Monday, July 04, 2011

Independent's Day

I've always had a soft spot for people who decide to run for office as minor party candidate or an independent. It's a big hill to climb and they almost always fail but I'm always heartened by their dedication to the democratic process despite the history.

Local Libertarian chairman Lou Jasikoff sent me a couple of emails this last week about petition drives for Libertarians, Greens, obscure 3rd parties and true independents trying to get enough signatures to get on the ballot for various offices. Pennsylvania has one of the worst laws in the country regarding 3rd party access, just ask Carl Romanelli who is still dealing with the fallout over his doomed effort to be a US Senator. Taking all that money from the head of Blackwater didn't help.

I'm glad to see that our local Lib's and Green's are trying to get people on the ballot for local offices and are working together. But they are still shooting for the Moon trying to get Marakay Rogers and Mark Kaisoglus on the ballot for the appellate Judge's spots.



Locally I think that Libertarian Tim Mullen has good shot as being an alternative to the Dem's and Rep's for Luzerne County Council. He gathered a bunch of signatures for his run in his run for state rep against Mundy and Goldsworthy but that didn't translate into votes. Still he got 15% which just may work that into a winning campaign this time.


Shane Novak wants to be the Green Party candidate Luzerne County Council. There should be more.

We all know Charlie Hatchko who is running as an American Independence Party candidate. Bible Buck is quick to quote the scriptures but I have to ask is he a member of Popular Front or the People's Front. Splitter.

For those of you that have beating me up in the comments I have a request. Send me links to the candidates websites and Facebook fan pages

Of course, I always welcome guest posts.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hatchko does not know what Party he belongs to. If you ask him, he will say he is a member of the American Independent Party. Obviously, it can't be Independent if it is a Party! The correct name according to the posting is American Independence Party. Somebody should tekk Hatchko bu this s just an example of the level of his incompetency. Ask Mullen or Hatchko what plans they have and what are the main issues facing county government and they will give you that stupid answer credibility, honesty or some other such non relevant response. They think that is the issue and have no clue that the a huge finacial issues as well as management. Because they don't know the real issues, they can't answer that sim ple question ..... Your Plans Are?

zorcong said...

“Your plans are?”

Jeez, idiocy of the insufferable variety abounds.

Uh, I’d bet that their plans differ slightly from the plans of the elected folks currently polluting the two long-entrenched ruling parties, the decades-old plan/plans that led the entire country to the brink of bankruptcy.

Hatchko misspoke?

Blessed are they who shout from the mountaintops while all others snipe from the cesspools of anonymity.

What the f>>k!?!

Mean Old Man said...

Mr. Hatchko is a fine young man; I enjoy his commentary on the Corbett show.
We can use a little bit of that old time religion under the courthouse dome!!!

Tim Mullen said...

Anonymous, You don't have to be a lawyer, political science major, or financial guru to say "no". Maybe that's what needs to be said to the public service unions. Maybe thats what needs to be said to tax increases. How about to borrowing? When your in a hole you might want to stop digging. Want specifics? Luzerne County has 1/3 more on its payroll than similar sized counties. Attrition first, layoffs as a last resort. The court is a sacred cow way overstaffed. Trim it. Salaries? Just like me in the private sector the past 3 years, freeze them or face the possibility of lay offs. Everyone will tell you they are honest. I'm the one that will say no.

Anonymous said...

OK so let's say "no" and let's preach the Bible ......... that should fix everything. Give me a break! I would like to have Hatchko and Mullen just once offer a real idea. Today on Corbett, Hatchko went on and on about how honest he is and how he is against nepotism and cronyism .... will somebody remind Charlie Hatchko that he is a county retired prison guard and he got that job as a political favor to his Pittston buddies. Hatchko said the problem is the debt ........ great! Very astute but tell us Mr. Crony, what are you and Mullen going to do about it? You said 466 million dollars, OK, I'll buy that but what are you and Elmer Fudd going to do about it? Oh, that's right, Mullen said he will say no t othe union. Asshole! Buddy Rich

Anonymous said...

