Meuser at the Grotto

Tens of people came out to hear former PA Revenue Secretary and unsuccessful 2008 PA 10th CD Republican candidate give his pitch for electing him to the 11th CD seat being vacated by Lou Barletta.

Luzerne County GOP Chair Ron Ferrance did the intro saying we need someone in Congress that will support the President. Other notables in attendance were State Rep. Karen Boback, Bear Creek Village Mayor Walter Mitchell, the next DJ in the back mountain Brian Tupper, Old Forge School Director Frank Scavo and Luzerne County candidate Marc Dixon.

Meuser tied himself firmly to Trump and Barletta.

Meuser said he was a conservative problem solver who wants to get behind the President's Make America Great Again (MAGA)  agenda. Tax reform, repeal Obamacare, strong military, border security, term limits and drain the swamp (DTS) , etc. He said he was urged by Barletta to run for Congress if Lou ran for Senate. The way he explained it was almost like a Quid pro quo. 

I was surprised by how much he discussed the nuts and bolts of the campaign. Everything from yard signs to money. Meuser said he was outworking the other candidates and claimed the support of 8 GOP county chairs. He said he will need $750,000 to win the primary.

He took some shots at Democrats saying the Republicans are the party of the red, white and blue who's favorite holiday is the 4th of July while the Dems celebrate April 15th. Senator Casey has gone extreme left and brought up Nancy Pelosi. 

At the end someone asked him about combating the lies that politicians tell. Meuser said he would give them a pass the first time but would lose his support if they did it again. Then he went on about draining the swamp and MAGA.

Maybe he should read this fake news article:

Trump's Lies



 Updated July 21: The president is still lying, so we've added to this list, and provided links to the facts in each case.

                                                  

Denny Wolff for Congress

Another Democrat has joined the race to succeed Lou Barletta (R) in the PA 11th CD. He joins USAF vet Alan Howe on the Democratic side.

Wolff was PA Agriculture Secretary under Governor Ed Rendell. He was appointed by  President Clinton and held over by Dubya on the WTO Agriculture Technical Committee.

From his website :In addition to his farm work and public service, Denny is the proud founder of Camp Victory, a camp for children with special needs that’s adjacent to his farm. The camp today hosts over 1,500 children and their families from across the country each summer. Denny was inspired to start Camp Victory after his youngest son, Nicholas, was born with a life-threatening liver disease and spent most of the first two years of his life in hospitals until he received a lifesaving liver transplant when he was eighteen months old.

Website: Denny Wolff for Congress
 
Facebook page: Denny Wolff for Congress

The crowded field that is the race for the 11th congressional district

 
Six people so far have announced they are candidates for the 11th Congressional District seat, now held by Lou Barletta. They are,  Dan Meuser, Stephen Bloom, Robert Alan Howe, and Denny Wolff, Andrew Shecktor and Andrew Lewis.

Steve Bloom for Congress

There is now a 3rd Republican candidate to replace Lou Barletta in the PA 11th CD with a few more to come. State Rep. Stephen Bloom (R-Cumberland)joins Dan Meuser and Andrew Shecktor looking to join the swamp in Washington. Alan Howe is the only Dem in the race so far. 

                                                        

He didn't send out a traditional press release or announce his candidacy at a rally but put up a  YouTube video. 

You can view it at his website: https://actnowcongress.org/

Bill O in the TL sums up his platform 

Obamacare bad, secure the border, give the Pentagon more money, bad trade deals
and end taxpayer subsidies for the heartbreaking abortion industry.


Also from his website: 
 
As a husband, parent, and grandparent, I can’t imagine losing this once-in-a-generation opportunity to do good. That’s why I’m running for Congress. It’s time for action.

 

Andrew Shector for Congress

Republican Andrew Shecktor of Berwick has decided to switch gears from a Senate race and will enter the 11th CD GOP primary. He joins Dan Meuser as the only announced candidate with Joe Peters teasing that he will run. Alan Howe is the only Democrat in the race so far. An official announcement will be coming shortly.


From his website:

Andrew Shecktor is a lifelong Pennsylvania resident, born in historical Philadelphia just blocks from the Liberty Bell and raised in Plymouth Meeting. He lives with his wife Jean in Berwick. He is the proud father of 5 grown children, 3 daughters and 2 sons. He is currently a sales manager for the Solid Cactus division of Web.com. Andy was elected to the Berwick Borough Council in 2015. He also sits on the Berwick Planning Commission.

Prior to Web.com Andy worked as an electrical engineer for many years. He is a published author of several books. His most recent is "State of the Economy Failure of Healthcare in the US", the companion book to the lecture he does on the same topic.

