY, Bo Brothers, Wyoming Avenue, Wyoming

· JAMES O’MEARA, Luzerne County GOP Headquarters

· TARAH TOOHIL, Elks Lodge, East Broad Street, Hazleton

· TERRENCE O’CONNOR, Luzerne Co. GOP Headquarters, Wilkes-Barre


· TERRY CASEY, LUZERNE COUNTY GOP CHAIRMAN
GOP Headquarters, Wilkes-Barre

570-208-4671

Palin Rumor??

Back in 2008 then Governor Sarah Palin stumped in Northeastern Pennsylvania as a candidate for Vice President of the United States. She has been very critical of Congressman Chris Carney and wants to hold his feet to the fire on his healthcare vote.

Rumor has it that she may be back into Northeastern Pennsylvania for the trifecta involving Carney, Kanjorski, and Sestak. Let's wait and see.

Specter The Defector Found Out Joe Has Show

Back in February Senator Arlen Specter thought he would make a classy move and rudely interrupt Congressman Joseph Sestak who was speaking at the PA Progressive Summit 2010. You can watch the video here. The PA Progressive movement describes itself this way. The Summit, held in Harrisburg on January 29-30, 2010, was the largest non-partisan gathering of progressive activists ever assembled in Pennsylvania. More than 500 people came together from all over the state for the training.

The infamous SEIU and the AFL-CIO are the backbone of the organization. These so called activists are really union thugs as highlighted in this story with video, SEIU Thugs Beat Up Town Hall Protester. The thugs even snuck in the "Handicapped" door.

From the post: As we all know the SEIU has been Mr. Obama’s most staunch supporters. They also are the union that represents healthcare workers. So they have a very strong interest in the passage of Obama-care.

Oddly enough the (St Louis Dispatch) article from our watchdog media mentions none of this.

When Senator Arlen Specter opened up his attack on Congressman Joe Sestak, his opponent on the Democratic side, he hit the airwaves with a 30-second attack ad that criticized Sestak’s record in the Navy and missed congressional votes the past year. It's called the "No Show Joe" video by PoliticsPA.

In response Sestak has launched a missle from his campaign office, well an ad anyway, tieing Specter to Bush.  The essence of this ad is not Bush but the fact that Specter openly admitted changing parties to save his job. "My changing parties will enable me to be re-elected." Arlen, how is that working out for you?

Funny I thought both are tied to Pelosi and Reid. Sestak knew healtcare reform couldn't pass on its own so he wanted to use parliamentary procedure to bypass true democracy.

“I feel strongly enough in my support for increasing competition in the insurance market that I support the passage of the public option and repeal of the anti-trust trust exemption, using whatever means is necessary, including reconciliation,” Sestak wrote.

As SOP recently reported the only competition might be from state insurance exchange to state insurance exchange if big companies have their way. Of course no one actually read the bill before they passed it so no wonder loopholes abound.

For the rest of us at least there is comfort in Pat Toomey's victory in the general election.  According to this article from Real Clear Politics more than half of Pennsylvanias feel the new healthcare law is bad for the country.

If Republicans Reach The Ridge Will Arlen Become A Spectator?

ABC News' David Chalian reports that Arlen Specter made a wise choice by switching to the Democratic Party according to a Quinnipiac University poll.

Newly-minted Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter would whip old Republican rival Pat Toomey 53 - 33 percent if the 2010 Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race were held today, but if popular former Gov. Tom Ridge becomes the Republican candidate, he trails Specter by just 46 - 43 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.


Independent voters, who back Sen. Specter over Toomey 45 - 36 percent, switch to Ridge 47 - 37 percent if he becomes a candidate. The former Republican Governor also gets 14 percent of the Democratic vote, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.

"A former Republican Senator running as a Democrat against a popular former Republican governor seeking to make a political comeback would be a battle royal in Pennsylvania," said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"Gov. Tom Ridge is probably the only political figure in Pennsylvania who could give Sen. Arlen Specter a run for his money. But even if he gets a strong challenge from a Republican, Specter is still better off for having changed parties because he seemed headed to certain defeat had he stayed a Republican and faced Toomey in a primary.