First of all, I want to thank Gort for returning to the politics of the blog and allowing for opinions pro and con on every subject. I just returned from vacation and this blog was the first I went to.

9:26 PM, BRAVO! I agree 100% that this BS of candidates talking about how independent they are and honest they are is nothing less than laughable.

I want substance, not verbiage. I want to hear exact what your the candidate proposes as a cure, I know what the problems are. If a candidate does not have a list of cures, I absolutely will not vote for him or her. The day of spin is gone, the day of the e ethnic vote is gone, the day of a vote for he neighbor is gone. Life is serious and we are deep in to serious times. This county council will allow for 11 seats but from what I can see, there are not 11 candidates who truly deserve to be on this Council. There were a few who the voters ignored but what we got is not worth having. As of right now, I want to find six, yes, six is the magic number. If I can find six Council candidates are have a clue as to what is needed, I will vote for that six and no others. I wish I had the means to finance a write in campaign for 2 or 3 of those who lost because then we the taxpayers would have chance. I plan to contribute often as to who I think is good and why I think that way and I might also address those who I don't think belong in the race let alone the Court house. For now, I will sign this Tom and you figure out which historical figure I have in mind.

zorcong said...

"I want substance, not verbiage. I want to hear exact what your the candidate proposes as a cure, I know what the problems are. If a candidate does not have a list of cures, I absolutely will not vote for him or her."

Based solely on your clear-cut demand of a cure from prospective candidates, your voting track record cannot be that good with our cities, states and Feds going financially belly-up.

Put a sock in it, Mr. Who-knows-who!

Anonymous said...

Mark, "Put a sock in it!" You have got to be kidding me. A voter demands quality in candidates and your response is to say sit down and shut up? You my brainless friend are the problem. It is people like you who demand nothing from a candidate or use no criteria to give support are absolutely the problem. You are why we have the elected officials we have, not people like me who have candidate criteria. It was not me who voted for this unmanageable Home Rule Charter and it was not people like me who elected an ex football player to run a multi million dollar government. It was not me who put Barletta in office to cast a vote to end Social Security and it was not voters like me who put in Toomey and Corbett. You Mr No Brain have much to be ashamed of but there seems to be more of you than us. You vote for Hatchko, Mullen, Urban, Dobash and the like and I will continue to measure my candidates and waste my vote because of the idiots who rule.
By the way, using "Mark" as a signature tells no more about who you are than "anonymous" tells who I am but I did sign my post as "Tom". Of course you would have no imagination or thought about who "Tom" would be as a historical figure.


























. Further proof of your no brain.

zorcong said...

Uh, when did I say I voted for Skrep, Toomey, Urban or Corbett? Never did. Never voted for any of them.

I never said I was voting for either Mullen or Hatchko, but I reserve the right to be Mr. No Brain if need be.

As for Dobash, I did select her name on election day, but that was a reward for her persistent campaigning, while most of the other candidates did next to nothing but enter the race. An A for effort, if you will. Brainless, ain’t I?

As for Home Rule, it’s true that I voted for it while pinching my nose black & blue, but it seems to me that we need a big shock to the system. And if that system turns out to be imperfect, it can be improved soon enough. We have that power available to us under the newly adopted form of government.

As for my silly pseudonym, Mark, you got me. You nailed me. I am just another anonymous pussy stirring up trouble in that Sargasso Sea of anonymity…the Internet.

My real name is Hoby P. Swickles.

Anonymous said...

Dearest Hoby, If you think the provisions in the Home Rule Charter make it easy to make changes in 5 years then I feel comfortable in saying you never read the Charter. The way the gang of fools wrote the thing, it will be impossible to change anything. Look at the number of signatures that will be required and then ask yourself who is going to organize the gigantic effort to get changes on the ballot and if you can answer that, I will be happy to join your club in La La land. By the way, if you didn't vote for Urban and you didn't vote for Skrep, who the hell ..... ah, never mind. Any answer will make no more sense than the above response. Tom

Anonymous said...