He has been a volunteer for various fire departments for 41 years, and is active in emergency services and military communication. He is also a long time ham radio operator.

He was an elected delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2016 and supported our 45th President, Donald Trump. During the election, Andy met 22,000 residents of the 11th Congressional District. This gave him the insight to understand what they expect from an elected official and their frustrations with the current status-quo government. The resounding response was they want their voices heard. Elected officials are elected to represent the people, not the reverse. There needs to be more input from the voters on matters that are voted on in Congress. The rationale for legislation enacted by Congress or by any elected official should be relayed to the public; particularly in instances of controversial legislation. Not everyone will be happy with every decision, but everyone should be able to have their voice heard. 


Website: 

Andrew Shecktor for Congress 2018 11th District, PA

 FB page:

 

Shecktor for Congress, PA 11th Congressional District

Dan Meuser for Congress

Dan Meuser with Lisa Baker at the Fall 2010 Blogfest

Here we go go again. Former PA Revenue Secretary and failed 2008 PA 10th CD Republican primary candidate Dan Meuser is running to succeed Lou Barletta. He was flirting with a run for PA Lt. Governor but a better opportunity arose. His announcement has already knocked Tarah Toohil out of the race.  He is tying himself to Barletta and Trump.

To refresh you memory Dan Meuser and Chris Hackett had a knock down, drag out primary fight to oppose Chris Carney. They both spent over $1 million and Hackett won only to lose the general election. There was a lot of bad blood after that election and many Meuser supporters told me they couldn't support Hackett.

His campaign slogan seemed to be Pride Mobility for Congress. So every problem the company had in the past became  fair game for his opponent

Some of the controversies:

EXETER: A woman formerly employed at Pride Mobility Products Corp. has filed a wage discrimination lawsuit against the company, alleging she was paid less than male counterparts who performed the same job. She also is alleging sexual harassment and retaliation for complaining about it.


 TPM Cafe: Meuser's company has settled a contentious lawsuit over the death of an elderly man using their wheelchair, in which plaintiffs alleged that a defective battery caused a fire. From the Monterey County Herald, January 9, 2007: "Had the case gone to trial, according to court records and statements in court, jurors may have heard evidence that Pride Mobility was aware of at least 18 other fires in its wheelchairs and scooters with identical battery packs since 2002. Ten of those fires destroyed dwellings and five were fatal." (From Nexis).

 The Medicare OIG fined Pride $80,000 for a kickback scheme.

And his past political contributions: 

 On behalf of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, I wanted to thank you for your kind, past contributions to strong Democrats such as Congressman Paul Kanjorski, Senator Hillary Clinton, Congressman Charlie Rangel and many others. Your contributions have helped Democrats to take back the House and Senate in 2006 and potentially take the White House in 2008.

I have a big basket of this stuff if any other campaign is interested.


 Many thanks to Tiffany Cloud for sending this:

Dan Meuser To Run For 11th Congressional District Seat

Businessman and Former Revenue Secretary To Continue Barletta’s Work

Luzerne County Businessman and former Secretary of the Department of Revenue Dan Meuser announced today that he was entering the race to represent the 11th District in the United States Congress. Congressman Lou Barletta announced days ago that he would run for the United States Senate.

“I have always supported Lou Barletta and I plan to continue to support him in his run for the United States Senate,” Dan Meuser said. “Both Lou and I will fight for an agenda that puts America’s interests first and rebuilds the middle class so the economy works for everyone.”

Dan has lived in the area that makes up the 11th District for over 25 years, he and his wife of 27 years raising their family in the district. Dan joined Pride Healthcare, based in Luzerne County and now called Pride Mobility Products, in 1988. Dan became President of Pride Mobility, USA in 2001. Pride has become the leading manufacturer of power mobility and complex rehabdevices in the country, and employs over 800 people in Northeast Pennsylvania.

"I've spent 25 years in the private sector helping create thousands of jobs. During this time my wife and I supported many important causes including the YMCA, local colleges, the Back Mountain Recreation Association and the Wyoming County Children's Association,” Meuser said.

In 2010, Dan was appointed and unanimously confirmed Secretary of the Dept. of Revenue. Dan and his team worked to reform the department, implement customer-first policies, and treat taxpayers like customers. Under Dan’s leadership, the Department was named the most improved Department of Revenue in the country and received a grade improvement from a D+ to an A- from the Council on State Taxation.

“We worked day in and day out to make sure that everyone knew that it was taxpayers who came first at the Department of Revenue,” Meuser said. “Our team reformed the department and turned it into a taxpayer advocacy agency, rather than a mere collector of taxes.”