Arlen Specter- Don't Live In A Glass House

Specter takes campaign money from firms he bailed out. Not only did he take money he accused Toomey, his 2004 opponent, of supporting deregulation in 1999. (It is rumored, well more than a rumor that Toomey will oppose him in 2010.)

From Philly.com on March 23, 2009:

"I see the front page headline in The Philadelphia Inquirer that he's going to run against me because of my single vote on the stimulus package," said Specter. "Well, I've voted 10,000 times, I don't expect people to agree with me on every vote."

"And when it comes to votes, my 2004 opponent has a lot of explaining to do himself," he said. "He was on Wall Street with these derivates and credit swaps, and helped to create the problem. Then he went to the Congress and voted for deregulation.

Even in this article he states he is going to highlight Toomey's vote on deregulation.

Uhhh...Arlen...do you remeber how you voted on deregulation? Let me remind you from the U.S. Senate site. Specter (R-PA), Yea Right now Jeff Foxworthy be sayin "Here's your sign."

This Just In!

Colin McNickle does not like Arlen Specter.

Specter Thinking About Being A Democrat???

SEN. SPECTER EYES 'OPEN' 2010 PATH.

Arlen Specter's "Panicky in Pennsylvania" tour continues.

The veteran Republican U.S. senator, who is openly concerned about his re-election chances after voting for the $787 billion economic stimulus bill, has been contacting state legislators, according to a Harrisburg source.

Specter supposedly has been asking the state pols about the prospect of Pennsylvania having an open primary next year.

He obviously will attempt almost anything to avoid a direct party confrontation with Pat Toomey. The former U.S. representative nearly defeated Specter in the 2004 GOP primary and has all but formally declared his intention to run again.

Specter already has one announced challenger for the Republican nomination: Peg Luksik of Johnstown, the conservative activist who has run unsuccessfully for governor three times.

Talk in Harrisburg is that Specter will change his party affiliation to Democrat if he can't persuade state lawmakers to approve an open primary.

Michael Reagan Endorses Pat Toomey For U.S. Senate

Click here to listen to this weeks edition of Lincoln Radio Journal.

Toomey May Take Specter Out Of Republican's Misery

According to DeRoy Murdock over at Scripp News Pat Toomey, a former Pennsylvania Congressman who stuck to his word on term limits, is pounding on Arlen Specter's electoral door over the next round of balloting for his seat.

Senator Arlen Specter's support for the 1,071-page Obama-Pelosi-Reid "stimulus" package will cost taxpayers $787 billion. That vote may cost the Pennsylvania Republican his job.

"I am very likely to make a run for the Senate," says Pat Toomey, a former Keystone State congressman and free-market stalwart. "Specter's vote was a profound betrayal of the Republican Party and conservative principles. It's a big factor (behind Toomey's potential challenge to Specter in 2010's Republican Senate primary).''

This rematch would pit Toomey, 47, against Specter, 79, seeking his sixth consecutive Senate term. Buoyed by conservative irritation with Specter's barely Republican, big-government record, Toomey came within two percentage points of retiring Specter in 2004. But Specter prevailed, thanks to the support of GOP establishmentarians and the incumbent loving, Republican-lite Bush political team.

For Specter, loyalty flows uphill. While top Republicans back him in tight races, he typically joins Democrats when the GOP desperately needs him. Exhibit A: Specter's February 13 "stimulus" vote, which will cost more than $1 trillion after interest payments are slathered atop its $787 billion budget.

"This stimulus bill is such a really outrageous lurch to the Left by the federal government," Toomey said. "It's not just a trillion dollars in spending. It is a huge expansion of government, undermining welfare reform, and staggering amounts of money to be borrowed. All of this could have been blocked. When the House Republicans voted this down, they empowered the Senate Republicans to demand real pro-growth tax cuts, less spending, and less of this terrible, liberal policy. President Obama would have had to agree, because he would have had no bill in the face of united Republican opposition. Instead, these three -- Specter plus Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine -- capitulated."