Did I say that I never read the proposed charter?

Or did you simply decree that by divine fiat, too, to be the undeniable truth as written in stone by you?

For a wannabe sped, you've sure got a set of ball-like thingies.

Hoby

Anonymous said...

"you've sure got a set of ball-like thingies."

Got a set, hell, I shine them. You didn't say you didn't read it, I said you didn't read the Charter because if you had, you would know that they made it easier to fly backwards than to get change on the ballot.

A wanna be sped .......... I truly hope you are not being politically incorrect and absolutely harsh and uncaring about those you may have been referring to. As a good Christian, I will assume that I misunderstood you "sped" reference.

Anonymous said...

No, politically incorrect or not, I meant very specifically that you are a sped.

Scroll back up a ways and click on that blue highlighted, that clickable "Mark."

Hoby

P.S.--Nobody calls me Hoby, because my effing name is Mark.

Anonymous said...

Got to jump in here. Mark, Hoby, what ever you want to be called, you're an asshole! Is that simple enough for your pea brain to understand. How friggin dare you throw around a term like you did, Oh, right, I forgot, you're an asshole! And you obviously don't realize it but you did sign your post as Hoby not once but twice. Speaking of mental inability!

Anonymous said...

Looks like the person who does not want to have people look for quality in candidates also finds no problem with using a term that is a major insult to those with mental handicaps. Shame on you who ever you are and before you use such an insulting term, thank God you do not have children afflicted with such a challenge in life. You need to rethink your personal insults before you throw them around. That was bad!

zorcong said...

Wow!!! Listen to the girlie-men gone all Internet Word Police tell it!

My grandson has speech apraxia, so spare me the metrosexual bullspit. I know firsthand what you can only imagine.

While the anonymous assholes of the world attempt to gang up on me, I must point out that the provided clickable link--Mark--leads directly to my profile, as well as to my Web site.

The joke is on you, dummies.

And you never even saw it coming.

Hoby

Anonymous said...

I'm just catching up after a well deserved vacaion. Mark or Hoby, you have to stand alone on this one. How can any person who claims to be intelligen mock someong who suggested we vote for candidates with ideas on how to solve the county's problems? You can't be serious.

Sorry to be Back

zorcong said...

Let me get this straight.

We (you, you's, yours) attack the Third Party folks (especially the one sporting the Bible) while demanding instant "cures" from them, we adamantly oppose changing the county's system of government, and meaningful change can only come from smarter voters clinging to the status quo?

I proudly stand alone!

Pete

Anonymous said...

You will never be alone, you always have those little voices who steer your comic thought process. I suggest you ask permission to take a set of dice into the voting both. That will be as close to reasonable candidate cellection as you're capable of getting. Of course, you and the bible guy can thump it hard enough and God will give you the answers. I just hope you don't get him upset by not heeding the parable about the servant who barried his charge and when his master returned and he had nothing to show, he was punished. God gave you a brain and you have nothing to show. Oh well, that's how we got this Home Rule Charteer. Enjoy, Enjoy!

zorcong said...

Huh?

So now you--the anonymous pussy--have determined by divine providence that I am somehow a Bible thumper?

Wow! And here, I thought comedy was far beyond your limited reach.

You couldn't be more completely wrong if you claimed that tiny pebbles grow up to be big, strong rocks.

You could only be further off base if you claimed that the anonymous have gonads.

Where do they grow you people?

Holy fu>k!

Jiggy

Forrest Gump said...

Instead of calling each other names can we just have a discussion about the topic. I know it started out that way, but then it morphed into a "he said, he said" situation with the issue being ignored.

Pleaswe be more constructive in the future.