Dan Meuser is running first and foremost because he loves his country and wants to continue to serve his community. Dan will be a consistent conservative voice in Washington, making sure that he takes the values of the 11th District to Washington every day. Dan will be an advocate for an economy that works for everyone, a healthcare system that provides access and affordability without the heavy handed federal mandates of Obamacare, and a strong military ready to defeat ISIS and any other threat to our nation, and to secure our borders.

“I’m a constitutional conservative who will always put the needs of America first,” Meuser said. “I want to restore our broken political system by always working on behalf of the people of the 11th District.”

Dan also believes that the next Congressman must be accessible to the people he serves.

“I will be very engaged and constituent focused, making sure that I am accessible and transparent,” Meuser said. “That means being involved in resolving issues, large and small, throughout the district.”

Dan will be traveling the 11th District visiting each county over the next 2 weeks.

Comments

Blogger recently decided to use the captcha system to verify and annoy commenter's on this site and the rest of the world of scribes that uses Blogger. It is commonly used on many commercial sites such as Ticketmaster that has frustrated me when I'm trying to buy something. Please don't tell Dan Mueser that I buy things online. The regulars over at LuLac are bitching about it and I have received remarks on why this used to be such a great forum for discussion but has slacked off lately so that may part of it. The old word verification worked just fine in my opinion in keeping the spammers away. Occasionally one or two spam comments would slip through but was immediately deleted as soon as I spotted it.

In the past I have taken the word verification off but then got swamped by the spammers. So you have live with it my dears readers and would be commenter's like the new Facebook Timeline requirement that makes it harder to read your friends updates.

Change is not always good but it is the only constant.

The alternative the Yonk came up with

It appears my blogger set up is asking for multiple verifications. Sometimes this can be frustrating. I tried it the other day on Gort 42 and gave up. If you are having a posting problem, e mail me through the blog, or at my e mail address yonkstur@aol.com or my Facebook Page. Here’s the link:http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1612355787 Just put in the message line or Facebook message: “For LuLac posting”. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I also got shot down on LuLac so you can always email me at gort42@yahoo.com or Facebook http://www.facebook.com/gort.fortytwo#!/gort.fortytwo

Death to spammers.

PA to collect sales tax for online purchases

First they went after the smokers
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Online cigarette buyers hit with taxes

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As if your tax returns weren't complicated enough. Now the PA Dept of Revenue added a line on the PA40 so you can declare what you bought online last year and pay the 6% sales tax.
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State to put hammer down on online sales taxes
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There's a new line on that form for the 2011 tax year, for consumers to self-report -- and pay -- the state's sales tax on online purchases...It's called the use tax, and although it's been on the books since 1953, the state is making a new push to collect it, starting with purchases made in 2011. The reason? As the popularity of online and mail-order retail services grow, the state wants to protect its brick-and-mortar retailers. It also wants to make sure it gets its share of the pie..."It's a matter of fairness," state Department of Revenue Secretary Dan Meuser said in a statement.


Call me cynic but I think this has less to do with protecting local retailers than pulling in more tax revenue for the state. If I have to pay the sales tax on things I buy online that's life but don't expect me and you to retroactively produce receipts and figure out how much we owe.

In instances when they find consumers haven't paid the tax, revenue officials will pursue the tax owed, plus penalties and interest. And they'll identify those not reporting the tax through audits, complaints, investigations and checks of purchase lists made with out-of-state companies.

The onus should be on the companies that sold us the products to do the accounting. If I owe the the tax I'll pay it but not penalties and interest. Although the law has been on the books for a long time the enforcement smells of ex post facto.

Readers of this blog will remember Dan Mueser from his 2008 run for the Republican nomination in the PA 10th Congressional District that he lost to Chris Hackett who then was bested by Democrat Chris Carney in the General Election. Too bad they didn't hold their powder until the 2010 wave election so the people of the 10th CD would have a House member that really represents them instead of Louis DeNaples.

Tom Marino is short on cash

Marino has $11K on hand for campaign

What a big disappointment this has to be for not only the Marino campaign but for the Republicans hopes for retaking the House. He only raised about $80K this reporting period compared with the six digit numbers being reported by other GOP challengers. In contrast, Congressman Chris Carney has brought in $173K during the reporting period and has $792K in the bank.

You can read Marino's 2nd Q report here. Some of his donors are familiar Don Ely, Harold Flack, Davis Haire, Dan Meuser and the Tunkhannock Strangler himself former Congressman Don Sherwood.

What I find interesting is who is missing. None of the GOP House leadership PACS or the NRCC has pitched in to help him.