For many Republicans, Specter's vote for this pork-encrusted, incentive-challenged boondoggle was the final insult. "In a two-person race, Specter is toast," James Lee of Susquehanna Polling and Research told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. His late-February survey of 700 registered Pennsylvania voters found that 53 percent want a "new person" as senator. So do 66 percent of Republicans. (Error margin: 5.9 percent.)

The artillery is already lining up with promises of oodles of cash for Specter. This story was highlighted over at GrassrootsPA.com. Big Union Vows To Back Arlen Specter In 2010 If He Supports Employee Free Choice

This is big: Senior officials with the powerful AFL-CIO have privately assured GOP Senator Arlen Specter that they’ll throw their full support behind him in the 2010 Senate race if he votes for the Employee Free Choice Act, a senior labor strategist working closely with the AFL on the issue tells me.

This is significant, because it represents a big incentive for Specter to switch parties — and to support Employee Free Choice. Specter may be facing a serious GOP primary challenge from Club for Growth head Pat Toomey. If he loses that — or pulls out of the GOP first and becomes an Indy or a Dem — supporting Employee Free Choice could give him the organizational muscle from labor and Democratic support he needs to prevail in a general election and hold his seat.

The labor strategist tells me that top AFL-CIO officials have told Specter they’ll back him to the hilt if he supports their top priority.

“If Senator Specter supports working people — particularly voting with us on Employee Free Choice — the AFL-CIO will support him 100 percent of the way, whether in a primary or a general election,” the strategist says.

AFL-CIO spokesperson Eddie Vale declined comment.

Interestingly, because labor support would actually hurt him in a GOP primary, AFL-CIO’s promise also is an incentive to switch parties earlier, rather than later. Some analysts think his only hope of holding on to his seat is to switch parties and prevail in a general election, something which labor backing would make easier.

To be sure, there’s no telling what Specter will do, and another wild card is whether Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell would back a Specter switch.

Markos Moulitsas, who first heard these conversations, has an interesting rundown gaming out all the possibilities for Specter. This is getting mighty interesting.

Update: The AFL-CIO goes on the record about supporting Specter.

Update II: The story is sparking controversy among EFCA’s opponents. Associated Builders and Contractors national chair Jerry Gorski issued a statement blasting the AFL-CIO as “union bosses in Washington” who are trying to “buy a vote in support of the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act” and “shove this legislation onto the American public.”

Arlen Specter Can Hear Pat Toomey's Footsteps!

Pat Toomey has begun telling friends he will run for the U.S. Senate against Arlen Specter in 2010.

Two sources who spoke with the former Lehigh Valley congressman this week said Toomey told them that he's made up his mind about challenging the five-term incumbent in next spring's Republican primary. Toomey lost narrowly to Specter in the 2004 primary.

Richard Thulin, head of the 20-member Lehigh Valley Republican Network, sent an e-mail to others within the group Thursday telling them that ''Pat's formal announcement will be forthcoming.''

Arlen Specter In Trouble For Re-Election

Franklin & Marshall posted a paper called A Certain Uncertainty. The first paragraph states "The sun rising in the morning, inevitable death, and inexorable taxes: these are among the certitudes of life. To these unavoidable experiences might be added one more sure thing--the persistent reelection of political incumbents. In fact, the habitual re-election of incumbents in Pennsylvania and across the nation comprises one of the fixities of modern life."

According to an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Specter could be 'toast' in 2010 election. HARRISBURG -- A new statewide poll shows 53 percent of Pennsylvanians -- and 66 percent of Republicans -- want someone to replace Sen. Arlen Specter.

Asked whether they think Specter, a Philadelphia Republican, has done his job well enough to win re-election or whether they'd prefer a "new person" in that job, registered voters by a 53-38 percent margin said it's time to give someone else a chance, according to the poll by Susquehanna Polling and Research. Eight percent were undecided.

Political analysts generally worry about an incumbent when the reelect numbers fall below 50%.