Republicans are touting a questionable poll

Many of my Trumplican friends are all excited abut an "independent poll" from Commonwealth Leaders Fund that shows Wagner  and Barletta within the margin of error. 
 
The poll reports Gov. Tom Wolf leading Scott Wagner 46% to 43%. Sen. Bob Casey leads Rep. Lou Barletta 47% to 45%.  
The polling, conducted via IVR interviews from Aug. 13-15, included 2,012 likely voters. 

I have never heard of the Commonwealth Leaders Fund and a google search came up empty. A link to the poll Topline View.

I have been reading polls for years and this one is ridiculous. The cross tabs show that Trump has positive favorable rating.  53% of those polled identified as either very conservative or somewhat conservative. Only20% polled considered themselves very liberal or somewhat liberal. 

They used the  dubious method  of IVR. 
To give you an example I told the last IVR poll that I got that I'm a 30 something Female Asian American who is a life long Republican but will vote for all the Democrats this fall. 

The real polls:

RCP Average	4/4 - 6/25	--	--	48.0	32.0	Wolf +16.0
Suffolk	6/21 - 6/25	500 LV	4.4	49	36	Wolf +13
Franklin & Marshall	6/4 - 6/10	472 RV	6.5	48	29	Wolf +19
Morning Call	4/4 - 4/12	414 RV	5.5	47	31	Wolf +16

RCP Average	4/4 - 6/25	--	--	46.3	30.3	Casey +16.0
Suffolk	6/21 - 6/25	500 LV	4.4	47	32	Casey +15
Franklin & Marshall	6/4 - 6/10	472 RV	6.5	44	27	Casey +17
Morning Call	4/4 - 4/12	414 RV	5.5	48	32	Ca

Senator Bob Casey in town

Senator Bob Casey gave one on the most passionate speeches on health care  that I have ever heard. He threw out out a lot of statistics about how the ACA has covered thousands of people in Luzerne County. Then he gave examples of people who have benefited from the law.

The longer he talked about health care the more angry he got about the sabotage of the ACA

Some much about the Sleeping thing that the Republicans are pushing

Marino the Drug Czar

Lou Barletta and Tom Marino

This report in the WaPo is shocking but not surprising. PA 10th CD Congressman Tom Marino (R) took $150,000+ from pharmaceutical companies then wrote a law to get the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) off their backs.

For years, some drug distributors were fined for repeatedly ignoring warnings from the DEA to shut down suspicious sales of hundreds of millions of pills, while they racked up billions of dollars in sales.
The new law makes it virtually impossible for the DEA to freeze suspicious narcotic shipments from the companies

 This tells you every thing you need to know about Marino. He called the cops when reporters wanted to interview him. Marino declined repeated requests for comment. Marino’s staff called the U.S. Capitol Police when The Post and “60 Minutes” tried to interview the congressman at his office on Sept. 12. 

This is nothing new. He has helped drug dealers in the past.

 
 By Michael R. Sisak / Staff Writer

A prominent central Pennsylvania car dealer once described as a “friend” by former U.S. Attorney Tom Marino has racked up an extensive rap sheet since leaning on Marino to have a cocaine dealing conviction cleared from his record more than a decade ago, court documents obtained by The Citizens’ Voice show.

Jay W. Kilheeney, an admitted drug addict and alcoholic, has been busted three times since Marino clumsily and unsuccessfully interceded in the drug case, in June 1998, and has been accused in protection from abuse petitions of leading a violent, vagabond home life.


His lies about his relationship with Louis DeNaples and permission letter from the DOJ.

Marino changes story

 Tom Marino, Republican candidate for Congress, has changed his story six months after he told a Wilkes-Barre talk radio reporter that he had gotten permission from his superiors in the U.S. Department of Justice before lending his name as a reference for a convicted felon who was seeking a casino license...He also denied that he had ever claimed that he received, or could provide, written authorization from the Justice Department allowing him to give a personal reference to former casino operator Louis DeNaples.

 Even the Bush Administration thought he was incompetent 

 

Marino almost got fired before he quit

 Marino's effectiveness questioned

A senior Justice Department official recommended firing Marino in September 2006, saying he "perceived that Marino was not leading his office," according to the report, which has taken on fresh relevance as the Republican challenges Democratic incumbent Chris Carney in the 10th Congressional District.

D. Kyle Sampson, the chief of staff to then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, subsequently placed Marino's name on a list of U.S. Attorneys he said the department, "should consider pushing out," based on "problems" he learned about in summer 2006, according to the report.
You can read the report at this link.

The only thing that saved his tail was the Justice Department didn't want to piss off Senator Arlen Specter. 

And he is such a charmer with the voters

 

 

Lou Barletta for Senate

If the reports are true PA 11th CD Rep Lou Barletta of Hazleton  is running for the US Senate against incumbent Bob Casey of Scranton in 2018. After Rick Santorum flamed out in the 2016 primary Lou endorsed Donald Trump and has been a big supporter ever since. Many people say that Trump has urged him to get into the race.

Barletta getting into the Senate race will probably knock out a few of the minor Republican candidates but I doubt he will have a clear field.

On the other hand the next primary  election in the  Pennsylvania 11th Congressional District will be a donnybrook on both sides.

The only declared candidate in the 11th CD until now was Democrat Alan Howe. 
That will change in the next few days.

The Republicans have a deep bench in a district that stretches from Wyoming County to down past Harrisburg and Carlisle. There are many Republican Legislators and County officials that will be looking for a promotion.

Of course some rich guy/girl  who could self finance might  get in on it.


My archive/oppo research on Barletta

Here