Marino had a competitive primary that he had to spend money to win but it's been a month and a half since then. From what I know a candidate in either party has to show some fundraising ability before the national committees will commit to helping them. He has failed that test.

There a few bright spots in his CFR. He attracted the support of the lunatic fringe such as the Eagle Forum and Sarah Palin sent $3500.

NCFE reports:

Sarah Palin wants you to contribute to SarahPAC so that she can support conservative candidates. Funny, but her recent campaign disclosure notes that for while $87,500 was distributed to candidates, almost three times as much money, $210,000 was spent on consultants.

Last year Sarah Palin pulled in $2.13 million but spent only about $57,000 on candidates and causes.

I don't think that Sarah Palin is as stupid as many people think. Anyone who could parley a VP gig into $12 million in endorsements, book deals,etc. is on the ball. I do think that she is willfully ignorant about issues.

Sarah Palin campaign was a 'train wreck', insiders say



"Palin couldn't explain why North Korea and South Korea were separate nations. She didn't know what the Fed [the Federal Reserve] did. Asked who attacked America on 9/11, she suggested several times that it was Saddam Hussein. Asked to identify the enemy that her son would be fighting in Iraq, she drew a blank. Later, on the p
lane, Palin said to her team: 'I wish I'd paid more attention to this stuff'."

Liz Sichler busted

Until she resigned as the the Vice-Chair of the Luzerne County Republican Party in 2008 Sichler was best known for her hard nosed approach to politics with a particular talent for challenging the nominating petitions of candidates that she opposed.

According to the TL story she was running a Bernie Madoff type ponzi scheme until it unravelled and is now accused of embezzling $2 million from her title search company and the people who trusted her to do the paperwork to buy a new home.

She was a top operative of State Representative Karen Boback before all of this and succeeded in getting James May kicked off the the ballot in 2006. In 2008 she was one of the leaders of the Boback campaign that turned back May's primary challenge then quit politics a few days after the primary after the news broke that the Secret Service was investigating her activities.

Liz was a big contributor to various Republican candidates before she ran out of other peoples money to throw around. She tossed $825 to Karen Boback before the 2008 election and in the 2008 federal elections she dropped 8 grand to her favs including $4600 for Lou Barletta and $3200 to Dan Meusers losing effort.

Note: I'm back

Mother's milk PA 10th CD

The Democrat


Congressman Chris Carney took in $153,000 during the 4th quarter of 2009,
$121,000 from PACs and only $25,000 from individuals and has $483,746 cash on hand.

Carney campaign spokesman Josh Drobnyk told the TL:

“Congressman Carney is grateful for the support he receives from Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike and is working hard to protect our families and improve our region’s economy during these tough times.”


The Republicans


The 4 GOP candidates got a late start and didn't report raising any money in the 4th quarter of 2009. That's zilch, nada, zero, goose egg. By this time last cycle Dan Meuser and Chris Hackett had campaign organizations in place with healthy bank balances. So far only Malcolm Derk even has a website up. I asked 3 of the 4 Republican candidates for comment on Carney's fundraising, I don't have contact info for Marino yet. Ted Yale didn't respond which is not surprising since I spent a week playing email/telephone tag with him without success.

I did get a response from Malcolm Derk:


"Chris Carney's numbers are much lower than the other vulnerable PA Democrats. I'm sure he'll be quick to call on his friends next quarter, including Jack Murtha, Charles Rangel, and the former members of the PMA lobbying firm. One troubling aspect of his most recent report is the fact that only 16% came from individual donors, while 84% of his contributions came from inside the beltway lobbyists, PACS, and other sources. His votes, like his contributions, are clearly aligned with the Washington, DC establishment. Chris Carney should be more concerned about protecting the citizens of Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania than the special interests in Washington, DC."

And Dave Madeira:

I'm not surprised that Congressman Carney has a big pile of special interest money. Washington politicians trade money for favors all the time. The recent races in NJ, VA and MA show that the people's voices will be heard no matter how much money lobbyists lavish on their wards. I'm looking forward to providing a positive alternative to government bailouts for Wall Street and big business.

PA reaction to the President's Afghan speech

Senator Arlen Specter


“I oppose sending 30,000 additional American troops to Afghanistan because I am not persuaded that it is indispensable in our fight against Al Qaeda. If it was, I would support an increase because we have to do whatever it takes to defeat Al Qaeda since they’re out to annihilate us. But if Al Qaeda can operate out of Yemen or Somalia, why fight in Afghanistan where no one has succeeded?

“I disagree with the President’s two key assumptions: that we can transfer responsibility to Afghanistan after 18 months and that our NATO allies will make a significant contribution. It is unrealistic to expect the United States to be out in 18 months so there is really no exit strategy. This venture is not worth so many American lives or the billions it will add to our deficit.”

Challenger Congressman Joe Sestak


"President Obama has presented a plan that will allow us to finally complete a mission that is as indispensable today as it was eight years ago: the elimination of the Al Qaeda terrorists who struck us on 9/11," said Joe Sestak. "It is a difficult decision. After years of war and with economic challenges at home, the American people are justified in their concern about an increased commitment in Afghanistan. But the President has made the right call. If we leave Al Qaeda behind in a safe haven and are struck again, what can we ever say to those we swore to protect?


"From the outset of this debate, I have called for a strategy that is focused on Al Qaeda in Pakistan, is not overly dependent on nation-building in Afghanistan and is not open-ended. The President stated similar goals. But, while I support the President's overall approach, I will be looking for further details. First, the clear emphasis of our overall goal must remain focused on eliminating the safe haven in Pakistan. And second, we should measure our progress not by a fixed timetable, but by benchmarks of achieving America's security. We therefore must be provided those benchmarks of success and/or failure that trigger an exit or alternative strategy."


11th CD Democratic Candidate Corey O'Brien sent out out this email before the speech

As President Obama prepares to speak this evening about our troop commitment in Afghanistan, I am hopeful that the President will match any increase in troop levels with a renewed call for a bilateral relationship between the United States and Pakistan and for the Afghan government to root out corruption within its ranks. Corruption within Afghanistan has led to weakened popular support for the government, and a flourishing drug trade that has turned Afghanistan into the world’s largest narco-state. I believe that taking these actions will be critical to making real progress in Afghanistan, reducing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and fighting global terrorism, a growing drug trade, and international corruption.

Unsure of our resolve in Afghanistan over the last eight years, Pakistan has been hedging its bets and has been friendly to both the United States and the Taliban at the same time. To achieve regional stability, however, we must engage Pakistan and secure their unwavering commitment as a serious and lasting partner in our fight to eliminate terrorism. By collaborating with Pakistan to root out terrorists and secure and upgrade the country’s military equipment pipeline, we can bring stability to the region and reduce the global terrorism threats we face at home.

Republican 11th CD hopefull Chris Paige

Senator John McCain got it right: the President's decision to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan is correct, but his decision to set an arbitrary withdrawal date is ludicrous...and ironic. In the aftermath of the U.S. Civil War, the Democratic Party successfully demanded the premature withdrawal of federal troops from the South, and the result was the horrifyingly racist policy known as Jim Crow. Despite its flaws, Radical Reconstruction would have ended legal segregation in the 1870's instead of the 1970's, and one can only imagine how much suffering this nation in general and African-Americans in particular might have avoided if federal troops had remained in the South to protect the biracial governments (usually led by Republicans) that Southern Democrats, often in league with the KKK, overthrew once our troops left. Similarly, the President's policy might create a "stable" government in Afghanistan, but his policy virtually guarantees that Afghanistan's women and its religious minorities will be oppressed by whatever unholy Taliban-inspired government takes over after we leave. (After all, the Solid South was stable, even as the Democratic Party and its allies in the Klan moved quickly to deny African-Americans their legal rights.) The Afghan people deserve better; our troops and their families deserve better. In words of my fellow Republican Ulysses S. Grant, we should accept nothing less than the Taliban's and Al Qaeda's "Unconditional Surrender."

I'm sure Congressmen Carney and Kanjorski will have statements out later today and we may even hear from Lou Barletta. Other prospective candidates such as Malcolm Derk, Dan Naylor and Dan Meuser are welcome to send me their thoughts that I will be happy to publish.

Lu Lac analyzes the situation and Zen is his usual open minded self. My friends at CSPT heard want they want and advocate endless war.

Update:

Congressman Chris Carney


"It is critical that we not back down from terrorists who threaten our long-term security. Sending additional troops into Afghanistan will give us the military manpower to contain al-Qaeda and the Taliban while laying the groundwork for the Afghan military to step up and the Afghan government to implement long-needed reforms.


I am, however, concerned about the narrow timeframe that the president has presented. While our commitment cannot be open-ended, the reality on the ground in Afghanistan must dictate the actual timeframe. It could take 18 months for our troops to be fully deployed and trained and equipped for battle. The president did an excellent job laying out the reasons for the overall policy, but I will reserve judgment until I see the full details of the plan.


Demonstrating a commitment to our efforts in Afghanistan will signal our resolve to the region and help Pakistan focus its attention on fighting terrorism on its side of the border.”


Congressman Paul Kanjorski hasn't released a statement but had this to say


Kanjorski said he wants to give the president "the benefit of the doubt" on his decision but wonders if the pursuit of a stable Afghanistan will only shift the problem.

"I'm looking forward to having an exit strategy," he said. "I don't want to support a 10-, 20-year commitment. ... We could spend ourselves into bankruptcy in Afghanistan."

Dan Meuser for Congress-the sequel?

"I have been thinking about it and strongly assessing the situation." -Dan Meuser


Borys has a rundown of the possible Republican candidates that may take on Congressman Chris Carney (PA-10) next year. They are:

-Malcolm Derk, of Freeburg, a Snyder County commissioner.

- Leonard Modzelesky, of South Abington Township, former operations manager at WNEP-TV.

-Dan Naylor, of Benton Township, a Lackawanna Trail school director and unsuccessful candidate for state representative in 2002.

-Leslie Sheridan, of Towanda in Bradford County, a retired educator.

-Steven Solieri, of Salem Township in Wayne County, an accounting professor at Queens College in New York City.



And Dan Meuser, of Harveys Lake and other places, the former president of Pride Mobility Products, who dropped $2.5 million in an unsuccessful run for the nomination last year. If Meuser decides to run again I hope he learned from his mistakes in the last campaign. The biggest one in my opinion was clearing the field and making it an insider/outsider race with Chris Hackett and framing his campaign as Pride Mobility for Congress. His selling point was the he was the head of very successful company, Pride Mobility, that grew over the years and created some good jobs with the implication he would be able to replicate that throughout the district. That opened him up to answering for everything that Pride had ever done wrong by design or circumstance whether or not he had anything to do with the situation. If he does run again I hope we can look forward to a spirited discussion from Zen, KAR, Sassy, PJ and the rest of our regulars.

Other than Meuser and Derk I don't know much about the other names dropped in the article but our newest local political blogger, NEPArtisan, has taken a look at them.
Naylor has campaign experience and political experience as a School Director at Lackawanna Trail. That’ll help. Modzelesky has media experience, which will help if he’s got the money to do big media buys. Sheridan and Solieri have education backgrounds, which is respectable, but not nearly enough to give them an edge.

Challenger for Carney

Dan Hirschorn of pa2010.com is reporting that Synder County Republican Commissioner Malcolm Derk is looking to take on Congressman Chris Carney in the PA 10th Congressional District next year and will make a decision next month.

It's surprising that the GOP is having trouble finding a candidate to run against Carney because the conventional wisdom is it's a Republican district that he won in 2006 because Don ''the Tunkhannock Strangler" Sherwood was caught playing house with a girl that was younger than his daughters then Carney won reelection by 13 points against solid Republican candidate Chris Hackett in a Democratic year. The latest registration figures I've seen from the district is 49% Republican to 40% Democratic with 11% Independent/Other. Some other names that I've heard that may make the race are Republican Pike County Commissioner Richard Caridi who helped organize a tea bagger ambush of one of Carney's staffers and WNEP newsreader Marisa Burke. 2008 GOP primary runner up Dan Meuser still remains a possibility.

Derk said that "The area is hungry for a candidate” and “The largest challenge for any candidate in a tough economic climate is raising funds." He said Carney’s votes for President Obama’s stimulus package and for the recent House health care legislation had troubled him. “It really hurts to see more and more debt piled onto generations to come.”

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Derk looks to be a young man in a hurry. He is a graduate of Susquehanna University with a degree in both Political Science and Religion and at 27 is the youngest person ever elected Snyder County Commissioner. He won his first election when he was 20 serving on the Freeburg Borough Council between 2002 and 2007. My pals in the SU College Republicans must be proud. His Wiki page touts his opposition to the bailout of Boscov's Department Store and his campaign site stresses his commitment to fiscal responsibility.

Carney and Kanjo have some bucks

The 2nd quarter campaign finance reports for Federal candidates are now available on the FEC website.

In the PA 10th CD Sophomore Chris Carney(D) has $300,000 cash on hand pulling in $228K from PACS and $124K from individuals. No Republican challenger has emerged yet. I hope they find a couple of a couple of candidates soon so we can have as much fun as the 2008 primary between Hackett and Meuser. Maybe this guy will take a stab at it.


Paul Kanjorski (D) has better than $600,000 in the bank with a big chunk of his latest take coming from banks, insurance companies and labor unions. His prospective opponent is Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta who reports $4,000 cash on hand and $263,000 in debt from his last 2 failed campaigns to become the Congressman from the 11th CD. Barletta only raised about $3500 and loaned his campaign $48,500.

Luzerne County Prothonotary

Republican Walter Michell has announced that he running for Prothonotary and reelection as Mayor of the breakaway Republic of Bear Creek Village at the same time. It's always good to hedge your bets. He is backed by Republican 2008 10th CD candidate and former President of Pride Mobility Dan Meuser.


He wants to improve the prothonotary’s office, especially by making records available online. “Think how much this would reduce daily traffic in and out of the office, save users thousands of dollars in copy fees and time, and allow county employees to focus on catching up on scanning, filing and other vital tasks.” ...He said an advisory committee would also be appointed, made up of those professionals who use the office’s services most – attorneys, title searchers, paralegals and court workers – to offer advice and feedback on how things could be run better.

Former Luzerne County Prothonotary Carolee Medico Olenginski is looking to return to the office. She claims that Juvie brother Judge Michael Conahan had it in for her when she ran for reelection in 2001 and decided to run now that he is out of the picture. That didn't stop her from running in 2005. She was favorite of Fred Williams on WILK and had some disputes with the commissioners over redecorating her office and buying some filing cabinets. I remember that when she showed up for work after she was elected that the courthouse powers that be assigned her parking spot that was giant a pothole.

The only Democrat to announce so far is Attorney Gerald J. Mullery. In a news release, Mullery said his pledge to Luzerne County voters is straightforward and simple: “I will return the values of honesty, ethics and impartiality to the office of Prothonotary and I will ensure the use of technology to provide greater public access to civil records.”

Some of the other interested candidates are reported to be Republican Gina " the cat lady" Nevenglosky and Nancy Bellas, Andrew D. Check and Mark Kijek.

No word from Ann Lokuta.


What the hell is a Prothonotary?

Luzerne County Republicans

Some of us were hoping that new Luzerne County Republican Chairman Terry Casey wouldn't try to mimic the the local Democrats by trying to force candidates out of the primary. The reports I have been getting points to the opposite and this story in the TL confirms it:

County GOP endorsements likely

I have nothing against Attorney Nanda Pallisary but Casey is not doing him any favors by trying to force Walter Griffith and Bob Sypnewski out of the race. Yes, a primary race cost money that could be spent in the general election but a primary raises the name recognition of the eventual winner. I think it would be beneficial for our local GOP to have a contest as long as it doesn't turn into a bloodbath like the Mueser/Hackett race in the the 10th CD last year.

Former Democratic Commissioner Edd Brominski (what's with 2 D's ?) has also announced his intention to run for Controller as a Republican. More on Bromo to come.

Carney's big win

The challenger didn't lose the incumbent won. And boy did he ever win. In 2006 Chris Carney topped Don Sherwood by 6 points with approx. 110,000 votes to 98,000.

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The incumbent lost that election after his dirty laundry was aired and many people thought it was a fluke expecting the Republicans to take back the seat in 2008. But Congressman Carney had other ideas. He has been a relentless campaigner holding town hall meetings in every part of the district. His part time job as a Lt. Commander (soon to be full Commander) in the US Navel reserve and focus on veterans issues resonated with people I have talked to in the district. He has been a reliable vote for the Administration (urgh) on the Iraq War making it hard for Chris Hackett to run to his right on national security issues. And he brought home the bacon that Hackett derided. With just about every county and municipal government in the district has tapped out on the property tax that barely pays the bills. The only way to build a new fire house or even pave a street is to get a piece of pork. While I agree with Chris Hackett that there should be earmark reform we like our pork, just ask Joe McDade or Don Sherwood.

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After being number one on the hit list of the NRCC it wasn't even close.

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CARNEY, CHRISTOPHER P. (DEM) 159,072 56.4%
HACKETT, CHRIS (REP) 123,06 43.6%

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The thing that really surprised me is that Carney won 12 of the 13 counties that are part of the district. Local Values has a breakdown with percentages but not raw numbers.

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My friends Zen and Joe will argue that Hackett's scorched earth campaign against Dan Muesser in the primary was responsible for his defeat but I don't think that is the case. It was just too big of a win.

Dan Meuser backs Chris Hackett

And he offers up this ringing endorsement of Hackett. From the TL:

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“I will always support good Republicans for office,” Meuser said. “In a choice between Chris Carney and a conservative Republican, I will always choose the conservative Republican.”

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A few days ago Meuser announced that he departing Pride Mobility to pursue a full-time career in public service. He has been on an extended leave of absence from the firm after losing his bid for the Republican nomination in Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District in the April primary.

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EXETER, Pa.--

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"I have always had a strong interest in government affairs on the federal, state and local level. My recent venture into politics, combined with my leadership of Pride Mobility’s government affairs initiatives, solidified my desire to pursue community- and government-related endeavors full time,” Meuser said in a press release. “I am grateful to be in a position to pursue my ambitions, and look forward to continuing my active involvement with initiatives that ideally, will benefit the residents in our local communities and beyond.”

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We will hear from Dan again.

Dan Meuser backers still not supporting Chris Hackett

GOP PA-10th CD nominee Chris Hackett had a nice fund raising quarter raising a few more dollars than incumbent Democrat Chris Carney, $367,000 to $353,000. He also dropped in another $250,000 of his own coin. The all important cash on hand number shows Carney with $1,149,938 to Hackett's $266,816. I'm sure that Hackett will be able to make up that deficit by writing a few more checks.

From the TL: A look at the list of about 300 Hackett donors filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission reveals only 10 names that could be found on Meuser’s pre-primary donor list...“Certainly in a choice between Chris Hackett and Chris Carney, I choose Chris Hackett,” Meuser said...“I don’t like asking or putting a hand out,” he said, adding that he urges all party members “to support good Republican candidates in the November election.”

But he had no problem asking people to pony up $250 to have lunch with John McCain at the Westmoreland Club.

A comment on the TL story: Dan Meuser, hats off to you. You are a class act for your statements. I know personally I could never support someone who has attempted to defame my character and my family. I believe this political race has now come down to who the better person is not which party they belong to. Chris Hackett and his team did run a dirty campaign and that's not the kind of politics we need in our area. I did support Dan Meuser and I will not support Chris Hackett. My check and my vote will go to Chris Carney.

And a guest post from our friend KAR:

In the months following the primary election I had time to reflect on the outcome and determine what course of action I would follow. As many of you know I decided to actively encourage voters, republican and democrat, to “write-in” Dan Meuser’s name in November.

I know that many democrats are not entirely pleased with Chris Carney, and I also know that many republicans are not thrilled with the prospect of representation by Chris Hackett.

I continue to write letters and occasionally post something on the blogs. It is far less exciting than the build up to the April primary, but it gives me the satisfaction of knowing that I’m doing something. My hope is that Hackett loses, and Dan gets a shot at Carney in 2010.

Some, it would seem, have taken exception to my ideas, and have gone as far as suggesting that a “write-in” vote for Dan would be an abuse of the voting privilege(Dave Kveragas Times Leader July 21st). There were many abusive incidents during the lead up to the April Primary; writing in Dan’s name hardly rises to the level of abuse.

I don’t want to seem like I’m stuck on this, but honestly, and with no bitterness I’ve concluded that I do not want to be represented by Chris Hackett. He is, in my opinion, devoid of principles, integrity & honesty. The prospect of long term representation by him is far worse, in my opinion, than one more term of Chris Carney.

Hackett attempted to smear the good name of Pride Mobility, its many employees, and local business that sell & service Pride Products. His campaign admitted to contacting former Pride employees with no other purpose than to dig for dirt, they were unsuccessful.

Hackett’s campaign will fully misrepresented the facts concerning the hiring of 3illegals by Pride 13 years ago, even having one of their surrogates (a former WayneCounty District Attorney) go as far as suggesting criminality, they knew full well that was not the case.

They demogogued the issue of outsourcing suggesting that Pride was sacrificing local employment opportunities by sending jobs to China, they knew this to be untrue. The list goes on & on, they were shameless in their lies.

Hackett exposed himself as a hypocrite by not disclosing the existence of his very own illegal cleaning girl “Susie”, all the while he was hammering Pride about an incident, an administrative incident, 15 years ago, he had an illegal cleaning his house…world class hypocrisy.

We all remember the Vincente Fox visit, and Hackett’s protesting of said visit, the visit his company sponsored…more hypocrisy.

Hackett exposed himself as a liar by crowing about bringing new businesses to the area, one small problem, one of the companies, C3i, had to go public disavowing any relationship with Hackett.

The CFO of C3i wrote a letter indicating that Hackett had little or nothing to do with the company’s decision to locate here; he further stated that they had to terminate a relationship with Hackett’s temp agency due to poor performance.

You want to talk about abuse, talk about the abuse doled out by the Hackett campaign, remember that abuse when you vote in November. I’m voting for Dan Meuser.


Kevin

Who belongs to the Westmoreland Club?

Westmoreland Club site of $250/plate McCain event

Dan Meuser is bringing GOP Presidential candidate John McCain to Wilkes-Barre on July 23 and it's an invitation only event. When it was first announced I thought the event would be at Genetti's but the "Club" makes more sense. I'm still hoping for a press pass that day.